Concord, CA — Yesterday, dozens of Concord renters, housing advocates, and community members, alongside the Raise the Roof Coalition, rallied at Todos Santos Park and marched to Concord City Hall in a peaceful protest to demand the City Council resist corporate landlord pressure and reverse efforts to weaken the city’s Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction Program. Once they arrived at City Hall, many tenants and Raise the Roof members refused to go inside chambers, to protest against Mayor Obringer, Councilmember Benavente, and Councilmember Hoiffmeister’s vote to weaken the renter protections and their disregard of Concord renters’ voices.
The ordinance, which marked Concord’s first renter protections against high rent increases and unjust evictions, was barely implemented for 11 months before the Council moved to dismantle it. During the rally and march, protesters wore T-shirts reading “Real Concord Resident” and carried signs that read “Concord For Sale” and “Hands Off Our Housing!” as they voiced their outrage over the rollback.
The demonstration followed revelations from the March 25 City Council meeting, where affiliates of the California Apartment Association (CAA) paid attendees, including individuals from outside Concord, to fill the chambers and advocate for gutting the ordinance. This effectively drowned out local voices that have been pushing for renter protections for nearly a decade.
“At the last Council meeting, I was disturbed by what it turned out to be..what I was there to represent and moreover by the shamelessness of the organizing party. I was also pretty disturbed that they had people from anywhere but Concord, representing themselves as residents.” said Jackson Brody, a Concord resident who revealed that California Apartment Association organizers paid protesters, including himself, to pressure the City Council to undermine the original ordinance at last month’s council meeting.
“I am just really glad that I was able to connect with some people from Raise the Roof and speak out about this. I really think that paying these kinds of “astroturfists” to pretend to sincerely represent a stance on rent control is very analogous to things we see happening at the national level with Elon Musk trying to buy elections in Wisconsin, the Supreme Court, and god only knows where else. I think it’s really important that we stay aware, agitated, and angry about this.”
Last month’s City Council vote approved a weakened version of the ordinance. It now allows annual rent increases of up to 5% flat—up from the original cap of 60% of CPI or 3%, whichever was lower—and exempts most single-family homes and condos from just cause eviction protections.The changes are set to go into effect within 30 days.
“The City Council didn’t even bother to give the ordinance a year and study the data before they decided to move forward with these changes that will make it harder for Concord’s renting families, seniors, and young individuals to stay housed in Concord,” said Betty Gabaldon, president of the Todos Santos Tenants Union and EBASE organizer. “For eight years, tenants like me have made our voices heard through our local democracy about what we need to be able to stay housed in the City. The City has all the research and data proving the importance of the original ordinance for thousands of Concord residents, and is making an active decision to ignore these facts and our voices and instead pander to real estate lobbyists and corporate landlords.”
According to Concord’s own Housing Element, a state-mandated plan for fair and affordable housing, median rent in the city has increased by over 44% since 2010, outpacing renters’ income growth (37%) and forcing more residents to face housing instability and relocate in search of affordable housing.
“Even though the ordinance has been stripped, we will continue to fight for our right to a stable home and community in Concord and remain united against corporate influence,” said Blanca Colin, Concord resident and Rising Juntos member. “Our fight is local, but it’s part of the bigger picture of the corporate corruption that is happening nationwide. Concord is our home and we will not let corporate landlords have the final say over what happens here.”
Raise the Roof coalition members, including EBASE, Todos Santos Tenants Union, and Rising Juntos will continue advocating for strong renter protections in Concord and across Contra Costa County while holding elected officials accountable to the communities they serve—not corporate landlords.
Information provided by The Worker Agency
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- April 19 – Concord Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction Now in Effect
- March 13 – Concord Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Ordinance Placed on Hold
- Feb 13 – Concord Set to Talk Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Evictions (rent protections)
