Coalition Urges City Council to Support Convention Center Expansion as Economic Lifeline for Los Angeles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 7, 2025

Contact: Christian Castro, ccastro@teamstersjc42.org, (310) 857-9817

(Los Angeles, CA) — A coalition of labor unions and small business owners are calling on the Los Angeles City Council to support 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, in the first five years after completion, 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.

“The Los Angeles Convention Center is a major economic engine in the heart of the city—operating at less than full capacity and currently unable to host the country’s most sought-after conventions,” said Nella McOsker, President & CEO of the Central City Association. “There is simply no other shovel-ready public infrastructure project in L.A. that can generate this magnitude of good-paying jobs, direct city revenue, and indirect economic impact. We are at an inflection point: let’s invest in the people, businesses, and communities that ensure L.A.’s future prosperity.”

“This isn’t just a construction project, it’s an economic catalyst that our city needs,” said Yvonne Wheeler, President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “It means real investment in the workers of Los Angeles, real growth for our local economy, and real tax dollars for city services that our communities rely on. We need to invest in now, invest in the future, and invest in L.A.”

The project also promises to create thousands of good-paying union jobs in construction, hospitality, and tradeshow industries, while delivering much-needed foot traffic and revenue for small businesses throughout the city.

“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 LA/OC 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.”

“I’ve been a union construction worker for 15 years,” Jorge Hernandez, electrician and member of IBEW Local 11. “This job has given me the ability to raise a family and live a comfortable life. The LA Convention Center Expansion opens up more opportunities for younger people to follow in my path, learn a trade, and enter into the middle class.”

An expanded convention center will create more job opportunities at trade shows, many of which are good union jobs that provide good 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,”

“This project will bring stability to thousands of workers,” said Jonathan Dewars, material handler/forklift operator and member of Teamsters Local 986. “These are good-paying union jobs with benefits that help us support our families and plan for the future. The modernization of the Convention Center means we don’t have to wonder what our next job is, bringing real security to countless working families across Los Angeles.”

Cities such as San Diego, Las Vegas, and Anaheim are outcompeting LA for major conventions due to more modern, larger venues. Despite being a world-renowned destination, the Los Angeles Convention Center currently ranks 21st in the nation.

“Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, but our convention facilities don’t reflect that,” said Carlos Cota, Vice-President of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). “Cities like Nashville have invested and seen the benefits tenfold, completely transforming the area around their convention center. If we don’t act now, we risk losing decades of economic opportunity.”

Business owners say the impact is felt immediately when conventions are held elsewhere.

“When a convention is in town, we see the difference,” said Kevin Slattery, owner of First Draft Taproom & Kitchen. “There’re more customers, more energy, and more business. A modernized convention center is more than a project, it is a lifeline for small businesses.”

“When the halls of the Convention Center are bustling, so are our tables,” said Cristina Ward, owner of the Audio Graph Beer Co. As a small business owner, my livelihood is tied to this project. More conventions mean more customers walk through my doors, more happy employees, and a future where we do not just survive – we thrive.” The Economic Development and Jobs Committee will debate whether to move forward with the LA Convention Center expansion and modernization tomorrow. Supporters say the timeline to approve the project is rapidly closing, and failure to approve the project will likely result in years of additional delays to an expansion, and much higher costs in the future. 

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About Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO 

Since 1885, the LA Fed has been a force for progress. We are a federation of over 300 affiliated union and labor organizations representing more than 800,000 members, each with their own unique stories and backgrounds. We stand united in our mission to build a movement for justice committed to protecting the rights of working people and improving the lives of our families and communities.