The Los Angeles City Council voted to move forward with a $2.62 billion expansion and modernization plan for the city’s convention center, as several 2028 Summer Olympics sporting events are scheduled at the site.
The project passed in an 11-2 vote, with Council members Bob Blumenfield and Monica Rodriguez absent during the vote.
Renovation plans for the 1971-built center have been in the works and debated for over a decade. The city reported that the Los Angeles Convention Center currently misses out on higher-end convention bookings as it lacks the size and modern standards expected in the convention industry.
“Whether locally or in Sacramento, we have been pushing forward on this project because the convention center touches every part of our economy,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a news conference ahead of Friday’s council vote.
“From hotels to restaurants to small businesses, it helps sustain the tourism and convention industry that keeps our city moving.”
There are opponents to the plan, including the Los Angeles City Controller, Kenneth Mejia. He posted on social media that his office doesn’t recommend that the city take on the center’s expansion project at this time, and that the city won’t see “a related net positive General Fund impact for 30 years.”
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, also opposed the project. Her proposal to modernize the Convention Center and postpone the expansion until after the Olympics failed to garner enough support.
“This expansion is unrealistic. It’s unaffordable and it’s fiscally irresponsible. It puts our city at severe risk,” Yaroslavsky said.
Plans for the 68-acre site involve construction that will connect the two existing South and West Exhibit Halls by adding 190,000 square feet of space, and will add 55,000 square feet of new meeting room space and 95,000 square feet of multipurpose space.
The plan also includes a redesign of Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, which will add public open space and become an outdoor venue.
The LA Convention Center is slated to host several sporting events for the 2029 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including fencing, taekwondo, wrestling, and table tennis.
During the 1984 Olympic Games, the site served as the main press headquarters.
