Disneyland Reaches Out : 15% minority-contract goal is a good one in an increasingly diverse county
Walt Disney Co. has made a smart move by voluntarily targeting minority-owned firms for 15% of the contracts it plans to let for its proposed $3-billion expansion at Disneyland. Now in the design phase, the Disneyland Resort could create 48,000 construction jobs in Southern California, including 27,000 in its home city of Anaheim. That’s a lot of jobs for a lot of people. Given the dramatic shifts in population that have occurred in the region since Disneyland opened its gates in 1955, it is especially fitting that minority firms will get a substantial share.
As the 1990 census showed, Orange County is no longer the white enclave it long was reputed to be. These days, 43% of Anaheim residents are nonwhite minorities, and Disneyland’s host county is more than one-third minority. Statewide, more than 40% of the population is nonwhite.
Disney said it views a 15% goal as an “aggressive but achievable” target for minority contracts for the Disneyland Resort. Certainly, public agencies have shown that such a goal can be met. For example, construction of the $877-million light rail line between Los Angeles and Long Beach was accomplished by using 26% minority firms, which was 3% over the ambitious goal that was set by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. A 15% goal will be required of California public utility companies by next year, following endorsement of such a target by the California Public Utilities Commission. Many of the utilities control large construction projects. It’s good for Disney to set a similar goal for itself.
It also can’t hurt the company to have a strong minority contracting policy in place as it lobbies for public funding of part of its expansion. Disney has been aggressively seeking help from Anaheim as well as federal and state agencies in financing the huge parking lots and other improvements that it needs for the project, which is not expected to be approved until next year. Showing that it can be a good corporate citizen might help its cause.
More important, when a firm as influential as Disney takes stock of the sea change in California’s population, it can help lead the way for others to do the same.
