November

5, 2014


Tom Allon
President & CEO City & State
61 Broadway, Suite 2825
New York, NY 10006


Mr. Allon:

We are looking forward to participating in the Somos el Futuro conference, which will celebrate its
27th year this week. One of the conferences purposes is to bring together elected leaders to
celebrate our diversity and further deepen ties between our respective communities.

We take very seriously the groups and sponsors that are affiliated with our conference., and strive
to ensure that all of the conferences affiliates and sponsors share our values. That is why we were
deeply troubled to learn that Airbnb was allowed to sponsor the Road to SOMOS Kickoff Cocktail
Reception at El Museo de San Juan on November 6.

Over the last few months, Airbnb has spent millions of dollars blanketing New York Citys airwaves
and subways with ads trying to convince the average New Yorker that its a harmless home sharing
exchange. But the reality is much further from the image Airbnb is carefully trying to cultivate.
Airbnb doesnt want you to know that New York has a law that prevents people from renting out
their unoccupied apartments for a period of less than 30 days. According to a report released by the
State Attorney Generals office, nearly 75% of the listings on the companys website in New York
violate this law. The data he collected also reveals that a large percentage of revenue Airbnb
generates is from hosts who rent multiple unoccupied apartments to guests as illegal hotels on a full
time basis.

Converting an already scarce stock of affordable housing into commercial rentals takes these units
off the market for New Yorkers who actually need them to live. The neighborhoods we represent
have been decimated by the lack of affordable housing, and Airbnb is one of the chief enablers of the
illegal hotel industry that is further exacerbating the housing crisis plaguing our communities.

Mayor de Blasio has made it a priority to reverse the housing crisis by expanding New York Citys
affordable housing stock with an additional 200,000 units over the next 10 years. But for his plan to
work, we cannot allow illegal hotel operators like Airbnb to continue to violate the law and reduce

the availability of affordable housing.

Though Airbnb didnt create the affordable housing crisis, its role in incentivizing people to convert
their homes into hotels has made the problem much worse across the City, and particularly in the
communities we represent.

That is why we respectfully ask that you immediately drop Airbnb as a sponsor of the Road to
SOMOS Kickoff Cocktail Reception. A company that so blatantly violates state law and has so little
regard for affordable housing has no place at this conference that celebrates the great diversity of
our state.

Sincerely,

Senate Latino Conference Chair Senator Adriano Espaillat
Senator Jose Peralta
Assembly Member Francisco Moya
Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member Antonio Reynoso


CC:
Cesar Astralaga
Chair, Somos el Futuro, Inc.