The Petition Signatures have been Submitted!

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We have the signatures we needed, in fact far more than we need!  On April 21, 2022 we submitted the petition with the La Quinta city elections official to qualify our initiative for the November election ballot. Signatures from each of the 104 La Quinta residential communities were collected by more than 60 volunteers in less than 3 months.

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Signatures of 2,448 La Quinta registered voters are required to qualify the proposed initiative for the November ballot. N4N submitted 3,664 signatures.  With more than 1,200 signatures above the level to qualify the initiative, N4N felt the broad base support for the initiative is effectively demonstrated.  

Click here to read...  INITIATIVE MEASURE TO BE DIRECTLY SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS

   What this Means

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The November ballot initiative, if successful will restrict nightly rentals in residential zoned neighborhoods to a minimum of 30 days.  The Initiative will continue to support and promote Short Term Vacation Rentals in the eleven (11) tourist commercial (TC) zones within La Quinta designated for nightly rentals. To minimize the economic impact, the preposed measure will allow for the transition of short-term rentals away from residential zones to commercial zones through December 31, 2024. 

The initiative was designed to be revenue neutral.  STVRs being converted back into family homes will inject the income of these families into the local economy and their children will generate revenue for the local school budget through the average daily attendance allowance.

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N4N submitted a Vision for La Quinta on January 5, 2021.  The vision provided recommendations focused on maintaining La Quinta's highest percentage of family households among all Coachella Valley cities. The vision was built on three pillars, housing inventory, tourism and resident safety and quality of life.  The Vision for La Quinta is available both on the Neighbors for Neighborhoods LQ website as well as the City of La Quinta website.

Read more...Why a Ballot Initiative

History of La Quinta STVR Program

Read The Vision for La Quinta

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     What's Happening Next?

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1. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters verifies the signatures

   • On June 3, 2022, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters (ROV) submitted to the City Clerk/Elections Official a Certificate of Sufficiency of the Initiative, which was then in turn certified by the City Council on June 7, 2022. 

2. The City of La Quinta will order an economic impact analysis

   • The La Quinta City Council ​​will order a financial analysis to determine the economic impact resulting from the new ordinance.  

3. The City Council will place the Measure on the November ballot​ for the voters

   • On June 7, 2022, the City Council adopted resolutions to submit to the qualified voters of the City of La Quinta the Initiative to be decided by voters on Election Day, November 8, 2022.

   • Council adopted resolutions to submit to voters the Initiative the following ballot question:

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Shall the measure, proposing to phase-out and permanently ban           YES

"non-hosted short-term vacation rentals" as defined, in non-exempt

areas of the City of La Quinta by December 31, 2024, be adopted?         NO

What do Council Members Say? 

Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Fitzpatrick

Palm Springs Desert Sun / Published June 8, 2022

"Overnight renters are not neighbors. We bought our home in La Quinta Cove in 2012 and have put many hours of labor into fixing it up. This neighborhood is a gem, and we thoroughly enjoy everything it offers … until the weekends arrive. Short-term vacation renters, usually crowds of young adults, arrive here for weekends of partying. They ... feel entitled to party as they wish, all day long and into the late night hours. We’ve tried to address the issue directly, but the renter’s response is either an apology without change or a reply telling us to mind our own business. We’ve had one short-term party house behind us for years and now we have another short-term rental beside us. A community filled with short-term rentals is not a community. Short-term visitors come and go with little respect for surrounding residents."

Mariel & John, La Quinta Cove, April 14, 2022

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“This argument that profits trump human rights and health is not a valid, humane position to take.  In reality, property values diminish when you have short-term renters who destroy property, and when you have landlords who purchase these homes with the intent of making a profit out of it.”

Resident Marlene Fradis, addressing the City council, April 6, 2021

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“STVRs ruin communities since you can’t be neighbors with transients.  They also create more noise, cars, and trash can problems than a long-term renter would” (Survey #473)

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“I have owned a rental property in La Quinta for 3 years.  The long-term people were never a problem.  The short-term people are not in a hotel so that they can get drunk, misbehave.  They add little to the economy, they are living out of their coolers in the backyard until they pass out. (Survey #40)

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"We live in a gated community and many of the homes have been sold to investors for rentals. We have 2 on either side of us. We didn’t buy here to hear pool parties. I have no problem with long term rentals. We’ve made friends with several over the years. This has got to stop!" (Steve, PGAW)

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Read more Testimonials from your fellow residents...

THE PROBLEM

The City of La Quinta issued loosely restricted Business Permits that allowed Short-term Vacation Rentals (STVRs) to proliferate in low-density, single-family Residential Zones.

Permitted for large numbers of transient occupants, STVRs are mini-motels. STVRs are businesses, not family residences, and belong in the City's Tourist-Commercial zones, not Residential zones.

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Vacation rentals reduce long-term housing availability and displace residents. The renters have proven to be a nuisance and a danger threatening our resident's quiet enjoyment.

THE SOLUTION

Do what the City Council has failed to do. Ban STVRs in residential zones by putting a Ballot Initiative to voters. Let the voters decide for themselves.

1. Reassert the right to live in non-commercial, single-family residential neighborhoods protected by zoning.

2. Restore and improve our available housing in residential zones for our working families.

3. Restore and return our residential neighborhood integrity, character, and livability.

4. Restrict STVRs to Tourist  Commercial Zones within the City.