Riverside County’s short-term rental regulations for properties in the Idyllwild and Temecula Valley Wine Country are “not working” as they were envisioned, and stronger enforcement efforts are required to net the results the Board of Supervisors always intended, Chairman Chuck Washington said on Tuesday.
“Taxpayers shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of getting a short-term rental operator to function in a community-friendly way,” the chair said during a hearing on Ordinance No. 927, the county’s Short-Term Rental Ordinance. “We need to go back to ensuring that a property owner takes responsibility for operating their property. These folks need to know they’re going to get fines. We need to hold them accountable.”
Washington’s comments followed a Transportation & Land Management Agency report on the STR regulatory framework specifically established for the Wine Country and Idyllwild-Pine Cove. A bevy of speakers, mainly from the Temecula Valley, addressed the board, imparting personal experiences with repeat STR offenders who disturb their daily lives with loud music, parties and related intrusions.
“Many residents get frustrated and stop calling to complain because they don’t get any action,” Ron Kuehl told the board. “When code enforcement officers do come out, we hear about how they’re understaffed and can’t do anything. It’s unacceptable. It’s time to strictly enforce this ordinance. If you’re not going to levy fines, you’re not going to get people’s attention.”
His wife, Tricia Kuehl, pointed out that Palm Springs, Big Bear and other cities have implemented no-tolerance regulations regarding amplified outdoor music, and said the county should consider the same for unincorporated communities.
Alan Paynter, a rural resident, said he has STR properties surrounding him, and one house is a constant source of trouble. But whenever he lodges complaints, “no action is taken.”
“You need to enforce the ordinance,” Paynter said. “Make life tolerable for us.”
More: Idyllwild has nearly half of short-term rentals under county jurisdiction. Some residents are pushing back
The residents universally complained that the web portal the board authorized under a $350,000 contract with Deckard Technologies Inc., which was supposed to provide a searchable address-specific list of the nearly 4,000 STR properties countywide, had not yet gone live more than two years after the agreement was approved.
TLMA Director John Hildebrand informed the board that the “mapping tool” would be available by week’s end, and the public tracking system for monitoring complaints at STRs would be live by the end of the year.
Supervisor Kevin Jeffries expressed disappointment at the Department of Code Enforcement’s apparent switch from proactive day-and-night action in addressing noise complaints to “bankers’ hours.”
“People aren’t getting responses,” he said, noting how supervisors’ offices become “de facto” complaint centers when code enforcement personnel don’t respond to residents. “Something ain’t working.”
Undersheriff Don Sharp acknowledged that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has received dedicated funding, along with the Department of Code Enforcement, for specialized teams to crack down on problem STRs. But he said departmental attrition and other factors had hobbled the agency.
“I think we’re on the right path again,” he said in answer to concerns about deputies’ readiness to respond to after-hours complaints. “When there are large parties that are unruly, we’ll get there as soon as possible.”
Washington said his confidence in the overall approach to enforcement of STR regulations was low.
“The ordinance is not working ... a lot of things haven’t changed,” he said, adding that he understood “there are kinks to be worked out,” and he hoped that by the time of the next semiannual update on Ordinance No. 927, the reports would be better.
According to the TLMA, there were 539 cease-and-desist orders filed against property owners countywide between January and July, as well as 5,392 complaint calls, 866 on-site inspections and citations totaling $56,000.
According to the report, as of the end of July, there were 462 certificated short-term rentals in Idyllwild-Pine Cove and 89 in the Wine Country. The overall cap for the Wine Country Zone, where there are currently 998 dwellings, is 105 permitted STR properties. It’s 500 for Idyllwild-Pine Cove.
A moratorium on the issuance of STR permits in the mountain communities and Temecula Valley was first implemented in September 2022, then again last August, providing the Planning Commission time to consider targeted modifications to Ordinance No. 927. The commission’s ultimate approval resulted in the matter going before the board for final consideration in November, when carve-out provisions aimed at recognizing the unique characteristics of the Wine Country and Idyllwild-Pine Cove were adopted.
The minimum age of anyone applying for a short-term rental certificate in the Wine Country is 25, while in the county’s other unincorporated communities it’s 21.
On Oct. 18, 2022, the board signed off on a sweeping short-term rental regulatory framework under 927 for most unincorporated communities.
The ordinance includes a 500-foot separation requirement, mandating that any newly certificated STRs be at least that distance from the nearest residence.
The revised ordinance included “responsible operators” and “responsible guests” at short-term rental properties as being held liable for paying penalties in the event a property is determined to be a nuisance because of parties or other disturbances. Previously, only owners could be fined.
The framework implemented testing requirements to confirm that STR operators understand county regulations and are able to comply with them.
The regulatory apparatus established under Ordinance No. 927 focused on occupancy limitations, noise controls, parking designations and other health and safety provisions for STRs. It was in response to increasing problems stemming from unlicensed vacation rentals.
Short-term rentals are defined as residential dwellings leased for a maximum of 30 days and a minimum of two days and one night.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County supervisor calls for more citations on STRs in Idyllwild, Temecula area
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