The commissioners did not answer the last email. This is today's question:
Dear Commissioners,
Given the housing challenges described in Clallam Bay and Sekiu, what is your rationale for not pursuing more flexible short-term rental policies (e.g., voluntary incentives or deed restrictions) to immediately increase long-term rental stock?
Thank you for the question. The housing challenges in Clallam Bay and Sekiu are real, and I agree that increasing long-term rental availability deserves urgent attention. As an individual commissioner, I cannot commit the Board to a policy decision outside an open public meeting, but I can explain my reasoning and outline how I believe the Board should evaluate solutions through a transparent process.
Why “immediate” STR conversion tools have limits
My hesitation to pursue immediate changes to short-term rental (STR) policy through voluntary incentives or deed-restriction programs is not because those tools are invalid, but because their effectiveness depends on factors beyond price alone. Research and practice show that STR-to-long-term rental (LTR) conversion is often constrained by legal, risk, and administrative asymmetries, particularly in Washington State (MRSC, 2021; MRSC, n.d.-a).
Under Washington’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, long-term landlords assume significant procedural, financial, and possession risk, including strict notice requirements, limited termination options, and potentially lengthy eviction processes. STR operators, by contrast, do not create tenancies and retain near-term possession and control of their property (RCW 59.18; RCW 64.37). This means that even when long-term rents are competitive, STRs can remain the lower-risk option. As a result, price-based incentives alone may not produce meaningful conversion.
Market constraints beyond STRs
More broadly, if this were a fully functioning housing market, housing supply would follow available work. The persistence of shortages despite employment opportunities indicates constrained supply elasticity, not lack of demand. Economic research consistently finds that regulatory friction, high fixed costs, and uncertainty disproportionately suppress small-scale and incremental housing—precisely the type of housing rural communities rely on (Saiz, 2010; Brookings Institution, 2020).
In Clallam County, incremental housing pathways—such as ADUs, RV occupancy, or small conversions—are especially sensitive to predictability and by-right compliance. The County’s current work on vacation rental standards and RV occupancy reflects this tension and should be evaluated as part of a coordinated housing-supply strategy (Clallam County Code, n.d., ch. 33.51; Clallam County Department of Community Development, 2025).
Governance considerations for deed restrictions and incentives
Voluntary deed restrictions can be lawful and appropriate in some contexts, but they are not an “immediate fix.” They require clear terms, proper recording, long-term monitoring, and enforcement capacity to remain equitable and legally durable (RCW 64.37; MRSC, n.d.-a). From a governance perspective, it is important to estimate participation rates, conversion yield, and administrative cost before committing public resources.
What I will advance to the full Board
Rather than dismissing flexible STR tools, I believe the appropriate next step is to bring them forward as part of a broader supply-focused discussion. I will ask that the Board place this issue on a future agenda and request a staff options memo that addresses:
1. Baseline conditions in Clallam Bay and Sekiu (rental stock, STR prevalence, workforce housing gaps).
2. Supply constraints the County can influence, including regulatory friction affecting incremental housing.
3. STR policy tools, including voluntary incentives and deed restrictions, with realistic conversion estimates and administrative requirements.
4. Risk asymmetry considerations, acknowledging differences between STR and LTR legal exposure under state law.
5. Performance metrics, so the Board and public can evaluate whether adopted changes actually increase long-term rental supply.
This approach aligns with the Growth Management Act’s housing goals and reflects best practices in evidence-based local governance (RCW 36.70A.020). My objective is not to favor one housing model over another, but to reduce unnecessary barriers so safe, lawful housing can respond to demand where it otherwise would.
Respectfully,
[Commissioner Name]
Clallam County Commissioner, District 3
References
Brookings Institution. (2020). Who’s to blame for high housing costs? It’s more complicated than you think.
Clallam County Code. (n.d.). Chapter 33.51: Vacation rentals.
Clallam County Department of Community Development. (2025). Draft ordinance – RV use ordinance (updated 11-24-25).
Municipal Research and Services Center. (2021, December 30). Affordable housing and the impact of short-term rentals.
Municipal Research and Services Center. (n.d.-a). Affordable housing techniques and incentives.
I hate this scapegoating of STRs. If we had a more diversified and vibrant economy, people wouldn’t focus on STRs as much. STRs and tourism have been one of the only areas of strength while we see an exodus in timber. Port Angeles just went through two years of STR scapegoating and despite the return of 75-100 homes to the long term only market (when new single family home construction is roughly 15/ year), this has not suddenly created an excess of affordable housing. I can already feel the county falling for the same baseless arguments. There are no massive portfolios of STRs owned by out of towners or funds like Blackrock. Underperforming jobs and wage growth, along with rising global inflation are the primary reasons for our struggles. Here we go again. Mike French once told me “no one should own a second home if others are seeking shelter”. This is so out of touch with reality when 46% of the homes in PA are rental properties! I suspect there will be future STR regulations. Just remember that we are not Leavenworth nor are we Miami Beach. We are an economically depressed community where the local government continues to make it harder to survive.
Jake, the two paragraphs you wrote below indicates huge cuts to many NGO funded programs. This includes the MAT type programs and other tribal grants. The scramble for money will be a real tug of war. Commissioner French’s offered solutions are NOT solutions, they are traps to the citizens. Where, in Mike French’s solutions do the citizens profit? NONE. Everyone of his solutions punishes the tax paying citizen.
“As federal grant funding declines, Washington officials have largely chosen to maintain existing spending levels rather than scale back programs. Clallam County’s commissioners are no exception"
"When funding dries up, officials simply extract more from taxpayers...but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead"
COMMISSIONER MIKE FRENCH OFFERED A SLATE OF GOVERNMENT SOLUTION:
(1) APPROPRIATING STATE LAND for the prison to build housing for its employees.
(Outside contractors? Hire the Sovereign business contractors?)
(2) find a contractor and manager to build housing, AS IT HAS WITH PENINSULA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (Outside contractors? Hire the Sovereign business contractors?)
(3) Homes with large PAST-DUE SEWER BILLS COULD BE PURCHASED BY THE COUNTY (Foreclosures? Creating more homelessness?)
(4) properties owned by the county that COULD BE SOLD. (To Whom? One guess! And Who will really benefit????)
Jake, Thank You for putting forward solutions that benefit both the tax paying citizen while not increasing spending...your solutions are geared to saving money, not flogging its good citizens!
Thanks, Jennifer. NGOs that fail to deliver measurable outcomes should not continue receiving public funding. Programs should be evaluated based on their ability to graduate people out of homelessness and addiction — not by how many individuals remain stuck within the system.
When any local or state government becomes dependent on federal grant money to survive, they are simply postponing a day of reckoning when that funding is no longer available. These grant are also one reason (but not the only) our federal deficit is astronomical. Never forget that what the government gives, it can also take away … and at some point, probably will.
Robert, I have to quote you again, "they are simply postponing a day of reckoning when that funding is no longer available"
IMO many NGO causes are fads that always fade as they are proven to fail. Harm Reduction is nothing more than another, "guaranteed weight loss diet program" If it is too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
Many years ago when I visited Yosemite National Park I saw a sign that said, "Please don't feed the wild animals because when you do they become dependent on humans and won't feed themselves".
Steve O. so true. Strait Shooter wrote one of the on target articles about this feeding of the homeless. IMO his "drive thru viewing and feeding the homeless", was priceless. I can't find it right now. Anyways, the article was both true and tragic. I'll look for.
HA_ I thought about that when I watched the video of the Sequim church promo for their empty safe parking. A shed full of safety vests- did they think the 3 parkers at full capacity would have that much trouble spotting them? It was if they had never seen their target subjects "in the wild."
Exactly! Who is he to tell the people how much they can own/buy/save with their money. He acts like it's his money: he's the parent, we're the children.
I never know if politicians actually believe what they say of if they are appealing to a constituency. Nancy Pelosi is extremely wealthy yet she espouses a left wing agenda. I think that he is lying and if he owns a diversified stock portfolio he owns REITs which are rental properties.
LOL Susie Blake. Many years ago I was walking down the bike path on Hendrickson with a Socialist friend and a giant pickup truck roared past us. He said, "Nobody needs a truck that large". I said, "Nobody needs a smart phone either". A prosperous society ends when a government agency abandons all private property and plans the economy. This process worked well for Stalin individually but not for the peasants who starved as a result.
I think voters are governed by emotions and good intentions. The cure is often worse than the disease. In California there seems to be a negative correlation between government expenditure and the reduction of the homeless condition. As the state government spent more for programs to reduce the size of the homeless population it increased! Personally, though if I were obligated to choose between two evils one being a homeless population and the other being raped by excessive taxes, I would reluctantly choose the first option. I am sick of federal income taxes which I think are theft.
Our voters behave like trained seals. Our federal government steals money from every paycheck throughout the year and returns a pittance the following April and the seals clap. The original income tax was expanded to fund a ludicrous battle called WWI and like most taxes it only increased afterward. Most citizens do not realize that if government programs did not exist a private agency would take the reins and do a better job. Public education is a perfect example of this defective process.
Robert James you often point to defects in collectivist societies, and I have noticed whenever a Communist debates the subject they cannot present an example of a successful communist country. They claim that Cuba, China, The Soviet Union and Kampuchea didn't practice "real Communism" which leads me to believe that Communism (government controlling the means of production) is only a theoretical model. In the final stage according to Marx a government force would not be necessary, yet government force is always necessary, and the final stage is never reached. Marx did not understand human nature. No communist living in this country wishes to surrender his smart phone, car or house to an indigent yet they expect others to forfeit theirs.
These armchair Communists often point to European countries that might be called socialist but the only reason they can provide extravagant social programs is because they are also capitalist. Free markets and liquid capitol provide economic growth not governments. Government is the tapeworm inside the intestine.
In most circumstances I trust the marketplace to solve problems. Increase the supply and prices will fall. I am a Boomer and my generation has prospered because we purchased houses and stocks many decades ago. I don't envy Gen Z if their goal is to own tangible assets because they are all expensive at the current time. My old expensive neighborhood in California featured rental sheds, garages and illegal house additions that all provided low cost housing in a very expensive market. If somebody wishes to live in an RV located in a backyard why should any government agency intervene? OTOH our governments should not subsidize our citizens with food and shelter. If somebody can't afford to live here the middle part of our country has plenty of cheap housing.
Most theories fail because they begin with a faulty premise such as the idea that Clallam County should lay out a welcome mat for dope addicts and petty thieves. Leavenworth might be a perfect example to pursue. I would also suggest Vail Colorado as a paradigm of hope. Clallam County does have mountains, snow and water but lacks the atmosphere of a successful sky resort or tourist attraction. Vail is very expensive, yet workers commute to the area which BTW has an excellent hospital and robust economy. In order to develop a decent revenue stream Sequim needs to attract wealthy citizens because they spend more than poor people. As the area grows the region will be divided into two parts which will be the poor area that will be filled with crime and the wealthy area filled with high fences and alarm systems.
I am happy to read that short term rentals are addressed and discussed as part of the housing crisis. It’s not just our area, as you pointed out, it is a crisis felt throughout the country in communities that once could attract young families and professionals when seniors relocated or opted to sell their older homes. This recycling sustained every age group and professions. “Scapegoating” is perceived only by those who own a largely vacant house. Many owners of Airbnbs who purchased older homes for short term rental do not live in the communities and have no interest in the community except to profit from it.
Wealthier folks, not living in the community, use short term rentals as a business model. Tens of thousands of homes across our country have been removed from the residential market . Country-wide research show desirable locations have homes sitting vacant most of the year. These homes once provided affordable housing for young families. (A small apartment-type, cottage or ADU rental is not the problem)…the crisis occurred from removing homes from the housing market entirely. This vacation rental problem needs to be part of the housing crisis conversation. Cities and counties need to understand the cause of the housing shortage. They need to start more assertive control of the vacation rental phenomenon. Not only do communities suffer from this practice when young families and professions of all variety can’t find homes, but neighbors suffer as well.
To pretend this practice is not a problem for communities is to be uninformed. Never in the history of our country has there been such a huge wealth gap and consequently the ruination of affordable homes. Investment groups or individuals holding houses off the market have created the housing crisis. Sadly, greed has overtaken the concept of the “ common good”. It’s not a mystery that owners of such vacation rentals will oppose the more assertive regulations that will revitalize a community, but the majority of residents in a community and young families just starting out will be justly served.
Kathleen, I am very knowledgeable on STRs - especially relative to Port Angeles that implemented new regulations two years ago. Please feel free to give me a call 360.808.5154 so I can better help you understand our local housing and lodging markets. Here are a bunch of datapoints for you to ponder: In Port Angeles, we had more blighted homes than STRs. We have more vacant homes from snowbirds than STRs. We are very inefficient with our existing stock as we have 2-3x the state average for retirees that have a lifetimes worth of processions in a 3-4 bedroom home with only 1-2 occupants. Please call our largest property managers and listen to Sharon at Serenity House presentation with the Economic Development Council. All of them talk about the low quality tenants that can’t meet application requirements and/or cause significant damage to rental properties. We are a gateway to a national park and we have not built a hotel in decades. Tourist lodging is so tight that we don’t have capacity for local little league baseball and basketball tournaments. You are trying to generalize extreme conditions in some cities as evidence here in Port Angeles. We have less than 2% of our housing stock dedicated to STRs (many other communities have placed caps at 5-16% of housing stock). Please make sure you consider the other 85-98% of homes that are available yet vacant, blighted or inefficient. Please also don’t forget that Port Angeles has not built a notable multi family apartment in 20 years! A list of every STR owner in Port Angeles showed that there were no large portfolios owned by out of towners. In fact, many STR owners were locals trying to supplement their income given the local economy has massively underperformed. I have many other local datapoint that I am happy to help educate you. Please make sure you also analyze lodging tax growth and the use of those funds for our parks and little league field, etc. most importantly you MUST research jobs and wage growth, inflation, construction costs, etc before you jump to blaming STRs
Steven, I've always followed you (not because your picture looks like a staged lawyer...comment meant as humor ; )) but because of sane comments. Missed you for a while. I'm thankful you are back with more intelligent information ; )
Thanks Jennifer! There is a funny story behind that photo (which is me presenting on CNBC/Bloomberg TV). Here is a video link: https://youtu.be/H5NPkJJJGug
I previously used that photo on Facebook, but whenever I sold something on Marketplace, a few locals saw the pic and immediately called me a scammer in the comments! I eventually changed the pic to my wife and I on Hurricane Ridge with messy hair and a five o'clock shadow. Now no one calls me a scammer. I guess Clallam County is a no suits and ties community.
I do have to say, I appreciate the professionalism when city staff show up to meeting with a minimum of office casual attire or better. It is off putting when council or commissioners put in less effort than their staff. Maybe it is unfair, but I expect my leaders to at least meet the bare minimum of what I would expect of myself on the job when they are working.
Steven, thanks for the youtube. Honestly, I thought it was just a picture. Again, you are a wealth of trusted knowledge. We couldn't afford to hire someone with your backround...and it's truly FREE. We don't even have to pay for the PIZZA ; )
You have always been so helpful gathering data and sharing it for understanding. Do you have recent numbers on the quantity of blighted and in limbo dwellings in PA? For example the old Tempest house eyesore had several units and the purchaser seems to be a shell corp but was supposedly going to develop condos? Or the former Arlene Engel home PBH closed due to damages, new owner moved the structure over 1 lot to create sober living but project sits idle. I think that building housed at least 8 or 9 folks before PBH shut it down. What about the blighted single family homes that code fails miserably to address, like the burnt out house on Motor street? I can think of at least a dozen known long term "drug houses" around town that would have been seized in a raid an auctioned off in any other state years ago. We have way more serious issues than STRs.
Steve, please provide the number of STRs in our county. That’s the bottom line. I note you didn’t provide that important number…why not? It’s close a thousand…1,000.00….A thousand homes sit empty most of the year. You might want to ponder that.
Kathleen. Thanks for that datapoint! According to the census which was five years ago, there were roughly 40,000 housing units in Clallam County (though I suspect 500+ more today). So your estimate of 1,000 represents less than 2.5%. If that is the “bottom line” what about the other 97.5%? This is why I used the term “scapegoating”. We are not drowning in STRs. We are in fact MUCH lower than many other communities. For example, Chelan County WA placed an STR cap at 6-9% of total housing stock. (FYI… Chelan County also has a similar population as Clallam). Jefferson County also placed a cap at 4%. If you want to learn more about the full picture, I am happy to help you understand the nuances. I am a bit embarrassed, but I have likely spent several hundreds of hours researching our community. Please email me at stevepelayo@gmail.com.
Here are the negatives of short term rentals that some refuse to acknowledge:
Short-term rentals (STRs) negatively impact communities by reducing long-term housing supply, increasing housing costs, and disrupting neighborhood character through noise, traffic, and transient populations, creating safety concerns and straining local services while diminishing community cohesion. They can also raise property values, making affordability harder, and lead to greater demands on HOA maintenance and policing.
- As I tried to tell you, Port Angeles has seen a REDUCTION in hotel capacity while much of the existing stock has deteriorated to two stars. Not only are STRs filling a need, the lodging taxes collected are benefitting our community. In fact, the LTAC Fund was one of the most overfunded. In addition to major events that additionally contribute to sales taxes and general economy, LTAC also paid for things like the City Pier Tower, Dream Park, BMX Track, Little League and more!
- There is no proof that STR increased housing prices. I can show you the data. A ranking of median home prices shows Clallam County remains 15th most expensive. If STR's had such a profound impact, why didn't housing prices grow faster here?
- Many neighbors testified at City Council meetings that STRs revitalized and beautified their neighborhood. Imagine if all your neighbors properties were reviewed online! Some neighbors were happy that STR were better than the the poorly maintained or poor quality tenants that were previously renting long term. Many STRs were former vacant and blighted properties that someone took the risk to invest in our community! With regard to community cohesion, many neighbors said they enjoyed meeting visitors and being ambassadors for our community.
- On safety, Police Chief Smith said STRs "made his job easier" and that "he never gets calls". AND he specifically said that "I could quote him on that".
Bottom line, I am not trying to advocate for a massive wave of STRs. The data clearly points to a need for balance. Please watch my presentation about Clallam County's demographics and economy. We are losing jobs faster than we are creating them. Wages are growing slower than other communities. Our greatest export are our children that must move for better economic opportunity. We simply no longer can rely as much on timber and marine related industries. I don't want us to turn into Leavenworth, but I think tourism is an important piston in our economic engine. I will never argue for an extreme position one way or the other. Every discussion has nuance. This is why I so strongly support "balance".
Specific to housing... I don't think we have a housing crisis. In fact, the inventory of homes available for sale right now is among the highest it has been in many years. Please look at Zillow. From Blyn to Joyce, there are 450 homes for sale today and 63 available rentals. And Zillow does not capture a significant number of properties. Call James and Associates and ask them how many rentals they have available today (their website shows 17).
THE REAL CRISIS IS A LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.... which is officially defined at 80% of area median income or AMI. In Clallam, AMI is roughly $60,000, so we are talking about homes for people that make $48,000 a year. Housing and Urban Development argue that housing should cost one-third of income, so that is ~$16,000 per year or $1,350/month (including mortgage/rent, utilities, taxes/insurance). The only homes that would really rent for this are multifamily apartments, ADUs, or perhaps a small cottage home. I don't think converting STR's into long term rentals will create affordable housing.
Again, let me know if you want any links to data from Comprehensive Plans, Housing Action Plans, building permit data, Census, Washington State Auditors, US Dept of Commerce, median home prices, etc. I am a financial analyst that cares about revitalizing our community so I have created a lot of spreadsheets. I have also gone out and personally set up meetings with the management teams of our largest employers. I can share many insights from those meetings as well.
STR's are way easier on the owners/landlords...more profit, less hassle...no 120+ days to evict...or worse...thousands to repair and dispose of toxic waste, etc...possibly multiple times a year...business deductions...probably more...just sayin'...good tenants are as hard to find as good landlords!😎
Steve, so you say and assume. I consider the neighbors and people with professions like doctors, nurses, health care professionals, lawyers, teachers, law enforcement officers, and their families, not to mention the hundreds of other jobs wanting permanent employees, who can’t find or afford homes because what used to be available and affordable, older inner city smaller homes that seniors used to live in are now off the market. There are other factors, of course, but young families and neighbors and neighborhoods are the worst affected. And you still did not explain why you left out the number of short term rentals, preferring to throw out percentages, which are meaningless to most who are wanting to move here permanently and start professions or raise their families.
I am confused? We can comfortably say >95% of homes in Clallam County are available for rent or full ownership, so how can you argue that STR are the problem without acknowledging ANY of my supply and demand based analysis? Further, you stated I "left out the number of STRs"? I only officially know the City of PA (COPA) STRs are capped at 200 (out of a housing stock of ~10,000 or roughly 2%). We are at 194 now as this cap has not been hit (link here: https://cityofpa.us/1389/Current-Short-Term-Lodging-Data). I also have no idea what are the exact number of STRs in Clallam County. Your estimate of 1,000 seems a reasonable. I know the county housing stock using census data is close to 40,000. Bottom line, I rely on a lot of data backed by local/state/federal government or third party sources. I have studied other Washington communities that have all compromised and committed to STRs at much higher portions of their housing stock. I have significantly more anecdotes from all of my meetings I am happy to discuss as well. The future is balance. I think we can both be right and I am always open to learning more. Please share your analysis on our local community.
See my responses to Kathleen. Port Angeles is less than 2% of housing stock today. I don't know for the county, but 2-3% seems like a reasonable guess. Jefferson County has put a cap on at 4%. Chelan County has caps between 6-9%. Bottom line, we are not drowning in STRs and >95% of housing is available. It is true that some communities (ski resorts or beach front) have higher portions in certain defined neighborhoods (e.g. Hawaii as "resort zones".)
There can be found many documentaries/articles that cover the short term rental phenomenon around our country. I’ll have to go back to them to supply numbers or percentages. It is definitely a problem in communities that have any amount of “attractions” such as water bodies, ski slopes, National Parks and so on. Along the Columbia River in our own state is an example, not to mention Pacific Ocean, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, etc.
The population bomb is a huge factor...our families started out with remodeled chicken coops and old skid-shacks from the logging camps and most were able to upgrade with buying, remodeling, maintaining older homes...this started changing in the 70's when the number of people needing housing was greater than the 'old stock' housing...debt went up as people had to buy new homes and new furniture, etc. This all went along well enough for a couple decades, then things went rapidly downhill with exploding governments and national and personal debt while inflation destroyed buying power...the collapse is inevitable sped up by socialist/communist infiltraition in communities and governments! Do your best...prepare for the worst!🤪
Most residents share the same basic civic goal: to live together in peace and safety while preserving personal liberty and property rights. That balance is the foundation of local land-use authority under Washington law and federal constitutional doctrine (RCW 36.70A.020; Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 1926).
When reviewing the proposed RV, ADU, and vacation-rental ordinance amendments, it is important to clearly define the public harms the County is trying to prevent—and regulate no further than necessary to address those harms. The legitimate public interests at issue are well known: safe water and sewage systems, fire and life safety, environmental protection, noise and nuisance prevention, overcrowding, and prevention of unauthorized commercial use in residential zones (RCW 19.27; RCW 70A).
The draft ordinance already includes objective standards addressing these impacts. However, additional restrictions based primarily on housing type—rather than on measurable impacts—risk regulating form instead of outcomes. Courts have repeatedly held that land-use regulations must bear a rational relationship to legitimate public purposes and may not impose arbitrary or unnecessary limits on property use (Guimont v. Clarke, 1996).
Planning best practices support a performance-based approach: once health, safety, and environmental standards are met, compliance should be allowed by right, regardless of whether a resident lives in a stick-built home, an ADU, an RV, or another lawful shelter (American Planning Association, 2019).
Refining the ordinance to regulate impacts rather than housing form would strengthen its legal defensibility, improve compliance, and better protect both community well-being and property rights.
References
American Planning Association. (2019). Planning for accessory dwelling units.
Guimont v. Clarke, 121 Wn.2d 586 (1996).
RCW 19.27; RCW 36.70A; RCW 70A.
Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926).
Sample Ordinance Amendment Language: This language is intentionally modular. Reviewers can adopt all or part.
A. New Section — Purpose and Performance Standard
33.___.0XX Purpose and Performance-Based Residential Occupancy
A. The purpose of this Chapter is to protect public health, safety, and welfare by regulating the impacts of residential occupancy on private property, including but not limited to sanitation, fire safety, environmental protection, noise, overcrowding, and land-use compatibility.
B. Residential occupancy shall be regulated based on compliance with objective performance standards rather than the type, style, or construction method of shelter, except where classification is required to administer state or federal codes.
B. Residential Occupancy Performance Standards (Universal)
Any residential occupancy on private property shall comply with the following:
Water Supply
Occupancy shall be served by an approved potable water source meeting applicable state and county health requirements.
Wastewater Disposal
Occupancy shall be supported by an approved sewage disposal system sized to actual occupancy, in compliance with environmental health regulations.
Fire and Life Safety
Occupancy shall comply with applicable fire and life-safety standards appropriate to the level of risk, as determined by the Fire Code and State Building Code.
Environmental Protection
Occupancy shall not encroach upon critical areas or buffers except as allowed under applicable regulations.
Nuisance Prevention
Occupancy shall comply with noise, solid-waste, and public-disturbance regulations.
Use Intensity
Residential occupancy shall not constitute a commercial or industrial use unless otherwise permitted by zoning.
C. Role of Definitions (Clarifying Amendment)
33.___.0XX Application of Definitions
Definitions of dwelling units, recreational vehicles, park models, and similar structures are retained solely for the purpose of determining applicability of state building, fire, labor and industries, and environmental health codes. Such definitions shall not, by themselves, prohibit residential occupancy where performance standards are met.
D. Removal of Discretionary Approval Where Standards Are Met
33.___.0XX Administrative Review
Where residential occupancy complies with all applicable performance standards, approval shall be administrative and nondiscretionary. Conditional use permits shall be reserved for uses demonstrating materially greater or uncertain impacts.
E. Enforcement
33.___.0XX Enforcement Authority
Nothing in this Chapter limits the County’s authority to enforce violations related to health, safety, environmental harm, nuisance behavior, or unauthorized commercial activity.
How many employees needed to inspect this proposal along with substantial fines for noncompliance? Also will need more attorneys to handle the lawsuits resulting from this complex compliance? It’s endless problems whereas buying an affordable home is a win-win for the entire community.
That’s a really important point, and I don’t want to assume facts not in evidence.
This proposal does assume that existing health, fire, environmental, and nuisance codes are being enforced as written. If they are not — or if staffing, inspection, or follow-through is inconsistent — that’s a separate governance problem that no amount of new policy language will fix.
If you’re aware of gaps in enforcement capacity, staffing constraints, or patterns where the County is unable to carry out its existing duties, that’s something the public absolutely should surface and address first. Clear rules only work if there’s a baseline ability to administer them.
That said, part of the reason for suggesting a performance-based approach is precisely to reduce reliance on discretionary approvals and case-by-case interpretation, which are the most resource-intensive and litigation-prone parts of land-use regulation. Clear, objective standards tend to make enforcement easier, not harder — but only if the County is actually enforcing what’s already on the books.
So I think you’re raising a valid threshold question:
If enforcement isn’t happening now, what does the County need to fix operationally before layering on new policy?
That’s worth answering — and then we can come back to whether this framework helps or hurts in practice.
I urge all the readers of this article and listeners of this podcast to go to the site above, including Bruce Emery, and consider the impact this sort of community leadership can have. The Big Sky Community Housing Trust (BSCHT) has found a working solution to “affordable housing” in their community. Our Clallam County Commissioners and so-called community leaders of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)s would do well to look at programs like this to open their minds to make decisions that lead to positive improvements to our community life. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different outcomes is not only insane but pushing us closer to doom.
Eric, you mean use taxpayers money to give to wealthier people owning two or more homes…(or “ buyer groups” who have also joined the multiple home fellowship?
"Homes with large past-due sewer bills could be purchased by the county and offered for rent to sewer district employees".
This is how Mike French wants to solve a housing problem, to kick someone out of their home because they have a large sewer bill then let someone else move in? Where does he expect the person to go that he has now made homeless?
Call me cynical but once they have a hold on offering to buy a property, it becomes something different down the road. I just don't trust them. He is right though, the county shouldn't be landlords.
Actually in my neighborhood the owner died and squatters moved in. They were there for a long period of time so I imagine that during the probate a dispute occurred. Sequim is Heaven's waiting room. I have seen a few others houses occupied by questionable "guests".
During the banking crisis groups of professional squatters existed. This small team would move into an empty house and in order to sell the property that bank would be required to pay a ransom to the group and it would move into another property. They literally share the same habits as vermin.
Squatting till happens now and here, not always to sell property but often politically coached by far left activists and local outreach workers. heck some of the local PA tentnin park squatters often have housing or shelter and use a tent for activities. the brick building at 1st and Lincoln was notorious before it was finally torn down, Bushwackers, brothers Gemini. the old Tempest house you can see where they pull down boards to get in, there have been fires at squatted homes. earlier this year spotted folks breaking into a vacant home on my block. Anyone remember Rebecca Parsons pro breaking in and squatting campaign video?
Actually if the person is MAGA he would prefer that person leave the county so that he could run uncontested. This county is virtually solid blue. If Charles Manson were a democrat, he would have won any contest. The partisan Democrats on Nextdoor would like to shut down this site and call Jeff a White Supremacist. They will not debate facts.
Tough article Jake, because this issue is a quagmire everywhere, but you have proposed alternatives that I'm more comfortable with, because they're designed to be organic.
The problem is that society is to believe that the only path to fixing the housing is totally in the hands of the government, via more rules and taxation. Look at the following excerpt from your article:
"When funding dries up, officials simply extract more from taxpayers. CCD Supervisor Maggie Bockart insists “the 1%” should pay — but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead."
More money via class warfare. On a side note, that's how Olympia will frame the need for more taxes as they continue to spend for votes and control.
It's always about taking more with our current lot of elected officials. Non-profits, the government, business, none can operate for free despite the perception that government and non-profits can. The overhead for all cost money, time, and labor. The difference is that more people than not like to take someone else's money to give to another, than to simply donate their own time and money directly to a cause. When people assert that we have "regressive" taxation I think of the "regressive" thinking our elected officials hold in their inorganic governance models.
Your suggestion that government somehow prod progressive ideas that emanate from the concerns of the citizens has its own overhead, but the difference is that it's organic, a term I apply to ideas being pursued because they make the most sense in a free economy where market forces will adjust to the needs, vs the government being the driving force via ideology. Collective concern allowed to prosper when government removes roadblocks is what we need. Since the long downturn in the local economy related to logging more government money and regulations are being thrown at the problems but look where we are.
I have a nephew who lives in the greater Hailey/Sun Valley area. Same issues. Workers commute 2+ hours to support the economy. OK, we're no Sun Valley, but we are a tourism county until someone figures out how to make us a county that manufactures something tangible. Where is McAleer in all of this, other than collecting a paycheck?
Here's the irony specifically to the Callam Bay/Sekiu area. The North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Plan that was championed by Commissioner French has a significant portion of money going to the Makah Tribe to do what? Roughly $10-12 million of the $35 million dollar grant is going towards the larger project of building a "Hemlock to Housing" pipeline to support affordable housing targeting 900 sq ft homes. Roughly another $6 million dollars have been procured via other funding sources to get this program prepared for the Recompete dollars. The Makah are to produce the timber, the Composite Recycling Technology Center in PA will convert the Makah timber into modular "home kits" TO BE SHIPPED OUT OF CLALLAM COUNTY!
I haven't heard much information coming out about the status of these projects that our tax dollars were supposed to be spent on. It was designed to increase the workforce making a "living wage." Is this on track? Is this Callam County's Solyndra? Why aren't we making use of these affordable homes right here?
I think you’re naming a real tension here, and it’s one reason this issue is so hard to solve.
Where I’d offer a clarification is that the governance question many of us are raising isn’t “government versus markets,” but whether government is removing barriers so organic, small-scale solutions can actually emerge. In places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu, housing doesn’t fail because people don’t care or because demand is absent—it fails because incremental supply is risky, slow, or unclear to add.
That’s why some of us are cautious about defaulting to large, extractive programs or assuming new funding alone will fix things. Without predictable, by-right pathways for safe housing—ADUs, small rentals, conversions—public money tends to chase symptoms instead of fixing the underlying constraints.
I also agree transparency and accountability matter, especially for big initiatives. But at the local level, there are governance fixes that don’t require new taxes or ideology—just clearer rules, fewer unnecessary hurdles, and a focus on real impacts rather than housing form.
Consider that the Makah are able to log their lands with abandon, while everywhere else society has to contend with the malcontents who commit crimes to protect trees. I wonder whether Wheeler and his troop will head out to the Makah to give them the what-for?
Among the Cultural Marxists the ideology is not pure. A definite hierarchy prevails. A leftist from 1969 would not recognize the new woke crowd. Anti racism ranks above the other sins. Environmentalism has a lower status, and I never hear a woke feminist complain about animal cruelty or Neocon wars.
Another step in the Recompete plan is a Port facilty for barging the softwood hemlock. CO leaders, including utilities and others argued over its location, Neah Bay or Sekiu while others advised that the trucks continue their haul from Sappho via hwy 101 and straight through to the Port facilities in PA.
Forty five years since Crown Z shutdown and others followed due to the farce to protect the spotted owls habitat. The government prison proponents promised it would bring a boom of businesses to CB Sekiu, even a shoestore! A local CO politician threatened he would have to close his essential business without it and when the deal was secured, promptly closed it and invested in land speculation for housing. If only we had that shoestore how different life might be!
It was suggested that land around the prison be put to use for industry and job creation, but again others argued for Port Angeles, even citing a lack of housing west of Fairholm for workers while excitedly spouting the expansion of affordable housing and utilities on the west side of PA for them.
Our co leaders decided fifty years ago to prohibit any industry west of the elwha except tourism, consequently creating a lack of supportive infrasture for industry and jobs that pay more than maid wages. Mr. French has told cb sekiu they just need year round tourists. Port Angeles and Sequim are treated as Mecca, the citizens west of the Elwha expendable.
Housing costs exploded when covid restricted travel the wealthy out of towners and bocc ignored. Discovering cheap land prices and easy revenue, long term housing was bought up, evicting the local employees, every one of them tossed out in my neighborhood where zoning prohibits it and co ignores enforcement.
Cautioned that service and utility costs would rise and be borne on the backs of local residents who would not benefit from the reduction of owner residency requirements for short term rentals and adu expansion was dismissed with the words they didnt care.
The BOCC can't cry an affordable housing crisis or even an unintended circumstance when they said they didnt care. And it wasn't Bruce Emery that promoted and approved this debacle but the BOCC themselves.
but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead." --- Because they are in the 1% with all there added jobs besides commissioners ;)
Yes, the wealthy upper crust should pay more...because they have ALL extracted their wealth from regular people in one way or another...(percentage wise...I know they pay more in bulk because their property values are higher...but they CAN afford it...where $50,000 gross incomes cannot!)
'Noblesse Oblige' is a thing, because it is Natural Law that the wealthy should recontribute some of their largesse, because it's the right thing to do.
If we weren't debt free, we would be living in poverty and cannot sustain continuously increasing assessments and taxes...these Kommissars are commies and they are insane...Completely detached from reality!..🎶"Whatcha Gon' Do, When They Come For You!"🎶🥸
Great article, Jake! Once again you detailed a problem and gave a possible solution. One that is not gov't centric. The positive aspect of citizens designing possible solutions to conerns is that if any problems arise, we don't have to wait and wait and wait for gov't to try to fix them. People can remedy problems much faster and more efficiently as you have cited. Jake Seegers, County Commissioner, District 3 in 2026!!
Great job Jeff and Jake! It's amazing what a community can accomplish once you get government out of the way!
It would be so nice to have a county leadership that was open minded to solutions instead of following their directives from outside our borders... Keep it local and real!!!
Great information today. Makes me hopeful.thank you for that!
Great effort to expand the honest conversation about real estate and land use Jake Seegers~! I have been the greatest proponent of real estate as an Investment vehicle for the average American that can provide the greatest long term Investment results and at the same time give Investors a real substantial short and long-term stake in the community. Over the past 50+ years my devotion to the great Investment opportunities involving real estate has resulted in my personal experience in ALL of the major categories involving real estate except Title & Escrow and Land Surveying, so I do possess an experience level that few others have (or in most cases want :) I admire your very accurate points that reveal that the government itself is actually directly responsible for the serious issues that "we" have regarding real estate ownership, development, and use, because that is without doubt the root cause of the current problems that our community faces today. The fact is that IF the government gets off of the backs of the folks who own, or wish to own real estate, we will see a tremendous improvement in available housing, and with that, there would be a great many other improvements in the local economies, and even the government "coffers" would experience the benefit where constantly increasing taxes would become unnecessary~! Like many folks, I deeply personally resent oppressive unconstitutional government that automatically destroys Americans freedoms and rights in every conceivable way, in this constant insane push to "grow government" as a disgusting first choice policy. I also really appreciate your excellent comment about how the state of Washington has severely damaged the rights of property owners, in favor of renters so-called "rights" (and even insane squatters "rights") that all destroy the very fabric of communities. You have well pointed out that the entrenched clown shows in our governments ALWAYS push their destructive and incompetent "solutions" that just happen to increase taxes and expenses, further erodes property ownership freedoms & rights, and makes real estate ownership less and less desirable for the good folks of our community and future generations. If the governments really wanted to improve the availability of housing for folks, which I seriously doubt, the government costs & "red tape" restrictions of building would be greatly reduced and, in many cases, eliminated. A truly honest serious solution of the governments would be to actually provide real estate owners with substantial tax reduction incentives, at least short term for a few years, that would offset the actual building costs and therefore encourage property owners to create more housing units. The best long-term solutions, especially for problems that have been created over a long period of time, never come from the very government that created those problems in the first place, because as a whole the government as it exists today is grossly incompetent and therefore can't make good decisions. The only real long-lasting solution for that is to vastly reduce the power & scope of the government and the very size of the government itself. Thank you very much for revealing that when the good folks of the community come together to make positive improvements, even in spite of the incompetent government, that those efforts are FAR more successful and productive because those are the folks who have the greater stake in and care for their community~! One last comment that I am compelled to make is a VERY strong warning to anyone who forfeits ANY of their property rights, by either joining in a H.O.A., cooperating in any type of "deed restriction", or entering into ANY type of contractual relationship that impairs the rights and use of their properties whatsoever~! DO NOT DO THIS~!!! ANY time that a property owner, willingly or by "extortion", forfeits ANY property rights of a subject property, it immediately and directly negatively impacts that property in relation to the general market~! I have seen countless property owners who have lost property value and made their properties less likely to develop and sell, because of their foolish decisions to impair and eliminate the very potential of their real estate investment... As a real estate professional who has been in the position to advise a great many potential and actual property owners, and as a real estate Investor myself, I can assure you that I ALWAYS reject owning properties that do not have ALL of their rights intact and protected as much as is reasonably possible. If anyone wanted to sell me a property that had deeded restrictions on the potential of that property, I would pass it by like a diseased hooker in Tiajuana Mexico! Ha~! I would also immediately refuse to continue to help any client, if they ignored my warnings and impaired and/or destroyed their property value in relation to the overall market as well, because I am well aware of, and experienced in, the problems that arise from making such completely foolish decisions~! In general, folks need to be extremely leery of making greedy decisions for "perceived" short-term gains, that usually never pan out as they expected anyway, that have permanent long-term ramifications~! Keep up the great work Jake Seegers, because with open and honest discussions "we" (Americans) have the best chance of making the best decisions on all subjects that we have in society~!
Thanks, Mike. I like this: "The fact is that IF the government gets off of the backs of the folks who own, or wish to own real estate, we will see a tremendous improvement in available housing, and with that, there would be a great many other improvements in the local economies..." Well said.
Jake, I have had the pleasure of meeting with Michael Heath and his wife. Both are a wealth of information and have many degrees of knowledge we need. Both are dedicated to the betterment of Clallam County and especially the constitutional rights of its citizens. Michael and his wife are a feather in our hats!
Long ago I used to believe that many in government roles were simply ill informed or incompetent for one reason or another, because I do have a long history in personnel management which allowed me to see the wide variety & range of people's abilities. It didn't take very long before I started to notice a VERY disturbing pattern in especially those who were, in one way or another, finding their way into government management roles. I will let you and others decide for yourselves, however I am absolutely 100% convinced that a great many of the Individuals who work their ways into government management roles do so for the specific goal of destroying America by very Intentionally oppressing our society and making the worst management decisions humanly possible~! That may sound "crazy" however it really is the ONLY logical possibility that could remotely explain how SO many in government seem to be utterly devoid of basic common sense and have absolute histories of nothing but the worst kinds of decisions. How could anyone make the worst decisions 100% of the time when they are managing the government, but "suddenly", as if by magic, they handle their own personal finances and matters with amazing "common sense" reasoning~? There really is no difference between competent folks managing their own personal checkbooks and good folks in government being able to handle a proper budget... Anyway, I have infiltrated a great many closed-door meetings in my time and the reason that you, Jeff Tozzer, and all of the rest of us are always SO frustrated by the entrenched clown show in governments, is VERY simple. They know exactly what they are doing, they are without doubt well organized beyond belief, and most importantly they know that if they start to allow positive common-sense changes to be made now, they will be exposed for exactly what they have been and are still doing~! If they were to allow the government to "get off of the backs of folks" there would be an immediate unmistakable BOOM in the local economy and all of the housing issues and other evil crappola that they have been working SO hard to cause our community, would immediately and very noticeably start to improve~! They know that their little treasonous empty heads would "roll" because the entire community would see the unmistakable evidence, not of their so-called "incompetence" but of their evil carefully orchestrated conspiracy to do as much harm as possible to our community and America... Are you aware of "The Cloward & Piven Strategy"??? If these kinds of intentionally destructive concepts are just "conspiracy nut theories" then why have they very clearly been underway for at least 65+ years and they are SO obvious today? As an old American Constitutionalist, it has been my duty to work on these very issues for about 60 years, and I assure you that my conclusions are easily backed up and provable. This is all the more reason that I/we here completely support Jeff Tozzer, you, and everyone else who has been diligently working to bring light and common-sense to our great community here~! Please do keep up the great work because we don't have to agree on everything, but we do have to come together to agree to refuse to comply with harmful unconstitutional dictates of the common enemy~! The true potential of Clallam County really is quite extraordinary because we have an abundance of opportunities, so together we can and must take control of our community for the well-being of the current and future generations ;-) There is a HUGE economic book coming to America my friend, and we do need to be prepared to take full advantage of it. In fact, we here and a few others in this community have already applied for very large amounts of Humanitarian funding that is probably not too far away from materializing from what we have been told...
I don't believe that home ownership is always desirable. It is time dependent. Sometimes though not recently the ratio between renting and buying is skewed favoring renting. The federal reserve lowered short term interest rates but long-term rates haven't moved much means mortgages are still expensive. I bought a condo in 1981 and the prices dropped immediately. The apartment I had been renting was a third of the new mortgage. I didn't break even for several years. If I were younger, I would save my money and wait.
Oh yes, timing the market, or anything else for that matter, is absolutely critical~! If I wanted to have a grave, hopefully later rather than sooner, with a headstone, I would have "TIMING IS EVERYTHING~!" carved on it! Ha Ha Ha~! True story :) You are VERY correct that sometimes home ownership is not for everyone because there are many folks who are just not suited for such a serious personal responsibility, or appropriate for every circumstance because some need to be able to move with greater ease for one reason or another, or even always a good idea all of the time, all depending on numerous factors and variables that few have the knowledge, capacity to understand, or even evaluate. Interest rates do matter, but if one chooses wisely, especially the location, they can still make a nice profit. I have, but I have been a real estate analyst for about 50 years... I know that people have been spoiled by mortgage Interest rates over the past 15 years or so, but believe it or not any conventional 30-year fixed Interest rate mortgage at or under 9% is actually considered a good mortgage... Then again, I strongly encourage folks to look for reasonable seller carry notes, carefully without shyster terms, before they consider a conventional mortgage for a LOT of excellent reasons~! Usually the seller carry notes are FAR more likely to be available on "fixer homes" because they can't qualify for conventional mortgages, and if very carefully acquired with due diligence research they can be most financially rewarding indeed ;-) For folks who are willing to put in what is called "sweat equity" to do as much of the work as possible themselves, there can be a tremendous advantage in profitability. Equity building is the name of the game... and paying off the mortgage or note ASAP is all powerful~!!! Note: Home "flipping" is NOT for beginners unless they have a VERY honest & knowledgeable mentor to help them, or they will most likely crash and burn~! Most consumers do not have the experience or talent that it takes to choose wisely when making decisions about renting VS home ownership options. Unfortunately, condos are notoriously poor Investments most of the time, because folks have no ownership interest in the land itself and the market is always limited, which is not fee simple "home ownership" that I always refer to as a Bonafide real estate Investment. I also do my best to warn folks against mobile homes, even on fee simple real estate that they own, because of MANY factors but specifically because after 30 years obtaining a conventional mortgage on them is unlikely and they do NOT appreciate anywhere near what stick-built homes do... The absolutely worst "Investment" in real estate is when the poor suckers buy a mobile home in a rental park community, where there is no fee simple land ownership rights, and the landowners can and do raise their lot rents and fees no end~! That is one on my BIGGEST complaints in the field, that traps WAY too many (usually elderly) unsuspecting folks and ends in financial disasters most of the time... Yes, the field of real estate is FULL of pitfalls, minefields, and shysters & thieves that make life absolutely miserable for many good unsuspecting folks, but it is still the MOST potentially profitable Investment that most folks can make long term. That said, the criminals in the Washington State government have in fact destroyed a LOT of the real estate Investment potential (advantages) that most are completely ignorant of. It is absolutely critical to watch these snakes in government these days~!!! Jake Seegers did a GREAT service by pointing out that over the past recent years the Washington state government has stolen property rights from owners of the properties, and criminally unconstitutionally transferred those rights to the "renters". Welcome to the Communist state~! This is especially so when it comes to the completely fabricated "squatters rights" lunacy, that has been responsible for enormous life altering losses for a great many good folks who have owned real estate. I could tell you stories of squatter vandals that were actually supported by the evil criminals in the court systems that would scare the shit out of anyone who had a functional brain~! It is FAR more serious that the vast majority of sleeping sheep think... That said, a wise real estate Investment is difficult to beat, even though there are MANY considerations one must be aware of!
Well, we couldn't afford 'rent' but we can , barely, afford a debt free property and we have the option of letting it go 'to pot' if we can't afford to maintain it...not an option for rent/lease, although the landlord could let it all go 'to pot' around us and we would have no say! Mort = death...Gage = measure!🤓
Thanks Jeff, while I completely support additional housing, I believe different STH should be considered in part by need and developed in small neighborhoods with access to trash dumpsters, laundry, and clear understanding of sober residential guidelines
Another type of STH could be developed for those that want to work, have jobs and move ahead.
What do we know about the county population growth trends?
I honestly do not understand the STR/RV thing. I rented a 5th wheel for a while. I loved it. Was cozy and easy to clean. Here in CC we have so many traveling nurses and Coasties who need housing also.
With the economy being what it is these days, salaries and rent are not working together at all especially if you are only one or even a couple. Especially if you are young and don't have a lot of furniture etc. an RV is perfect since it is actually furnished for the most part.
I think that many members of our population have been trained to avoid social stigma and not to postpone gratification. When I was 18 I actually lived inside a 1962 Rambler for six weeks and saved money. The seats folded down so it was quite comfortable. Most double wide trailers are superior to my stick built wooden house, yet they depreciate. After I saved enough money I moved into a "boarding house" which was extremely cheap. In 1970 they were quite common. The one in which I lived was an old Victorian mansion and very economical though the mattress had faulty springs.
In those days we lived in a high trust society and the population was more honest. I don't think that the concept of Room and Board would work in today's milieu.
Clallam Bay and Sekiu are not Big Sky, Truckee, or Tofino. Those places have huge tourism economies, STRs that pull in serious money, seasonal labor, and infrastructure that makes incentive programs work. We don’t have that. STR income here is modest, buildable land is limited, septic capacity is a real ceiling, developer return is low, and emergency services are already stretched thin.
That matters. Programs like voluntary deed restrictions or “rent to locals” only work when the incentive beats what an owner can make on an STR. In Sekiu, it usually doesn’t. The math just isn’t the same, no matter how much we want it to be.
And STRs aren’t just “people using their property.” They operate like hotels while avoiding hotel rules; no inspections, no ADA requirements, no commercial tax rates, none of the oversight actual lodging businesses deal with. That gap is exactly why unrestricted STR growth drains long term rentals in small communities. The market didn’t magically fix it anywhere else, and it hasn’t here either.
Community efforts are great, but they don’t scale. Volunteers can clean up trash and build a couple tiny homes. They can’t expand septic systems, finance multi unit housing, meet fire/ADA code, or carry long term liability. Government isn’t the enemy of community action, it’s the only thing that can handle the parts volunteers physically can’t.
And the housing crisis isn’t coming from NGOs or MAT clinics. It’s coming from construction inflation, labor shortages, insurance and wildfire risk, stagnant wages, infrastructure limits, and the shift of existing housing into tourism stock. Boiling all of that down to “government bad” is just avoiding the hard parts.
Mileage taxes are one of the few criticisms that actually make sense. People don’t live far out because they’re rich, they live far out because it’s the only thing they can afford. Punishing rural residents won’t make them move closer; it’ll just push them out entirely.
I’m open to new ideas. They just need to be honest about where they actually work and where they don’t, and they need to fit Clallam County’s reality, not someone else’s.
The success of such efforts in Big Sky and Truckee only argue that similar programs would be economically feasible here. In fact, property owners in those markets are often making a far greater financial sacrifice than would be required in Clallam County. Take a look at the incentives offered in those markets.
But there are also important intangibles. Local owners may participate voluntarily not just for financial reasons, but because they believe in the vision for their community and want to be part of something that strengthens it. Long-term rentals also require far less management and operational cost than short-term rentals, so differences in top-line revenue do not always translate into the same gap in real income.
And finally, the value of one’s time is enormous. Owners who self-manage vacation rentals are essentially tethered to their phones. I’ve lived that life — and it carries a cost that spreadsheets never fully capture.
Jake, I appreciate this perspective, especially the part about time and management burden — that’s real, and we live it too. We intentionally operate a mixed portfolio: some short-term rentals and some long-term rentals for local workforce, because we believe housing sustainability requires balance, not extremes.
Where the conversation often breaks down, though, is that in Washington the decision to move from short-term to long-term renting isn’t just about income or values — it’s also about control and exit risk under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Once a property becomes a long-term rental, owners retain title, but their ability to regain possession or end a tenancy is significantly constrained by statute. Month-to-month tenancies no longer function as “either party can end with notice” in practice; termination generally requires a lawful cause and strict procedural compliance (RCW 59.18.200; RCW 59.18.650).
That matters in lived experience. In our own long-term units, we have tenants we want to keep housed — but when rent becomes persistently late or unpaid, owners can’t simply end a month-to-month tenancy the way many people assume. Carrying costs continue, deficits accumulate, and the risk is not shared. Research shows that when eviction and termination become more costly or uncertain, housing supply becomes less responsive even when demand is strong (Saiz, 2010; Brookings Institution, 2020).
I agree with you that values, time, and stress can motivate voluntary participation. But in places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu — where septic capacity, infrastructure, and scale are real ceilings — voluntary STR-to-LTR programs will only work at the margins unless policy also acknowledges this non-financial risk reality. That’s why governance matters so much here: rules that focus on real impacts (septic capacity, fire and life safety, nuisance standards) and reduce unnecessary friction for small, incremental housing are more likely to expand supply than relying on conversion alone (RCW 36.70A.020; MRSC, 2021).
Bottom line: incentives and community vision absolutely matter — but if policy doesn’t account for the legal and operational risks of long-term renting under current law, we shouldn’t be surprised when voluntary conversion underperforms. Good governance starts by designing policies that work with how the system actually operates, not how we wish it did.
References
Brookings Institution. (2020, January 17). Who’s to blame for high housing costs? It’s more complicated than you think. https://www.brookings.edu
Municipal Research and Services Center. (2021, December 30). Affordable housing and the impact of short-term rentals. https://mrsc.org
Follow-Up Illustration: What “month-to-month” actually means now
For people who live paycheck to paycheck, here’s an analogy that helps explain why this matters.
Many small landlords also live month to month — just on rent instead of wages. That rent pays the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and repairs for that same month. When rent doesn’t come in, those bills don’t stop.
Under the old system, a month-to-month agreement worked a bit like at-will employment: either side could give notice and move on. That off-ramp helped manage risk.
Under current Washington law, that off-ramp is gone.
Best-case scenario
If rent isn’t paid and the tenant cooperates:
1. Landlord serves a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice
2. Tenant doesn’t pay but agrees to leave
3. Tenant moves out voluntarily
Fastest realistic outcome: ~4–8 weeks
(That’s already two months of carrying costs with little or no income.)
Non-cooperative scenario
If the tenant does not leave:
1. Landlord serves the correct legal notice
2. Waits the full notice period
3. Files an unlawful detainer in court
4. Waits for a hearing (court schedules vary)
5. Proves legal cause, proper notice, and compliance
6. Judge issues a writ of restitution
7. Sheriff schedules and enforces removal
Typical outcome: 2–6+ months, sometimes longer
During this time:
• Rent may be zero
• Mortgage, taxes, insurance continue
• Legal fees add up
• Owner cannot retake possession
For a small landlord, this is like going to work, not getting paid for months, and still being required to cover all living expenses while waiting for a decision.
Why this matters for housing policy
This doesn’t make tenants the problem. It explains why many small owners are cautious about converting homes to long-term rentals — even when they want to help their community.
If policy doesn’t account for this risk reality, voluntary STR-to-long-term conversion will continue to underperform, no matter how well-intentioned the incentives are.
Good governance starts by understanding how the system actually works for both sides — not how we assume it works.
Landlord tenant laws continue to bend to the "rights" of renters, and have so for as long as I've had peripheral experience since the early 90's. You're analysis is spot on. The regressive government forces exerted against landlords is a root cause of the problem.
MK, I appreciate your comment and agree the disconnect you’re describing is real. For anyone interested in hearing how these issues are currently being discussed at the policy level, I’d encourage watching the Housing Solutions Committee Meeting – November 7, 2025 (link below).
If time is limited, these sections are especially relevant:
36:40–38:28 – discussion of “convincing landlords to take vouchers” and meth remediation costs ($30k–$40k per unit)
41:10–43:05 – comments about there being “no political path to do anything pro-landlord” and a stated preference for “more nonprofit, less for-profit housing”
47:53–52:15 – acknowledgment that nonprofits address roughly 1% of housing need, while the private sector provides the other 99%, alongside statements that the private sector will still be expected to solve homelessness
The full meeting is worth watching, but those sections capture the framing that directly affects rural communities like ours.
One additional point for the record: when contractors are discussed as “making profits,” I’d ask that local contractors — including my husband — be at the table. In our case, the only way projects remain affordable for local working families is because he is effectively donating time and margin. That reality rarely shows up in these conversations, but it’s the difference between projects penciling out or not in rural Clallam County.
Transparency matters. These discussions shape real policy outcomes, and residents deserve to know how the tradeoffs are being framed.
Housing Solutions Committee Meeting – November 07, 2025:
I think this comment actually reinforces the core governance issue many of us are circling around, not contradicting it.
You’re right that Clallam Bay and Sekiu are not Big Sky or Truckee, and that matters. The economics don’t pencil the same way, septic and infrastructure are real ceilings, and small-scale rural housing doesn’t attract traditional developers. That also means there is no single, fast policy lever that will create housing overnight here.
Where I’d add a nuance is this: when the market doesn’t respond to demand, it’s usually because supply is constrained in ways price alone can’t overcome. In small rural communities, that shows up as regulatory uncertainty, financing barriers for incremental housing, and legal risk that makes the lowest-risk use (often STRs) the default — not because it’s wildly profitable, but because it’s predictable and reversible.
On STRs specifically, I agree the regulatory asymmetry matters. Long-term landlords carry significant legal and possession risk, while STR operators retain control and flexibility. That imbalance is itself a policy outcome, and changing it requires more than simply asking owners to convert units.
I also agree that community efforts don’t scale to infrastructure, code compliance, or long-term liability. That’s where government is indispensable — not as a substitute for the market, but as the actor that removes known barriers and enforces real standards.
To me, the honest takeaway isn’t “government bad” or “STRs bad.” It’s that in places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu, housing policy has to focus on what actually increases supply safely, not just on redistributing a small number of existing units.
Whatever. As long as there are no more regulations or incentives that allow people to live in trailers or RVs in PA more than 180 days while a home is being renovated or constructed. I really don’t care what they do in Beaver, Clallam Bay or Sekiu. The answer should almost always focus on getting government out of the way and allowing the market to adjust on its own. I don’t want to see tiny homes for drug addicts, either.
The commissioners did not answer the last email. This is today's question:
Dear Commissioners,
Given the housing challenges described in Clallam Bay and Sekiu, what is your rationale for not pursuing more flexible short-term rental policies (e.g., voluntary incentives or deed restrictions) to immediately increase long-term rental stock?
Modeled Individual Commissioner Response
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for the question. The housing challenges in Clallam Bay and Sekiu are real, and I agree that increasing long-term rental availability deserves urgent attention. As an individual commissioner, I cannot commit the Board to a policy decision outside an open public meeting, but I can explain my reasoning and outline how I believe the Board should evaluate solutions through a transparent process.
Why “immediate” STR conversion tools have limits
My hesitation to pursue immediate changes to short-term rental (STR) policy through voluntary incentives or deed-restriction programs is not because those tools are invalid, but because their effectiveness depends on factors beyond price alone. Research and practice show that STR-to-long-term rental (LTR) conversion is often constrained by legal, risk, and administrative asymmetries, particularly in Washington State (MRSC, 2021; MRSC, n.d.-a).
Under Washington’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, long-term landlords assume significant procedural, financial, and possession risk, including strict notice requirements, limited termination options, and potentially lengthy eviction processes. STR operators, by contrast, do not create tenancies and retain near-term possession and control of their property (RCW 59.18; RCW 64.37). This means that even when long-term rents are competitive, STRs can remain the lower-risk option. As a result, price-based incentives alone may not produce meaningful conversion.
Market constraints beyond STRs
More broadly, if this were a fully functioning housing market, housing supply would follow available work. The persistence of shortages despite employment opportunities indicates constrained supply elasticity, not lack of demand. Economic research consistently finds that regulatory friction, high fixed costs, and uncertainty disproportionately suppress small-scale and incremental housing—precisely the type of housing rural communities rely on (Saiz, 2010; Brookings Institution, 2020).
In Clallam County, incremental housing pathways—such as ADUs, RV occupancy, or small conversions—are especially sensitive to predictability and by-right compliance. The County’s current work on vacation rental standards and RV occupancy reflects this tension and should be evaluated as part of a coordinated housing-supply strategy (Clallam County Code, n.d., ch. 33.51; Clallam County Department of Community Development, 2025).
Governance considerations for deed restrictions and incentives
Voluntary deed restrictions can be lawful and appropriate in some contexts, but they are not an “immediate fix.” They require clear terms, proper recording, long-term monitoring, and enforcement capacity to remain equitable and legally durable (RCW 64.37; MRSC, n.d.-a). From a governance perspective, it is important to estimate participation rates, conversion yield, and administrative cost before committing public resources.
What I will advance to the full Board
Rather than dismissing flexible STR tools, I believe the appropriate next step is to bring them forward as part of a broader supply-focused discussion. I will ask that the Board place this issue on a future agenda and request a staff options memo that addresses:
1. Baseline conditions in Clallam Bay and Sekiu (rental stock, STR prevalence, workforce housing gaps).
2. Supply constraints the County can influence, including regulatory friction affecting incremental housing.
3. STR policy tools, including voluntary incentives and deed restrictions, with realistic conversion estimates and administrative requirements.
4. Risk asymmetry considerations, acknowledging differences between STR and LTR legal exposure under state law.
5. Performance metrics, so the Board and public can evaluate whether adopted changes actually increase long-term rental supply.
This approach aligns with the Growth Management Act’s housing goals and reflects best practices in evidence-based local governance (RCW 36.70A.020). My objective is not to favor one housing model over another, but to reduce unnecessary barriers so safe, lawful housing can respond to demand where it otherwise would.
Respectfully,
[Commissioner Name]
Clallam County Commissioner, District 3
References
Brookings Institution. (2020). Who’s to blame for high housing costs? It’s more complicated than you think.
Clallam County Code. (n.d.). Chapter 33.51: Vacation rentals.
Clallam County Department of Community Development. (2025). Draft ordinance – RV use ordinance (updated 11-24-25).
Municipal Research and Services Center. (2021, December 30). Affordable housing and the impact of short-term rentals.
Municipal Research and Services Center. (n.d.-a). Affordable housing techniques and incentives.
Revised Code of Washington.
RCW 36.70A.020 – Growth Management Act: Planning goals.
RCW 59.18 – Residential Landlord-Tenant Act.
RCW 64.37 – Short-term rentals.
Saiz, A. (2010). The geographic determinants of housing supply. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(3), 1253–1296.
'Dunno...not in our programming, sorry/not sorry!'
'The Kommissars'😎
I hate this scapegoating of STRs. If we had a more diversified and vibrant economy, people wouldn’t focus on STRs as much. STRs and tourism have been one of the only areas of strength while we see an exodus in timber. Port Angeles just went through two years of STR scapegoating and despite the return of 75-100 homes to the long term only market (when new single family home construction is roughly 15/ year), this has not suddenly created an excess of affordable housing. I can already feel the county falling for the same baseless arguments. There are no massive portfolios of STRs owned by out of towners or funds like Blackrock. Underperforming jobs and wage growth, along with rising global inflation are the primary reasons for our struggles. Here we go again. Mike French once told me “no one should own a second home if others are seeking shelter”. This is so out of touch with reality when 46% of the homes in PA are rental properties! I suspect there will be future STR regulations. Just remember that we are not Leavenworth nor are we Miami Beach. We are an economically depressed community where the local government continues to make it harder to survive.
Great points, Steve. Thank you for all of the data that you put behind the truth that villainizing STR's is NOT a solution.
Jake, the two paragraphs you wrote below indicates huge cuts to many NGO funded programs. This includes the MAT type programs and other tribal grants. The scramble for money will be a real tug of war. Commissioner French’s offered solutions are NOT solutions, they are traps to the citizens. Where, in Mike French’s solutions do the citizens profit? NONE. Everyone of his solutions punishes the tax paying citizen.
“As federal grant funding declines, Washington officials have largely chosen to maintain existing spending levels rather than scale back programs. Clallam County’s commissioners are no exception"
"When funding dries up, officials simply extract more from taxpayers...but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead"
COMMISSIONER MIKE FRENCH OFFERED A SLATE OF GOVERNMENT SOLUTION:
(1) APPROPRIATING STATE LAND for the prison to build housing for its employees.
(Outside contractors? Hire the Sovereign business contractors?)
(2) find a contractor and manager to build housing, AS IT HAS WITH PENINSULA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (Outside contractors? Hire the Sovereign business contractors?)
(3) Homes with large PAST-DUE SEWER BILLS COULD BE PURCHASED BY THE COUNTY (Foreclosures? Creating more homelessness?)
(4) properties owned by the county that COULD BE SOLD. (To Whom? One guess! And Who will really benefit????)
Jake, Thank You for putting forward solutions that benefit both the tax paying citizen while not increasing spending...your solutions are geared to saving money, not flogging its good citizens!
Thanks, Jennifer. NGOs that fail to deliver measurable outcomes should not continue receiving public funding. Programs should be evaluated based on their ability to graduate people out of homelessness and addiction — not by how many individuals remain stuck within the system.
Jake - <3
When any local or state government becomes dependent on federal grant money to survive, they are simply postponing a day of reckoning when that funding is no longer available. These grant are also one reason (but not the only) our federal deficit is astronomical. Never forget that what the government gives, it can also take away … and at some point, probably will.
Robert, I have to quote you again, "they are simply postponing a day of reckoning when that funding is no longer available"
IMO many NGO causes are fads that always fade as they are proven to fail. Harm Reduction is nothing more than another, "guaranteed weight loss diet program" If it is too good to be true, it's too good to be true.
And if it's just plain bad...more graft won't help...HELP!🤓
Many years ago when I visited Yosemite National Park I saw a sign that said, "Please don't feed the wild animals because when you do they become dependent on humans and won't feed themselves".
Steve O. so true. Strait Shooter wrote one of the on target articles about this feeding of the homeless. IMO his "drive thru viewing and feeding the homeless", was priceless. I can't find it right now. Anyways, the article was both true and tragic. I'll look for.
HA_ I thought about that when I watched the video of the Sequim church promo for their empty safe parking. A shed full of safety vests- did they think the 3 parkers at full capacity would have that much trouble spotting them? It was if they had never seen their target subjects "in the wild."
Psychopathy has no reason or logic...especially fake religious psychopathy!🤓
Too practical...Communism Requires dependency...and manufactures it!
Brace for impact!🤓
It starts with nobody should own a second home and ends with what? How many square feet per human should we be allowed, Mike?
Exactly! Who is he to tell the people how much they can own/buy/save with their money. He acts like it's his money: he's the parent, we're the children.
I never know if politicians actually believe what they say of if they are appealing to a constituency. Nancy Pelosi is extremely wealthy yet she espouses a left wing agenda. I think that he is lying and if he owns a diversified stock portfolio he owns REITs which are rental properties.
Everything is probable...corruption is complete!🤓
Dysfunctional unhealed childhoods make for dismal public servants!👎🏼😎
LOL Susie Blake. Many years ago I was walking down the bike path on Hendrickson with a Socialist friend and a giant pickup truck roared past us. He said, "Nobody needs a truck that large". I said, "Nobody needs a smart phone either". A prosperous society ends when a government agency abandons all private property and plans the economy. This process worked well for Stalin individually but not for the peasants who starved as a result.
And not for the millions slaughtered outright...that'd be US!
Any dissent is Crushed!😎
"Give it to Mikey. He won't eat it he hates everything"...except what pleases him.
French Frys and Sugar Pops!
He is the result of the junk-food generation!😱
🤣
Communists, especially ones who are on a plush salary, should not be telling anyone else how to live their lives!
The Kommissars should have their salaries slashed by 50%...then a different tune will be played.
The utter arrogance of these political criminal class charlatans is still stunning, after all the exposes...it just keeps getting worse!
No Kommissars should have a cushy upper-middle income salary as long as there are homeless people!
They are truly insane!😱
I think voters are governed by emotions and good intentions. The cure is often worse than the disease. In California there seems to be a negative correlation between government expenditure and the reduction of the homeless condition. As the state government spent more for programs to reduce the size of the homeless population it increased! Personally, though if I were obligated to choose between two evils one being a homeless population and the other being raped by excessive taxes, I would reluctantly choose the first option. I am sick of federal income taxes which I think are theft.
Our voters behave like trained seals. Our federal government steals money from every paycheck throughout the year and returns a pittance the following April and the seals clap. The original income tax was expanded to fund a ludicrous battle called WWI and like most taxes it only increased afterward. Most citizens do not realize that if government programs did not exist a private agency would take the reins and do a better job. Public education is a perfect example of this defective process.
Robert James you often point to defects in collectivist societies, and I have noticed whenever a Communist debates the subject they cannot present an example of a successful communist country. They claim that Cuba, China, The Soviet Union and Kampuchea didn't practice "real Communism" which leads me to believe that Communism (government controlling the means of production) is only a theoretical model. In the final stage according to Marx a government force would not be necessary, yet government force is always necessary, and the final stage is never reached. Marx did not understand human nature. No communist living in this country wishes to surrender his smart phone, car or house to an indigent yet they expect others to forfeit theirs.
These armchair Communists often point to European countries that might be called socialist but the only reason they can provide extravagant social programs is because they are also capitalist. Free markets and liquid capitol provide economic growth not governments. Government is the tapeworm inside the intestine.
And the capitalist/socialist model is also collapsing...by design.
The Archons hate humanity and love the chaos and destruction.
'Creation' has a hierarchy, and it's corrupt!😜
That's the model!😱
It ain't easy to know things like that...when so many are asleep or afraid!😱
Most of the moola never sees the streets...it's mostly grift and graft!😎
In most circumstances I trust the marketplace to solve problems. Increase the supply and prices will fall. I am a Boomer and my generation has prospered because we purchased houses and stocks many decades ago. I don't envy Gen Z if their goal is to own tangible assets because they are all expensive at the current time. My old expensive neighborhood in California featured rental sheds, garages and illegal house additions that all provided low cost housing in a very expensive market. If somebody wishes to live in an RV located in a backyard why should any government agency intervene? OTOH our governments should not subsidize our citizens with food and shelter. If somebody can't afford to live here the middle part of our country has plenty of cheap housing.
Usually cheap housing means limited economic opportunity...just sayin'.😊
Most theories fail because they begin with a faulty premise such as the idea that Clallam County should lay out a welcome mat for dope addicts and petty thieves. Leavenworth might be a perfect example to pursue. I would also suggest Vail Colorado as a paradigm of hope. Clallam County does have mountains, snow and water but lacks the atmosphere of a successful sky resort or tourist attraction. Vail is very expensive, yet workers commute to the area which BTW has an excellent hospital and robust economy. In order to develop a decent revenue stream Sequim needs to attract wealthy citizens because they spend more than poor people. As the area grows the region will be divided into two parts which will be the poor area that will be filled with crime and the wealthy area filled with high fences and alarm systems.
I am happy to read that short term rentals are addressed and discussed as part of the housing crisis. It’s not just our area, as you pointed out, it is a crisis felt throughout the country in communities that once could attract young families and professionals when seniors relocated or opted to sell their older homes. This recycling sustained every age group and professions. “Scapegoating” is perceived only by those who own a largely vacant house. Many owners of Airbnbs who purchased older homes for short term rental do not live in the communities and have no interest in the community except to profit from it.
Wealthier folks, not living in the community, use short term rentals as a business model. Tens of thousands of homes across our country have been removed from the residential market . Country-wide research show desirable locations have homes sitting vacant most of the year. These homes once provided affordable housing for young families. (A small apartment-type, cottage or ADU rental is not the problem)…the crisis occurred from removing homes from the housing market entirely. This vacation rental problem needs to be part of the housing crisis conversation. Cities and counties need to understand the cause of the housing shortage. They need to start more assertive control of the vacation rental phenomenon. Not only do communities suffer from this practice when young families and professions of all variety can’t find homes, but neighbors suffer as well.
To pretend this practice is not a problem for communities is to be uninformed. Never in the history of our country has there been such a huge wealth gap and consequently the ruination of affordable homes. Investment groups or individuals holding houses off the market have created the housing crisis. Sadly, greed has overtaken the concept of the “ common good”. It’s not a mystery that owners of such vacation rentals will oppose the more assertive regulations that will revitalize a community, but the majority of residents in a community and young families just starting out will be justly served.
Kathleen, I am very knowledgeable on STRs - especially relative to Port Angeles that implemented new regulations two years ago. Please feel free to give me a call 360.808.5154 so I can better help you understand our local housing and lodging markets. Here are a bunch of datapoints for you to ponder: In Port Angeles, we had more blighted homes than STRs. We have more vacant homes from snowbirds than STRs. We are very inefficient with our existing stock as we have 2-3x the state average for retirees that have a lifetimes worth of processions in a 3-4 bedroom home with only 1-2 occupants. Please call our largest property managers and listen to Sharon at Serenity House presentation with the Economic Development Council. All of them talk about the low quality tenants that can’t meet application requirements and/or cause significant damage to rental properties. We are a gateway to a national park and we have not built a hotel in decades. Tourist lodging is so tight that we don’t have capacity for local little league baseball and basketball tournaments. You are trying to generalize extreme conditions in some cities as evidence here in Port Angeles. We have less than 2% of our housing stock dedicated to STRs (many other communities have placed caps at 5-16% of housing stock). Please make sure you consider the other 85-98% of homes that are available yet vacant, blighted or inefficient. Please also don’t forget that Port Angeles has not built a notable multi family apartment in 20 years! A list of every STR owner in Port Angeles showed that there were no large portfolios owned by out of towners. In fact, many STR owners were locals trying to supplement their income given the local economy has massively underperformed. I have many other local datapoint that I am happy to help educate you. Please make sure you also analyze lodging tax growth and the use of those funds for our parks and little league field, etc. most importantly you MUST research jobs and wage growth, inflation, construction costs, etc before you jump to blaming STRs
Steven, I've always followed you (not because your picture looks like a staged lawyer...comment meant as humor ; )) but because of sane comments. Missed you for a while. I'm thankful you are back with more intelligent information ; )
Thanks Jennifer! There is a funny story behind that photo (which is me presenting on CNBC/Bloomberg TV). Here is a video link: https://youtu.be/H5NPkJJJGug
I previously used that photo on Facebook, but whenever I sold something on Marketplace, a few locals saw the pic and immediately called me a scammer in the comments! I eventually changed the pic to my wife and I on Hurricane Ridge with messy hair and a five o'clock shadow. Now no one calls me a scammer. I guess Clallam County is a no suits and ties community.
I do have to say, I appreciate the professionalism when city staff show up to meeting with a minimum of office casual attire or better. It is off putting when council or commissioners put in less effort than their staff. Maybe it is unfair, but I expect my leaders to at least meet the bare minimum of what I would expect of myself on the job when they are working.
Welcome to Slobovia!😳
Steven, thanks for the youtube. Honestly, I thought it was just a picture. Again, you are a wealth of trusted knowledge. We couldn't afford to hire someone with your backround...and it's truly FREE. We don't even have to pay for the PIZZA ; )
PA is a walk to the coffee stand in PJ pants town for sure :-)
Susie, don't forget the bedroom slippers. PA attire is best worn when going to Walmart ; )
You have always been so helpful gathering data and sharing it for understanding. Do you have recent numbers on the quantity of blighted and in limbo dwellings in PA? For example the old Tempest house eyesore had several units and the purchaser seems to be a shell corp but was supposedly going to develop condos? Or the former Arlene Engel home PBH closed due to damages, new owner moved the structure over 1 lot to create sober living but project sits idle. I think that building housed at least 8 or 9 folks before PBH shut it down. What about the blighted single family homes that code fails miserably to address, like the burnt out house on Motor street? I can think of at least a dozen known long term "drug houses" around town that would have been seized in a raid an auctioned off in any other state years ago. We have way more serious issues than STRs.
Nothing is as it seems...except corruption!🤓
As if logic and reason have any play in the scene!🤣
Steve, please provide the number of STRs in our county. That’s the bottom line. I note you didn’t provide that important number…why not? It’s close a thousand…1,000.00….A thousand homes sit empty most of the year. You might want to ponder that.
Kathleen. Thanks for that datapoint! According to the census which was five years ago, there were roughly 40,000 housing units in Clallam County (though I suspect 500+ more today). So your estimate of 1,000 represents less than 2.5%. If that is the “bottom line” what about the other 97.5%? This is why I used the term “scapegoating”. We are not drowning in STRs. We are in fact MUCH lower than many other communities. For example, Chelan County WA placed an STR cap at 6-9% of total housing stock. (FYI… Chelan County also has a similar population as Clallam). Jefferson County also placed a cap at 4%. If you want to learn more about the full picture, I am happy to help you understand the nuances. I am a bit embarrassed, but I have likely spent several hundreds of hours researching our community. Please email me at stevepelayo@gmail.com.
Steven, especially the part you have played in OMC. You made a differance!
Here are the negatives of short term rentals that some refuse to acknowledge:
Short-term rentals (STRs) negatively impact communities by reducing long-term housing supply, increasing housing costs, and disrupting neighborhood character through noise, traffic, and transient populations, creating safety concerns and straining local services while diminishing community cohesion. They can also raise property values, making affordability harder, and lead to greater demands on HOA maintenance and policing.
Please call me to discuss each of these:
- As I tried to tell you, Port Angeles has seen a REDUCTION in hotel capacity while much of the existing stock has deteriorated to two stars. Not only are STRs filling a need, the lodging taxes collected are benefitting our community. In fact, the LTAC Fund was one of the most overfunded. In addition to major events that additionally contribute to sales taxes and general economy, LTAC also paid for things like the City Pier Tower, Dream Park, BMX Track, Little League and more!
- There is no proof that STR increased housing prices. I can show you the data. A ranking of median home prices shows Clallam County remains 15th most expensive. If STR's had such a profound impact, why didn't housing prices grow faster here?
- Many neighbors testified at City Council meetings that STRs revitalized and beautified their neighborhood. Imagine if all your neighbors properties were reviewed online! Some neighbors were happy that STR were better than the the poorly maintained or poor quality tenants that were previously renting long term. Many STRs were former vacant and blighted properties that someone took the risk to invest in our community! With regard to community cohesion, many neighbors said they enjoyed meeting visitors and being ambassadors for our community.
- On safety, Police Chief Smith said STRs "made his job easier" and that "he never gets calls". AND he specifically said that "I could quote him on that".
Bottom line, I am not trying to advocate for a massive wave of STRs. The data clearly points to a need for balance. Please watch my presentation about Clallam County's demographics and economy. We are losing jobs faster than we are creating them. Wages are growing slower than other communities. Our greatest export are our children that must move for better economic opportunity. We simply no longer can rely as much on timber and marine related industries. I don't want us to turn into Leavenworth, but I think tourism is an important piston in our economic engine. I will never argue for an extreme position one way or the other. Every discussion has nuance. This is why I so strongly support "balance".
Specific to housing... I don't think we have a housing crisis. In fact, the inventory of homes available for sale right now is among the highest it has been in many years. Please look at Zillow. From Blyn to Joyce, there are 450 homes for sale today and 63 available rentals. And Zillow does not capture a significant number of properties. Call James and Associates and ask them how many rentals they have available today (their website shows 17).
THE REAL CRISIS IS A LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.... which is officially defined at 80% of area median income or AMI. In Clallam, AMI is roughly $60,000, so we are talking about homes for people that make $48,000 a year. Housing and Urban Development argue that housing should cost one-third of income, so that is ~$16,000 per year or $1,350/month (including mortgage/rent, utilities, taxes/insurance). The only homes that would really rent for this are multifamily apartments, ADUs, or perhaps a small cottage home. I don't think converting STR's into long term rentals will create affordable housing.
Again, let me know if you want any links to data from Comprehensive Plans, Housing Action Plans, building permit data, Census, Washington State Auditors, US Dept of Commerce, median home prices, etc. I am a financial analyst that cares about revitalizing our community so I have created a lot of spreadsheets. I have also gone out and personally set up meetings with the management teams of our largest employers. I can share many insights from those meetings as well.
STR's are way easier on the owners/landlords...more profit, less hassle...no 120+ days to evict...or worse...thousands to repair and dispose of toxic waste, etc...possibly multiple times a year...business deductions...probably more...just sayin'...good tenants are as hard to find as good landlords!😎
Steve, so you say and assume. I consider the neighbors and people with professions like doctors, nurses, health care professionals, lawyers, teachers, law enforcement officers, and their families, not to mention the hundreds of other jobs wanting permanent employees, who can’t find or afford homes because what used to be available and affordable, older inner city smaller homes that seniors used to live in are now off the market. There are other factors, of course, but young families and neighbors and neighborhoods are the worst affected. And you still did not explain why you left out the number of short term rentals, preferring to throw out percentages, which are meaningless to most who are wanting to move here permanently and start professions or raise their families.
I am confused? We can comfortably say >95% of homes in Clallam County are available for rent or full ownership, so how can you argue that STR are the problem without acknowledging ANY of my supply and demand based analysis? Further, you stated I "left out the number of STRs"? I only officially know the City of PA (COPA) STRs are capped at 200 (out of a housing stock of ~10,000 or roughly 2%). We are at 194 now as this cap has not been hit (link here: https://cityofpa.us/1389/Current-Short-Term-Lodging-Data). I also have no idea what are the exact number of STRs in Clallam County. Your estimate of 1,000 seems a reasonable. I know the county housing stock using census data is close to 40,000. Bottom line, I rely on a lot of data backed by local/state/federal government or third party sources. I have studied other Washington communities that have all compromised and committed to STRs at much higher portions of their housing stock. I have significantly more anecdotes from all of my meetings I am happy to discuss as well. The future is balance. I think we can both be right and I am always open to learning more. Please share your analysis on our local community.
It would be interesting to see numbers put to the this such as percentage of housing supply and STR's. Compare to previous years, other areas, etc.
See my responses to Kathleen. Port Angeles is less than 2% of housing stock today. I don't know for the county, but 2-3% seems like a reasonable guess. Jefferson County has put a cap on at 4%. Chelan County has caps between 6-9%. Bottom line, we are not drowning in STRs and >95% of housing is available. It is true that some communities (ski resorts or beach front) have higher portions in certain defined neighborhoods (e.g. Hawaii as "resort zones".)
There can be found many documentaries/articles that cover the short term rental phenomenon around our country. I’ll have to go back to them to supply numbers or percentages. It is definitely a problem in communities that have any amount of “attractions” such as water bodies, ski slopes, National Parks and so on. Along the Columbia River in our own state is an example, not to mention Pacific Ocean, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Hood Canal, etc.
The population bomb is a huge factor...our families started out with remodeled chicken coops and old skid-shacks from the logging camps and most were able to upgrade with buying, remodeling, maintaining older homes...this started changing in the 70's when the number of people needing housing was greater than the 'old stock' housing...debt went up as people had to buy new homes and new furniture, etc. This all went along well enough for a couple decades, then things went rapidly downhill with exploding governments and national and personal debt while inflation destroyed buying power...the collapse is inevitable sped up by socialist/communist infiltraition in communities and governments! Do your best...prepare for the worst!🤪
Most residents share the same basic civic goal: to live together in peace and safety while preserving personal liberty and property rights. That balance is the foundation of local land-use authority under Washington law and federal constitutional doctrine (RCW 36.70A.020; Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 1926).
When reviewing the proposed RV, ADU, and vacation-rental ordinance amendments, it is important to clearly define the public harms the County is trying to prevent—and regulate no further than necessary to address those harms. The legitimate public interests at issue are well known: safe water and sewage systems, fire and life safety, environmental protection, noise and nuisance prevention, overcrowding, and prevention of unauthorized commercial use in residential zones (RCW 19.27; RCW 70A).
The draft ordinance already includes objective standards addressing these impacts. However, additional restrictions based primarily on housing type—rather than on measurable impacts—risk regulating form instead of outcomes. Courts have repeatedly held that land-use regulations must bear a rational relationship to legitimate public purposes and may not impose arbitrary or unnecessary limits on property use (Guimont v. Clarke, 1996).
Planning best practices support a performance-based approach: once health, safety, and environmental standards are met, compliance should be allowed by right, regardless of whether a resident lives in a stick-built home, an ADU, an RV, or another lawful shelter (American Planning Association, 2019).
Refining the ordinance to regulate impacts rather than housing form would strengthen its legal defensibility, improve compliance, and better protect both community well-being and property rights.
References
American Planning Association. (2019). Planning for accessory dwelling units.
Guimont v. Clarke, 121 Wn.2d 586 (1996).
RCW 19.27; RCW 36.70A; RCW 70A.
Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926).
Sample Ordinance Amendment Language: This language is intentionally modular. Reviewers can adopt all or part.
A. New Section — Purpose and Performance Standard
33.___.0XX Purpose and Performance-Based Residential Occupancy
A. The purpose of this Chapter is to protect public health, safety, and welfare by regulating the impacts of residential occupancy on private property, including but not limited to sanitation, fire safety, environmental protection, noise, overcrowding, and land-use compatibility.
B. Residential occupancy shall be regulated based on compliance with objective performance standards rather than the type, style, or construction method of shelter, except where classification is required to administer state or federal codes.
B. Residential Occupancy Performance Standards (Universal)
33.___.0XX Residential Occupancy Performance Standards
Any residential occupancy on private property shall comply with the following:
Water Supply
Occupancy shall be served by an approved potable water source meeting applicable state and county health requirements.
Wastewater Disposal
Occupancy shall be supported by an approved sewage disposal system sized to actual occupancy, in compliance with environmental health regulations.
Fire and Life Safety
Occupancy shall comply with applicable fire and life-safety standards appropriate to the level of risk, as determined by the Fire Code and State Building Code.
Environmental Protection
Occupancy shall not encroach upon critical areas or buffers except as allowed under applicable regulations.
Nuisance Prevention
Occupancy shall comply with noise, solid-waste, and public-disturbance regulations.
Use Intensity
Residential occupancy shall not constitute a commercial or industrial use unless otherwise permitted by zoning.
C. Role of Definitions (Clarifying Amendment)
33.___.0XX Application of Definitions
Definitions of dwelling units, recreational vehicles, park models, and similar structures are retained solely for the purpose of determining applicability of state building, fire, labor and industries, and environmental health codes. Such definitions shall not, by themselves, prohibit residential occupancy where performance standards are met.
D. Removal of Discretionary Approval Where Standards Are Met
33.___.0XX Administrative Review
Where residential occupancy complies with all applicable performance standards, approval shall be administrative and nondiscretionary. Conditional use permits shall be reserved for uses demonstrating materially greater or uncertain impacts.
E. Enforcement
33.___.0XX Enforcement Authority
Nothing in this Chapter limits the County’s authority to enforce violations related to health, safety, environmental harm, nuisance behavior, or unauthorized commercial activity.
How many employees needed to inspect this proposal along with substantial fines for noncompliance? Also will need more attorneys to handle the lawsuits resulting from this complex compliance? It’s endless problems whereas buying an affordable home is a win-win for the entire community.
That’s a really important point, and I don’t want to assume facts not in evidence.
This proposal does assume that existing health, fire, environmental, and nuisance codes are being enforced as written. If they are not — or if staffing, inspection, or follow-through is inconsistent — that’s a separate governance problem that no amount of new policy language will fix.
If you’re aware of gaps in enforcement capacity, staffing constraints, or patterns where the County is unable to carry out its existing duties, that’s something the public absolutely should surface and address first. Clear rules only work if there’s a baseline ability to administer them.
That said, part of the reason for suggesting a performance-based approach is precisely to reduce reliance on discretionary approvals and case-by-case interpretation, which are the most resource-intensive and litigation-prone parts of land-use regulation. Clear, objective standards tend to make enforcement easier, not harder — but only if the County is actually enforcing what’s already on the books.
So I think you’re raising a valid threshold question:
If enforcement isn’t happening now, what does the County need to fix operationally before layering on new policy?
That’s worth answering — and then we can come back to whether this framework helps or hurts in practice.
So much sense...in a nonsensical 'reality'!😎
All very important aspect here to understand. Thank you for putting this into context.
Nice to have intelligent, thoughtful inputs.😊
https://bigskyhousingtrust.org/good-deeds/
I urge all the readers of this article and listeners of this podcast to go to the site above, including Bruce Emery, and consider the impact this sort of community leadership can have. The Big Sky Community Housing Trust (BSCHT) has found a working solution to “affordable housing” in their community. Our Clallam County Commissioners and so-called community leaders of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)s would do well to look at programs like this to open their minds to make decisions that lead to positive improvements to our community life. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different outcomes is not only insane but pushing us closer to doom.
Truth, Brother!😎
Eric, you mean use taxpayers money to give to wealthier people owning two or more homes…(or “ buyer groups” who have also joined the multiple home fellowship?
"Homes with large past-due sewer bills could be purchased by the county and offered for rent to sewer district employees".
This is how Mike French wants to solve a housing problem, to kick someone out of their home because they have a large sewer bill then let someone else move in? Where does he expect the person to go that he has now made homeless?
Maybe the thought was that a past-due sewer bill might indicate a home that was no longer being lived in that the owner might want to sell?
I suppose it's a possibility but he certainly didn't say that.
Commissioner French's statements on the sewer district housing are just after the 48:00 mark for anyone who wants more context.
https://clallamcowa.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3409/media
Call me cynical but once they have a hold on offering to buy a property, it becomes something different down the road. I just don't trust them. He is right though, the county shouldn't be landlords.
They are non-sensical...all of them...giving the benefit of doubt to snakes and scorpions may not be the best policy!😎
Actually snakes though repulsive do control the rodent population.
😎 I'm sorry to have offended the snakes!
"giving the benefit of doubt to the vermin"... would have been better!😊
Actually in my neighborhood the owner died and squatters moved in. They were there for a long period of time so I imagine that during the probate a dispute occurred. Sequim is Heaven's waiting room. I have seen a few others houses occupied by questionable "guests".
During the banking crisis groups of professional squatters existed. This small team would move into an empty house and in order to sell the property that bank would be required to pay a ransom to the group and it would move into another property. They literally share the same habits as vermin.
Squatting till happens now and here, not always to sell property but often politically coached by far left activists and local outreach workers. heck some of the local PA tentnin park squatters often have housing or shelter and use a tent for activities. the brick building at 1st and Lincoln was notorious before it was finally torn down, Bushwackers, brothers Gemini. the old Tempest house you can see where they pull down boards to get in, there have been fires at squatted homes. earlier this year spotted folks breaking into a vacant home on my block. Anyone remember Rebecca Parsons pro breaking in and squatting campaign video?
Me too!😳
This was my thought exactly!
Actually if the person is MAGA he would prefer that person leave the county so that he could run uncontested. This county is virtually solid blue. If Charles Manson were a democrat, he would have won any contest. The partisan Democrats on Nextdoor would like to shut down this site and call Jeff a White Supremacist. They will not debate facts.
INSANE!👿
Tough article Jake, because this issue is a quagmire everywhere, but you have proposed alternatives that I'm more comfortable with, because they're designed to be organic.
The problem is that society is to believe that the only path to fixing the housing is totally in the hands of the government, via more rules and taxation. Look at the following excerpt from your article:
"When funding dries up, officials simply extract more from taxpayers. CCD Supervisor Maggie Bockart insists “the 1%” should pay — but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead."
More money via class warfare. On a side note, that's how Olympia will frame the need for more taxes as they continue to spend for votes and control.
It's always about taking more with our current lot of elected officials. Non-profits, the government, business, none can operate for free despite the perception that government and non-profits can. The overhead for all cost money, time, and labor. The difference is that more people than not like to take someone else's money to give to another, than to simply donate their own time and money directly to a cause. When people assert that we have "regressive" taxation I think of the "regressive" thinking our elected officials hold in their inorganic governance models.
Your suggestion that government somehow prod progressive ideas that emanate from the concerns of the citizens has its own overhead, but the difference is that it's organic, a term I apply to ideas being pursued because they make the most sense in a free economy where market forces will adjust to the needs, vs the government being the driving force via ideology. Collective concern allowed to prosper when government removes roadblocks is what we need. Since the long downturn in the local economy related to logging more government money and regulations are being thrown at the problems but look where we are.
I have a nephew who lives in the greater Hailey/Sun Valley area. Same issues. Workers commute 2+ hours to support the economy. OK, we're no Sun Valley, but we are a tourism county until someone figures out how to make us a county that manufactures something tangible. Where is McAleer in all of this, other than collecting a paycheck?
Here's the irony specifically to the Callam Bay/Sekiu area. The North Olympic Peninsula Recompete Plan that was championed by Commissioner French has a significant portion of money going to the Makah Tribe to do what? Roughly $10-12 million of the $35 million dollar grant is going towards the larger project of building a "Hemlock to Housing" pipeline to support affordable housing targeting 900 sq ft homes. Roughly another $6 million dollars have been procured via other funding sources to get this program prepared for the Recompete dollars. The Makah are to produce the timber, the Composite Recycling Technology Center in PA will convert the Makah timber into modular "home kits" TO BE SHIPPED OUT OF CLALLAM COUNTY!
I haven't heard much information coming out about the status of these projects that our tax dollars were supposed to be spent on. It was designed to increase the workforce making a "living wage." Is this on track? Is this Callam County's Solyndra? Why aren't we making use of these affordable homes right here?
So many questions.
I think you’re naming a real tension here, and it’s one reason this issue is so hard to solve.
Where I’d offer a clarification is that the governance question many of us are raising isn’t “government versus markets,” but whether government is removing barriers so organic, small-scale solutions can actually emerge. In places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu, housing doesn’t fail because people don’t care or because demand is absent—it fails because incremental supply is risky, slow, or unclear to add.
That’s why some of us are cautious about defaulting to large, extractive programs or assuming new funding alone will fix things. Without predictable, by-right pathways for safe housing—ADUs, small rentals, conversions—public money tends to chase symptoms instead of fixing the underlying constraints.
I also agree transparency and accountability matter, especially for big initiatives. But at the local level, there are governance fixes that don’t require new taxes or ideology—just clearer rules, fewer unnecessary hurdles, and a focus on real impacts rather than housing form.
That’s the lane I’m trying to stay in.
Wow, MK! Great comments. I did not realize that much of Recompete was allocated to the CRTC housing initiative.
Consider that the Makah are able to log their lands with abandon, while everywhere else society has to contend with the malcontents who commit crimes to protect trees. I wonder whether Wheeler and his troop will head out to the Makah to give them the what-for?
That would be fun to watch...war paint alone might make him pee himself...
Among the Cultural Marxists the ideology is not pure. A definite hierarchy prevails. A leftist from 1969 would not recognize the new woke crowd. Anti racism ranks above the other sins. Environmentalism has a lower status, and I never hear a woke feminist complain about animal cruelty or Neocon wars.
That would be 'racist'...so no on that one!😎
Another step in the Recompete plan is a Port facilty for barging the softwood hemlock. CO leaders, including utilities and others argued over its location, Neah Bay or Sekiu while others advised that the trucks continue their haul from Sappho via hwy 101 and straight through to the Port facilities in PA.
Forty five years since Crown Z shutdown and others followed due to the farce to protect the spotted owls habitat. The government prison proponents promised it would bring a boom of businesses to CB Sekiu, even a shoestore! A local CO politician threatened he would have to close his essential business without it and when the deal was secured, promptly closed it and invested in land speculation for housing. If only we had that shoestore how different life might be!
It was suggested that land around the prison be put to use for industry and job creation, but again others argued for Port Angeles, even citing a lack of housing west of Fairholm for workers while excitedly spouting the expansion of affordable housing and utilities on the west side of PA for them.
Our co leaders decided fifty years ago to prohibit any industry west of the elwha except tourism, consequently creating a lack of supportive infrasture for industry and jobs that pay more than maid wages. Mr. French has told cb sekiu they just need year round tourists. Port Angeles and Sequim are treated as Mecca, the citizens west of the Elwha expendable.
Housing costs exploded when covid restricted travel the wealthy out of towners and bocc ignored. Discovering cheap land prices and easy revenue, long term housing was bought up, evicting the local employees, every one of them tossed out in my neighborhood where zoning prohibits it and co ignores enforcement.
Cautioned that service and utility costs would rise and be borne on the backs of local residents who would not benefit from the reduction of owner residency requirements for short term rentals and adu expansion was dismissed with the words they didnt care.
The BOCC can't cry an affordable housing crisis or even an unintended circumstance when they said they didnt care. And it wasn't Bruce Emery that promoted and approved this debacle but the BOCC themselves.
For those who want to know about Recompete Plan
https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/1763/Recompete-Washington
this site too is good. read phase one then two for specifics https://www.eda.gov/funding/programs/recompete-pilot-program/2023/North-Olympic-Peninsula-Recompete-Plan
Any socialist program is doomed to fail..because the recipients aren't 'stakeholders' but pawns in a game they don't even known they are in!😜
Boom! As I suggested, regressive policies.
And gov't answers always lead to more questions.
but county commissioners ultimately chose to place the increasing tax burden on average property owners instead." --- Because they are in the 1% with all there added jobs besides commissioners ;)
Yes, the wealthy upper crust should pay more...because they have ALL extracted their wealth from regular people in one way or another...(percentage wise...I know they pay more in bulk because their property values are higher...but they CAN afford it...where $50,000 gross incomes cannot!)
'Noblesse Oblige' is a thing, because it is Natural Law that the wealthy should recontribute some of their largesse, because it's the right thing to do.
If we weren't debt free, we would be living in poverty and cannot sustain continuously increasing assessments and taxes...these Kommissars are commies and they are insane...Completely detached from reality!..🎶"Whatcha Gon' Do, When They Come For You!"🎶🥸
Great article, Jake! Once again you detailed a problem and gave a possible solution. One that is not gov't centric. The positive aspect of citizens designing possible solutions to conerns is that if any problems arise, we don't have to wait and wait and wait for gov't to try to fix them. People can remedy problems much faster and more efficiently as you have cited. Jake Seegers, County Commissioner, District 3 in 2026!!
Aww, thank you, Denise. You’ve always set a great example by offering thoughtful solutions and meaningful challenges in your public comments. 😊
Good morning Jeff,
Great job Jeff and Jake! It's amazing what a community can accomplish once you get government out of the way!
It would be so nice to have a county leadership that was open minded to solutions instead of following their directives from outside our borders... Keep it local and real!!!
Great information today. Makes me hopeful.thank you for that!
Thank you, Glen(:
Great effort to expand the honest conversation about real estate and land use Jake Seegers~! I have been the greatest proponent of real estate as an Investment vehicle for the average American that can provide the greatest long term Investment results and at the same time give Investors a real substantial short and long-term stake in the community. Over the past 50+ years my devotion to the great Investment opportunities involving real estate has resulted in my personal experience in ALL of the major categories involving real estate except Title & Escrow and Land Surveying, so I do possess an experience level that few others have (or in most cases want :) I admire your very accurate points that reveal that the government itself is actually directly responsible for the serious issues that "we" have regarding real estate ownership, development, and use, because that is without doubt the root cause of the current problems that our community faces today. The fact is that IF the government gets off of the backs of the folks who own, or wish to own real estate, we will see a tremendous improvement in available housing, and with that, there would be a great many other improvements in the local economies, and even the government "coffers" would experience the benefit where constantly increasing taxes would become unnecessary~! Like many folks, I deeply personally resent oppressive unconstitutional government that automatically destroys Americans freedoms and rights in every conceivable way, in this constant insane push to "grow government" as a disgusting first choice policy. I also really appreciate your excellent comment about how the state of Washington has severely damaged the rights of property owners, in favor of renters so-called "rights" (and even insane squatters "rights") that all destroy the very fabric of communities. You have well pointed out that the entrenched clown shows in our governments ALWAYS push their destructive and incompetent "solutions" that just happen to increase taxes and expenses, further erodes property ownership freedoms & rights, and makes real estate ownership less and less desirable for the good folks of our community and future generations. If the governments really wanted to improve the availability of housing for folks, which I seriously doubt, the government costs & "red tape" restrictions of building would be greatly reduced and, in many cases, eliminated. A truly honest serious solution of the governments would be to actually provide real estate owners with substantial tax reduction incentives, at least short term for a few years, that would offset the actual building costs and therefore encourage property owners to create more housing units. The best long-term solutions, especially for problems that have been created over a long period of time, never come from the very government that created those problems in the first place, because as a whole the government as it exists today is grossly incompetent and therefore can't make good decisions. The only real long-lasting solution for that is to vastly reduce the power & scope of the government and the very size of the government itself. Thank you very much for revealing that when the good folks of the community come together to make positive improvements, even in spite of the incompetent government, that those efforts are FAR more successful and productive because those are the folks who have the greater stake in and care for their community~! One last comment that I am compelled to make is a VERY strong warning to anyone who forfeits ANY of their property rights, by either joining in a H.O.A., cooperating in any type of "deed restriction", or entering into ANY type of contractual relationship that impairs the rights and use of their properties whatsoever~! DO NOT DO THIS~!!! ANY time that a property owner, willingly or by "extortion", forfeits ANY property rights of a subject property, it immediately and directly negatively impacts that property in relation to the general market~! I have seen countless property owners who have lost property value and made their properties less likely to develop and sell, because of their foolish decisions to impair and eliminate the very potential of their real estate investment... As a real estate professional who has been in the position to advise a great many potential and actual property owners, and as a real estate Investor myself, I can assure you that I ALWAYS reject owning properties that do not have ALL of their rights intact and protected as much as is reasonably possible. If anyone wanted to sell me a property that had deeded restrictions on the potential of that property, I would pass it by like a diseased hooker in Tiajuana Mexico! Ha~! I would also immediately refuse to continue to help any client, if they ignored my warnings and impaired and/or destroyed their property value in relation to the overall market as well, because I am well aware of, and experienced in, the problems that arise from making such completely foolish decisions~! In general, folks need to be extremely leery of making greedy decisions for "perceived" short-term gains, that usually never pan out as they expected anyway, that have permanent long-term ramifications~! Keep up the great work Jake Seegers, because with open and honest discussions "we" (Americans) have the best chance of making the best decisions on all subjects that we have in society~!
Sincerely, Mike
Thanks, Mike. I like this: "The fact is that IF the government gets off of the backs of the folks who own, or wish to own real estate, we will see a tremendous improvement in available housing, and with that, there would be a great many other improvements in the local economies..." Well said.
Jake, I have had the pleasure of meeting with Michael Heath and his wife. Both are a wealth of information and have many degrees of knowledge we need. Both are dedicated to the betterment of Clallam County and especially the constitutional rights of its citizens. Michael and his wife are a feather in our hats!
Thank you, Jake~!
That is very kind and generous of you :)
Long ago I used to believe that many in government roles were simply ill informed or incompetent for one reason or another, because I do have a long history in personnel management which allowed me to see the wide variety & range of people's abilities. It didn't take very long before I started to notice a VERY disturbing pattern in especially those who were, in one way or another, finding their way into government management roles. I will let you and others decide for yourselves, however I am absolutely 100% convinced that a great many of the Individuals who work their ways into government management roles do so for the specific goal of destroying America by very Intentionally oppressing our society and making the worst management decisions humanly possible~! That may sound "crazy" however it really is the ONLY logical possibility that could remotely explain how SO many in government seem to be utterly devoid of basic common sense and have absolute histories of nothing but the worst kinds of decisions. How could anyone make the worst decisions 100% of the time when they are managing the government, but "suddenly", as if by magic, they handle their own personal finances and matters with amazing "common sense" reasoning~? There really is no difference between competent folks managing their own personal checkbooks and good folks in government being able to handle a proper budget... Anyway, I have infiltrated a great many closed-door meetings in my time and the reason that you, Jeff Tozzer, and all of the rest of us are always SO frustrated by the entrenched clown show in governments, is VERY simple. They know exactly what they are doing, they are without doubt well organized beyond belief, and most importantly they know that if they start to allow positive common-sense changes to be made now, they will be exposed for exactly what they have been and are still doing~! If they were to allow the government to "get off of the backs of folks" there would be an immediate unmistakable BOOM in the local economy and all of the housing issues and other evil crappola that they have been working SO hard to cause our community, would immediately and very noticeably start to improve~! They know that their little treasonous empty heads would "roll" because the entire community would see the unmistakable evidence, not of their so-called "incompetence" but of their evil carefully orchestrated conspiracy to do as much harm as possible to our community and America... Are you aware of "The Cloward & Piven Strategy"??? If these kinds of intentionally destructive concepts are just "conspiracy nut theories" then why have they very clearly been underway for at least 65+ years and they are SO obvious today? As an old American Constitutionalist, it has been my duty to work on these very issues for about 60 years, and I assure you that my conclusions are easily backed up and provable. This is all the more reason that I/we here completely support Jeff Tozzer, you, and everyone else who has been diligently working to bring light and common-sense to our great community here~! Please do keep up the great work because we don't have to agree on everything, but we do have to come together to agree to refuse to comply with harmful unconstitutional dictates of the common enemy~! The true potential of Clallam County really is quite extraordinary because we have an abundance of opportunities, so together we can and must take control of our community for the well-being of the current and future generations ;-) There is a HUGE economic book coming to America my friend, and we do need to be prepared to take full advantage of it. In fact, we here and a few others in this community have already applied for very large amounts of Humanitarian funding that is probably not too far away from materializing from what we have been told...
Keep the faith~!
Sincerely, Mike
I don't believe that home ownership is always desirable. It is time dependent. Sometimes though not recently the ratio between renting and buying is skewed favoring renting. The federal reserve lowered short term interest rates but long-term rates haven't moved much means mortgages are still expensive. I bought a condo in 1981 and the prices dropped immediately. The apartment I had been renting was a third of the new mortgage. I didn't break even for several years. If I were younger, I would save my money and wait.
Very good thoughts Patriot Steve O~!
Oh yes, timing the market, or anything else for that matter, is absolutely critical~! If I wanted to have a grave, hopefully later rather than sooner, with a headstone, I would have "TIMING IS EVERYTHING~!" carved on it! Ha Ha Ha~! True story :) You are VERY correct that sometimes home ownership is not for everyone because there are many folks who are just not suited for such a serious personal responsibility, or appropriate for every circumstance because some need to be able to move with greater ease for one reason or another, or even always a good idea all of the time, all depending on numerous factors and variables that few have the knowledge, capacity to understand, or even evaluate. Interest rates do matter, but if one chooses wisely, especially the location, they can still make a nice profit. I have, but I have been a real estate analyst for about 50 years... I know that people have been spoiled by mortgage Interest rates over the past 15 years or so, but believe it or not any conventional 30-year fixed Interest rate mortgage at or under 9% is actually considered a good mortgage... Then again, I strongly encourage folks to look for reasonable seller carry notes, carefully without shyster terms, before they consider a conventional mortgage for a LOT of excellent reasons~! Usually the seller carry notes are FAR more likely to be available on "fixer homes" because they can't qualify for conventional mortgages, and if very carefully acquired with due diligence research they can be most financially rewarding indeed ;-) For folks who are willing to put in what is called "sweat equity" to do as much of the work as possible themselves, there can be a tremendous advantage in profitability. Equity building is the name of the game... and paying off the mortgage or note ASAP is all powerful~!!! Note: Home "flipping" is NOT for beginners unless they have a VERY honest & knowledgeable mentor to help them, or they will most likely crash and burn~! Most consumers do not have the experience or talent that it takes to choose wisely when making decisions about renting VS home ownership options. Unfortunately, condos are notoriously poor Investments most of the time, because folks have no ownership interest in the land itself and the market is always limited, which is not fee simple "home ownership" that I always refer to as a Bonafide real estate Investment. I also do my best to warn folks against mobile homes, even on fee simple real estate that they own, because of MANY factors but specifically because after 30 years obtaining a conventional mortgage on them is unlikely and they do NOT appreciate anywhere near what stick-built homes do... The absolutely worst "Investment" in real estate is when the poor suckers buy a mobile home in a rental park community, where there is no fee simple land ownership rights, and the landowners can and do raise their lot rents and fees no end~! That is one on my BIGGEST complaints in the field, that traps WAY too many (usually elderly) unsuspecting folks and ends in financial disasters most of the time... Yes, the field of real estate is FULL of pitfalls, minefields, and shysters & thieves that make life absolutely miserable for many good unsuspecting folks, but it is still the MOST potentially profitable Investment that most folks can make long term. That said, the criminals in the Washington State government have in fact destroyed a LOT of the real estate Investment potential (advantages) that most are completely ignorant of. It is absolutely critical to watch these snakes in government these days~!!! Jake Seegers did a GREAT service by pointing out that over the past recent years the Washington state government has stolen property rights from owners of the properties, and criminally unconstitutionally transferred those rights to the "renters". Welcome to the Communist state~! This is especially so when it comes to the completely fabricated "squatters rights" lunacy, that has been responsible for enormous life altering losses for a great many good folks who have owned real estate. I could tell you stories of squatter vandals that were actually supported by the evil criminals in the court systems that would scare the shit out of anyone who had a functional brain~! It is FAR more serious that the vast majority of sleeping sheep think... That said, a wise real estate Investment is difficult to beat, even though there are MANY considerations one must be aware of!
Be of good cheer my friend~!
Sincerely, Mike
Timing the market is not an option for the majority.
Surviving a rapacious gov't is the most many can hope for!😎
Well, we couldn't afford 'rent' but we can , barely, afford a debt free property and we have the option of letting it go 'to pot' if we can't afford to maintain it...not an option for rent/lease, although the landlord could let it all go 'to pot' around us and we would have no say! Mort = death...Gage = measure!🤓
Thanks Jeff, while I completely support additional housing, I believe different STH should be considered in part by need and developed in small neighborhoods with access to trash dumpsters, laundry, and clear understanding of sober residential guidelines
Another type of STH could be developed for those that want to work, have jobs and move ahead.
What do we know about the county population growth trends?
We KNOW that we will continue to 'absorb' 'climate refugees', per NOzias itself!
This forced migration of 'other' 'unassimilable cultures' is the death knell for many areas...it's Communism/NWO Agenda 21+++ protocols.
The horrors of Minnesota and other regions is here too, just not as violent, yet.
When a culture is diluted with people alien to it...it is doomed!🥸
James Manley, these are the questions that need to be addressed, but not asked, to come to a realized plan. Thank you
So they have this "war on landlords" shit going on in New York. Landlords are also property owners.
The property owners are fighting a war against their own government.
The globalists are finally saying the quiet part out loud.
Mass global governance.
Mount up regulars....
We know what you're talking about, JW!😎
I honestly do not understand the STR/RV thing. I rented a 5th wheel for a while. I loved it. Was cozy and easy to clean. Here in CC we have so many traveling nurses and Coasties who need housing also.
With the economy being what it is these days, salaries and rent are not working together at all especially if you are only one or even a couple. Especially if you are young and don't have a lot of furniture etc. an RV is perfect since it is actually furnished for the most part.
I think that many members of our population have been trained to avoid social stigma and not to postpone gratification. When I was 18 I actually lived inside a 1962 Rambler for six weeks and saved money. The seats folded down so it was quite comfortable. Most double wide trailers are superior to my stick built wooden house, yet they depreciate. After I saved enough money I moved into a "boarding house" which was extremely cheap. In 1970 they were quite common. The one in which I lived was an old Victorian mansion and very economical though the mattress had faulty springs.
In those days we lived in a high trust society and the population was more honest. I don't think that the concept of Room and Board would work in today's milieu.
Times, they are a changin'!😎
I can see lawsuits. There are really good "right to travel" arguments on federal roads.
I can see the tribal advantages to not paying road fees. This one is headed to the Supreme Court.
The corrupt Supreme Court? The consolidators of Oligarchy? The entitled but all too human ones who we 'trust'?🤣
Its the only hope of stopping them...expanding anti-DEI outcome rulings.
Here’s what keeps getting skipped over:
Clallam Bay and Sekiu are not Big Sky, Truckee, or Tofino. Those places have huge tourism economies, STRs that pull in serious money, seasonal labor, and infrastructure that makes incentive programs work. We don’t have that. STR income here is modest, buildable land is limited, septic capacity is a real ceiling, developer return is low, and emergency services are already stretched thin.
That matters. Programs like voluntary deed restrictions or “rent to locals” only work when the incentive beats what an owner can make on an STR. In Sekiu, it usually doesn’t. The math just isn’t the same, no matter how much we want it to be.
And STRs aren’t just “people using their property.” They operate like hotels while avoiding hotel rules; no inspections, no ADA requirements, no commercial tax rates, none of the oversight actual lodging businesses deal with. That gap is exactly why unrestricted STR growth drains long term rentals in small communities. The market didn’t magically fix it anywhere else, and it hasn’t here either.
Community efforts are great, but they don’t scale. Volunteers can clean up trash and build a couple tiny homes. They can’t expand septic systems, finance multi unit housing, meet fire/ADA code, or carry long term liability. Government isn’t the enemy of community action, it’s the only thing that can handle the parts volunteers physically can’t.
And the housing crisis isn’t coming from NGOs or MAT clinics. It’s coming from construction inflation, labor shortages, insurance and wildfire risk, stagnant wages, infrastructure limits, and the shift of existing housing into tourism stock. Boiling all of that down to “government bad” is just avoiding the hard parts.
Mileage taxes are one of the few criticisms that actually make sense. People don’t live far out because they’re rich, they live far out because it’s the only thing they can afford. Punishing rural residents won’t make them move closer; it’ll just push them out entirely.
I’m open to new ideas. They just need to be honest about where they actually work and where they don’t, and they need to fit Clallam County’s reality, not someone else’s.
The success of such efforts in Big Sky and Truckee only argue that similar programs would be economically feasible here. In fact, property owners in those markets are often making a far greater financial sacrifice than would be required in Clallam County. Take a look at the incentives offered in those markets.
But there are also important intangibles. Local owners may participate voluntarily not just for financial reasons, but because they believe in the vision for their community and want to be part of something that strengthens it. Long-term rentals also require far less management and operational cost than short-term rentals, so differences in top-line revenue do not always translate into the same gap in real income.
And finally, the value of one’s time is enormous. Owners who self-manage vacation rentals are essentially tethered to their phones. I’ve lived that life — and it carries a cost that spreadsheets never fully capture.
Jake, I appreciate this perspective, especially the part about time and management burden — that’s real, and we live it too. We intentionally operate a mixed portfolio: some short-term rentals and some long-term rentals for local workforce, because we believe housing sustainability requires balance, not extremes.
Where the conversation often breaks down, though, is that in Washington the decision to move from short-term to long-term renting isn’t just about income or values — it’s also about control and exit risk under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Once a property becomes a long-term rental, owners retain title, but their ability to regain possession or end a tenancy is significantly constrained by statute. Month-to-month tenancies no longer function as “either party can end with notice” in practice; termination generally requires a lawful cause and strict procedural compliance (RCW 59.18.200; RCW 59.18.650).
That matters in lived experience. In our own long-term units, we have tenants we want to keep housed — but when rent becomes persistently late or unpaid, owners can’t simply end a month-to-month tenancy the way many people assume. Carrying costs continue, deficits accumulate, and the risk is not shared. Research shows that when eviction and termination become more costly or uncertain, housing supply becomes less responsive even when demand is strong (Saiz, 2010; Brookings Institution, 2020).
I agree with you that values, time, and stress can motivate voluntary participation. But in places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu — where septic capacity, infrastructure, and scale are real ceilings — voluntary STR-to-LTR programs will only work at the margins unless policy also acknowledges this non-financial risk reality. That’s why governance matters so much here: rules that focus on real impacts (septic capacity, fire and life safety, nuisance standards) and reduce unnecessary friction for small, incremental housing are more likely to expand supply than relying on conversion alone (RCW 36.70A.020; MRSC, 2021).
Bottom line: incentives and community vision absolutely matter — but if policy doesn’t account for the legal and operational risks of long-term renting under current law, we shouldn’t be surprised when voluntary conversion underperforms. Good governance starts by designing policies that work with how the system actually operates, not how we wish it did.
References
Brookings Institution. (2020, January 17). Who’s to blame for high housing costs? It’s more complicated than you think. https://www.brookings.edu
Municipal Research and Services Center. (2021, December 30). Affordable housing and the impact of short-term rentals. https://mrsc.org
Revised Code of Washington. (n.d.). RCW 36.70A.020: Planning goals (Growth Management Act). https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw
Revised Code of Washington. (n.d.). RCW 59.18.200: Tenancy from month to month—End of tenancy—Notice. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw
Revised Code of Washington. (n.d.). RCW 59.18.650: Eviction of tenant—Refusal to continue tenancy—Causes. https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw
Saiz, A. (2010). The geographic determinants of housing supply. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 125(3), 1253–1296. https://doi.org/10.1162/qjec.2010.125.3.1253
Follow-Up Illustration: What “month-to-month” actually means now
For people who live paycheck to paycheck, here’s an analogy that helps explain why this matters.
Many small landlords also live month to month — just on rent instead of wages. That rent pays the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and repairs for that same month. When rent doesn’t come in, those bills don’t stop.
Under the old system, a month-to-month agreement worked a bit like at-will employment: either side could give notice and move on. That off-ramp helped manage risk.
Under current Washington law, that off-ramp is gone.
Best-case scenario
If rent isn’t paid and the tenant cooperates:
1. Landlord serves a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice
2. Tenant doesn’t pay but agrees to leave
3. Tenant moves out voluntarily
Fastest realistic outcome: ~4–8 weeks
(That’s already two months of carrying costs with little or no income.)
Non-cooperative scenario
If the tenant does not leave:
1. Landlord serves the correct legal notice
2. Waits the full notice period
3. Files an unlawful detainer in court
4. Waits for a hearing (court schedules vary)
5. Proves legal cause, proper notice, and compliance
6. Judge issues a writ of restitution
7. Sheriff schedules and enforces removal
Typical outcome: 2–6+ months, sometimes longer
During this time:
• Rent may be zero
• Mortgage, taxes, insurance continue
• Legal fees add up
• Owner cannot retake possession
For a small landlord, this is like going to work, not getting paid for months, and still being required to cover all living expenses while waiting for a decision.
Why this matters for housing policy
This doesn’t make tenants the problem. It explains why many small owners are cautious about converting homes to long-term rentals — even when they want to help their community.
If policy doesn’t account for this risk reality, voluntary STR-to-long-term conversion will continue to underperform, no matter how well-intentioned the incentives are.
Good governance starts by understanding how the system actually works for both sides — not how we assume it works.
Welcome to hell!😜
I am just pondering, what was so wrong with the prior mutually beneficial month-to-month landlord-tenant 20-day termination notice?
Landlord tenant laws continue to bend to the "rights" of renters, and have so for as long as I've had peripheral experience since the early 90's. You're analysis is spot on. The regressive government forces exerted against landlords is a root cause of the problem.
MK, I appreciate your comment and agree the disconnect you’re describing is real. For anyone interested in hearing how these issues are currently being discussed at the policy level, I’d encourage watching the Housing Solutions Committee Meeting – November 7, 2025 (link below).
If time is limited, these sections are especially relevant:
36:40–38:28 – discussion of “convincing landlords to take vouchers” and meth remediation costs ($30k–$40k per unit)
41:10–43:05 – comments about there being “no political path to do anything pro-landlord” and a stated preference for “more nonprofit, less for-profit housing”
47:53–52:15 – acknowledgment that nonprofits address roughly 1% of housing need, while the private sector provides the other 99%, alongside statements that the private sector will still be expected to solve homelessness
The full meeting is worth watching, but those sections capture the framing that directly affects rural communities like ours.
One additional point for the record: when contractors are discussed as “making profits,” I’d ask that local contractors — including my husband — be at the table. In our case, the only way projects remain affordable for local working families is because he is effectively donating time and margin. That reality rarely shows up in these conversations, but it’s the difference between projects penciling out or not in rural Clallam County.
Transparency matters. These discussions shape real policy outcomes, and residents deserve to know how the tradeoffs are being framed.
Housing Solutions Committee Meeting – November 07, 2025:
https://clallamcowa.portal.civicclerk.com/event/471/media
I think this comment actually reinforces the core governance issue many of us are circling around, not contradicting it.
You’re right that Clallam Bay and Sekiu are not Big Sky or Truckee, and that matters. The economics don’t pencil the same way, septic and infrastructure are real ceilings, and small-scale rural housing doesn’t attract traditional developers. That also means there is no single, fast policy lever that will create housing overnight here.
Where I’d add a nuance is this: when the market doesn’t respond to demand, it’s usually because supply is constrained in ways price alone can’t overcome. In small rural communities, that shows up as regulatory uncertainty, financing barriers for incremental housing, and legal risk that makes the lowest-risk use (often STRs) the default — not because it’s wildly profitable, but because it’s predictable and reversible.
On STRs specifically, I agree the regulatory asymmetry matters. Long-term landlords carry significant legal and possession risk, while STR operators retain control and flexibility. That imbalance is itself a policy outcome, and changing it requires more than simply asking owners to convert units.
I also agree that community efforts don’t scale to infrastructure, code compliance, or long-term liability. That’s where government is indispensable — not as a substitute for the market, but as the actor that removes known barriers and enforces real standards.
To me, the honest takeaway isn’t “government bad” or “STRs bad.” It’s that in places like Clallam Bay and Sekiu, housing policy has to focus on what actually increases supply safely, not just on redistributing a small number of existing units.
Whatever. As long as there are no more regulations or incentives that allow people to live in trailers or RVs in PA more than 180 days while a home is being renovated or constructed. I really don’t care what they do in Beaver, Clallam Bay or Sekiu. The answer should almost always focus on getting government out of the way and allowing the market to adjust on its own. I don’t want to see tiny homes for drug addicts, either.
Dig the new song