By Mary O’KEEFE

The Crescenta Valley Town Council has released information concerning a community outreach meeting by the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collectors Office concerning the proposed ordinance that is slated to be adopted on Sept. 19 and take effect in March 2024. This ordinance will only apply to the unincorporated areas of LA County, which includes La Crescenta/Montrose, Altadena and east Pasadena.

According to the CVTC, the ordinance could impact property owners with investment properties used solely as Short Term Rentals (STR).

Some of what the proposed ordinance includes restricts STR to primary residents only; any investment properties will be prohibited from STR status. Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) can’t be used as STRs; an STR property owner must pay an annual fee of $914, guests must pay 12% tax per night based upon the nightly rate which is paid to the tax office; un-hosted STR stays are limited to 90 days per year with a two-night minimum, no more than 12 guests per booking; platforms such as AirBnB will be prohibited from listing advertisements for properties without a valid county STR registration and must remove any property upon notification from the county of a violation related to an STR ordinance; vacation homes are prohibited from STR.

This was first proposed on March 19, 2019 by the County of LA – Board of Supervisors. The proposed ordinance aimed to strike a balance between the economic benefits of STRs and the potential impacts to housing stock, neighborhood character and quality of life for residents, according to an LA County statement.

“In recent years, there has been a large increase in the number of STRs in the unincorporated areas of the County. The proliferation of unregulated STRs has the potential to impact affordable housing stock by reducing the overall available number of rental units available for long-term tenancy. Additionally, STRs have a tendency to negatively impact neighbor quality of life and erode neighborhood character. Complaints about loud parties, street parking impacts and a general disregard for community hospitality are common. In very high fire severity zones, STR activity may pose public safety concerns when guests are unfamiliar with the fire risks and evacuation routes. Therefore, the STR ordinance is designed to strike a balance between the economic benefits of STRs and potential impacts to housing stock, quality of life for neighborhood residents, and public safety,” according to the County statement.

There doesn’t seem to have been a lot of outreach in local communities about this issue.

“We encourage everyone to be informed and immediately send their questions to the Council,” said Chris Kilpatrick, president of the CV Town Council.

This ordinance has yet to be voted on; it is scheduled for a vote by the board of supervisors on Sept. 19. Please email questions to chris@thecvcouncil.com.