Skift Take
The Mayor's Office, Airbnb, and SFO all talk about an ongoing "dialogue" and "conversation," but any timelines are vague and the city’s own neighborhood associations, let alone its residents, aren't yet part of the discussion. The sharing economy will one day be regulated in San Francisco, but there's still much work to be done.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee has long been outspoken in his support for new laws that would foster a thriving environment for the emerging sharing economy. How does he describe the laws that restrict the growth and legality of travel startups in the the Valley?
"Outdated."
It turns out that other state stakeholders are open to the idea as well.
Earlier this month the Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation teamed up with Airbnb and GIS software creator Esri to host a hackathon that sought technical innovations that "re-imagine how tourists and residents experience and explore the City of San Francisco."
When asked about the legal barriers that startups already targeting tourists in the Bay area contend with, Jay Nath, the Mayor's Chief Innovation Officer said, "It goes back to a larger discussion that we’re having about the sharing economy. We’re applying 20th century rules to a 21st century model."
"It’s a big organization and it takes time for the regulatory environment to change," says Nath. "It's about having the conversation with different regulators."
Car sharing
In mid-February, airport car rental startup FlightCar received a cease and desist letter from SFO, hours after its official launch.
“…even when we launched we knew it wouldn’t last very long. It was little surprise that they issued a cease and desist, but it was surprising how quickly they reacted," explains Kevin Petrovic, co-founder of FlightCar.
