Hollywood and Los Angeles, two names that are World-Renowned entertainment destinations – arguably the best “Brand” in the world – has the cachet, diverse venues and pizzazz attracting locals and visitors alike.  A destination that should be setting the example of ‘How it’s Done’, while giving an experience unlike any other.  Including business friendly processes to build a uniquely desirable and dynamic city.  Yet we are too often at odds with city and state regulators and inefficient and costly bureaucracy.  Significant time has passed since Los Angeles entertainment and hospitality businesses got its due consideration and respect from City Hall or our State Capitol, and the pandemic certainly proved how our city and state was no champion to our industry.  Nearly 3 years after a complete shut-down of an entire industry we have little to no voice fighting for our survival, and no sufficient funds to help us survive the mountains of debt to landlords, banks, vendors, service providers and daily repairs going unattended to keep our business running efficiently, not to mention the extraordinary rise in costs from labor to food.

Our industry is the ‘Go-To’ standard for any community’s revitalization, cultural vibrancy and health of our family and friends.  Our restaurants and entertainment define our communities.  With over 95,000 restaurant, bar and nightclub locations in California and a market revenue of 86BN, employing over 1.8 Million direct employees, we are the larges employer over any other industry in California and paying over 7Billion in Tax Revenue.  The restaurant, bar and nightclub industry are the top tax generator over any other industry in the entire State of California, and is the highest market revenue over any other state in the United States… which continue to be at risk!    In Los Angeles alone pre-pandemic, we had over 28K businesses, over a third permanently closed.  Our industry employed over 320,000 direct employees, not including vendors, distributors, manufacturers, service providers and more who all connected to the success of our industry alone.  Our industry, pre-pandemic, generated over 18BN in market revenue, that’s 21% of the total revenue generated in the State of California industry with an average 2% growth annually. 

Our businesses frequently are subject to brusque treatment by regulatory officials with costly and inefficient processes.  Our city and state is set up as a ‘One Size Fits All’ mentality when it comes to Licensing, Permitting, Building and Safety, Planning, Regulatory Agencies and Compliance markers.  Communications with the city and state have been tepid, with little to no results.  Hence, an industry riddled with failure due to this dysfunctional bureaucratic system and the lack of industry organization to fight it.  WE NEED EACH AND EVERY RESTAURANT, BAR, NIGHTLIFE OPERATOR TO JOIN OUR MISSION!

Well beyond these daily irritations, however, are matters of serious economic consequence.  For example, the rising labor costs on tipped employees, the city’s conditional use permit (CUP) process is so fractured and subjective with poorly written and ambiguous conditions that do not create a competitively fair playground for all, more a document designed for failure.  A CDTFA that is rogue and targets our specific industry.  The rapid changes affecting the hospitality industry require a much more helpful and swift attitude from the city’s administration and our state regulators to assure successful commerce.

It is time to challenge this lack of respect from the city and this state who take our money and entitle us BUT give no support to assure our success, especially in crisis.  By acting collectively, we have considerably more economic, historical and political gravitas than those “other interests” – clearly, it’s in the numbers!  Therefore, we have founded the Greater Los Angeles Hospitality Association to unite the commercial interests of Hollywood, Downtown LA & West Hollywood (entertainment) districts and surrounding Los Angeles areas.  We have partnered with Cal Nightlife in an effort to strengthen our local industry in Sacramento.

GLAHA will give the necessary platform to compete with other economic priorities city hall and the state of California might deem more important than ours.  Unifying over common purposes, with more than 28,000 in Los Angeles and over 95,000 state wide, this puts GLAHA among the city and state’s largest trade groups.

We will no longer be mollified or ignored.

As a leading market revenue over any other state in the United States, we need swift legislation to save every restaurant, bar and nightclub and to assure we remain an integral cultural dynamic to every thriving community and employer with incredible job creation power that contributed to the 5^th largest economy title in the world! 

We value your time.  We will not waste it.  If you agree with our goals, please join us as a member to help us create the most powerful Hospitality Organization in Los Angeles together!