Airbnb and HomeAway announced Tuesday that they have begun signature gathering for a referendum to overturn the city’s new short-term rental ordinance.
The ordinance, approved on second reading Aug. 1, limits short-term rentals to a property owner’s primary residence.
“This weekend, we launched a signature-gathering campaign to qualify a referendum in an effort to ensure San Diegans can continue welcoming millions of visitors to the city each year,” the home-sharing platforms said.
To be successful, the parties must gather signatures from 5 percent of city voters in the next 21 days. The City Council can then either repeal the ordinance or let voters decide the issue.
The national home-sharing platforms say many San Diego homeowners and small businesses depend on the income and revenue from short-term rentals.
But local opponents say valuable homes are being gobbled up by investors, pushing out families who would otherwise live there and contribute to the community.
