Concord rent stabilization ordinance put on hold, may soon go to voters
CONCORD – After passing a much-anticipated rent stabilization ordinance last month which was finalized by the city council March 5, the City of Concord said Monday it will suspend its implementation.
The ordinance was scheduled to go into effect on April 4, but now the policy may end up in the hands of the voters.
On Friday, Concord's city clerk received a proposed referendum petition, indicating plans to gather signatures to place a referendum on ordinance the November ballot.
The city said Monday its city attorney has 10 business days to prepare and issue an impartial summary. Following this step, the petitioners will have 30 calendar days to gather the required number of valid signatures to allow the referendum to move forward.
Signatures will have to be verified through the Contra Costa County Clerk, and there must be 7,204 valid signatures from registered Concord voters to qualify for the November ballot.
The city said in a statement Monday that if the petition qualifies, the city council will have the choice of repealing the ordinance or placing it on the November ballot to let the voters decide.
The issue of rent stabilization in Concord has been discussed for years.
In January 2023, the council expressed its desire to enact tenant protections and reiterated that goal in Concord's Housing Element.
The council has since discussed the matter in eight public meetings on this topic and has heard from dozens of property owners and tenants.
The ordinance amends Concord Municipal Code Chapter 19.40 Residential Tenant Protection Program and increases the "just cause" eviction protections, expands the city's rent registry, and establishes a rent stabilization program.
Single-family homes would not be subject to the proposed ordinance. Neither would rented condominium units or rented accessory dwelling units. Duplexes in which the owner lives in one of the units would also not be subject to either rent stabilization or just cause for eviction regulations.
The ordinance would limit annual rent increases to 3 percent, or 60% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower, and will apply to multi-family rental complexes of two or more units built before Feb. 1, 1995.
The city would also require landlords to have just cause before evicting tenants.
In February, the council voted 4-1 in favor of the ordinance, with Laura Hoffmeister dissenting.
Hoffmeister said she couldn't support the ordinance because it could punish landlords doing the right thing for a few who weren't. She also said she didn't see rent control solving high housing prices in other cities.
She also said rent raises of 3 percent or 60 percent of CPI was too low.
The referendum process is controlled by state law. A summary of the ordinance and a link to the complete ordinance can be found at cityofconcord.org/housing.
