In landslide vote, Los Angeles’ “homeless-in-hotels” measure is withdrawn by city council

hotelsmag.com

By: David Eisen

It wasn’t even close. This week, the Los Angeles City Council withdrew a union-backed ordinance from the March 2024 ballot that would have required hotels in the city to house homeless people next to paying customers. The vote was 11-0.

The ballot measure was proposed by Unite Here Local 11, a union representing Los Angeles hospitality workers, but ultimately requested that LA city officials remove it.

The proposed measure was one the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) vehemently opposed, drawing the ire of AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers, who never wasted an opportunity to lambaste it.

“For nearly two years, Unite Here created an atmosphere of dangerous uncertainty for hotel employees, hoteliers and the City of Los Angeles by clinging to a proposal virtually everyone thinks is outrageous – forcing hotels to house homeless people next to paying guests. Today’s vote by the council removes Unite Here’s ridiculous homeless-in-hotels proposal from the ballot and the union’s consent to this vote makes clear that its irresponsible demand was just a bargaining chip, rather than a serious attempt to address the homelessness crisis gripping LA,” said Rogers.

“We thank the LA City Council for brokering a compromise to get the homeless-in-hotels measure off the ballot. With its actions in LA, Unite Here showed that even the safety and security of its own members is up for negotiation. We urge leaders in LA and other cities to use this episode to inform their future interactions with Unite Here and to put hotel employee and guest safety first, even when Unite Here refuses to do so.”

The LA Council last week approved a compromise ordinance that was part of a deal to avert Unite Here’s ballot measure. The ordinance “includes provisions to bolster public oversight over short-term rentals, hotels and other properties, and increase the supply of interim housing available to the city,” according to LA’s City News Service.

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