Elo-Rivera Wants Tourists and Wealthy to Pay ‘Fair Share’

It’s time to pay up.

That was Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s message to tourists and wealthy San Diegans at Politifest on Saturday. 

It apparently struck a chord. Elo-Rivera’s pitch won the most votes in a Solutions Showdown against Mayor Todd Gloria and center-right political consultant Aimee Faucett on creating a San Diego we can all be proud of. 

Elo Rivera’s pitch centered on generating revenue in two new ways: charging tourists fees for access to places like Mission Bay and Torrey Pines golf course, as well as taxing second homes and vacation homes at higher rates. 

The mayor did not make new taxes and fees central to his pitch. I asked Gloria whether forcing people to “pay their fair share” — as Elo-Rivera phrased it — was a good idea. 

“It’s one of those things that the concept, I think, is sound. The devil is in the details,” he said. 

Gloria argued it is important to remain competitive in the tourism marketplace, by not increasing tourism fees so much that people, for instance, choose to hold conferences and events in other cities. 

Elo-Rivera argued, however, that the city and its beaches are world class and shouldn’t be sold short. 

“I don’t think that San Diego is as attractive a tourist destination as it is because it’s the cheapest place in town,” he said later in the day during the taping of Voice of San Diego’s live podcast. 

Elo-Rivera encouraged San Diegans to think of its beaches and its draw for tourists as a natural resource, like gold or oil. The resource, he argued, is currently being extracted without many residents getting the full value. 

“Visitors don’t pay their fair share for accessing these places. They don’t pay their fair share when lifeguards are saving them or preventing them from drowning. They don’t pay their fair share for the roads that they drive on and the impact that that has on your commute,” he said. 

Aside from charging fees to tourists — Elo-Rivera suggested an entrance fee for Mission Bay Park and charging for parking at beaches — he also said his office plans to bring forward a tax on vacation rental homes and second homes.

“Those homes are sitting empty while people sleep on the streets. That’s not okay,” he said. “There is something morally abhorrent in my mind about the idea of 5,000 homes in the city of San Diego sitting empty — luxury homes sitting empty — while people are sleeping on sidewalks.” 

The plan is still in the works, but Elo-Rivera said the proposed tax may be based on the number of bedrooms in each house.

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