Santa Fe District 2 candidates call for stronger enforcement, rules for short‑term rentals

At the forum, short‑term rentals (STRs) drew sharp, often aligned criticism from candidates who said they are exacerbating housing unaffordability and neighborhood displacement.

Paul Bustamante said the city code currently allows unlimited STRs in certain nonresidential zones and reported that enforcement had only two dedicated staff as of November. "We need to bump up that enforcement...and take a look at changing the code so that we could start limiting those numbers," he said, adding that fines should be more consequential for illegal operators.

Several candidates urged different regulatory paths. Messner said STRs should not be allowed in residential areas and called for heavy regulation to protect neighborhoods. Trujillo recommended limits on the concentration of STRs and, while acknowledging some constituents want bans, warned that banning without replacement supply could worsen housing shortages.

Cam Crawford framed STRs as a statewide problem that requires legislative attention, recommended enforcement improvements and floated a vacant‑housing tax to fund affordable housing. Aurora Martinez urged expanding staff, changing the ordinance and imposing stricter penalties to stop displacement driven by illegal STRs.

Stephanie Benonato highlighted enforcement challenges tied to commercial zones and LLC ownership structures that make operators hard to track and criticized a land‑use change allowing developers to avoid on‑site parking as a related policy mistake.

Burl Brechner proposed convening a 30‑day commission of interested parties to clarify the fact set and produce specific recommendations. The forum did not produce any ordinance changes; candidates largely agreed enforcement and clearer regulation are needed.