Laserfiche WebLink
Mayor Kevin Mdleown <br />Mayor Pro Tempore Tony Vazquez <br />Councilmembers <br />Gleam Davis <br />City of Sue uimmelrich <br />S`r Inta molmien Pam O'Connor <br />Terry O'Day <br />July 24, 2015 Ted Winterer <br />Stephany Aguilar, President <br />League of California Cities <br />1400 K Street <br />Sacramento, CA 9581.4 <br />Dear President Aguilar: <br />RE: A RESOLUTION OF THE LEAGUE of CALIFORNIA CITIES SUPPORTING S[3 593 (MCGUIRE) AND CONTINUED LOCAL <br />FLEXIBILITY FOR CITIES AS THEY ADDRESS NEIGHBORHOOD AND FISCAL IMPACTS OF TEMPORARY RENTALS OF <br />RESIDENTIAL UNITS FOR TOURIST OR TRANSIENT USES <br />The City of Santa Monica supports the proposed resolution related to the Sharing Economy and concurs in the <br />submission of the resolution for consideration by the League of Cities General Assembly at Its annual meeting on <br />October 2, 2015. <br />The resolution reaffirms and acknowledges local efforts to effectively regulate land use impacts and collect applicable <br />taxes from transient residential rentals as part of the emerging "shared economy". <br />The short-term rental of residential houses, rooms, condominiums, and apartments present numerous challenges <br />within neighborhoods and to adjacent property owners. They may create additional noise, traffic, parking, privacy <br />and public safety issues, subvert local rent -control laws, decrease available housing stock and in some cases turn <br />residential neighborhoods into de -facto hotel rows. <br />Where the temporary rental of residential units is allowed by local regulation, the associated transient occupancy tax <br />(TOT) should also be collected. These units are in direct competition with hotels, motels and other accommodations <br />where guests pay the local transient occupancy tax, so all such uses should be subject to the same tax. The revenues <br />generated support local streets, roads, fire, police, lifeguards, trash pick-up, park maintenance and other local public <br />services which directly affect local quality of life and the attraction of the community for a visitor. <br />The City of Santa Monica believes SB 593, as referenced in the proposed resolution, acknowledges existing local <br />authority in this area and provides the necessary data for local jurisdictions to enforce their regulations regarding <br />short-term residential rentals and a helpful regulatory framework that local governments rnay choose in lieu of <br />exercising their existing authority. <br />In Santa Monica, a city of just over 90,000 residents, passage of 58 593 in concurrence with our local ordinance, will <br />generate estimated annual revenues of approximately $138,500 in Transient Occupancy Tax and would return <br />approximately 1,000 units to the housing market. <br />For these reasons, the City of Santa Monica supports the City's Resolution, <br />Sincerely, <br />Kevin McKeown <br />Mayor <br />c: Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, mdesmondC�cacities.q <br />John Leonard, City of West Hollywood, jl(nnard a)weho.g <br />1685 Main Street m PO Box 2200 e Santa Monica e CA 90407-2200 <br />tel: 310 458-8201 . fax: 310 458-1621 o e-mail counci1@Smgov.net <br />