Concord, CA — On Thursday, September 28, a diverse coalition of faith leaders, tenant groups, community members, and seniors gathered in front of Concord City Hall at 11:00 am to hold a powerful press conference and rally.
The coalition had gathered to demand tenant protections for Concord residents. This united front comes as Concord City Council reviews crucial tenant protection proposals set to be voted on before the end of the year.
The rallying cry from Concord residents of various backgrounds is clear and resounding: they demand the City Council take swift action to protect tenants from the hardships of eviction and skyrocketing rents. Their primary goals are to establish rent increase limits, capping them at either 3% or 60% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), depending on which figure is lower, and to adopt Just Cause eviction protections.
“I have already gone through a no-cause eviction because the city where I lived before did not have tenant protections. My daughters suffered a lot when we had to leave our home. I don’t want to go through something as traumatic as an eviction ever again. This is why we need the City Council to pass a strong Just Cause and Rent Control,” said Julia Caudillo, a member of Rising Juntos
The urgency of this event is underlined by recent reports that show increasing homelessness: 17% of unhoused students in Contra Costa County attend Concord public schools, and 58% of senior renters in Concord are very-low-income, leaving nearly 2,000 households at risk of displacement. Additionally, corporate investors, not local “mom-and-pop” landlords, dominate Concord’s rental market. Sixty six percent of multi-family units in Concord are owned by the top 10% of landlords, which include about 50 companies. Only 15% of multifamily units and 22% of investor-owned units in Concord are owned by local investors.
“While my faith calls me to support the most vulnerable everywhere, whether they live next door or are on the other side of the world, a city council needs to prioritize the needs of its city’s residents. When research shows that 78% of Concord rental units are owned by people outside of Concord and 66% of multi-family units by corporate entities, the council has a moral duty to protect vulnerable residents from outside forces who are in the housing business only to make the maximum profit possible,” said Rev. Millie Phillips, Unitarian Universalist Minister with the Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy
Today’s rally and the delivery of over 1,200 signatures to the Concord City Council represent a critical step forward in the fight for stronger tenant protections in Concord. The coalition remains committed to fostering an equitable housing landscape and ensuring that all residents can enjoy the stability and security of a safe and affordable home.
The coalition comprises EBASE, Todos Santos Tenants Union, Monument Impact, Rising Juntos, FAME, and the Raise the Roof Coalition. Together, they advocate for tenant rights and housing justice in Concord.
Previous Stories
- Aug 15, 2023 – Concord Seeks Feedback on Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction
- June 20, 2023 – Antioch Agrees to Create Rental Registry to Track Landlords
- Aug 24, 2022 – Antioch City Council Approves Rent Stabilization Ordinance
5 comments
This is a very one-sided press release by pressure groups. No mention is made of the very real problems faced by landlords. Rents should be a market mechanism. When government interferes to cap rents, it is a disincentive to create new rental housing or maintain existing units in service. The long-term effect is to DECREASE the amount of rental housing available.
That is why it says press release… you are free to submit a letter to the editor or present counter arguments
I fully understand that it is not a CC NEWS-written article. Merely pointing out that it does not tell “the whole story.”
Owners house, owner sets the rent amount. If the market goes up, rents go up. If the market goes down, rent goes down. Shady renters cause more problems than crappy landlords.
Thank China.
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