Concord residents rally at city hall for renter protections
CONCORD -- Nearly 50 people crowded Concord City Hall Thursday to attend a rally calling for more tenant protections in the city.
One of the people in attendance was Kristi Laughlin. She works for the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, a non-profit organization, .
She said the organization was there to fight for housing justice in Concord.
"It is actually a rally to support of lowering the rent and stopping unjust evictions here in Concord in our coalition," Laughlin said.
The rally featured several speakers sharing their concerns and personal struggles with rent increases.
"Recently our report came out and the analysis...actually showed that 66% of properties are owned by just 10% corporate entity," Laughlin said.
Earlier this month, Concord City Council spoke about creating a rent stabilization ordinance.
Similar ordinances in Richmond and Antioch cap rent increases at three percent annually, or 60 percent of the consumer price index, whichever is lower.
It would also require just cause for evictions of tenants living in a unit for at least a year.
Protection for renters is topic of passionate debate for many in the Bay Area. Concord Councilmember Laura Nakamura also attended the rally. She says she is in support of their mission,
The crowd ended their rally by dropping off 1,200 signatures calling for the Concord City Council to step into the battle of the rent prices.
The group plans to come back for next city council hearing on these proposed tenant protections, which is set for October 10th.
