Dozens of residents of Millbrae from different ethnic backgrounds gathered next to the La Quinta hotel on Thursday morning, October 3rd, to urge the San Mateo County Council to revoke the plan to convert the hotel into a homeless shelter.
In June 2023, the San Mateo County Council decided to purchase the La Quinta Inns in Millbrae and convert it into a homeless shelter. This decision has sparked ongoing controversy. It is reported that the hotel brings in approximately $724,173 in tax revenue for the city of Millbrae each year and provides 32 job opportunities. Additionally, the hotel is located near numerous schools, daycare centers, and nursing homes.
In September of the same year, the San Mateo County Council decided to apply for funding from California’s “HomeKey” project to purchase the hotel. The purchase price was initially $33 million, with an estimated $16 million for renovations, totaling close to $50 million. In July 2024, the Best Western Coyote Point Inn in San Mateo County was sold for only $16.75 million, which is comparable to the La Quinta hotel in terms of room numbers and facility conditions.
During the gathering, Albert Yam, a community leader in Millbrae, stated, “The practice of wasting taxpayer funds is without any reasonable basis.” He also told Epoch Times that the county government had claimed that the homeless shelter would not impact the living environment of surrounding residents, but in reality, the number of 911 calls has increased significantly since the hotel was converted into a shelter. He is unsure if county officials were aware of this or simply uninformed.
Millbrae City Councilor Ann Schneider mentioned that there are now very few restaurants in the area, with hotel taxes being the main source of municipal revenue. The county government should not encroach on local tax assets under any circumstances. She specifically pointed out that the average per capita general fund income in Millbrae is the lowest in the county.
Community leader Stephen Rainaldi, who will be running for city council in November, stated that the county government had over a year to successfully apply for HomeKey funding to purchase the property but failed to do so. It is now time to listen to residents’ voices and “withdraw the plan to purchase La Quinta.”
Millbrae resident Ken Smith expressed that top-down decision-making can lead to tension and disconnect. Losing a source of income for the city is undoubtedly a disaster.
Alice Kuang, a Chinese resident, expressed that if the hotel becomes a homeless shelter, Millbrae will face long-term financial deficits. With only about 23,000 residents in Millbrae, accommodating up to 300 homeless individuals could result in the homeless population accounting for over 1% of the total population, fundamentally altering the local demographics. She emphasized that the San Mateo County government does not have the authority to make such decisions.
During her speech, Chinese resident Sissy Riley stated that Millbrae only accounts for 2% of the county’s population but would have to accommodate a large number of homeless individuals, deeming the decision by San Mateo County as “unfair.”
In November 2023, the Millbrae city government filed a lawsuit on behalf of residents, alleging that the project violated citizens’ 34th voting rights, with the case scheduled to be heard in court in 2025.