Los Angeles Municipal Code Art. 2.1 Hotel Worker Training Ordinance

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

Section 182.20 Purpose. 182.21 Definitions. 182.22 Public Housekeeping Training. 182.23 Exemption; Limited Waiver for Certain Hotel Employers. 182.24 Notice. 182.25 Retaliatory Action Prohibited. 182.26 Administrative Regulations. 182.27 Joint Civil Liability. 182.28 Supersession by Collective Bargaining Agreement. 182.29 Civil Remedies. 182.30 Coexistence with Other Available Relief. 182.31 Conflicts. 182.32 Severability. 182.33 Operative Date.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The City of Los Angeles has a history of supporting our tourism and hospitality industries. Laws such as the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance and the Hotel Worker Protection Ordinance demonstrate the City’s commitment to promoting the well-being and rights of the hotel workers, thereby enabling the tourism and hospitality industries to flourish. The City also has an interest in ensuring the safety of its hotel workers, hotel guests, and members of the public who visit these establishments.

Hotel workers, especially room attendants, a majority of whom are women or immigrants, often work alone in guest rooms where there are no witnesses or cameras. The nature of their position makes them uniquely able to identify and report threats and crimes. It also, however, subjects them to risks of threatening behavior, including sexual assault and other crimes – many of which go unreported to the police.

This ordinance seeks to ensure the specified hotel workers have the knowledge and skills to protect their own rights and to promote public health and safety, including by helping to identify potential instances of human trafficking and sexual and domestic violence. The ordinance would require an estimated 3,000 covered hotel workers receive six additional hours of training, to be provided by an outside agency and administered by the City. This will ensure personnel conducting the training have a requisite level of expertise and that there is consistency in the quality of training provided to workers Citywide. It will also enable workers, during the training, to identify any issues or concerns they have about their rights and the safety of their workplace without fear of retaliation from their employer.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The following definitions shall apply to this article:

A. “Adverse Employment Action” means an action that detrimentally and materially affects the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including but not limited to any act to discharge, reduce compensation, reduce work hours, alter established work schedules, increase workload, impose fees or charges, or change duties of a Hotel Worker.

B. “City” means the City of Los Angeles.

C. “Division” means the Office of Wage Standards of the Bureau of Contract Administration within the Department of Public Works.

D. “Domestic Violence” means abuse committed against an adult or a minor who is a spouse, former spouse, cohabitant, former cohabitant, or person with whom the suspect has had a child or is having or has had a dating or engagement relationship.

E. “Guest” means a registered guest of a Hotel, a person occupying a Guest Room with a registered guest, or a visitor invited to a Guest Room by a registered guest or other person occupying a Guest Room.

F. “Guest Room” means any room, suite of rooms, dwelling unit, cottage, or bungalow intended to be used by a Guest of a Hotel for transient sleeping purposes.

G. “Hotel” means an establishment containing 60 or more Guest Rooms that provides temporary lodging for payment in the form of overnight accommodations in Guest Rooms to transient patrons for periods of thirty consecutive calendar days or less, and may provide additional services, such as conference and meeting rooms, restaurants, bars, or recreation facilities available to Guests or to the general public. “Hotel” includes hotels, motor lodges, motels, apartment hotels, transient occupancy residential structures and extended-stay hotels that rent units (including units with kitchens) for fewer than thirty days, private residential

clubs, tourist courts, and hostels that contain both dormitory-style accommodations and private Guest Rooms that may be reserved, meeting the definition set forth above. “Hotel” also includes any contracted, leased or sublet premises operated in conjunction with a hotel or that is used for the primary purpose of providing services at a hotel. Except as provided above, the term “Hotel” does not include corporate housing, rooming houses, boarding houses, single-room occupancy housing, or licensed bed and breakfast establishments within a single-unit residence. “Hotel” does not include a Short-Term Rental, as defined in Section 12.22 A.32. of this Code.

H. “Hotel Employer” means any person who owns, controls, or operates a Hotel in the City, and includes any person or contractor who, in a managerial, supervisory, or confidential capacity, employs or directs Hotel Workers to provide services at a Hotel in conjunction with the Hotel’s purpose.

I. “Hotel Worker” means any person whose primary place of employment is at one or more Hotels and who is employed directly by a Hotel Employer, or by a person who has contracted with the Hotel Employer, to provide services at a Hotel. “Hotel Worker” does not include a managerial, supervisory or confidential employee.

J. “Human Trafficking” shall have the same meaning as set forth in California Penal Code Section 236.1.

K. “Room Attendant” means a Hotel Worker whose principal duties are to clean and put in order Guest Rooms in a Hotel.

L. “Violent or Threatening Conduct” means: (1) any conduct that involves the use of physical violence or that would reasonably be interpreted as conveying a threat of the use of physical violence, and includes, but is not limited to, rape, assault (including sexual assault), and battery (including sexual battery), as defined by the California Penal Code, as well as any threat or attempt to commit such an act; or (2) any sexual conduct, or solicitation to engage in sexual conduct, directed by a Guest at a Hotel Worker without the consent of the Hotel Worker and includes, but is not limited to, indecent exposure, as defined by the California Penal Code.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

A. The Division, or designee, shall establish a process whereby the City will certify and designate at least one “Public Housekeeping Training Organization”. The certification and designation of a Public Housekeeping Training Organization shall be carried out by the Division or its designee.

B. A Hotel Employer shall ensure that each Hotel Worker who works as a Room Attendant attends a “Public Housekeeping Training” during which the Hotel worker shall receive their applicable wage rate from the Hotel Employer. The training shall be paid for by the Hotel Employer and provided by a Public Housekeeping Training Organization that is approved and certified by the Division.

C. To be certified as a designated Public Housekeeping Training Organization, the organization shall meet the requirements set forth by the Division, or designee, including, but not be limited to, the following:

1. The Public Housekeeping Training Organization must have experience providing training to hotel workers or immigrant low-wage workers, utilize interactive teaching strategies that engage across multiple literacy levels, and provide trainers and educators who are culturally competent and fluent in the language or languages that hotel workers understand.

2. The “Public Housekeeping Training” should include no less than six hours of training, including live and interactive instruction, on the following elements, except that the Division, or designee, may

determine that any element below is separately and sufficiently required by State or local law, in which case the element may be eliminated and the total training time reduced accordingly:

a. Hotel Worker rights and Hotel Employer responsibilities under Article 2 of Chapter XVIII of this Code;

b. Best practices for identifying and responding to suspected instances of Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, or Violent or Threatening Conduct;

c. Best practices for effective cleaning techniques to prevent the spread of disease;

d. Best practices for identifying and avoiding insect or vermin infestations; and

e. Best practices for identifying and responding to the presence of other potential criminal activity.

3. A Public Housekeeping Training Organization may coordinate with a Hotel Employer to ensure that training content aligns where appropriate with the Hotel Employer’s policies and procedures. Ultimate

discretion regarding training content shall remain with a Public Housekeeping Training Organization, subject to requirements set forth by the Division, or designee.

4. A Public Housekeeping Training Organization shall promptly issue a “Public Housekeeping Certificate” to any person who successfully completes its Public Housekeeping Training. A Public Housekeeping Certificate shall be valid for a period of five years.

D. A Hotel Employer shall document compliance with the training requirement set forth in this section by completing and signing a form as required by the City to certify that the training was conducted in accordance with this article.

E. A Public Housekeeping Training Organization that provides such training shall submit a report to the Division within five days of a training to document the date on which the training was held and the names of all Hotel Workers who received Public Housekeeping Certificates.

F. No Hotel Employer shall employ a Hotel Worker to work as a Room Attendant for more than 120 days unless the Hotel Worker presents the Hotel Employer with a valid Public Housekeeping Certificate. For the sake of clarity, a Hotel Employer shall, within 120 days of expiration of a Hotel Worker’s Public Housekeeping Certificate, ensure that the Hotel Worker attends a new “Public Housekeeping Training.” Failure of a Hotel Employer to provide the specified Public Housekeeping Training in this subsection or in Subsection B., above, shall not be grounds for terminating the employment or contract work of a Hotel Worker.

G. Each Hotel Employer shall retain records sufficient to demonstrate compliance with this section for a period of five years, including a copy of a valid Public Housekeeping Certificate for each Hotel Worker then assigned to work as a Room Attendant.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

A. Waiver application. The Division, or designee, shall grant a waiver from the Public Housekeeping Training requirement in Section 182.22, above, to any Hotel Employer who demonstrates that compliance would require the Hotel Employer, in order to avoid bankruptcy or a shutdown of the Hotel Employer’s hotel, to reduce its workforce by more than 20 percent or curtail its hotel workers’ total hours by more than 30 percent. The Division, or designee, shall grant such a waiver only after reviewing a Hotel Employer’s financial condition at the Hotel Employer’s expense. A waiver granted under this section shall be valid for no more than one year. A decision by the Division, or designee, to grant or deny a request for waiver under this section may be appealed to a hearing examiner in accordance with established city practices for hearing examiner review.

B. Notice of waiver application. Prior to submitting a waiver application pursuant to this section, a Hotel Employer shall provide written notice of the waiver application to all Hotel Workers who work as Room Attendants. Within three days of receiving a waiver determination from the Division, or designee, under this section, a Hotel Employer shall provide written notice of the determination to all Room Attendants employed by the Hotel Employer.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

A Hotel Employer shall provide written notice of the Hotel Workers’ rights set forth in this article to each Hotel Worker at the time of hire or within 30 days of the effective date of this article, whichever is later. Such written notice shall be provided in English, Spanish, and any other language known by the Hotel Employer to be spoken by ten percent or more of the Hotel Workers employed by the Hotel Employer.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

No person shall discharge, reduce in compensation, take Adverse Employment Action against, or otherwise discriminate against any Hotel Worker for opposing any practice proscribed by this article, for participating in proceedings related to this article, for seeking to enforce their rights under this article by any lawful means, or for otherwise asserting rights under this article. A Hotel Employer taking any Adverse Employment Action against any Hotel Worker who is known to have engaged in any of the foregoing activities within one year preceding the Adverse Employment Action shall provide to the Hotel Worker at or before the time of the Adverse Employment Action a detailed written statement of the reason or reasons for the discharge or other Adverse Employment Action, including all the facts claimed to substantiate the reason or reasons.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The Division is authorized to adopt rules and regulations that are consistent with and in furtherance of the provisions of this article. Violations of the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall constitute violations of this article and shall subject the violator to the penalties set forth in this article.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

A Hotel Employer that contracts with another person, including, without limitation, another hotel employer, a temporary staffing agency, employee leasing agency or professional employer organization, to obtain the services of hotel employees shall share all civil legal responsibility and civil liability for violations of this article by that person for Hotel Workers performing work pursuant to the contract. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “person” shall not include:

A. A bona fide nonprofit organization that provides services to workers.

B. A bona fide labor organization, as defined in 29 U.S.C. § 152, or an apprenticeship program, training program, or hiring hall operated pursuant to a labor-management agreement.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The provisions of this article, or any part thereof, may be waived pursuant to a bona fide collective bargaining agreement, but only if the waiver is expressly set forth in clear and unambiguous written terms. Neither party to a collective bargaining relationship may waive or supersede any provision of this article by means of unilaterally imposed terms and conditions of employment.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

A. Civil action. The City or any aggrieved person may enforce the provisions of this article by means of a civil action.

B. Injunction. Any person who commits an act, proposes to commit an act, or engages in any pattern or practice that violates this article may be enjoined therefrom by a court of competent jurisdiction. An action for injunction under this subsection may be brought by any aggrieved person, by the City Attorney, or by any person or entity who will fairly and adequately represent the interests of an aggrieved person or persons.

C. Damages and penalties. Any person who violates the provisions of this article is liable for actual damages suffered by any aggrieved person and for statutory damages of $100 per aggrieved person per day, except that statutory damages for failure to maintain or provide records shall not exceed $1,000 per day for all affected hotel workers. For willful violations, the amount of monies and penalties to be paid under this subsection shall be trebled.

D. Attorneys’ fees and costs. In a civil action brought under this section, the court shall award the prevailing plaintiff reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, including expert witness fees.

E. Cumulative remedies. The remedies set forth in this article are cumulative. Nothing in this article shall be interpreted as restricting, precluding, or otherwise limiting a separate or concurrent criminal prosecution under this Code or State law.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The provisions of this article shall not be construed as limiting an Employee’s right to obtain relief to which they may be entitled at law or in equity.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

Nothing in this article shall be interpreted or applied to create any power or duty in conflict with any federal or state law.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

If any subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this article is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this section, and each and every subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof not declared invalid or unconstitutional, without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,610, Eff. 9/8/25, Oper. 12/1/25.)

The provisions of this article shall become operative on December 1, 2025.