Supervisor Jim Desmond details opposition to spending $157 million on four hotels to house homeless
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – Tuesday, the San Diego County Supervisors voted 3-1 to authorize a memorandum of agreement between the County of San Diego and the San Diego Housing Commission, to purchase four hotels for a total of $157 million.
Republican County Supervisor Jim Desmond was the lone ‘No’ vote, because he says the plan “follows the same failed policies of Housing First.” Desmond insisted the county prioritize spending taxpayer money on treatment and services for homeless.
Chair Nora Vargas, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Supervisor Joel Anderson all voted in support of the purchase.
The vote is a memorandum of agreement among the San Diego County Supervisors, and the purchase is expected to take over a year, effectively proving the point Supervisor Jim Desmond made.
Thursday, Desmond joined KUSI’s Paul Rudy on Good Morning San Diego to explain his opposition in more detail, as he questioned his colleagues instincts to always throw more money at the problem. Desmond pointed out that more funding has not made the crisis better, as he questioned why they think anything will change this time.
Desmond released the following information regarding his vote and the failed housing first concept:
DesmondHomelessRELATED STORY: Terra Lawson-Remer says San Diego should be compared to San Francisco and Los Angeles on homeless
