A changing landscape
Ten years ago you bought a nice home in a quiet residential neighborhood. On both sides of your new home were two similar houses. You liked the neighborhood, you got along well with all of the neighbors and life was good.
Now in 2015 we stand on the sidewalk outside your home and look at the houses owned by you and your neighbor. On your left is the home owned by the Smith family. Five years ago they moved to a bigger, better house and rented out this one. The tenant that moved in the month after the Smiths relocated is still living there.
On your right is the house owned by the Jones family. Like the other two, it is a three bedroom, three bathroom house. But you never know from day to day who will be residing in this home because the Jones family moved out two years ago and turned their house into an Airbnb business. They rent out all three bedrooms on a short-term basis, some rentals being for one night only. They have a maintenance crew that comes in with each change of tenant to clean and prep for the next guest. It gets loud, the visitors staying in the Jones Airbnb hotel aren't respectful of you or anyone else who lives in the neighborhood, and you're tired of the situation.
What are your rights? Is it fair that you bought a home in a residential neighborhood, one that is not zoned for hotel/motel operations and yet this homeowner is running one anyway? This is a growing problem in Los Angeles, particularly in the Venice and Silver Lake areas.
I think there is a simple answer to this problem. Prohibit absentee landlord use of homes as facilities for short term rentals. If you live in a house and you want to rent out a spare bedroom or two (or six if you have them), while you continue to reside there, go for it. That is an example of true "sharing" as Airbnb calls it. However, you must be regulated and taxed on the revenue. Further, if the minimum wage in L. A. for hotel workers in facilities of all sizes rises to $15 an hour, the same must be applied to those who clean and maintain Airbnb rentals.
Fair is fair. Businesses belong in areas zoned for business.
* * *
Former North Charleston, SC police officer Michael Slager appears to commit murder in the video of him firing eight shots at an unarmed man running away from him. It seems clear that he attempts to cover up what happened by picking up the stun gun that fell to the ground right where he stood and shot at Walter Scott. I'm sure there will be a long investigation and trial and am not 100% sure that Slager will be convicted of murdering Scott. That's because Mr. Scott was an African-American and Mr. Slager was a white cop in the Deep South.
How is it possible that in the year 2015 a white cop thinks he can just execute a black man and get away with it by engaging in a little evidence tampering and a lot of baldfaced lies? It is because had someone not bravely recorded this incident, we'd never know of Mr. Slager's actions and dishonesty.
Another example of why we must mount body cameras on all police officer that they cannot shut off, or tamper/alter in any way.
* * *
Random ponderings:
How do I unwatch the video of one Jenner sister groping another?
One of the most respected people in the news biz is retiring. Bob Schieffer is a legend and rightly so. I'd love to be his replacement but that will never happen.
I'm sure some idiotic conservatives will complain it isn't the job of the Secret Service to teach Malia Obama to drive. I have no problem with it. The agent who taught her was undoubtedly one of those who guards her.
There's something satisfying about the video of a bobcat snatching a shark from the water and carrying it off for a meal.
I happen to agree that the disparities in pricing between men's items/services and women's items/services are mostly wrong. But is it possible that the large disparity in the average price of a haircut could be because on average women have a lot more hair on their heads than men do?
On a related note, as my hairline continues to retreat and the bald spot grows, maybe I deserve a discount. I once met a woman with one arm who told me she asks for a 50% discount when she gets a manicure.
Perhaps true justice for the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would be taking him out into a very large, empty field and setting off a powerful bomb right next to him?
Emotionally, the decision by a Santa Ana judge to sharply reduce the sentence of a convicted child molester from 25 years to life down to 15 years seems wrong. Logically there may be a constitutionality issue that needs to be explored. But the visceral reaction makes that very difficult.
I have no problem with Mary Kay Letourneau returning to teaching, as long as there are no children in her classroom. She could teach people to drive 18 wheel trucks, or tutor adults to prepare them for their driver license exam. But she has no business in a classroom with any child.
Now in 2015 we stand on the sidewalk outside your home and look at the houses owned by you and your neighbor. On your left is the home owned by the Smith family. Five years ago they moved to a bigger, better house and rented out this one. The tenant that moved in the month after the Smiths relocated is still living there.
On your right is the house owned by the Jones family. Like the other two, it is a three bedroom, three bathroom house. But you never know from day to day who will be residing in this home because the Jones family moved out two years ago and turned their house into an Airbnb business. They rent out all three bedrooms on a short-term basis, some rentals being for one night only. They have a maintenance crew that comes in with each change of tenant to clean and prep for the next guest. It gets loud, the visitors staying in the Jones Airbnb hotel aren't respectful of you or anyone else who lives in the neighborhood, and you're tired of the situation.
What are your rights? Is it fair that you bought a home in a residential neighborhood, one that is not zoned for hotel/motel operations and yet this homeowner is running one anyway? This is a growing problem in Los Angeles, particularly in the Venice and Silver Lake areas.
I think there is a simple answer to this problem. Prohibit absentee landlord use of homes as facilities for short term rentals. If you live in a house and you want to rent out a spare bedroom or two (or six if you have them), while you continue to reside there, go for it. That is an example of true "sharing" as Airbnb calls it. However, you must be regulated and taxed on the revenue. Further, if the minimum wage in L. A. for hotel workers in facilities of all sizes rises to $15 an hour, the same must be applied to those who clean and maintain Airbnb rentals.
Fair is fair. Businesses belong in areas zoned for business.
* * *
Former North Charleston, SC police officer Michael Slager appears to commit murder in the video of him firing eight shots at an unarmed man running away from him. It seems clear that he attempts to cover up what happened by picking up the stun gun that fell to the ground right where he stood and shot at Walter Scott. I'm sure there will be a long investigation and trial and am not 100% sure that Slager will be convicted of murdering Scott. That's because Mr. Scott was an African-American and Mr. Slager was a white cop in the Deep South.
How is it possible that in the year 2015 a white cop thinks he can just execute a black man and get away with it by engaging in a little evidence tampering and a lot of baldfaced lies? It is because had someone not bravely recorded this incident, we'd never know of Mr. Slager's actions and dishonesty.
Another example of why we must mount body cameras on all police officer that they cannot shut off, or tamper/alter in any way.
* * *
Random ponderings:
How do I unwatch the video of one Jenner sister groping another?
One of the most respected people in the news biz is retiring. Bob Schieffer is a legend and rightly so. I'd love to be his replacement but that will never happen
I'm sure some idiotic conservatives will complain it isn't the job of the Secret Service to teach Malia Obama to drive. I have no problem with it. The agent who taught her was undoubtedly one of those who guards her.
There's something satisfying about the video of a bobcat snatching a shark from the water and carrying it off for a meal.
I happen to agree that the disparities in pricing between men's items/services and women's items/services are mostly wrong. But is it possible that the large disparity in the average price of a haircut could be because on average women have a lot more hair on their heads than men do?
On a related note, as my hairline continues to retreat and the bald spot grows, maybe I deserve a discount. I once met a woman with one arm who told me she asks for a 50% discount when she gets a manicure.
Perhaps true justice for the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would be taking him out into a very large, empty field and setting off a powerful bomb right next to him?
Emotionally, the decision by a Santa Ana judge to sharply reduce the sentence of a convicted child molester from 25 years to life down to 15 years seems wrong. Logically there may be a constitutionality issue that needs to be explored. But the visceral reaction makes that very difficult.
I have no problem with Mary Kay Letourneau returning to teaching, as long as there are no children in her classroom. She could teach people to drive 18 wheel trucks, or tutor adults to prepare them for their driver license exam. But she has no business in a classroom with any child.
posted by me at 5:49 AM
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