Don't regulate Airbnb- Thoughts from a Superhost

With the recent debate in Arlington regarding the regulation of short-term residential rentals (a.k.a. accessory homestays or Airbnb rentals), I wanted to share my husband’s and my wonderful experience as Airbnb hosts and our concerns about these regulations. I applaud Arlington’s efforts to solicit public feedback and have submitted my thoughts to their online forum, but I wanted to provide some additional backstory.

Why we started hosting:
We rent a room in our three-bedroom condo that is owned by my grandmother. About two years ago, our roommate moved out and we were not interested in having another full-time roommate, yet we couldn’t make the rent on our own. We’d previously enjoyed using Airbnb to travel throughout the country, so, with our landlord's blessing, we started hosting. We've hosted colorful guests from Germany, England, Turkey, the Mariana Islands, and across the US, including a zen master, award-winning scientists, university president, and students presenting at conferences. That said, last year we only hosted only 17 guests for 39 nights and expect a slight increase for 2016. We have an average 4.8 out of 5-star rating from guests and have earned the "Superhost" label.

The proposed regulations:
The current regulations would require hosts to get a permit, authorize home inspections, ban serving food & drink, and limit the number of guests, in addition to a bunch of other bureaucratic red tape I don’t quite understand. Perhaps most significantly, we may be disqualified from hosting guests since we rent our condo and do not own it. I find many of these regulations to be unnecessary and expect them to have an adverse affect on the Airbnb experience and Arlington community as a whole.

Why we need Airbnb:
Airbnb brings visitors and revenue to this area, and it helps hosts like us earn money to put toward the exorbitant price of rent. Most of our guests chose to stay in Arlington through Airbnb because it is cheaper than staying in DC, thus bringing revenue to the community. Our guests have always been kind, cultured, quiet, professional, and eager to get out and explore Arlington. (Oh, and despite the fears that Airbnb guests are coming to take our already scarce parking spaces, only once in two years has someone ever brought their car). Because we rent out a spare room, we consider our guests to be temporary roommates- not hotel guests. Yet these regulations treat us like a hotel and address a problem that doesn’t exist.

Depending on which regulations pass, we may have to quit being Airbnb hosts. We don’t have the time or resources to navigate the pending red tape. What makes Airbnb so special is how it so easily connects people from all around the world to a homestay for meaningful vacations and business travel. These regulations threaten to take away exactly what distinguishes the Airbnb experience from staying in a bland, profit-maximizing hotel. I hope that the new laws won’t take away this vibrant space in our community.

Note: I submitted these comments to the Arlington County Board on November 7, 2016.

Useful links:

• The full list of the 21 proposed regulations
• Share your thoughts on Arlington’s pending Airbnb regulations here by Nov. 15
• Interested in hosting on Airbnb? Use my host referral link

What I've learned from my job search so far

US Capitol photo by Tara Siuk

Two months ago I made a bold move: I quit a job that I liked to find something that better fit my passion for progressive public policy. I had been searching for jobs for a few months before I quit, but I wasn't able to invest much in the process while working full time. As someone who likes to stay busy, having so much free time on my hands made me restless at first. Since then, I've learned a lot that has made me a better person and stronger future employee. Here's what I learned so far, and I hope that this post helps and encourages those in a similar situation:

People want to help
I am extremely grateful for the friends, acquaintances, friend-of-friends, and flat out strangers who have donated their time to meeting with me, shared their experiences, and forwarded job opportunities. I'm still nervous when I reach out to schedule informational interviews, but I nevertheless push myself to do so. It is difficult for me to ask for favors, but I am always pleasantly surprised when I do, and I am eager to pay it forward down the line.

There are many opportunities to learn
Without any obligations during business hours, I'm finally able to attend panels and conferences on subjects I'm interested in, from topics related to my job search (like how to fine-tune your resume) to more academic matters. I've learned about emerging global trends at the Pew Charitable Trusts and youth civic-engagement tactics at the GovHub. LinkTank publishes a great schedule of events in the DC area which I highly recommend, and I make it a point to attend at least one event a week. Not only do I walk out of these events a smarter person, but I get to build my network from meeting other conference goers and by engaging in discussion in person and through social media, In addition to these one-day events, I am also taking an online data science course through JHU/ Coursera to learn new skills relevant to public policy. Many of these coursers are free or very low-cost- I recommend checking them out.

Each job application makes you stronger
After hours and hours of searching for jobs and writing cover letters, I've nailed down my career narrative and identified my clear skill sets. Although it sometimes feels like my job applications go into a black hole, I walk away from each application with a better idea of who I am and what kind of job I want. Each week I find myself making small changes to my resume, and it's growing stronger and stronger. I've received a lot of solicited and unsolicited feedback on my cover letters and resume, and taking the time to implement these suggestions has made them better.

Investing in paid job-search services can be worth it
There are myriad useful, free websites out there, but I'm glad I've invested in some paid ones as well. I bought a subscription to Brad Traverse Jobs, which posts jobs related to public policy and government affairs and found it immediately useful. By consolidating so many intriguing jobs in one place, it is well worth the $5 a month. I also started a free one-month trial of LinkedIn Premium to build my network, find jobs, and make new contacts. At $29 a month, I'm not sure I will continue after the trial ends tomorrow, but it was helpful. In addition to the many online jobs boards, I found these free websites useful for public affairs: Democratic House Resume Bank, House Bulletin, Senate Resume Bank, DC Public Affairs Jobs, and my county government's job board. However, for Capitol Hill jobs--even more so than other jobs-- it really is about who you know, so I am making sure to complement my online networking with in-person networking.

Small goals are important, too
Obviously, my main goal throughout this process is to get a job in my desired field. But setting smaller goals makes me feel more accomplished along the way. An easy goal is setting a target number of applications to submit each week (mine is pretty small because I'd rather focus on crafting the perfect cover letter for a job I really want than send out a bunch of generic ones). I'm thankful that I have enough savings and support from my husband to take this time off to job search. Still, I've set a date a which I will take a part-time job, internship, and/or start temping until I can find a permanent position. That date has given me the confidence and leeway to not give up, as well as something to look forward to.

All work and no play is dull
At first I felt guilty for spending time on hobbies instead of searching for jobs. However, there are only so many hours a day you can check the same job boards again and again. Investing in the things that make me happy, well, makes me happy! I finally got around to making a scrap book for my wedding, volunteering, picking up guitar again, and getting more involved with local organizations. I've even been able to travel a bit and visit some friends and family, and I've read a ridiculous number of books.

My search continues with some hopeful possibilities brewing, but this post is a reminder to myself and others in the same situation that it is not a waste of time. Some days I'm excited by the many possibilities before me, yet others I feel inadequate, discouraged, and hopeless. But that's all ok- this is a learning experience, and we can do this!

More than just a woman on US currency

I'm elated that a woman will finally be represented on US paper currency. But why do so few seem to celebrate that a person of color will also be represented? Harriet Tubman, an activist and abolitionist most known for her leadership in the Underground Railroad, certainly deserves her place on the $20 bill. However, her identity as a black women cannot be ignored. If anything, Harriet Tubman is more known for her work fighting against racism than fighting against sexism. Why, then, is one part of her identity celebrated over another? From the mainstream media to nerdy comics to my Facebook feed, people seemed to ignore this part of Harriet Tubman's identity (and I'm not even getting into the straight-up racist reactions).

An imagined Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.
Source: Harriet Tubman Historical Society

Of course, racism, sexism, and all of these -isms are ultimately connected and perpetuated by many of the same hegemonic power structures. Yet even "progressive" advocates are guilty of perpetuating other -isms.  Many popular feminists like Lena Dunham have been criticized for being "white feminists" insomuch as their work and advocacy excludes the struggles of women of color. (Some feminists of color instead use the term"womanist" instead to separate themselves from white feminists). Speaking of dollars, while white women make only 78 cents on the dollar of what men make, black women make just 64 cents on the dollar and Latinas make 56 cents on the dollar of what men make due to these institutionalized -isms. In fact, some critics lament that putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 goes against everything she fought for by making her a symbol of the oppressive economy she fought against. (Root writer Cedric Mobley has a great response to those critics).

Gender Wage Gap (note that it fluctuates from year to year)
Source: New Republic & AAUW

This post is long overdue, yet the problem remains. Certainly, we need more women, people of color, and other minorities represented on our currency. After all, money is power, and those who we chose to memorialize on currency retain that power symbolically. It should also be noted that Women on 20's, the group that advocated for Harriet Tubman to be on the $20 bill, has a diverse list of women candidates who Harriet Tubman beat out. Let's not make the same mistake when these women get on our currency. Instead, let's celebrate all parts of their heritage & identity.

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* Case in point: a search for "Harriet Tubman woman $20" on Google News yields 49,700 results, while "Harriet Tubman black $20" yields 31,300 results (and "Harriet Tubman African-American $20" yields 11,880). 31,300 + 11,880 still is less than 49,700. I'm unable to find the original print headlines from April 20, 2016 when it was announced that Tubman would grace the $20, but I'm still sleuthing.