Local San Diego Democratic leaders are clearly divided on bill AB1731, which would heavily restrict vacation homeowners from renting out their homes outside of commercial areas of San Diego. Assemblywoman Tasha Boerner Horvath proposed the controversial bill, which has just recently passed the California State Assembly.
If passed by the California State Senate, and signed by the governor, the bill would unfairly regulate businesses such as Airbnb, Expedia, VRBO, and homeowners from renting out their properties for more than 90 days. If this bill takes effect, these businesses would be heavily hampered and rental owners would dramatically lose their business and profits. People whose main source of income comes from renting out their homes would lose the money they rely on.
Many Republicans and even some key Democratic politicians have opposed the bill and its extremely restrictive nature. Businesses such as Airbnb offer some of the best ways to subsidize income and support the middle class for some. While Democrats preach to be the party that supports the middle class, this bill takes away from hard working Americans. There’s a reason Democrats are slowly shying away from supporting this bill. The magnitude of this effect would limit the freedom of private home-owners.
Democrats are supposed to be the “party of the people,” but in this case, they seem to shy away from the people they claim to support. These individuals would lose their private home-ownership rights and their ability to invest in themselves. When does regulation become too much?
