Amusement Park Bill Leaves Key Issue Open
A bill aimed at regulating California’s amusement parks leaves open the key question of whether major venues such as Disneyland would be subject to the same state inspections as smaller parks.
The measure, by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), generally would require annual inspection of rides in many amusement parks, reporting of accidents to the state, employee training and carrying an insurance policy.
The exact requirements will be fleshed out later in negotiations with consumer groups, safety officials and the amusement park industry.
Torlakson is set to present his bill at a news conference today to be held at the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier. Two more briefings are scheduled for Wednesday in Sacramento, and Vallejo in the Bay Area.
The bill is to be introduced in the Legislature this week.
A similar theme park safety measure died last year in an Assembly committee, but not before Torlakson amended it to give large theme parks, such as Disneyland, a loophole. It allowed those parks with in-house safety engineers to avoid state inspections by filing affidavits stating they had inspected and maintained the rides to a standard set by the state.
Torlakson revived the bill this year after a Washington state man was killed Christmas Eve at the Columbia sailing ship attraction at Disneyland.
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