The Los Angeles City Council on November 28 passed a draft ordinance requiring hosts of short-term rentals, including Airbnb, and hotels to obtain a police permit.
City Council President Paul Krekorian explained that the police permit requirement is intended as a tool to crack down on disruptive party houses and properties associated with illicit behavior. It also creates a regulatory obstacle for short-term rental and hotel operators, allowing the City Council and neighborhoods to challenge permit issuances.
However, the decision was not without controversy and has raised concerns among some council members, business operators and law enforcement.
Several council members who, despite supporting the measure, voiced apprehensions about the increased workload for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), which will be responsible for issuing the permits.
Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson suggested exploring alternatives to the police permit for short-term rental hosts.
Critics have also questioned the involvement of the police in a regulatory process that could divert resources away from addressing more urgent matters.
Hotel operator Minakshi Dahya was surprised at the introduction of the police permit requirement, questioning its necessity and the LAPD’s capacity to handle such additional responsibilities.
“Where did this come from?” Dahya said. “Why is [the Police Department] involved when [the police do not have] enough time to help crimes or any other issues that are not being addressed?”
Additionally, Councilmember John Lee sought to separate the police permit issue from the broader hotel ordinance, expressing concerns about the lack of awareness among stakeholders.
“Stakeholders have not been aware of this proposed expansion of the police permitting process until a few weeks ago,” Lee said. “I want to make it clear that I share the concerns expressed by our minority small business owners.”
Despite these concerns, the council voted in favor of the comprehensive regulations targeting new hotels.
The ordinance will not only require new hotels to undergo a more extensive approval process, but it will also mandate hotel developers to replace any housing demolished for their projects by building new residential units or renovating existing ones.
The controversy also extended beyond the council chambers, with Airbnb hosts voicing their concerns and deeming the requirement excessive.
Some hosts expressed reluctance to undergo fingerprinting as part of a criminal background check and raised questions about the associated fees.
“I just ask that you not buckle us in with doing extra hoops to jump through and extra police checks and extra fees,” homeowner Kevin Stevens told council members.
Commenting on the decision, LAPD Lieutenant Scott Moffitt informed the council that implementing the requirement would triple the workload for the department.
In response, Krekorian acknowledged the concerns and indicated that the fees for the permits have not been finalized, but suggested an amount of $260. He also expressed hope that the background checks could be conducted without fingerprinting.
“My goal is to make [obtaining a police permit] as easy and painless and nearly automatic as I can,” Krekorian said. “The idea will be that if someone applies for it, unless there’s some complaint from someone, that it would be routinely granted.”
According to the city’s Planning Department, the decision could impact the roughly 6,275 short-term rental units registered with the city.
Rental hosts must first be cleared from having a criminal history to obtain a permit from the police, Moffitt said.
