June 16, 2017 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A
OPINION
OBITUARIES
Airbnb generates meaningful
income for local families
E
very year, thousands of people
vacation on the Oregon coast,
taking in the scenic beauty and
visiting local businesses. Responsible
Airbnb hosts help communities
accommodate these visitors, while
earning extra money to help make ends
meet.
Recently, two misleading reports,
paid for by the hotel industry and cited
by local opponents of short-term rentals,
attempted to cast these Airbnb hosts and
the revenue their guests generate for
communities in a negative light.
The truth is that the vast majority of
hosts on the Oregon coast are middle
class residents who occasionally share
their own homes to save for retirement,
make a mortgage payment, pay down
student debt, and make ends meet when
unemployment or illness hits.
Indeed, far from taking housing off
the market, home sharing is helping
long-time residents stay in the homes and
communities they love.
• In Seaside, our 140 active hosts wel-
comed 14,000 guests over the past year,
with the typical host renting their home
for just two nights a month. 64 percent of
GUEST COLUMN
LAURA SPANJIAN
guests are women and 52 percent are over
the age of 50, highlighting how home
sharing is being used as a way to age in
place for many long-time residents.
• In Cannon Beach, our 30 active hosts
welcomed 6,000 guests over the past
year, with the typical host renting their
home for fewer than 30 nights a year.
• And in Astoria, our 50 active hosts
welcomed 6,000 guests over the past
year, with 80 percent of hosts renting
their home for fewer than 90 nights a
year.
Contrary to what the hotel industry
wants you to think, Airbnb is eager
to pay lodging taxes on behalf of our
community. That’s why we have reached
agreements with over 275 jurisdictions
globally, including the State of Ore-
gon and 14 cities and counties in the
state, that extend existing taxes to short
term rentals on our platform. These
agreements — which no longer include
confidentiality requirements -- have
already generated more than $175 million
to support core public services, including
over $13 million to local and state coffers
here in Oregon.
Beyond taxes, we have developed
best-in-class tools to build trust and safety
on our platform, from a $1 million insur-
ance policy that protects hosts, guests,
and neighbors and background checks on
hosts and guests to a 24/7 global cus-
tomer support team and a mutual review
system that weeds out poorly performing
hosts and guests.
In addition, we have worked with
scores of cities to develop regulations that
work for their communities — protecting
public safety and permanent housing,
while ensuring that residents and local
businesses can continue to benefit from
the economic opportunities home sharing
provides.
We’re proud of the community we’ve
built in Oregon and honored to be part of
the long tradition of home sharing on the
coast.
— Laura Spanjian is the Airbnb Pub-
lic Policy Director for the Northwest.
LETTERS
Ignoring South
County
In February 2016, the
Clatsop County Board of
Commissioners dissolved the
southwest coastal region’s
long-standing Citizens Ad-
visory Committee. This was
done without notice to affect-
ed citizens, or an opportuni-
ty to be heard. That decision
was appealed to the Land
Use Board of Appeals which
found errors in the county’s
process.
In September 2016, after
hundreds of area residents
and property owners voiced
their support for the continu-
ing the committee in some
form, the Board of Commis-
sioners again voted for dis-
solution. Again the decision
was appealed, and again er-
rors were found in the coun-
ty’s process.
Now for a third time, the
board has refused to meet and
negotiate with its southwest
coastal citizens, and again
has dissolved the commit-
tee (“County dissolves Arch
Cape design panel,” The Dai-
ly Astorian, May 25). So far,
the county has spent many
thousands of dollars defend-
ing appeals — which they
lost — from county residents
who simply want to be heard.
This is neither prudent fiscal
management, nor good gov-
ernance.
The board could easily
start negotiations with south-
west coastal citizens about
the role of the committee,
and listen to residents’ con-
cerns about having a means
of participating in decisions
affecting their region. But the
county continues to refuse all
overtures.
Southwest coastal resi-
dents want to know what is
happening in their region, and
they want their government in
Astoria to hear what they have
to say. Why is the county ig-
noring their pleas?
Richard and
Catherine Donofrio
Arch Cape
Republicans
need a rebel
What the Republicans need
today is a rebel Republican
like ex-Senator Lowell Weick-
er of Connecticut. During the
Watergate Hearings Weicker
explored President Nixon’s tax
records from 1968-72, arguing
that Nixon had illegally catego-
rized his presidential papers as
tax-deductible “gifts” to the Na-
tional Archives. If there were an
independent Republican in the
Senate today, this same kind of
investigation might prove that
President Trump’s tax returns
have not been released because
they would reveal their own “il-
legality.”
When it comes to Trump’s
never ending defense of his lies
by condemning the free press
as “fake news,” he should listen
to Senator Weicker who said
in 1975, “With minor excep-
tions, research shows that every
major scandal in public office
over the past 20 years was un-
covered by the press.” Trump
will discover that not much has
changed during the intervening
years.
Rex Amos
Cannon Beach
Marjorie Bayless Quarles
Sandsted
Oct. 17, 1932 — May 22, 2017
Marjorie Bayless Quarles
Sandsted passed away Mon-
day, May 22, at the age of 84
in Seaside, Oregon. She was
born Oct. 17, 1932, in Mon-
mouth, Oregon, to Walter
and Agnes Bayless.
Marge graduated from
Ridgefield High School in
1950.
She married Richard
Quarles on May 5, 1951.
They lived in Boise, Ida-
ho, until 1965, when they
bought Sea Breeze Court
in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
Marge operated the motel in
the summers, and the fam-
ily lived in Tigard the rest
of the year. Marge worked
at Tigard High School as a
cook. Richard passed away
in 1990.
Marge married John
Sandsted May 10, 1997. In
2004, the family rebuilt the
Sea Breeze Court. Marge
took great pride in her new
motel. She loved and val-
ued her loyal guests. Marge
loved having company drop
in, and she would always
have her griddle ready for
a batch of pancakes, or had
a pot of her famous home-
made clam chowder brew-
ing on the stove.
Marjorie Quarles Sandsted
The Cannon Beach Bi-
ble Conference Center and
Ecola Hall Bible School
were very special to Marge.
She enjoyed listening to the
guest speakers all summer,
and she encouraged students
to go to the Bible college.
Surviving Marge is her
husband, John Sandsted;
son, Ken Quarles of Can-
non Beach; daughters, Jan-
ice Filley (Dave) of Albany,
Beverly Buschert (Matt)
of Tualatin, Oregon, and
Nancy Pannel (George) of
Henderson, Nevada; and a
brother, Robert Bayless of
Kansas City, Kansas. She
has nine grandchildren and
seven great-grandchildren.
Obituary Policy
Obituaries and notices may be submitted online at www.dailyastorian.com/
forms/obits, by email at ewilson@dailyastorian.com, placed via the funeral home
or in person at The Daily Astorian office, 949 Exchange St. in Astoria. For more in-
formation, cal 503-325-3211, ext. 257.
Volunteer for Relay for Life
The American Cancer
Society Relay For Life is
looking for volunteers. This
year’s Relay For Life takes
place Saturday, July 8, at
Astoria High School. Volun-
teers are needed to help set
up canopies, stage, tables on
Friday, July 7.
Canopies are needed
for donations to the relay.
Bands are sought to volun-
teer their time playing music
as hundreds of people walk
and raise money. Organizers
are looking for someone to
play taps at the closing cer-
emony.
Help community mem-
bers who are fighting this
battle. Contact Laura Parvi,
event chairwoman at 503-
298-8943; lauraannparvi@
hotmail.com.
‘Walk the Land’ with North Coast Land Conservancy
North Coast Land Con-
servancy is marking Oregon
Walk the Land Day on June 24
with a free guided walk start-
ing at Circle Creek Conserva-
tion Center at the south end of
Seaside. Land trusts all over
the state are hosting outings
that day to celebrate their work
to conserve land throughout
Oregon for Oregonians.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Tuesday, June 20
Executive Director Katie
Voelke and naturalist Mike
Patterson will guide partici-
pants on a 2-hour walk on foot
trails, mown paths, and raised
boardwalks beginning at 11
a.m. The walk will provide a
glimpse of the forests in the
Necanicum River floodplain
and lower reaches of Tilla-
mook Head in their many stag-
es: newly planted, dead and
decaying, and everything in
between. This roughly 3-mile
hike will begin at Circle Creek,
one of the conservancy’s larg-
est habitat reserves and also
one of its most dynamic. From
there it will lead up Tillamook
Head and into 340-acre Bone-
yard Ridge. All are welcome
on this outing, but advance
powered by
Cannon Beach Public Works
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163
E. Gower St.
registration is required.
Oregon Walk the Land
Day is organized by the Coa-
lition of Oregon Land Trusts,
of which NCLC is a member.
COLT is a statewide associa-
tion dedicated to advancing
land conservation in Oregon.
Get information about related
events throughout the state at
oregonwalkthelandday.org.
Cannon Beach’s Best Selection
of Oregon and Washington Wine!
UPCOMING
TASTINGS
Thursday, June 22
Cannon Beach Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E.
Gower St.
Shack Hours
Daily
11am to 5:30pm
Tasting Room Hours
Saturdays • 1 to 5pm
Monday, June 26
City Council Work Session, 8:30
a.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Friday, June 30
Cannon Beach Emergency Pre-
paredness Committee, 10 a.m.,
City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
music fi rst
June 17 • Montinore Estate
June 24 • Puffi n Wines
July 1 • D’Anu Wines
July 8 • Kramer Vineyards
July 15 • Crowley Wines
“Best Wine Shop”
- 2016 Reader’s Choice Award
124 N. Hemlock, Cannon Beach - 503.436.1100 - www.thewineshack.wine
Tuesday, July 11
Cannon Beach City Council, 7 p.m.,
meeting and work session, City Hall,
163 E. Gower St.
Tuesday, July 18
Cannon Beach Public Works
Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall, 163
E. Gower St.
Thursday, July 20
Cannon Beach Parks and Commu-
nity Services Committee, 9 a.m.,
City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
GIVE IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE
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ou support the missions of OHSU or
Doernbecher Children’s Hospital with many
y kinds of gifts – wills, trusts, real estate,
personal property, stocks or other assets. Our gift planners are ready to help you explore
xplore
the possibilities and make the most of your
our philanthropy.
CALL OR VISIT US ONLINE TO
O LEARN MORE.
Thursday, July 27
Cannon Beach Planning Com-
mission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E.
Gower St.
Friday, July 28
Cannon Beach Emergency Pre-
paredness Committee, 10 a.m.,
City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Tuesday, Aug. 1
Cannon Beach City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 163 E. Gower St.
Office of Gift Planning | 503-228-1730
giftplanning.ohsufoundation.org | giftplanning.dchfoundation.org