John Jacobs
May 27, 2023, 12:11:08 PM
Another Town Hall meeting convened last Wednesday to further discuss issues related to Short Term Rentals (STR) in the Idyllwild area- Supervisor Manuel Perez was present, along with John Hildebrand (Planning Director, RivCo), and the STR panel consisting of several locals who have interests in this issue. While the general tone was far less combative than the infamous meeting last fall, there was still a fair amount of very vocal responses to various comments that were made.
The Town Hall meeting that was conducted on May 1 seemed to be pretty balanced with voices from both sides of the issues, however at this recent meeting, there was a clear increase in the number of persons who have strong support for STR’s in Idyllwild, and far fewer voices who prefer to see limitation & regulation. Here is a summary provided by Woody Henderson, one of the voices who generally supports limitation and regulation of STR’s:
From: Captain Woody <captai…@gmail.com>
Date: May 26, 2023 at 1:54:54 PM PDT
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Fwd: May 24 Meeting with Supervisor Perez on Short-Term Rental Policy in Idyllwild/Mountain Communities
Solution groups,
We are entering a new phase, very exciting ;).
Below is a recap of Wednesday night’s meeting and my thoughts. Yes, similar to my update on the Fb.
Interesting meeting.
The county says that 12% of our homes are STRs. And there are additional people in town that support them. But the public meeting did not represent the majority of voting residents of our town.
We did not have the heart to ask our laid back residents to attend yet another meeting loaded with people, many from offhill, who groan when residents comment and woop and holler when STR talking points are expressed. We asked them instead to write to the Perez office. And we hope that the Perez office will read them and count them.
So far, not so good. One of our solution group peeps in contact with the Perez office was just told that the town’s density limit request will likely come off the table. So no relief for residents who are surrounded.
Supervisor Perez said in the meeting, that Cap was a maybe. Cap and density were top voted solutions from residents as well as STR owners who understand the pitfalls of flooding their own market.
And then the zinger: supervisor Perez is going to work on getting our precious moratorium ended early to give out more certs sooner. Coming soon: STRs to a property line near you.
For those still reading, ha, there was a brightside. By the end of the meeting my mind was full and excited to move on to the real solutions that resident groups have been pushing for. Full enough that when I was finally asked to speak, I was a little distracted.
Cap/density was fair. It’s being dismissed. This is a greenlight to pursue actual solutions that cut out entities who are not interested in a fair middle ground.
I feel good about this transition.
As always, if you have someone on your road that are affected by STRs and are interested in updates, do forward. Or send my email.
Woody
Expressing your view of this issue is still very much valued- Supervisor Perez’s office can be reached at:
dist…@rivco.org
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549
888-522-9001
www.pinecrestwatch.org
dawn.p…@
May 30, 2023, 8:15:23 AM
Thanks John. What is Woody referring to when he says, “ This is a greenlight to pursue actual solutions that cut out entities who are not interested in a fair middle ground.”
Dawn Papaila
kellyvisel
May 30, 2023, 9:27:10 AM
Seriously, Dawn. It sounds like a proposal to seek vigilante solutions rather than adhere to a county decision if it goes against what he wants.
iPhone. iTypos. iApologize.
John Jacobs
May 30, 2023, 9:42:41 AM
Having attended most of the STR meetings and Town Halls, and observing Woody’s presence at these meetings, I have not had the impression that he is particularly aggressive or subversive in his views of how to manage this issue. That said, I’m not clear on what his exact meaning was in that statement- some clarification from him would be helpful.
_________________________________
John Jacobs
Pine Crest – Riverside County Playground Rd. Neighborhood Watch
Idyllwild, California 92549