Malibu council takes aim at short-term rentals
Michele Willer-Allred, Staff Reporter
11:31 am PDT June 23, 2020
The Malibu City Council has expressed interest in cracking down on short-term rentals.
During the virtual council meeting held Monday via Zoom, Mayor Pro Tem Mikke Pierson brought up the possibility of an interim ordinance regulating short-term rentals because a longer term, permanent measure could take quite a long time to implement.
Pierson said when the council approved the initiation of the longer ordinance process to regulate short-term rentals, “we really left some residents hanging out to dry.”
Back in December, the council decided to bypass approving an interim short-term rental ordinance, referred to as a zoning text amendment, to focus on a Local Coastal Program amendment, a legal requirement for changing the intensity of use of properties in the coastal zone.
The coastal program process can be a long one, first having to go to the Planning Commission, then back to the council for approval. Eventually it would also have to be certified by the California Coastal Commission, a process that city officials said could take more than a year.
The permanent ordinance is set to go to the Planning Commission during a special meeting on July 29. It mimics an ordinance in Santa Monica allowing eligible residents to home-share their primary residence, that is the property owner or an agent stays on the property while it is being rented.
Members of the City Council and Planning Commission say they’re getting numerous complaints regarding parties at homes being used as short-term rentals, especially during the pandemic, and they fear things could get worse as summer approaches.
An interim ordinance would provide regulations on short-term rentals, since there is, at this time, no prohibition on them in the city.
Pierson said the council should have initially brought the interim ordinance to have some policing powers as the permanent ordinance passes through the Coastal Commission.
Responding to a question on how easy it would be to bring back an interim ordinance, Assistant City Attorney Trevor Rusin said there’s a draft ready to go.
City Manager Reva Feldman said the city will bring the interim ordinance as soon as possible, but it still has to give a 21-day notice for the meeting.
Mayor Karen Farrer said she was always in favor of having an interim ordinance as a way to help residents.
“Without the interim ordinance, we are stuck where we are right now with nothing except for calling the sheriff,” Farrer said.