Editor:
Every morning when my husband and I take a walk, we always pick up the Santa Monica Daily Press. You do an amazing job of keeping us informed on what is happening in our community.
Today I read in 'Your Column Here' the comments from Cara Brown and here is our reply.
The column on 'Right to Sublet' expressed our views exactly. We are 80-year-old seniors living on just our social security checks. We travel to see children and grandchildren several times a year. We live in a single home and when we started renting our house out while we were traveling, we were so excited that we had found a way to supplement our fixed income. Now the city council, trying to solve the lack of rentable housing problem in Santa Monica, has taken that ability away from us.
We would be happy to get a business license and pay any necessary "hotel tax," and that would mean additional revenue for Santa Monica. The families who rent our house could not afford to come to Santa Monica if it were not for places like ours. And most of these families spend more in the week they are vacationing in Santa Monica than we spend in six months or more. So the merchants, as well as the city, is benefiting.
People like us are: 1) not taking rental units off the market. 2) are long-time responsible Santa Monica residents. 3) are eager to find a way to work out this situation so the legislation can be amended to allow persons who are not taking rentable units off the market, are able to rent their homes or apartments for any period of time without having to physically be on the property themselves.
Arlene and Sid Rosenblatt
Santa Monica
