City Councilmember Barbara Bry called on Mayor Kevin Faulconer Thursday to enforce the city’s municipal code and restrict short-term vacation rentals.
She noted that the City Attorney has determined that San Diego’s zoning codes do not currently permit such units, although rentals are taking place throughout the city
“We are enduring the loss of homes for San Diego families and workers as mini-hotels proliferate in our neighborhoods,” said Bry, whose District 1 includes the popular coastal vacation destinations of La Jolla and Carmel Valley.
“Short-term residential occupancy units are not defined in the Municipal Code and are therefore prohibited,” she said. “I call on the mayor to enforce our city’s existing municipal code today.”
Bry, who is a candidate for mayor in 2020, cited research that Airbnb and other short-term vacation rental sites have led to the removal of more than 10,000 existing homes from San Diego’s housing stock.
Her call for local enforcement comes a day after Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath pulled a bill that would have restricted short-term rentals throughout San Diego County’s coast areas.
Bry’s opponent for mayor, Assemblymember Todd Gloria, opposed Boerner Horvath’s legislation, saying rules for vacation rentals should be set locally.