2026-06-30 Noella Callejo Opposition Testimony

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11. If the County wants more long-term housing, it must also reduce the risk for home owners who provide it. I also ask the Council to consider the practical reality facing local homeowners who may otherwise be willing to offer long-term housing. If there is a delinquent renter, homeowners must follow due process, even while absorbing significant financial losses upwards of$15,000-$30,000 if a delinquent tenant squats for 4- 6 months as is the documented average. For a large investor,that may be treated as a business risk. For a local family trying to hold onto one property,that kind of loss can threaten their ability to stay in their home. If the County truly wants to encourage local families to offer more long-term housing,then the County should consider policies that actually make that option more viable.That may include: • Expedited due process for clear cases of nonpayment; • County-supported mediation or rental recovery programs; • Grants,guarantees, or subsidies that help small local landlords absorb losses from delinquent tenants; • Support for mortgage or utility obligations during prolonged eviction proceedings; • Legal assistance or streamlined court navigation for small local homeowners; • Incentives for locally owned properties that convert a hosted space into long-term housing. Without these types of supports, simply restricting locally occupied, hosted accommodations does not automatically create long-term housing. Respectful Requests For these reasons, I respectfully ask the Council to reconsider the restrictions and language of Bill 147 as currently written. I ask that the County: • Clearly identify the specific problem Bill 147 is trying to solve before imposing broad restrictions; • If the purpose is tax collection,focus on TAT and GET compliance, platform reporting, registration accuracy, and enforcement against operators who are not paying what they owe;