Concord’s rent stabilization ordinance was scheduled to go into effect on April 4. It was passed 4 to 1 by the city council last month, after a series of emotional meetings, with landlords and tenants making their strong opinions known.
However, the ordinance will not take effect next month. Instead, the policy may end up in the hands of voters.
Last week, a group of lobbyists delivered a referendum petition to the city clerk. This could block the ordinance from taking hold.
Kristi Laughlin is the Deputy Director of EBASE, one of the organizations that supports the ordinance. She says that the suspension will have dire consequences for renters in Concord.
“I think it’s pretty dire. Every month that we do not do something to reign in excessive rent increases is another month that we see families being pushed out of their homes and we continue to see unjust evictions.”
Once the city clerk issues an impartial summary of the petition, the group will have 30 calendar days to collect 7,204 valid signatures from registered Concord voters. This is the number of signatures required to qualify a ballot initiative. If the group gets enough signatures certified, the city council will have the choice of either repealing the ordinance, or placing it on the November ballot.
Concord’s rent stabilization ordinance has been eight years in the making. If allowed to take effect, it would limit annual rent increases to three percent, or 60 percent of the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. It would also require landlords to have just cause before evicting tenants, among other things.
