From: Annie Larson <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 2:53 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: yes to rent control
Dear Concord City Council,
Thank you so much for passing this rent stabilization and just cause ordinance that will ensure lasting housing stability for over 40,000 renters in Concord and their families! I, as a Concord worker or Concord renter or District # resident or Concord homeowner, personally really appreciate your leadership in passing this ordinance because talk about how this ordinance will help you as a Concord renter, or why you as a Concord resident who is not a renter think this policy is important for the City and our communities, or talk about how Concord residents your organization works with/represents will benefit.
Again, I appreciate your leadership and for taking steps to help make Concord a more affordable and inclusive city where seniors and working families can live. We have seen 13 other Cities in the Bay Area take proactive steps to stop excessive rent increases and displacement. I am glad that after many years of advocacy by people like me and other Concord renters, tenant advocates, and community allies, you are officially adopting the ordinance on March 5th. So many community members have sought relief and protections in recent years.
This can’t come soon enough.
Thank you,
From: Jean Claude (JJ) B. Mallein Jr. <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 2:59 PM
To: Concord City Council Email <[email protected]> Cc: City Clerk <[email protected]>; Birsan, Edi <[email protected]>; Obringer, Carlyn <[email protected]>; Aliano, Dominic <[email protected]>; Hoffmeister, Laura <[email protected]>; Nakamura, Laura <[email protected]>
Subject: Proposed Changes to the Residential Tenant Protection Program: Item 5a
Dear Mayor Birsan and City Council,
I respectfully request your reconsideration of the following items included in the Resident Tenant Protection Program.
Rent Cap
The proposed rent cap should be 3%-5% rent cap to be reasonable and substantially eliminate fair return petitions absent capital improvement items.
Fair Return Petition
The fee for a Fair Return Petition should be “fair” and reasonable and should cover 2-3 years. Tenants are able to file their petitions for free, so housing providers should also be able to file for free or a cap of $100.
Rent Banking
Rent banking is good policy for tenants and should be added.
Rent Rollback
The Council could have voted on a rent freeze throughout 2023, but did not. The Council should be estopped from rolling rents back prior to a formal vote on the program.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
JJ Mallein
Housing Provider
Warning: This email, including any attachments, may contain confidential or privileged information and is only intended for the person to whom it is addressed. If you have received this email in error, please do not retain, read, copy or disseminate any part of it and delete it from your computer. Please also notify the sender immediately by return message.
Dear Mayor Birsan and Members of the City Council,
I am extremely concerned about your strict rent control proposal and urge you to vote no.
I maintain my position that the development of this disastrous ordinance has been predicated on false allegations that Concord housing providers gouge renters and terminate tenancies in mass numbers. Don’t ignore the fact that your own rent registry data shows that in 2022 rent increases were at or below the state-mandated rent cap outlined in the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, passed as AB 1482, and that 93.8% of tenancy terminations were due to renters voluntarily moving out and not due to an owner-initiated termination.
Your revised rent control ordinance has gone too far by capping rents so low that a housing provider will struggle to maintain the property. The relocation fees are excessive and will deter housing providers from keeping their units in the rental market.
The new attempt to require a percentage of ownership to constitute an owner move-in -- plus residency requirements and a 1:1 provision -- is more government overreach.
Please look at the data and reject this ordinance. Do not subject Concord to a damaging housing environment.
The following people submitted the above email:
1. Dwight Cotten
2. Marvin A. Remmich
3. Jeff McCarthy
4. Joyce Kelly
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am a concerned housing provider in Concord and oppose the rent control ordinance.
The ordinance was written without economic justification. The city chose to ignore data that demonstrates that local owners will be operating their Concord properties at a loss and will suffer hardship due to increasing operating expenses and liabilities. Did you know Republic Services (garbage service) is increased their rates by 19.5% starting January 2024 due to SB 1383.
A good number of home insurance providers are leaving
California resulting in considerably higher fire insurance rates. I had a non-renewal on a unit two years ago and the new insurance cost doubled. How do expect housing providers to survive if we are unable to increase rent to meet our expenses?
This ordinance is abuse. Your rent control formula is set too low and does not consider that most of us have rents under market and suffered losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. And you are requiring housing providers to issue refunds on rent increases we legally obtained even to renters who have already voluntarily moved out. How is this fair?
Many of “mom and pop” landlords are exchanging out of their California single family rentals to other states that don’t impose overbearing rental restrictions. Those sold units in Concord are now owner occupied, not investor owned. Concord is losing a good number of rental units every year because of this. Do you want this to continue or get worse?
I strongly urge you to reconsider your actions and remember that your own rent registry report found that rents in Concord are
accessible to low-to-moderate income households and working families. Please reject the rent and eviction control ordinance.
The following people submitted the above email:
1. Dwight Cotton
2. Joyce Kelly
3. Jeff McCarthy
Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers:
Do you want to control more housing or create more housing? The latest research shows that rent control disproportionately benefits wealthier renters while increasing rents for the most vulnerable. You know these facts, yet there are three of you that prioritize wealthier and more stable renters over struggling renters and housing providers. Here’s a summary of just five of the many reasons that you heard from the public.
1. Entrenching Advantage for Existing Tenants: Rent control often benefits existing tenants who have secured rent-controlled units, particularly if they have been in the unit for a long time. These tenants may enjoy significantly below- market rents that are subsidized by the newer tenants in the building.
2. Limited Access for New Renters: Rent control can create barriers for new renters, especially those with lower incomes or who are new to the area. With a limited supply of rent-controlled units and restrictions on rent increases, these tenants may struggle to find affordable housing options, leading to increased competition and potentially higher rents in the unregulated market.
3. Economic Segregation and Mobility Constraints: Rent control can discourage lower-income tenants from moving to areas with better job opportunities or amenities because they fear losing their rent-controlled status. This can perpetuate economic segregation and limit upward mobility for those who cannot afford to buy or rent in more desirable neighborhoods.
4. Subletting and Secondary Markets: In some cases, rent-controlled tenants may sublet their units or engage in secondary rental markets, charging higher rents to new tenants while enjoying the benefits of their below-market rent. This can further exacerbate housing inequalities and make it harder for lower-income individuals to find affordable housing.
5. Impact on Housing Stock: Rent control policies can lead to a decline in the quality and quantity of available rental housing as landlords may have less incentive to maintain or invest in their properties. This can disproportionately affect lower-income tenants who may be forced to live in poorly maintained or substandard housing.
Overall, while rent control aims to protect tenants from excessive rent increases, it can inadvertently create inequities within the rental market, benefiting those who already have access to affordable housing while limiting opportunities for those in need of affordable accommodation. Rational thinking and ChatGPT produced this content.
Let the people decide by ballot initiative! Let the residents of Concord vote on this in November instead of making such radical changes to the housing sector in Concord.
We support Councilmember Obringer’s call for this to be put on the ballot.
1. This ordinance is a prime target for a lawsuit that will deplete the city budget
2. This ordinance will need annual review
3. This ordinance should sunset as no crisis lasts forever
4. This ordinance creates more bureaucracy that automatically makes housing less affordable
Thank you for your consideration of the unintended consequences of this proposed ordinance.
The following people submitted the above email:
1. Dawn Kawamoto Burford
2. Farooq Khan
4. Samuel & Anne Jones
5. Flora Avila
6. Stephanie Bergin
7. Sheila Stokley
8. John Okeefe
9. Kathy Camp
From: Jennifer Morales <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 3:10 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>; Aliano, Dominic <[email protected]>; Obringer, Carlyn <[email protected]>; Birsan, Edi <[email protected]>; Nakamura, Laura <[email protected]>
Cc: Debra McManus <[email protected]>; [email protected]; Judith Ortiz <[email protected]>; [email protected] Subject: Thank you Concord City Council
Hello Concord City Council,
We are delighted to see the results from decade long efforts of tenants and housing justice advocates organizing and mobilizing for tenants to have rights through Rent Stabilization and Just Cause in the city of Concord at the February 13th meeting. Attached you will find a letter of support from various organizations from Concord and Contra Costa County.
Thank you from Monument Impact, Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance, United Latino Foundation and ReImagine Richmond.
Jennifer Morales
Community Engagement
Organizing Manager
Phone : (925) 315-5154
Address: 1760 Clayton Rd. Concord, CA
www.monumentimpact.org
Benched Correspondence Received
After 3:00 p.m. on March 5, 2024
Agenda Item No. 5.a
March 5, 2024
March 5, 2024
Dear Concord City Council,
We, the undersigned, representing organizations dedicated to the principles of justice, equity, and liberation for oppressed communities in Contra Costa County and beyond, are pleased to see the support of a 4-1 vote in favor of passing Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction in the City of Concord. Because low-income people and people of color are more likely to be renters, failure to protect renters will exacerbate stark inequities based on race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, gender identity, disability, and other protected class status. Rent Stabilization and Just Cause for Eviction will provide a path to address the housing crisis caused by the years-long lack of political action in the past to ensure that families will now come first and get to stay home.
This decade-long effort has shown that when we join our voices together we have the power to create change and that despite the displacement and evictions that occurred during these efforts that our love for home has prevailed. It is time to embrace housing justice and build support for solutions to make our communities more livable and affordable for all of us. We are long committed to continue being advocates and neighbors who come together to create a Contra Costa where everyone has a safe place to call home no matter what we look like, how much we earn, or where we lay our heads down to sleep. We hope you will too.
On behalf of the thousands of Contra Costa families we work with and serve, we want to thank Councilmember Aliano, Councilmember Nakamura, Vice Mayor Obringer, and Mayor Birsan for your leadership and vision to date in addressing the housing instability. We urge you to continue taking decisive and time-sensitive action by voting yes on Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 during the second reading of these ordinances.
As organizations committed to people having the choice of freedom to move and or freedom to stay, the official passing of these ordinances will ensure next steps to acknowledging housing as a social good rather than an economic good.
Sincerely,
● Monument Impact - Jenny Morales, Organizing Manager, [email protected] ● Contra Costa Immigrant Rights Alliance - Kimberly Galindo, Communications Coordinator, [email protected]
● United Latino V oices of Contra Costa County - Debra McManus, Interim Executive Director
● ReImagine Richmond, Y eymi Perez, Community Organizer
From: Rahman Z <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 4:40 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>; Concord City Council Email <[email protected]>; Hoffmeister, Laura <[email protected]>; Nakamura, Laura <[email protected]>; Aliano, Dominic <[email protected]>; Birsan, Edi <[email protected]>; Obringer, Carlyn <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Put rent control on the ballot!
And to add to my original points above, this matter should be decided by all current residents of Concord, not just a segment of them or by special interests.
On Tue, Mar 5, 2024 at 4:38 PM Rahman Z <[email protected]> wrote:
Let the people decide by ballot initiative! Let the residents of Concord vote on this in November instead of making such radical changes to the housing sector in Concord. I support Councilmember Obringer’s call for this to be put on the ballot.
1. This ordinance is a prime target for a lawsuit that will deplete the city budget
2. This ordinance will need annual review
3. This ordinance should sunset as no crisis lasts forever
4. This ordinance creates more bureaucracy that automatically makes housing less affordable
Thank you for your consideration of the unintended consequences of this proposed ordinance.
Much appreciated and long time Concord resident,
Ryan Zol
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 7:16 PM
To: Birsan, Edi <[email protected]>; Hoffmeister, Laura <[email protected]>; Obringer, Carlyn <[email protected]>; Aliano, Dominic <[email protected]>; Nakamura, Laura <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Rent Stabilization
Dear Concord City Council,
Thank you so much for passing this rent stabilization and just cause ordinance that will ensure lasting housing stability for over 40,000 renters in Concord and their families! I, as a Concord worker in District #2, personally really appreciate your leadership in passing this ordinance because this supports our families and students to ensure that they have a safe and secure place to live and they learn better when they come to school.
Again, I appreciate your leadership and for taking steps to help make Concord a more affordable and inclusive city where seniors and working families can live. We have seen 13 other Cities in the Bay Area take proactive steps to stop excessive rent increases and displacement. I am glad that after many years of advocacy by people like me and other Concord renters, tenant advocates, and community allies, you are officially adopting the ordinance on March 5th. So many community members have sought relief and protections in recent years.
This can’t come soon enough.
Thank you,
Sincerely
Karel
From: Rick Loughran <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 3:01 AM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Rent Control
Follow up:
The prior email should have been $15 per month increase per year instead of $4. Still, at that rate,it would take about 60 YEARS to get to $2000mo from the under market $1000mo in the example.
Can’t you see this law IS THE MOST UNFAIR TO THE LANDLORDS WHO HAVE WAY BELOW MARKET RENTS; they will NEVER get close to the market!
Use some easy, creative thinking to protect those way under market.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 6, 2024, at 12:36 AM, Rick Loughran <[email protected]> wrote:
Is $4 per month per year really fair to landlords who voluntarily kept their rents extremely low over the years/decades. That is what is now about to be law in Concord. Please come up with a way that would give the way under market a realistic way to get at least somewhat close to the market.
What would be the harm of passing a rent control "floor", by that I mean, a percentage of the market that any housing provider can go to at any time, with proper notice of course. This would be immensely important to those landlords who VOLUNTARILY kept their rents WAAAY below market for years, even decades!
Allow property owners the right to go to, say for example, 85% of the market with a 90 day notice. This would still be a significant discount, and still a generous subsidy at the business owners direct expense; actually something that should not be legal in a free market society, by the way.
QUESTION: At what dollar amount would your agree that a rent is unfair to the landlord in Concord? For a 2 bedroom, would you think $1500 is below market? How about $1200? $900? At what point would everyone agree a rent is extremely low, unfair and unrealistic to the business owner? The owner should have a rent floor they can get to without the 1/2 or so of the inflation rate! So, inflation is 3% this year, and a given apartment market rent is $2000.00 in Concord, but the landlord voluntarily kept the rent at $1,000.00 for many rears, then the rent can only be raised $4!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!
Did the folks who came up with this formula actually go through a few realistic scenarios? If you had the way below market rental, how would this make you feel? HONESTLY! A $4 per year increase would take 100 years to go from $1000.00 to approximately $1500.00!! Do the math; take a pencil and a paper, get on your Iphone and use the calculator function. How a city council gets away with this type of $4 per year garbage is beyond me. And yes, the roughly 1/2 of the inflation rate is what the copy cat city councils seem to always come up with; EXACTLY ZERO consideration for those rentals that are severely under market; $4 is Laughable, unrealistic, needs to be thought through.
If $4 per month per year (or less, yes, many in Concord and especially places like Berkeley, have many apartments in the $600 type range; a result of decades of rent control where, YES, 1/2 of the inflation rate on an apartment 20 -30 years ago that was say $500mo, 1/2 of say 2% = 1%; 1% of $500 is $5!! Yes, FIVE DOLLARS!! How fair is that to a landlord?? 30 years to go "up" to $650 or so!! If you think this is unfair, do something about it; I have ideas, send me a note.
A "floor" percentage of the market is one way. Please think about this.
Another way: say a landlord is at 50% of the market, allow them to get to the $ 85% over 5% increments, then, the Concords rent control takes over; this would take 6 years, a long time, to just get to the 85%! The fraction of the cpi is a killer; seriously!
You have highjacked individuals business, and, to top it off, your punishing those landlords the most who VOLUNTARILY kept their rents below market.
Very ironic; city council punishes the most those who were the "ideal" landlords; the "other" landlords are already at the market rents! Maybe 6/10ths of the cpi is not a big deal to them, but it's a killer to those nowhere close to the market.
It would have made more sense to allow the landlord with the $1k/mo under market rent go to say $1700 over a REASONABLE amount of time, and have the higher rent landlord REDUCE his rent by a certain percentage; way more fair. Of course, I'm not suggesting this, but, would the city council have that power to do that? This thought makes me feel we are all trending toward a different country, a country that does not value individual ownership! Hope you all are ready for that.
By the way, two people earning $18.50 hr, after income taxes, can pay the average $2400mo rent in Concord and still have $4000.00 to spend! This is true. Take the 10 minuets to see. AND, the minimum wage for fast food in California is going to be $20 Hr! So, that same example above, the disposable monthly income goes from $4000.00 to $4400.00 appx.; not bad for being at minimum wages. I think there are definitely some who need assistance, not nearly the number you have been led to believe; just do the math.
Then, punish the landlords who VOLUNTARILY kept there rents way below market!! Really?
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 12:12 PM
To: Concord City Council Email <[email protected]> Subject: City Council Conduct
City Council,
I have for the last months watched the council meetings regarding the Rent Stabilization and Eviction discussions. As a landlord for 35 + years, I was quite concerned as to the results that you would all come to. Last night spoke volumes as to the agenda of the council, excluding Laura Hoffimeister who appears to have a conscience and moral values. The rest of you have a personal agenda, even though the public has requested numerous times for a public vote, you keep pushing for the personal agenda of the individual that you call Mayor. He stated last night that this was an agenda he started 8 years ago. This individual is a buffoon. He speaks to the audience in a condescending manner, using such derogatory language, i.e. "left-handed, blond, first nation American tribal name" to describe the voters and those opposed to his agenda. And until last night, when the Brown Act was mentioned, he forbids any audience participation like a dictator.
We all have rights. Who does he think he is? And the rest of you follow. Do none of you have a backbone to oppose him? Ms. Hoffimeister appears to be the only one. He speaks believing that what he says is the only way, or gospel according to him. He is an embarrassment to the City of Concord. As a Mayor he needs to learn decorum when in the City Hall Chamber. He is not out with friends, or on the golf course, he is representing the City, and needs to learn to behave himself.
As far as your votes. When was it passed that 5 people can make such an important decision that effects a city the size of Concord? You made mention last night that you would revisit some of the issues in a year. Will any of you be there in a year, hopefully not the Mayor. The council needs new blood, you 5 have been rotating positions for years.
When does this monopoly change?
I am disappointed that this did not past in favor of what the majority vocalized. The city of Concord is on a slippery downhill slope that you all can be proud of. Do you think that deserves a big "ATABOY", I think not!
Christine Black
6.a