In 1959, I visited Simi Valley, California for the first time. A lot has changed since my first visit, but much remained the same. By 2007,
I had moved to Simi Valley, settling in the Texas
Tract neighborhood. All around were family homes,
with kids, dogs, cats and friendly neighbors. Homes
were still affordable to young couples and we
welcomed each new family to the neighborhood.
More recently, things began to change in our neighborhood and throughout Simi Valley. Home prices skyrocketed, pricing out all except corporations and savvy
real estate investors. More often than not, each new sale became an illegal
short-term rental. In concert with that, retail establishments and restaurants
in Simi Valley began to close. There was a lack of retail trade and shortages
caused by theft meant fewer places to shop in this community. Fridays, Bed Bath and
Beyond, Pick & Save, Toys R Us, JoAnn and DIY Home Center have all decamped from
Simi Valley, just to name a few. With neighborhoods becoming havens for short-term renters, the
former sense of community is slowly being destroyed.
When the property next door to us bacame a shot-term rental, that spurred me
on to become an activist on this subject. It is my opinion that the Simi Valley
City Council should ban all short-term rentals in the city. Please visit our
About Page and
More Page to learn what the creeping scourge of short-term
rentals is doing to our formerly safe community. To contact Simi Jim and join
our important cause, please visit out
Contact Page.
