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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Sen. Mike McGuire’s critical legislation regulating online vacation rental businesses is advancing and the highly anticipated bill will proceed to the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee later this month.
Senate Bill 593 (SB 593) was officially submitted for Senate Committee consideration this week. The premise of SB 593 is simple.
This bill reinforces local laws already on the books. Where vacation rentals are legal, the bill will assist local jurisdictions in their regulation and collection of Transient Occupancy Taxes (tourist taxes) as more than 430 cities and 55 counties impose a tourist tax.
Where vacation rentals are illegal by local ordinance, the bill will prohibit online vacation rental businesses (OVRB’s) from making a rental.
“This bill is simple – It makes online vacation rental businesses follow local laws, just like the rest of us. I have always supported the ability for folks to rent their home for short term vacation rentals and believe that the new ‘sharing economy’ has a lot of benefits. That said, the multibillion dollar corporations need to do their part, follow local laws, and share in the prosperity of local communities,” McGuire said.
SB 593 – the Thriving Communities and Sharing Economy Act – will empower local control by providing the data needed to gather desperately needed funding for parks, road improvements, fire and police services and promote safe neighborhoods.
Recently, large cities and counties have had to negotiate individually with corporations like Airbnb to work out deals in order to collect taxes that have been owed to them for years.
Even after a deal had been struck, in San Francisco for example, there is no enforcement mechanism in place, which is why the San Francisco Planning Department recently reported that their newly adopted ordinance isn’t working.
In the case of the city of Malibu, the city council even had to subpoena records from Airbnb just to kick-start negotiations, which ultimately led to a settlement this week requiring Airbnb to directly charge the tourist tax on behalf of the residents sharing their homes.
“Cities shouldn’t have to issue subpoenas to get companies to come to the table,” McGuire said. “It’s time for this statewide legislation to put the simple regulations in place that will benefit all of us.”
SB 593 reinforces local ordinances by requiring online vacation rental businesses to disclose information (address of host rental, amount of nights stayed, and amount paid by the visitor) to the cities and counties upon request (similar to the way hotels - and some law abiding rental owners – currently report their TOT). This information will allow cities and counties to ensure their local laws are being followed.
Right out of the gate, SB 593 has garnered broad support. California State Association of Counties Executive Director Matt Cate said, “The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) greatly appreciates Senator McGuire’s leadership in making sure local communities have the ability to regulate on-line hosting platforms. In particular, we support the Senator’s legislation to ensure cities and counties can collect transient occupancy taxes that fund critical services in our communities.”
Other supporters include California Police Chiefs Association, California Professional Firefighters, California State Association of Counties, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, California Association of Code Enforcement Officers, California Hotel & Lodging Association, Neighbors for Overnight Oversight, California Association of Boutique and Breakfast Inns, Santa Cruz County Conference & Visitors Council.
McGuire (D-Healdsburg) represents the Second Senate District on California’s North Coast.
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CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Dollar General will celebrate the opening of its new location at 13090 E. Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks on Saturday, April 11, at 8 a.m. with free prizes and special deals.
The first 100 adult shoppers at the store will receive a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers will receive a Dollar General tote bag, among other giveaways.
“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our Clearlake Oaks customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.”
Dollar General stores offer convenience and value to customers by providing a focused selection of national name brands and private brands of food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel and health/beauty products.
Traditional Dollar General stores employ approximately six to 10 people, depending on the need.
Anyone interested in joining the Dollar General team may visit the career section at www.dollargeneral.com .
Dollar General opened its first store in Lake County, in Nice, Jan. 31.
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Have you ever thought about where your seafood, oysters and caviar come from? Are you interested in how oysters can help rebuild and revitalize coastal habitats? Are you curious about how a threatened abalone species is making a comeback through a captive breeding program?
California's new Aquaculture Matters Web site, www.aquaculturematters.ca.gov , explores all of these issues as it seeks to educate the public about the impacts and benefits of aquaculture to the state, as well as what the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and its partner agencies are doing to promote and regulate the industry.
Aquaculture is a type of farming that is done in water rather than soil. It produces a variety of crops from finfish to oysters to seaweed and much more.
Done well, aquaculture is an efficient and environmentally sustainable way of meeting our growing demand for seafood. Seafood is delicious and good for you, but there are not enough wild fish in the oceans to meet the demand.
Aquaculture is not just about producing food. Farmers provide fish and other products for recreation, companionship, and nutritional and biomedical therapies as well.
A number of state, federal and local agencies are responsible for issuing permits to farmers and growers and regulating aquaculture practices to ensure they are environmentally sound.
CDFW's State Aquaculture Coordinator Randy Lovell, who initiated the creation of the Web site, sees it as a valuable tool to help coordinate interagency efforts, improve communication with the aquaculture industry and raise public awareness.
“There are so many misconceptions about aquaculture, especially in California where the industry is so diverse and innovative, and the environmental standards are so rigorous,” said Lovell. “Our hope is that Aquaculture Matters will engage the public, the industry and our elected representatives, and keep them informed about the state's latest developments in this important emerging industry.”
Aquaculture Matters will be updated regularly, and includes a “subscribe” option to receive notifications when new posts are available.
The link to register can be found on the right side of the page at www.aquaculturematters.ca.gov .
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) announced that Touring & Tasting Magazine will be the media sponsor for the 2015 Lake County Wine Awards Competition.
“Having Touring & Tasting as our media sponsor is a fabulous honor for Lake County. Their support strongly bolsters our efforts to continue to get the word out about Lake County’s award winning wines,” said LCWA Director Terry Dereniuk.
The Lake County Wine Awards Competition is the exclusive regional competition showcasing Lake County wines and winegrapes.
Wines eligible for entry must contain at least 75 percent Lake County winegrapes and have a Lake County appellation on the label.
“We’re delighted to continue to expand our relationship with Lake County. Having been there many times, I wholeheartedly believe Lake County is a remarkable wine country destination and many of the wines from here are amongst the best in the country from a value and quality perspective,” said Dan Fox, managing partner of Touring & Tasting Marketing and Media.
Touring & Tasting Marketing and Media is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has become the leading force in the wine tourism industry.
In addition to producing the national, biannual publication Touring & Tasting magazine and www.TouringandTasting.com , the company offers innovative, multi-tiered marketing and promotional programs to wine country businesses.
Touring & Tasting is the leader in promoting wine tourism as an industry through partnership events such as the Wine Tourism Conference, the Wine Bloggers Conference, California Wine Festivals and numerous other wine industry events.
The 2015 Competition will be held on June 10 and 11 at Langtry Estate in Middletown under the direction of Bob Fraser.
Fraser is retired head of the Santa Rosa Junior College Wine Studies Program, owner of www.winejudging.com and Jago Bay Vineyards in Lake County. Fraser and his son Scott also produce the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and the Sonoma County Harvest Fair.
The public will have an opportunity to taste the winners and vote for their favorite Lake County wine at the People’s Choice wine tasting on July 25 at Moore Family Winery in Kelseyville. For additional details, visit www.lakecowineawards.org .
Judges for the 2015 competition include: Bob Ecker, freelance writer and photographer, Napa; Tom Simoneau, KSRO Wine Guy, and owner of Simoneau Vineyards, Healdsburg; Christopher Sawyer, wine writer and “sommelier to the stars,” Petaluma; Mike Dunne, contributing wine columnist, Sacramento Bee; Martha Dunne, author, “Wait, What Do You Mean?”, Asperger's Tell & Show, Sacramento; Ken Landis, chef and owner of Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn, Half Moon Bay; Sue Straight, DTC wine coach, Wine Wench Productions; John Buechsenstein, wine educator/sensory evaluator, The Culinary Institute of America and UC Davis, Davis; Rick Fraga, wine education / hospitality at Martinelli Winery, Windsor; and Carl Brandhorst, president of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association, Fairfax, Va., will round out the judging roster.
LCWA works to promote the wines of Lake County’s high elevation region. Membership is open to wineries, winegrape growers, and individuals or businesses interested in promoting the Lake County wine industry.
For more information about upcoming events, sponsorship or membership opportunities, call 707 357-5237 or visit www.lakecountywineries.org .