Hermosa Beach second short term rental (STVR) fine waived, enforcement ongoing
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach will continue to enforce its ban on Short Term Vacation Rentals (STVRs) in the residential coastal zone despite agreeing to refund $8,000 in fines to two property owners cited for violating the ban, city officials said this week. The refunds followed appeals of the citations upheld by city administrative hearing officer Steve Napolitano, who ruled, “The City’s prohibition of STVRs in the Coastal Zone is invalid….” Hermosa Beach Mayor Dean Francois said the rulings would not deter Hermosa from enforcing its ban. “He’s trying to act like a judge, which he can’t do,” Francois said of Napolitano, an attorney and Manhattan Beach Councilmember. City Attorney Patrick Donegan did not respond to a request for an interview. Instead, Hermosa public information officer Ryan Walker responded to the request with an emailed statement he said “can be attributed to City Attorney Patrick Donegan.” The email read, in part, “Hearing officers cannot invalidate or overturn duly adopted ordinances by the City. As such, the City will continue to enforce the short term rental ban as currently constituted.” The email further stated, the city’s STVR ban was twice upheld by the…
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