Correspondence - Item 25 - Laserfiche WebLink

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If this ordinance gets passed, the city is criminalizing home sharing. As Mr. Thai said on April 2nd, a violation of this proposed ordinance would result in six months of jail or a $5,000 fine. Both in my opinion are too harsh of punishments for wanting/needing to share your home. Your vote affects hundreds of residents who not only operate short term rentals, but also residents that work for short term rentals and those who rely on the tourism economy to keep their businesses afloat, like restaurants. Again, please understand how complicated this issue is. The staff kept saying that Short Term Rentals have always been illegal based on permissive code. This statement is NOT true. The codes they are referring to haven’t been updated since 1960 as far as my research shows. Home sharing has always existed, but has become more popular since VRBO launched in 2004 and Airbnb in 2008. This is a newer trend and needs to be considered as the way people live and travel in 2024. In 2015 when the Santa Ana City Council lifted a moratorium placed on STR’s the permissive codes were the same as they are now. It was public knowledge in 2015 that STR’s were allowed at that time in the city. In 2017 when I wanted to start sharing my home, I also wanted to follow the city’s rules. I went to City Hall and asked what I needed to do to start a short term rental. I was told by staff that I needed a residential rental business license. I applied, received one and have been renewing it each year. My home is a residential rental, it is not a hotel! I rent to one family at a time, not multiple people. In September of 2022 the staff presented a proposed ban on STR’s much like the one presented to you. However, the staff moved it off the agenda before they voted on it because of the overwhelming opposition to it that night. Again, this has NOT been a fair process!! It was determined again in 2022 that STR’s were not illegal. I recently read a study that 80% of short term rental owners/operators/employees are women. Of these women a lot of them are mothers like me working hard to pay our mortgages/rents and support our families! It was disheartening on April 2nd to hear all the things that Santa Ana city staff is proposing/implementing that doesn’t support children, youth and families! Which always seemed to be a priority for Santa Ana. On Tuesday April 2nd at the council meeting, we heard youth commenting that their fees for sports in the city were being raised beyond what they could afford. Then there was talk about the fees for the zoo being raised during the budget part of the meeting. Lastly, the urgent ordinance passed on the third vote prohibiting short term rentals. Which a lot of these STR’s are run by women for women who are trying to support their families. Now city wants to take these businesses away, no longer inviting large families like mine into the city. The majority of people we host are large families who want/need to stay in a home in a residential neighborhood. My home is occupied 98% of the year with large families! There is a need for my business! Only allowing short term rentals in downtown or only owner occupied takes options for families away, which are the ones who can not stay in traditional hotels because of our size. There is middle ground here, but we need YOUR help! The money that the city can make from TOT taxes can help fund programs for youth and children. Santa Ana can continue to welcome in families, we can work with you to regulate the irresponsible owners. Reject item #25 on Tuesday April 16th and let’s work on this together for the good of Santa Ana and its residents! Thank you for your time and consideration, Sheri Menke 3