The City of San Diego is examining ways it might be able to curb complaints over short term rentals in neighborhoods.
City leaders gathered Wednesday to urge action on what they say is a major quality of life issue: short term rentals like those offered by AirBnb.
"In one case in Pacific Beach, the homeowner's 12-year-old daughter was awoken by a drunken stranger crawling into her bed," one resident told NBC7, describing the seriousness of the problem.
"This is not about a few bad actors," said Councilwoman Lorie Zapf. "This is not about a few bachelor parties."
Among those demanding the city respond with tougher regulations and enforcement, were both City Attorney candidates.
"We need to catch up on the rules about where and the number of people that can be in a house," said Robert Hickey, a prosecutor in the District Attorney's office and the Republican candidate for City Attorney.
Both candidates were opposed to just allocating police resources to enforce current regulations, as some have proposed.
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"We don't have enough police officers on the street and this is largely a private matter, if people are properly operating," said Mara Elliot, a Chief Deputy City Attorney and the Democrat candidate for City Attorney. "The problem is, no one knows what 'properly operating' means because there are no rules on the books."
Over in Mission Beach on Wednesday, business owners and tourists alike touted the benefits of short term rentals like AirBnb.
"We get a big house and get to have everyone there and we get to all cook together, sit down for a meal together. We wouldn't be able to fit into a few hotel rooms, so this is more economical," one tourist told NBC 7. "It's a big family reunion and it wouldn't be the same in a hotel."
