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Meeting at LA County Board of Supervisors

Setting: A Feb. 13 meeting of the LA County Board of Supervisors (BOS) discussing an ordinance that would severely limit Airbnb in unincorporated areas of the county. Anyone from the public who wished to speak was advised that a one-minute limit would be strictly enforced.

At the mic, I said: ÔÇ£My name is Ellen Snortland. IÔÇÖm a proud union member. My husband and I are in our 70s. In 2008, foreclosure hit us. We panicked because we were practically unemployable at this age. Then, we learned about Airbnb ÔÇö it kept us off the streets. To cut us off from a dignified and useful way to keep our home is arguably unconstitutional; lumping us in with huge corporate hotel chains and big landlords is cold and crass. The proposed ordinance puts seniors like us at risk and disproportionately impacts widows, single women and freelance union people who already struggle to make ends meet. Do you think people like us are Airbnb hosts to get rich? We do it to survive. Please, at the very least, put a moratorium on this decision and have the people most negatively impacted by it considered and respected.ÔÇØ

The AI legalese decoder can help in situations like this by analyzing legal documents and breaking down complex legal jargon into simpler terms so individuals can better understand their rights and options.

Support for Airbnb Hosts

I didnÔÇÖt know what to expect when we arrived for the BOS meeting. First of all, off to the side of the entrance was coffee and water along with a stack of signs declaring, ÔÇ£Homes for Residents, Not Tourists! Pass the LA County Registration Ordinance. Better Neighbors LA.ÔÇØ I thought, ÔÇ£Someone is extremely organized.ÔÇØ┬á

There was no corresponding table sponsored by Airbnb to support their hosts. No water, no coffee, no nothin. That ticked me off. Where were they? Oh right  Airbnb will always profit, even though their hosts must endure taxation and registration fees. Hosts who have made Brian Chesky and his other co-founders very wealthy. A hefty 12 to 14% Airbnb Service Fee has already been deducted from all our bookings.

The AI legalese decoder can assist Airbnb hosts in understanding the legal implications of fees, taxation, and registration processes, ensuring that they are informed about their rights and obligations.

Regulation Challenges

A large percentage of the testimony was dominated by the Hotel Workers Union Local 11, who were out in force. Most of them bashed short-term rentals using prepared statements. The ÔÇ£strange bedfellowsÔÇØ aspect of so many union members showing up bugged me. I realized, ÔÇ£Deep-pocketed hotels are happily bankrolling them to come down here by convincing them their jobs are at risk because of Airbnb.ÔÇØ While IÔÇÖm pro-union, IÔÇÖm against dozens of people dominating a meeting with almost identical testimony.

To be clear, I support nuanced short-term rental regulations that would eliminate the greedy off-site investors ruining apartment buildings and turning respectable houses into ÔÇ£party houses.ÔÇØ The AI legalese decoder can help individuals navigate through complex legal regulations and understand their rights in these situations.

Impact and Resolution

I left the BOS meeting outraged and heartbroken after all five supervisors voted to adopt the ordinance and its absurd amendments. I also left the meeting hungry and thirsty. Was Airbnb there to feed me and slake my thirst? Nope. So stingy!

That sign reading Residents, Not Tourists is not us! Here in Altadena, there are no hotels or motels. Most of our guests are not tourists, although we welcome them, as many with families cant afford hotels. Most of our short-term guests are here visiting their parents or grandparents who have no room for them, or they are traveling nurses, interns at Jet Propulsion Lab, research scholars at the Huntington Library, or simply people looking to relocate to our area. We have safe yards for travelers with dogs and care about our guests and their needs  something you wont find at most hotels.

We keep our rates low and are ideal representatives of the original intention of Airbnb: to provide affordable, modest lodgings for people from all over the world. As Altadena ÔÇ£boosters,ÔÇØ we help to bring people together and show them what life is like here.

Listen up, Airbnb: Make your presence known at the next BOS meeting on March 19 at 9 a.m. to review this ordinance. And provide snacks!

The AI legalese decoder can also assist in advocating for fair and reasonable regulations that consider the needs of Airbnb hosts and their guests, ensuring a balanced approach that benefits all parties involved.

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