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Council refers hospitality relief, marketing and convention-hotel proposals to committees after public testimony
Summary
Councilmembers heard testimony from hospitality union leaders, affected workers and the convention and visitors bureau. The council referred the item to Economic Development & Employment and Budget & Finance committees for further work on emergency relief, marketing and convention-hotel planning.
The Los Angeles City Council received several hours of public comment on the economic effects of the September 11 attacks on the hospitality and tourism industry and referred a package of staff and community proposals to committee for further work.
Speakers representing hospitality workers and unions said thousands of hotel and airport workers had lost shifts or jobs and urged the council to support measures including federal COBRA payments, expanded unemployment insurance, temporary tax relief for employers, and immediate city support for emergency relief centers offering food, rent and utility assistance. Marietta Durazo (union representative) told the council that more than a third of union members were not working and urged city support for worker relief centers.
Clemente Calloway, a concierge who described himself as representing unemployed hospitality workers, spoke about the hardship of reduced unemployment benefits. Madeline Janice Aparicio of the LA Alliance for a New Economy urged the city to consider immediate steps within its control — moratoriums or slowing evictions, stopping utility shutoffs, and providing financial support for relief centers — and to press forward with economic-development and affordable-housing commitments.
Representatives from the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau — president George Kirkland and executive vice president Mike Collins — described deep, industry-wide declines in travel, forecasting large short-term sales losses and thousands of lost jobs absent intervention. They asked for coordinated state and local marketing support and described a proposed statewide $15 million marketing pool to encourage intrastate travel.
Councilmembers praised speakers and said the council’s response should be robust and coordinated. Councilmember Perry asked for presentations from the Convention & Visitors Bureau at committee and asked that the item be referred to appropriate committees. Without objection, the council referred the matter to Economic Development & Employment and Budget & Finance committees for follow-up and for development of emergency worker relief, marketing strategies and consideration of convention-hotel proposals.
