Los Angeles measure to require hotels to house homeless set for March ballot

LOS-ANGELES-This bill would force Los Angeles hotels to provide shelter to the homeless and ask the city to evaluate its housing affordability before building new hotels. It will be on the March 2024 poll.

If the measure is passed by the voters, the Housing Department of the City would charge hotels fair market rates to accommodate each individual after they identify vacant rooms in hotels. The ordinance would make it mandatory for hotels to disclose the amount of rooms that are vacant to the city. It also prohibits them from refusing to accommodate homeless persons who apply through this program.

The initiative received more than 126,000 signatures and was submitted to the city council, which voted unanimously Aug. 5 to place it on the ballot rather than adopt it immediately. The proposal comes as Project Roomkey, a program created in response to the coronavirus pandemic that provided shelters for more than 10,000 homeless individuals during the past two years, is being phased out.

Maria Hernandez, communications director of UNITE HERE Local 11, said members of the union representing more than 32,000 workers at hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas and convention centers in Southern California walked to help collect signatures.

” We believe this is a common-sense issue and that housing is an issue that impacts so many members of our community every day,” Hernandez stated to City News Service. It’s unfortunate that this topic is not discussed enough. Especially for those who live with more than one person .”

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Hoteliers opposed to the measure filled the council chambers on Friday. They argued that it would decimate local hotels by attracting both employees and tourists.

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Heather Rozman (executive director of Hotel Association of Los Angeles) told council members that hotel employees are not public safety personnel and they “shouldn’t be forced to clean-up after the city’s humanitarian crisis .”

” The hotel industry today is important because it threatens their families’ livelihoods and their businesses. In some cases, even their lives.” Rozman stated. Families and business travellers coming to Los Angeles need to be assured that they will have safe and affordable accommodations .”

Rozman said that she was concerned about the possibility of insurance companies raising premiums in response to passing the bill. Some organizers of big conferences have already begun to consider moving events out of Los Angeles, she said.

The president of Valley Industry and Commerce Association Stuart Waldman told the council that hotels did not create the problem. The solution to the problem of the homeless .”

is not in hotels.

Councilman Joe Buscaino criticized the initiative as an “ill-conceived idea” that doesn’t solve homelessness and only hurts tourists. He called on voters to reject the initiative.

” Placing unhoused guests in the same hotel as paying customers shows that you don’t understand what causes homelessness is, Buscaino stated in a statement.

Councilman Paul Krekorian said that special interests groups supporting “any absurd policy proposal that can get enough Trader Joe’s customers to sign a petition shouldn’t be the law in the city of Los Angeles just because a pet petition qualifies .”

” I’m thankful that we voted on this item to place this matter before voters, where they belong,” Krekorian stated. It’s up to the voters whether they want it passed. Great .”

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To allow hotel developments of 100 rooms or more to be granted permits, the planning commission (or council on appeal) would have to assess the “impact on affordable housing and transit, social service, workers, and local businesses.” According to the ordinance. This would consider whether or not the hotel proposed would be “unduly burdening the demand for affordable housing” and other social services in Los Angeles.

Hotel developments 15 of more rooms would need to replace the housing with affordable housing close by the site.

” Hernandez stated that he believes it is an all-around strategy. You can have more housing if you build fewer luxury hotels. This means people don’t have to move very far or risk becoming homeless .

In addition to adopting the ordinance as written, the council could have also called a special election later this year that would have cost approximately $12 million. It is likely to cost little to put it on the 2024. ballot.

Bambian Tft is a minibar attendant in hotels and said that the ordinance was very important to her and her little girl.

” I wouldn’t need to pay $145 every night for a hotel and then try to figure how my daughter and I will eat, shower and sleep,” Taft told City News Service. The struggle for survival is happening right now. The struggle for homelessness is not something you have to do if you are mentally ill or homeless. Just a jumpstart to get me and my little girl .”

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