Council adopts substitute motion on Olympic wage after hours of public comment; amendment to exempt hotel restaurants fails

The Los Angeles City Council voted to adopt a substitute motion on item 20, a package of changes and scheduling adjustments to the Olympic wage ordinance, after an extended public-comment period dominated by tourism and airport workers, union leaders and business representatives.

Public commenters were sharply divided. Many workers and union representatives, including multiple Unite Here Local 11 members, urged the council to reject changes that would delay wages or health-care protections and called industry pressure "blackmail." Eric Cruz, a cook at LAX, told the council: "Please do not lower our wages." By contrast, business representatives such as Stuart Waldman of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association said the proposal to phase in increases would help small businesses adapt.

Council debate centered on competing pressures: protect workers who planned their budgets around the enacted increases, versus accommodating businesses that argued a phased approach would preserve jobs. Council member So to Martinez (spoke during deliberations) called for removing a provision allowing employees to receive cash in lieu of health coverage through an employer-mediated waiver process, saying that process had not been discussed recently and risked abuse.

The council voted down an amendment (20b) that would have required a report back and a possible exclusion for restaurants operating within hotel properties (vote: 5 ayes, 10 noes). Council members debated whether hotel-based restaurants that lease space should remain covered by the hotel wage or be treated separately; the city attorney clarified that current law applies by location rather than ownership, and that, as written now, restaurant workers inside hotels get the hotel minimum wage.

The substitute motion (20a) passed on a 10-5 vote. Sponsors described it as a placeholder to keep negotiations moving; the president said the motion would return to the council after additional drafting and consultation. Council members stressed the need to come back with clarified language that preserves core worker protections while addressing implementation issues.

What's next: the council expects revised language to return for final consideration at the next scheduled meeting; staff were instructed to continue negotiations with labor and business stakeholders. The council did not adopt any final, permanent repeal or carve-outs today.