Opponents include hotel and hospitality groups who argue that higher taxes would make it harder to fill rooms.
Nella McOsker — who is Tim McOsker’s daughter — opposes the measure on behalf of the Central City Assn., a downtown L.A. advocacy organization of which she is president and chief executive.
“At a time when you’re seeing these declines in demand and losing on tax revenue year over year to the magnitude of $20 million, it just seems like a wrong time to impose more burdens on that shrinking base,” she told The Times.
L.A. could lose tourists to nearby cities like Culver City and Burbank, which had lower hotel tax rates than those proposed by Measure TT, according to an April 2025 report by the L.A. Office of Finance.
Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and John Lee voted against putting Measure TT on the ballot.
“You can’t ask people to pay more when you haven’t even done the work” to rein in excessive spending, Rodriguez said at the Feb. 10 meeting.
By the time the Olympics roll around, hotel and airport workers in L.A. will be making a $30 minimum wage, which was pushed by labor unions and approved by the City Council.
A coalition of hotels and airline companies opposed the wage increase, arguing that it was unsustainable and would jeopardize jobs.
