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Coalition Lauds Los Angeles City Council on Their Support for the Convention Center Expansion and Modernization
10.23.25
| A coalition of labor unions and small business owners is lauding the Los Angeles City Council for passing the long-awaited expansion and modernization of the Los Angeles Convention Center, a project they say is essential to the city’s long-term economic recovery and global competitiveness. According to an Oxford Economics study, the expansion is projected to generate $1.8 billion in additional business sales, attract 3.6 million more visitors, and contribute an additional $103 million in general fund contributions to support public safety, infrastructure, and neighborhood services within the first five years after completion. “This isn’t just a construction project, it’s an investment in our present, our future, and in Los Angeles itself,” said Yvonne Wheeler, President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “It means good union jobs for working people, real growth for our local economy, and critical tax revenue to fund the city services our communities rely on.” “This project will put the people of Los Angeles to work by creating thousands of good union jobs, targeting local Angelenos for hiring,” said Ernesto Medrano, Executive Secretary of the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council. “It will provide stable career pathways through our apprenticeship programs for new members. Modernizing the Convention Center is an investment that will generate real opportunities for Los Angeles, and we applaud the City Council for moving forward with this important investment.” “The LA Convention Center has been ignored for decades, I should know, I helped build it at the beginning of my career as an electrical apprentice over 30 years ago,” said Robert Corona, Business Manager and Financial Secretary, IBEW Local 11. “The time to move this project is now. Let’s show the world LA is still the land of opportunity. Let’s create economic opportunity for Angelenos”, Corona said. An expanded convention center will create more job opportunities at trade shows, many of which are union jobs offering wages and benefits that Angelenos desperately seek. “As a single mother to a high school honor roll student, working as a tradeshow installer at the L.A. Convention Center has given me the ability to provide a more stable and comfortable life for my child,” said Amber Verrett, a tradeshow installer and member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 831, “This expansion and modernization means more jobs for people like me.” “I want to thank the Los Angeles City Council for moving this project forward. The modernization of the Convention Center will create good union jobs and new opportunities that working families can be proud of. This investment is a great step toward a stronger future for Los Angeles,” said Chris Griswold, President of Teamsters Joint Council 42. “By moving forward with this investment, Los Angeles has reestablished itself as a leader in the convention industry,” said Carlos Cota, Vice-President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). “The economic boom that this investment will create will reverberate throughout the city, and more importantly, this investment will result in real, good-paying careers for Angelenos as jobs in the convention center can lead to life-changing careers in both live entertainment and the Hollywood film and television industry.” The City of Los Angeles’ elected officials also expressed their broad support from every corner of the city’s geographic footprint. An official groundbreaking was held at the Convention Center to kick off the project. |
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