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UNITE HERS! BETTER NEIGHBORS LA LOCAL 11 April 2, 2024 City Council City of Santa Ana 22 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 eC omment(c s anta-ana. org Via Electronic Mail Re: Better Neighbors LA & Unite HERE Local 11 Comment Letter —April 2, 2024 Hearing Agenda Item #21: Ordinances Prohibiting Short -Term Rentals — SUPPORT Dear Councilmembers, Better Neighbors LA and Unite Here Local 11 write to you in support of both proposed ordinances prohibiting short-term rentals with no amendments nor carveouts. As residents across Southern California continue to face a housing affordability and homelessness crisis, precautions must be taken to protect housing stock for long-term residents. Both proposed ordinances will further codify the City of Santa Ana's current prohibition on short-term rentals, and in the process, safeguard housing for long-term residents and families. Better Neighbors LA is a coalition of hosts, tenants, housing activists, hotel workers, and community members working to curb illegal short-term rental activity with the intent to protect long-term housing.' Better Neighbors LA conducts data analysis and research on the short-term rental industry and its impact on affordable housing and has seen firsthand the impacts of the short-term rental industry in the City of Los Angeles. According to Professor David Wachsmuth of McGill University, since 2015 short-term rentals have increased rents by $810 per year on average and taken 2,500 homes off the long-term market in the City of Los Angeles.2 In addition, the study found that short-term rentals contributed to an additional 5,000 people experiencing homelessness each night in the City of Los Angeles.3 Similar impacts are likely taking place in the City of Santa Ana due to the continued growth of the short-term rental market. According to Better Neighbor LA's analysis ofAirDNA data, the vast majority of short- term rentals in the City of Santa Ana are unhosted, meaning they are whole home rentals, and therefore likely not being primarily used for long-term housing.4 Since 2019, the number of unhosted short-term rentals has increased by almost 300% and grown to over 500 units (294%, 509 units). Hosted units, on the other hand, have risen by 169 units (134%). As of March 2023, the most recent available data, there were 991 active STRs in Santa Ana, making up 1.27% of 1 hops://www.bettemeighborsla.org/ 2 httt)s://uDeo.lab.mceill.ca/Dublication/strs-in-los-aneeles-2022/Wachsmuth LA 2022.ndf s https://upQo.lab.mc ilg 1ca/publication/strs-in-los-an,geles-2022/Wachsmuth LA_2022.pdf 4 AirDNA data on file with Better Neighbors includes VRBO and Airbnb listings within the City of Santa Ana through March 2023: https://www.airdna.co/ 250 East 1st Street, Suite 1201; Los Angeles, California 90012 213.336.5900 0 betterneighborsla.org