The diverse communities that inhabit Redwood City have different priority needs, including housing, and the high cost of rents in the area has become a primary issue for everyone, especially for seniors, families, and frontline workers; however, in order for their concerns to be heard and addressed, greater citizen participation is necessary, regardless of immigration status.

This was stated by Connie Guerrero, from the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, and Chris Sturken, Redwood City Councilman for District 2, who spoke in an interview with Manuel Ortiz and Anna Lee Mraz on the program “Por la Libre,” the mobile community radio program of Peninsula 360 Press.

Recalling that last Monday, July 8, the San Mateo County Elections Office reported that the rent control resolution proposal in Redwood City, promoted by civil coalitions, was rejected from appearing on the ballot due to not having the required number of signatures, the community can still participate in the City Council meetings and make their needs known.

During her participation, Connie Guerrero said that, although these civil coalitions obtained 93 percent of the required signatures, it was not enough. However, she said, we must know why they were not enough, how we can participate so that something like this does not happen again, and what are the things that are preventing us from actually passing these measures.

“We need to work with the council members, we want people to participate in the community, to participate with their ideas, maybe to go and talk to the council members and see who the leaders of their community are, and to make sure that they know what their concerns are, such as rent control, housing, support for small businesses, schools, parks, and libraries, among many other issues,” he stressed.

He also stressed that the community needs representatives who truly understand them. “Vote for the people you think will do the best job for our community,” he added.

Many of the people who suffer from high housing costs do not necessarily have the option to vote, but since these are homes owned by large corporations, it is a problem that affects everyone.

To achieve this, community participation is undeniable, said Manuel Ortiz, who, while agreeing that it is correct for residents to attend council meetings, it is also necessary for council members to go to where the people are, such as shops and churches, among others.

In that sense, the councilor Chris Sturken, who attended the live session broadcast from the Chávez Supermarket in Redwood City, called on residents to share their concerns on city issues via email at csturken@redwoodcity.org, or by phone at 650 454 7907.

“I invite the Redwood City Administration to come and sit down and talk with us about the needs of the community. I say that Redwood City is doing an 'OK' job when it comes to communication, but it's not great. There is a lot that the city needs to improve in order to reach our communities,” he stressed.

And, he said, communication goes far beyond a message on social media or an email or a newsletter, which one must subscribe to, “that is why I invite the city to work more with us to reach our communities.”

In this regard, Sturken highlighted that there are also City Commissions where residents can participate, and you do not need to be a citizen to collaborate in them, the only requirement is that you must be over 16 years of age.

“This is voluntary, and it is important to participate in them, because that is where you will learn about the different issues that the city has, and that is where you can give ideas on how to improve things. It is very important to check when there is a position for the different commissions and that people can participate,” Guerrero said.

Sturken, who decided to run for Redwood City Council and was elected in 2022, stressed that everyone deserves affordable housing because “everyone deserves a place to call home.” 

Since 2016, Chris has worked in politics, especially in the protection of property owners and rent control in San Mateo, where it was not achieved due to pressure from real estate groups that did not want the initiative to pass, however, he continued with this work on the Peninsula.

He said he was motivated and moved by stories he heard from people struggling to find a home. 

Running for Redwood City Council, Sturken was one of three candidates, and he only won by 50 votes, so he said the people's vote is extremely important. 

Chris Sturken is familiar with the housing problem and its high costs, as he said there are many homeless people in the area. 

“There are a lot of people in my district who are homeless, so it is very important that we protect the community by lowering rents and building more housing. On the Council I am working very hard to build and approve more housing, as well as greater protections for tenants like myself, those are the issues in my district,” she said.

You may be interested in: “The fight is not over!”: Options explored as vote against rent control proposal in Redwood City is on ballot

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The organization Faith in Action Bay Area does not intend to give in to the “No” vote from the San Mateo County Elections Office, which reported on Monday that the proposed rent control resolution in Redwood City was rejected from appearing on the ballot because it did not have the required number of signatures.

In that regard, leaders of the organization who are also residents of Redwood City said they will exhaust all resources to ensure that city residents can vote for a rent control resolution.

“We were shocked and disappointed to receive the notice from the city last night. We are consulting with our attorneys and will be requesting more information from the city and county so that we can explore all available options at our disposal to address the county’s findings,” said Linda Goldman Leeb, a Redwood City resident and member of Faith in Action Bay Area.

“At this point, I can tell you that this fight is not over because we are committed to continuing our work to protect the dignity of Redwood City tenants and keep families in their homes,” she said.

Goldman said grassroots leaders worked hard to collect thousands of valid signatures over the past few months, and by knocking on doors it became clear that thousands of voters want reasonable rent control in Redwood City. 

“In my own experience knocking on doors, the vast majority of people I met were very supportive of the measure. And when collecting signatures, we asked each person if they were registered to vote in Redwood City,” she said.

He also noted that the findings of the San Mateo County Elections Office “were a complete surprise,” given that they submitted nearly 150 percent of the signatures needed to appear on the ballot. 

“We will request more information from the Elections Office regarding the signatures that were deemed invalid,” he said.

In that regard, she said she knows that reasonable rent control and tenant protections are needed in Redwood City and that there is important work to be done to ensure that everyone in the community can remain in their homes and have their voices heard in the upcoming electoral process.

The civil coalitions presented 6,395 voter signatures to the Redwood City clerk with the idea of seeking to keep the city affordable, diverse and vibrant for those who live, work or study in it.

Leaders of the Bay Area Faith in Action organization and community allies said the proposal would seek to cap rent increases at a reasonable amount so residents could focus on making ends meet without fear of their rent going up each year, while ensuring a fair return for mom-and-pop landlords.

You may be interested in: Redwood City multifamily corporations raising rents: report

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*87 percent of multifamily housing is owned by corporations and trusts

After news broke that the San Mateo County Elections Office backed off a rent control proposal from the November ballot, and rent prices have skyrocketed, a new report suggests that corporate multifamily owners are driving such unsustainable prices in Redwood City.

A report released Thursday by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project reveals that 87 percent of multi-family housing in Redwood City is now owned by corporations and real estate investment trusts.

The analysis details that these corporate landlords, especially those with larger property portfolios, are charging higher rents and increasing them more quickly compared to the small number of small landlords.

The most affected by this type of practice are the elderly, families and essential workers.

“Out-of-town corporate landlords care most about their profits,” said Amelia Garibay, a leader of the Bay Area Faith in Action organization, which has led the effort to put rent control on the November ballot. 

“We care about keeping Redwood City affordable and making sure everyone has a decent place to live,” he added.

The report shows that out of a total of 12,030 multifamily units in Redwood City, only 187 are owned by local “mom and pop” owners, while the 20 largest owners own more than 5,116 multifamily rental units in Redwood City, more than 40 percent of the city’s total.

“Out-of-town, larger-scale or corporate landlords may be more likely to view their rentals as business investments and be motivated to maximize profits regardless of community impact,” the report said. 

Real estate funds with large portfolios based outside of Redwood City have been particularly quick to raise rents, an average of 17.4 percent over three years, he said.

“The report shows that large-scale corporate landlords dominate the rental market and charge the highest rents, which is driving up rents overall,” said Dan Sakaguchi, one of the report’s authors. 

He added that corporate landlords not only own the majority of Redwood City’s apartments, but “are actually driving the city’s affordability crisis.”

It is worth noting that some neighborhoods in Redwood City are more affected than others. 

Communities like Friendly Acres and East Woodside Road are highly vulnerable, with more than 1,000 corporate-owned units now in the area and rents in those two areas having increased by more than 9 percent in the past three years.

“Small, family-owned landlords are important because they keep rents reasonable and keep families stable,” said Martha Beetley, a Redwood City homeowner and a Bay Area leader for Faith in Action. 

“I was shocked to see that they now own less than 2.0 percent of our rental units. Corporate landlords who own properties across the country don’t have much interest in our community.”

According to Zillow Rental Data, the average apartment rent now exceeds $3,250 per month. 

In addition, many tenants are also being forced out due to mistreatment by landlords, including harassment and uninhabitable living conditions.

More than half of Redwood City residents are renters. According to the Bay Area Equity Atlas, since 2000, rents have grown twice as fast as renters’ incomes, leading to renters being more likely to live in rent-burdened or overcrowded homes than the average San Mateo County renter.

The report highlights that in the Latino community, 60 percent of households are rent-burdened, including 31 percent who pay more than half of their income on housing, putting them at serious risk of displacement.

She also notes that older adults who have lived in Redwood City for decades are also disproportionately affected, as 75 percent of the city's 6,600 senior households are low-income.

You may be interested in: Redwood City will not put rent control petition on ballot