The Danville Town Council voted to make short-term vacation rentals illegal in the suburban East Bay community yesterday after hearing from people who say they need the extra income to stay in what is one of California's wealthiest cities and others who say the practice will destroy the small-town charm of the place. The news is reported in an Oakland Tribune article, which says the Town Council passed an ordinance banning the practice by a 4-to-1 vote.
The Tribune reports the views of both sides in the debate. On one side: people who are renting their homes on sites such as Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway say they need the money. Town Attorney Rob Ewing weighed in, saying police don't find that the 10 to 20 homes being used as short-term rentals are linked to measurable crime issues.
On the other side: The majority of speakers voiced objections to, as the Tribune described it, the "prospect of strangers staying in their neighborhoods." Their worries include the loss of the "small-town atmosphere" of the city of roughly 42,000.
In the end, the Town Council came down on the side of the latter camp, with Councilman Newell Arnerich saying: "That small-town atmosphere makes Danville what it is." Arnerich added he's received many complaints about the practice.
· Danville Puts Brakes On Short-Term House Rentals [Inside Bay Area]
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