For Essex Property Trust CEO Mike Schall, it’s all about the money — no matter who gets hurt. Slamming seniors with huge rent increases and forcing them out of their homes is a standard way …
Is Billionaire Landlord Sam Zell the Quintessential Corporate Vulture?
Sam Zell, chairman of Equity Residential and Equity LifeStyle Properties, is worth $4.8 billion. He has more money than he knows what to do with. Yet as Californians struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic and housing …
Tom Bannon and California Apartment Association Take No Prisoners to Stop Renter Protections
For years, no matter who’s suffering, the California Apartment Association, the most powerful landlord lobbying group in the state, has vigorously opposed tenant protections. Even during the global pandemic, the organization fought temporary safeguards for …
UPDATE: Top 10 Contributors That Oppose Rent Control in California
Big Real Estate continues to shell out major cash to political committees that oppose the Rental Affordability Act, the November ballot measure that expands rent control in California. Equity Residential and Essex Property Trust, two …
California Apartment Association Seeks To Silence AHF, Stoops to New Low
The California Apartment Association is up to its dirty tricks again — and has stooped to a new low. Known for shelling out mounds of campaign cash to influence politicians and using bully tactics against …
Top 10 Real Estate Contributors That Oppose Rent Control in California
Despite a global pandemic that’s fueling mass unemployment in California, Big Real Estate has been contributing millions to stop the expansion of rent control through the Rental Affordability Act. Housing activists say rent control is …
California Apartment Association, Once Again, Opposes Renter Protections
The California Apartment Association, one of the most powerful landlord lobbying groups in the state, has a long, sordid history of opposing renter protections. For decades, they’ve shown up anywhere and everywhere in California to …
During Pandemic, Landlords Thomas Coates and Jackie Safier Spend Big to Stop Rent Control
As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, slamming middle- and working-class Californians who struggle to pay already sky-high rents, corporate landlords Thomas Coates and Jackie Safier (pictured above) have shelled out major campaign contributions to a committee …
California Housing Activists See the Street-Level Damage of Coronavirus
Last year, I visited housing activists throughout California, asking them about the street-level impacts of gentrification and unfair, sky-high rents in their cities. We also talked about the powerful influence of the real estate industry …
Coronavirus Forces Politicians to Address Housing Affordability and Homelessness Crises
For years, activists and experts have been saying, repeatedly, that housing is not only a human right, but also a serious public health issue. That people need stable, affordable housing to maintain good health — …