Airbnb spent millions on LA’s 2026 elections, backing candidates for mayor, city attorney, and City Council. Its two biggest bets failed, but the company helped reelect Traci Park in June and spent heavily supporting two council candidates who could still join her at City Hall.
Airbnb is desperate to loosen LA’s short-term rental restrictions ahead of the 2028 Olympics, allowing Angelenos to rent out second homes and investment properties that are currently off limits under the City’s primary-residence requirement. The company claims this would accommodate visitors and generate tax revenue. But that revenue pales in comparison to the millions the City has already left on the table by failing to enforce its existing short-term rental ordinance, not to mention the immeasurable value of preserving housing and preventing the displacement of tenants whose homes might otherwise be converted into STRs.
With its preferred candidates for mayor and city attorney defeated, where does Airbnb turn next? Former Councilmember Mike Bonin suggested to LAist this week that the company may look to the newly configured City Council and try to “count to 10,” the number of votes needed to override a mayoral veto. Mayor-elect Nithya Raman has opposed expanding STRs and promised stronger enforcement of the restrictions currently on the books, making a veto a real possibility even if Airbnb manages to get an ordinance through the Council.
But ten votes to override is an exceptionally high bar, and LA legislative history offers little encouragement for that strategy. In March 2021, the Council voted 11-4 to override Eric Garcetti’s veto of a plan to redirect funds cut from the LAPD budget. According to city officials at the time, it was the first override of Garcetti’s nearly eight years in office. Earlier councils also overrode vetoes by Tom Bradley and Richard Riordan, but confrontations like this have been the exception. Even with several Airbnb-backed or friendly councilmembers, the company appears nowhere near a veto-proof majority. Still, after spending millions trying to reshape LA politics, it’s unlikely to abandon its agenda without a fight.
While ten votes may be out of reach, Airbnb’s political spending has already helped it gain a foothold. Assuming Tim Gaspar and Jose Ugarte win their races, at least six members of the incoming 15-member Council will have documented financial ties to Airbnb.
Airbnb-backed committees spent more than $1 million supporting Gaspar in CD3 and more than $300,000 supporting Ugarte in CD9. In 2024, an Airbnb-sponsored political committee contributed $1.6 million to a political action committee supporting Adrin Nazarian in CD2 and Heather Hutt in CD10. Airbnb has also cultivated relationships through behested payments, charitable donations made to outside organizations at elected officials’ requests. The company made $570,000 in donations at Park’s request and another $25,000 at Councilmember John Lee’s request.
The CD3 race is particularly important in terms of shifting alliances. Outgoing Councilmember Bob Blumenfield has been a vocal opponent of Airbnb, warning that expanding vacation rentals would encourage landlords to convert long-term housing into tourist accommodations. If Gaspar wins, Airbnb could turn a reliably skeptical council seat into an ally.
For now, Airbnb’s political investments have yet to translate into legislative success. The vacation rental ordinance remains in committee and has not reached the full Council for a vote. There isn’t yet a ten-vote coalition supporting it, and the Council previously removed related vacation rental proposals from the City’s budget. Meanwhile, LA’s new city attorney Marissa Roy committed to enforcing the existing ordinance, potentially closing the loopholes and ending the lax enforcement that have allowed illegal STRs to flourish. But Airbnb still has nearly two years before the Olympics and a clear financial incentive to keep pushing.