HALA Statement on the 12.11 LA City Council Meeting

After months of proactively engaging with the Los Angeles City Council on collaborative solutions that protect quality jobs and the long-term stability of Los Angeles’ essential tourism economy, HALA is disappointed in the Council’s decision this past Wednesday to move forward with an unprecedented wage increase while the industry is still recovering from the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic.

This dramatic increase – coupled with additional healthcare payments – will drive operating costs to unsustainable levels, impacting hotels’ ability to provide services to guests, including valet parking and food and beverage options, and develop new hotel projects in the City. The wage proposal will reduce the ability of HALA’s members to continue to provide good-paying jobs, health benefits and security to their valued employees.

Thank you to Councilmembers Park, Lee and Rodriguez for advocating for a Los Angeles that protects the hospitality industry. HALA hopes that moving forward the Council will choose to instead work collaboratively with stakeholders on solutions that benefit the well-being of tourism workers and protect the long-term economic growth of Los Angeles’s essential tourism economy.