Valencia, Calif. – Ice Station Valencia Announces Permanent Closure, March 25, 2020 amid world wide crisis and changing times.

To our Valued Ice Station Customers, Staff, Coaches, Associates, Vendors, Charities and Entire Community.

After 20 years of faithfully serving the skating community, Ice Station Valencia is sadly announcing that it will be closing its doors permanently, effective immediately.

On March 13, 2020, with the solemn responsibility to the health and safety of our staff, patrons and coaches, Ice Station made the difficult decision and announced its temporary suspension of operations.

The uncertainty of a reopening date combined with loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic has made a recovery unsurmountable and closing permanently unavoidable.

We would like to extend our sincere empathy for the extraordinary hardship so many of our customers, employees and communities are facing.

To our long-standing staff, we want to express our deepest gratitude and best wishes as they overcome this challenge and discover new careers.

To our customers, we thank you for your support over the past two decades.  There has been no bigger satisfaction than to have served the hockey and skating community over these wonderful years.

Finally, it has been a privilege and an honor to have been a positive part of so many peoples’ lives and we hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy during these very challenging times.

We understand that there will be many questions and comments regarding this sad announcement.  – By Rebecca Mendenhall Ice Scheduler

For more information visit our website www.icestation.net or email info@icestation.net. https://www.facebook.com/IceStationValencia/posts/3094374373917017

Universal City, Calif. – Message from Universal Studios Hollywood:

We are extending the closure of Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood through April 19 as we continue to respond to current conditions and make the health and safety of team members and guests our top priority. 

This includes our theme parks and Universal CityWalk at both destinations.  The Universal Orlando Resort hotels have also temporarily suspended operations. 

We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed, based on guidance from health agencies and government officials.  Updates are also posted at https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us and https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us.

We know Coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted many parts of your life – including your travel and leisure plans and we look forward to welcoming you back to Universal Studios Hollywood when the time comes. We continue to follow guidance from health agencies and government officials and are extending the closure of Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk through April 19. We are closely monitoring the situation and will make adjustments as needed.  You can continue to check here for updates.

The health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, so please stay safe and take care of yourself and your family.

What if I have a ticket for a date when the theme park is closed? Can I get a refund?
Tickets purchased for park visits during the anticipated closure period, from March 14 through April 19, will be automatically extended for use through December 18, 2020. Just bring your existing ticket to the front gate turnstile when you visit (if you have a VIP ticket please call us at 818-622-8477 to reschedule your tour). If you cannot visit during this time, you can apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward a new purchase.

What if I have a ticket for a date when the theme park has reopened?
Tickets purchased for a date once the theme park has reopened will be fully valid for use on the original date selected. If you cannot visit on that date, you can apply the value of a wholly unused ticket toward a new purchase.

What if I have an Annual or Season Pass?
Annual or Season passes will be extended by the number of days our theme park is closed (for those who purchased Annual Passes using FlexPay, additional information will be forthcoming). Existing benefits and restrictions will continue to apply.

Santa Clarita, Calif. – The City of Santa Clarita first and foremost desires to preserve the health and welfare of its residents.  In this time of the coronavirus pandemic, and the almost daily evolving directives and recommendations from Federal, State and County health officials, the City is endeavoring to take all appropriate steps to protect the City’s residents. Because of these circumstances, the City has canceled the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting in March. 

Notwithstanding that cancellation, the City of Santa Clarita City Council will consider a resolution declaring its intention to transition from at-large to district-based elections at a special meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.  The City is faced with a looming March 23, 2020, deadline that could expose the City to litigation and potentially millions of dollars of exposure. As described more fully below, taking action tomorrow would protect the City from litigation for at least 90 days.

            The California Voting Rights Act allows for challenges to at-large election systems, which the City of Sant Clarita has maintained since incorporation in 1987. To challenge an at-large voting system, a potential plaintiff must send a demand letter to the City, after which the City has 45 days to declare intent to switch to the election of its legislative body by districts.  Unlike a federal voting rights act case, where a plaintiff must establish that switching to districts will actually remedy the vote dilution of the minority group challenging the existing election system through the creation of a majority-minority district, the California Voting Rights Act does not require such proof. 

The City of Santa Clarita received such a demand letter on February 7, 2020, from Scott Rafferty, a Northern California lawyer who has sent similar letters to several cities, and who has refused to identify his clients. By virtue of sending such a letter, Mr. Rafferty is automatically entitled to $30,000 of taxpayer money under the Elections Code.

            The vast majority of cities that received a demand letter have opted to switch to election by districts, although some have attempted to litigate. Out of the cities which attempted to defend the suit, none have been successful. These cities have been ordered to pay millions in legal fees and, in some cases, have ended up with court-ordered special elections, based upon district maps generated without public input.   

In light of these circumstances, the City is recommending using the legislation adopted in the last few years, which allows conversion to districts through an open and public process. However, the process must be completed by early June to avoid litigation threatened by the demand letter. If the City Council adopts the resolution, five or more public meetings must be conducted within a 90-day period.

This public process would allow for residents to share their input and submit maps showing their preference for district boundaries. The City would also retain the services of a demographer, an expert in the statistical study of populations, to draft district maps.

The City recognizes that this process is further complicated by the recent novel coronavirus pandemic or COVID-19 and the federal and state executive orders limiting public gatherings and requiring social distancing. However, the language of the California Voting Rights Act does not accommodate pandemics, and Mr. Rafferty has been consistent in his commitment to have Santa Clarita switch to districts in 2020. The proposed schedule of hearings has been pushed back as far as possible to limit public meetings for as long as possible, while still fitting in all of the required hearings to switch to districts within the 90-day time limit.  However, the City will first and foremost act to protect the health and safety of its residents, and the schedule may need to be modified notwithstanding the 90-day time limit, depending upon evolving Federal, State and County restrictions and guidelines. 

If the City Council adopts the attached Resolution of Intention, the scheduled public hearings will be live-streamed and recorded. Anyone who does not wish to attend the hearings in public should consider submitting comments in writing. Additionally, the demographer proposed to be hired by the City will provide both a website and a web tool so that members of the public can submit their proposed district map ideas to the City for consideration. While this is not an ideal public process, if the City completes the districting process for 2020, State and Federal law mandate a “re-districting” occur prior to the 2022 election, based upon Federal census data results in 2021. State law mandates additional public participation and hearing for that re-districting process, and hopefully, the current limitations on social interactions and gatherings will no longer be in place. 

For information on Thursday’s special meeting, please visit the City’s website at santa-clarita.com and click on agendas.

Universal City, Calif. – As we continue to make the health and safety of our guests and team members our top priority and be responsive to current conditions, we have additional operational changes to announce at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk Hollywood:

• Universal will close its owned and operated venues beginning Tuesday, March 17. 
• Individual tenants may elect to remain open for business; please call to confirm operating hours before visiting.

We are working hard to take care of the needs of our team members and guests and have created flexible options to accommodate all guests who have purchased tickets to visit our destination.  For further assistance, guests can call 1-866-258-6546  for more information.  We will continue to monitor this ongoing situation and follow the guidance of appropriate health agencies.  We recommend that you check back with us prior to visiting.  Updates will be posted at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com

Los Angeles, New York – The Paley Center for Media announces that the Paley Center and offices in New York and Los Angeles will be closed starting Friday, March 13 at 5 pm through Tuesday, March 31, with the possibility of a lengthier closure.

Paley Center announcement, March 13, 2020:

To Our Paley Center Community,
As you are aware, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to remain of the utmost public concern. For several weeks now, the Paley Center has monitored the situation closely, staying in daily contact with local, state, and federal partners, as well as following the recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the guidelines of the local health department.

In light of the most recent news developments, and out of an abundance of caution, the Paley Center and our offices in New York and Los Angeles will be closed starting Friday, March 13 at 5 pm through Tuesday, March 31, with the possibility of a lengthier closure. While there are no cases of COVID-19 connected to the Paley Center, this action is strictly being taken as a precaution to help contain the spread of the disease, and to ensure the continued safety of our visitors and staff.

As a result of this decision, all public programs scheduled during this period will be postponed, including:
March 14: Paley Family event The Boss Baby: Back in BusinessMarch 17: Paley Live event CelebratingKerry WashingtonMarch 30: The Paley Honors Celebrating Tom Selleck.
If you have purchased tickets to our March 17 event, please email NYCustomerCare@paleycenter.org and provide a contact where you can be reached.
If you purchased a table/ticket to the March 30 event, our Development team will be in touch regarding next steps.
During this closure period our janitorial staff will diligently continue to maintain regular cleanings of the building.
We encourage you to prepare yourself with as much information as possible on COVID-19. Useful resources include:•   New York State Department of Health: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)•   Center for Disease Control: Coronavirus Disease 2019•   New York City Department of Health
We appreciate your understanding during this challenging time, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide additional updates as they become available.
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Paley Center when we reopen in the near future. – The Paley Center for Media