Some Tahoe and Truckee officials want to clamp down on visitors flooding the California vacation destination during a stay-at-home order designed to curb spread of the coronavirus.
Representatives with El Dorado and Placer counties and the city of Truckee sent a letter to Airbnb posted on SouthTahoeNow calling for the vacation rental website to help stop short-term rentals when a state mandate prohibits travel.
They are asking for a ban on rentals on the California side of the lake through at least Jan. 1, the date when the order could be lifted if intensive care unit capacity is at 15% or above.
Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced the regional stay-at-home order in early December to prevent local health systems from collapsing under the weight of skyrocketing COVID-19 caseloads.
It divides the state into five broad regions and restricts those with intensive care unit bed capacity below 15%. When enacted, the order goes into effect for three weeks, but can be extended.
Tahoe is part of the Greater Sacramento region that fell under the order on Dec. 10.
The order bans hotels and "any lodging entity" from accepting reservations from anyone except essential workers such as doctors and nurses, but vacation rentals are continuing to operate due to lack of enforcement of the rules.
The letter — signed by Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson, El Dorado Supervisor Sue Novasel and Truckee Town Manager Jen Callaway — asks Airbnb to inform owners and guests of the state mandate and cancel reservations in violation of the order.
It calls on the rental website to "work with property owners to allow for full refunds or rebooking so guests can return to our area when it is safe to do so."
Placer County and the Town of Truckee are exploring ways to penalize short-term-rental operators who rent their properties in violation of the order, according to the letter.
