L.A. City Council favors luxury hotels and landlord rights in response to homeless emergency declared by Mayor Bass

The astonishing sight of displaced humans living on sidewalks in Southern California has made me a regular viewer of L.A. City Council meetings. I shake my head as I watch these high paid public servants* give undivided attention to lobbyists who show up off to the side at meetings to glad-hand, as they did blatantly right in front of cameras January 11. Then council voted to provide gazillion dollars, at least, of support to build a luxury Marriott hotel on land that used to hold a public library in South L.A..  It seems parents of students at USC can't find an acceptable place to stay when they fly in likely on private jets to visit. 

(*As of 2020, L.A. City Council members receive an annual salary of $207,000 per year, which is among the highest city council salaries in the nation. Per Wikipedia)

Apparently when the mayor declared homelessness an emergency in L.A. Dec. 14, landlords panicked at the idea they might end up with deadbeats living in the empty homes they've purchased as investment properties and rushed to get hold of city council members and convince them it's the landlords who are in crisis.

So ignore those people shivering in the cold and dying before their time due to living in tents, they can be rounded up later; quick, give the high political donors whatever they need. 

I don't see how anyone could work in L.A. government and think ANYTHING was more important than the human crisis of people living on the streets, shitting on lawns, having rats for roommates... how could a council member focus on ANYTHING but finding ways to get unhoused persons into housing. But last 2 weeks all they've done is talk about landlord rights.

L.A. City Council have spent last 2 weeks debating how to make it easier for landlords to evict people. You can watch them during meetings, ignoring members of the public who come in person to speak or call in, their voices broadcast throughout the meeting room. Throughout each meeting, council members are holding private conversations with well dressed corporate types, likely lobbyists, accepting envelopes, only returning to their seats when it comes time to vote, never even acknowledging a public speaker, even when one directly addresses that council member. One caller said, “look at Ms. Yaroslavsky, talking to someone off to the side, ignoring everything I say,” as she ignored everything the caller said.

The decision to fund the new Marriott hotel on land that used to be a public library took one meeting, where dozens of citizens Pleaded with the council to use that land for low income housing instead. However, two persons from Marriott appeared in person to speak about the jobs the new hotel would create (god how often have we heard that) and the council passed money for Marriot without blinking. 

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(From NBC Los Angeles) A proposed 168-room Marriott hotel in South Los Angeles cleared the City Council's planning committee Tuesday and is expected to be reviewed by the full council on Friday.  The proposed seven-story building would be located on a 34,000-square-foot, city-owned site that has been vacant since 2010. It was formerly the site of the Bethune Library and is located near USC.

Several public speakers addressed the council two weeks ago and again at Tuesday's committee meeting opposing the hotel. Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who represents the area and is chair of the committee, introduced a motion asking the council to "assert jurisdiction'' over the local planning commission's action.

On Tuesday, Harris-Dawson called the project one of “much controversy” but said the Eighth District “needs to be able to participate in the economy of Los Angeles.” “When the World Cup comes to LA, were we to go along with the folks opposed to this project, what the district would get out of that economic activity is increased traffic, people parking all through their neighborhoods, trash and everything else -- and not get one dollar of benefit from that economic activity,'” Harris-Dawson said. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/proposed-south-la-hotel-clears-la-city-councils-planning-committee/3085890/

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Meanwhile since Mayor Karen Bass declared homelessness an emergency in L.A. last December, council has Not Passed One Provision to even start to solve the problem.

I am a powerless 74 year old woman who has a beloved family member living in an RV parked on a street in Hollywood and all I can do is watch, observe from my senior apt complex where my family member is not allowed to join me, scared that if I leave Tahoe to join her in L.A. and help her I will end up on the street too. So I observe like a visitor from space in horror the failure of the human race in USA as it self destructs. Much bigger a problem than I can take on... so sad I am.

As one public speaker called out at the meeting before the Marriott vote, those hotel jobs will not pay enough for a person to afford an apartment in L.A.

In response, L.A. City Council members ignored her.

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Watch meeting where city council cowtows to Marriott and ignores desperate people pleading from audience for help with housing 

Watch above video on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwjZtupgl0g

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Watch meeting where landlord rights trump renters rights and council members openly gladhand with lobbyists during meeting while ignoring speakers from the public

 Watch above video on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtdKmcQ1WhI

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Posted by Kay Ebeling, producer City of Angels Blog since Jan 2007. 

"Not just L.A., the city of angels is everywhere