I was thrilled (and somewhat shocked) by how well my meeting with Mayor Richard Bloom went. We spoke for about an hour, getting into some detail about how regulations regarding vacation rentals would work.

It seems that in the past, no one championed vacation rentals. In other words, the current ban seems to be because neighbors didn't want a specific vacation rental near their homes, so they decided to ban them all. I'm hoping that pretty strict regulation, plus the benefit of new taxes, plus the worry of less tourist spending will combine to encourage other city counsellors to buy in.

Mayor Bloom suggested that I contact the other members of City Councel and find a champion who would take it to the next step.

My presentation to him consisted of the reasons why regulating -- rather than an outright ban -- would be good for the city. It also discussed some of the reasons given for the ban (people are always coming and going, tourists make more noise, etc.). He seemed to imply that detailing how to make it work might be a good next step. Santa Cruz recently legalized vacation rentals, so he directed me to the appropriate documents so I can copy what they've done there.

I also plan to start working on the vacation rental owners association. I've discovered a few things that might encourage owners to band together. First, the city plans to close down all vacation rentals. Second, those people who are renting out their places (or say they are) for more than 30-days but not to permanent residents are still breaking the law -- but it's a different law. It turns out the a hotel is defined by the city as a place that rents to people who stay for no more than 30 days. A short-term rental is also illegal, and it is a place that is rented to a non-resident for more than 30-days, but has amenities such as furniture, maid service, a pool or other things that are pretty rigidly defined. This means that even those places that are advertising that they won't rent for less than 30 days may yet be in trouble, because what they're doing is also illegal, just under a different set of rules.

My next step will be to create a proposal for a policy to legalize and regulate vacation rentals. If you know someone in Santa Monica who is doing this, please send them my way. I'd love to have some help. Plus, if you know someone who is on the City Council, please let me know. I think I have an uphill battle ahead of me.