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After heated debate, council calls March 24 special election on hotel-worker initiatives
Summary
Following extensive public comment from hotel workers, unions and hoteliers, the council decided not to adopt initiative language outright but voted 5–0 to schedule a special municipal election on March 24, 2026 to decide two Unite Here Local 11 initiatives covering hotel-worker safety/retention/wages and voter approval for major hotel/event projects.
Ontario City Council considered three related initiative matters circulated by Unite Here Local 11 and, after extended public comment and staff presentations raising legal and fiscal concerns, voted to place two measures on a special municipal election on March 24, 2026.
Staff presented impact reports for the initiatives, warning of significant implementation, jurisdictional and legal issues. The city manager (S8) highlighted possible limits on the city's authority, the administrative burden of record-keeping and oversight, potential conflicts with airport authorities and FAA-regulated activities, and a staff estimate that a special election would cost approximately $1,255,000. On wages, staff summarized the initiative's staged minimum-wage increases (staff said the initiative would raise hotel minimum wages incrementally to $30 by July 1, 2030, with future adjustments tied to CPI).
Proponents including Andrea Romero (S27) and other union supporters urged council to respect the initiative process, noting the petitions were certified and asserting widespread voter support. Romero said the council should not spend $1.2 million to push the vote into a lower-turnout special election and urged the council to "vote no on items 18 through 20" if the council's intent was to call a special election. Opponents — hotel owners, business groups and construction and public-safety unions — warned of economic disincentives, higher room rates, loss of convention business and potential reductions in tax revenue that fund public safety and services.
Council considered motions to adopt the initiative language outright on two items but did not approve those motions. Instead the council voted 5–0 to schedule a special municipal election for March 24, 2026 on the initiatives; staff said the election timing was intended to reduce uncertainty for projects currently in limbo. Several councilmembers said they were concerned about legal risk, impacts to the hotel market and the fairness of imposing city-only requirements that neighboring jurisdictions would not apply.
The council's scheduling vote means the initiatives will go to the voters in March; staff and legal advisors said they anticipated potential legal challenges and reiterated the city's responsibility to assess jurisdictional authority and implementation mechanisms.
Next steps: the city will finalize election logistics, include the measures on the March ballot and continue outreach and analysis on legal and operational implications.
