Brief

Councilmember Traci Park moved to acquire the Ramada Inn hotel and convert it into permanent and interim supportive housing using California's Homekey Program funding. The full Council adopted the motion 14-0-1 in July 2024. Since then, the City Administrative Officer has submitted multiple implementation documents to the Housing and Homelessness Committee for review, with the matter currently scheduled for committee discussion on May 20, 2026.

Full summary

Councilmember Traci Park introduced this motion in May 2024 out of frustration over stalled Homekey conversions, using the Ramada Inn in Venice as a focal example. The City had purchased the Ramada Inn in December 2020 under California's Homekey Program, which was designed to rapidly create permanent and interim housing by converting existing hotels, motels, and apartment buildings. The site briefly served as interim housing but was taken offline in October 2022 so operator and service provider PATH could convert it into 32 units of permanent housing. Nearly two years after that demobilization, the building remained empty. Park's motion pointed to the broader contradiction: Homekey was sold to the public as a faster, cheaper alternative to new construction, yet units sit vacant while thousands of unhoused people live on the sidewalks outside these same properties. The motion directed the City Administrative Officer to report within 30 days on the Ramada Inn specifically, including the reasons for conversion delays, any financing and regulatory obstacles, and projected timelines for construction start and occupancy. A second directive required the CAO, working with the Housing Department and HACLA, to produce a comprehensive report within 60 days covering all Homekey Round 1, 2, and 3 sites citywide. That report was to detail how many properties were purchased under each round, how many sites and units are ready and occupied, how many remain unready and why, and what recommendations exist to resolve the delays. The Council adopted the motion 14-0-1 on July 2, 2024, after it cleared the Housing and Homelessness Committee. The CAO subsequently submitted multiple reports and addenda, including documents in January 2026 and an addendum in late April 2026 transferred from a related file. The committee scheduled a hearing for February 4, 2026, then continued the item without a set date before scheduling it again for May 20, 2026. The file remains open and active in the Housing and Homelessness Committee as the city works through the CAO's findings on the Ramada Inn conversion and the broader Homekey portfolio.

Activity (12)

• 2026-05-15 Housing and Homelessness Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 20, 2026.
• 2026-04-27 Addendum document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated April 27, 2026, moved from Council file No. 26-0624.
• 2026-02-04 Housing and Homelessness Committee continued item to date to be determined.
• 2026-01-30 Housing and Homelessness Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 4, 2026.
• 2026-01-29 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
• 2026-01-28 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated January 28, 2026.
• 2026-01-27 City Administrative Officer document(s) referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.
• 2026-01-23 Document submitted by City Administrative Officer, dated January 23, 2026.
• 2024-07-02 Council action final.
• 2024-07-02 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2024-06-28 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on July 2, 2024.
• 2024-05-22 Motion referred to Housing and Homelessness Committee.

Documents (7)

• 2026-04-27 Report from City Administrative Officer - Addendum · report
• 2026-02-04 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-01-28 Revised Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2026-01-23 Report from City Administrative Officer · report
• 2025-10-22 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2024-07-02 Council Action · council_action
• 2024-05-22 Motion · motion