San Diego still cannot say whether evictions since the short-term-rental loophole came to light resulted in new licenses. The question now meets a deadline: Jennifer Campbell has 59 days left on the City Council, and inewsource reported that her office plans to bring proposed amendments to a committee hearing on Oct. 21.
The underlying issue is a gap between two kinds of information. The concern, first reported by inewsource in February, is that some properties may move from long-term tenants to short-term rentals after tenants are displaced. But the city’s unresolved question is narrower: whether evictions and later short-term-rental licenses can be connected in the cases officials have examined.
A license is not an eviction record
San Diego’s rules require hosts to apply for and obtain a short-term residential occupancy license before offering a unit for short-term stays, according to a city compliance contract. The City Treasurer’s license dataset also says a host may hold only one license and that licenses cannot be transferred between owners or between locations or dwelling units. Those rules describe who may operate a licensed rental; they do not, on their own, establish whether a prior eviction was lawful or show whether an eviction preceded a particular license.
Campbell’s amendments have been delayed. In its October report, inewsource recounted earlier timelines given by Campbell’s chief of staff for preparing amendments, followed by missed target months. Council President Joe LaCava said he has given Campbell time to address the issue, but indicated he would renew efforts on the short-term-rental ordinance if her proposal does not materialize or falls short, the outlet reported.
A separate tenant-protection measure remains pending
The city’s Tenant Termination Notice Registry is a distinct policy track, not the same as short-term-rental licensing. The San Diego Housing Commission says development of the registry is pending further City Council action related to funding and the TRUST ordinance. Its status underscores that notice tracking also awaits council action, but it does not answer whether any past eviction led to a short-term-rental license.
The Oct. 21 hearing is therefore a test of whether Campbell’s proposal advances before she leaves office—not proof that the tracking question will be resolved. Until officials can connect eviction information with licensing records, the number of cases in which displaced long-term tenants were followed by newly licensed short-term rentals remains unknown.
