LA Fires
Mar. 19, 2025
The Law of Rebuilding LA Episode 21: Competing priorities for rebuilding resources
Land use expert Edgar Khalatian discusses how competing civic projects like the LA Convention Center renovation impact rebuild efforts, highlighting the challenges of resource allocation amid Olympics preparation and fire recovery.
In this episode of The Law of Rebuilding LA, Daily Journal Contributing Editor Howard Miller continues his conversation with Mayer Brown's Edgar Khalatian, examining how competing civic priorities affect rebuild timelines in the Palisades and Altadena.
Miller and Khalatian discuss:
- The economic impact of LA's outdated Convention Center on tourism, tax revenue, and local businesses
- Mayor Karen Bass's prioritization of the Convention Center renovation
- The CAO's concerns about insufficient resources to support the project
- Whether resource limitations are primarily financial or administrative/regulatory
- The compounding demands of Olympics preparation, World Cup 2026, and NFL finals
- Long-term benefits of Convention Center revenue for funding rebuilding efforts
- The need for additional revenue sources including tax increases, securitization, and bonds
- Federal funding requests for both rebuild efforts and Olympics infrastructure
- How city budget decisions will ultimately impact rebuild timelines
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