Committee pauses Convention Center expansion as wildfire recovery strains city resources

The Economic Development and Jobs Committee on Jan. 31 accepted a recommendation from the City Administrative Officer and Chief Legislative Analyst to pause active work on the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion while the city updates cost estimates and assesses department staffing demands after recent wildfires.

The committee’s action came after hours of public comment from labor representatives, business groups and tourism officials urging the council to proceed. The pause is not a recommendation to abandon the project; staff will return in March with a range of short- and long-term options, including a city-run approach, continuing with the current APCLA arrangement, selecting an alternate developer, or shelving the project, officials said.

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo told the committee that early-works work is largely complete but that completing a project agreement and securing a firm fixed construction price on the original timeline is no longer feasible. “We are recommending a pause at this moment, so that we can consider some options on how to proceed,” Szabo said. He said final approval would have needed to…