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Lauren Hepler on Muck Rack

Lauren Hepler

Verified
California
As seen in: CalMatters, MSN, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent (UK), The Washington Post, USA Today, Yahoo Canada, Yahoo News, Aol, Los Angeles Times and
Investigative reporter @calmatters. Past stories @sfchronicle, @NYTimes, others. Lauren@calmatters.org

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Articles

Did Newsom’s $3.8 Billion Hotels-to-Housing Program Pay Off? We Filed 100 Records Requests to Find Out

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By Lauren Hepler Verified, Marisa Kendall Verified
| Westside Current
LOS ANGELES — As COVID-19 tore through California, Jennifer Hark Dietz had a decision to make. The state was making perhaps its biggest push ever to get people off the street, offering up billions of dollars for cities and organizations like hers to turn old motels into new homes. It was risky. The Homekey program came with up-front cash and a promise to move fast and cut red tape.
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Did Newsom’s $3.8 billion hotels-to-housing program pay off? We filed 100 records requests to find out

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By Katty Arangua, Lauren Hepler Verified, Marisa Kendall Verified
| El Reportero Verified
by Lauren Hepler and Marisa Kendall CalMatters Gov. Gavin Newsom launched California’s Homekey program during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency effort to quickly convert hotels, motels and other buildings into housing for homeless residents. State officials described the initiative as one of the largest homelessness housing investments in California history, eventually committing more than $3.8 billion to the effort.
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Did Newsom’s $3.8 Billion Hotels-To-Housing Program Pay off? We Filed 100 Records Requests To Find Out

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By Lauren Hepler Verified, Marisa Kendall Verified
| ScheerPost
In one of the scariest moments in modern history, we're doing our best at ScheerPost to pierce the fog of lies that conceal it but we need some help to pay our writers and staff. Please consider a tax-deductible donation. By and , CalMatters The Quality Inn & Suites building along Conejo Boulevard stands vacant in Thousand Oaks on Feb. 26, 2026. Photo by Julie Leopo-Bermudez for CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
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