$100-Million Make-Over Gets Underway at Big A

It may look the same on the outside, but small changes began taking place inside Anaheim Stadium on Tuesday as part of a $100-million renovation project.

The Walt Disney Co., which as part of its May purchase of controlling interest in the California Angels assumes management of the stadium, officially took over at 12:01 a.m. By late afternoon, work crews had already uprooted thousands of seats and yanked out “miles” of wiring throughout the Big A, said Disney Sports Enterprises spokesman Bill Robertson.

The project will transform the 30-year-old stadium into a more intimate, baseball-only park, eliminating 14,000 seats and turning 5,400 others into luxury boxes. Work is expected to continue over the next 18 months.

“We’re doing a lot of [preliminary work] for the real full-scale renovation stuff that’s coming up,” Robertson said. An official groundbreaking for the renovation will be held within a couple of weeks, he said.

Crews on Tuesday wrapped plastic around many of the discarded seats, which the city will sell to the public for up to $25 apiece. Several residents showed up at the stadium to buy the orange-colored chairs, but were told they’d have to wait until the end of the month when the sale begins. Proceeds will go to the city’s general fund.

Seven former stadium workers lost a bid in court this week to prevent Disney from beginning renovation work. Attorneys representing the Anaheim Municipal Employees Assn. sought a temporary restraining order to halt the change in management until a full-scale hearing on their case is held Oct. 11.

The last-ditch legal effort was denied by Orange County Superior Court Judge William F. McDonald, who was assured by the city and Disney that none of the workers would lose their jobs before the Oct. 11 hearing.

In all, 22 full-time city employees were affected by the change in management. Two quit before Disney took over, four were hired by the company and 16 were reassigned to city jobs. Seven of those were given three-month temporary jobs and may be laid off if the city can’t find permanent positions for them.