Commentary: Sonoma's not buying what Pacaso’s selling

Neighbors are nonplussed about new fractional vacation home program

It doesn't take a psychologist to see through Pacaso Homes and their tactics to try and ram their timeshare-model business into Sonoma's family and residential neighborhoods.

Pacaso Homes wants to make you believe that Sonomans who oppose their business model of timeshares in neighborhoods are a bunch of unwelcoming bullies and elitists. But really, it's Pacaso who behaves as an elitist bully.

Pacaso Homes was started by two very rich tech entrepreneurs and is backed by the traditional fraternity of venture capitalism and other investors with tremendous wealth. They’ve hired Napa-based crisis management consultant Larry Kamer and doubled down on their efforts to sell one-eighth shares of homes located smack dab in the middle of family neighborhoods, wherein up to eight anonymous LLC owners and unlimited guests can come and go with suitcases for stays of two to 14 nights at a time.

Pacaso insists that they're making second-home ownership more affordable and accessible for regular folks. But pay attention to the BMWs, Mercedes, Teslas, Lamborghinis, Porsches and multiple other fancy cars that are driving in and out of Pacaso home garages. These are hardly folks who have had to scrape together a staggering $606,000, plus thousands of dollars in annual fees for 44-days sliced and diced throughout the year. It's a revolving door of "fractional owners" who, by the way, can all "gift" their time in the home to friends and family or pool party pals.

And all the owners retain anonymity through the LLC: they’re anonymous to each other, and, by way of the LLC structure, can remain anonymous to their neighbors. Pacaso Homes keeps trying to deflect from the real story that their business model of timeshares in residential neighborhoods isn't good, or even liked. If it was, Pacaso wouldn't be seeing such intense resistance everywhere it operates in Wine Country (look at all the No Pacaso signs popping up all over). And it wouldn't have to so desperately try and buy the support of local leaders or hire local “evangelists” to spread the good word of Pacaso.

No matter how manipulative Pacaso tries to be in trying to get locals to shut up and accept their Wild West real estate play, the truth of the story is much simpler: people don't want timeshare models in residential family neighborhoods. The resistance to Pacaso Homes is because people don't want their community to be sold out to corporate America.

Timeshare business models have no place in traditional residential neighborhoods, whether they are in Sonoma, San Diego or Cincinnati. There's plenty of other opportunities for corporations to wield their ambitions for greater and greater riches, but it shouldn't be off the backs of Sonomans in their residential neighborhoods. Sonomans aren't buying what Pacaso's selling. Is anyone?

Holly Kulak is a member of STOP (Sonomans Together Opposing Pacaso).