* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING. [Regulatory and Neighborhood Affairs Committee on March 23, 2023. ] GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO THE MARCH 23RD, 2023 REGULATORY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETING. MY NAME IS SALLY ALCORN, AS CHAIR OF THE REGULATORY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS COUNCIL COMMITTEE. I WILL BE SERVING AS PRESIDING OFFICER AND WOULD LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 51 1 27 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE APPLICABLE TO A GOVERNMENTAL BODY THAT EXTENDS INTO THREE OR MORE COUNTIES. ALL OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE THE OPTION TO PARTICIPATE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS. I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE. MY VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER, AMY PECK, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. COUNCIL MEMBER MARY NAN HUFFMAN, COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. ALL HERE IN THE CHAMBER, WE HAVE JOHN MOSS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX'S OFFICE, ALSO IN THE CHAMBER, AND JOINING OH, AND CAROL AND EVAN SHABAZZ IS JOINING US ONLINE. ONLINE, AS WELL AS VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEX. TATUM AND COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER ARE ALSO JOINING US ONLINE. AND STAFF FROM ALSO ONLINE ARE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER B COUNT, UM, FROM DISTRICT B, DISTRICT E, DISTRICT H, POSITION FOUR, AND POSITION FOUR AT LARGE POSITION FOUR. SO THE GANG'S ALL HERE FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC. FOR THE MEMBERS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY, PLEASE BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR CAMERA ON WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING. AS OF YESTERDAY'S 5:00 PM DEADLINE, SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF THE MEETING. BUT IF YOU'RE HERE AND YOU DIDN'T SIGN UP, THAT'S FINE WITH ME. SIGN UP OVER THERE. YOU'RE, YOU'RE WELCOME TO SPEAK IF THERE ARE ANY MEMBERS. WELL, THEN I JUST SAID THAT. OKAY. TODAY'S AGENDA INCLUDES PRESENTATIONS FROM AIRBNB AND HOUSTON. FIRST ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT TOPIC AS AS, AS I CHAIR THIS COMMITTEE AND AS I TRAVEL AROUND THE CITY TALKING TO NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS, HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS, SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS, THIS TOPIC SOMETIMES COMES UP. THERE'S OFTEN A NEIGHBOR IN THE GROUP THAT SAYS, HEY, THERE'S A PARTY HOUSE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WE REALLY WANT THE CITY TO LOOK INTO. SO I'VE JUST KIND OF BEEN LOGGING THESE COMPLAINTS. THE CITY DOES NOT REGULATE AIRBNBS, AS YOU'LL HEAR FROM HOUSTON. FIRST, WE DO COLLECT HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES FROM AIRBNBS, JORDAN, AND FRAZIER. MY CHIEF OF STAFF HAS DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THIS TOPIC AND, UH, AROUND OTHER CITIES AND, AND MOST OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS. I KNOW DALLAS IS JUST NOW CONSIDERING IT. UM, DO HAVE SOME KIND OF PERMIT, SOME KIND OF REGISTERING OF AIRBNBS. WE DO NOT DO THAT HERE. UM, SOMETIMES THERE'S AN INSPECTION INVOLVED. SOMETIMES THERE'S A, A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY INVOLVED. THERE'S DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, DIFFERENT WAYS. THEY, THEY CITIES REGULATE, UH, APARTMENT COMPLEXES THAT ARE RENTING OUT SOME. THERE'S ALL A WHOLE MYRIAD OF WAYS THAT ARE, ARE, UH, ARE DONE IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WHAT THIS, AND IN TEXAS, WHAT THIS MEETING IS AIMED TO DO IS TO HEAR FROM AIRBNB, UH, AND WHAT THEIR TRUST AND SAFETY POLICIES ARE, HOW NEIGHBORS CAN REPORT THROUGH THE PLATFORM, IF THERE'S AN ISSUE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, WHAT THEY DO TO FLAG POTENTIAL PROBLEMS, AND THEN HEAR FROM NEIGHBORS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. AND THEN WHAT I LIKE TO DO IS TO KIND OF TAKE ALL THE INFORMATION, TALK TO MY COLLEAGUES, SEE IF THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR DOING MORE, TO, TO HELP, AND THEN, UM, VET THAT WITH THE ADMINISTRATION. SO THIS IS KIND OF THE INFORMATION GATHERING SECTION OF THIS PROCESS. WE'RE JUST STARTING THIS PROCESS. I'M HAPPY TO HAVE CHIEF SATTERWHITE AND HIS COHORT HERE. THEY ARE HERE TO LISTEN. HPD IS VERY, UH, ENGAGED IN THIS. THEY'VE HELPED US OUT ON A LOT OF MATTERS. WHEN WE GET CALLS ABOUT, UM, UNSAVORY THINGS HAPPENING AT A, A SHORT TERM RENTAL IN A NEIGHBORHOOD. HP D'S BEEN RIGHT THERE TO HELP US. UH, AND, AND LUIS WILL GO OVER SOME OF THE, THE POLICIES THAT AIRBNB HAS TO WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW THIS SHOW IS GOING TO GO. AND, UM, WE WILL, UH, START WITH LUIS BRIANS, HE'LL CALL YOU UP, LUIS. AND HE IS, I'LL HAVE YOU GIVE YOUR TITLE. WELCOME TO DD FROM COUNCIL VICE MAYOR PROAM, MARTHA CASTEX, TATUM'S OFFICE, LUIS BRIANIS. UM, AND, AND AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT POLICE. THEY WERE THERE LAST NIGHT. AND LUIS, UH, AND AIRBNB, HIS, HIS COLLEAGUE BEN BRIGHT, GAVE A PRESENTATION TO PROBABLY A HUNDRED OR SO HOSTS AT ST. ARNOLD'S JORDAN. AND I WENT, UM, IN PREPARATION FOR THE NCAA FINAL FOUR. 'CAUSE WE KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE COMING IN. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE BOOKING AIRBNBS. AND, AND SO THEY DID A REALLY GOOD AND THOROUGH JOB. AND [00:05:01] IT WAS SO INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM THE HOSTS ABOUT WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY KIND OF CAN FLAG PROBLEMS, HOW THEY, WHAT THINGS THAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED BY BEING HOSTS. SO I APPRECIATE THE ENGAGEMENT OF HPD AND AIRBNB AT THE MEETING LAST NIGHT. SO, WITH NO FURTHER ADO, I WILL GIVE THE FLOOR TO LUIS S PUBLIC POLICY MANAGER FOR AIRBNB TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW ON AIRBNB'S TRUST AND SAFETY TOOLS AND VIOLATION ENFORCEMENT. GREAT. GOOD MORNING. UH, IS THIS, THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN ALCORN AND COUNSEL FOR HAVING ME. UM, UH, MY, I WAS INTRODUCED. MY NAME IS LUIS ES. I'M A PUBLIC POLICY MANAGER AT AIRBNB. GLAD TO BE HERE TO TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE DO ON THE TRUST AND SAFETY SIDE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE FEELS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VALUE THAT SHORT TERM RENTALS BEEN THROUGH THE CITY. WOW, THIS IS NICE. THANK YOU. I'M A LITTLE SHORT , UH, SO YEAH, SPEAK, RIGHT? THANKS SO MUCH. SPEAK RIGHT INTO THAT, PLEASE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO, UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ON THIS ONE. SO, LOOK, ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT, OVER 2 MILLION PEOPLE STAND IN AIRBNB, UH, IN A HUNDRED THOUSAND CITIES ACROSS THE WORLD. UH, THERE'S MORE THAN 6.6 MILLION LISTINGS IN 120 COUNTRIES, OR 220 COUNTRIES AND REGIONS. UM, WHAT MAKES ALL THIS POSSIBLE AT ITS CORE IS, IS TRUST. AND SO FOR THIS, WE'VE DEVELOPED A GOOD SET OF RESOURCES THAT REALLY TOUCH ON THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, SO THIS IS THE BUNDLE OF TRUST AND SAFETY TOOLS THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED OVER TIME AS A COMPANY TO ENSURE THAT ALL STAKEHOLDERS HAVE A SAY IN THIS PROCESS. SO IT STARTS REALLY WITH, AS YOU MENTIONED, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, THE, OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH A LOT OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE SORT OF ON THE GROUND, LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE GOOD FOLKS AT H-P-D-H-C-S-O, OTHERS ORGANIZATIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT WE'VE ENGAGED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT, UH, THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED WHEN THEY GET A CALL TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN CARRY OUT THEIR WORK IN A WAY THAT ISN'T INEFFICIENT, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO RUN AROUND AND TRY TO PIECE THINGS TOGETHER. SO THE ALERT PORTAL REALLY HELPS IN THAT EFFORT TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE WITH HPD OR ANY OTHER PD FOR THAT MATTER. UM, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE HOSTS, THE GUESTS, NEIGHBORS, ALL STAKEHOLDERS FEEL LIKE WE'RE DOING OUR PART. AND OF COURSE, AS A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY, WE HAVE A SET OF SYSTEMS AND DATA-DRIVEN SYSTEMS TO SCREEN, UH, FOLKS BEFORE THEY EVEN CHECK IN, BEFORE THEY EVEN GO TO A CITY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE ASK, AND I'LL GET FURTHER IN LATER IN THE, IN THE PRESENTATION, I'LL GO FURTHER INTO THIS, BUT ID VERIFICATION IS SUPER IMPORTANT FOR US. OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE A WAY TO CROSS REFERENCE TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE. UM, AND FOR FOLKS THAT DO NOT BELONG ON THE PLATFORM, THERE'S A, THERE'S QUITE A FEW LISTS OF FOLKS WHO WE PREVENT FROM EVEN MAKING BOOKINGS. UM, EVERYONE BEFORE THEY MAKE A BOOKING HAS TO HAVE AN ID, A GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID. UM, AND IT GOES, YOU KNOW, EXTRA TO THAT THIRD POINT ID VERIFICATIONS. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT EVEN THEN, THERE'S GONNA BE INSTANCES IN WHICH GUESTS THROW PARTIES AT SOME OF THESE STRS ON AIRBNB. AND SO FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, THE DUAL, THE DUAL-SIDED NATURE OF THE MARKETPLACE IS A HOST REVIEWS THE GUEST, THE GUEST REVIEWS THE HOST. BUT WE WANT TO HAVE THAT SORT OF THIRD LEG IN THE STOOL OF FEEDBACK. THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE, WHICH I'LL GO FURTHER INTO DETAIL FURTHER DOWN IN THE SLIDES, IS, IS THAT TOOL, UM, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM NEIGHBORS. I KNOW SEVERAL OF THE FOLKS ARE HERE. I'VE SPOKEN DIRECTLY, BUT ALSO WITH, WITH THEM. BUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINES REALLY IS THERE AS A FIRST SORT OF, UH, WAY TO FLAG FOR US THAT THERE ARE ISSUES OCCURRING. UM, AND OF COURSE, WE'VE CODIFIED THIS INTO A PARTY BAN, RIGHT? SO IF WE FIND THAT HOSTS, GUESTS ARE HAVING PARTIES AT THESE LISTINGS, WE WILL MAKE SURE TO, UH, SORT OF MEASURE THAT AGAINST OUR COMMUNITY POLICY, WHICH WE'VE MADE MORE ROBUST OVER TIME TO ENSURE THAT THOSE FOLKS AREN'T REPEAT ACTORS ON THE PLATFORM, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, THEY GO FROM TOWN TO TOWN, CITY TO CITY, HAVING PARTIES, DEFINITELY OPEN INVITE PARTIES OR A NO GO. UM, I, YOU KNOW, PREVIOUSLY HAVE ENGAGED WITH MEMBERS OF PD TO TRY TO FLAG SOME OF THESE. SOMETIMES THEY COME UP ON TWITTER OR ON OTHER PLATFORMS. IF WE CROSS REFERENCE 'EM AND THAT WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE AN ADDRESS, IT'S A SHORT TERM RENTAL, THEN WE TAKE ACTION, WHETHER IT'S ON THE HOST OR THE GUESTS THAT ARE COMING IN. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. A LOT OF THIS REALLY GOES DOWN TO BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, WHETHER YOU'RE A HOST OR A GUEST. UM, I THINK YOU HEARD IT YESTERDAY IN THE, THE, THE FORUM THAT WE HAD HEAD OF FINAL FOUR. IT, IT, IT'S REALLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ACTING IN SORT OF NEIGHBORLY WAY, WHETHER YOU'RE A HOST OR A GUEST OR EVEN NEIGHBORS, YOU KNOW, HA, HAVING THIS FULL SET OF FEEDBACK, THIS 360 VIEW IS IMPORTANT FOR US. SO, YOU KNOW, WE LAID OUT PRETTY CLEARLY. WHAT WE DO NOT ALLOW IS DISRUPTIVE GATHERINGS. DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A PARTY. IT COULD BE A DISRUPTIVE GATHERING, RIGHT? AND I KNOW THE TERMINOLOGY AROUND PARTY CAN BE FAIRLY NEBULOUS, BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS DISTURBING THE PIECE, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BRINGING [00:10:01] SORT OF CONCERN FOR NEIGHBORS, WE OBVIOUSLY WANNA KNOW ABOUT THIS SO WE CAN TAKE ACTION THESE, UM, I I THINK WHAT ARE SOMETIMES LABELED PARTY HOUSE LISTINGS THAT ARE KNOWN, ADDRESSES, KNOWN HOMES THAT PEOPLE LIKE, HAVE IDENTIFIED OVER TIME. THOSE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW MANY PDS, MANY DIFFERENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAVE A LIST OF THESE. WE WANNA WORK WITH THESE FOLKS TO GET THAT LIST TO ENSURE THAT EVEN IF THEY'RE ON AIRBNB OR IF THEY EVER TRY TO BECOME ON AIRBNB, THAT WE PREVENT THAT FROM OCCURRING, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY THE KNOWN SORT OF PARTY HOUSE LISTINGS, UH, COMMUNITY NUISANCES, OBVIOUSLY, WE, WE KNOW THAT IT GOES BEYOND JUST NOISE, RIGHT? IT GOES BEYOND JUST TRASH. LIKE I SAID, SOME OF THESE OPEN INVITE PARTIES, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE SOMETIMES FIND OCCURRING ON THE PLATFORM, THOSE EVENTS. AND WE TAKE ACTION TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DON'T, UH, DON'T TAKE PLACE TO BEGIN WITH. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, I JUST WANTED TO INCLUDE SOME PHOTOS OF THE EVENT YESTERDAY. UM, IT WAS TRULY, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT FINAL FOUR IS COMING, UH, PRETTY SOON. THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS WHO, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THAT THESE BIG EVENTS COME TO VERY POPULAR CITIES LIKE HOUSTON, THEY WANT TO TAKE, YOU KNOW, THEY WANT TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY TO MAKE THEIR HOMEWORK FOR THEM. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERY HOST IS UP TO SPEED WITH SORT OF WHAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE, BUT OBVIOUSLY WHAT, UM, THE EXPECTATION THAT THEIR NEIGHBORS HAVE FOR THEM AS WELL. UM, WE HAD, AS YOU SAID, ABOUT A HUNDRED HOSTS YESTERDAY, UM, LAST NIGHT AT ST. HAROLD'S. IT'S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE THIS KIND OF EVENT AND PARTNERSHIP, UH, ALONG WITH OUR, OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS AT THE, AT LAW ENFORCEMENT, IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S 360 AWARENESS OF HOW WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES BEFORE THEY EVEN OCCUR. BUT EVEN IF THEY DO OCCUR, WHEN THEY DO OCCUR, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A REMEDIES AND RECOURSE IN PLACE. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO THIS IS A, A BIT MORE DETAIL ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN AIRBNB ACCOUNT TO FLAG AN ISSUE FOR US. IT'S OPEN TO ANYONE. AIRBNB.COM/NEIGHBORS IS A BIT OF WHAT THAT LANDING PAGE LOOKS LIKE. UM, THERE'S, IF YOU, IF YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT WANTING TO DO THIS ONLINE, THERE'S ALSO A CALL IN WHICH I CAN CIRCULATE AFTER THERE'S A PHONE NUMBER SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS KIND OF FEEDBACK. UM, LIKE I SAID, THERE'S HOSTS WHO REVIEW THEIR GUEST GUESTS, WHO REVIEW THEIR HOSTS. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE NEIGHBORS, RIGHT? THE BROADER PUBLIC OF WHEN THERE ARE INSTANCES. AND LET'S JUST SAY A HOST IS TOTALLY FINE WITH HAVING A PARTY AT HIS OR HER HOME, AND THE GUEST, OF COURSE, MIGHT BE HAPPY TO DO SO. AND SO THE REVIEWS LOOK EXCELLENT. UM, BUT WHEN WE HEAR FROM NEIGHBORS LIKE, WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT AS EXCELLENT AS THE REVIEWS MAY, MAY MAKE IT SEEM, WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH THIS. UM, SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, IT ALLOWS YOU TO SORT OF FLAG SPECIFIC CONCERNS, RIGHT? THAT WAY WE CAN GET REALLY TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT IS OCCURRING AT SOME OF THESE LISTINGS OR SOME OF THESE HOMES. UM, AND, AND TRY TO ADDRESS ACCORDINGLY. NEXT SLIDE. JUST A BIT MORE DETAIL ON THE ID VERIFICATION AND BACKGROUND CHECK PROCESS. SO FOR HOSTS AND GUESTS IN THE US, YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF THIS LAST NIGHT BEFORE YOU EVEN MAKE A BOOKING, RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU TRY TO GO AND MAKE A RESERVATION ON AIRBNB, WE ASK THAT YOU UNDER UNDERGO ID VERIFICATION, UM, TAKE, YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE A PHOTO OF YOUR GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID, WE CROSS REFERENCE IT WITH DATABASES, UM, OUT THERE, CRIMINAL DATABASES, SEXUAL OFFENDER DATABASES, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWING FOLKS WHO SHOULDN'T BE ON THE PLATFORM, ON THE PLATFORM. UM, ALSO, IT'S IT'S INSTANCES IN WHICH SOMEONE'S TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE OVER AN ACCOUNT, UH, USE IT. MAYBE IT'S NOT THEM WHO ISN'T TRYING TO MAKE THE BOOKING AT SOMEONE ELSE. THAT ID REALLY ALLOWS US TO, TO, TO DEMONSTRATE THAT LIKE, THIS IS THE PERSON THEY ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE, AND WE HAVE THEIR INFORMATION. SO IF THEY MISBEHAVE, WE CAN CONTACT THEM, RIGHT? UM, AND, AND LIKE I SAID, AT THE VERY END, WHEN THINGS OCCUR, IT ALLOWS US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, UH, PD, LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES THEY NEED TO CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS AS APPROPRIATE. UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, OF COURSE, UM, IT, IT, LIKE I SAID IN AN EARLIER SLIDE, IT STARTS WITH THE HOST. UM, AND SO WE HAVE SAFETY RESOURCES BOTH FOR HOSTS AND GUESTS ALIKE TO BE ABLE TO FLAG ISSUES FOR US, UH, AS THEY'RE OCCURRING. SO WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT. SO WE CAN TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION, UH, IF NECESSARY, AND AT THE MOMENT, UM, AND BE ABLE TO SORT OF TRIAGE WITH, UH, IN MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, WHETHER IT'S SOMEONE WHO, YOU KNOW, UH, IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO NEEDS TO KNOW, LIKE I'M RESPONDING TO A CALL, UHLER PORTALS THERE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION THAT THEY MAY NEED. UM, AND THERE OF, OF COURSE, THERE'S A 24 7 SAFETY LINE, UH, FOR INSTANCES IN WHICH, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE FEELS UNSAFE, WHETHER IT'S A HOST, IT'S A GUEST, THAT'S A RECOURSE FOR THEM AS WELL TO FLAG IT TO US, AND THEN WE CAN TRIAGE APPROPRIATELY. UM, BUT, UH, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE END OF MY PRESENTATION. I'M HERE TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL MAY HAVE. [00:15:01] THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, WE DO HAVE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE QUEUE. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THANK YOU. AND I'LL PROBABLY NEED TO BE ADDED BACK IN THE QUEUE FOR ADDITIONAL, UH, LUIS, THANK YOU. AND I KNOW THAT, UH, HERE IN HOUSTON, YOU ALL STRIVE TO HAVE A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP. I APPRECIATE THAT BACK AND FORTH. AND COUNCILOR ALCORN, YOUR, UM, ONE OF THE, THERE'S SEVERAL CONCERNS, AND OBVIOUSLY I HAVE A LOT OF, IN DISTRICT C RESIDENTS, NOT ONLY REPRESENTED HERE TODAY, BUT OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS AS WELL THAT HAVE BROUGHT UP THIS ISSUE. UH, ONE REGARDING, I'LL FIRST START WITH, UM, IDENTIFICATION AND VERIFICATION. THAT'S ONLY ON THE RENTAL SIDE OF THINGS, NOT THE HOST. THAT'S ONLY FOR THE PERSON THAT IS SIGNING UP TO REGISTER, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT VERIFYING THE ADDITIONAL GUESTS THAT ARE THERE. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. SO, UM, WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS A SYSTEM WHERE IF YOU HAVE, LET'S SAY, FIVE PEOPLE IN A RESERVATION, WE ASK YOU TO REGISTER ALL OF THOSE FOLKS, RIGHT? OKAY. SO THAT'S IN THE WORKS. YES. AND SO, BUT MOST DEFINITELY NOW, SO IT, IT'LL SOON BE A REQUIREMENT, BUT MOST DEFINITELY NOW WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO DO THAT. RIGHT. AND COUNCIL MEMBER CAME IN, IF I MIGHT, UM, ADD, THERE WAS A HOST LAST NIGHT WHO STOOD UP WHO WAS VERY COMPELLING THAT SAID, WHO SAID HE WON'T, I MEAN, HE MAKES IT HIS OWN POLICY THAT IF THEY DON'T VERIFY ALL GUESTS AND HE WAS ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO DO THAT, UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, AND SOMETIMES THEY GO AWAY IF, IF THEY DON'T DO IT. BUT IT DOES SOUND LIKE AIRBNB IS, IS HEADED THAT DIRECTION TO VERIFY ALL THE GUESTS. YEAH. WE, WE CURRENTLY ENCOURAGE FOLKS THAT OBVIOUSLY BRINGS A LOT OF, UM, MUCH NEEDED PEACE OF MIND FOR THE HOST, RIGHT? AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY'RE WELCOMING FOLKS INTO THEIR PROPERTY, RIGHT? SO FOR A LOT OF THEM, IT'S, IT'S A RISK MANAGEMENT, ADDITIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT, JUST LIKE COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN HAS POINTED OUT THE HOSTS. THERE ARE HOSTS OUT THERE WHO SAY, HEY, YOU MUST RIGHT, FOR THE FOUR PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TO REGISTER. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT YOU ALL ARE LOOKING TO MOVE TOWARDS THAT. AND IF YOU ALL HAVE AN ESTIMATED TIMELINE, JUST LET US KNOW. UM, THE OTHER THING RELATES TO THE HOSTS THEMSELVES. UH, ONE OF THE ISSUES I'VE HEARD IS SOMEBODY MAY REGISTER AIRBNB STEPS IN BECAUSE THERE'S FLAGS OR THERE'S CONSISTENT COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT HOST, BUT THEN SOMEONE ELSE JUST GOES AND REGISTERS FOR THAT SAME PROPERTY IN THEIR STEAD. ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT, OR IS THERE SOME MECHANISM TO TIE THE FLAG TO THAT PARTICULAR PROPERTY? OBVIOUSLY NOT IN PERPETUITY, RIGHT? RIGHT. BUT IF THERE'S A PATTERN HAPPENING WHERE YOU ALL ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT, PERHAPS PREVENT THAT PROPERTY ITSELF FROM PARTICIPATING. YEAH, SO THERE'S, THERE'S TWO TYPES OF SORT OF ENFORCEMENT ACTION ON OUR SIDE, WHETHER IT'S THE LISTING OR THE HOUSE ACCOUNT, RIGHT? AND I THINK WHAT YOU'VE POINTED OUT, THERE'S INSTANCES IN WHICH SOMEONE TRIES TO GET SNEAKY, THEN THEY GO AROUND THAT. BUT THERE'S WAYS FOR US TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS THAT PERSON AND WHETHER THEY'RE CONNECTED TO SOMEONE ELSE WHO'S TRYING TO DO THAT, UM, AND TAKE THE SAME ACTION, RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT, UH, SORT OF ARBITRAGE. AND I WAS, I WAS MENTIONING TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED THE COMMUNITY INTE INTEGRITY PROGRAM WITH, UH, COLLEAGUES AT EXPEDIA SLASH VBO HOMEAWAY. THEY GO BY MANY NAMES THERE, , UM, TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S NOT THAT TYPE OF ARBITRAGE, RIGHT? WHERE IF THEY TAKE ACTION ON A PROPERTY, UH, AND THEN SOMEHOW THE THESE FOLKS TRY TO COME ON TO OUR SIDE OR VICE VERSA, THAT WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE. AND WE'RE SORT OF MONITORING FOR THAT. OKAY. AND AGAIN, I KNOW WE'LL HEAR FROM RESIDENTS. I'VE HEARD OF A FEW INSTANCES OF THAT HAPPENING. YES. BUT I APPRECIATE THAT Y'ALL ARE, UM, ON TOP OF THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE. UH, AND THEN ALCORN, I HAD SOME QUESTIONS RELATED TO, 'CAUSE WE BROUGHT UP THE RELATIONSHIP WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP. I KNOW IF WE HAVE TIME, I MAY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR HPD, JUST VERY BASIC IF WE'RE ABLE TO BRING THEM UP. SURE. I THINK THAT, I THINK THAT, UM, WE WEREN'T PLANNING ON THEM PRESENTING, BUT I'M SURE CHIEF SATTER WRIGHT WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER A QUESTION. YEAH. WE'LL PUT, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE THAT IN JUST A SECOND. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER PECK AND I, BUT I DID WANNA SAY BEFORE COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, WE DID, UM, VRBO, WHAT HE WAS SAYING, VRBO, HOMEAWAY, EXPEDIA, IT'S ALL ONE THING NOW. YES. THREE DIFFERENT NAMES, BUT ALL ONE THING WE KNOW, AIRBNB'S NOT THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN. UM, LUIS DID SEND SOMETHING TO THEM TO COME, THEY WORKED TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THIS CUSTOMER INTEGRITY PROGRAM. WE ALSO REACHED OUT, LUIS IS SO NICE. HE SAID THEY'RE VERY UNDERSTAFFED. SO HE WAS, HE WAS NOT THROWING THEM UNDER THE BUS. BUT, UM, THI THIS IS A, THEY WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE CATCHING PEOPLE THAT, OH, I GOT KICKED OFF AIRBNB, SO NOW I'M GONNA TRY THE RB. THEY NOT PLATFORM THAT THEY WORK, THEY WORK ON THAT. AND IF I JUST MAY ADD THAT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, IT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE AND IT'S BEEN IN PLACE SINCE ABOUT TWO, THREE YEARS AGO. UM, IT'S NOT AS, UH, UH, AS KNOWN AS WE'D LIKE IT TO. AND WE'RE WORKING DEFINITELY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO BRING MORE AWARENESS AROUND THE ALERT PORTAL AROUND THE COMMUNITY INTEGRITY PROGRAM. BECAUSE I THINK WE HEAR A LOT OF THE CONCERN OF FOLKS TRYING TO ARBITRAGE IT, RIGHT? WHERE IT'S LIKE, WELL, I'M SO AND SO NOW I'M JUST GONNA PASS IT OFF TO SOMEONE ELSE. I'M GOING TO PUT IT ON ANOTHER WEBSITE OR ANOTHER LISTING [00:20:01] SERVICE, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE ADDRESS THAT EVEN BEFORE THAT OCCURS. I KNOW YOU DON'T SPEAK IN COUNCILOR ALCORN, I RECOGNIZE THIS, THAT YOU DON'T SPEAK ON BEHALF OF, YOU REPRESENT AIRBNB. YES. BUT YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY ANSWER THIS, BUT I'D BE, AS WE TALK ABOUT OTHER CITIES THAT ARE IMPLEMENTING COMMON SENSE REGULATIONS, I'D, I'D LIKE TO KNOW AIRBNB'S PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT YOU ALL ARE STEPPING FORWARD WITH IN SUPPORT OF, AND KINDA WHAT THAT MIDDLE GROUND IS SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. OKAY. RIGHT. AND, AND TO, TO THAT END NEARBY, UM, THERE ARE SOME SORT OF REGULATIONS IN CLEAR LAKE SHORES AND GALVESTON AND IN PEARLAND IN WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE IN TEXAS, THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS OR SOME KIND OF RE AT LEAST REGISTERING OR SOMETHING, ALL VARIATIONS IN AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, FORT WORTH AND DALLAS IS CONSIDERING ADOPTING MEASURES THIS SPRING AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE ONES WE GOT TO AND LOOKED AT, ATLANTA, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, PHILADELPHIA, MIAMI, CHICAGO, AND I'M SURE THERE'S MORE. AND SO THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION ON WHAT KIND OF, WHAT'S A GOOD BALANCE OF THAT COUNCIL MEMBER PACK. WE'RE FINALLY TO YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT HOTLINE AND KIND OF WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SOMEBODY CONTACTS THAT SUPPORT LINE AND, UM, HOW MANY HOMES HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN SHUT DOWN IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? SURE. UM, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE LATTER NUMBER FOR YOU, BUT WE CAN CIRCLE BACK ON THAT. UM, BUT WHAT HAPPENS ESSENTIALLY IS THAT WE COLLECT THIS INFORMATION THAT IS, UH, SORT OF RAISED TO US THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE. OFTENTIMES, I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A FULL GAMUT OF ISSUES, RIGHT? SOMETIMES I THINK WE GET, UH, FLAGGED ON TRASH, RIGHT? AND WHAT WE FIRST DO IS WE CHECK IS THIS HOME ON THE PLATFORM, RIGHT? UM, THERE ARE SOMETIMES I THINK, UH, WHETHER IT'S LONG TERM RENTALS OR, YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES, I, I I BELIEVE LIKE NOT SO MUCH HERE, BUT LIKE IN FORT WORTH, HAVE GOTTEN FLAGGED, LIKE ACTUAL FRAT HOUSES AS SHORT TERM RENTALS. I'M LIKE, NO, I, I, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE ARE NOT SHORT TERM RENTALS AS ARE FRAT HOUSES. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CHECK FIRST IS, IS THIS A PROPERTY ON AIRBNB, RIGHT? OR IS IT A PROPERTY ON, ON EXPEDIA, ONE OF THE EXPEDIA GROUPS, PLATFORMS? UM, AND THEN FROM THERE WE TAKE SORT OF A, A ACTION. IT, IT DOESN'T, SO THERE ISN'T A OVERLY PRESCRIPTIVE LIKE, HEY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE CALLED FIVE TIMES IN ORDER TO TAKE DOWN A HOME. IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT IS BEING FLAGGED TO US, RIGHT? UH, IF IT'S A REALLY SEVERE SAFETY INCIDENT WHERE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON THAT ARE CONCERNING NEIGHBORS, OF COURSE THAT'S GOING TO BE A DIFFERENT, UH, SORT OF, UH, RESPONSE FROM US. THEN IF IT'S A TRASH OR NOISE ISSUE. UM, NOW IF IT'S PERSISTENT, RIGHT? IF IT'S SOMEONE WHO EVERY WEEKEND, UH, OR EVERY THREE DAYS OR WHATEVER THAT MAY BE, THEN OBVIOUSLY THAT BRINGS IT HIGHER UP IN SORT OF THE ENFORCEMENT ACTION. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT GOES AS FAR AS TAKING EITHER THE LISTING DOWN, UM, AS COUNCIL MEMBER MC CAYMAN ASKED, OR THE HOST THEMSELVES, RIGHT? IT'S LIKE, IF IT'S SOMEONE WHO HAS DEMONSTRATED A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR OVER TIME, MAYBE NOT JUST IN ONE ADDRESS, BUT SEVERAL ADDRESSES THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT ON THE PLATFORM. ULTIMATELY, THE, THE, THE FOLKS THAT I THINK SUFFER THE MOST IS HOSTS WHO ALL GET SORT OF BRANDED AS BEING IRRESPONSIBLE, NOT NEIGHBORLY. FOLKS THAT ARE, DON'T CARE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY. THEY IN FACT DO. AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT DON'T DON'T HAVE A PLACE ON OUR PLATFORM. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN. THANK YOU. UM, NOW I KNOW THAT, UM, WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE USE OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS FOR, YOU KNOW, HUMAN TRAFFICKING SITUATIONS. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THE TRAFFICKERS WILL RENT OUT A HOUSE, RUN THE GIRLS THROUGH THE HOUSE, AND BY THE TIME THE POLICE GET ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR SEARCH WARRANTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY'VE MOVED ON TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION. UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HPD HAS A HARD ENOUGH TIME WITH THE, YOU KNOW, MASSAGE PARLORS AND THE, UM, THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SET LOCATIONS WHEN AIRBNB, AND I KNOW THERE'S OTHER SHORT TERM RENTALS OUT THERE, BUT WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER INFORMATION LIKE THAT, I KNOW THAT YOU WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT, UM, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DO YOU PROVIDE FOR THEM? DO YOU REQUIRE THEM TO GET A SEARCH WARRANT, UM, FROM YOU OR SUBPOENAS TO GET THAT INFORMATION? OR IS AIRBNB, YOU KNOW, GIVING IT TO, GIVING EVERYTHING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT? YEAH. AND SO ON THIS, I KNOW, I KNOW IT'S A, IT'S A SUBJECT OF MUCH CONCERN, OF COURSE. UM, WE KNOW ESPECIALLY AROUND BIG EVENTS IN, IN CITIES LIKE HOUSTON AND DALLAS WHERE THERE ARE MAJOR CORRIDORS ALONG HIGHWAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURS, RIGHT? THESE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES, UH, WE PARTNER WITH A WHOLE, UH, SLEW OF, UH, DIFFERENT POLARIS PROJECTS IS ONE OF THEM THAT SPECIFICALLY WORK ON ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING EFFORTS. UM, BUT OF COURSE, WITH THE PD SORT OF AT THE, AT THE FOREFRONT OF THESE ISSUES, UH, OF COURSE THROUGH THE, A SUBPOENA PROCESS, UH, THROUGH A LEGAL [00:25:01] PROCESS, WE CAN TURN OVER INFORMATION ON ACTIVITY THAT MAY BE HAPPENING, HAPPENING THROUGH THE ALERT PORTAL, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEST AVENUE TO SORT OF CONTACT US AND MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS, THERE IS, UH, THAT EXCHANGE. WELL, AND I'M SAYING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AIRBNB SEES BEFORE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTUALLY SEES IT. AND SO YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A SUBPOENA TO VOLUNTARILY TURN SOMETHING OVER TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. BUT ARE Y'ALL, ARE WE, SORRY, ARE WE WHAT? SORRY. SO WHEN YOU ARE OBTAINING INFORMATION THAT MAYBE LAW ENFORCEMENT DOESN'T HAVE YET, ARE YOU VOLUNTARILY TURNING THAT OVER TO LAW ENFORCEMENT? UM, I, I DON'T KNOW THE FULL MECHANICS OF THE LONG ENFORCE SUPPORT, THERE'S A SEPARATE TEAM THAT, UH, HANDLES THAT IN PART TO KEEP AND ENSURE THAT THERE'S PRIVACY AND WE'RE FOLLOWING ALL THE VALID LEGAL PROCESSES AROUND THIS. UM, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY CIRCLE BACK AND GET THOSE ANSWERS FOR YOU. YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE BEEN GREAT QUESTIONS. AND THEY DID LAST NIGHT HAVE A WHOLE SLIDE ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THEY REALIZED THIS IS AN ISSUE, ESPECIALLY AROUND BIG EVENTS LIKE THIS. AND THEY HAD A LIST OF KIND OF THINGS TO LOOK FOR IF YOU'RE A HOST. UM, THEY HAD SOME, SOME THINGS TO GO THROUGH, BUT GREAT QUESTION ON IF YOU, IF YOU, IF A HOST DOES SEE THAT KIND OF THINGS THAT YOU WERE FLAGGING AND YOU JUST HAD SIX OR SEVEN, I'M SURE THERE'S A JILLION MORE, UM, THAT, THAT YOU WOULD BE PROACTIVE AND GET THAT INFORMATION TO LAW ENFORCEMENT BEFORE A PLA. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IF, IF, IF SOMEBODY, A HOST SAW THAT FLAG, THEY HOPEFULLY WOULD NOT RENT TO THAT PERSON, BUT GET THAT INFORMATION TO, UH, TO LAW ENFORCEMENT R RIGHT? AND TO YOUR POINT, A LOT OF WHAT WE DISCUSSED YESTERDAY AROUND, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS PREVENTATIVE, RIGHT? SO LIKE, THESE ARE THE, AND LIKE I SAID, THE, THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS LIKE POLARIS PROJECT AND OTHERS THAT INFORM US OF WHAT TO LOOK FOR. WE IN TURN WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT INFORMATION IS OUT THERE WITH OUR HOST COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY TOO CAN BE VIGILANT, RIGHT. TO PREVENT THESE ISSUES FROM OCCURRING. YEAH. THEY WORK WITH POLARIS. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT GROUP? YEAH. THEY WORK WITH POLARIS TO HELP WITH THAT. BUT, BUT GOOD QUESTION. SO IF YOU COULD GET SOME, SOME ABSOLUTELY. SOME MORE DETAIL ON HOW THOSE ARE HANDLED, HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND BACK TO COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, IF IT'S OKAY WITH COUNCIL WITH CHIEF SATTERWHITE? YES. NO, MAYBE NOT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO. OKAY. I, I'VE WARNED HIM. OKAY. COME ON UP. STAY THERE, LUIS. WE MIGHT STILL WANT YOU TO. OKAY. HI CHIEF. THANKS FOR STEPPING IN ON SHORT NOTICE. UM, I JUST, I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS. 'CAUSE AGAIN, A LOT OF THIS DEPENDS ON THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH HPD, UM, AT A TIME WHEN HPD RESOURCES ARE ALREADY VERY, VERY STRAINED. SO I WAS HOPING YOU COULD SHARE ONE JUST VERY BRIEFLY, UM, THE TYPE OF IMPACT THAT THESE PARTY HOMES ARE HAVING ON HPD. UH, SOME OF THE CHALLENGES I KNOW ARE, YOU KNOW, EVEN RESPONSE TIMES, AND THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY, UM, ON HPD BECAUSE Y'ALL HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR PRIORITY LIST THAT YOU HAVE TO RESPOND TO. BUT I, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FIRSTHAND FROM YOU AS TO WHAT THE STRAIN IS CAUSING ON HPD RESOURCES, IF YOU CAN. AND THEN ALSO, UM, IF YOU OR SOMEONE ON YOUR TEAM, UH, CAN TALK ABOUT OR GET BACK TO US ON, UM, THE, THE SYSTEM THAT AIRBNB HAS TO WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, HOW THAT IS GOING IN TERMS OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS YOU HAVE FOR IMPROVEMENT, OR WHAT YOU ON HPD SIDE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT COULD HELP SUPPORT WHAT YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AS WELL. THANKS, COUNCIL MEMBER. SO TODAY WAS REALLY A, A LOT ABOUT LEARNING FOR US. THIS WAS A LISTENING SESSION ON OUR, ON OUR PART, BECAUSE WE ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, LEARNING ABOUT THE ALERT PORTAL. I MEAN, I KNOW WE HAVE TEAMS WITHIN IT, AND I WILL, I WILL GET THAT INFORMATION BACK TO YOU FOR SURE ON, UH, ON WHAT OUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIP IS AND HOW WE'RE USING THE, THEIR PORTAL AND WORKING WITH THEIR TEAM. WE'LL, TRYING TO, UH, UH, HOPEFULLY PREVENT, UH, THESE THINGS FROM HAPPENING FROM THESE, UH, THESE, UH, POTENTIAL HOUSE PARTIES, OR WORSE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN, HUMAN TRAFFICKING THAT WE JUST MENTIONED HERE. SO THAT I WOULD, I WOULD COME BACK TO YOU, I WOULD TELL YOU IN GENERAL, YOU MENTIONED ABOUT STRAIN. WELL, THIS IS ANOTHER AD FOR US, AND, AND WE ARE VERY THIN. UH, THERE'S NO SECRET, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF OUR, UH, OUR, THE, THE DEMAND AND OUR STAFFING AND ALL THAT IN THE DEPARTMENT. SO WHEN WE DO HAVE A LOCATION, UH, LET'S JUST SAY A TYPICAL, I THINK WHAT CAME UP MOST, A LOT OF TIMES IS, ARE THE, THE ONES WHERE SOMEBODY RENTS OUT. AND THEN NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PARTY, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND IT'S, IT'S YOUTH. AND, AND WE KNOW THAT THOSE THINGS CAN HAPPEN. UM, IT TAKES A LOT OF RESOURCES TO RESPOND AND TO, UH, SAFELY, UH, BRING THAT DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S SAFE AND, AND MAYBE SHUT DOWN THE PARTY, SO TO SPEAK. UH, UH, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. AND FARTHER AND MORE. SO THERE'S A STRAIN THERE. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, WE, UH, BECAUSE THE CALLS ARE STILL COMING, [00:30:01] YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY, PEOPLE ARE STILL CALLING FOR HELP FOR OTHER THINGS TOO. AND WE'RE TRYING TO RESPOND TO ALL THOSE THINGS. SO ANY BETTER PARTNERSHIP WE CAN BUILD WITH AIRBNB, UH, VRBO, ALL THE SHORT TERM RENTALS, UH, WILL, WILL, I MEAN, WILL HELP US OUT. THIS, THIS IS NOT GOING AWAY. I MEAN, LIKE YOU JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, 6.6 MILLION, I MEAN THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, AT ANY GIVEN TIME, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE RENTING THROUGH AIRBNB AND OTHER SHORT TERM RENTALS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST MANAGE THAT AND HOW TO BEST RESPOND TO THEM AND BEST SERVE THE PUBLIC. AND, AND THAT REQUIRES PARTNERSHIP. UH, SO I KNOW THAT'S NOT A LOT OF DETAILED INFORMATION, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. YEAH. THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, AGAIN, WE CAN, I'M GONNA ASK THE CHAIR IF WE CAN SUBMIT SOME QUESTIONS RELATED TO, YOU KNOW, CALLS FOR SERVICE NUMBERS, IF THERE'S ANY DATA ON THAT. MM-HMM . ANY SPECIFICS YOU CAN PROVIDE AS WELL AS FEEDBACK ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PORTAL, AS WELL AS, AND I'M GONNA BE ASKING RESIDENTS WHAT WOULD HELP YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THAT WE CAN HELP ADVOCATE FOR? UM, AGAIN, AS WE'RE GRAPPLING WITH THIS, THAT'S THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE OF IT THAT I, I DON'T WANT, UM, TO GET LOST IN THIS AS WELL. NO, IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT. YEAH, I MEAN, REALLY. UH, AND THE, THE LAST QUESTION CHAIR, IF WE COULD ALSO GET FROM AIRBNB, UH, ONE, WE TALKED ABOUT 6.6 MILLION NATIONWIDE. WHAT ARE THE RENTAL NUMBERS HERE IN HOUSTON AND WHAT'S THE GENERAL PROFIT THAT WE'RE SEEING BECAUSE OF THAT, RECOGNIZING IT, IT'S SUPPORTING OUR ECONOMY, BUT HAVING THOSE NUMBERS SPECIFIC TO HOUSTON WOULD BE HELPFUL. AND, AND HOUSTON FIRST WILL PRE BE PRESENTING THE HOT TAX NUMBERS, BUT, AND THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY I, I DON'T KNOW THAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA GIVE US YOUR, YOUR TOTAL NUMBERS HERE. MAYBE YOU ARE, UM, READY TO DO THAT, BUT, UM, BUT WE DO HAVE WHAT WE GET FROM AIRBNB AND FROM THE OTHER COMPANIES IN HOT TAX COMING UP NEXT. GREAT. YEAH. AT LEAST THE NUMBERS OF WHAT, HOW MANY RENTALS WE HAVE REGISTERED HERE IN HOUSTON. YEAH. AND YOUR CONCERNS ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SIDE. WE DID, WE DID TALK TO THEM ABOUT COMING, BUT THEY, THEY ARE RIGHT NOW REALLY IN THE LEARNING PROCESS, REALLY FIGURING IT ALL OUT. SO IT WASN'T THE TIME TO HAVE LAW, UM, HPD GIVE THE PRESENTATION. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, UM, SO IF WE HAVE A HOUSE IN OUR DISTRICT THAT WE'RE GETTING COMPLAINTS ABOUT, UM, DO SHOULD THE COUNCIL MEMBERS CALL THE, UM, THE HOTLINE, UM, TO VERIFY THE PLATFORM? OR HOW WOULD YOU, HOW WOULD ONE OF US FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT HOUSE IS AN AIRBNB HOUSE OR A, YOU CAN SEND IT MY WAY AND I, I KNOW COUNCILWOMAN HAS MY CONTACT INFO. OH, WE'RE CALLING LUIS NOW. BUT, BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO GOOD TO DOCUMENT ON THE, ON THE PLATFORM. I WOULD, I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO GO AHEAD AND SUBMIT EITHER THAT PHONE NUMBER OR, OR ON THE PLATFORM. THEY LIKE THINGS TO STAY ON THE PLATFORM. SO THERE'S THAT WAY IT'S DOCUMENTED AND EVERYTHING. SO I, I WOULD DEFINITELY, IF THERE'S AN ADDRESS YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT OR GETTING COMPLAINTS ABOUT, I JUST GET ON THAT. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AIRBNB ON YOUR PHONE. YOU CAN JUST GOOGLE THE AIRBNB'S SUPPORT. YEAH, I THINK BOTH WORK, I THINK TO, TO, TO COUNCILMAN'S POINTS, LIKE IT'S GREAT TO, FOR US TO HAVE THEN THIS TABULATED, RIGHT? TO UNDERSTAND WHO'S DOING THIS AND HOW OFTEN. UM, SO IT HELPS US WITH THE RECORD KEEPING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LUIS. THAT SEEMS TO BE ALL THE QUESTIONS I NEED FROM ONLINE. NO, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT THERE'S A COUPLE BILLS, UM, AT THE LEDGE DEALING WITH SHORT-TERM RENTALS. ONE, UM, BY REP LOZANO HB 2367. IT'S ABOUT, UM, RENTING FOR LESS THAN 15 HOURS. AND I THINK THAT'S MORE OF A, THAT SWIM PLEA WHEN PEOPLE ARE RENTING OUT THEIR SWIMMING POOLS, THEIR AMENITIES AT THEIR HOUSE. I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S A BILL CONSIDERING THAT. SO NOT SO MUCH SHORT TERM RENTAL LODGING. AND THEN HB 2 6 26 65 BY REP GARY GATES WOULD PROHIBIT A CITY OR COUNTY FROM ADOPTING OR ENFORCING LOCAL LAWS APPLICABLE TO SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROPERTIES. UM, THEY COULD STILL ALLOW REGISTERING THEM, BUT NOT TO REGULATE THEM OR OUTLAW THEM. SO THAT'S A COUPLE THINGS TO BE AWARE OF. UM, NEXT WE'LL HAVE, BECAUSE I WANNA GET TO THE PUBLIC, WE WILL HAVE HOUSTON FIRST SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE, KAREN WILLIAMS TO PROVIDE, OH, SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, YOU HAVE AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION? YEAH. JUST BECAUSE YOU BROUGHT UP THE STATE REGULATIONS, I'D ALSO BE INTERESTED TO KNOW, UM, WE HAVE INDIVIDUAL PROPERTIES THAT ARE SOMETIMES RENTED OUT RIGHT ON OCCASION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHERE A BLOCK OF THOSE ROOMS, IT'S JUST A STANDARD RENTAL. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE USING THOSE PROPERTIES FOR. AND IT'D BE HELPFUL TO KNOW IF THERE'S ANY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THOSE THAT ANY OTHER CITY IS LOOKING AT. YEAH, WE CAN LOOK, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. AND WE HAVE FOUND OTHER CITIES THAT DO REGULATE, THEY'LL, THEY'LL REGULATE A PORTION OF THE APARTMENT COMPLEX. YOU CAN'T DO THE WHOLE APARTMENT COMPLEX. I'VE ALSO SEEN SOME THAT YOU CAN'T RENT OUT ANY IF IT'S UNDER [00:35:01] A HUNDRED UNITS. I HAVE A CITY ATTORNEY LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT, UM, BECAUSE I, I KNOW HOW ON TOP OF IT. YEAH, I KNOW HOW ON TOP OF IT YOU AND YOUR STAFF ARE, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DILIGENCE. WELL, NO, NO, WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO FIGURE THIS OUT. ALRIGHT, MS. WILLIAMS, LET'S, LET'S SEE HOW MUCH MONEY WE MAKE OFF THESE SHORT TERM RENTALS. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WE'RE HAPPY TO BE HERE AND PRESENT THE NUMBERS FOR YOU. SO HOUSTON FIRST SERVES US THE TAX COLLECTOR ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND OUR ROLE IS TO ACTUALLY, UM, COLLECT ALL THE FILINGS. WE COLLECT THE PAYMENTS AND PERIODICALLY WE CONDUCT AUDITS JUST TO ENSURE THAT THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE RECEIVING ON A REGULAR BASIS IS ACCURATE. THE FOLLOWING PRIMARY, THE, THE FOLLOWING PRIMARY, UM, AGENCIES WE HAVE, UM, THAT ARE REGISTERED WITH US TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE HIGH PAYMENTS ON THE SHORT TERM RENTALS. THEY'RE AIRBNB AND HOMEAWAY. AND I'LL TELL YOU, WE JUST ENTERED INTO AGREEMENT WITH AIRBNB IN 2019 AND HOMEAWAY IN 2020. AND I'LL KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH HOW THAT PROCESS WORKS. IN MOST CASES, ALTHOUGH THERE IS AN OPTION, INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS DO NOT ACTUALLY REGISTER WITH US. THEY ACTUALLY REGISTER WITH AIRBNB AND HOMEAWAY. THEY FILED THEIR REPORTS WITH AIRBNB AND HOMEAWAY. AND THEN AIRBNB AND HOMEAWAY ACTUALLY FILE A QUARTERLY REPORT EACH TIME, CONSOLIDATING ALL THE RECORDS WITH ONE FILING THE SHORT TERM RENTALS. THEY CAN ACTUALLY, UH, BE REGISTERED ON THEIR OWN, BUT A LARGE PORTION OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY REGISTERED WITH HOMEAWAY OR AIRBNB. UH, ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE TAX FILINGS THAT WE RECEIVE ARE SUBJECT, NOT JUST, UH, SHORT TERM RENTALS, BUT THE HOTELS ARE WELL AS WELL ARE SUBJECT TO AUDIT. UM, AIRBNB IS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED TO BE AUDIT CALENDAR YEAR 2023. AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE COLLECTIONS FOR AIRBNB. FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS THAT THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN REGISTERED WITH US, WE'VE COLLECTED $17.1 MILLION. AND AND THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 400, I'M SORRY, 4.3 MILLION A YEAR. AND WITH HOMEAWAY WE'VE COLLECTED 1.2 MILLION OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD, AND THAT'S ABOUT 400,000 PER YEAR. LOOKS LIKE THE SLIDE WE HAD GIVE, PULL THAT LAST ONE, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT NUMBERS AND OKAY, THAT'S ALL RIGHT. 17 MILLION AND 4 MILLION, IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. IT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT INFORMATION. UM, QUICKLY, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOU CAN REGISTER, YOU CAN PAY, LIKE SOMEBODY IN HOUSTON CAN GO ON AND BE A AIRBNB HOST AND THEY CAN PAY THEIR OWN. THAT'S CORRECT. THEY CAN, THEY HAVE THE CHOICE TO ALL PAY MY OWN HOT TAXES DIRECTLY TO YOU? YES. AND DO SOME PEOPLE DO THAT? IT'S VERY FEW. OKAY. VERY FEW. BUT YOU ACTUALLY CAN GO ONLINE, SET UP YOUR OWN ACCOUNT AND REGISTER YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY, PAY AND FILE YOUR TAXES. BUT MOST OF THE TIME YOU'RE JUST PAYING, UM, AIRBNB OR HOMEAWAY AND THEY'LL THEN THEY QUARTERLY, MOST, MOST TIME BECAUSE THAT'S THE BETTER PLATFORM FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY PROMOTE THE FACILITY. GOT IT. AND AGAIN, HOMEAWAY IS THE SAME THING AS THEY TOOK OVER EXPEDIA AND VRVO? THAT'S CORRECT. HOMEAWAY IS THE WHOLE THING. WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT NOT COLLECTING FROM VRVO IN THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU MS. WILLIAMS FOR BEING HERE. I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD GIVE A LITTLE COMMENTARY ON THE BACKGROUND OF THE RELATIONSHIP HAVING, UH, SERVED WITH MR. WILSON, WHO'S HERE AND THE HOUSTON FIRST BOARD, THAT WHEN AIRBNB REALLY CAME ON THE SCENE, IT WAS A NEW PRODUCT, A NEW WAY OF RENTING. AND I KNOW THAT THERE WAS A RELATIONSHIP WHERE WE KNEW THAT THERE WAS A SOURCE OF REVENUE FOR THE HOT TAX THAT WAS BEING, UH, BYPASSED. AND WE REALLY KIND OF HAD TO GO AFTER THEM IN A WAY. BUT I, MY SENSE IS THAT IT WAS A FAIRLY MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. WE CAME TO AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM. AND AS I THINK WE'VE SEEN ALREADY TODAY, UH, WITH THE GENTLEMAN HERE BEFORE PRESENTING, UH, THEY SEEM TO BE WORKING VERY, UH, UH, COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE CITY. AND I WONDER IF YOU COULD PERHAPS PUT A LITTLE COLOR ON THAT IN TERMS OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU'VE WITNESSED AND PERHAPS EVEN COMMENT ON THE NEW, UH, HOMEAWAY, UH, COMBINATION OF VRBO AND, UH, THE OTHER GROUPS THAT THEY'VE COMBINED TO, TO BECOME SO THUS FAR THE RELATIONSHIP HAS WORKED VERY WELL. UH, AS YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR COMMENTS, THE CITY WAS HAVING A HARD TIME ACTUALLY COLLECTING FROM THESE PROPERTIES. 'CAUSE A LOT OF THEM WERE NOT COMING ONLINE AND REGISTERING. SO AS A RESULT OF US ENTERING INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH AIRBNB AND HOMEAWAY, WE WERE ABLE TO GET MORE, UH, TAX DOLLARS THAT WERE DUE TO THE CITY, UH, BECAUSE OF THEM HAVING ALL [00:40:01] OF THE VENDORS THAT ARE REGISTERED WITH THEM PAYING THEIR TAXES. NOW, THIS IS GONNA BE THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY WORK WITH THEM ON AN AUDIT. SO, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SOME AGREEMENTS IN THE CONTRACT THAT LIMITED THEIR DISCLOSURE IN TELLING US WHERE THE PROPERTIES WERE ACTUALLY LOCATED. SO WE'RE GONNA SEE HOW IT WORKS AS FAR AS US GOING BACK AND GETTING INFORMATION TO, UH, VERIFY THE DATA THAT THEY'VE PRESENTED TO US IN THEIR FILINGS. THAT REALLY DOES GET AT THE HEART OF MY QUESTION. I APPRECIATE THAT CANDOR. THE, UH, YOU KNOW, SO THE, WHERE WE GO FROM HERE WITH THE 2023 AUDIT OF, OF, UM, UM, HELP ME AIRBNB, WE, UH, OH, I GUESS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS ARE THERE OTHER COMPANIES ENTERING THE MARKET THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UH, FLYING LOW ON THE RADAR THAT WE SUSPECT WE ARE MISSING? ARE THERE OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE FOR THE HOT TAX THAT WE THINK ARE FILLING MARKETS SHARE THAT WE'RE NOT YET AWARE OF? I, I SUPPOSE WE ONLY KNOW WHAT WE KNOW, BUT, UM, TELL ME, DO WE HAVE ANY SUSPICION THAT THERE'S OTHER ASPECTS OF POTENTIAL REVENUE THAT ARE, UH, THAT WE'RE MISSING? IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT AT THIS POINT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE NO MAJOR CONCERNS THAT THERE'S A COMPANY OUT THERE THAT'S NOT REGISTERED WITH US. THAT SHOULD BE OKAY. UM, APPRECIATE THAT. I KNOW, UH, I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR ALL OF US. WE'RE GONNA LOOK FORWARD TO HOW THOSE, UM, NEGOTIATIONS GO WITH THE AUDIT AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE THIS BUSINESS GROW IN A HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE WAY FOR THE CITY. APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, UH, I COMPLETELY FORGOT WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK. SO I, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE? ALL RIGHT, WELL WE'LL FOLLOW BACK UP WITH YOU ACTUALLY. OH, I REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS NOW. SORRY. WE'RE STILL WORKING ON CAFFEINE. THE, WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HOT TAX AROUND THIS, UH, THIS HORSESHOE AND I, I MEAN, THE NUMBERS, I THINK SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES IN TERMS OF THE REVENUE THEY'RE BRINGING IN, BUT CAN YOU, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, EXPLAIN HOW IMPORTANT THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES AND WHAT THOSE DOLLARS POTENTIALLY GO TO JUST FOR THE PUBLIC AND ALSO WHAT PERCENTAGE OF, OF THE BILL? YEAH. IS, IS HOT TAX, I'M SORRY, WHAT PERCENTAGE, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OF THE BILL, SOMEBODY'S BILL GOES TO HOT TAX, DO YOU KNOW THAT? UH, NOT RIGHT OFF THE BACK. I'M, I'M GONNA GUESS THAT, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE SHORT TERM RENTALS? WHAT PORTIONS OF THAT? I'M GONNA SAY THAT IT IS A VERY SMALL PORTION, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THREE AND 5%, VERY LOW. BUT, UH, IN REFERENCE TO THE HOTEL ANCY TAX, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT IT IS BASICALLY, UM, IT'S ACTUALLY UTILIZED TO HELP US MARKET THE CITY AS A DESTINATION FOR, UH, TOURIST CONVENTION BUSINESS. UH, AND TO GET, YOU KNOW, LARGELY GET VISITORS HERE. AND WE ALSO UTILIZE THOSE FUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FACILITIES THAT ARE THE CONVENTION CENTER IS ACTUALLY IN THE OTHER ARTS BUILDINGS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE FOR THE VISITORS WHEN THEY COME TO THE CITY. RIGHT. AND I THINK I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S THE BUILDINGS THEMSELVES AND THE FACILITIES, BUT YOU ALSO HIT ON IT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INVESTMENTS WE'RE MAKING BACK INTO THE CITY AS IT RELATES TO OUR ARTS. ALL OF OUR ESTABLISHMENTS THAT PEOPLE COME TO VISIT HOUSTON FOR, UH, THESE DOLLARS ARE GOING TOWARDS, RIGHT? CORRECT. RIGHT. GOOD POINT. AND THE ARTS BEING GOOD COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON. WELL, I'M SURE, YEAH. JUST, UH, POINT ON THAT IS THE, THE EMPHASIS ON THE ARTS PROGRAM. I, I FORGET WHAT THE PERCENTAGE IS THOUGH. IT'S 19%. 19%. OKAY. AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD STEWARDS OF THAT AND, UH, UH, WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE, I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THAT IS CAPTURED, UM, AND DEDICATED FOR THE PURPOSES OF THAT IS CRITICAL. UM, HOUSTON IS KNOWN FOR ITS ARTISTIC CULTURE, UM, FOR SO MANY WAYS. SO AGAIN, UH, THIS IS TRULY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE REVENUE SOURCES. OH, OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE WILL GET NOW TO THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS. I WILL CALL FIRST ON ED PETIT. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. YOU'RE HERE IN PERSON. GOOD TO SEE YOU. IF IT WASN'T FOR AIRBNB, I'D PROBABLY BE CHAINED TO A DESK SOMEWHERE, NOT ABLE TO COME TO THESE MEETINGS. SO WHEN I CAME TO HOUSTON 12 YEARS AGO, IT WAS AFTER SPENDING SIX YEARS WORKING AS A VOLUNTEER, UH, FOR THE PEACE CORPS NONPROFITS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. UM, ALL I HAD WAS A STIPEND IN MY POCKET THAT AIR THAT PEACE CORPS GAVE ME. UM, WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE STATES, UM, I CAME TO HOUSTON TO START MY MASTER'S DEGREE AND I RENTED A ROOM, UH, FROM A LADY, UH, AND HER HUSBAND IN THIRD WARD. THEY WERE OLDER, THEY WERE IN THEIR SEVENTIES. THEY LIVED IN ONE OF THOSE CLASSIC TWO STORY BRICK HOUSES IN THE [00:45:01] SOUTHERN SIDE OF THIRD WARD. AND THEY WANTED TO AGE IN PLACE, SO THEY MADE THEIR BEDROOM ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND THEY RENTED THEIR BEDROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR. UM, AND THEY DID IT VERY AFFORDABLE FOR ME, AND IT ALLOWED THEM TO KEEP THEIR HOUSE AND KEEP UP WITH THEIR PROPERTY TAXES. AND I GOT TO DO MY MASTER'S DEGREE. AND SO I ALWAYS SAID I WAS GONNA PAY IT FORWARD WHEN I WAS ABLE TO SAVE UP MONEY AND GET MY OWN HOME, WHICH I ALSO PURCHASED IN THIRD WARD. AND SO I GOT A HOME WITH EXTRA BEDROOMS THAT I COULD RENT OUT. AND I'VE BEEN DOING THAT FOR SEVEN YEARS NOW AND THROUGH AIRBNB AND YOU KNOW, THAT I WOULDN'T SHY AWAY FROM COMPLAINING ABOUT NUISANCE BUSINESSES. I DO THAT ALL THE TIME. RIGHT. WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT AIRBNB HAS BEEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO ME AS A HOST TO ME AS A GUEST, TO ME AS A RESIDENT OF THIRD WARD. UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE AND THEIR ALERT PORTAL, I THINK IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO DO A STUDY AT WHAT PERCENT OF COMPLAINTS THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE LED TO A REVOCATION OF HOME SHARING PRIVILEGES VERSUS OUR COMPLAINTS OF 3 1 1 ABOUT NUISANCE PROPERTIES AND CLUBS AND GATHERINGS, AND WHAT PERCENT OF THOSE LEAD TO A REVOCATION OF PERMITS. SO I THINK THE CITY COULD LEARN A LOT FROM AIRBNB AND HOW THEY'VE DIGITIZED THEIR ALERT PORTAL AND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT LINE. UM, ALSO, NOT ONLY HAS IT HELPED ME AND GIVEN ME AN INCOME STREAM SO THAT NOW I CAN DO MY PHD AND STILL HAVE AN INCOME STREAM TO DO THAT, BUT IT PR BRINGS VISITORS TO NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THIRD WARD THAT PREVIOUSLY WOULD NEVER COME TO THIRD WARD, UM, WHEN THEY WERE BOOKING A HOTEL. RIGHT? AND SO MY RESIDENTS, THEY GET COFFEE THAT'S BREWED IN THIRD WARD AT DOSHI HOUSE. THEY GET COOKIES THAT ARE BAKED IN THIRD WARD FROM ELLA'S BAKERY. THEY GO TO PROJECT ROW HOUSES, THEY GET CANDLES THAT ARE MADE BY THIRD WORLD RESIDENTS IN THEIR ROOMS. EVERYTHING IS KEEPING THE MONEY IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE THIRD WARD AND EVEN THE HOT TAX. I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT ALL OF THE HOT TAX THAT IS ACCUMULATED FROM HOME SHARING GO BACK TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND NOT A DIME OF IT SHOULD BE SPENT IN THE CONVENTION DISTRICT OR THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT. IT NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THE FOLKS ARE DOING THE HOME SHARING AND WHERE WE WANT TO ALSO ATTRACT VISITORS TO HOUSTON TO EXPERIENCE THE DIVERSITY OF WHAT HOUSTON HAS TO OFFER AND NOT JUST WHAT THE BIG BOX HOTEL CHAINS WOULD NORMALLY EXPOSE THEM TO. SO I'M DEFINITELY A PROPONENT OF HOME SHARING. IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT DOING ANY REGULATIONS, MAKE SURE YOU'RE WORKING WITH PROPERTY OWNERS AND HOMEOWNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT SO ONEROUS, THAT ONLY THE WEALTHY, UM, CONGLOMERATES OF PROPERTIES CAN RENT FROM THEM. BUT PEOPLE LIKE ME THAT RENT THEIR OWN HOME AND ROOMS IN THEIR OWN HOME CAN STILL AFFORD TO DO SO. AND THAT WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE DO HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ IN THE QUEUE TO TALK TO YOU. YOU'RE MUTED. COUNCIL MEMBER EVAN SHABAZZ. CAN'T HEAR YOU. SO SORRY. I'M SO SORRY. YOU LOOK GREAT THOUGH. YOU CAN CALL MY CELL PHONE COUNCIL MEMBER. YEAH. . YEAH. COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, I HAVE A FEELING COUNCIL MEMBER EVANS SHAVA WAS GONNA SAY THANK YOU TO YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD MEMBER. SHE'S NODDING OF THE THIRD WARD COMMUNITY AND SHE'S GRATEFUL FROM THE BOTTOM OF HER HEART. AND, UH, THAT'S DISTRICT OF DESTINY, DESTINATION, DESTINATION S RIGHT DESTINATION. YOU CAN'T A DESTINATION ABOUT PLACES TO STAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND DUTCH HOUSE IS GREAT, SO THANKS FOR BRINGING IT UP. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANKS. YOU MADE A LOT OF GOOD POINTS. THANK YOU. NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM BARRY KLEIN FROM THE HOUSTON PROPERTY RIGHTS ASSOCIATION. MR. KLEIN, GOOD TO SEE YOU. UM, ACTUALLY THE PROBLEMS TALKING THIS, BUT I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT THIS STORY, WHO JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS MAN, WAS ABLE TO AFFORD A HOUSE, WAS ACTUALLY A VERY COMMON STORY. A HUNDRED YEARS AGO IN AMERICA, PEOPLE WOULD BUY A STRUCTURE, A HOUSE, OR A DUPLEX OR A FOURPLEX, AND RENT OUT THE SPARE ROOM OR AN ADDITIONAL APARTMENTS. SO IT ACTUALLY INCREASES A HOUSE AND AFFORDABILITY. NOW, I WANT TO POINT OUT TO YOU THAT SINCE I ARRIVED IN HOUSTON IN THE SIXTIES, I'VE HEARD STORIES OF UP PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT LIVE IN HOUSTON OR HAD LEFT HOUSTON BECAUSE IT WAS TOO COSTLY AND BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY LANDERS CONTROLS, PEOPLE WAS CERTAIN DRIVEN AWAY FROM HOUSTON BECAUSE LAND CONTROLS. AND THAT'S WHAT SO CONTEMPLATING TODAY. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, OUR CITY CONTROLLER, MR. BROWN, ANNOUNCED THAT, THAT WE HAD LOST A POPULATION IN HOUSTON. AND THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN ABOUT 200 YEARS THAT THAT HAS HAPPENED. THAT SHOULD BE VERY DISTURBING TO ALL OF YOU. [00:50:01] THIS MORE RECENT REPORT SHOWS THAT THAT'S PORTRAYED AS CONTINUING. SO THAT'S TWO YEARS NOW THAT HOUSTON HAS LOST POPULATION. THERE'S A, A VERY UNWANTED, UNDESIRABLE TR TREND. AND IF YOU'RE PROCEEDING WITH THE PLAN, AS I SEE IT TODAY, TO ADD NEW REGULATIONS ON PROPERTY OWNERS, THAT NEITHER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY THAT'S GONNA, GONNA, GONNA, GONNA REINFORCE OUR ALREADY NEGATIVE TREND FROM HOUSTON. SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT AND I'LL STOP THERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. KLEIN, APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE. NEXT WE'LL HEAR FROM BARBARA ESME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I REALLY WANNA, UM, BIG SHOUT OUT TO YOUR CHIEF OF STAFF. SHE'S BEEN AMAZING. AND SAY HELLO TO EVERYBODY HERE IN THE HORSESHOE AND GET RIGHT DOWN TO BRASS TACKS. SO, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF REALITIES OF WHEN YOU DO CALL THE NEIGHBORHOOD PORTAL, WHICH I'VE DONE ON PROBABLY EIGHT OCCASIONS AS RECENTLY AS THIS MONTH, AND I CAN TELL YOU IT'S VERY CHALLENGING. I MEAN, AS A REALTOR, I KNOW HOW TO COPY LINKS. I KNOW HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT. SO IT'S NOT, I MEAN, I'M SURE SOME OF IT'S AT MY END, BUT IT'S VERY CHALLENGING. AND EVEN WHEN YOU DO GET A RESOLUTION, YOU'RE TOLD THAT THEY'VE ADDRESSED THE MATTER, BUT THEY CAN'T SHARE WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO. AND I RESPECT PRIVACY POLICIES, BUT I, I WANTED TO REPRESENT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO CALL AND YOU DO COMPLAINT. AND THE COMPLAINTS ARE BASICALLY THE EFFECTS ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IN LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY $5 MILLION THAT COMES TO OUR CITY IN HOT TAX, THE EFFECT ON OUR PROPERTY TAXES. I MEAN, I LIVE IN A HOME THAT'S ON THE TAX ROLLS AT 1.2 ISH AS A REALTOR. THE EFFECT THAT THIS PART, THESE AIRBNBS SHORT-TERM RENTALS ARE GOING TO HAVE LONG-TERM ON OUR PROPERTIES IS HUGE. I'VE WORKED 25 YEARS TO STAY IN THIS LOVELY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S CALLED THE MUSEUM DISTRICT. AND TO WATCH IT GO THROUGH THIS TRANSFORMATION, THIS IS LIKE NOTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN AND WE'VE SEEN A LOT IN 25 YEARS. UM, IT'S REALLY HEARTBREAKING. AND SO I REALLY ENCOURAGE US, UM, TO LOOK AT THESE HARD COLD NUMBERS OF NOT ONLY WHAT IT WILL HAVE ON OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND OUR, THE TAXES THAT ARE COLLECTED, BUT ON THE DESIRABILITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE ARE FEARFUL. UM, I AM ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE YOU'LL SEE, I'VE SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES. YOU'LL SEE THE STRETCH LIMOUSINE, YOU'LL SEE THE GIRLS THAT LOOK COMPLETELY DRUGGED OUT. I'M NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I SEE IT. I'VE SEEN IT. SO ALL THAT TO SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? AND YOU CAN BE A HUGE ADVOCATE FOR US. CANCEL, MEMBER ABBY CAME AND YOU CAN HELP US WITH CAMERAS. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET RID OF A DRUG HOUSE, UM, WITH THE HELP OF LOSS OF SUPPORT. SO I THINK WE CAN DO THIS. IT'S NOT GONNA BE EASY, IT'S NOT GONNA BE A SHORT TERM FIX, BUT I WANT YOU TO HEAR THAT BRASS TAX OF THE REALITIES OF REPORTING IT AND THE CHALLENGES. AND I'M SO GRATEFUL TO OUR NEIGHBORS, TO OUR PRESIDENT, CATHERINE MCNEIL AND HER LEADERSHIP, AND JOEL, WHO YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM LATER. AND THEN THE REAL VICTIMS IN THIS IS MAC HOOCH AND HIS PARTNER FRED, AND WHAT THEY'RE LIVING WITH. AND SO THANK YOU CHIEF OF STAFF. YOU'RE AWESOME, SALLY. I'VE KNOWN YOU A LONG TIME AND I'M JUST VERY GRATEFUL FOR THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND OUR ABILITY TO TACKLE THIS CHALLENGING PROBLEM. HOUSTON IS THE CITY THAT CAN DO IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, BARBARA. APPRECIATE IT. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THANK YOU. AND BARBARA, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING TO ALONG WITH OUR OTHER RESIDENTS AND I, I'M GONNA, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR YOU, BUT I KNOW YOU'RE ADDRESSING AND TRYING TO TALK ABOUT A PROBLEM, LOCATION, UM, AND PROBLEM ISSUES IN THE AREA THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY REFLECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, FOLKS LIKE ED THAT ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE HOSTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT CLEARLY. UM, RIGHT. THE, UH, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, WE ALSO HAVE SOME GREAT HOSTS AND THEY, THEY'RE PROVIDING IMPORTANT FEEDBACK. CAN YOU TALK SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, ONE JUST 'CAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BRASS TACKS. SO WITH THE HOTLINE, I HEARD YOU SAY, UM, IT'S HARD TO INPUT LINKS AND OTHER INFORMATION. SO THAT'S FEEDBACK THAT I'M HOPING AIRBNB CAN TAKE BACK. ARE THERE ANY OTHERS RELATED TO THE, THE REPORTING MECHANISM THAT YOU WANNA PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON SPECIFICALLY? LIKE, ABSOLUTELY. THIS IS WHAT I WANNA SEE. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SMOKE AND MIRROR SITUATION IN MY SOMEWHAT EDUCATED OPINION. WE HAVE A, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED THE JUNGLE DISCO THAT'S DIRECTLY BEHIND ME, AND IT'S, UM, AN AIRBNB THAT'S OWNED BY SOME LOCAL FOLKS, AND THEY'LL TELL YOU THAT THEY'RE SO RESPONSIBLE AND CALL ME ANYTIME [00:55:01] YOU HAVE MY PHONE, WE CALL THEM FIVE O'CLOCK. THEY DON'T PICK UP AND THERE'S NINE CARS PARKED ON VERY NARROW STREETS. THEIR PARTY HAS SPILLED OUT INTO THE STREET. THE MUSIC IS GOING CRAZY ALL NIGHT. WE'RE NOT SLEEPING. UM, WE'VE GOT AN APARTMENT THAT HAS, I BELIEVE, 24 UNITS. I'M NOT SURE IT'S A HALF OR ALL OF THEM. SO THE NUMBERS BREAK DOWN TO A ONE, ONE APARTMENT, WHICH IS A SHORT TERM RENTAL BEING TURNED INTO AN AIRBNB FOR, LET'S JUST SAY A HUNDRED DOLLARS, $70 TO A HUNDRED DOLLARS THAT ACCOMMODATE SEVEN PEOPLE. SO FOR $10, I, WE HAVE THESE THINGS CALLED CELL PHONES. YOU CAN TELL ME ALL DAY LONG ABOUT ALL THE PROGRAMS. YOUR QUESTION, I HOPE I'M ANSWERING IT. WE'VE GOT MORE AND MORE ARAB SHORT TERM RENTALS COMING IN MUSEUM DISTRICTS. LOVELY. THAT'S WHY WE LIVE THERE. IT'S LOVELY. I LOVE WALKING TO THE PARK. AND SO THIS IS LIKE POPCORN. THEY'RE POPPING UP AND IF WE DON'T NIP THIS IN THE BUD, BUT CERTAINLY WE HAVE AN ISSUE AND I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IT FROM OUR NEIGHBORS. DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YEAH, KIND OF. AND AGAIN, I OTHER NEIGHBORS CAN ALSO ANSWER ONE, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL WITH THE REPORTING AS IT RELATES TO AIRBNB WITH THAT ACTUAL PORTAL AND THE RESPONSIVENESS OR LACK OF RESPONSIVENESS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE GETTING FROM THAT. AND THEN TWO, WHEN YOU'RE TALK, YOU WERE GREAT ABOUT DESCRIBING, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE TROUBLE RENTALS, RIGHT? WE HAVE APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND SOME HOMES IT SOUNDS LIKE, WHERE THEY'RE THROWING PARTIES, THERE'S MULTIPLE CARS, THERE'S FOLKS OUT IN THE STREETS, THE NOISE IS BAD. THOSE TYPES OF DESCRIPTIONS ARE VERY HELPFUL AS WE YEAH. AND ARE LOOKING AT THIS, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE OF US THAT WE ALL HAVE VERY BUSY LIVES. I MEAN, IF THERE'S SOMEBODY OUT THERE THAT WANTS TO TAKE THIS ON AS A PART-TIME JOB, THAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO BE THERE WITH THEIR PHONE TO CAPTURE, TO REPORT IN REAL TIME AND THAT IT'S A CHALLENGE. THAT'S, WE HAVE ALL HAVE THINGS WE'D PROBABLY RATHER BE DOING, BUT THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU BARBARA VERY MUCH. JOEL ABRAMOWITZ, ALSO WITH THE MUSEUM AREA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. THANK YOU. UH, BY THE WAY, I GAVE YOU HANDOUTS. I'M THE NO NAME HANDOUT SO THAT THEY'RE BEING DISTRIBUTED. MY NAME IS JOEL ABRAMOWITZ AND I WANT TO THANK COUNCILMAN SALLY ALCO FOR MAKING THIS MEETING POSSIBLE AND ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT AT THIS MEETING FOR LISTENING TO OUR CONCERNS. I AM HERE AS A SECURITY MANAGER FOR THE MUSEUM AREA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION, KNOWN AS MAMA. IT'S A CIVIC ASSOCIATION THAT'S BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR DECADES. SIX YEARS AGO WE INSTITUTED A CONSTABLE PROGRAM TO HELP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY. IN ADDITION TO ORCHESTRATING THE FUNDRAISING FOR THIS PROGRAM, WE REGULARLY UPDATE SUBSCRIBERS ABOUT THE CONSTABLE PROGRAM AND MEET WITH CONSTABLES EVERY FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES. JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT BACKGROUND ABOUT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, MAMA HAS MADE UP OF AROUND 400 RESIDENCES WITH ABOUT FIVE LARGE APARTMENT BUILDINGS CONTAINING 18 TO 300 APARTMENTS EACH. THERE ARE ALSO A FEW SMALLER TWO TO FOUR UNIT RENTALS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR COMMUNITY BEING FAMILY RESIDENCES. WE ARE A COMMUNITY WITH LOW CRIME WHERE NEIGHBORS WALK THEIR DOGS AND TENDER THEIR GARDENS. HISTORICALLY, RENTERS AND OWNERS HAVE GOTTEN ALONG WELL WITHOUT A REAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN THESE GROUPS. YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR, UH, BARBARA SPOKE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS, BUT YOU COULD HEAR OTHER PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT. SO I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ENTITY, BUT IN 2022, A 24 UNIT APARTMENT COMPLEX IN MAMA, WHICH HAD BEEN PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, WAS CONVERTED INTO AN AIRBNB BUSINESS WITH ALMOST ALL AVAILABLE UNITS FOR SHORT TERM RENTAL. UH, AND, AND I'M NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THE EFFECTS THIS HAS HAD, I'M JUST, I'M JUST GONNA TALK ABOUT THE ISSUES WITH THIS ESTABLISHMENT. WE HAVE MET SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE OWNER OF THE AIRBNB AS A GROUP AND INDIVIDUALLY, I HAVE PERSONALLY MET WITH THE OWNER AND HAVE BEEN IN CONTINUED WRITTEN COMMUNICATION WITH HIM. HE HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE TO SOME OF OUR COMPLAINTS, BUT THERE ARE STILL FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS PROPERTY. IT IS OUR OPINION THAT THIS BUSINESS OPERATES MORE LIKE A MOTEL THAN A CONVENTIONAL AIRBNB, YET THERE IS NO 24 HOUR MANAGER ON SITE [01:00:01] TO GREET AND SCREEN GUESTS AND MONITOR THEM. HIS PROPERTY IS NOT COMPLIANT WITH SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THE SHORT TERM RENTAL CITY OF HOUSTON MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 28, ARTICLE SIX, WHICH IS IN YOUR HANDOUT. I WOULD ASK YOU TO TURN TO PAGES FOUR AND FIVE ON PAGE FOUR, WHERE IT'S, IT'S UNDER, IT'S, UH, SHADED. IT TALKS ABOUT, AND BY THE WAY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEFINITIONS IN THIS, THIS HANDOUT, A MOTEL IS CONSIDERED A HOTEL. SO UNDER THE LISTING OF HOTEL, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS, BUT THIS PARTICULAR IT'S GOTTA DO WITH RIGHT AWAY. I I'LL LET YOU CONTINUE. I I DO, I DO WANNA LET YOU KNOW THAT WE, WE HAVE, UM, FROM ONE OF YOUR RESIDENTS, UM, BEEN REVIEWING CHAPTER 28 AND THE CITY ATTORNEY HAS, HAS THIS WITH THE HIGHLIGHTS AND WITH THE INFORMATION YOU'RE PRESENTING. UM, SO YOU'RE MAKING A LOT OF GOOD POINTS, BUT I'LL FOR SURE GIVE YOU SOME OF MY TIME TO FINISH UP. GOT IT. OKAY. WELL THEN REAL QUICKLY, TURN TO PAGE FIVE AND YOU'LL SEE SOME OTHER THINGS RELATIVE TO THIS ISSUE. OKAY. ALSO, IN YOUR HANDOUT IS, UH, SB THREE 90 THAT ADDRESSES HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND IT BASICALLY SPECIFICALLY IS, IS FOR ANY ESTABLISHMENT THAT DOES RENTALS, SHORT TERM RENTALS WITH 10 OR MORE UNITS. THIS PROPERTY HAS 24 AND THERE'S, I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY CAN DO DRUG TRAFFICKING EDUCATION. THERE'S NO FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, SO IT, IT MISSES THE SCORE ON THAT POINT. I WANT THAT'S A, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT. YEAH. I MEAN THIS, THIS, THIS IS SO, UM, THESE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER. THANK YOU. WHEN DOES AN AIRBNB FUNCTION MORE LIKE A MOTEL THAN A TRUE AIRBNB AND IN RESIDENCE NEIGHBORHOODS? CAN PREVIOUS APARTMENTS BE CONVERTED TO MOTELS, HOTELS, OR AIRBNBS SINCE THIS MAY NOT COMPLY WITH ARTICLE SIX, CHAPTER 28 OF THE CITY CODES. AND FINALLY, LIKE THE FIRST SPEAKER, I HAVE AN AIRB, MY WIFE AND I HAVE AN AIRBNB IN THE THIRD WARD. IT'S A DUPLEX. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. MY NEIGHBORS ON EITHER SIDE OF ME AT THAT RENTAL UNIT HAVE MY CELL PHONE NUMBER. IF THERE'S A PROBLEM, THEY CALL ME DIRECTLY AND I, AND I CONTACT THE AIRBNB MANAGERS MAYBE IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS, I'VE GOT THREE CALLS. AND SO THEY, MY NEIGHBORS THERE, WE, WE HAVE THE UNIT KNOW THAT I'M RESPONSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE TO THEM. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A, A UNIT THAT ACTS LIKE A, UH, A MOTEL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN WANTS TO ADDRESS YOU. JOEL, IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU AND I APPRECIATE THE POINTS YOU'RE MAKING. TWO QUICK QUESTIONS FOR YOU. ONE, YOU SAID THAT THERE ARE STILL SOME FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES WITH THE PROPERTY. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? I THINK THE FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE, IT'S OPERATING LIKE A MOTEL. OKAY. THIS IS A PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT A MOM AND POP, YOU KNOW, AIRBNB, THIS IS A MOTEL WHERE ALMOST ALL THE, YOU KNOW, UNITS ARE, ARE BEING SHORT TERM RENTAL AND EVERYTHING IS DONE ONLINE. YEP. THERE'S NO, IN MY OPINION, YOU NEED, FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK IT COULD BE BASED ON THE PROPERTY CODES. I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE THERE. BUT SECOND, EVEN IF THAT'S ALLOWED, I THINK YOU NEED A MANAGER. YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT THIS, YOU NEED SOMEONE THERE 24 7. THERE'S SOMEBODY THERE THAT CAN GET THERE IN FOUR OR FIVE MINUTES, OKAY. THAT MANAGES SEVERAL OF THE PROPERTIES, BUT THERE'S NO THAT SOMETHING THE SIZE, I THINK YOU NEED A MANAGER. I APPRECIATE IT AND I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR FLAG. UM, AND WHAT I'M HEARING IS THE NEED TO CLARIFY DEFINITIONS UNDER CITY ORDINANCE AS IT RELATES TO THIS. UM, BUT ALSO I WANTED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION, ONE, WE HAVE STATE LAW ABOUT, UM, HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS TRAINING. WE ALSO, THAT WE PASSED, I THINK IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UH, CITY ORDINANCES AND PROGRAMS RELATED TO, UM, REQUIREMENTS FOR HOTELS TO ALSO DO AWARENESS TRAINING. SO IT'S NOT JUST STATE LAW, IT'S ACTUALLY MUNICIPAL CODE AS WELL. UM, SO CHAIR, I'D ASK THAT WE LOOK INTO THAT FURTHER. AND AGAIN, UM, I JUST, JOEL, YOU DO A LOT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS DO, BUT YOU ARE ON TOP OF EVERYTHING WHEN IT COMES TO THE SECURITY IN THE AREA. SO THANK YOU. YES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY WE'RE HAVING THIS MEETING, TO GET THIS INFORMATION AND TO, TO VET IT. UM, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, CITY LEGAL, I HAD A A, A DISCUSSION WITH, UH, OUR CITY ATTORNEY, ARTURO MICHELLE, ABOUT THIS VERY THING AND THE DEFINITIONS OF HOTEL JUST YESTERDAY. SO I KNOW THAT THEY'RE LOOKING INTO IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. STAY TUNED. [01:05:03] ALRIGHT, NEXT M HOKE MORNING AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, MY NAME IS MATT HOKE. I LIVE AT 1117 BANK STREET IN THE MUSEUM DISTRICT. UM, MOVED HERE ABOUT NINE YEARS AGO FROM NEW YORK AND JUST LOVE IT. I'M ALSO AN AIRBNB AND VRB HOST AND IT'S BEEN FANTASTIC. WE'VE MET PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COME TO HOUSTON AND LEAVE LOVING IT. IT IS REALLY BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THE FLIP SIDE IS WE LIVE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS MOTEL OWNED BY A GENTLEMAN WHO HAD ENGAGED WITH US. WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD CONVERSATIONS, BUT HE OWNED SEVEN OR EIGHT OTHER BRB AIRBNB HOTELS AROUND THE CITY. HE CAN'T MANAGE IT IN A WAY THAT RESPONSIBLE HOSTS CAN DO WHAT WE'VE SEEN SOME CRAZY THINGS. UM, NO REGULATIONS. AIRBNB ALLOWS AND HE DOES. AND IMPLICITLY YOU SEE, HE DOES UP TO EIGHT PEOPLE RENTING A SINGLE ONE BEDROOM UNIT IN THIS BUILDING. WE'VE ADDRESSED THAT WITH HIM. HE SAID HE IS GONNA CHANGE, BUT EIGHT PEOPLE IN A ONE BEDROOM, ONE BATH UNIT. IT BRINGS, YOU KNOW, A PARTY CROWD. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE SEEN. AND JUST LIKE WE SAID, IT IS A MOTEL, BUT THERE'S NO FRONT DESK CLERK GREETING PEOPLE. THERE'S NO FULL-TIME SECURITY MAN. THERE'S NO PROPERTY MANAGER AND THE OWNER IS AN ABSENTEE OWNER. UM, HE HAS TOLD US THAT HE'S DOING MANY THINGS AND I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT, BUT LET ME JUST TELL YOU THE IMPACT ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AS MUCH AS I LOVE IT, WE ARE EVEN CONSIDERING LEAVING. IT'S THAT DEVASTATING. THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE SEEN. I'VE BEEN PERSONALLY CONFRONTED WITH PROSTITUTION, BLATANT DRUG USE BY, I GUESS I'VE SEEN A STREET TAKEOVER, IF THAT'S A PHRASE THAT PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH, WHERE A MOB DESCENDING ON OUR STREET AND IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH DRUGS AND CARS. AND IT WAS JUST SCARY. I WATCHED A DOZEN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS SURROUND THE PROPERTY, LONG RIFLES DRAWN, ARRESTING A GUEST WHO WAS, HAD SOME KIND OF, UM, FELONY ON HIM. AND THEN THAT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WE HAVE EMS SHOW UP ESCORTED BY HPD ONE NIGHT. THAT'S VERY UNUSUAL FOR THE POLICE TO ESCORT EMS. UM, AND THAT'S JUST WHAT WE'VE OBSERVED FROM THE OUTSIDE. IT'S A LOCKED PROPERTY. WE DON'T SEE IT FACE TO FACE, BUT JUST ALSO THE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF THE GUEST BECAUSE IT'S UNMANAGED. THERE'S NO ONE THERE SUPERVISING. THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WHO, WHO'S TAKING, WATCHING WHAT'S GOING ON. I WATCHED A WOMAN NAKED WALK IN THE PARKING LOT WITH A BLANKET ON. UM, WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE SCREAMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AT 5:00 AM WE HAVE HAD PEOPLE APPROACH US. OUR ALARMS GOING OFF AND JUST THE TRASH. I MEAN, JUST THE LACK OF CONSIDERATION BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE TAKING CARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON. OUR GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD IS AT RISK, NOT JUST OURS, BUT OTHERS. WE LOVE HOUSTON SO MUCH, BUT WE HAVE GOT TO DO SOMETHING. OUR RESIDENTS ARE AFRAID AND VISITORS ARE NOT GONNA COME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. THANK YOU. MAC. THANK YOU. UM, AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I'VE BEEN ASKING YOU HIT RIGHT ON THE HEAD, RIGHT? IN TERMS OF, UH, THE EXPERIENCE AND WHAT YOU HAVE PERSONALLY BEEN WITNESSING. I THINK IT'S ALSO TELLING, WE'VE HAD TWO RESIDENTS THAT ARE PARTICIPATE AS HOSTS, RIGHT? AND YOU ALL ARE STILL EXPERIENCING WHAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING AND IT'S NOT, OKAY. MY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR YOU ARE, ONE IN UTILIZING AIRBNB'S PORTAL. YEP. WHAT FEEDBACK DO YOU HAVE ON THAT? YEP. AND THEN MY QUESTION CHAIR, IF WE CAN ASK AIRBNB THROUGH SUBMISSION IS, AGAIN, I GO BACK TO THE IMPACT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IF ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAS BEEN ENGAGED AND THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN FLAGGED, WHY IS THIS PROPERTY NOT TAKEN DOWN? IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST LOOKING AT HOSTS, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT PROPERTY ISSUES. WHY IS THIS STILL UP THERE? AND I, I WOULD LIKE AN ANSWER ON THAT, BUT MACKA I'LL GIVE YOU THE REST OF MY TIME ABOUT THE PORTAL AND REPORTING AND WORKING WITH AIRBNB. UM, THE PORTAL, UM, HAS WORKED FOR ME VERY LIMITED IN THE SENSE OF I'VE MADE MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE, UM, OBSERVATIONS. AND I, YOU KNOW, I GUESS FOR PRIVACY REASONS, WHAT COMES BACK IS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ADDRESSING IT. WE HAVE TALKED TO THE OWNER, BUT WE CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE DOING. FORTUNATELY, BECAUSE OF CATHERINE'S CONTACTS, LEWIS HAS BEEN AMAZING. HE'S TALKED TO US, BUT THAT'S NOT THE NORMAL CITIZEN INTERACTION WITH THE, THE PORTAL. THE PORTAL WORKS JUST VERY LIMITED AND I CAN'T SAY IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. LOUIS HAS BEEN, LUIS HAS BEEN HELPFUL. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK Y'ALL. APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS. KELLY REYNOLDS, IS KELLY HERE NOT SEEING HER? CATHERINE MCNEIL IS HERE. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU [01:10:01] FOR THE COMMITTEE MEETING ON SHORT-TERM RENTAL DISCUSSION. I'M CATHERINE MCNEIL. I LIVE AT 47 11 YOAKUM. I LIVE DIRECTLY NEXT DOOR TO THE APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT WE HAVE MAJORLY BEEN TALKING ABOUT. AND, UH, I USED TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A BUNCH OF GREAT NEIGHBORS WHO WALKED THEIR DOGS, WHO HUNG OUT IN THE STREET AND TALKED AND KNEW WHAT THEY DID FOR A LIVING. AND, UH, AND NOW I LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A MOTEL, AND THAT'S A VERY DISCONCERTING DIFFERENT FEEL IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, NOT TO BE TOO REPETITIVE, BUT I'M ALSO THE CIVIC CLUB PRESIDENT AND HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS. SO I REALLY WANNA ADDRESS THE IMPACT ON THE FABRIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS PEOPLE BUY THESE APARTMENT COMPLEXES, TOWN HOMES, HOUSES, AND JUST TURN THEM INTO FULL-TIME AIRBNB. THEY'RE REMOVING MY NEIGHBORS, PEOPLE THAT WOULD'VE COME TO A CIVIC CLUB MEETING, PEOPLE THAT WOULD'VE HUNG OUT IN THE STREET, PEOPLE THAT I KNEW GARDENED AND TALKED TO. ALL OF THAT IS BEING REMOVED BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE DECIDED THAT AIRBNB, SHORT TERM RENTALS IS A BUSINESS NOW BUY UP. THE PERSON WHO OWNS 1116 BANKS OWNS EIGHT TO 10 OF SMALL APARTMENT COMPLEXES WITHIN THE INNER CITY. THEY ARE ALL AIRBNB. SO THEY, YOU'VE NOW LOST THESE PEOPLE WHO WOULD'VE BEEN ENGAGED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S AN ISSUE. UH, THE CITY TALKS TO US A LOT ABOUT CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, TO WATCH OUT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS, HURRICANES, FLOODS. THE MORE YOU KNOW SOMEBODY, THE MORE YOU WATCH, YOU WATCH FOR THEIR PACKAGES, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY'RE OUT OF TOWN, YOU, YOU BUILD THIS COMRADERY. WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE IN AND OUT FOR A PARTY OR TO GO TO THE MUSEUM FOR THE WEEKEND. UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY, SO MY, MY REALLY WHAT I WANNA SAY IS I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE OVERALL IMPACT OF SHORT TERM RENTALS BECAUSE THEY BECOME A BUSINESS. THEY'RE NOT SOMEONE RENTING OUT A ROOM OR A GARAGE APARTMENT FOR SHORT TERM. THEY'VE BECOME A BIG BUSINESS NOW FOR PEOPLE. AND THAT'S HAVING A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVIC LIFE OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THAT'S REALLY THE POINT I WANNA MAKE. I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, HOT TAX GOING TO THE ARTS. AS SOMEONE WHO REPRESENTED THE THEATER DISTRICT FOR CLOSE TO SEVEN YEARS, IT'S AMAZING WHAT THAT MONEY HAS DONE FOR ARTS OVERALL IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANKS CATHERINE SO MUCH AND THANKS FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING FOR THE, YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR MAMA AND FOR THE ARTS AND FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. AND WE'RE HEARING YOU LOUD AND CLEAR. AND LUIS IS SITTING OVER THERE HEARING YOU LOUD AND CLEAR, THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, LUIS IS A BIG PROBLEM. A BIG, BIG PROBLEM. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN, THANK YOU. AND CATHERINE, UH, FIRST OFF, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AS A CIVIC LEADER, BUT ALSO FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND ALL THAT YOU DO. AND I WAS GONNA ASK YOU TO, YOU KNOW, CHIME IN ON HOT TAX, BUT YOU COVERED IT ALREADY. I LOVE IT. YEAH. , THE ONE QUESTION I HAVE AS YOUR, AS MAMA'S CIVIC CLUB PRESIDENT AND YOUR LONGTIME UH, INVOLVEMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, CAN YOU DESCRIBE SOME OF THE CALLS THAT YOU'RE GETTING FROM RESIDENTS, UM, ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC PROPERTY, BUT ANY OTHERS? UH, AGAIN, JUST LIKE MAC DESCRIBED, SOME OF THOSE REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THIS TYPE OF PROPERTY. SURE. IT'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE THAT WE DON'T RECOGNIZE COMING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR SHORT TERM. UM, THERE'S DEFINITE ISSUES OF TRASH, CLEANLINESS, NOISE, UM, DRUG USE. I, UM, AND WE ARE LUCKY ENOUGH THAT OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE THE ECO SOCIAL, THE ECONOMIC ABILITY TO PAY FOR A CONSTABLE. AND EVEN WITH THE CONSTABLE, WE ARE HAVING ISSUES THAT ARE DISRUPTIVE AND WE HAVE TO CALL HPD OR THE, YOU KNOW, CONSTABLE TO COME OVER. YEAH. WHAT, UM, AGAIN, LIKE I'VE ASKED ALL THE OTHER RESIDENTS IN TERMS OF GOING BACK TO WORKING WITH AIRBNB, AND I KNOW LUIS IS FANTASTIC, RIGHT? BUT IT'S A, IT'S AN ENTIRE ORGANIZED INTERNATIONAL COMPANY. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE PORTAL? ARE YOU ALL REPORTING AND IF SO, WHAT IS THAT, UM, EXPERIENCE LIKE? I, UH, I CANNOT DIRECTLY TALK [01:15:01] ABOUT THE USE OF THE PORTAL. I HAVE NOT USED THE PORTAL. I'VE USED THE TELEPHONE AND SO I, I I, I I CANNOT. BUT WHAT I WHEN YOU, SORRY. WHEN YOU'RE ON THE PHONE, ARE YOU CALLING AIRBNB OR IS IT MORE SO HPD, CONSTABLES, ET CETERA? UH, I HAVE, UH, CONSTABLE AND, UH, LAURA GER OR OKAY. OR LEWIS, UH, USING THAT CONTACT, WHICH IS A LUXURY FOR ME THAT MY NEIGHBORS MIGHT NOT HAVE. OKAY. AND, UH, BUT JUST, IT'S HARD. I MEAN, AS ALL OF YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU'RE TRYING TO BE RESPECTFUL, WE HAVE A WONDERFUL PARK, UM, A POCKET PARK, AND IT'S TRASHED ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE SEE PEOPLE WALKING. WHEREAS WHEN, WHEN A CAR THE OTHER DAY WAS JUST COMING OUT OF THE COMPLEX, THE APARTMENT COMPLEX, THEY LITERALLY JUST STOPPED AND THREW ALL THEIR TRASH ON THE STREET. WE'RE STANDING THERE STARING AT THEM AND FRENCH FRIES AND A WHATABURGER THING AND PAPER AND WE'RE LIKE, SERIOUSLY? BUT THERE'S NO ACCOUNTABILITY. THEY'RE NEVER GONNA SEE ME AGAIN. AND THEY COULD CARE LESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CATHERINE. I THINK YOU REALLY SUMMARIZED THAT. APPRECIATE IT. THAT VERY WELL. UH, DAVID COOK, I THINK THAT MAC DAVID, I LIVE ACROSS MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART THERE, , I LIVE ACROSS THE STREET. COME ON UP. COME ON UP. JUST TELL US, YOU, YOU WAITED ALL THIS TIME. LET'S, LET'S HEAR A LITTLE. WELL, YEAH, I WAS GONNA SAY, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO REPLETE EVERYTHING, BUT, UH, I LIVE AT 1119 BANKS WITH MY WIFE GRETCHEN. UM, AND, UH, I HAVE TO SAY WHAT HAPPENED, PARTICULARLY ON NEW YEAR'S EVE FOR THIS LAST YEAR, WAS ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL. UH, THE BANK STREET WAS ESSENTIALLY BLOCKED. I MEAN, IF YOU'D NEEDED AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET DOWN THE STREET. THERE WERE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE ROAD, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MAC AND FRED'S HOUSE. UM, AND IT, IT'S CHANGED THE NATURE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, IT'S, WE'RE NOW LIVING ACROSS THE STREET FROM, UM, FROM A HOTEL, A MOTEL. AND, UH, AS MAX SAID, UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REMARKABLY HA REMARKABLY DIFFERENT NOW THAN IT WAS THREE YEARS AGO OR SO. BUT, UM, AND WE'VE CONTACTED, UM, UH, AIRBNB THROUGH, UH, THROUGH THE PORTAL, BUT, UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT MUCH RESPONSE FROM, UH, WE, WE REPORTED ALL THE ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPENED ON, UH, ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, BUT, UM, I'M, I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT IS, IT'S LIKE AN UNMANNED MOTEL ACROSS THERE. THANKS VERY MUCH. GOT IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN. DAVID, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY VALUABLE TO HEAR YOUR INPUT. NO ONE'S BROUGHT UP THE NEW YEAR'S PARTY, UH, OR THAT THE STREET WAS BLOCKED COMPLETELY. UH, SO AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR STAYING AND ALSO PROVIDING YOUR FEEDBACK SO THAT THE REST OF THE HORSESHOE CAN HEAR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHTS. THERE ARE NO OTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS. I, I WANNA JUST WRAP UP BY SAYING, UM, TO MY COLLEAGUES AND TO STAFF THAT ARE EITHER ON HERE AT THE HORSESHOE OR ONLINE, I, I REALLY WANT YOUR FEEDBACK ON THINGS THAT, I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT WE WILL, WE WILL WRAP UP THIS MEETING. WE WILL BE SENDING A, A MEMO TO THE ADMINISTRATION JUST BASICALLY ON WHAT WE HEARD. UM, AS I'VE TOLD YOU, WE HAVE THE CITY ATTORNEY LOOKING AT DEFINITIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO WHAT WE'VE HEARD MOSTLY ABOUT IS THIS, UH, 24 UNIT, UM, COMPLEX. UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T REGULATE AIRBNBS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. I DON'T KNOW IF WE WILL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR, BUT WHAT I, I FEEL IS, IS MY OBLIGATION AND MY RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE YOUR VOICE AND GET, UM, GET WHAT COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF AND WHAT THE, WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC INTO A FORMAT, UM, FOR THE ADMINISTRATION. AND THAT'S THE WAY I KIND OF LIKE TO DO. AND IF WE ARE GONNA LOOK AT ANY KIND OF CHANGE OR REGULATION, START WITH ALL OF THAT AND THEN, AND THEN KIND OF WORK FROM THERE. SO IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS, IF, IF COLLEAGUES, IF YOU COULD GIVE ME YOUR SPECIFIC, UM, ASKS OR WHAT YOU MIGHT WANNA SEE, UH, THE CITY DO TO PROTECT NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ALRIGHT. SO WITH THAT I WILL DO, WE HAVE THE NEXT REGULATORY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS MEETING WILL BE TUESDAY, APRIL 11TH AT 10:00 AM AND THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. [01:20:01] EVERYONE, THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.