Effort To Pass Vacation Rental Regulations In San Diego Continues

>>> SOMETIME SOON, MAY BE THE END OF THIS MONTH OR NEXT MONTH, THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL IS PREPARING TO ONCE AGAIN TAKE ON THE ISSUE OF SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTALS. THIS TIME, MAYOR KEVIN FAULCONER IS EXPECTED TO BE ONE OF THE KEY PLAYERS AND PROPOSING A REGULATION PLAN. THE MAYOR HAS BEEN ABSENT SO FAR ON THIS CONTENTIOUS ISSUE. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO AGREE ON A PROPOSAL, DESPITE REPEATED EFFORTS. INCLUDING A 10 HOUR MARATHON COUNCIL MEETING LAST DECEMBER. JOINED ME WITH AN UPDATE ON EFFORTS TO SOLVE THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL QUESTION IS WAYS OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER, LISA HALVERSTADT . WELCOME TO THE SHOW. >> THINGS FOR HAVING ME. >> FIRST, REMIND ME WHY THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE HARD TO HANDLE. WHAT IS AT STAKE FOR BOTH SITES ? >> THERE IS A LOTS OF DISAGREEMENT ON HOW THE CITY SHOULD HANDLE SHORT-TERM RENTALS. THE SHORT-TERM RENTALS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE DAY OF AIR BMB AND HALLWAY, IS MORE FOLKS GETTING INTO THE MARKET. IT IS MORE APPARENT THAT THIS IS HAPPENING. FOLKS ARE IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND ARE CONCERNED ABOUT LOUD PARTIES OR A LACK OF SPECIFIC REGULATIONS OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND HANDLE IT. FOLKS ON THE OTHER SIDE SAY THIS IS A COOL THING AND PEOPLE LIKE TO COME TO SAN DIEGO AND STAY IN NEIGHBORHOODS RATHER THAN HOTELS. THEY WOULD SAY A LOT OF THE COMMENTS BEING MADE BUT A LOT OF THE GROUPS ARE OVERBLOWN. ONE THING TO HIGHLIGHT IS AS IT STANDS NOW THERE ARE NO RULES THAT CLEARLY APPLY TO REGULATE THESE ACTIVITIES. >> IT LOOKS LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL COULD SETTLE ON A REGULATORY RAPOZA LAST DECEMBER. WHAT HAPPENED ? >> THERE WAS A LONG MEETING WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. IT WAS A MARATHON MEETING. THERE SEEM TO BE A COMPROMISE. THAT WAS IN PLACE FOR CITY COUNCILMAN -- FOR CITY COUNCILMAN CAME TOGETHER AND DRAFTED A MEMO. CITY COUNCILMAN DAVID ALVAREZ, IN PARTICULAR, SEEMS LIKE HE WAS ON BOARD WITH THE COMPROMISE. WITH FIVE VOTES, IT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED IT. THEY WOULD HAVE APPROVED REGULATION. ON THE DAY OF THE VOTE, DAVID ALVAREZ SAID HE HAD CONCERNS THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED. HE COULD NOT SUPPORT ANY REGULATIONS THAT DAY. NO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TRIED. -- TO COME UP WITH A DEAL. THINGS CONTINUE TO FALL APART. >> IS THIS A PARTISAN ISSUE FOR MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL ? OR IS IT MORE LIKELY TO INVOLVE LOCATION, WHICH DISTRICT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE PRESENT ? >> LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, WITH THIS ONE. WE ARE SEEING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT BEACH COMMUNITIES, MAINLY CITY COUNCILWOMAN BARBARA FREE AND CITY COUNCILWOMAN, LAURA ZAP ARCHONS -- CALLING FOR MORE STRINGENT RULES THAT WOULD LIMIT THIS ACTIVITY. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO WHOLE HOME RENTALS. AND YOU HAVE MORE INLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS, WHICH REPRESENT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO SIGNED OFF ON THE MEMO, WHO ARE CALLING FOR MORE PERMISSIVE REGULATIONS. WHAT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IS WHAT HAPPENS -- NOW THAT THE MAYOR IS INVOLVED. BEFORE HE BECAME MAYOR, HE REPRESENTED TO -- BEACH COMMUNITIES. WHAT DOES HE BRING TO THE ISSUE ? IS HE WILLING AND ABLE TO BRING THE TWO SIDES TOGETHER ON A COMPROMISE ? >> AFTER THE DECEMBER FAILURE, MAYOR KEVIN FAULCONER SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE LEAD ON THE ISSUE . DO WE KNOW WHAT HIS NEW PROPOSAL WOULD INVOLVE ? >> ALL THAT HE IS SAYING PUBLICLY IS THAT HE THINKS THERE MUST BE ENFORCEMENT. THERE NEED TO BE RULES OF THE ROAD. THAT IS THE PHRASE HE HAS USED. HE ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM FUNDED BY PERMITS AND FEES. EXACTLY WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WILL BE ALLOWED OR NOT ALLOWED IS STILL TO BE DETERMINED. >> YOUR STORY AND VOICE OF SAN DIEGO GOES OVER THE ROADBLOCKS TO GETTING A VOTE ON VACATION RENTALS BY APRIL. TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT. >> AS IT STANDS NOW, CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, MYRTLE PAUL, SAYS SHE WOULD LIKE REGULATIONS TO GO TO A CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE FOR THE COME TO THE CITY COUNCIL. MAYOR KEVIN FAULCONER SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE REGULATIONS IN PLACE AND ON THE BOOKS WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MARCH. FIRST, WHAT WE HEAR NOW, BECAUSE OF WHAT CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT HAS SAID, THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMMITTEE HEARING TO DISCUSS THIS. NOTHING IS ON THE DOCKET FOR THIS MONTH. THE TEAM OF MAYOR KEVIN FAULCONER SAYS THEY HOPE THERE CAN BE SOME KIND OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AND UNDER THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY WOULD LOVE A VOTE IN APRIL. >> COUNCILMAN DAVID ALVAREZ SAID NO TO WHAT WAS PROPOSED IN DECEMBER, PARTIALLY BECAUSE HE WANTED THERE TO BE SOME SORT OF STUDY ABOUT WHAT A SHORT-TERM RENTAL DOES TO THE AVAILABLE STOCK OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING IN SAN DIEGO. HAS THERE BEEN MOVEMENT ON A STUDY ? IF THERE IS NOT, IS HE A FIRM NO TO ANYTHING ? >> HIS VOTE IS ALREADY IN LIMBO. AS YOU SAID, HE HAD WANTED A STUDY OF THE IMPACT ON LOW-INCOME HOUSING AVAILABILITY, WHEN YOU HAVE MORE SHORT-TERM RENTALS. BECAUSE HE AND THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS SIGNED OFF ON THE MEMO. THEY WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WAS AN ISSUE. AND TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN SAN DIEGO. AS YOU SAID, THERE WAS A CALL FOR A STUDY TO SUPPORT THAT. THAT STUDY IS NOT IN THE WORKS. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE HAS NOT ORDERED IT. THE HOUSING COMMISSION TELLS ME THEY ARE TAKING A LOOK AT THAT. THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE SCOPE OF WORK. THAT STUDY HAS NOT STARTED. THEY ARE SAYING IT COULD TAKE UP TO 10 WEEKS TO COMPLETE. >> IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN'S -- IN SAN DIEGO SHORT-TERM RENTAL ROCKET ? >> WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE MORE TOURISM. I EXPECT MORE PEOPLE TO COME TO TOWN. WITHOUT REGULATIONS AT THIS POINT. AS I SAID EARLIER, THERE ARE NO REGULATIONS ON THE BOOKS TO ADDRESS THIS. THERE WAS A WILD PARTY -- IF THERE IS A WILD PARTY, POLICE COULD POTENTIALLY GET INVOLVED. THERE IS NOTHING ON THE BOOKS TO ADDRESS IT AS WE STAND. >> I'M SITTING WITH THE BOYS OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER, LISA HALVERSTADT . -- THE VOICE OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER, LISA HALVERSTADT .