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Media Advisory for June 28, 2016, 4 PM
Contact:
Ada F. Briceño ada@occord.org (714)231-6655
Martin Lopez martin@unitehere11.org (714)495-7288
Anaheim residents to protest housing crisis before vote on short-term rentals
Over 200 community members to demand ban on short-term rentals at Special City Council meeting
WHAT: Hundreds of Anaheim residents and supporters will picket City Hall in advance of the Special City Council Meeting on Wednesday. They are asking City Council to ban short-term rentals because of their negative impacts on residential neighborhoods and the availability of housing.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 29
Picketing starts 4:00 p.m., Council meeting starts at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Anaheim City Hall
200 S Anaheim Blvd. Anaheim, CA 92805
WHO: More than 200 people in “Ban STR” t-shirts and carrying picket signs from Orange County Communities Organized for Responsible Development (OCCORD), UNITE HERE Local 11, Families Against Short Term Rentals (F. A. S. T. R.), concerned Anaheim residents
WHY: There are currently close to 600 short-term rentals in Anaheim. STRs take much-needed homes off the housing market and rent them to tourists at a time when there is a shortage of homes available for Anaheim families. They also affect businesses and workers in the resort district when potential hotel guests choose an STR over a hotel room.
The City first passed regulation of short-term rentals in 2014, but community members have complained of a sharp spike in the number of STRs, disturbing residential neighborhoods and throwing an already-tight housing market out of balance. In response, City Council declared a moratorium on new STR applications last October, and have extended the moratorium until now. On Wednesday, Council will vote in a special meeting on details of a proposed ordinance that could include phasing out existing short-term rentals, a pilot program to permit some short-term rentals—or banning short-term rentals altogether.
Cities and states across the country have already taken action to regulate short-term rentals. Earlier this month, New York state passed hefty fines for operators of illegal short-term rentals. Los Angeles is currently holding hearings on its regulations. The cities of Ojai, Santa Monica, and Hermosa Beach have already banned short-term rentals.
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