Los Angeles City Council Delays $30 Hotel Wage Mandate 2 Years After 1.7% Job Drop

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 10

An 11-4 City Council vote on May 19 pushed Los Angeles' $30-an-hour hotel wage target to 2030 from 2028, with the baseline tourism wage set at $25 this year and $27.50 in 2028.
A new analysis of federal labor data said Los Angeles County's hotel and motel workforce fell 1.7% in December 2025 from a year earlier—the steepest non-pandemic drop in a decade—as hotel-specific pay rules climbed to $22.50 an hour.
The delay emerged after hotel operators and major airlines backed a ballot measure to repeal the city's gross receipts tax, which brings in more than $800 million a year, or about 10% of the general fund.
Under the compromise, the business coalition withdrew that tax repeal threat, easing pressure on a city budget that risked deep service cuts.
The wage fight lands as Los Angeles prepares for 2026 World Cup matches and the 2028 Olympics, with hotel groups warning higher labor costs could curb hiring, expansion and room supply.