Locals in Pacifica have had enough of Airbnb.
In recent years, the number of listings from the short-term rental platform increased 70% in the city just south of San Francisco that’s known for its crashing waves and coastal trails. The local police department has received more than a hundred reports of loud parties and trespassers.
But curbing Airbnb’s proliferation in Pacifica isn’t easy. The company has been fiercely fighting efforts to restrict its business by pouring more than $1 million in the last decade or so lobbying the California Coastal Commission and state legislators, reports Kathryn Wheeler for CalMatters.
In October 2025, Pacifica attempted to restrict short-term rentals in its coastal zone, such as capping the time a property can be rented out with no onsite host from 365 days to 60. But the commission delayed considering the ordinances for more than a year, saying it received “a significant amount of correspondence” about the proposed restrictions and needed additional time “to research and respond.”
About 206 pages of the total 209 pages of correspondence came from one attorney, Frank Angel, and his client, a Pacifica Airbnb host.
Angel is a Santa Monica land use attorney whom Airbnb paid nearly $90,000 between 2025 and 2026 to lobby against Pacifica’s ordinances and $75,000 to lobby against restrictions in Monterey.
Airbnb wants to keep offering bungalows near the beach, arguing that it contributed around $13.9 billion annually to the state’s gross domestic product last year — with nearly 17% of it, or $2.3 billion, generated from the coastal zone.
We’re bringing our voter guide to life through VotingMatters events across California, in collaboration with on-the-ground partners. Our next events are in Orange at Everywhere Bar at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and in Belmont at St. Mark Catholic Church at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Other Stories You Should Know
Riverside sheriff ordered to release ballots
The state Supreme Court dealt a pair of blows to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Thursday, ruling that his seizure of more than 650,000 ballots, as well as his refusal to reverse course when ordered by the state, were both illegal.
As CalMatters’ Ben Christopher and Nigel Duara explain, Bianco in February seized ballots from last year’s special election after local activists claimed there were apparent discrepancies in local election results. When Attorney General Rob Bonta ordered him to back down, Bianco refused, arguing that a search warrant he secured justified his tactics, and that Bonta did not have the authority to stop him.
But the high court rejected Bianco’s arguments, saying that his interpretation of state election law, which requires ballots to remain in the custody of election officials, is “inconsistent with its plain text.” It also reaffirmed that local law enforcement leaders must answer to the state attorney general.
With the ruling, Bianco will be required to return the ballots back to the county registrar. He posted a video social media in which he said he disagreed with the ruling and was considering his options to appeal.
Making sure the fire hydrants are ready for disaster
As California reckons with the effect wildfires have on water supplies, one local fire chief is taking matters into his own hands, writes CalMatters’ Rachel Becker.
After deadly wildfires tore through the Los Angeles area last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state emergency officials to provide detailed measures for local governments to be ready with plenty of water for potential disasters.
A multi-state agency report released in November concluded L.A.’s water supplies were robust, but local water systems aren’t designed to suppress “firestorm conditions impacting an entire neighborhood of homes at the same time.” But the state has yet to go beyond the basics in identifying the measures Newsom called for.
This left local fire services and water suppliers to figure things out for themselves. Without state funding or guidance, Willie Sapeta, fire chief of the Lake County Fire Protection District, coordinated with water companies to draw up plans to keep their storage tanks filled and staff on-call during high-risk fire days. Sapeta also secured a $75,000 grant through a local health system to purchase five remote hydrants.
- Sapeta: “Every (burned) house has a name and a face to it. … We just really needed to do something.”
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Local tax and bond measures draw heavy campaign spending by proponents and opponents — with some local agencies deploying questionable methods to get voters to approve their proposed tax increases.
The state should approve a proposal to protect the marine area linking Santa Cruz Island to the mainland, which would safeguard kelp forests and marine life that are culturally significant to the Chumash, writes Eva Pagaling, a community member of the Samala, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Yakama Nation.
Other things worth your time:
Haphazard pesticide enforcement puts CA farmworkers at risk // Capital & Main (free)
In rare challenge to Trump, SF Mayor Lurie asks feds to release Assembly staffer // San Francisco Chronicle (gift link)
Newsom talks climate with world leaders, accuses Trump of abdicating that responsibility // AP News (free)
Vaccine rates fall short of herd immunity in some San Joaquin Valley schools // The Modesto Focus (free)
What’s next for the state worker telework bill? Its author offers scenarios // The Sacramento Bee (gift link)
In blow to tribes, Newsom vetoes bill that would have remade little-known state forests // Los Angeles Times (paywall)
LA comes to grips with a studio merger many didn’t want // The Wall Street Journal (gift link)
Bay Bridge rush-hour delays could more than double if transit tax measures fail, study projects // The Mercury News (gift link)
The people warning about AI are quietly becoming a political force // The San Francisco Standard (paywall)
In historic first, tropical turtles spotted nesting on CA beaches // The Guardian (free)
