The sharing economy is creating services far more quickly than the government can regulate them.
Case in point: Hipcamp, a site that lets landowners rent out space for camping. It’s slick and easy to use, unlike the government sites that let campers book spots on public land.
“But like other elements of the sharing economy, the rules and regulations property owners must follow are murky,” writes Kinsee Morlan.
About 20 landowners in San Diego County currently rent out space for campers – among them a retiree who runs an animal rescue that includes “an indoor chicken who suffered a stroke and now barks like a dog.” Some of them told Morlan they’ve made proactive efforts to ensure the whole thing is above board.
Still, there are plenty of issues hosts must navigate – like providing facilities like restrooms, roads for fire and emergency personnel and ensuring access for the disabled.
Politics Roundup: Signatures and Recounts
There were a lot of interesting developments last week as the local and state ballots take shape.
- In the Politics Report, Andrew Keatts and Scott Lewis run down the questions facing the campaign to put a Convention Center expansion on the November ballot, as proponents keep scrambling to gather enough signatures.
- And the U-T notes that with a razor-thin margin separating the runoff candidates for City Council District 8, a recount is very much on the table.
- San Diego Unified is considering putting a $3.5 billion school bond on the November ballot. In the latest Voice of San Diego podcast, Andrew Keatts, Scott Lewis and Sara Libby explain why the projects being proposed as part of the bond sound so familiar.
Border Chaos Continues
The Trump administration’s interpretation of a ruling by a San Diego judge last week saying families separated at the border must be quickly reunited is that families can now be detained for incredibly long periods, writes the Associated Press.
“The interpretation means immigrant families could spend months or even years in detention — even those seeking asylum — because of a years-long backlog in immigration court,” writes the AP.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Times reports that families that seek asylum legally at ports of entry have also been separated, though the administration has said that’s a “myth.”
How San Diego Fared in the State Budget
Last week was a wild one in Sacramento: Multiple measures got yanked from the ballot at the last second thanks to legislative dealmaking, and the governor signed a bajillion-dollar budget (actual budget amount: $201 billion).
The city attorney’s office and San Diego Unified both got some infusions of cash for specific programs in the budget. Advocates who work with human trafficking survivors, on the other hand, are “baffled” that funding for their programs was pulled.
More details on those programs and other news about how the November ballot is shaping up are in the latest Sacramento Report.
The Morning Report was written by Sara Libby.