Today, tenants from 1127 Virginia Lane in Concord, Contra Costa County, are standing up to their slumlord Steven Pinza and calling a rent strike by refusing to pay 30% rent increases. Pinza has raised the rents in the last 10 months by $50.00 and refused to make necessary repairs. This rent increase already exceeds the rate of inflation, but Pinza now wants to increase rents by 27-30%. Gentrification in San Francisco and Oakland is now being felt in Concord, and the Pinza group is contributing to the housing crisis.
With an additional rent increase, tenants will have to choose between paying rent, feeding their families, or becoming homeless.
Displacement is more than losing your home. Children will have to move schools in the middle of the year, increasing stress on the students and instability in the community. Tenants may have to find new jobs and lose the community and support they have from friends and neighbors.
For months, tenants have requested repairs to heating and plumbing and to address bed bug and rodent infestations. Pinza refuses to make the necessary repairs but expects tenants to pay additional rent. All the tenants at 1127 are Latino and primarily Spanish-speaking. These communities are disproportionately targeted for unfair evictions and rent increases because landlords think they won't fight back. They are wrong.
When asked to lower rents by city council member Edi Birsan, Steven Pinza said that if tenants don’t like the rents than they should move out. This is totally unacceptable, so tenants are taking matters into their own hands. All renters deserve the right to dignity and to live in safe, habitable, and affordable homes!
The Pinza Group's office is in Walnut Creek and the tenants live in Concord. We are gathering in Concord today and travelling to Walnut Creek to put Steven Pinza on notice. No rent increase and make repairs now!
Meet up for Caravan to Landlord:
Where: 1127 Virginia Lane Concord, CA 94520
When: Friday April 1st at 1pm
Action to deliver letter for rent strike:
Where: Office of The Pinza Group Property Management, Inc. – 1220 Oakland Blvd. #350 Walnut Creek, CA 94596
When: Friday April 1st at 1:30pm
We need a Slumlord-Free Concord!
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| Tenants gather at the apartment complex in Concord, CA. |
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| Tenants have complained about bed bug and rodent infestations. |
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| Tenants are paying their prior rent this month and not paying the rent increase. |
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| The landlord called the police when we went to deliver "partial" rent. Staff locked us out of their office and told the police we were "knocking too loudly." No one was arrested, but the police sure respond quickly when landlords call! Tenants had to mail in their rent instead. |