From stacking public comments to providing talking points, the company enlists the power of its hosts to shape regulation of short-term rentals.
In late September 2020, one week before the San Diego Planning Commission met to discuss capping the number of short-term rentals in the city, Airbnb emailed its hosts asking for help.
A quick Google search of phrases in the auto-generated email made it clear this is a regular tactic for Airbnb, including in Los Angeles, where dozens of hosts submitted public comments in 2020 pleading with the city’s planning commission to “PLEASE schedule the next hearing for vacation rentals, support the planning commission’s recommendations and work WITH us to develop sensible, balanced solutions.
“Unlike the neighborhood bakery that wants customers to add their names and addresses to a petition for expanded outdoor seating, tech companies typically already know who and where their users are. It means startups can mobilize — or brobilize — thousands of people via a simple email or push notification to blast targeted messages to their elected officials, often with just a few clicks.
San Francisco organizer Jennifer Fieber was working with the San Francisco Tenants Union at the time. She told SFGATE that it wasn’t all online, either: She remembers encountering Airbnb hosts speaking on behalf of the company during public comments at City Hall, too.
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