But there are also concerns from residents about having businesses operate in their quiet neighborhoods, safety worries and other potential impacts from noise and partying vacationers.
Healdsburg has prohibited vacation rentals everywhere but the downtown commercial zone. Santa Rosa allows them, as does Sonoma, in some neighborhoods. They are prohibited in the unincorporated area of Napa County and in Calistoga.
Sonoma County allows vacation rentals in unincorporated areas, but has limits on daytime and overnight occupancy and restrictions on noise and amplified sound.
In Petaluma, there were at least 20 unofficial bed-and-breakfast rentals listed on Airbnb and VRBO Tuesday, ranging from $45 a night for a twin-bed rental to $1,050 week for a small bungalow with views of Sonoma Mountain, and $7,500 a month for a rural estate on the city's edge.
Petaluma changed its code last year to allow traditional bed-and-breakfasts to operate in residential districts, but only after approval of a use permit and other requirements to help them integrate into their neighborhoods. There are only a few official B&Bs, according to the city.
Homeowners, who often call themselves hosts, say their rental activities cause no more problems than when family visits or kids come home from college. Most say they are happy to pay a city tax and abide by reasonable noise and occupancy guidelines.
But some of the approximately 80 people who attended the workshop said they would like to see the rentals banned or require neighborhood approval before a permit is issued.
Karen and Stephen Tamborski, who have run a short-term rental for about a year, said they talked to their neighbors beforehand and haven't had any complaints. They said requiring neighborhood approval of a rental is overkill, though.
"That's an opportunity for people to shut it down when it may not be warranted," he said, adding that most occupancy and noise issues are self-regulating since the owners often live there while they have visitors.
Parking was also a hot topic, with some residents asking that rentals be required to have on-site parking so vacationers won't take up scarce street spaces.
Others, like Naomi Richman, said that would be impossible for her since her rental home is in the historic district and she couldn't add parking to her lot.
Alverde said the input gathered will help inform an eventual ordinance that will be discussed at the Planning Commission later this year and then the City Council, with a goal of having regulations in place by next year.
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