The California Apartment Association and many of the largest corporate landlords in the United States are now gearing up to kill a pro-rent control ballot measure in Redwood City. Last month, the powerful lobbying group, …
Why is the California Apartment Association Hiding Its Board of Directors From the Public?
Sometime in the past several months, maybe even a year ago, the California Apartment Association, the deep-pocketed lobbying group for corporate landlords, decided to hide the names of its board of directors from the public. …
Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, and AvalonBay Communities Deliver $5.1M to California Apartment Association
Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, and AvalonBay Communities – three of the largest corporate landlords in the United States – have recently delivered a whopping $5.1 million to the California Apartment Association’s Independent Expenditure Committee. …
Essex Property Trust Spent $60.1M to Kill Rent Control and Influence Politicians in California
A Housing Is A Human Right investigation has found that between 2018 and 2025, Essex Property Trust, one of the largest corporate landlords in the United States, shelled out a whopping $60.1 million in campaign …
Corporate Landlords Delivered Big Cash to Little-Known California Apartment Association Committee in 2025
In 2025, corporate landlords, many of whom are among the largest in the United States, delivered major cash to the California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure. That little-known political committee is used by Big Real Estate …
The Real Dirt: The Shady Dealings of Corporate Landlords and California Apartment Association
The Real Dirt is a monthly column by award-winning advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald that exposes the real estate industry’s lies, scams, and other unscrupulous acts, which impact the lives of millions. Many of the largest corporate …
The Real Dirt: Corporate Landlords Target Black Tenants, Big Real Estate Delays Pro-Tenant Bill, the Shame of YIMBY
The Real Dirt is a monthly column by award-winning advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald that exposes the real estate industry’s lies, scams, and other unscrupulous acts, which impact the lives of millions. UCLA delivered a …
Predatory Corporate Landlords Target Black Tenants for Eviction, Says New UCLA Study
A new study has found that predatory corporate landlords are targeting Black tenants for eviction in the Los Angeles area. The eye-popping report, carried out by a UCLA researcher, also found that Equity Residential, Essex …
As Nation’s Largest Corporate Landlords Keep Growing, Rent Control is Needed More Than Ever
The National Multifamily Housing Council, the powerful landlord lobbying group based in Washington D.C., has released a new ranking of the nation’s largest corporate landlords. What becomes clear is that as Big Real Estate continues …
Nation’s Largest Corporate Landlords Use California Apartment Association to Make Outsized Profits
The California Apartment Association often frames itself as a defender of mom-and-pop landlords, but that’s anything but the truth. Research shows time and again that many of the nation’s largest corporate landlords use the CAA …