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Susana Barrios
From:Theresa Bass
Sent:Thursday, June 22, 2023 8:54 PM
To:Public Comment
Subject:FW: \[EXTERNAL\] Hotel and Event Center Minimum Wage, Worker Retention, and
Hotel Worker Safety and Workload Initiative
Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachments
unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
Mayor Ashleigh E. AItken
Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Rubalcava
Councilmember Jose Diaz
Councilmember Carlos A. Leon
Councilmember Norma Campos Kurtz
Councilmember Stephen Faessel
Councilmember Natalie Meeks
Mayor Aitken, Mayor Pro Tem Rubalcava, and Councilmembers:
On behalf of the Stovall’s Hotels of Anaheim and the O’Connell Hospitality Group I am writing to ask that
the pending Hotel and Event Center Minimum Wage, Worker Retention, and Hotel Worker Safety and
Workload Initiative (the “Initiative”) be placed on the ballot for the voters of Anaheim to decide at a
special election later this year.
While we understand that city staff has been directed to undertake and report its findings on the wider
consequences of the Initiative on the city, the hospitality industry already knows that the wage,
workplace rules, and implementation written into the Initiative make it unworkable, impractical, and
unrealistic to abide by even under the best of circumstances. Simply put, this is an attempt by Unite
Here to unionize hotels through the ballot box and forgo the process of collective bargaining
negotiations.
If voters were to approve the measure in a November 2024 vote, implementation would be mandated in
the peak of the December 2024 holiday season, when a number of hotel professionals needed to
oversee this process would likely be unavailable. The implementation mandate forces hoteliers, large
and small, to undertake massive administrative, personnel, and technical changes to policies and
procedures at the most inopportune time.
Time is of the essence. The need for a special election is necessary due to the fact the
business community, specifically the convention center, needs clarity in order to book future
conventions. These are typically booked three to five years out. Many meeting planners are
indicating they will be holding off future bookings until there is resolution regarding this measure.
Equally important, a special election would allow the citizens of Anaheim to better
understand the impact of this measure as a stand alone item not to be confused with
other measures.
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Further, if the Initiative is successful at the ballot box in November 2024, the City of Anaheim may find it
necessary to hire additional staff, or even to create an additional new department, in order to monitor
and enforce the ordinance. Again, this timing would necessarily coincide with the 2024 holidays.
While we stand in steadfast support of and agree with the worker safety and “panic button” provisions
of the Initiative, we oppose the wage mandate and workplace rules which would devastate smaller
Anaheim hotels and force larger ones to increase their costs to consumers – and slash TOT revenue to
the city in the process.
Voters in Anaheim deserve the chance to vote upon the proposal sooner rather than later.
Thank you for your consideration. We hope you will support a special election.
Best regards,
William R. O'Connell III
________________
William R. O'Connell III
O'Connell Hotels & Hospitality
Stovall's Hotels of Anaheim
1110 W. Katella Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92802
Office: 714.778.5220 ext. 164
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