Unruly Airbnb roils Millbrae residents

While no one was injured in the shooting early Sunday, April 22, residents living near Lombardi Lane who exhaustedly attempted to break up the multi-day affair demanded measures preventing another similar incident.

Neighborhood resident Paul Larson detailed the harrowing experience, and directed the blame at Airbnb for not doing more to help those living nearby who repeatedly sought help.

“It was horrifying. We have post-traumatic stress. And this is the fault of Airbnb for allowing them to slip in,” he said to a round of applause from the audience.

Mayor Gina Papan acknowledged the emotions running high around the issue, and said councilmembers will begin discussing potential policy amendments as soon as their next meeting.

“We are very concerned as a council,” said Papan, who noted local law enforcement is carrying out an investigation into the report.

Vice Mayor Wayne Lee shared a similar perspective, and said policies should be considered to prevent future, similar occurrences.

“Hopefully these types of activities won’t happen,” he said.

Larson said local regulations are necessary because Airbnb representatives claimed their hands were tied in attempting to shut down the party, and law enforcement’s authority was limited until the shots rang out.

A spokeswoman for Airbnb, the internet hospitality service which facilitated the problematic rental, claims the company is working alongside Millbrae officials to better serve the local community.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior and have permanently banned the guest from our platform, reached out to local authorities to offer our assistance and are in contact with city officials about this situation,” said company press secretary Jasmine Mora in an email. 

While claiming such incidences are rare for rentals hosted through the company’s platform, Mora said neighbors concerned over behavior at an Airbnb listing can visit airbnb.com/neighbors to report issues. For those who suffered property damage, the company offers a insurance program recouping the value of their loss. 

As it stands, Millbrae officials have not crafted a specific set of policies addressing properties rented online outside of requiring property owners who list rooms to acquire a business license.

Following the rise in popularity of such sites, many other local cities approved regulations attempting to dissuade misbehavior. For example, in Redwood City, officials set boundaries for short-term rentals when they approved in January a set of regulations for rentals shorter than 30 days. Those regulations included requiring homeowners to live in residences where they are offering short-term rentals, limiting the number of days a renter can stay in homes without a host present, prohibiting rentals for special events and collecting transient occupancy taxes from short-term rentals.

In Millbrae, community members called for similar action.

“Airbnb is operating like a hotel in a residential area. It is not right and it is not good for the city or the residents,” said Joe Chen.

With the potential health and safety risks such as the recent party posed by the rental properties, Chen considered allowing the site to operate without regulation a drain on public resources.

He suggested officials go as far as disallowing rental listings in certain segments of Millbrae.

“It is time for the city to discourage or ban Airbnb in certain zonings,” he said.

Dale Carney, who lived near the party property, called on officials to rein in the industry as well.

“If they are going to have Airbnb, they should have the same rules and regulations as a hotel,” he said.

Beyond the rash of violence which broke out over the weekend, residents Janine and Robert Barrett called for enhanced enforcement as they live near a property which they claim is rented as a crash pad for workers in the airline industry.

Robert Barrett said it is common for dozens of flight attendants and pilots to circulate through the house frequently listed online, and the visitors show little regard for nearby residents.

Barrett claimed he asks the travelers to be more careful with their disposal of cigarette butts, alcohol bottles and other litter which frequently leaks in the neighborhood, with little luck.

His frustrations were compounded by the scattering of cars from the rental property consuming most of the street parking spaces, as well as the frequent car sharing service shuttling workers back to San Francisco International Airport.

“It’s quite a nuisance. All we want is respect in our neighborhood and they are not showing it,” he said.

Considering the variety of issues raised by residents, Carney implored officials to take action.

“It’s a continuing issue in our city,” he said. “Something has got to happen.”

In an attempt to ameliorate such fears, Papan said the concerns will remain a priority for officials.

“We are taking it very seriously,” she said,

In other business, the City Council hired Tom Williams as an interim city manager replacing Marcia Raines, who announced her resignation earlier this year. Williams, a Millbrae resident, is a former city manager of Milpitas, as well as the community development director of San Bruno.

“My goal is to keep the positive momentum going and keep the city running smoothly until a permanent city manager is hired,” said Williams in a prepared statement.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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Note to readers: this article has been amended to include comment from Airbnb