Anaheim ballot measure to raise resort worker wages holds onto lead

Though the election was several days ago, the fate of an Anaheim ballot measure that would raise the minimum wage for some Anaheim Resort District workers remained uncertain on Friday, Nov. 9, with Measure L holding a lead of just over 1,000 votes with more ballots yet to be counted.

The results have been close – initial early returns even showed the measure trailing. But it has gained votes in subsequent updates as Orange County election workers count provisional and mail ballots. More than 360,000 ballots remain uncounted countywide, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Labor unions that represent workers at the Disneyland Resort, resort-area hotels and other hospitality businesses have waged a public campaign to pressure Disney to raise what they call poverty-level wages. To try to pass the initiative, they battled a coalition that included the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and hotel developers.

The measure would increase the minimum wage for workers at businesses that receive city tax subsidies to $15 an hour in January, and by annual $1 increments through 2022.

In recent months, Disney has announced new contracts with thousands of workers, including one that gave housekeepers $15.85 an hour and another that raises pay for ride operators, sales clerks and janitors to $15 an hour in January, with future increases.

If Measure L passes, backers have said they would file a lawsuit to prove their contention that it would apply to Disney. The company earlier this year canceled city subsidy deals, a move Anaheim’s city attorney said would exempt it from the initiative’s provisions.