AAHOA Members Advocate on Police Permit Process for Hotels in Los Angeles

Members of the Greater Los Angeles Area Region, under the leadership of Regional Director Naresh (ND) Bhakta, provided testimony to the Los Angeles City Council regarding its police permitting process. The Council was scheduled to vote on delaying the implementation of the police permit application from July 2024 to January 2025. Instead, the motion was moved to the Public Safety and Planning and Land Use Committee for further discussion.

Background

Language impacting the hotel police permit section (Sec.103.400 - 409) was added to the original motion without the hotelier's input late last year. On Nov. 20, 2023, the LA Police Commission released a draft for the hotel permitting process.

Why it Matters

This new language would require hoteliers to submit police permit applications every year to be eligible for business licenses and a five-year penalty for a violation. The new language also lists grounds for permit application denials, including grounds for disciplinary action (e.g., a hotel manager convicted of a felony).

AAHOA's Testimony

AAHOA members asked each Council member to side with the hard-working hotelier Asian American families who have poured into owning and operating their hotels in the City of Los Angeles. The proposed motion presents adverse conditions; each Council Member must fully and adequately vet legislation. AAHOA members also cited the U.S. Supreme Court case, City of Los Angeles v. Patel, where the land's highest court protected hoteliers –pursuant to the Fourth Amendment. This ruling precludes the city permitting process from requiring information during the permit application process.

AAHOA will continue to engage with state and local associations and lawmakers on policies and issues most important to hoteliers. When it comes to advocating for our members, our work is far from over. To learn more about AAHOA's advocacy initiatives, please be on the lookout for AAHOA's new advocacy newsletter, In Your Corner Advocacy Brief.