By Lisa Halverstadt / Voice of San Diego / Feb. 22, 2021
As City Council President Jen Campbell and stakeholders on both sides of the vacation rental saga prepare to debate yet another regulation proposal, they’re grappling with an inconvenient truth: No one knows exactly how many vacation rentals there are in the city.
Campbell has predicted her plan could slash the number of whole-home rentals in the city by at least two-thirds. But new data obtained separately by Voice of San Diego and the city’s Office of the Independent Budget Analyst suggests Campbell’s proposal may not reduce the number of whole-home vacation rentals as much as she predicts. The new numbers also offer a window into an industry affected by a pandemic that has decimated San Diego’s tourism industry.
On Tuesday, Campbell will urge City Council members to approve a compromise she brokered with labor groups and a vacation rental platform that caps the whole-home rentals at 1 percent of the city’s housing stock, and creates a licensing process and a bolstered enforcement system that allows the city to issue fines and revoke licenses. The proposal includes a carveout for Mission Beach, a longtime vacation rental mecca, allowing whole-home rental licenses for the equivalent of 30 percent of the neighborhood’s housing.
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“The New York Times Feb. 22, 2020 Front Page of Business section”:
“The fracturing is happening at a crucial moment for Airbnb. The company, which went public in December and immediately topped more than $100 billion in value, faces high expectations as its stock price has soared further. Airbnb plans to report its first earnings as a public company on Feb. 25.”
Interesting timing!City Council, Item 330: Added – Short Term Residential Occupancy STRO goes to SD City Council for Approval TWO DAYS before Airbnb’s first earning report! Campbell has impeccable timing. How much stock does City Counncil Member Campbell have?
Are other cities doing the same vote today?
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