The city has netted roughly $1 million from its Short-Term Residential Occupancy program since the program’s inception in 2021.
The program generated $7.5 million in revenue and spent nearly $6.5 million to operate the program, according to the San Diego City Treasurer’s office. As of June 30, there were about 8,700 active licenses for short-term rentals in the city.
City staffers gave the update on the short-term rental program at a recent Community and Neighborhood Services Committee meeting. About 30 people spoke about the program.
During public comments, community members raised concerns about insufficient staffing to handle complaints, the negative impact of STROs on housing availability, and the need for stricter enforcement and regulations.
Kevin Hastings, an Ocean Beach community speaker, said the policy was sold to help hosts generate extra income “to make ends meet,” but instead “wanna-be hoteliers” are benefiting and evicting people to convert housing to vacation rentals. He suggested that licenses should be more rigorously vetted, emphasizing the social impact of the program on local communities and the need for stricter regulations.
Jay Goldberg, who works with STRO working group, described shortcomings of STRO policy, including the “Mills loophole” which he says allows owners to obtain licenses by registering under the names of others. He demonstrated examples that he says show property owners with same phone numbers who have more than one host license for STROs.
Some speakers, however, supported the economic benefits of STROs, highlighting the revenue streams generated from increased tourism.
A community member who identified herself to the committee as Brooke acknowledged existing loopholes but asked the committee to leave most of the regulations intact.
“The majority of those who are licensed with the city to operate an STRO are doing so with integrity and adherence to the rules,” she said.
In other news, the committee:
- Recommended a regulation to have all-gender bathrooms in new city facilities, such as libraries, parks, beaches and rec centers in an attempt to make facilities more accessible and inclusive to members of the LGBTQ+ community, people with special needs and families with young children.
- Recommended the renewal of Joint Use Agreements with six San Diego Unified schools to maintain outdoor facilities.
This brief came from notes taken by Alex Blood, a San Diego Documenter, at a San Diego Community and Neighborhood Services Committee meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read more about the program here.
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