Guest Editorial: Stop the Harassment of Vulnerable Tenants in Concord

CONCORD, CA (Apr. 13, 2022) — Can you imagine your landlord threatening you with a gun? Or a contractor entering your house unannounced while you are in the shower? Or your landlord refusing to address mold, bed bugs or broken appliances in your home?

This is the reality for many renters in Concord.

Yet Concord takes pride in being a city “Where Families Come First.”

Unfortunately, hundreds of families in Concord right now, do not feel safe in their homes because of constant landlord harassment, driving many out of their homes due to the hostile and stressful environment. Although only a small handful of unscrupulous landlords are harassing tenants, there are currently no consequences to stop this behavior. Concord families need basic tools to protect themselves. We have laws in our workplace to deter harassment, but not in our homes.

Yet this affects hundreds of tenants. In surveys of Concord renters, we’ve found up to 16% have experienced landlord harassment. Women are disproportionately affected: 80% of the harassment cases in Concord during the pandemic have been affected women, particularly single moms and women of color.

We can and should do better!

Concord City Council is considering an anti-harassment ordinance to protect vulnerable Concord tenants from abusive landlords. The proposed law is critical to ensuring that Concord renters have strong protections against harassment at home––similar to what workplace protections do for workers in their jobs.

Over 65% of likely voters from Concord, including nearly 60% of homeowners, support an anti-harassment policy, according to a recent survey.

Join us in our fight to pass a strong anti-harassment policy. Go to the link below to send an email now to the Concord City Council: bit.ly/LAHOConcord

It only takes a couple of minutes to protect Concord’s renters. Join us.

This article is a guest editorial submitted by East Bay Action.