Los Angeles proposal to location homeless in vacant lodge rooms attracts criticism

A proposal to area homeless people in Los Angeles hotels is drawing criticism from a foremost trade group in the hotel and lodging marketplace about its likely effects on worker security.

A ballot initiative put ahead by Unite Right here Nearby 11, a lodge workers’ union, would have to have resorts in Los Angeles to report the amount of vacant rooms every single working day alongside with average day-to-day prices to city hall. The Los Angeles Housing Office would then deliver homeless men and women with vouchers to use at motels, which would be prohibited from discriminating versus individuals participating in the plan.

“It’s really unfortunate due to the fact homelessness is a incredibly severe circumstance and this is not a major remedy to it,” Chip Rogers, president and CEO of the American Resort and Lodging Affiliation (AHLA), told FOX Organization. “Our major issue is the danger that it would place hotel staff in. They are not experienced in any way to take care of this populace, and to have to attempt to do so is very unsafe.”

“The proposal does a lot of matters, all of which are undesirable, but the most relating to to us is this concept that you would house homeless individuals together with frequent spending friends inside of of accommodations if this evaluate passes,” Rogers extra.

‘HOTEL HELL’: HOSPITALITY UNION Less than Fire FOR Force TO Dwelling HOMELESS IN Empty ROOMS

Los Angeles voters will weigh in on a controversial proposal to home homeless folks in vacant hotel rooms when it seems on the ballot in March 2024. (Mario Tama / File / Getty Photographs)

The Unite 11 union did not promptly answer to a request for comment. Unite 11, which is at this time on strike, has argued that hotels have contributed to high housing selling prices by crowding out improvement and that accommodations should enjoy a function in alleviating the homelessness disaster.

“Los Angeles has viewed a massive increase in new lodge growth in current

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Branford vegan restaurant G-Zen is closing to focus on West Hartford location

Ami Beach and Mark Shadle, who opened the upscale East Main Street eatery 11 years ago, said Monday that G-Zen will close its doors April 30. They’re evolving the brand, and will focus on a new fast-casual vegan concept in West Hartford, incorporating elements from both the restaurant and G-Monkey Mobile, the couple’s popular vegan food truck.

G-Monkey Plant-Fueled Fast Food will open later this year at 625 New Park Avenue, in the space most recently occupied by Citizen Chicken & Donuts and before that, Hartford Baking Company. Beach said Monday they’re aiming for a potential June 1 debut.

The G-Monkey brick-and-mortar concept will begin in West Hartford, but the intention is to open more locations, they said, including on the shoreline.

Chefs Mark Shadle and Ami Beach started G-Zen Restaurant, which features sustainable, plant-based cuisine, in October 2011.Photo courtesy of Jeff Skerik

“We are aiming to do this in a scalable way, which we could have never attained with G-Zen,” Beach said. “We see it being something we can replicate, and we do want to come back to the shoreline [with this concept.] We’ve never had a concept that we could really run with, and I feel like this is why we’re doing this, to make it more accessible and just normalizing vegan [food.]”

The new restaurant will offer many of the more casual items from the truck menu, which were also featured at G-Zen. G-Monkey will serve housemade plant-based dishes like soups, veggie burgers and bowls, chili fries, “raw” tacos, vegan versions of grilled cheese and Reuben sandwiches, burritos and raw desserts.

Beach said the West Hartford menu would feature several varieties of housemade vegan burgers, including one with grilled pineapple, sriracha and coconut bacon, inspired by the couple’s second home in Culebra, Puerto Rico. She also envisions “disco fries” with mushroom gravy and vegan cheese, and plant-based milkshakes made with oat milk. 

Chili cheese fries from GMonkey, which will open a brick-and-mortar vegan restaurant in West Hartford this summer.

Chili cheese fries from GMonkey, which will open a brick-and-mortar vegan restaurant in West Hartford this summer.

Courtesy of GMonkey

Shadle, who for years was the executive chef and co-owner of It’s Only

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