LA’s Central City Association Reveals “Revive DTLA" - An Urgent Recovery Plan for the Heart of Los Angeles

Adam Daneshgar, Owner, Grand Central Market:

“Small businesses fuel the life of Downtown Los Angeles. They create creativity, connection, energy, and make downtown vibrant, inviting, and worth visiting again and again. Grand Central Market has a unique perspective.

While we're a small business ourselves, it’s also more than 40 independent businesses under one roof, and each one reflects the entrepreneurial spirit that makes our city so dynamic. But we also know the challenges. The slow return of downtown office workers has strained restaurants, retailers, and service providers. Visitors still question whether downtown feels safe and accessible, and many small businesses continue to face complex processes and inefficiencies that make it difficult to survive, let alone grow.

That is why visible public investment and strong government partnerships are so critical right now. We call on leadership from City Hall to bring civic workers back to downtown, to streamline the processes that shape business openings and daily operations, and to show that Los Angeles is fully invested in our small businesses.

At Grand Central Market, we're proud to be part of this revitalization, not only as a gathering place of cultural love but as an extension of the community itself. We all must work together to create a more inclusive and thriving downtown for Angelenos and visitors alike. With that, it is my honor to introduce our next speaker, Nella McOsker, the President and CEO of Central City Association and a steadfast advocate for this vision. Please give her a round of applause.”

Nella McOsker, President & CEO, Central City Association:

“Grand Central Market is such an anchor institution in the heart of our city, downtown, and it is a pleasure to be here this morning. It is energizing and exciting to be with so many of us who care so deeply about downtown.

I want to take a minute to recognize the Central City Association, or CCA, board members who are here with us today and helped shape this plan that we are reviewing. Let's take a minute to recognize Mark Loranger, Clare De Briere, and Hillary Norton, steadfast leaders in our downtown.

Today, we are launching Revive DTLA, an urgent recovery plan for the heart of Los Angeles. This is a 90-day action plan to bring visible, practical improvements and economic vitality into the heart of Downtown Los Angeles.

Why now? Because downtown is hemorrhaging value, and with it opportunity. Years of compounding crises – the pandemic, immigration raids, tariffs, curfews, and ongoing homelessness – have hit Downtown Los Angeles harder than anywhere else. If we don't act now, we risk losing not just our city's core, but the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates for the rest of the City of Los Angeles.

Downtown is our civic, cultural, and historic heart. It's where all levels of government converge; where our world-class museums, music and sports venues, and restaurants thrive; where the largest concentration of our manufacturing and major employers call home. Only 1% of the city's land area, it generates nearly a third of the city's business, parking, and hotel tax revenues. Quite simply, Los Angeles cannot thrive unless downtown thrives. 

We also have to recognize that downtown is a permanent community, a home for 90,000 residents, and every day, another 400,000 workers and visitors come through. This is comparable to Long Beach. Their needs are varied, but their message is the same. They want a downtown that's safe, clean, welcoming, and dynamic. 

Our plan, Revive DTLA, is about immediate, achievable solutions. It isn't just a downtown plan, it's a plan for all of Los Angeles. From Woodland Hills to Wilmington, every Angeleno benefits when downtown is strong. We, all of us, know what's at stake. We know that when LA comes together, we can achieve big things. We approved the Convention Center Expansion. 

As we bring the world here, we need to make sure our welcome in Downtown Los Angeles matches the opportunity of that investment. Other cities across the country are acting boldly in their urban cores. They see what we see about the data. We have to do the same here in the city of Los Angeles. What happens on Los Angeles Street and Broadway reflects the health of our entire city. It is with urgency, coordination, and accountability that we can ensure that downtown remains resilient, welcoming, and economically vital. This, right now, is our call to action for all levels of government and civic leaders to revive downtown so that Los Angeles can survive. 

Let's do this. 

Speaking of all levels of government, it is my honor to introduce the representative advocate that we have for Downtown Los Angeles in Sacramento. He is a staunch advocate for our civic center. He is a resident who deeply understands these issues, and he is an exceptional leader on our behalf in our state capital. Please welcome Assemblymember Mark González."

Assemblymember Mark González, AD 54:

“I want to thank you all for joining us here at Grand Central Market, one of the beating hearts of Los Angeles. Grand Central Market has been the heart of Downtown LA since 1917, and its revival truly does show how honoring history can fuel a vibrant, thriving city today.

I am the Assemblymember representing the 54th Assembly District, including Downtown Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Koreatown, and surrounding communities. My district is the fifth-poorest in the state. 70% of my district speaks a language other than English, and my district is 85% renters.

I'm proud to call Downtown Los Angeles home, which makes it more meaningful and deeply personal for me to be here today. I live just a few blocks from here, and I know every one of us here today recognizes what Downtown LA truly is – a place of immense potential, of culture, of hustle, of history – a place that reflects the very soul of Los Angeles. We all want to see downtown thrive. We want to see it safe, welcoming, and alive with the energy of possibility. Because when downtown shines, the entire city shines.

The challenges before us are real, but challenges don't define us. Our response does. The people of Los Angeles have never backed down from bold action. That is why I want to commend CCA for its leadership in shaping not just the styling of the city, but the future of our community. 

As you have heard, Downtown Los Angeles is home to approximately 90,000 residents, including myself, and more than 6,000 businesses, ranging from mom-and-pop shops to Michelin-starred restaurants, from historic theaters to iconic markets like the one we're standing in today. This is the fabric of our city. This is what makes us the angels in the City of Los Angeles. Revive Downtown LA is about protecting these gems while building something even greater – a downtown that's cleaner, safer, more vibrant, and more inclusive of everyone.

That means expanded safety patrols, real investments in homelessness and mental health support services, cleaner streets, pop-up storefronts that give entrepreneurs a shot, and arts and culture that make our city safe. In partnership with city officials and local law enforcement, the State of California, under Governor Gavin Newsom's leadership, has expanded the California Highway Patrol presence in our cities, working hand in hand with the LAPD to fight crime, curb violence, and bring illegal guns and drugs off our streets.

Already, we're seeing results. We are proving that when we stand together, we make our neighborhood safer. This week, Governor Newsom's state task force, working with Caltrans and Mayor Bass’s Inside Safe Program, helped 40 of our unhoused neighbors find shelter and wrap-around care. That's not just public safety. That's dignity and compassion in action. This is the kind of partnership Angelenos deserve. Solution-driven teamwork, not tired politics. 

In the Assembly, I work to strengthen downtown's recovery to light streets and lift small businesses, bringing dignity to unhoused neighbors. Together with Mayor Bass, Council District 14, and the leaders here today, we are moving from recovery to renewal, from setbacks to comebacks. 

That's why I champion legislation like AB 543 to expand MediCal coverage to medical providers that can deliver special care, diagnostic medications, and bring durable medical equipment directly to people experiencing homelessness. It's why I introduced the AB 28, creating neighborhood-specific alcohol licenses to give small restaurants in historically underserved communities a fair shot while preventing predatory resales. With AB476, we are cracking down on metal theft, with tougher protections, higher fines, and stronger accountability, because no community should be left in the dark.

…under the bold leadership of our mayor, the city council voted to expand and modernize the LA Convention Center, a project that will bring jobs, opportunities, and vitality back downtown. As Downtown LA builds momentum, it calls on us – public, private, non-profit leaders alike – to join hands and pave a path forward, because collaboration is where the magic of Los Angeles lives. In this city, across industries, cultures, and communities, we dream big and we deliver. 

I'm proud to stand with this coalition, proud to work alongside so many of you, and proud to commit myself fully to this shared vision. Together, we will make Downtown Los Angeles not just a model of urban recovery but a beacon of hope and resilience. Let us remember that when downtown rises, Los Angeles rises, and when Los Angeles rises, the world takes notice…"

Amy Turk, CEO, Downtown Women’s Center:

“Good morning, everyone. As stated, I am Amy Turk, the CEO of Downtown Women's Center. Headquartered in Skid Row, Downtown Women's Center is the only organization in Los Angeles dedicated to housing solutions for women experiencing homelessness. Each year, we walk alongside 5,000 women on their journeys to stability. With a 98% retention rate, we know that permanent housing paired with our services works. Yet downtown is home to the largest population of unhoused women in the city, and our policies must deliver real solutions for the heart of Los Angeles.

A thriving downtown must include the safety of our unhoused neighbors. We know far too well that crime disproportionately harms women experiencing homelessness. 9 out of 10 unhoused women have experienced trauma in their lifetime. That is why we urge our leaders to expand proven solutions, including permanent supportive housing, employment pathways, and care-first services that center healing and dignity. 

Today's plan by members of the CCA calls for all downtown stakeholders to take practical, achievable, and immediate actions in the next 90 days. We're asking for resources to be directed to programs that work, such as the Downtown Women's Center's Every Moment Housed Initiative and the Mayor's Inside Safe Program. We're asking for policy fixes so that programs like care ports better deliver for those most in need. We're asking for an investment in expanded care for services like CIRCLE, an alternative to unnecessary 911 calls.

Our shared goal must be a downtown where every individual, regardless of housing status, feels safe and welcome. I'm proud to stand with the Central City Association and more than 100 other members who came together to create this action plan. Together, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to deliver the progress needed to create a downtown that works for everyone."

Leslie Ridings, Co-Founder, DTLA Residents Association:

“Good morning, everyone. My name is Leslie Ridings. I'm a native Angeleno and I live and work here in downtown, along with 50,000 other downtowners. I’m the co-founder of the Downtown Los Angeles Residents Association, and on behalf of the Association, I thank CCA for convening us all here today…

90,000 residents call DTLA home. That's as many people as Santa Monica. Our population has quadrupled since 2005. Residents like me love downtown, and we don't want to leave. We all live here for a reason, but since COVID, economic recovery has been slow, and our community cannot recover without support. 

This summer, we spoke to our residents and heard back from over 700 of them through our recovery survey as one of the ways we stay in touch. We delivered their opinions to city leaders in a collective letter, and we're happy to share a copy of that with anybody who wants it. 

It is exhaustive. People are very, very forthcoming with their opinions. The message is clear: residents of downtown want a clean downtown that is safe and vibrant for everyone. The Revive DTLA plan echoes those principles, and residents stand in strong support.

For residents, safety is number one. 77% of residents said their top request was consistent, visible LAPD footbeat and bike patrols. We also saw overwhelming support for mandated intervention by CARE Courts to ensure people in acute mental health crises receive the treatment they desperately need. Residents are calling for an end to open-air drug use and sales that are corrosive to our street life and harm our neighbors, both housed and unhoused. Cleanliness and economic vibrancy are also very, very important. Residents want fast-track business permits, vacant to vibrant programs to fill storefronts, and better lighting and cultural programming to bring energy and people back to our streets. Downtown LA residents are desperate for an economic turnaround,

Here's the bigger picture. As Nella mentioned earlier, downtown makes up less than 1% of the city's land area, but we generate 30% of the city's tax revenue, 30% of the city services, and 30% of the things that we rely upon as a city come from downtown. 

When we do well, everybody does well. This is everyone's downtown, and we believe recovery is possible, seeing it in the passion of our neighbors, in the determination of our small businesses, in the commitment of our elected leaders, and in the leadership of CCA. Let's be clear, the time to talk has passed. Residents like us need visible and meaningful action. Let's make downtown a place that all Angelenos can be proud of, a place that is vibrant and welcoming for everyone. 

Residents are ready to partner with you, CCA, our elected leaders, and all of our other partners here in downtown to make this plan a reality."

-

Editor's Note: CCA, and its coalition of civic, business, nonprofit, and residential leaders, are calling for urgent action to restore safety, vibrancy, and economic strength in the city’s core. The 90-day plan, unveiled at Grand Central Market, underscores a shared conviction: when downtown thrives, Los Angeles thrives. You can read the full plan here.