Airbnb opponents and backers held a pair of rallies at San Francisco's City Hall on Tuesday as city officials continue to consider regulating short-term rentals and the increasingly popular practice of home-sharing. Airbnb, currently valued at $10 billion based on a recent round of venture financing, has operated in a legal gray area until now.
In the morning, a coalition of landlords and housing advocates condemned home-sharing, arguing that vacation and short-term rentals are squeezing affordable housing out of the city. Supervisor David Chiu has proposed legislation that would require Airbnb hosts to pay San Francisco's hotel tax and create a public registry of hosts.
But opponents says Chiu's proposal doesn't go far enough. A group that includes housing activist Calvin Welch, former planning commissioner Doug Engmann and PR executive Dale Carlson is calling for placing much tougher restrictions on short-term rentals. Their proposal would restrict Airbnb rentals to neighborhoods with commercial zoning, and it would require hosts to show proof of insurance.
On Tuesday afternoon, Airbnb backers held a rally of their own in response to the proposed rule changes.
![Victoria Schaller and Tish Kronen attended an Airbnb rally in front of San Francisco City Hall (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)](http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/IMG_3413-copy-640x426.jpg)
Victoria Schaller came to the rally with her dog, Princess. Schaller has done some cleaning for Airbnb hosts. "I support it because it helps people make a little extra money," she said.
She was joined by Tish Kronen, who rents out her home through Airbnb. "I'm going through a divorce, and if I didn't have this, I don't know if I'd make it through."
![Frank Fahy shows his support for Cher and home-sharing (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)](http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/IMG_3379-copy-640x426.jpg)
Ken Goff has been an Airbnb host in the past, but he doesn't currently have a spare bedroom. Still, he attended Tuesday's rally at Civic Center Plaza. "I believe really strongly in letting small businesses use technology to make money," he said.
![Taxi driver Frank Fahy attended an Airbnb rally at City Hall (Mark Andrew Boyer/KQED)](http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/04/IMG_3385-copy-640x426.jpg)
The Airbnb debate has some similarities to the controversy over ride services such as Lyft and Uber. Frank Fahy drives a taxi in San Francisco, and he has watched a lot of business go to ride services recently. "Everyone who has a car is getting into the taxi business," he said.