Concord City Council to again tackle rent stabilization at Oct. 10 meeting
CONCORD — Rent stabilization is again on the agenda for the Concord City Council on Tuesday night.
The hot-button issue drew 67 public speakers spanning about five hours of testimony at the council's Sept. 5 meeting. The council closed public comment and, after some discussion of the merits of the proposal, continued the item.
The proposed Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which — like ordinances in Richmond and Antioch — would cap rent increases at 3 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. Just cause includes non-payment of rent, criminal activity, material breach of a lease, refusing to allow the owner access, refusal to sign a new lease with similar provisions and duration, and subletting the unit in violation of the lease.
The proposal wouldn't affect units built since 1995 or landlords with four or fewer units.
Proposal supporters point out, that between 2011 and 2021, Concord's median gross rents increased 62 percent, according to city statistics.
Tenant advocates say high rents likely impact seniors in Concord harder than other groups, as 58 percent of area seniors, according to the Association of Bay Area Governments, are very low-income.
It means about 2,000 households in Concord are vulnerable to displacement, according to the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, a tenants rights advocacy group. The group says about 29 percent of unhoused people in Contra Costa County are over 55.
Landlords cite California's Assembly Bill 1482, a three-year-old law capping rent increases at 5 percent, plus the rate of inflation, which together can't exceed a 10 percent annual increases, as proof tenants are already protected in California.
They also cite the economic damage they suffered during the pandemic, when they were affected by eviction and rent moratoriums.
The council on Tuesday is likely to offer more comments and direct staff to craft an ordinance to bring back to the council for approval later this year.
The Concord City Council meets at 6 p.m. at the council chamber at city hall, 1950 Parkside Drive, in Concord. To watch the meeting remotely, go to https://bit.ly/3Q7DiGv.