Formal gatherings planned in conjunction with the Summit of the Americas will continue in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, featuring discussions ranging from youth involvement in government and society to efforts by business to improve the world economy.
A trio of forums, including the Young Americas Forum hosted by the Young Americas Business Trust, are on tap. The forum is designed for attendees aged 18 to 34, allowing them to “connect with international leaders in an ecosystem that stimulates the spirit of cooperation for a resilient, sustainable future and equitable, inclusive opportunities for the Americas.”
Meanwhile, the CEO Summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. State Department will begin at the InterContinental Hotel. The three-day event will feature business leaders from summit nations discussing “innovative solutions that benefit us all.”
Participants are expected to discuss topics including trade, health economies, digital transformation and strengthening inclusion of small businesses in trade and supply chains. Among those set to participate over the three-day span are Mayor Eric Garcetti, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
The Civil Society Forum connected to the summit began Monday at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and will continue through Wednesday. That event is billed as a forum for “direct engagement between leaders and independent civil society representatives from all of the countries of the Americas.” It will “elevate voices from across the hemisphere focused on a wide range of issues yet together committed to ensuring democracy delivers for the people of our hemisphere.”
Summit of the Americas events are set to begin Wednesday, with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden set to host an opening ceremony that evening at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The Los Angeles gathering is the first time a U.S. city has hosted the event since 1994, when the inaugural conference was in Miami. Representatives from the Western Hemisphere began arriving Monday.
The summit convenes once every three or four years and is expected to address issues including immigration, climate, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attendance of several countries is in doubt after the Biden administration declined to invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the conference. It led to Mexico’s president announcing he was boycotting the Summit of the Americas on Monday.
Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would send Mexico’s foreign minister in his place.
The summit will continue through Friday with a focus on “Building a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future” in the Americas.
The summit is organized by the White House and the U.S. Department of State. The Los Angeles Police Department estimated that it’ll cost an additional $3.1 million per day to provide extra staffing during the event, totaling about $15.5 million for the five-day event.
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday asked the City Administrative Officer to report on reimbursement opportunities for expenses, and to collaborate with the police department to explore reimbursement opportunities for security expenses.
According to Garcetti’s office, traffic in and around downtown Los Angeles and LAX will likely be impacted from 10 p.m. Monday through noon Saturday. The summit will be based primarily at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The mayor’s office encouraged people to avoid the areas between the Santa Monica (10) and the Hollywood (101) freeways west of the Harbor (110) Freeway, whenever possible.
Through Saturday, commuters should avoid:
— connector ramps from the east and westbound 10 Freeway to the 110 Freeway north;
— the 110 Freeway northbound exits into downtown, including Pico Boulevard, Ninth Street, Sixth Street, Fourth Street and Third Street;
— the 110 Freeway southbound exits for Sixth Street and Wilshire Boulevard;
— Figueroa Street, north and southbound, between Washington Boulevard and Third Street;
— Pico Boulevard, east and westbound, between Union Avenue and Grand Avenue;
— Seventh Street, east and westbound, between Bixel Street and Flower Street; and
— Wilshire Boulevard, east and westbound, between Bixel Street and Flower Street.
People can use the following freeway exits to access downtown between Monday and Saturday:
— exit 16A Santa Fe, 15B Alameda Street, 15A Central Ave, 14B San Pedro Street and 14A Convention Center if traveling westbound on the 10 Freeway;
— exit Convention Center/Grand Avenue/Olive Street, 14A Maple Avenue, 14B San Pedro Street, 15A Central Avenue, 15B Alameda Street, 16A Santa Fe Avenue if traveling eastbound on the 10 Freeway; and
— exit 20B 37th Street and Exposition Boulevard, 20C Adams Boulevard, or transition onto either the 10 or 101 Freeways east or westbound if traveling northbound on the 110 Freeway.
Updates on road closures will be provided on Twitter through Caltrans at @CaltransDist7 and @CaltransHQ.
Buses and trains through Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation may have detours due to the summit, and people can get LADOT updates at @ladotofficial and @ladottransit and Metro updates at @metrolaalerts on Twitter.
Garcetti’s office encouraged people departing LAX to allow additional time to get to the airport, particularly on Tuesday and Friday. People can check @FlyLAXStats or @FlyLAXAirport on Twitter for the travel time updates.
According to the U.S. State Department, the meeting promotes regional cooperation and helps address the region’s most pressing issues, including increasing economic competitiveness, enhancing access to technology, countering trafficking and promoting democracy and human rights throughout the Americas.
During the most recent summit — which was in Peru in 2018 — the region’s leaders committed to fighting corruption, according to the U.S. State Department.