— from Sheriff Ron Krebs —
Over the last few days, we have been getting a lot of calls and complaints regarding the vacation rentals in San Juan County advertising their rentals. Everyone is concerned about a huge influx of visitors during this time of crisis, and rightfully so.
We have looked into nearly all of the complaints to date on the vacation rentals. Every one we have contacted has sent back an automated response with something to the effect that they are not renting during the governor’s lockdown. They will resume renting after the order is lifted and will rent if the person is designated as an essential worker. Essentially, of the hundreds of VRBO and Airbnb rentals we have looked into, we have not found a single one that is not complying with the governor’s order.
I know we all want our lives to go back to normal, and we are almost there. In anticipation of what we all hope is a good summer, the vacation rental people are advertising for summer and fall rentals. Advertising for the future is understandable and not in violation of any of the current laws and orders. The Sheriff’s Office has been working closely with the community, the Prosecuting Attorney, and Code Enforcement to ensure none of the current orders are being violated. We have taken an education first approach with great success. Of the two or three people we have had to talk to, all understood and are complying without complaint. We have not had anyone be outwardly defiant of the order and that speaks volumes to the caliber of people we have in this county we all call home.
If anyone has any information of someone violating the governor’s order, please report it to the Covid-19 tipline at 360-370-7609 or email us.
If we all keep doing what we are doing, we will get through this crisis together and will have a great summer. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing and talking to everyone again.
Stay home and stay healthy.
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Awesome! See how our local government is taking frayed nerves and head_shaking regulation into account when responding to the SARS-CoV-2 situation. I cannot imagine a better account (typed I hope by Sheriff Krebs himself, in collaboration I further hope with Prosecutor Gaylord) …not a better account of intelligent, local mediation. Hooray, bravo, thank you!
That said, I do not wish to veil my criticism of government-sponsored Stasi-like hotlines. I will keep a lookout from my fringe, with an open mind and a willingness to change my opinion.
P.S. Flatten the curve, y’all, then we’ll see what’s next!
There are scores of listings for April and new ones being added on airbnb and VRBO. Can’t the prosecuting attorney notify the head offices of these companies that they are in violation of state and local guidelines regarding transient lodging.
They are seeking profit while endangering the health
of thousands of vulnerable people.
“Stasi-like hotlines.” Obviously you never lived under the real Stasi system or you would not be using it so cavalierly and so ignorantly. It is these types of exaggerations that make it easy to ignore real analysis and criticism of our government.
Just a note that many people do not know how AIRBNB works and that has caused confusion and concern. When you see SOLD OUT in an area on the Airbnb map, that may only mean there is no inventory (because your conscientious neighbors have blocked their rentals from being available). Furthermore, because you see a place marked available on the Airbnb home page feed, you may find that when you go to the actual listing it is in fact blocked by the owner for those dates. Some Airbnb hosts simply do not know how to put their listing “to sleep” or block their calendars correctly and that results in it seeming available, however, that host denies the rental request when it comes through by email. Finally, just because you see on an Airbnb listing that a month is blocked or sold out, that does not mean it is rented, only that it is unavailable to rent. What I am really trying to say is: before you judge your neighbors harshly, give them the benefit of the doubt.
“Every one we have contacted has sent back an automated response with something to the effect that they are not renting during the governor’s lockdown.”
So, someone files a complaint because of all the cars going in and out of their neighbors vacation rental over the past couple of weeks… and you get an “automated response”? This says that you didn’t actually go interview the people staying in the vacation rental.
“Essentially, of the hundreds of VRBO and Airbnb rentals we have looked into, we have not found a single one that is not complying with the governor’s order.”
Did you look into this one?
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This is PROOF that an Airbnb reported to the sheriff and county council two days ago is accepting instant book reservations. It cost me to book it, but I’m tired of not being taken seriously AND law enforcement covering up for a FH town council member.
I appreciate what local law enforcement is doing to enforce local rental restrictions, but also want to second Paige McCormick’s hope that Orcas residents, motivated by fear, don’t descend into “ratting out” neighbors and businesses for “perceived” violations. I’m appalled that someone actually named a private individual on this website, this degree of public shaming is abhorrent to me.
This notion that we’re going to keep the virus infection at bay forever is a misconception, IMO. It’s in the community transmission phase. We can
slow down the speed of transmission by social distancing and handwashing, but we’re not going to eliminate it. Incivil behavior, on the other hand, will poison the charm of this community for everyone.
With all due respect, this is one pathetic account of strategic law enforcement activity. Sheriff Krebs is a respected member of our community, but is he actually accepting “autogenerated responses” from computers as legal testimony? Did he actually interview any of us who have witnessed guests physically occupying VR properties? Yesterday? Today? Did he interview the guests themselves? Has he drilled down to the “comments” section of some of the Airbnb listings that say (and I paraphrase) “Oh it was great to stay on Orcas and escape the Governor Inslee’s stay-at-home order.” C’mon Sheriff, you can do better.
Paula, she deserves to be called out publicly, she’s endangering lives and demonstrating her total disregard for the community.
Michael, thank you for going above and beyond to prove publicly what many already knowto be happening, now getting Krebs to actually DO anything about it is a different story. Impartial application of the law, here, in our perfect island community, that NEVER happens…
I prefer any lawful activity by citizens to the limiting of civil rights by government.
An associate who lived in East Berlin, told me shortly after the wall came down, “I always worried, Who was my spy?” Stasi.
Paige, likewise, but how about un-lawful activity by citizens? It’s unfortunate it has come to this, but I equally believe there should be serious social if not legal repercussions to those that flagrantly disregard the safety and lives of their neighbors. Is this not also extremely “Incivil behavior”?
If I go racing through town in my vehicle, totally disregarding the rules that have been established to protect others from injury or death, is it not reasonable to expect someone to report this?
Rabbi Jonathan Sachs in his recent book “Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times” suggests that the community “vigilantism” of online shaming arises from overconfidence in our own righteousness (HT: ft.com). Do we take it into our own hands to “rat out” speeders on Orcas country roads, who endanger our lives by recklessly passing on one-lane roads? Many other examples exist. The fearfulness engendered by COV-19 is underscoring the solipsistic nature of our society, IMHO. Online mobs taking the law into their own hands are still mobs.
Paula, The flip side of that perspective: aren’t those that disregard the lives and safety of their neighbors so they can continue to turn a buck with their airbnb not demonstrating an equal if not considerably more profound solipsistic nature?
“Online mobs taking the law into their own hands are still mobs.”
The only people taking the law into their own hands, (and endangering those around them while doing so), are those who are
operating local lodging establishments in violation of both Governor Inslee’s proclamation, and the SJC Health Officers directive.
As is usually the case, the few spoil it for the many.