San Clemente Council Declines Short Term Rental Property Permit

SAN CLEMENTE, CA —San Clemente City Council reviewed and rejected a resident's plea to approve his short term rental permit on Avenida San Pablo at Tuesday's meeting. After numerous resident statements both for and against the short term rental application for Avenida San Pablo, the council had much to consider prior to the vote.

It was a packed house at the San Clemente city council meeting rooms. San Clemente's council meeting was three days after an out of control house party ended with one person stabbed, another arrested on Avenida Cordoba. The vote was ill-timed for resident and short term rental operator, Ignat Bokl.

Though many attended to speak up on Bokl's behalf, saying that he is a short term renter who does "everything right," according to numerous speakers, San Clemente was stinging from the violence on Avenida Cordoba, just days before.

READ: San Clemente Stabbing Saturday, 1 Arrested In Violent Attack

During the meeting, several San Clemente residents spoke out on the Avenida Cordoba incident. That nerve-rattling affair was just "a matter of time," according to multiple speakers at the city council closed sessions.

Still, Bokl's neighbors spoke on his behalf, lauding him and other such short term rental owners in San Clemente who are present and proactive.

The home on Avenida San Pablo was designed as a long-term rental property. The issues, he says, stem from the short term use of the property.

Resident Gage Gesiriech said that if a Short Term Apartment Rental permit were issued, there would be traffic issues on the street that are unacceptable. Jed Stamen agreed, saying traffic and noise were the primary reasons the council should deny such permits.

Bokl lives on site, and regularly rents out the three other units in the structure. He has also put multiple security measures in place concerning noise management.

"The incident (on Avenida Cordoba) is exactly what happens when someone does not have the safety of the neighborhood in mind," Bokl told the council. As a rental property owner, he says the best deterrent to house parties at short term rentals is by limiting "absentee owners."

A plethora of his neighbors agreed, including three Wagner family members who spoke on their friend's behalf.

"If more people were like (our neighbor), we wouldn't be having these short term rental problems," Raquel Wagner said at the meeting.

While Mayor ProTem Laura Ferguson spoke out on behalf of the homeowner and his use of the short term rental, Mayor Dan Bane supported the denial of permit.

The motion to deny the short term rental was approved, 3-1, with Ferguson as the lone dissenting voice, and Chris Hamm not present.

San Clemente and other Orange County beach cities continue to struggle with the rules and regulations, as well as new laws regarding short term rental homes.

As of this report, the City of San Clemente shows 800 short term rental properties listed on the VRBO website.