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Trade, Travel, & Tourism Committee
On Monday, VICA attended the Trade, Travel, & Tourism Committee to voice support for the Los Angeles Convention Center and JW Marriott Expansion.
VICA's endorsement of advancing these development projects focuses on the potential opportunities for regional economic growth, drawing visitors and businesses to the Los Angeles region.
Expanding the Convention Center and the concurrent Marriott will ultimately provide sustained, long-term revenue growth for the city's businesses and general fund, benefitting all Angelenos. With the additional 861 rooms Marriott provides, this works towards the city's goal of delivering over 8,000 available rooms to visitors within walking distance of the Convention Center.
Investing in these ventures will create high-quality construction jobs during development and help support permanent jobs by incorporating various retail businesses in the area. To ensure that all disadvantaged businesses are included in the process and are included in the opportunity to be engaged in this projection expansion, VICA highlighted the importance of including a Community Benefits Agreement.
The Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee voted to support the item and a report due in 45 days to evaluate the cost and schedule, including the risk exposure and cost-sharing for the expansion project. City Council voted 12-0 on Wednesday to support the Convention Center expansion by allowing large-scale digital signs inside and outside the Convention Center, with revenues raised by the digital signs helping to pay for the center's renovations.
Friday Council Meeting
On Friday morning, VICA called into the council's final 2023 meeting to support the Al Fresco ordinance and Metro's Transportation Communication Network.
As VICA has continued to advocate for these initiatives throughout the year, we are pleased to announce that the council has voted to approve both items, achieving additional advocacy victories for the greater LA region and supporting economic recovery and investments in hospitality and transportation.
Al Fresco will allow restaurants and bars to continue providing outdoor dining opportunities to restaurants with a now permanent, streamlined process that offers outdoor dining and much-needed recovery efforts for struggling businesses.
Metro's Transportation Communication Network (TCN) will create a network of digital display structures with intelligent technology to enhance road efficiency, increase public transit ridership, and improve safety, with generated revenue being directed to the City of Los Angeles and supporting other transportation initiatives.
Council voted to approve both items, giving VICA various victories this week after Council's 2023 session. We look forward to seeing these projects and initiatives begin implementation and providing substantial benefits to the LA region.
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