Concord’s City Council District 3 is where I live, and it is the community I’m running to represent. Its boundaries are easy to describe: The area between Monument Blvd, Galindo St, Concord Ave, and the city limit with Pleasant Hill.
District 3 includes most of what we commonly know as the Monument Community. The remaining part of the community, south of Monument Blvd, is in District 4.
The Monument Community is a unique part of Concord – rich with cultural and linguistic diversity, and vibrant community life. Residents include immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Korea, Afghanistan, India, and many other parts of the world. Many families, especially families with roots in Latin American countries, enjoy dinner in their front yards. Walking and bicycling to work and school are common. Pass by Meadow Homes Park on any Saturday and you are likely to see at least one if not two family celebrations going on.
But the Monument Community also faces serious challenges. Rents have risen dramatically in the last couple of years, even doubling in some complexes. Vulnerable residents face unhealthy conditions in their units, and have frequently suffered retaliatory evictions by managers or landlords for seeking redress. With 82% of Monument residents renting their homes (vs. 44% in Concord generally), this is a community crisis.
If elected as District 3’s City Councilmember, I intend to focus on these issues and push for serious protections for decent tenants, beyond the half-measures which the City has tried so far.
Background on districts
Concord was divided into City Council districts in March 2018. This 2018 City Council election is the first with districts. Previously, all City Councilmembers were elected at-large, meaning that each of them was elected by all Concord voters. Now, each of the five districts will elect one of the five Councilmembers. Districts 1, 3, and 5 are up for election this year, and 2 and 4 will be up in 2020.
Kenji for Concord 