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Local business groups and renters urge South Lake Tahoe council not to appeal Measure T ruling, ask for quick reinstatement of VHR permits
Summary
Realtors, rental managers and residents urged the City Council to avoid an appeal of the Measure T ruling and quickly reinstate the prior vacation‑home rental (VHR) permitting regime with strong enforcement, arguing the ban cost the city revenue and jobs.
City Council members in South Lake Tahoe heard multiple public comments urging them not to appeal a court ruling related to Measure T and to restore vacation‑home rental permits and the prior ordinance's regulatory framework.
At the meeting, a representative for the business community said an appeal would drag the city into years of litigation and “animosity in our community,” and urged council members to either accept the court decision or move quickly to reinstate Ordinance 1114 so the local rental market and related jobs can recover. “We don't need that as a community — there's too many people that want their jobs back,” the speaker said.
Shannon Whitten, representing the South Tahoe Association of Realtors, told the council her group of about 325 members supports returning to the pre‑Measure T VHR ordinance with robust regulations and enforcement. She said Measure T passed by a narrow margin — “just 58 votes” — and that reinstating permitting could recover revenue from roughly 1,400 formerly permitted VHRs to support city services and local jobs. “We urge you to accept the Court's decision and not pursue an appeal,” Whitten said.
Several property managers and residents backed that position. Lauren Grash, general manager of RNR Vacation Rentals, said many former permit holders hope permits will be reinstated and prefer that to more litigation over lost revenue and hardship. Dugan Smith, a former rental manager, asked the council to “reinstat[e] permits to people that have them taken away wrongfully” and to use council authority to convene stakeholders and refine the ordinance if needed.
Council members did not take formal action on Measure T at this meeting; instead members and staff noted the issue will return to a future agenda item (a special meeting was announced), and council directed staff to schedule continued discussion. The public comments reflected strong local business and property‑owner pressure to move quickly rather than pursue an appeal.
What happens next: Council indicated the Measure T issue will be discussed at a special meeting to continue closed‑session deliberations and later on the April 22 agenda for further public and council consideration.
