A Milestone for Los Angeles: Revitalizing Downtown and Moving Our City Forward

This week, in partnership with Councilmember Price, Councilmember Jurado, Assemblywoman Elhawary, Assemblymember González, and countless other L.A. leaders, I signed the final approval of the modernization and expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center – a project that has been more than a decade in the making. This milestone marks another major step forward in our work to revitalize Downtown Los Angeles and invest in the future of our city.

A Decade in the Making

For years, Angelenos have called for a stronger, more modern Convention Center that can compete on the world stage. This project is not just about bricks and steel – it’s about jobs, tourism, small business growth, and ushering in a thriving Downtown.

The expansion will:

• Attract larger conventions and international visitors;

• Support local businesses and restaurants;

• Create thousands of union jobs during and after construction;

• Showcase Los Angeles as the global city that we are.
  
  

When completed, the Convention Center will not only serve as an anchor for Downtown but also as a symbol of Los Angeles’s resilience and bold vision for the future.

Other Immediate Actions for Downtown

The Convention Center is just one part of our broader plan to re-energize Downtown right now. Alongside long-term investments, we are acting today to restore safety, cleanliness, and opportunity in our city center:

• Public Safety: LAPD has deployed foot patrols and will soon roll out new bike officers to make residents, workers, and visitors feel safe.

• Mental Health Teams: Trained specialists are being dispatched to priority areas like the Historic Core to meet people where they are and connect them to care.

• Clean and Green: We are coordinating resources to remove graffiti, clear trash, and keep our major streets and public spaces clean.

• Faster Development: We’re preparing new measures to fast-track permits for key Downtown projects, cutting red tape while maintaining accountability.
  
  

Together, these actions will make Downtown more vibrant, walkable, and welcoming for everyone who lives, works, or visits here.

What Comes Next

Construction is expected to begin this October. As cranes rise and work begins, Angelenos will see firsthand the transformation that is on the way.

This Convention Center expansion is more than a project – it’s a promise kept. A promise to invest in Downtown, a promise to create opportunity, and a promise to make Los Angeles shine for generations to come.

With partnership, collaboration, and a bold vision for our future, we are moving our city forward – together.

Let’s keep building.

—Mayor Karen Bass