opinion

Dump the outrageous Airbnb fines: RGJ Editorial Board

South Lake Tahoe officials are reevaluating the city’s thousand-dollar parking fines for Airbnb renters, after the Reno Gazette Journal’s Jason Hidalgo brought attention to the regulations. For the sake of the region’s tourism reputation, the RGJ Editorial Board welcomes the move.

The controversy began earlier this year when South Lake Tahoe began allowing code enforcement officers to levy $1,000 parking fines to renters parking on the street or on dirt, as well as imposing $1,000 fines on property owners. The ordinances were intended to fight overcrowding and discourage loud house parties.

More: South Lake Tahoe open to reducing $1,000 parking fine, ‘softening’ Airbnb rental law

More: Here's how South Lake Tahoe became home to the $2,000 parking fine for Airbnb renters

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As everyday residents of a vacation destination, and as occasional tourists ourselves, board members have been on both sides of the tourism equation. We’ve cursed out clueless jaywalkers wandering through our daily commute — but away from home, we’ve been the wide-eyed vacationers soaking in the sights. We’ve stayed in vacation rentals as well, and it’s more than likely we’ve been the oblivious renters making too much noise and taking every parking space on the block — the issues that South Lake Tahoe city leaders have tried to solve for its residents.

Putting the needs of constituents over those of rental property owners is commendable. Still, fining renters thousands of dollars for relatively minor infractions won’t help with the Tahoe Basin’s housing shortages – or even convince a property owner to sell, for that matter. So far, owners have been more than happy to pass their share of the fines onto their renters. The exorbitant and unconscionable fines are little more than a belated comeuppance, accomplishing little except to ensure that the vacationers won’t be coming back to Tahoe.

We admit, we’re wary of the impact of vacation rentals on the region’s housing situation. The more successful the vacation rental industry becomes, the more speculators buy up housing property throughout the area — and that means fewer homes available and less affordability in an already-tight market.

Vacation hotspots around the world, notably Venice and Barcelona, have protested rising rents and lack of housing inventory that have pushed out locals to cater to tourists. Airbnb’s home city, San Francisco, has imposed strict limits on vacation rentals to save neighborhoods and alleviate the city’s sky-high housing costs. South Lake Tahoe might move this direction; a neighborhood group hopes to get an initiative on this November’s ballot banning vacation rentals outside the city’s tourism corridor. Another option would be raising taxes specifically on vacation rentals both to raise funds and to discourage converting residences to rentals, which would be a better method than parking fines.

Bottom line: No matter how many tech startups we incubate in the region, or how many massive factories we build in the surrounding desert, tourism always will be a major part of our economy – especially in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin.

We need comprehensive solutions that serve both tourists and residents. And we need visitors to tell their friends about the majestic Sierra vistas and exciting nightlife — not the unexpected four-figure fines.

Editorials reflect the consensus of the Reno Gazette Journal editorial board and are written by one of its members. Kelly Ann Scott is the newspaper’s executive editor. Brett McGinness is the RGJ’s engagement editor. Community members include Enrique Carmona, Barbara Courtnay, Lee Herz Dixon and Sam Stynen. The editorial board operates separately from the newsroom. Its opinions do not affect news coverage.