Villaraigosa Joins Backers of Inspections for Theme Park Rides

State regulation of amusement parks took a big step forward Monday as Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa pledged to vote for a bill that calls for outside inspectors to check rides and for parks to report serious injuries publicly.

The state Senate Appropriations Committee, meanwhile, rescheduled a vote for next week on a tough park regulation measure by Sen. Don Perata (D-Alameda).

The bill, the stronger of two measures in the Legislature, calls for state inspections of permanent amusement park rides twice a year and public reporting of accidents to a state agency.

The other theme park bill, by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), awaits a hearing in the Assembly’s Appropriation Committee. Both bills were introduced in the aftermath of a Christmas Eve accident at Disneyland that killed a Washington man and seriously injured his wife and a park employee. California is one of 12 states that do not regulate permanent rides at amusement parks.

Villaraigosa said he would vote to regulate the industry, and his influence as the Assembly’s speaker should significantly boost a bill’s chance for success. The Los Angeles Democrat said he supports Torlakson’s measure and that a tougher version of the bill would probably pass the Legislature this year.

“This bill can only get tougher, it can’t get watered down,” Villaraigosa said in an interview Monday. “A bill will pass. Absolutely.”

Disneyland’s owner, the Walt Disney Co., hosted a fund-raiser at Disney Studios last month that brought in $1.2 million for Villaraigosa and other Assembly Democrats.

The speaker said the fund-raiser had been in the works since last year and his good relations with Disney would not affect his vote.

Perata’s measure was expected to pass the Appropriations Committee on Monday and head for the Senate floor.

Instead, the committee postponed the bill with others that require more than $150,000 in state money. Those bills will be taken up next week.

Perata had amended his bill to avoid the money hurdle by calling for the theme parks to pay for the cost of the inspection program.

He said it was a mistake to include his bill with the others.

But Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Johnston (D-Stockton) said there was no mistake.

“There’s a common misperception, if you take money out of bill it doesn’t cost any money,” Johnston said. “Stronger enforcement will bring more costs to the state.”

But Johnston said the delay “should not be interpreted as a negative.”

“It’s sort of a procedural bus stop on the way to the terminal,” he said.