This is an abbreviated copy of a letter sent to El Dorado County supervisors Novasel and Ranalli, chairs of the ad hoc committee addressing vacation home rentals (VHRs):

After attending and speaking at the Ad Hoc meeting in Meyers last week, we were encouraged, while at the same time disheartened, to hear other local residents bringing attention to the issues they have encountered with vacation home rentals in their neighborhoods.

Before the county supervisors look at addressing the eight concepts to modify the current VHR ordinances, we feel you should not overlook the desire of many homeowners in the county to eliminate VHRs in our residential neighborhoods. If you choose to only tweak the current ordinance, you will be letting down the people who put you in office and merely kick the can down the road, letting big money change the nature of the place we call home.

Vacation rentals are simply incompatible with the single-family neighborhoods where we have invested so many years and so many dollars. To have our emotional and fiscal investments so casually disregarded by the uncontrolled infusion of VHRs is a threat to our lifestyle and our future.

Excessive noise, parking, trash issues and trespass onto private property adjacent to VHRs are prime examples of this threat.

It is incomprehensible we are not completely clear on separating commercial use from residential use when we are so adamant they pay for permits, submit to inspections and require collection of TOTs. Or are we missing the point? Is this simply an effort to pad the county coffers at the expense of the residents and their quality of life?

We won’t be the first community to restrict this type of use to commercial zones or eliminate VHRs entirely. It appears there is a groundswell to control VHRs in many areas, particularly in tourist environments. If we can find the gumption to do what is right and protect our lifestyles, we will be investing in our future.

We hope you will consider the option of restricting VHRs to commercial land use zones.

Ceci and Mike Guarino

South Lake Tahoe, California