A coalition of tenant rights organizations is urging the Concord City Council to reject a proposed anti-harassment ordinance they say is too weak to effectively protect residents.
A group of about 16 people, a mix of advocates and tenants, showed up at city hall Monday morning to deliver a petition signed by roughly 350 people demanding the council enact new rules barring landlords from harassing their tenants.
“This past Friday the city council released the proposal of the anti-harassment ordinance but after reviewing it and analyzing it, we came to the conclusion we can no longer accept it,” said Tony Bravo, a community organizer with Monument Impact, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of immigrants, refugees and low-income residents.
Bravo said the proposal, which the city has been working on for months, doesn’t protect tenants from harassment by property managers and would put “more burden on tenants to prove harassment” by landlords.
It also fails to clearly define what services landlords are forbidden from withholding, among other things, he said.
“The ask right now is not to move forward with this ordinance and that (the city council) should regroup, listen to community advocates and listen to Concord tenants and come back with something stronger next year,” Bravo said.
In a news release sent out Monday afternoon, tenant rights groups Todos Santos Tenants Union and East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy said the proposal won’t stop landlords from retaliating against tenants asking for repairs and won’t require them to provide notices or new leases in a tenant’s primary language.
“This tool is so very weak and seems to favor abusive landlords more than tenants who have been harassed and abused,” said Betty Gabaldon, tenant organizer and president of the Todos Santos Tenants Union.
City officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The city council is scheduled to take up the proposed ordinance at its regular Tuesday meeting, which starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be live-streamed on the city’s website.
If you cannot afford the rent look elsewhere, the landlord has every right to collect rent. They did not decide to become land owners for charity…pay your rent or get out.
Harassing about what, paying rent? Not destroying property that you don’t own? Not illegally sub-leasing to more tenants than you stated would be on the lease?
A reasonable person would question these claims.
.
HOUSING IS NOT FREE.
.
Pay your rent in full and on time and there will be no perceived harassment.
.
Correct, landlords, along with other people, are presumed innocent. Deal with it Mr. Bravo…
<>
re: “ more burden on tenants to prove harassment”
California already has laws covering tenants rights, why does the city need to pass an ordinance? Could it be that the tenants in question are in the country illegally? If so, then they are not entitled to any rights, and they are certainly not entitled to notices and leases written in their primary language. English is the official language of California, if they don’t like it, too bad. The state already caters to their every need at the expense of American citizens, and now they are making more demands.
Although it’s not mentioned in this article, I have to wonder why the tenants need protection?
If you pay your rent, don’t damage stuff, and follow the rules, then what’s the problem?
A renter does not own anything and is subject to the lease agreement.
Void the lease agreement, evictions should follow.
New leases in the tenant’s preferred language?
I don’t believe that’s the landlord’s responsibility.
Call me cynical, but someday the State & City forbearance for rent due to CoVid will end. When Landlords push for a payment plan, an increase, or eviction … This ordinance will be thrown back in their Faces, what’s really cynical is small Landlords have disposed of Property to the likes of BlackRock, these large Corporations have the legal clout to make it unbearable for the City or individual that pushes back … Rental Armageddon is coming
How about an anti-harassment ordinance against the BOS and CCHS?
“16 people,a mix of tenants and advocates”
Soundslike they might all live in the same apartment.
So in other words, irresponsible deadbeat renters who won’t pay their rent want support from the city of Concord for being irresponsible deadbeat renters.
I rented my house out for a while. A God Damn sob story every month on why they were short on rent. Being evicted for not paying rent is not harassment, yet dumb people don’t seem to understand that.