Hotel conversion fee upheld

The Supreme Count yesterday refused to hear a challenge to San Francisco's hotel conversion fee. The fee, which is intended to allow the city to replace hotel units converted from residential to tourist uses, was upheld by the California Supreme Court, and the US Supremes have refused to challenge their decision.

This is a good thing for San Francisco, but what we often forget is the national scope of things we do here. The LA Times covers the case from a "property rights" perspective, and finds this decision a defeat for the advocates of that positon,

The California and U.S. Supreme Court rulings made clear that local and state governments had broad power to regulate private property and to charge special fees for developers. They also dashed the hopes of property rights advocates who believed they could fare better in federal courts.
[...]
"The Supreme Court has wisely put to rest the attempt by the national developers' lobby to get something no other claimant receives: two bites at the litigation apple," said Timothy J. Dowling, a lawyer for Community Rights Counsel in Washington. "The ruling will allow local officials and planners to protect our communities through reasonable land-use controls."

We sometimes forget that despite all our rolling eyes and muttering "only in San Francisco", the things that we do here can have national implications.