There had been rumors of this occurring, but our piss-poor California press buried it. While the particulars look a little different, what this ultimately translates to is loss of tax-base, and clear signs that a California institution is taking the slow boat to better shores.

From Audacy:

NOTE: Audacy updated its reporting, correcting the amount of jobs from 22,000 to 2,000.

The Walt Disney Company announced the company is relocating about *2,000 jobs from Southern California to Florida.

The company is building a new facility, east of Disney World, where the workers will be based.

Most of the workers relocating hold positions involving digital technology, finance and product development in Disney’s theme parks division who are not working at Disneyland or for the international theme parks.

Don’t think that the workplace mask dance that Cal OSHA and Governor Hair Gel did a month ago had no impact on this. Don’t think there is no contrast between how The Walt Disney Corporation employees are faring in Florida versus California. In October 2020, Disney Chairman Bob Iger unceremoniously resigned from Newsom’s “Economic Commission”, because he saw how Newsom’s pandemic lockdown policies were destroying the economy and jobs. Disney had to downsize its California parks division by 28,000 employees, and I doubt those jobs were ever restored to their full capacity.

His Hairfulness once again shot himself in the foot. Now, Los Angeles County is instituting yet another indoor mask mandate. Disneyland is in Orange County, you say? Disney Imagineering, which is the engine that runs the theme parks, is still in Glendale, CA and still under the thumb of L.A. County.

These are the very employees being relocated. Coincidence? I think not.

Disney says the relocation will allow a more collaborative work-flow. Employees will have a lower cost of living, with no state income tax. The company said affected workers will be offered moving assistance.

The silver lining? We have a Recall election on Tuesday, September 14, where Californians can answer “YES” to the question: “Should Governor Gavin Newsom be Recalled?” This is the only thing that will staunch the flow of this economic bleeding and job loss. Until then, we are no doubt going to see more of this slow erosion that will result in an even faster landslide if left unchecked.

Newsom thought an early election would work in his favor with all the vaccines being distributed, and playing Daddy Warbucks with taxpaper money. But, the California Adios keeps rolling along, and a concern as large as Disney, which essentially built Southern California, is going to leave a crater-sized hole. The iconic Mouse has hitched his quite substantial wagon to the caravan heading due East.

There was no timetable announced for the construction of the facility or when employees would need to relocate.

I am sure the Disney Imagineering folks are breathing a sigh of relief—hopefully without masks.