California seeking 15,000 hotel rooms for homeless

California Governor Gavin Newsom says the state is seeking 15,000 hotel rooms for the state's homeless.

In a news conference Friday outside of a West Sacramento hotel being used in the program, Newsom said the federal government will pay 75% of the costs, in a first-in-the-nation program.

The state has already obtained nearly 7,000 hotel rooms and is working with local agencies to get the homeless into them, he said.

Each hotel in the program will have custodial, laundry, security and support staff.

The coronavirus has infected more than 11,000 Californians and killed at least 249 as of Friday, according a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

For most people, COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks.

For others, it can cause more severe illness such as pneumonia, or death.