A new political action committee, the Responsible Tourism Coalition, has filed with the Arizona secretary of state to support candidates who favor policies benefiting short-term rental, known as STR, operators on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
The group’s stated mission is to defend property rights and bolster Arizona’s tourism economy — a move that underscores how deeply the STR industry has woven itself into housing and policy debates, not just in Arizona but nationwide.
It is not the first organization pursuing this agenda: Arizona is also home to Arizonans for Responsible Tourism, a longstanding group representing hosts and property managers.
Together, these organizations reveal the breadth and coordination of the STR industry’s influence in state politics, showing that Arizona’s debate is part of a sustained, organized national movement.
Read the entire commentary on Substack In The Center Lane With Herb Paine →
-
Commentator Herb Paine on the troubling revival of capital punishment in the United States and Israel.
-
In the midst of all the current social and political disruption, commentator Herb Paine takes a step back and reflect on how we shifted from an age of aspirations to an era of polarization.
-
Commentator Herb Paine documents the Trump administration’s continuing campaign on what he calls "a coordinated effort to narrow, sanitize and control the stories Americans encounter about their own culture and history" and offers an "inventory" of the damage already done — and the implications of allowing it to continue.
-
Commentator Herb Paine examines a crucial but under-explored dimension of the current moment: How the Jewish community responds ethically when Jewish continuity intersects with political power in Israel.
-
One piece of Arizona's property politics puzzle involves middle housing (sometimes referred to as missing middle housing to highlight the gap between single-family homes and large apartment buildings). Commentator Herb Paine examines the concept and its practical implications.