Resignation of Convention Center Chief Urged

Angry over revelations that the head of the underbooked Los Angeles Convention Center earned $80,000 moonlighting for a facility in Hawaii, City Councilman Nate Holden asked his colleagues Wednesday to approve a proposal calling for the immediate resignation of General Manager Dick Walsh.

Holden’s proposal, which also asks for a vote of “no confidence” in Walsh, blasted him for “working for the competition, since the convention booking business is a worldwide activity and centers all over the world compete” for business.

The measure, which was placed on Tuesday’s council agenda, puts more pressure on Walsh. Two council members have already asked that he be fired. The Times revealed last week that Walsh, who earns more than $131,000 a year, has used 1,000 hours of vacation time during the last two years to help the Hawaiian Convention Center Authority plan a facility.

Walsh could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but last week he defended himself by disputing that the Hawaii center, which hired him as a consultant, will be in direct competition with Los Angeles. He said he followed city rules by getting permission from the mayor’s office before accepting the work.

In a related development, Mayor Richard Riordan has put Walsh on notice that he will undergo “an overall performance evaluation” later this month. Under a new merit-based pay plan for department heads, specially appointed committees are reviewing general managers’ work during the past fiscal year and deciding whether to award merit raises.