If there’s any doubt that middle- and working-class residents all over California need stronger renter protections, one should visit Fresno, and look up Grecia Elenes, the earnest, yet amiable senior policy advocate at the Leadership …
Corporate Landlords Behind Campaigns to Stop Rent Control in California
Corporate landlords are financing two campaigns to stop the Rental Affordability Act, the November 2020 ballot measure that expands rent control in California. Concerned that rent control will impact the outsized profits they’ve gained by …
Corporate Landlords Spend Big Cash to Stop California’s Rent Control Movement
It’s only January, and Big Real Estate is already shelling out major cash to stop California’s rent control movement. According to state filings, corporate landlords such as Essex Property Trust and UDR have so far …
Inside Game: California YIMBY, Scott Wiener, and Big Tech’s Troubling Housing Push
In this special report, Housing Is A Human Right advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald reveals the financial ties and behind-the-scenes connections between Big Tech, California YIMBY, and State Sen. Scott Wiener. Largely unknown until now, …
Concord Housing Activists Confront Political Apathy, and Empower Renters
As Brown Berets, Jessica Aguallo-Hurtado and her husband, Jesse Hurtado, travel throughout California to help the underserved in the Latino community. They tackle, for example, police brutality, immigration reform, and education issues. Recently, they added …
Battling the California Apartment Association, El Cerrito Activists Fight for What’s Right
A few months ago, Karina Ioffee, a no-nonsense journalist-turned-activist, had the misfortune to run up against the California Apartment Association. The CAA, one of the most powerful landlord lobbying groups in the state, is known …
In San Diego, Vulnerable Tenants Are Just Numbers on a Spreadsheet
In San Diego, activist Rafael Bautista is fighting a seemingly impossible fight. Landlords do whatever they want. Developers build whatever they want. And city politicians do next to nothing about the troubling practices of landlords …
Big Real Estate Gears Up to Stop Rental Affordability Act
A year away from Election Day, the real estate industry is already gearing up for a pitched battle against the housing justice movement in California. Heavyweights Essex Property Trust, the California Apartment Association, and Equity …
Dolores Huerta’s Hard-Earned Wisdom
A few days ago, Dolores Huerta, the indefatigable, 89-year-old labor union and civil rights activist, wanted to share her wisdom. She stood inside a ballroom at Cal State L.A., on a platform, with a large …
State Sen. Scott Wiener Keeps Rolling In Real Estate Campaign Cash
California State Sen. Scott Wiener continues to roll in campaign cash from Big Real Estate. Housing Is A Human Right examined Wiener’s 2020 re-election campaign contributions between February and June of 2019, finding that he …