Don’t fear the ‘other’

Pacaso, this thing is on everyone’s lips. Right now it is the number one topic of discussion. Within this discussion the idea of the “other” has also surfaced. I have no love of this co-ownership business model. It was created by multi-millionaires to make more money that they do not need, benefiting no one but themselves. There are many reasons that a proliferation of these timeshare homes are not needed or wanted in communities. But, fear of outsiders or “others” should not be one of them.

Part of the discussion are party houses, noise, and fear of revolving groups of unknown people in our neighborhoods. The discussion then progresses to short term vacation rentals and tourists in general.  The tourists are labeled as being rude, noisy, and thoughtless. What I would ask is, “Do you travel, and are you sometimes a tourist?” Should you be feared or disliked based on the fact that you are a tourist?  Those that break our rules, should be cracked down upon. The city and county have robust complaint and enforcement systems in place for vacation rentals. I know because we own one. I urge community members to go online to city and county websites to check out how it works. Besides the disruptive impact of tourism, we often forget we create our own quality of life issues; gas-powered leaf blowers, illegal fireworks, and fast, loud vehicles. 

The idea of community is also at the heart of this discussion. That the more outsiders we have, we lose our sense of community. That one day the outsiders will outnumber us and our community will be lost forever.

I often make fun of our tourists. I point them out to my husband. Female tourists wear high heels, fashionable little dresses with straps, and lots of makeup. Male tourists always drape their sweaters over their shoulders like a dead animal. This is my stereotyping. Though inside I may be laughing at them, I do not fear them. I see them as I see myself when I am the tourist. In an Italian hill town, the well dressed women in high heels strolling before dinner probably think I look like crap in jeans, no makeup, and a tee shirt. After hiking in a national park and stopping in a store to buy food, the locals know I am a tourist, from my dust covered legs and hiking boots. They may stereotype me, but I hope they do not fear or dislike me.  People come here for the same reason I travel, to see and experience a place very different from where they live.  

We moved here because we liked the balance of the Sonoma Valley being a tourist destination along with it being a peaceful and beautiful community. And we like wine. The key, I think, is knowing when to put the brakes on. One thing the city and county can control is taxation. Tax second homes, including the Pacasos and charge vacation rental owners a higher yearly fee for their permits. This revue along with TOT should then be used to build and provide subsidies for affordable housing.