To the Community of Avalon
First of all, thank you to all our past and present parents for entrusting us with your children. You are giving us the opportunity to use our gifting and education to help shape and mold these children into responsible, caring, happy children. We love every minute of it.
Thank you to our Avalon businesses, Lions club, Yacht club, Island Company, Vons corporation to name a few, for all your support and donations from monetary gifts to your gift of time (install of flooring). We have received so much help with fundraisers, graduations, and many other community events throughout the years.
Thank you to our Avalon community members who, when you see us on the street, wave and greet us with smiles. There has been so much support from everyone that has allowed the consistency of education and growth in our CKV children and staff.
Catalina Kid Ventures is fortunate to be open year-round, five days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are many working parents in Avalon who need childcare and we have been more than happy to provide for them for the past 30+ Years. We know the need for childcare is growing as well. Here is the update on our facility.
Since Covid-19 pandemic, Catalina Kid Ventures has struggled to enroll new students as well as hire new staff. We have an extensive waiting list, some who have been waiting a year. We would love to fill our spaces and reach full capacity but we need teachers. We are looking for dedicated, hard-working teachers who have a knowledge of early child development, who love working with children and who are not afraid to get dirty. Parents have been asking when we will start enrollment? Until we can employ Early Childhood Educated teachers, unfortunately we only have a certain amount of spaces available. As the numbers change every summer, we stay flexible with what we can accommodate, so please hang in there with us.
All this to say, we are still open and ready to teach. The children have an age appropriate, safe and healthy environment that incorporates hands on exploration, discovery and independence in the dailies of life. We have a Preschool class with 3-5 year olds and potty strained and a Toddler class, 18 months to 3 years old in diapers but working their way to move up to the Pre-K side. Our curriculum is play based and allows room to grow as individuals as we know that all children develop differently and at their own pace. We are here to help them along and give them the tools.
If there are any parents or members of this community who would like to get involved, whether it be a position on the Board or becoming an Early Childhood Education teacher, please email me. We are open to ideas on what it will take to gain full capacity and continue to grow these beautiful children of Avalon through education and kindness.
With much appreciation and Sincerity,
Carol Burcombe
Catalina Kid Ventures
director
Vacation rental debate needs data
Reading The Islander’s coverage of the vacation rental issue is becoming frightening. The testimony covered to date has been filled with bold statements that make vacation rentals seem outrageously awful, but much of that testimony is seriously short of facts and data.
Nobody wants to live next to a party house filled with disrespectful renters, but the same can be said for owner occupied homes. Your Sherriff’s Log rarely reports calls to vacation rentals. Are those omitted, or do they not happen? We need data if we are going to cite that concern. Some have expressed worry about trash. How is trash generated by vacation renters any different than that of owner occupied or long term rental homes? The trash fees are paid regardless of who is in the house. Again, data please.
Vacation rentals pay an occupancy tax to the city. How much is generated? Data please. Vacation renters spend money while on the island. If Avalon has 300 vacation rentals, and each generates a modest $1, 000 of spending around town per week, that adds up to around $300,000 per week—over the prime season, that makes between $3 to 4 million. This is just a simple estimate, but could be easily verified and become useful data. Sales and other tax revenue should be easy to extrapolate from such a figure.
There seems to be an assumption that a house, if not used as a vacation rental would otherwise be used as long term rental housing.
Maybe, but in many cases, the cost of the house (mortgage, taxes, utilities, upkeep and insurance) would exceed the rental income from a long term agreement. If we are to consider this as a factor, we need to know how such a situation would play out. Can we say without a doubt that limiting vacation rentals would make a substantive difference in Avalon’s housing shortage?
Lastly, but probably most important, is the suggestion that renters (or landlords) be subject to a special set of rules. A serious discussion with the City Attorney needs to happen before more time is spent here. Fining someone for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace or any other disruption is appropriate, but the rules have to apply evenly to everybody.
Fining a landlord for the misdeeds of the tenant is like fining Avis because a driver in their rental car broke the law. And, a long term tenant can’t be given different rights than a short term renter. City Attorney, please comment.
The City Council is setting itself up for generating a lot of disappointment if the discussion continues to focus on unsubstantiated assumptions rather than real data.
There will always be disrespectful people—whether they are vacation renters, hotel guests or residents. Finding ways to limit their impact on the community is a good thing, but do it in a way that is fact driven and fair to everyone.
Greg Haskin
Atascadero, California
