STOCKTON, Calif. — Advocates and renters gathered in Stockton Wednesday to announce the creation of a tenants union.
Coordinated by the nonprofit Faith in the Valley, the union aims to address what organizers describe as a housing crisis in Stockton.
"Stockton, like many other cities, has been grappling with rising housing costs, limited affordable housing options and increasing numbers of evictions," said Zonnie Thompson, community organizer with Faith in the Valley. "These challenges have left many tenants vulnerable and at risk of displacement, which can have severe consequences on their lives and the overall fabric of our community."
Thompson says that after COVID-19 eviction moratoriums ended, new landlords have moved in at some homes across the city, raising rents and forcing evictions while refusing to repair homes in oftentimes low-income areas.
"There is a serious need here in Stockton for tenant protections," said Thompson. "It is imperative that we recognize the fundamental right to safe, stable and affordable housing that everybody here has. Every individual deserves a place to call home, where they can feel secure, and thrive."
For years, Sha'lena McCoy and her family have lived in the same apartment complex. They never moved because they always felt at home, but recently a new landlord took over, ordered some evictions, raised rent and increased fees, McCoy said.
"I grew up there. It's all I've ever known. I mean, the care that was there, the love that was there, all of that," said McCoy. "They're just making it very difficult to stay here because they want to bully us into moving out and they assume that we don't know our rights, and they assume that we won't fight."
Thompson and his union are hoping to change that. He is calling on state lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 567, which would set a lower cap on rent increase limits and close loopholes that some landlords use to evict tenants in order to raise rent.
At the city level, the union is asking for council members to implement a "Tenant Bill of Rights," set regulations for rent hikes and work with renters and leaders to "reimagine housing in Stockton."
"We are calling upon our local policymakers, our community leaders, our stakeholders to take immediate action in implementing comprehensive tenant protection measures in Stockton," said Thompson. "That is the only way that we're going to be able to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel."
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