Concord Renters Form First-Of-Its-Kind Tenants Union

CONCORD, CA -- In what is being called a first for Contra Costa County, renters in the city have formed a tenants union that's designed to serve people across the municipality whose rents have gone up drastically or who feel like their leases were unfairly terminated.

The Todos Santos Tenants Union, led by renters themselves, aims to fight for collective interests and rights of tenants throughout Concord. The union will be able to help people fight for rent control, just cause evictions and to be able to complain about slumlords without fear of reprisals.

"It’s important for everybody to know their rights and not be afraid and for them to feel support that they’re not alone,"renter and union organizer Betty Gabaldon told NBC Bay Area.

Concord residents have been fighting for rent control and tenants rights for years. The City Council is expected to consider whether to adopt a rent review program next year, according to NBC Bay Area.

According to Tenants Together, a statewide coalition of local tenant organizations, tenants make up close to half of the population of the state of California, 17 million and counting.