Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, California began a secretive program of leasing entire hotel properties and converting them, temporarily, to housing for people experiencing homelessness. It was something that might have been inconceivable at one time, but when the government declares an emergency and essentially forces people to stay home and not travel, and hotels see revenue drop to zero with no known end date, what is inconceivable quickly becomes inevitable.
Big, white buses operated by the federal government’s Customs and Border Protection agency are delivering migrants to a Four Points Sheraton and a Ramada hotel that are costing state taxpayers $46,000 per day and $25,000 per day, respectively, plus the cost of meals, medical care, transportation and related expenses. The contracts run through October 31.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors has just approved a payment of $3.4 million to the owner of the Hotel Vertigo in Lower Nob Hill to cover damage to the property during COVID emergency, when it was housing homeless people. In December the city approved a $5.3 million payment for damage to the Hotel Union Square, and another $2.9 million was approved in March to cover damage to the Hotel Tilden.
There’s California government in a nutshell. It destroys your business and wants to be thanked for it.