San Bernardino Bans Airbnb, Vrbo Rentals After 5 Documented Complaints in Contentious 4-3 Vote

San Bernardino City Council voted 4-3 on April 15 to ban short-term rentals citywide, siding with residents and council members who argued the city lacks the resources to control party houses, nuisance properties and safety risks tied to Airbnb– and Vrbo-style rentals in residential neighborhoods.

Councilman Fred Shorett made the motion to ban, and Councilmember Treasure Ortiz seconded it. Councilmembers Mario Flores and Juan Figueroa joined them in support. Mayor Pro Tem Kim Knaus and Councilmembers Theodore Sanchez and Sandra Ibarra voted against the ban. The public hearing drew nine speakers, reflecting a chamber nearly as divided as the dais.

The vote followed months of debate over whether San Bernardino should regulate short-term rentals or prohibit them outright. City staff returned to council with both options, while City Manager Eric Levitt recommended regulation in the agenda materials. But during the hearing, concerns about enforcement, fire danger, neighborhood disruption and quality of life pushed the majority toward a ban.

Gabriel Elliott, the city’s director of community development and housing, told the council that about 108 properties in San Bernardino are currently listed across short-term rental platforms and said the city’s development code does not specifically recognize the use.

“So part of what we’re trying to do here is to build some standards by which we would actually either regulate or ban the land use,” Elliott said. “Either way we have to go into our zoning code and modify certain parts of the zoning code.”

Elliott said staff had explored both the cost and potential revenue of a regulatory program, including permit fees and transient occupancy tax. He said the city had estimated a potential annual contribution of up to $324,000, with enforcement and related costs still attached.

“We have 108 properties already engaging in this activity and we have no recourse to collect anything out of it,” Elliott said.

According to official city documents, San Bernardino has received five formal complaints, or CRMs, over the last four years regarding short-term rental operations, mostly through the Police Department. Those complaints involved parking violations and blocked driveways, public drinking and lewd acts in vehicles, fights in the street, loud music from homes and vehicles, confrontations with neighbors, reports of attendees being charged admission, and alcohol containers and trash left on neighboring properties, streets and gutters.

The general locations tied to those complaints included the 400 block of South D Street, which had two CRMs, the 500 block of Edgerton Drive, which had one CRM, and the 400 block of Edgerton Drive, which had one CRM. The documents also state the 6000 block of Ashton Street generated numerous complaints and note that Edgerton Drive and Ashton Street were identified by police as problem locations.

Ortiz emerged as one of the council’s sharpest critics of the regulatory option, questioning both the completeness of staff’s data and the city’s ability to manage the problem.

“There’s 108 households right now that are up for discussion in a city with roughly 65,000 households, which means that we are taking out of consideration roughly 64,892 other households that aren’t hosting parties when it’s convenient for them,” Ortiz said. “When we buy our homes, one of the things that is about these attractive areas … is that we aren’t inconvenienced with people using them as a crash pad for their entertainment purposes when we are paying our property taxes, when we are investing into a community for a certain quality of life.”

She also challenged staff’s complaint count, saying, “The math ain’t mathing for me,” and questioned whether many short-term rental-related disturbances were being coded simply as general noise complaints.

Later in the discussion, Ortiz said the city’s broader enforcement struggles made regulation unrealistic.

“A ban is really the only way to get on a map, see what’s being listed and then go cite it,” she said. “Because after the fact isn’t working for residents.”

Ibarra, who voted against the ban, said she shared concerns about nuisance properties and emergency access but was not convinced prohibition was the only answer.

“If we’re going to ban one area of the city, it has to be done across the whole city,” Ibarra said, while also questioning whether a regulatory system could shut down properties that repeatedly disturb neighborhoods. “I understand the families are trying to make ends meet and this is a source of revenue for themselves. But if it affects the whole community, ADA, first responders access, I’m really concerned with that.”

She added, “I’m not against businesses, but I’m also not in favor of causing these problems to our senior citizens or people that need emergency services throughout the city.”

Shorett said he had supported a ban from the beginning and argued that the city is not equipped to deal with the types of issues some short-term rental homes generate.

“I’ve been in favor of a ban from the beginning,” Shorett said. “We just don’t have the resources.”

He said the challenge goes beyond code enforcement because “the issues that we’re experiencing with some of these problem homes are police issues.”

Residents who supported the ban described neighborhoods overwhelmed by traffic, noise and dangerous party activity.

Jose Gomez, who said he lives on Edgerton Drive, told council the city’s map understated how many rentals operate in his area and described a Halloween 2025 gathering that he said drew more than 1,000 people.

“People that come there don’t care about the property,” Gomez said. “They don’t care what they’re doing.”

Alicia Navarro, who said she lives in the East Little Mountain area, warned that rentals in hillside neighborhoods are creating serious fire and evacuation risks.

“Please protect our community before a preventable tragedy occurs,” Navarro said.

Mike Hartley, another resident who backed a ban, told the council, “All you’re doing with these Airbnbs is adding chaos to chaos.”

Opponents of the ban argued the city was targeting responsible operators for the actions of a few bad actors. Eric Meza, who said he helps his mother manage a small on-site rental unit, urged council to adopt rules rather than an outright prohibition.

“A full ban does not solve the problem,” Meza said. “It punishes the wrong people.”

He added, “Don’t ban an opportunity. Regulate responsibility.”

With the April 15 vote, San Bernardino chose prohibition over regulation. Under the city’s framework, operators are expected to be identified through third-party monitoring and notified to stop operating, with enforcement to follow. Official city documents also state the city intends to begin applying its existing 10% transient occupancy tax language to short-term rentals.