Newport Beach City Council to ponder tighter regulations on vacation rentals advertised by Airbnb and similar sites

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday will consider updating policies that govern short-term vacation rentals.

The range of proposed new regulations includes limiting the number of occupants in a rental unit, requiring real estate broker representation if the home is managed by a third party, and closing out permits that haven’t been used in two years.

If approved, the new policies would also require permit applications include the habitable square footage of the home and the number of bedrooms.

In addition, permits must be conspicuously posted in the home and accompanied by the name and phone number of a local contact person, details on onsite parking, street sweeping and trash collection, and an alert that guests will be held responsible for all activities.

Hosting platforms, such as Airbnb, must also provide the city with detailed listings of all advertised properties.

The discussion is partly in response to a March decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a Santa Monica law that makes home-sharing platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway liable for unlicensed rentals.

Council to weigh $400 million budget

The council will also potentially adopt its fiscal year 2020 budget. The $400 million total budget draws from all funding sources, including the key general fund operating budget.

Proposed staffing levels will change little, with an increase in one full-time employee and the equivalent of seven more full-timers spread over several part-time positions, bringing the city’s workforce to 727 full-time employees and part-time workers filling the equivalent of 158 full-time jobs.

The council meeting starts at 5 p.m. with a study session, followed by the regular session at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

Homelessness task force to meet

Separately, Newport’s newly formed homelessness task force will hold its first meeting Monday.

The task force, comprised of seven citizen volunteers and three City Council members, will develop strategies to integrate homelessness services and build a list of community partners, review temporary housing solutions and develop metrics to monitor homelessness reduction.

The task force meets at 4 p.m. in the Crystal Cove conference room, on the second floor of Bay D, at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.

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