I grew up in Malibu and have lived here most of my adult life. And, like everyone else who’s been here a while, I’ve seen our city change dramatically over the years—and not for the better.
When I was kid, Malibu was a sleepy and idyllic beach town, and it didn’t use to take an hour to drive to Santa Monica in the mornings, as is often the case now during heavy rush hour traffic. But Malibu is very different now.
I’m sure many of us feel frustrated by what has become of our town and wish we could do something to fix it—to make it the way it used to be. I believe that it is this underlying sense of frustration that drives the passions of those in favor of Malibu’s proposed STR [short-term rental] ordinance.
But their efforts are misguided and will not fix the true and more pressing issues we face in our community, e.g., the increase in fatalities on PCH, the surge in crime and lack of police presence, etc.
Most of the complaints regarding short-term rentals have to do with issues such as loud parties or guests who have acted egregiously.
However, it is easy to see that such issues are rare and not exclusive to STRs, nor are STRs the cause of loud parties and rude people. The fact is that vast majority of people who stay in STRs are respectful folks on vacation.
The real problem we face in our town is that Malibu is part of a megalopolis with a population of over 18 million people! That is the true source of the traffic, the crime, littering, homelessness, etc., not STRs.
Mayor Mullen said he’d ban STRs outright if he could—as if forcing tourists to stay in Santa Monica is going to solve anything. And now the council is trying to intimidate and deter STR homeowners by including a highly discriminatory and intrusive septic inspection requirement in their ordinance, fully aware of the prohibitive costs and risks attached. Not cool.
Enrique Koesling