The most important stories for you to know today
LA approves $5 mil for lawyer fees on homelessness case, 4 new Metro A Line stations open, Broad Museum celebrates 10 years — The P.M. EditionMembers of various unions attended an L.A. City Council meeting on April 7, 2025 to show support for the LA Convention Center expansion.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a massive expansion of the downtown convention center today, setting aside concerns about the risks to future funding for basic city services.The project will connect the West and South halls of the sprawling facility and add an estimated 325,000 square feet of space in hopes of attracting new conventions — and new revenue — to Los Angeles.The project would create an estimated 13,300 new jobs during the expansion and more than 2,000 net new jobs at the convention center.Katy Yaroslavsky, who heads of the City Council’s Budget and Finance, was one of two"no" votes on the project, calling it"unrealistic, it's unaffordable and it's fiscally irresponsible.” She said the debt service on the project would take away much needed money for basic city services like police and sidewalk repair.The Los Angeles City Council approved a massive expansion of the downtown convention center Friday, setting aside concerns about the risks to future funding for basic city services. The project will connect the West and South halls of the sprawling facility and add an estimated 325,000 square feet of space in hopes of attracting new conventions — and new revenue — to Los Angeles. “Every year we lose tens of millions of dollars in economic opportunity to other cities with better facilities,” said Councilmember Traci Park. “We need to bring our city back to life and we don't have time to wait.”The project would bring to L.A. at least 500,000 additional visitors over the first 10 years, according to City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo. It would generate an average of $120 million in direct revenue from events, parking and signage over 30 years, he said. It would produce more than $650 million dollars in indirect general fund tax revenue over 30 years from things like the hotel occupancy tax.Powerful business and labor leaders alike spoke out in favor of the project ahead of the vote. “We’re going to be able to compete with Orlando and San Diego and Las Vegas and bring more people here to conventions,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the“This will create an additional thousands of union jobs for more Angelenos who need an economic lifeline,” said Yvonne Wheeler, president of the L.A. County Federation of Labor. Szabo said the project would create 13,300 new jobs during the expansion and more than 2,000 net new jobs at the convention center.But dire warnings came from Katy Yaroslavsky, who heads of the City Council’s Budget and Finance. She voted against the project. “This expansion is unrealistic, it's unaffordable and it's fiscally irresponsible,” Yaroslavsky told her colleagues. Under the plan, the city would have to pay out on average $89 million a year over 30 years for operating costs and debt service for the project. That number hits a high of $147 million in fiscal year 2031.“It means when we want to accelerate the hiring of police officers or expand the fire department, there will be no money left to do it,” she said. “If we want to repair the sidewalks that are costing us more than $100 million dollars in liability or build more bike lanes and walkable communities so that we’re in compliance with HLA, there will be absolutely no money to do it.” Councilmember Nithya Raman was the only other"no" vote. She expressed concerns the project will take away money from efforts to stem the city’s homelessness crisis. “What I fear is that we are going to have a beautiful new convention center surrounded by far more homelessness than we have today, which will drive away tourists,” Raman said.Both said they feared the project’s first phase won’t be done in time for the Olympics — calling the"Olympic-driven timeline.. unrealistic on its face." The convention center is supposed to host wrestling, fencing, and judo.Even council members who supported the project acknowledged its challenges. Some wondered if the Department of Water and Power would be diverted from other projects like installing underground power lines in the fire ravaged Pacific Palisades.Still, supporters said the project was in part an expression of hope in the future of downtown L.A. “The project before you today stands to transform our future,” said Nella McOsker, president and CEO of the Central City Association.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Actor Gary Busey sentenced to probation for groping woman at N.J. convention, reports sayThe incident happened at the Monster Mania Con in New Jersey in Cherry Hill in 2022, authorities said.
Read more »
Mayor Jones faces ethics hearing over soliciting the Democratic National ConventionIt's an about-face from when local Republicans accused City Council of picking politics over tourism dollars by rejecting the GOP convention.
Read more »
Los Angeles City Council to vote on Convention Center expansion projectOn Wednesday the Budget and Finance Committee voted 3-2 to advance a scaled-back plan to repair, modernize the facility
Read more »
L.A. backs $2.6 billion Convention Center expansion, amid major warnings about the costThe council backed the project on an 11-2 vote, despite warnings from City Controller Kenneth Mejia and others that the city can't afford it.
Read more »
LA City Council backs $2.62B Convention Center expansion project for OlympicsLA City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson noted it was a “perhaps one of the biggest decisions the city made.”
Read more »
Los Angeles Convention Center to undergo $2 billion expansion as city council approves planThe LA Convention Center is slated to host several sporting events for the 2029 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including fencing, taekwondo, wrestling, and table tennis.
Read more »