Years ago, I left my job to care for my aging mother and moved back into the home I grew up in South Central LA. In order to make ends meet and keep my home that holds decades of memories and sentimental value, I decided to home share. Now, over a decade later, I can say I’ve hosted travelers from around the world in my childhood home.
The extra income I earn from sharing my home over the years has become a lifeline. I am not alone in this struggle. Residents across Los Angeles, from all walks of life, share a common need for additional income to make ends meet and turn to home sharing. They are teachers, artists, healthcare workers, and seniors, like myself, living on fixed incomes. For many, the revenue generated from sharing their home is the difference between keeping a roof over their heads and facing foreclosure or eviction. It helps cover the rising costs of living and provides a sense of financial security. And for many senior hosts in LA, like me, the income we earn is critical to protecting and keeping our family home that was passed down to us.
Currently, LA City Council is working quickly to pass a new ordinance negotiated between the hotel industry and labor union representing hotel and hospitality workers to help address homelessness and housing supply issues in the city. While this rushed proposal has nothing to do with residents, like me, who share their home, it would require us to obtain a Police Permit to continue to home share. This new requirement would add an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy for thousands of Angelenos who rely on home sharing to make ends meet and burden the LAPD’s already slim resources.
The City already has a robust registration and compliance system in place for home sharing. City leaders spent years crafting the existing home sharing regulations – with input from short-term rental hosts, neighbors, and businesses impacted by the tourism industry. I know because I attended every City Council and Committee meeting to advocate for my right to continue to share my own home. Now, these last-minute requirements are being rushed through to a Council vote without any public input – thankfully this rushed process was called out by Councilwoman Rodriquez.
As part of the Police Permit process, I would be subject to public hearings, mandatory fingerprinting, background checks, and additional fees that would double the annual fees I currently pay to share my home. This excessive scrutiny lumps short term rental hosts with an array of unrelated businesses, including pawn shops, gun vendors, and dance hall operators. This proposal is intimidating and will have a chilling effect on communities of color who may be hesitant to go through a process that requires them to interact with law enforcement simply to welcome visitors into their home. I am grateful Pro Tem Harris-Dawson has acknowledged these concerns and explained how the proposal would ultimately dissuade residents from sharing their home.
The new proposal would do little to improve enforcement but instead burdens law-abiding citizens with onerous requirements. At the same time, the LAPD is already dealing with staffing shortages, with retirements and transfers outpacing new hires, and does not have the resources to take on this new burden. Last week, the LA Police Commission reported the implementation of this new requirement would be a significant undertaking requiring more staff and millions of dollars in initial costs and ongoing annually. The LAPD’s resources are better allocated toward essential public safety efforts, not entangled in unnecessary red tape.
These new rules will make it harder for hosts who have been following the rules for years to share in the benefits of LA’s tourism industry. And for many like myself, it could take away a critical source of income that helps us stay in our homes. I urge the City Council to remove the police permit requirement for short-term rental hosts from this closed-door deal negotiated by hotels and the hotel worker union.
Vanessa Johnson is a South LA resident.
