Airbnb has played a major role in LA’s housing crisis, enabling landlords to convert thousands of homes into short-term rentals, reducing available housing and driving up rents. Despite laws meant to curb illegal listings, enforcement has been lax, and Airbnb has spent heavily to keep it that way. In 2025, while facing a city lawsuit for price gouging evacuees during wildfires, the company made a $570,000 behested donation at Traci Park’s request. These funds never reached fire victims. Altogether, Airbnb has poured $1,345,000 into electing Park over two cycles, raising serious concerns about corporate influence over housing policy. When Traci Park votes to loosen regulations on short term rentals, allowing the ultra rich to buy up homes, displacing regular Angelenos, and then rent them out to the highest bidder as “vacation rentals,” you’ll know why.

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