Correspondence - Item 25 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Flores, Dora From:Sheri Menke <sherimenke@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, April To:eComment Subject:Vote NO on item #25 Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. Dear Mayor & Council Persons, Reject Item #25 and ask the staff to study the issue and present a more detailed and accurate study on short term rentals! This is what the city council asked the staff to do in 2015 and to this date it has not happened publicly. The urgent ordinance that would prohibit short term rentals failed twice on April 2nd. All three votes had a different outcome. This shows it is a complicated issue, that should take research, conversations and negotiations! Instead of a citywide ban please tax and regulate short term rentals for the best interest of the city and residents. Thousands of residents in Santa Ana will be affected by your vote this Tuesday! I have been involved with short term rentals for ten years now in Santa Ana and have a wealth of knowledge to share with you! I heard three criticisms about STR’s on April 2nd. The first being that they are a nuisance creating parking issues, trash and noise. While these things are a concern, the problem isn’t short term rentals, but rather irresponsible landlords. These things could happen and do happen with long term rentals as well. This could be solved with regulations. Another concern was quality of life. Vacation rentals do add to the quality of life for both the owner, the traveler and even the neighbors/neighborhoods! I was the neighbor of a short term rental and it changed my life for the better! I became more aware and understanding of the world through speaking to the travelers and learning more about their cultures, languages and traditions. My employees have a better quality of life because I am able to pay them a fair and livable wage. Those who have homes where mortgages are high and they rent out a room have a better quality of life because they can afford to live. There was one time woman in 2016 who lived in a four bedroom home in West Foral Park who rented rooms in her home periodically as STR’s. Her kids were grown, her husband had passed and she didn’t need the money, but rather needed the companionship. She was lonely and loved hosting folks to talk and learn their stories. STR’s contributed greatly to her quality of life! There are a lot of circumstances to consider when it comes to quality of life. Lastly, the concern about short term rentals was housing shortages. Again, one cannot blame housing shortages on STR’s as there has always been housing shortages. Those who use their income to pay their mortgages will lose their homes which will only contribute to the housing shortage. Again, if there were permits and regulations there would be a “cap” on how many are allowed in the city. There was a study on short term rentals presented to the planning commission in December of 2022. However, the public couldn’t speak during the study. The commissioners of the building and planning department were overwhelmingly supportive of a taxed and regulated program, NOT a ban. This urgent ordinance did not get passed through the planning commission before being presented to you. The process is not being done fairly or accurately! 2