The Housing Crisis Fuels LA Hotel Workers' Strike

Hotel worker Brenda Mendoza's three-hour commute from Apple Valley to Los Angeles highlights the city's housing crisis, as rising rents have forced her and many others to live far from their workplaces. Striking hotel workers, represented by Unite Here Local 11, are proposing a hospitality workforce housing fund, which would charge a 7% fee on guest rooms to help workers with their housing costs. The fund could generate $150 million annually and potentially finance thousands of affordable housing units. However, hotels have rejected the proposal, arguing that securing housing for employees is not their responsibility. Experts believe industry-specific initiatives like this could become more common to address housing affordability.