LA City Council has agreed to name and shame a number of high end hotels refusing to house the city’s homeless.
The Council voted in favor of calling out the hotels for resisting requests to participate in the ‘Project Roomkey’ initiative to provide shelter for about 15,000 people.
So far only about 1,500 homeless people have been housed in Los Angeles hotels.
Each hotel brings new hope, each room could save a life," said Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Lawmakers want to get tough with hotels refusing to help, especially as many have benefitted from tax breaks from the city.
"It would seem to me to be a complete justification that we expect something back especially during an emergency," said Councilman Mitch O’Farrel.
The Ritz Carlton is one hotel which has received large tax breaks but is refusing to house the homeless.
Hotels may be forced to help.
"If hotels are making a distinction among people classifying housed and unhoused differently in terms of accommodations then I think there’s a potential civil rights violation," said Councilman Mike Bonin.
"If the problems are on the hotel end, the public should know why, and then we should consider commandeering."
