Downtown Los Angeles is at a breaking point, according to one of its most influential business groups, and without immediate action, its economic and cultural core could slip beyond repair.

On Thursday, the Central City Association (CCA) unveiled a 90-day action plan urging city leaders to act quickly and visibly to stabilize downtown Los Angeles’ faltering economy and rebuild public trust.

“Downtown Los Angeles is hemorrhaging value—and with it, opportunity,” CCA President and CEO Nella McOsker said in a statement. “Recent years have delivered compounding blows to DTLA, from the pandemic to immigration raids, tariffs, and curfews. If we don’t come together and intervene now, we won’t just lose the core of our city, but the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates for the rest of L.A.”

Once the city’s commercial and cultural hub, downtown Los Angeles has in recent years faced declining foot traffic, rising vacancies, and growing safety concerns. The pandemic emptied offices and stalled tourism, while events like the 2025 immigration protests deepened perceptions of disorder. Business closures, encampments, and a slow return to in-person work have compounded the area’s struggles.

​​CCA leaders presented the plan during a Thursday morning roundtable with local elected officials, business owners, Los Angeles Police Department officers, nonprofit representatives and downtown residents.

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LAPD Deputy Chief German Hurtado engages with stakeholders on practical approaches to improving safety in Downtown Los Angeles. (Courtesy of Central City Association)

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The plan, titled “Revive DTLA,” outlines more than two dozen proposals to improve public safety, expand outreach to unhoused residents, ramp up cleanliness efforts, and boost foot traffic through cultural programming and small business support— all while major events like the Olympics and World Cup loom on the horizon.

It also calls for closer public-private coordination and short-term action from all levels of government before the end of the year.

“Visible” safety measures at the core

The plan centers on improving safety through greater police presence and physical infrastructure fixes.

Among the proposals are deploying LAPD foot beats and bike patrols using existing staff, creating temporary substations at vacant properties, and repairing broken streetlights in high-traffic corridors within 30 days.

The group also wants the City Attorney and District Attorney to publicly commit to prosecuting disruptive and quality-of-life crimes, including petty theft, disorderly conduct and more serious offenses.

The goal, the group says, is to build trust by showing that downtown Los Angeles is being actively cared for.

“Running a street level business, crime and homelessness and the impacts from them affect us quite a bit, almost on a daily basis,” said Irene Tsukada Simonian, owner of Bunkado in Little Tokyo. “ In my opinion, there is nothing more important than safety and security for any community, but especially one like Little Tokyo where we rely so much on visitors.”

Tsukada Simonian said she supports the Central City Association’s push for more visible improvements throughout downtown, noting that “we can’t do it ourselves in Little Tokyo.”

Calls for expanded homelessness outreach and services

While safety is a central focus, the plan also outlines a range of proposals to expand housing access and strengthen mental health and addiction services in the city’s core.

So far, only three Inside Safe operations have taken place downtown, despite the area having the highest concentration of homeless residents in the city, the report noted.

The plan calls for ramped-up outreach efforts, including more Inside Safe interventions in DTLA, expanded street medicine coordination, and an audit of the state’s CARE Court system — which is designed to connect people with serious mental illness to court-ordered treatment but has yet to graduate a single participant in L.A. County.

John Maceri, CEO of The People Concern, a nonprofit that provides housing and support services to unhoused Angelenos, said he was encouraged by the plan’s focus on expanding Inside Safe, mental health and addiction treatment, unarmed crisis response, and support for AB 543 to improve access to care.

“A stronger downtown means ensuring all members of our community have housing, healthcare, and support,” Maceri added. “Real progress requires compassion, collaboration, and the resources necessary to help our neighbors stabilize and thrive.”

Cleaning, beautification and public investment

The plan also targets blight and vacancies, citing more than 34,000 3-1-1 service calls from downtown in 2024. It proposes a daytime “cleaning surge” with nonprofit and city crews handling graffiti removal, sweeping and surface wipe-downs, along with overnight power-washing at busy areas like the Convention Center and Metro stations.

The plan urges the Office of Community Beautification to lead a graffiti blitz across downtown and pursue legislative incentives to support public art and beautification efforts. It also calls on Caltrans to assist with weekly trash and debris removal at key freeway off-ramps.

With nearly one-third of downtown’s commercial space vacant — including over 100 empty storefronts in the Historic Core — the plan calls for fast-tracked business permits, rent subsidies for retail tenants, and pop-up storefronts inspired by programs in Denver and San Francisco.

Addressing storefront vacancies and worker return

To boost daytime foot traffic, CCA is urging city and county employees to return to the office at least four days a week. The group is also pushing for the city to condemn and redevelop the long-stalled Oceanwide Plaza site before the 2028 Olympics put DTLA in the global spotlight.

In a statement, Grand Central Market owner Adam Daneshgar said small businesses are still struggling from the slow return of office workers and continued uncertainty, and called for “smart, visible public investment” to help downtown thrive again.

Jens Midthun, president and area wide director of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, said the plan reflects urgent infrastructure needs in a neighborhood that’s grown from 18,000 to 90,000 residents in recent years.

“The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC), the closest form of government to the people, looks forward to working with community partners like CCA to advocate on issues within this action plan,” he said. “When downtown succeeds, Los Angeles succeeds.”

Mayor Karen Bass’s office on Thursday pointed to ongoing efforts such as the Convention Center expansion and Inside Safe, and reiterated its commitment to supporting downtown revitalization in the years leading up to LA28.

“These announcements underscore Mayor Bass’ commitment to restoring downtown Los Angeles as a vibrant hub of economic, cultural and civic life,” the mayor’s office said in an emailed response.

Originally Published: September 25, 2025 at 6:44 PM PDT