Outdated LA Convention Center Risks Jobs and Revenue
By Antonio Sanchez
Have you been to the LA Convention Center lately? If so, you will immediately notice that the LA Convention Center has not seen investment in about 30 years. It’s outdated and doesn’t have enough contiguous space. The roof is leaking, the flooring is old, and the bathrooms need a remodel.
Our first-class city needs a modern convention center that will attract more business. As we have reported, because of the outdated infrastructure, Los Angeles has not been a top destination for conventions and conferences for many years. We need to change that. Long term, more conventions and conferences will mean more revenue for the city, plus more job calls for IBEW 11 members.
What are we doing about it? We are working with our labor partners at the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, IATSE locals, and the LA/OC Building Trades Council to convince the LA City Council to make a real investment into the convention center. The city’s projected $1 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2025-26 is not making this conversation easy, and we are eager for the LA City Council to make a final decision on moving the project forward next month. We will once again need a big showing of IBEW 11 members to show our support.
We cannot keep losing conventions to smaller cities. An investment in our convention center will mean more hotels, more tax revenue, and more convention job calls to the hall. And, of course, we also have a PLA on the construction work there.
With the city facing a massive budget deficit, the proposed LA City budget threatens hundreds of jobs represented by IBEW, including many EAA positions and civil service electricians. We will continue to attend the budget hearings and push for other solutions. City workers make the city better and cutting their jobs is not a solution.
On another subject, if you live in Hawthorne, Lennox, or Lawndale, we need you! Centinela Valley Union High School District is voting to enter PLA negotiations with the LA/OC Building Trades. Going after the work at local school districts has been a successful strategy for us. We have more PLAs at a time when millions of dollars in school modernization bonds have been approved by voters. Plus, a lot of our public school modernization is done by IBEW.
We will continue to keep you updated on how the Centinela Valley Union High School board voted.
