When the San Diego City Council voted by a wide majority on July 16 to regulate short term vacation rentals, it was using the democratic process to resolve an issue that has been plaguing the city and especially the beach and coastal neighborhoods for years. By a vote of 6 to 3, the bi-partisan majority vote saved coastal residences for long-term renters.
Yet, immediately, the Airbnb crowd cried foul, threatening legal suits – and more against the vote – which has to be confirmed on Wednesday, August 1 in a so-called “second reading” of the ordinance. The second reading will be at 1PM in the Council Chambers at 202 C Street, 12th floor.
So, now Airbnb, HomeAway, and local STVR operators are planning “an all-out assault” against the regulations just passed coming up for that second reading. One owner of a local mini-empire of vacation rentals has called for a “firestorm of anger” to be unleashed at the City Council meeting.
Nancy Kramer, owner of Nancy’s Vacation Rentals, is the owner of a network of STVRs and who called for that “firestorm of anger” in an email blast out to her customers and fellow investors. The subject line of her email was “Are you angry?” – and down in the text she urges people to tell the Council what they think and attend the meeting.
“There is NOTHING more important than this,” she incites, while criticizing those STVR advocates who didn’t attend the July 16 hearing and complaining how at the last Council hearing “the other side continued talking for an hour after we ran out of people.”
Then Kramer lets slip a little clue of just whom she’s trying to rally and bring the firestorm, when she instructs her email recipients to “Buy your airline ticket right now ….”
She’s talking to out of town investors. If you’re local, you don’t need to buy no stinkin’ airline tickets.
On the other side of the issue, the group Save San Diego Neighborhoods that has consistently fought against unregulated vacation rentals also warns its supporters:
To be clear, the ordinance passed on July 16 must pass again on August 1 at 1PM in the Council Chamber at 202 C Street, 12th floor before it is law.
We won round 1 and need to finish the fight next Wednesday! Please plan to attend this critical hearing.
Before the hearing, please contact your Counilmember and ask them to protect our neighborhoods on August 1st by voting Yes.
The Nancy Kramers of the Airbnb crowd are disrespecting San Diego’s democratic process. One side won by a large margin on July 16 – and the side that lost the vote is attempting to overturn the fair result. This is unacceptable. This will not abide. The losers are trying to rally their out of town investors to mass in front of and intimidate our elected officials.
But clearly, our elected officials know this out-of-town crowd has money – but they also know they don’t vote.
[Editordude: Council contact info is at the end of this post.]
Here is the email from Nancy Kramer:
From: Nancy Kramer
Subject: Are you angry? Here is your chance to speak!
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2018 6:35 PM
Are you angry about what the San Diego City Council just did to you, to your property rights, to your retirement, your investment, your business or your job? You have your chance to tell them what you think. The Second Reading of the ordinance with the final language was just now scheduled for August 1 at 1PM in the Council Chamber at 202 C Street, 12th floor. Buy your airline ticket right now and be there! We need to show them a firestorm of anger about how they slipped this through in violation of the Brown Act without properly noticing the public and why this is going to create a very unfair financial hardship on you.
Put that date on your calendar. There is NOTHING more important than this so this time NO EXCUSES.
On Monday the other side continued talking for an hour after we ran out of people! I truly believe that we ended up here because of apathy. No one thought this would really happen and we did not have a very good showing on Monday. Our opposition had people talking for an HOUR after we ran out of people, a full hour right before they voted!
I’m counting on YOU to save your property, your business, your job.
Contact info for San Diego City Council and Officials
Please call or email even after hours and leave a message:
Barbara Bry: (619) 236-6611
Lorie Zapf: (619) 236-6622
Chris Ward: (619) 236-6633
Myrtle Cole: (619) 236-6644
Mark Kersey: (619) 236-6655
Chris Cate: (619) 236-6616
Scott Sherman: (619) 236-6677
David Alvarez: (619) 236-6688
Georgette Gomez: (619) 236-6699
Mayor Kevin Faulconer (619) 236-6330
City Attorney Mara Elliott 619-236-6220
emails:
barbarabry@sandiego.gov,
loriezapf@sandiego.gov,
christopherward@sandiego.gov,
myrtlecole@sandiego.gov,
markkersey@sandiego.gov,
chriscate@sandiego.gov,
scottsherman@sandiego.gov,
davidalvarez@sandiego.gov,
georgettegomez@sandiego.gov,
kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov,
cityattorney@sandiego.gov
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
It’d be nice to get Nancy Kramer’s home phone number or home address so others can call or write to her. Is that info available?
Your time would be better spent thanking the council members who voted in support of the plan or showing up again. This isn’t over yet.
Here’s a link to Nancy’s website
http://www.nancysvacationrentals.com/contact-information.asp
Get bent Nancy! Maybe you guys can break off and form your own little ghost city full of neighborhoods with beachy curb appeal and no zoning laws so they can cannibalize themselves. I recommend Scott Sherman as your mayor.
I’m glad she included all of the contact info for the council members. If everyone reading this takes a few minutes before the Aug 1 meeting to reach out and thank them for their vote, it will go a long way. Sherman and Cate are a lost cause. But David should be called and reminded he has a second opportunity to side with San Diego residents over those currently buying their ‘plane tickets’ to bring a ‘firestorm of anger’ to our city.
The greatest response to this belligerent and unscrupulous email would be to ensure the vote goes 7-2 this time around.
I was in complete shock to see David Alvarez vote the way he did. He needs to stop being wishy washy and listen to his constituents or else he is done here. We will all remember next time he goes for Mayor again. I’ll drop him a line and let him know my thoughts.
Yep, here’s the start of asymmetrical attacks I predicted in the earlier article. The ‘investor’ class calls for…people that don’t live in those neighborhoods to infest the council chambers.
What is the appropriate term for someone who deliberately destroys a neighborhood for their own profit and cannot even recognize (nor admit to if they do) the damage they are doing to other people?
Here’s a thought. Anybody else remember the folksinger Woodie Guthrie and the song he wrote about the slumlord in his town? It was Trump’s father (look it up!) and you are fighting the same mindsets that were trashing neighborhoods in the 1920s & 1930s. Maybe somebody could find that recording and bring it to the meeting!!!
PACK that meeting with the real residents of these neighborhoods to offset the call for out-of-towners this Kramer is calling for… The infection of unbridled greed is not healthy for society. You all are the medicine!
sealintheSelkirks
Much can be said of Trump…but his father was no slum lord…some of the best quality low-middle income housing ever built – much of it still stands today
Fred Trump was a racist and a slum lord. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“SaneVoice” your name is clearly ironic.