LOS ANGELES | Politics, Economics, and Business Development

[edale]

There's really no excuse to have waited until 2025 to start on the convention center expansion when we've known it needed to be expanded and renovated for years, and we've known we were hosting the Olympics since 2017. How long have those expansion plans been public and yet...nothing was done? It's really disappointing. I doubt they would've been able to get it completed by summer 2028 even without the fires- they just provide a nice excuse for why nothing will be done.

[LA21st]

Its revelant because it points to the underlying issue. The Mayor doesn't care about downtown. You'd think people on this forum would understand and realize this already.

We need a pro business mayor. This other shit isnt working.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by scania

Rebuilding the homes is definitely more of priority than the LACC. The backlash would be enormous if the council decided to do otherwise. If it’s possible to still start and then pause, that would be amazing. But the reason to pause is totally understandable and applauded.

No, it is not understandable at all. A city should be able to do 2 things at one time, not to mention the city has basically no role in this other than signing off on approvals since AEG is doing the heavy lifting. The city of LA and its elected officials are all an embarrassment

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by LA21st

We need a pro business mayor. This other shit isnt working.

This. And a pro growth council. If you read the investor calls for all the major REITs, they say they don't want to invest in LA anymore because it has become openly hostile to landlords with things like the eviction moratorium, rent freezes, etc. With the way things are set up now, leases are only enforceable against the landlord, not the tenant. That's not how contracts are supposed to work, and investors are fleeing because of it. That means very little new housing construction, which is terrible for the people these measures are supposedly protecting - tenants.

If we got a pro growth mayor and council, the rush to invest and build in LA would be incredible. We'd have an absolute boom town. Everyone in the global real estate investment community recognizes LA's massive strengths (natural beauty, weather, restaurant scene, museum scene, film/entertainment, etc.). They are just scared off by bad policy. The good news is that policy can change! We just have to vote for the right people! This is coming from a lifelong Democrat.

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

No, it is not understandable at all. A city should be able to do 2 things at one time, not to mention the city has basically no role in this other than signing off on approvals since AEG is doing the heavy lifting. The city of LA and its elected officials are all an embarrassment

Yup

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

This. And a pro growth council. If you read the investor calls for all the major REITs, they say they don't want to invest in LA anymore because it has become openly hostile to landlords with things like the eviction moratorium, rent freezes, etc. With the way things are set up now, leases are only enforceable against the landlord, not the tenant. That's not how contracts are supposed to work, and investors are fleeing because of it. That means very little new housing construction, which is terrible for the people these measures are supposedly protecting - tenants.

If we got a pro growth mayor and council, the rush to invest and build in LA would be incredible. We'd have an absolute boom town. Everyone in the global real estate investment community recognizes LA's massive strengths (natural beauty, weather, restaurant scene, museum scene, film/entertainment, etc.). They are just scared off by bad policy. The good news is that policy can change! We just have to vote for the right people! This is coming from a lifelong Democrat.

I think Caruso would win in a landslide right now. Bass just wants to be mayor so she can can feel important or some crap. Thats why she likes visiting other countries despite lying to the residents saying she wouldnt do it.
Caruso actually cares about the city, I don't care what anyone says. The fact hes a billionaire doesn't change that. Bass isn't rich and is involved in scandal after scandal. Shes just helping her corrupt friends.

Bass and the city council has/will turn LA more moderate. It is what it is. Im mostly democrat but the anti business shit has to end. It doesnt work.
Bass and her small minded progressives belong in El Centro or something.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Its revelant because it points to the underlying issue. The Mayor doesn't care about downtown. You'd think people on this forum would understand and realize this already.

We need a pro business mayor. This other shit isnt working.

While I agree that the plan to get started on the LACC project has been kicked down the road for far too long, I'm not familiar with Bass' stances on things, so out of curiosity, do you have any sources or evidence to back your statement up?

I understand the project has been stalled many times since its announcement in 2010, and was supposed to be completed by 2022. Bass has been mayor since 2022, suggesting there are far more people and/or factors than her that are responsible for the delays. Also, according to the article, it says:

Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council have the ultimate authority to decide whether to go forward with the expansion of the Convention Center, which is in line to host Olympic events such as table tennis and fencing. The project’s next steps are scheduled for discussion on Tuesday by the council’s economic development committee.

...

Clara Karger, a Bass spokesperson, said the mayor looks forward to reviewing the options next month.

“Mayor Bass wants the modernization and expansion of the Convention Center to move forward as soon as possible to bring back downtown and drive an economic ripple effect as convention-goers stay in hotels, dine out and spend money across the city,” Karger said.

To me, that implies that Bass and the City Council still have the opportunity to push the project forward.

[38 Geary]

The other question I would pose to the group is, are convention centers still viable in 2028? And should this be LA's #1 priority at the moment?

Keep in mind that steel and aluminum imports just got hit with 25% tariffs.

Why Are Cities Still Spending Big on Convention Centers?
By Alexander Nazaryan
Nov. 11, 2024

...

In fact, companies are pulling back on spending on annual conferences and fewer people are attending them. Despite a vigorous post-pandemic rebound, companies are cutting travel costs, remote gatherings are becoming more standard and the corporate world is increasingly conscious of how travel contributes to climate change.

...

But the evidence of economic benefit remains uncertain, and most of the 175 convention centers across the country operate at a loss, said Robin Hunden, founder and chief executive of the development consulting firm Hunden Partners in Chicago.

Last year, conferences and corporate meetings generated about $119 billion in economic activity, down from the $139 billion added to the U.S. economy in 2019, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

In Las Vegas, the Consumer Electronics Show, a multiday annual trade show considered one of the largest in the industry, has seen attendance dwindle. There were 139,000 attendees this year compared with 182,000 in 2018. Fewer companies marketed their products at CES, too: 53,000 exhibitors at CES this year compared with 89,000 in 2018, according to data compiled by Heywood T. Sanders, an emeritus professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the author of the book “Convention Center Follies.”

...

Industry reports about the economic impact on convention centers often highlight full hotels and packed restaurants, he said, but “in my research and analysis, the conclusion is that kind of a result rarely happens.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/business/convention-centers-revival.html

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by homebucket

While I agree that the plan to get started on the LACC project has been kicked down the road for far too long, I'm not familiar with Bass' stances on things, so out of curiosity, do you have any sources or evidence to back your statement up?

I understand the project has been stalled many times since its announcement in 2010, and was supposed to be completed by 2022. Bass has been mayor since 2022, suggesting there are far more people and/or factors than her that are responsible for the delays. Also, according to the article, it says:



To me, that implies that Bass and the City Council still have the opportunity to push the project forward.

What Bass and her team says doesnt mean anything. Actions speak louder than words, and her actions suck.

How does she not care? She has no plan in place to help downtown, post covid. Other mayors have. She just sits on her thumbs, patting herself on the back that she's the mayor.

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by homebucket

The other question I would pose to the group is, are convention centers still viable in 2028? And should this be LA's #1 priority at the moment?


https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/11/business/convention-centers-revival.html

I think the most relevant statistic from that article is this - "just 20 convention centers host 82 percent of the 250 largest recurring events."

The convention center project would ensure that LA in one of those top 20; people already want to come to LA, the conference organizers just need the right facilities. Being in the top 20 would make the convention center an economic powerhouse according to this article's statistic. Without this project, the convention center would be competing for leftovers and may not even be worth keeping by the logic of that article. So to me, that article just proves the point that this is indeed an important priority.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

I think the most relevant statistic from that article is this - "just 20 convention centers host 82 percent of the 250 largest recurring events."

The convention center project would ensure that LA in one of those top 20; people already want to come to LA, the conference organizers just need the right facilities. Being in the top 20 would make the convention center an economic powerhouse according to this article's statistic. Without this project, the convention center would be competing for leftovers and may not even be worth keeping by the logic of that article. So to me, that article just proves the point that this is indeed an important priority.

That might be true, but as the article also notes, CES, considered one of the largest conventions, has seen attendance dwindle and in general, there are fewer and fewer conferences. So while LA would have a larger share of the pie, it is a shrinking one.

[38 Geary]

We're seeing a very similar trend with the automotive industry.

E3: Once world's biggest gaming show permanently axed
12 December 2023
Imran Rahman-Jones

The E3 gaming show, once the biggest event in the gaming calendar, has been permanently cancelled. In a statement, the organisers said: "After more than two decades of E3, each one bigger than the last, the time has come to say goodbye."

...

E3 was once the industry's main showcase for new games and technology. It started as a trade show in LA in 1995, just after the launch of the PlayStation and the year before the Nintendo 64 was released. Its 2005 event unveiled the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and a prototype of the Nintendo Wii. That was its best-attended expo ever, according to gaming website IGN, with 70,000 visitors.

...

"The death of E3 is a significant moment for the games sector," research director for games at Ampere Analysis Piers Harding-Rolls told the BBC. He added that gaming companies running their own events "are a cheaper, flexible, and more effective way to reach an audience and control the release of news".

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67695639

[LA21st]

In the past week. Bass is done. There's no way out of this. What a disaster she is.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by LA21st

In the past week. Bass is done. There's no way out of this. What a disaster she is.

it’d be more conducive to discussion if you cited what bass did in the past week that you disapprove of.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by homebucket

it’d be more conducive to discussion if you cited what bass did in the past week that you disapprove of.

Scapegoating the fire chief. Which she only did, because the fire chief called her out first.

When Bass returned from her stupid trip, she told the media the fire chief did a great job. Now all of a sudden, the fire chief was the problem.

Its just bad optics and politics and shows how over her head she really is.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Scapegoating the fire chief. Which she only did, because the fire chief called her out first.

When Bass returned from her stupid trip, she told the media the fire chief did a great job. Now all of a sudden, the fire chief was the problem.

Its just bad optics and politics and shows how over her head she really is.

While I can't say that Bass has instilled much confidence in her leadership abilities with respect to the wildfire response, if it's true that 1,000 firefighters could have been on duty when the fires broke out but were instead sent home on Crowley’s watch and if Crowley refused to do an after action report on the fires, I don't see why that's not two fireable offenses.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by homebucket

While I can't say that Bass has instilled much confidence in her leadership abilities with respect to the wildfire response, if it's true that 1,000 firefighters could have been on duty when the fires broke out but were instead sent home on Crowley’s watch and if Crowley refused to do an after action report on the fires, I don't see why that's not two fireable offenses.

Thats what Bass SAID. Why didnt she make this statement a week after the fire? Why now? That isn't strange to you? Previously, she said Crowley did a great job. Then she flipped after Crowley called her out.

Why keep this sorry excuse for a mayor?

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Thats what Bass SAID. Why didnt she make this statement a week after the fire? Why now? That isn't strange to you? Previously, she said Crowley did a great job. Then she flipped after Crowley called her out.

Why keep this sorry excuse for a mayor?

She's definitely looking for a scapegoat, but I'm guessing it's already too late for her. I don't see how she could win re-election at this point.

[citywatch]

I prefer info like the following, a new part of dtla that's unexpected...surprising...



https://www.thegallerydining.com/

https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2025-02-27/the-gallery-downtown-immersive-restaurant-elementa


facebook.com

To set foot inside the Gallery, a new restaurant and bar in downtown, is to be whisked into a world fit for a theme park.

Walk in via its bar, and gone are views of Olympic Boulevard. In the place of windows, you’ll find a fantastical, idealized take on a major city, a skyline vision that looks ripped from an animated film. Stroll into the dining room and at first you may see a blank canvas, only soon its walls and tables awaken to place you underwater, in nature or surrounded by a scalding hot warehouse where lava flows over clocklike gears.

Yet the team behind the concept — veterans of the theme park industry — hope the Gallery feels wholly modern, ever-changing and somewhat alive. Linger, for instance, in the bar, and you’ll notice dozens of scenes unfolding inside the windows of the skyscrapers, each one an improvised, abstracted story.

^ I hope they do well, as the economy is tough right now. But ppl do like experiences, not just passive things like shopping....although places like the Grove next to the farmer's mkt do well. This is another business in dt into theming & experiences, but it was started over 70 yrs ago & recently reopened after several yrs following Covid & reported major damage to its plumbing ....

• Video Link

[citywatch]

^ I just realize the Gallery is one block west of the onni apt tower still UC. The bldg it's in once was a tire store & then a craft beer hall. I at first thought it was further south, closer to the former Palm restaurant. I've been wondering what would replace the beer place....the bldg is in an even more visible location, so I now really hope it does well.

.