Correspondence - Item 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Flores, Dora From: Sheri Menke < Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2024 5:23 PM To: eComment Subject: Vote NO on agenda item #21 for Tuesday April 2, 2024 Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. Dear City Council Members, Thank you for all that you do for our community! Please vote NO on agenda item 921 for the City Council meeting scheduled Tuesday April 2, 2024. I am appalled by the staff recommendation to prohibit short term rentals in Santa Ana. The proposal was brought forth without input from local residents and is now being rushed through the council. Myself and others have been working for over a year on a sensible taxed and regulated program for short term rentals. Please reject this proposal and work with us for the best interest of Santa Ana! An urgent ordinance banning short term rentals would not be an effective or appropriate response to what the people of Santa Ana want/need. A citywide ban would also be a huge loss of potential revenue for the city. In September of 2022 the issue was placed on the planning commission agenda. Not one resident of Santa Ana at that meeting supported a ban, rather they/we support a taxed and regulated STR program. The item was moved off the agenda that evening and we were told by Bao Pham, under the direction of Minh Thai, that when the item was back on the agenda we would be notified. That has not happened. This is one of the reasons you should vote NO on item 421. We as operators/small business owners should have an opportunity to speak, meet with staff and share our experiences before a significant ordinance is voted on by the city council. In December of 2023 the issue was back on the agenda as a topic for a study session. We as owners/operators were not able to speak during the session, which is again why you should vote NO on item 921 at this time. None of the commissioners that evening were in favor of a ban and there were no public comments speaking against STR's at the beginning of the meeting. It again is not an urgent issue in the city and should be considered with clear and accurate research and information. I have owned and operated an STR in the city for the past 7 years and have had a business license issued by the city this entire time. I have a document in support of my STR that is signed by every homeowner who shares my property line. I am happy to share that document with you. This is evidence that STR's are not a nuisance and can be a huge asset to any community! I employ and pay a fair wage to at least 4 residents of Santa Ana on a regular basis. I myself was employed by a neighbor who was operating an Airbnb for a few years. I was the mother of 5 very young children at the time and the income was monumental as it is difficult for a woman with children to find employment. I loved living next to a STR, it brought so much to my life hearing people's stories, providing a beautiful and safe place for them to stay as they explored Orange County or went to a world renowned medical center. I personally have spent the past two years researching and meeting with leaders in the cities of Orange, Huntington Beach and Long Beach. All of these cities have successful programs for short term rentals. Owners/operators have worked with the city to enforce regulations and these cities are moving to expand their programs and even loosen some restrictions because of the successes. This is my hope for Santa Ana! These programs have created much needed revenue to help with the city's budgets, they have helped to eliminate problems with irresponsible owners and they have helped create jobs for local residents through