Anaheim City Council Rejects Police Union Push to Impose ‘Gate Tax’ on Disney Theme Park Admissions

Jose Duran, president of the Anaheim Police Association, speaks in favor of a “gate tax” on Disney theme park admissions during public comments.

By DUANE J. ROBERTS
Editor & Publisher

On Tuesday, October 28th, the Anaheim City Council rejected a push by the Anaheim Police Association—the union representing 400 sworn personnel employed by the city’s police department—to place a measure on the ballot that would impose a “gate tax” on Disney theme park admissions.

Despite a parade of police union leaders speaking out in favor of the measure during public comments, proponent Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava, whose political campaigns have been heavily funded by law enforcement, was forced to acknowledge that it was “dead on arrival” after a lengthy debate.

In addition to Gaby Sutter, the Anaheim Police Association’s executive director, others from that organization who addressed the council included Jose Duran, the president, Tony Lee, its vice president, and Cesar Aguilar and Breana Castro, members of their political action committee board.

Photos obtained by The Anaheim Investigator that were used in last year’s campaign opposing Rubalcava’s recall show Duran, Lee, Aguilar, Castro, and other police union leaders posing with the councilwoman; many also hold signs with the words, “Anaheim’s First Responders Say Vote No Recall.”

Rubalcava with police union leaders (circled in red) who spoke at the meeting.

Last week, The Investigator broke the story that the Anaheim Police Association commissioned a survey in mid-August asking “high propensity voters” if they supported “new taxes” on theme park admissions providing the revenue would “help with long-term budget issues without cutting services.”

Like most surveys, it reflected the needs and priorities of those who funded it, and a number of questions used wording which favored positions aligned with the police union, such as repeated items about expanding Anaheim Police Department staffing levels and boosting pay and benefits of officers.

In a brief conversation, Rubalcava denied being privy to any details of their survey before requesting that an item about the “gate tax” be placed on a future city council meeting agenda. However, she admitted that they, along with another union, were part of an “emerging coalition” supportive of it.

But this issue is far from settled. Although the city council opted not to put the measure on the ballot at this time, members voted 5–2 to continue the item so it can be included in a wider review of revenues, the budget cycle, and prospective city projects. A date for that discussion has not yet been set.