HomeAway letter to Santa Monica Council 12/19/16 concerning LCP

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December 19, 2016
Hon. Ted Winterer
City Hall
1685 Main Street, Room 209
Santa Monica, CA 90401
RE: Support for Vacation Home Rentals in the Local Coastal Program
Dear Mayor Winterer:
On behalf of HomeAway, an online traditional vacation rental property advertising platform, I would like
to express our support for including vacation home rentals in the Local Coastal Program (LCP).
We can all agree that there is a significant lack of lower cost overnight accommodations on the coast. In
part, the mission of the California Coastal Act is to help ensure maximum public access for members of
the public with low or moderate incomes to access and enjoy the coast. The Coastal Act requires public
access be protected, provided and maximized for all.
Providing opportunities for individuals and families from underserved communities to visit Santa Monica
and enjoy the coast is a key benefit of what vacation home rentals provide. Those individuals and families
might not be able to do so otherwise due to the expensive cost of hotel accommodations.
It is important to note that the California Coastal Commission has come out in support of vacation home
rentals along the coast. They recently stated in a Coastal Commission staff report, “The Commission
should continue to discourage bans and other broad prohibitions on vacation rentals, and it should
continue to support local governments in developing reasonable and balanced regulations.”
I urge Santa Monica to include vacation home rentals in the LCP to follow the direction set forth by the
California Coastal Commission and ensure that everyone has an affordable option to vacation on the
coast.
Sincerely,
Walter Gonzales
Government Affairs Manager, Southwest Region
cc: Gleam Davis, Mayor Pro Tem
Tony Vazquez
Sue Himmelrich
Kevin McKeown
Pam O'Connor
Terry O'Day