Support your local entrepreneur

San Francisco took a bold leap forward this week in support of the Access Economy.

Mayor Ed Lee and the city's Board of Supervisors announced the nation’s first-ever policy group formed to take a look at the economic benefits, innovative companies and emerging policy issues around this growing entrepreneurial and economic development model it calls the "sharing economy." Also known as “collaborative consumption,” the model uses technology and social media to promote the sharing and re-use of underutilized assets such as cars, bikes, tools, rooms, spaces, skills and other goods. The growth of the movement has been driven by the success of companies and organizations like City CarShare, ZipCar, RelayRides, Airbnb, Getaround, Taskrabbit, Shareable, Vayable and more, many headquartered in San Francisco and creating a growing number of local jobs and local economic benefits.

Coincidentally, the city was also this week considering a 15% tax on "transient occupancy" that would force companies like Airbnb to, like hotels, collect an additional 15% on rentals – a move that some say may severely hinder its ability to function, reported Nick Aster in TriplePundit.

“It’s time for San Francisco to take a comprehensive look at our existing laws and regulations to consider this innovative new economy’s benefits while addressing real community impacts and concerns,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu.

The new working group aims to bring together city departments, neighborhood and community stakeholders and participating companies to explore San Francisco’s existing land-use, planning, tax and other laws that impact or are impacted by collaborative consumption and explore policy alternatives and legislation to modernize those laws and/or address emerging impacts and issues.