Four Los Angeles City Council members introduced a motion on Wednesday to bolster prohibition on unpermitted and non-compliant Airbnbs and other short-term rental operations.
Studies have found that about a third of the L.A.'s short-term rental listings have been illegal since a 2018 home-share ordinance went into effect.
The motion was introduced by councilmembers Nithya Raman, Bob Blumenfield, Mike Bonin and Paul Koretz. It was seconded by Councilmember Kevin de León.
"We are in the midst of an unprecedented affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles—one that has only been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic," Raman said in a statement. "It is criminal for us to continue allowing rent-stabilized units to be removed from the city's housing stock and to let tenants be subjected to displacement pressures because we are unable to enforce the ordinance. We must do better."
Should the motion pass, the L.A. Department of City Planning must report back to the council within 90 days on recommendations for how the city can address non-compliant hosts who rent out properties illegally, including necessary modifications of enforcement and fining mechanisms.
The report would also include strategies for ensuring all home-sharing platforms that operate in L.A. share data with the city, strategies for optimizing data collection and what staffing additions may be needed to empower a home sharing compliance and enforcement team in city government.