Hermosa Short Term Rental lawsuit loss could be financial boon
by Kevin Cody Hermosa Beach’s loss of a Short Term Rental (STR) lawsuit last week, Koerner v. Hermosa Beach, could, ironically, provide a financial windfall sufficient for the city to close its budget deficit. At the March 24 City Council meeting, just two days prior to the ruling, Hermosa Finance Manager Henry Chao told the City Council it faces a $548,007 budget shortfall this year. Resident Todd Koerner sued the city for fining him $2,500 for advertising a one bedroom STR in his Hermosa Beach home, as he had since 2012. Koerner suffers from multiple sclerosis and is unable to work. Hermosa Beach banned STRs in 2016, except for non conforming residential units in its commercial districts. In last week’s ruling, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant found Hermosa’s ban on residential neighborhood STRs in the Coastal Zone to be illegal because the City does not have a Coastal Commission permit for the ban. The Coastal Zone extends 1,000 yards inland from the mean high tide, or roughly to the Valley/Ardmore Greenbelt. It represents nearly half of Hermosa’s 1.4 square miles. The ruling requires the City to refund Koerner’s $2,500 fine, and prohibits the City from fining…
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