Airbnb has no plans to hand over records necessary to enforce regulations to the Planning Department, and now the Planning Department has voted four to three that it isn't going to try to force the company to do so, Mission Local reports.
Since the company never agreed to release data on users renting their spaces with the site, the Planning Department has no way to cross-check their registration database. So, even though those Airbnb regulations passed last October and enacted in February require that hosts not rent for more than 90 days out of the year, that's totally unenforceable by the agency charged with enforcing it. The 90-day limit, of course, is in place to avoid the loss of what could be regular rental housing to full-time Airbnb renting.
District 9 Supervisor and Airbnb bête noire David Campos took his displeasure to Twitter.
Sad. Seems SFPlanningComm votes 4/3 against requiring @Airbnb 2 provide data. @RonConway @Airbnb call shots again UNTIL voters speak in Nov!
— David Campos (@DavidCamposSF) April 24, 2015
“My hope is if the impasse continues, the City Attorney would subpoena records,” Campos said, though City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s has said they have no plans to do so, having only seen fit to use such measures in individual cases of short-term rental abuses.
In addition to their new ridiculous slogan and PR campaign, "Airbnb: Making San Francisco Affordable," the company argues that "SF Needs Clear Rules For Home Sharing." That second part might be true, as according to the Planning Department, the cumbersome new sign-up process has resulted in the proper registration of just over 200 of the thousands of rentals listed on Airbnb.
As the Chronicle reports newly suggested amendments, which Airbnb is none too happy about, would cap all short-term rentals at 120 days out of the year and create and fund a new city office for short-term rentals. And it sounds like Planning is happy to let that happen.
It remains to be seen if Airbnb, and the shortfalls of the Airbnb legislation, might be the subject of a ballot measure this November and Senator Dianne Feinstein has, allegedly, according to Willie Brown, vowed to get a measure on the ballot if Mayor Ed Lee fails to. Feinstein has been openly expressing her disdain for the whole home-sharing industry for months now, including an op-ed she penned back in October urging Lee to veto the Airbnb legislation that the Board of Supervisors passed.
Previously: Airbnb Violations Now Being Used More Often Than The Ellis Act In Evicting SF Tenants
Airbnb Debuts New PR Campaign With Same Messiah Complex
