PRESS RELEASE

Palm Springs, Calif.— March 2, 2021 — The We Love Palm Springs coalition, representing a diverse group of Palm Springs vacation rental owners and neighbors, is disappointed in today’s Cathedral City vote, to ban vacation rentals.

It is no surprise that when Cathedral City put its finger on the scale in opposition to rentals who never got a fair hearing and then ran a very one-sided “education campaign” in the last month. Data on enforcement on vacation rentals in Cathedral City is practically nonexistent, unlike Palm Springs which has transparently collected its enforcement data since 2017.

For instance, Palm Springs’ Vacation Rental Hotline’s most recent report (covering Oct. 1–Dec. 31, 2020) shows an overwhelming majority (90%) of the registered rentals and homeshares had zero citations. In the last quarter of 2020, there was only one citation per week across all of Palm Springs vacation rental properties.

“Palms Springs has a model that got it right — we welcome visitors while also having a very effective process for managing vacation rentals and homeshares. It’s important that Palm Springs citizens and leaders stay focused on what we know works and not be confused by overblown falsehoods and a few residents making false statements there are 100’s of loud VR’s every weekend,” says Bruce Hoban, Co-Founder of Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs, which created the “We Love Palm Springs” campaign.

We Love Palm Springs highlights the following:

• Palm Springs vacation rental guests contribute over $11 million in occupancy taxes annually to the city, which support first-responders, recreation programs, the no-kill animal shelter, library, and other crucial community services
• Palm Springs vacation rentals provide over 1,000 local jobs
• There are over 150 regulations that vacation rental homeowners must follow in Palm Springs
• Palm Springs code enforcement personnel is funded by VR permit fees and not tax dollars with little to no impact on police officer resources

Hoban says supporters remain committed to not banning tourists by creating a vibrant future through neighborly values of respect, transparency, and harmony.

Mayor Christy Holstege added: “We should all be concerned about the Coachella Valley remaining hospitable to tourists who seek a range of accommodations. We’ve proven in Palm Springs that with tough enforcement we can balance neighborhood interests with welcoming tourists who want the experience of staying in a home. We’ve worked long and hard to strike a balance and our system in Palm Springs works well. We always welcome feedback from our residents if there are improvements we can make. I’d like to see the entire Valley think more about increasing rules and enforcement rather than bans in order to keep welcoming tourists who are the lifeblood of our economy.”

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PRESS RELEASE

Palm Springs, CA. February 17, 2021

While some cities in the Coachella Valley debate vacation rentals, the City of Palm Springs is now in its fourth year of strong enforcement of its strict vacation rental ordinance.

Bruce Hoban, a spokesperson for Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs (VRON-PS) stated, “While other towns in the Valley missed the boat and neglected to beef up enforcement, Palm Springs got it right.  The Palm Springs ordinance is working.  While data for the rest of the Valley is mostly unavailable, it’s clear that we have a rapid response compliance team that works extremely well here in Palm Springs.”

People in Palm Springs who rent out their homes to vacationers, along with small businesses that appreciate the out-of-town visitors, and the visitors themselves are joining together to say: “We Love Palm Springs” and we are “Neighbors Working Together.”

Aftab Dada, the President of the Palm Springs Hospitality Association and a prominent hotelier in Palm Springs said, “This effort aims to ensure everyone knows that Palm Springs got it right. We got it right in terms of smart, meaningful regulations that are followed. We got it right in terms of the economic benefits that our community needs right now. Most of all, we got it right for people who live in beautiful Palm Springs and those who love to visit.”

We Love Palm Springs (WLPS) is launching a broadcast/cable TV ad campaign, redesigned website and social media accounts, plus other activities to share the news that:

• Palm Springs vacation rental guests contribute over $11 million in occupancy taxes annually to the city, which support first-responders, recreation programs, the no-kill animal shelter, library, and other crucial community services
• Palm Springs vacation rentals provide over 1,000 local jobs
• There are over 150 regulations that vacation rental homeowners must follow in Palm Springs

View the TV spot: 

The WLPS website (www.welovepalmsprings.org) includes blog entries from short-term vacation renters explaining how they understand the noise regulations and are careful to observe them.

Members of Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs sponsor this effort; they are supporters who participate in creating a vibrant future through neighborly values of respect, transparency, and harmony.

By Olivia T., Sonoma Valley, CA

We've visited Palm Springs four times now, both before our kids were born and now that there are three of them. We love it so much that when we stayed recently, after being evacuated from our home in Sonoma due to the wildfires, we said that it felt like coming home and we were so grateful for this at a time of stress and upheaval. In the weeks after returning home, my two-year-old kept saying "I miss Palm Springs", her eyes downcast for dramatic effect.

The first time we visited Palm Springs we stayed at a hotel, but on subsequent trips, we’ve stayed in vacation rentals which have been perfect for our now-expanded-family. It's very difficult to make a vacation with three young children work in a hotel, especially when that also involves eating out in restaurants too, and we really valued the freedom and privacy afforded to us by the houses in which we've stayed. We’re also appreciative if the “quiet time” hours that Palm Springs enforces so we can all get some much-needed rest. We've become firm friends with one of our hosts, and the kids have loved meeting the neighbors and making friends in the parks nearby. We have also loved the warm calm of the Palm Springs evenings once the rest of the family has been put to bed.

I think my favorite thing about the city is its gentle pace and how peaceful it is for a family vacation. I'm grateful for not feeling pressure to do a thousand full-on things when we come. We've had amazing days visiting the giant dinosaurs, going up on the aerial tram, seeing the art museum and trying out as many date shakes as we can comfortably get away with. It really is one of my favorite places in the world to vacation, and we can't wait to come back!

By Jennifer B., Seattle, WA

My sister and I are known for our legendary road trips and have traveled all over the country. We decided to take a week-long vacation in Palm Springs in February 2018 to escape the dreary Seattle winter. We loved the small-town vibe and relaxed atmosphere and realized Palm Springs was the place we had been searching for on all our trips. We rented a house with two of our friends and the four of us had a wonderful time. Early morning hikes and exploring the area, swimming in the afternoons and dining out in the evenings. Getting to bed early so we could do it all over again the next day! We respect the vacation rental rules and they make sense to us. We would not want crazy parties going on next door to our house in Seattle.

I love visiting Palm Springs and wish I were there right now!