Last month, in a four-to-one vote, Concord city council passed a rent stabilization and tenant protection ordinance. The decision came after almost a decade of organizing by tenants and tenant advocates in Concord.
But the victory was short lived.
The ordinance was supposed to go into effect on April 4, but last week, Concord’s city clerk received a “referendum petition” from a small group of landlords and the California Apartments Association, a lobby group which argues that rent control “exacerbates the housing crisis”.
The submission of the referendum petition was enough to halt the implementation of the ordinance. Now, the group is working to gather enough signatures to get the ordinance placed on the November ballot.
They need 7,204 registered Concord voters to sign the petition for the rental ordinance to make it onto the ballot.
Organizers and tenants are disappointed by the delay, they say rent control and tenant protections are badly needed in Concord.
