July 4 Council Discussion Tomorrow (July 14): Newport Beach STR Owners and Managers Should Make Their Voices Heard
Take Action to Makes Sure Responsible STR Owners and Managers Aren’t Scapegoated for the July 4 Teen Takeover!
The Newport Beach City Council will discuss the July 4 incidents at its meeting this Tuesday, July 14, and NBSTRA is encouraging short-term rental owners, managers, and local small-business owners to contact the Council and participate in the discussion.
NBSTRA strongly condemns the violence, vandalism, illegal fireworks, and disorder that occurred on the Balboa Peninsula. Anyone who broke the law or endangered the public should be held accountable.
However, the City’s own information released so far increasingly indicates that the principal disturbance was driven by viral social media posts and a late influx of juveniles and young adults near the Newport Pier. The available evidence does not show that licensed short-term rentals or their guests were the primary cause or even a significant driver of the broader public-safety crisis.
If individual STR operators failed to screen guests, ensure a responsible adult was present, respond to complaints, or control activity at their properties, those cases should be addressed on their facts. But isolated property violations should not be used to blame an entire group of responsible owners, managers, and guests for a social-media-driven crowd event.
NBSTRA will attend Tuesday’s meeting and urge the City to conduct an honest, evidence-based review, focus enforcement on the actual causes of the disorder, and avoid scapegoating responsible short-term rentals.
It is also important for Councilmembers to hear directly from the people who own and manage these properties, employ local workers, serve visitors, support neighborhood businesses, and contribute to Newport Beach’s economy, and pay over $10 million in local taxes each year.
Please email the Mayor and City Council before Tuesday. Tell them who you are, describe your connection to Newport Beach, and respectfully ask them to base any conclusions or policy response on the evidence.
If you are local, please also consider attending the meeting and speaking during public comment.
City Council meeting: Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
Location: Newport Beach City Hall
Council contact information: Email the whole Council here.
Responsible STR owners and managers should be part of the solution. They should not become an easy scapegoat for a problem the evidence indicates was driven primarily by other forces.