MAKE HOUSING, NOT WAR
Earlier this month, New York City passed Local Law 18—an unprecedented restriction on short-term rentals through the popular vacation booking site, Airbnb. From here on out, only those rentals in which hosts remain in the unit throughout the duration of the stay, and which are registered with New York City, are legal. Airbnb is calling it a “de facto ban” on its business within the city.
Now, with almost 6 million property listings, globally, and a total market cap of $73.34b according to Statista, Airbnb will likely survive the fall. Still, New York City’s decision to tighten the reins on its rental market demonstrates the capacity both local and statewide governments have to curb short-term leasing. It’s a trend gaining momentum across the country—this past June, California lawmakers passed the Laborforce Housing Financing Act out of the senate, proposing a 15% short-term rental tax aimed at funding affordable housing initiatives in the state.
Notably, just because they’re short-term (short-term, defined as any stay under 30 days), doesn’t mean these rentals have a small impact on local communities.
One side of the coin is that short-term rentals attract noise pollution, lead to parking over-saturation, and according to a recent study by Northeastern University, contribute to higher rates of crime.
The other side of the coin was articulated by the Global Policy Director for Airbnb, Theo Yedinsky, who said that the restriction on rentals was “a blow to [New York’s] tourism economy and the thousands of New Yorkers and small businesses… who rely on home sharing and tourism dollars to help make ends meet.”
Don Morton—a June Lake local, and the co-owner of Sierra Crest Real Estate with his wife, Lynn—tends to agree.
“The backbone of our economy is lodging. Period,” said Morton.
It’s his belief that Mono County, and the influence of organizations such as the Mono Lake Committee, are crippling that backbone.
“I call the Mono Lake Committee a wolf in a sheepskin,” said Morton. “The sheepskin? They do great things for the water level, the environment. That’s a good thing. But the wolf is that they’re trying to restrict economic development.”
Morton is one of many locals in opposition to Mono County’s moratorium on vacation rentals in June Lake. In our conversation, Morton expressed concern with what he believes are the motives behind the moratorium, and its potential impact on the future of the community.
The moratorium, originally passed on May 3, 2022 by the Board of Supervisors, suspended the permitting of new, nightly rental operations for all single-family residences, citing concerns related to the workforce housing shortage, and effectively reversing those designations outlined in Chapter 25 and 26 of the Mono County General Plan.
However, some have begun to question the effectiveness of this measure, as it hasn’t produced the desired outcome of increased housing options. Moreover, in June of last year—just one month after the initial decision—the Board of Supervisors voted to extend the moratorium to April 29, 2024 with the caveat that it could rescind that decision at any point prior to the expiration date.
To enforce these restrictions, the county provides channels through which violations can be reported, such as the Mono County Code Compliance Form and a complaint hotline.
Morton believes that the moratorium is more about fear-mongering than sustainable solutions:
“It’s a bunch of bullshit,” said Morton. “You strangle [development] like this—vacation rentals are the driving force of our economy.”
Bob Gardner, the Mono County Supervisor for District 3, believes that the housing crisis is about more than economic pitfalls.
“I have people calling me, and telling me that their landlord has asked them to move out in 30 days because they want to convert their property to a short-term rental,” said Gardner, “I don’t think that’s about economic development.”
Gardner did, however, report that the Board has set aside money in the budget to outsource a study on the economic impact of the moratorium.
“There are firms that are experienced in that sort of thing,” said Gardner. “We have a two-year timeline on it.”
When asked if he was running for a third term on the Mono County Board of Supervisors, Gardner was adamant in his response: “I’m not running again. Not a chance.”
The two candidates up for Gardner’s seat are Paul McFarland, the former executive director of Friends of the Inyo, and Sarah Walsh, co-owner of June Lake Brewing and a commissioner for the Mono County Economic Development, Tourism and Film Commission.
In a conversation with McFarland, the candidate reflected that even in the absence of quantitative data, the economic impact of the housing market on the community is palpable.
“The quality of our economy is directly related to the quality of the people that choose to live here. And people’s own well-being is tied to their home. If you can’t go home every night to somewhere that you’re stoked on, how pumped are you going to be to wake up at five in the morning and go make coffee for somebody?” asked McFarland.
In reference to the moratorium, McFarland emphasized the importance of viewing the move by the county as a “pause on the loss of housing stock,” but not, in and of itself, a viable solution to the crisis.
“If the moratorium is going to be effective,” said McFarland, “we need to use that pause to get stuff done.”
McFarland reflected on the productivity of the Community Housing Conversations held earlier this month in June Lake and Lee Vining.
“I thought it was really interesting at [those meetings] that the moratorium didn’t come up. What did come up were things like a housing trust, county flexibility on implementing creative solutions like living in an RV … and getting LADWP land so we can expand town in a way that’s thoughtful.”
Walsh emphasized the importance of both creativity and transparency, stating that the county needed to be more receptive to community members’ experiences, “be flexible and creative with solutions, and show where tax dollars are currently going.”
Creative solutions are nothing new. In the early ‘90s, Dennis Domaille proposed the development of approximately 100 housing units just outside Lee Vining to support a new hotel and restaurant in the area. The project gained initial approval from the county, but when the hotel and restaurant failed to materialize, a stand-alone housing project was voted down by the Mono County Board of Supervisors.
Gardner defended the rejection of the proposal, insisting that, not only had the housing project been contingent on the hotel and restaurant, but that “[June Lake] doesn’t need a hundred units in one space…We don’t want to make matters worse for our hospitality workforce by having them pay 6 or 7 dollars a gallon to drive to [work].”
Gardner maintained that the county is not ignoring the housing problem.
“The Board has an ad hoc committee,” he said. “We’re looking at buying property in Bridgeport, and we’re working with a landowner in June Lake …We’re working on it.”
But in Mono County, locals believe that time is of the essence.
“I’m trying hard to see their side of it,” said Morton, “but all I see from the county is an effort to kick the can down the road.”
“This is a crisis,” McFarland similarly reflected, “and we’re not going to stand idly by while our community shrinks.”
