San Diego lawmakers split over Airbnb bill as it wipes out Assembly
This post originally appeared in Sacramento’s May 24 report. Get the Sacramento report delivered to your inbox.
Congresswoman Tasha Boerner Horvath’s attempt to squeeze vacation rentals along the San Diego coast passed the state Assembly on Thursday without the support of a few key allies.
Boerner Horvath’s AB 1731 takes a different approach than San Diego County cities that have sought to regulate vacation rentals, preventing rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO from listing San Diego County vacation rentals. which are located in both residential and coastal areas of the state at their sites for more than 30 days per year unless a full-time resident is on site.
Towns in the county, namely the city of San Diego, have been paralyzed for years on how to regulate vacation rentals.
Yet a spokesperson for fellow Democrat and National Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a mayoral candidate, said Thursday that Gloria voted against AB 1731 because he believed cities — not the State – should lead the way in regulation.
“(Gloria) has been on city council and he’s been through all these talks related to short-term vacation rentals and what we realize is there’s really no replacement for local action on this question,” spokesman Nick Serrano said.
Serrano said Gloria urged Boerner Horvath to change his bill to allow cities to choose whether or not to adhere to his regulations. He also expressed concern about the lack of enforcement mechanisms for the proposed rules.
Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, a Democrat, abstained from voting on the issue. Maienschein’s office did not immediately respond to VOSD’s request for comment on its decision.
Fellow San Diego Democrats, Assemblywomen Lorena Gonzalez and Shirley Weber, supported Boerner Horvath’s bill while Republican Congresswoman Marie Waldron and Assemblyman Randy Voepel voted against the bill. of law.
AB 1731 now heads to the State Senate. If signed by Newsom, it is expected to come into effect next January.
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