By: Julia Xia, Opinions Editor
Last September, San Mateo County bought the La Quinta Hotel, a locally owned business, with the plan to turn it into permanent housing for unhoused Californians. One year later, this plan to convert La Quinta still faces significant backlash from the Millbrae community. With the Millbrae general elections beginning on November 5th, it’s important to learn what the potential city council members have to say about La Quinta.
San Mateo County’s decision to purchase La Quinta stems from Project HomeKey, a non-profit organization that aims to help California’s unhoused population. Cities within the county are tasked with aiding the unhoused; like Millbrae, Redwood City also plans to create permanent housing.
Many Millbrae citizens have protested their disapproval of the purchase, raising concerns about safety and revenue loss. La Quinta is located near Millbrae’s downtown area on El Camino. As a hotel, it also has a local sushi restaurant. Its presence near Lomita Park Elementary School is also a drawback for many Millbrae residents.
One main concern from Mills City Council candidate You You Xue takes the immense budget required into consideration. When La Quinta operated as a hotel, the hotel, combined with the earnings from the local sushi restaurant within it, generated around $700,000 for the city. “When you look at where Millbrae’s funding comes from, it is primarily from our hotel tax,” Xue points out. “No one has been able to tell me where we’re supposed to find $700,000 to make up for the loss of La Quinta.”
There are eight hotels operating in Millbrae. With La Quinta turning into permanent housing and plans to convert El Rancho into apartments, the city appears to be losing more money than it’s gaining. Candidate Xue is not the only one who feels La Quinta’s change into permanent housing will negatively impact Millbrae’s finances; candidate Reuben Holober shares, “If we lose that revenue [~$700,000], we will have to make cuts to our vital services.”
Many local politicians also assert that the plans for La Quinta have been poorly thought through: “Originally, it was planned to be a 99-room housing project for single men and women of all ages. Then, after much outcry, the County considered making it 75 Rooms for Seniors & Families but has yet to guarantee that in writing,” Stephen Rainaldi shares.
However, there are also some who support La Quinta. Fung asserts that while every city needs to contribute, it must do so in a way that does not reduce tax revenue, jobs, or local businesses.
Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung believes that every city’s responsibility is to aid in the plans to help the unhoused. “If the county wants zero homelessness, there needs to be a collaborative effort between the cities within the county, and every city needs to do its job.”
