A recent letter about Airbnb and STRs (12/26) makes negative assumptions and rushes to judge people in the harshest ways. The author makes an emotional appeal about imagining “nightmare” and “worst-case scenarios,” but fails to support them with any facts.
Due to city staff doing an inadequate job of researching and presenting recommendations about STRs over the summer, the city council was about to enact severe regulations that would’ve affected the lives of hundreds of people. A small group of local hosts were inspired to gather actual data and to speak up for themselves.
The hosts who talked to the City Council on Dec. 9 weren’t “strident” or “spinning the issue.” Most were retirees, social servants, teachers and artists speaking about how their STRs allow them to pay their bills, keep their houses or educate their children. They recognize a need for the city to protect neighborhoods and were not advocating for absentee hosts, “clogging parking spaces,” “party houses” or Airbnb empires where neighborhoods are like hotels.
After listening, the council realized that they had been misled and, at their Dec. 11 work session, agreed to convene an ad hoc committee to document the local reality and recommend relevant regulations. The delay in the process falls on city staff and councilors, not on the local hosts.
With the need for evidence-based data upon which to make decisions, shame on the letter writer and the Eugene Weekly for inciting fear through misinformation.
Kristin King
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.