Hi Nikki,
I have a VHR in South Lake but outside the city limits luckily, within the unincorporated area, where city council regulations don't affect us. Still, county residents are also becoming very upset and pushing for stronger regulations of VHRs. I've been quite involved in town meetings and news this past year, and we are quite involved with the Tahoe community in general.
SLT City residents will be voting on the ban this november, and from what I picked up it seems like it has good chances of passing. There's nothing you can do now, especially if you're not a resident. If the ban passes, it is my understanding that it would not be retroactive, meaning that property owners who already hold permits would get to keep them. However, this past spring, the city also approved a set of what can only be described as draconian measures to regulate existing VHRs. Three strikes within a 2 year period and you're out. They remove your permit, and you can never get it back. Neigbhor residents are so upset about the proliferation of VHRs that they're constantly on watch trying to find a reason to complain to the sheriff so that violations will be filed against VHR owners. They are being quite successful. Even the San Francisco Chronicle printed an article about this. And it doesn't help that VHR guests have been quite efficient at providing neigbhors with the perfect excuses to call the sheriff.
If you truly want to get involved, I would suggest the first step is to get deeply informed from both sides. There are deep biases on both sides, but there are also some strong arguments on both sides. And that includes strong arguments for why VHRs should be strictly regulated (yes, I know this impacts me directly as a VHR owner, but it's what I have come to believe after much digging).
Airbnb has made statements supporting these measures if you care to know.
I do believe that a total ban is extreme, but I also have come to see why many SLT city residents were left feeling that it was the only way. They've been fighting the fight for several years now, they haven't seen the changes they requested, and now they've had it.
It is most certainly a sad situation when two opposing groups are unable to get together and solve a problem through collaboration.
Hope you find this tiny summary helpful.