Honks heard for rent control in Concord
CONCORD, CA (Apr. 12, 2024) — Beginning with a brief, 20-minute rally at Cambridge Park to kick off the Sunday, April 7 protest to raise awareness about the need for rent control in Concord, the action then moved out with a caravan of 45 supporters winding its way through the community, making periodic stops.
The rolling protest, backed by tenant organizations EBASE, Monument Impact, Raise the Roof Coalition, and Todos Santos Tenants Union, alongside residents and homeowners, ended in downtown Concord at Todos Santos Plaza where a waiting information table was set up to further get the word out to citizens about the city’s new Tenant Ordinance.
That March 5 action by the city council is now the subject of a potential referendum battle. The caravan of supporters departed from Cambridge Elementary School and made its way along Monument Boulevard before turning into neighborhoods along the four-mile route. Eventually passing Meadow Homes Park heading toward Detroit Avenue, the protest then made its along Clayton Boulevard toward its final destination.
The Sunday afternoon protest wrapped up at 4 p.m. Rachita Rawal, communications manager with East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, said caravan attracted a lot of honks from support as it traversed the community. Once at Todos Santo Plaza, the information table attracted young families and homeowners, including those who sought clarification on the issue.
Knowing a fight at the ballot box might be looming, Rawal said “Our goal is to education and inform the public.” Photo courtesy of Rachita Rawal/EBASE
David Scholz
David Scholz is back in journalism as a freelance writer and photographer after nearly two decades in education. Prior to moving into teaching in 2000, he worked as a full-time journalist since 1988 for rural community and small daily newspapers in Central Ohio and Northern Nevada, and later in California with The Business Journal in Fresno and dailies in the Bay Area, including The Oakland Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. More recently Scholz also worked in an editing, writing, and page layout role with the Rossmoor News.