A proposed ballot measure in Los Angeles would allow voters to weigh in on at least five proposed 2028 Olympic venues, a move that could create even more challenges for the host city ahead of the two-week international competition.
Unite Here Local 11, the union representing hotel and restaurant workers, filed paperwork in June for a ballot initiative that would require Los Angeles voters to approve any major “event center” developments or expansions. This includes sports arenas, concert venues, hotels, and convention facilities. The proposal targets both permanent projects and temporary structures that add more than 50,000 square feet or 1,000 seats, putting nearly a half-dozen Olympic venues up in the air.
Former City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who heads Democratic Mayor Karen Bass’s Office of Special Events, identified multiple Olympic venues that could be subjected to a citywide election, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
They include the Los Angeles Convention Center, the John C. Argue Swim Stadium in Exposition Park, and the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley, which is set to host skateboarding, 3-on-3 basketball, and other competitions. Planned events in Venice Beach, including road cycling, the triathlon, and the marathon, could also be affected.
“The proposed measure would make vital projects essential for our city and these Games potentially impossible to complete,” Krekorian said in a statement to the news outlet. “It would also require costly special elections before even relatively small projects could begin.”
The union is pushing forward with the ballot initiative in response to a business group seeking to overturn a $30 per hour minimum wage hike for hotel and airport workers in 2028.
Los Angeles business organizations argued that such high wages would cripple the industry, forcing small businesses out of business and making the wage hike too high, too soon. They also argued that it would undermine the city’s tourism industry, which has struggled to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The business group also warned that a $30 minimum wage would lead to layoffs and could affect development plans for more hotels.
The so-called Olympic Wage passed by the City Council in May.
Councilwoman Traci Park cautioned that the proposed ballot measure could complicate efforts to expand the Convention Center.
“This is an absolute assault on our local economy,” said Park, who voted against the $30 minimum wage hike. “It’s spiteful and politically motivated.”
She and Unite Here have had a contentious relationship for more than a year.
Councilman Tim McOsker, who was backed by the union in 2022 and voted in favor of the hike, also took issue with the proposed ballot measure, calling it “an attack on workers” and saying it could trigger citywide elections for projects not associated with the Olympics.
“This is bad for people who build things, bad for people who operate things, bad for people who work in buildings like these,” he said. “[The proposal] harms real people and it harms the economy.”
Los Angeles has had its share of problems surrounding its ability to host the summer games.
The city is facing a projected billion-dollar deficit, and there are concerns that the government, under President Donald Trump, will hold back on its funding promise of $4 billion for security and transportation.
Economists have also warned that a recession, or the fear of one, could cut into ticket sales and overall enthusiasm about the games. Another concern is the recent wildfires, which have not only caused significant damage but also underscored the region’s infrastructure vulnerabilities. Concerns have also been raised about public transportation and the environment.
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Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
The 1932 games were held during the Great Depression. Thirty-seven nations attended and competed in 14 sports. The only new construction was the Los Angeles Swimming Stadium, which is still open to the public today.