HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-05 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Jason and Guthrie de Bruyn From: Jason and Guthrie de Bruvn
To: LPCtestimony
Subject: OPPOSITION OF BILL 121
Date: Friday,April 5, 2024 2:45:50 PM
IN OPPOSITION OF BILL 121
To Whom 1T May Concern,
I truly hope someone is reading this.I truly hope that someone,or many people,are reading the hundreds of opposition testimonies to Bill
121.Because it doesn't feel that way.It seems that all of these hearings and Zoom conferences are just political theater to push forward
an unpopular,harmful bill for the benefit of the few against the harm to thousands upon thousand here on the Big Island.
Why would a bill like this be pushed so hard when the short tern rental industry does no harm?How are HOSTED short term rentals
somehow the cause or a main ingredient in the housing crisis'?Do you really think that someone that built an Ohana for the sole purpose
of short term rentals wants to provide long term housing on their land?Because I can tell you that my family's Ohana unit isn't even
capable of long tern tenants.We are off grid.The solar isn't up for it.It is also tiny.There is no storage space.And on and on.Do you
think that someone renting out a room in their home now wants to risk heavy penalties due to some pennitting infringement or all of a
sudden be forced to have a longterm roommate?But somehow situations like these are lumped into causing housing issues here on the
Big Island.Could it be the economy?Nah.Could it be interest rates on real estate?Nah.Could it be the insanely long wait on getting
permitting and the codes being enforced while construction supplies continue to be inflated?Nah.It's us.It's gotta be the folks that
welcome visitors for a fraction of the cost of hotels,and invite them to leave their money here on the island while enjoying the spirit of
Aloha.Yes,that's it.We're the problem.
We are the ones that invest in this island.We attract people to visit and stay in areas that they would have no ability to do so otherwise.
The money they pay us,we are taxed on,which goes back to the island.The money they pay us,we spend in local stores,gas stations,
and markets.The money they pay us we spend on school supplies for our children and their food.And guess what else?The visitors that
stay with us ALSO spend their money at local markets,restaurants,stores,gas stations,etc.They help keep our small,local economies
alive.
If this dumpster fire of a bill actually passes,and nobody with power to stop it does so,and hundreds if not thousands of short term
rentals close their doors forever-I am so curious as to what the next step is?What will fill the void?Besides the mental aguish so many
will go through,and are already going through just having to fight for our right to make a hard earned dollar,is there a job creation bill to
follow?Is there some sort of stimulus package for small communities that currently benefit from the tourist cashflow due to short term
rentals but don't live around hotels?When hard times are made harder for no reason,what are we as the people supposed to think about
those that were voted in to represent our best interests?People that now want to extend their terms an extra 2 years.If it wasn't so
destructive it would be comical.But there is nothing funny going on here.
Do you all think we make hotel type money?Do you think we sit around all day and just throw the keys as the visitors arrive and they
throw us blocks of gold in return?Let me tell you that this method of making income will not make you rich(in my experience)and is
not easy.I did it in the hopes of establishing a small,humble,family business that I could pass on one day to my 2 small children and
maybe make their situation a bit easier.But if you think I'm going to plan a future for them based on politicians that want to change the
rules whenever they want and threaten my family with fines we can't afford,I'm telling you now that I can't and I won't.
AirBnB is a review based platform.If we don't provide a safe,clean,healthy experience then we receive a bad review.Maybe you are
unaware of this,but if you receive just one,ZERO or ONE star review,AirBnB gives us a single chance to either state our case as to why
that isn't fair,or improve our standards.If we do not succeed in either of these methods,we get kicked off the platform,never allowed to
do business with them again.Now,why on earth do we need any more incentive to do a good job?Obviously the vast majority of hosts
want to provide a safe and beautiful experience for our guests anyway even without the threat of consequence,but since this bill is written
in such black and white,policing,regulatory language-maybe that is all you out there understand.AirBnB is a self cleaning oven.If we
don't get good reviews,we don't get business.If we don't get business,we go out of business.It is rather simple.But here is this needless
Bill 121 suggesting we as hosts need another blade to our necks,another hoop to jump through.Is this really how the Big Island operates
these days?
Our island is so different from one shore to the other,from the Mauna to the sea.Our island celebrates this diversity.How is a blanket
Bill,written for every zone and district to conform to intelligent in any fashion?How can anyone with a heart or the smallest
understanding of economics think this is good for us?We are not Oahu.We are not the mainland.We don't have to adopt everything they
do.We can pass something truly original down to the next generation.But this Bill?The legacy of this Bill will be putting families,
struggling families out of business,and in some cases,perhaps more than I want to even consider-will be forced to move.We in Lower
Puna are somehow still in business after the eruption while so many of our neighbors had it worse.We still still operating short term
rentals on the Big Island are somehow still in business after a pandemic and travel lockdown while so many others had it worse.We are
somehow still in business with 5 dollar gas prices and 7 dollar 2x4's and 12 dollar cartons of eggs,while so many others have it worse.
But if you allow this bill to pass,you will be achieving what none of those hardships could.You will put us out of business.You will shut
us down.
Short term rentals on the Big Island create so many jobs,bring in so much tax revenue,and have such a close to zero complaint rate that
if it were a program that Ashley or Heather had come up with they would be running for reelection based on its success.You know this
and I know this.If it ain't broke,don't try to tis it.Well this bill won't fix anything,it'll just make more people broke.
Thank you for your time.
Aloha
Jason de Bruyn
I5-2714 Pahoa Village Road Unit H1#208
Pahoa,HI 96778
PawpawpfrL&Qmail.com