Voters to Decide Future of Vacation Rentals

Cathedral City voters to determine fate of short-term vacation rentals in March special election [Opinion]

Cathedral City Residents (CCR), a Primarily Formed Committee under FPPC guidelines, welcomes the Cathedral City Council’s vote to place the referendum question regarding short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) on the March ballot.

However, the committee believes that being forced to place a referendum regarding STVRs on the ballot is a waste of public funds. The City Council, after numerous public meetings and after reading hundreds of pages of written material adopted a new ordinance to protect the best interest of the majority of residents.

CCR fully supports Ordinance #842 which was unanimously adopted by the council on Oct. 9th, 2020. This sensible compromise solution continues to allow home-sharing throughout the city. It also allows whole house rentals to continue in communities with HOAs or common interest rules that permit them.

CCR believes restrictions on short-term vacation rentals in other residential zones foster the health, safety and security of residents. Ordinance #842 ensures those neighborhoods remain exceptional areas to raise families, and for seniors who chose Cathedral City as a peaceful home for their retirement.

CCR rejects the position of out of town investors and major international corporations such as Expedia, Airbnb and VRBO that Cathedral City should remove restrictions, and who place concerns for their profits over the wellbeing of residents.

Out of town investors have taken an all-or-nothing position on the operation of their industry in Cathedral City. They had years to clean up their behavior, and to develop a compromise solution that respected the rights of residents to the quiet enjoyment of their homes. Ordinance #842 does not ban short-term vacation rentals, but it will improve the lives of families in our residential neighborhoods.

The ILCC has forced the city to hold a ballot on this issue, needlessly costing the city up to $85,000; money that local residents end up paying. The ordinance is widely supported by full-time residents, and will be upheld in the March vote.

Cathedral City Residents (CCR) was formed as an association of like-minded full-time residents of Cathedral City. CCR opposes the deleterious effects of STVRs on the cohesion of the city’s residential neighborhoods. CCR’s primary aim is to safeguard neighborhoods, ensuring a healthy, peaceful and safe space for families, especially those with young children, to live. Founding members include many residents who worked on the city’s STVR task force developing the compromise solution the city has now adopted. CCR Membership is free and open to full-time city residents who share these goals.