City committee backs continuing work on Convention Center expansion; staff to return with options in March

The Los Angeles City Council Tourism Committee voted to approve a recommendation to continue work on options to modernize and potentially expand the Los Angeles Convention Center and to return to the committee with a fuller report in March.

The committee’s action follows more than an hour of public comment from labor leaders, business groups and neighborhood representatives urging the city to move forward because of potential jobs and regional competitiveness — while staff and some council members repeatedly cautioned that final cost figures are not yet ready and that completion before the 2028 Olympics is unlikely.

Supporters at the committee meeting described local hiring goals and economic benefits. Kathleen Rosson, president and CEO of Hollywood Partnership, told the committee in Spanish, "es esencial moverse con este proyecto. Ha sido todo retrasado por décadas." Representatives of multiple labor locals, including…