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Responsible Hotel Ordinance Approved by LA Council, Renters Need Police-Permit for Operations

Responsible Hotel Ordinance Approved by LA  Council, Renters Need Police-Permit for Operations

Los Angeles: On Tuesday, the Responsible Hotel Ordinance got a nod from the Los Angeles City Council with 14-0 votes.

The draft ordinance required developers of new hotel properties to compensate for the loss of any housing establishment during the process.

The proposed way to do this is to replace the damaged permanent housing. Councilman Kevin de Leon was absent during the vote.

The ordinance was drafted by Council President Paul Krekorian with the Unite Here Local 11 hospitality workers union and representatives of the hotel industry. The move’s intention is to replace a ballot initiative sponsored by the labor union, to be proposed in the March 2024 ballot.

Now the ordinance is enacted, the ballot initiative will be withdrawn. The ordinance is also facing opposition from the motel owners and homeowners as they use their establishments for short-term rental facilities.

“We are not hotels. We don’t open to the public. I mean this is unfair to us,” Vanessa Johnson said. “Most of us, as senior citizens, as an extra burden and costs of getting another permit just puts us out of business altogether. We are doing this to hold on to our homes and to keep our house over our head.” Vanessa is an Airbnb host.

A police permit will be required by the hotel owners and any rental facility provider to continue the operations. Many fear that the permit process will prove to be time-consuming and cumbersome.

As per the police department, the process is simple and involves gathering property and biographical information. 9000 is the expected number of permits to be processed, and the fee structure is divided into three categories- small, medium, and large.

In addition, owners and operators would be investigated for past criminal records or any record of causing a nuisance to the public, like “party houses.”

The ordinance would include the creation of a voluntary registry by the city, whereby hotels that participate would inform the city of any available rooms for use as temporary housing.

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