March 9, 2017

• What: Special Hearing of the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee
• When: Friday, March 24th, 9:00am
• Where: Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114

For nearly two years the Chamber has participated in the conversation regarding short-term rentals and the importance of the sharing economy in San Diego. On March 24, the City of San Diego’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee will review proposals to reasonably regulate short-term rentals to allow them to continue to operate and provide benefits to our communities and local economy.

Responsible hosting of a room or entire home is a new engine for San Diego tourism and the economy. From Airbnb alone, short-term rentals brought in $14 million in transit occupancy tax this past year, in addition to an average of $8000 in annual host earnings and $180 million in local economic activity generated by hosts and guests.

Despite the benefits of this sharing economy activity, there are those who would like to see short-term rentals banned or have onerous, burdensome rules put in place to effectively eliminate this opportunity for fellow San Diegans. As a region that embraces tourism and innovation in economic development, there are significant concerns about over-regulating or prohibiting responsible hosts.

Please join fellow members in advocating for fair and reasonable regulation that will allow this important aspect of the sharing economy to thrive while protecting local neighborhoods and enhancing quality of life.

For more information, please contact Stefanie Benvenuto at (619) 544-1378 or sbenvenuto@sdchamber.org.