JOIN THE FIGHT!!

HERE ARE 3 THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW.

OPEN LETTER TO OUR LOS ANGELES COUNCILMEMBERS

August 5, 2019

Dear Councilmembers, 
Change the Home Sharing Ordinance. Change it before it’s too late...

We are the children, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, grandparents of Los Angeles, and we need your help. 
We may be land owners, but we are tenants too. Tenants of our great city, Los Angeles. 
We are your voters. 
We are your voices. 
We are your constituents. 
We are the hosts of STR in RSO rentals, owners of RSO under 4 multi unit, ADU, granny flat, vacation home, single family home, Mom N’ Pop properties. We keep this city alive and thriving. Help us continue to do so. 
We come in peace. 
We come in numbers. 
We ask to be seen and heard now.

Postpone the Homesharing Oridinance Enforcement Date. Postpone until it's corrected and fair. Postpone until it's comprehensive. Before the city loses tremendous funding as a consequence. Before thousands of Los Angeles STR hosts lose their homes and apartments. Before thousands of cleaners lose their entire household income. Before local small businesses lose tremendous and necessary yearly income.

When you tell us we cannot STR because of the housing crisis, we say:
We are NOT the cause of the affordable housing crisis. You will be adding us to the housing crisis. We will lose our duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, our rental apartments, our homes, our newly built ADU’s. We will be forced to sell and find alternative cities to live. Why? Because we won’t be able to afford them anymore without the help of STR. We take up less than 1% of the housing stock. We are not the problem. We are part of the affordability solution.

When you tell us we cannot STR because we are hurting the hotel industry and it’s workers, we say:
The hotel industry has only climbed in profit and growth since we became hosts. Hotel profits were at record breaking numbers in 2017 and 2018.

We employ cleaners. Cleaners that depend on our STR to make ends meet. Cleaners that we pay 2x the minimum wage, sometimes 3x more. Cleaners that we provide flexible hours for and entrepreneurial opportunities. We purchase furniture, linens, supplies, decor at local stores in Los Angeles adding thousands in taxable dollars. We purchase foods from local restaurants and cafes for our guests, increasing the profit and growth of local eateries. We send our guests to our neighborhood spots. We add. We do not take.

When you tell us we are a nuisance to the neighborhoods, we say: 
We are responsible practicing hosts, caring and thoughtful. We’ve added over $100 million dollars to the Los Angeles annual budget via TOT. We have beautifully maintained our homes and added to the value of our neighborhoods. We could say: We work for the city. We have worked hard. We have toiled and taken seriously our duties and our neighborhoods benefit from our STR.

When you tell us we don’t want the party house, we say:
Neither do we. Not at all. That’s why we go above and beyond to monitor and respect our communities. We put up exterior property cameras, monitor noise levels, keep strict house rules and do guest counts. We are in constant communication with our property guests. Any non STR home or apartment can be a party house. If anything, we are more concerned and vigilant about no parties than a non STR homeowner who loves to throw big bashes every weekend. We are devoted to maintaining a peaceful and respectful relationship with our neighborhood.

Stop hurting us. Instead regulate the satellite hotels, the full time operators. The hosts that have 10-70 units each. The large investment groups that have turned whole buildings into STR hotels. Stop ignoring us. Stop ignoring the mom n' pop. Instead pay attention to the simple solution:

Apply the exact same STR HSO structuring California applies to California Real Estate Classification.

4 and Under. 
4 and under is Residential. Mom and Pop. Boutique. Elegant. Heartfelt and Intimate.

Above 4 is Commercial. Satellite hotels. Commercial real estate. Commercially managed. Corporate.

Make the HSO fair and comprehensive. Make it 1 primary including RSO and 1 secondary on residential parcels of 4 or less, including RSO. This means:

Hosts can STR 1 primary residence, rented or owned, on any parcel, including RSO.

Hosts can STR 1 secondary residence, owned, on any parcel that has 4 or less dwellings, including RSO. 

The current HSO has removed the larger percent of Los Angeles hosts. The mom n' pop hosts. Don't make two ordinances! Amend the current ordiance to fairly include responsible Los Angeles hosts. Include everyone for primary residences. It's where they live 6 months out of the year. Include 4 or less parcels for secondary residences. It's how they afford their homes! Yes to fourplexes, triplexes, duplexes, adu's, converted garages, rec rooms, single family homes that have become triggered as RSO after ADU’s built.

Regulation becomes streamlined. Easy. Smart. Profitable. FAIR!

“YES TO 4 OR LESS”
YES TO 4 OR LESS means: No more satellite hotels. No more 40 unit apartment complexes turned into STR. No more impacted tenants. No more evictions by the greedy and unfair. No more Commercial operators of STR.

Use the TOT for what is was originally agreed for: affordable housing! It was unfairly placed in the Los Angeles general fund. Bring it back to affordable housing! Bring it back now. With only $50 million of the $100 million+ that was received from TOT since July 2016, you can subsidize 41,000 units and help the housing crisis. We are not the problem. RSO units being used to STR are not causing the affordable housing crisis. Even if those RSO units were placed in the LTR market, they would not be "affordable". Amend the HSO to include RSO. Include primary and secondary as one regulating ordinance and make it FAIR.

Then we can all take a big sigh of relief. Tenants are protected. Owners are protected. Los Angeles gets incredible extra funding. Shop owners flourish. Hotels continue to profit. Everyone wins. The LA county thrives and so do it’s citizens.

We ask you to amend the HSO. Make it simple. Make it fair. Don't Rush it! Get it right! 
1 primary rented or owned, including rso

1 secondary owned, including rso on 4 or less

So please, amend the Home Sharing Ordinance. Please do it now. Please, before it’s too late. Before we lose our RSO and non RSO, apartments, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, homes, adus, granny flats and secondary homes. Because, we cannot afford to keep them without STR. And you cannot afford to not help.
Our great city will lose precious annual budget funding, valuable homeowners, income property owners and small business assistance, if the HSO stays as is. Amend, and defend your Los Angelenos with “YES TO 4 OR LESS” and 1+1!

We are the thousands of voices of Los Angeles. And we thank you for your support.

WANT TO SEE HOMESHARING IN LOS ANGELES CONTINUE?