AIDS Healthcare Foundation Sues Los Angeles Over Demolition of Historic Morrison Hotel
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and its housing division, the Healthy Housing Foundation, are suing the City of Los Angeles to prevent the demolition of the historic Morrison Hotel. The city's Department of Buildings and Safety (LADBS) declared the 1913-era hotel a 'public nuisance' and put its demolition out to bid. AHF alleges that the city's decision was made without proper notification to AHF, which owns the property, and that the city is implementing an 'illegal plan' to demolish the hotel to prevent its rehabilitation into low-income housing. AHF President Michael Weinstein stated that the city has been slow in granting permits for rehabilitation and has been 'spiteful' in its actions. The lawsuit seeks to set aside the city's decisions regarding the hotel's nuisance status and demolition. This action comes as the city's 'Inside Safe' program for homelessness has spent over $300 million since 2022, housing only about 5,800 individuals at a cost of over $51,000 per placement.
