California Apartment Association influencing Concord council elections

In 2024, Concord had passed a balanced, negotiated rent control policy for both single family and multi-family housing. It took years of testimony and hearings, motivated by an eviction crisis in Concord, which dis-proportionality effected minority communities. Also motivated by an influx of investors buying single family homes in traditionally working class and middle class neighborhoods, using these homes as rental properties. Council had weighed considerations from both renters and landlords, finding a middle ground in which to set policy. The policy, which passed in 2024 on a split vote, drew immediate condemnation* from the CAA.
(*See: https://caanet.org/concord-approves-rent-control-ordinance-amid-long-standing-opposition-from-caa/)

A year later, with the assistance of newly elected councilperson Pablo Benevente, the protections for renters of single family housing was overturned. Despite his background, his declaration to vote against the protections has been the only time he has spoken Spanish at a meeting. In the lead up to the vote, council heard fake testimony from paid protesters, funded by the CAA. Via Craigslist, the CAA had offered people $250 to speak at Concord city council against rent control**.
(**See: https://archive.ph/sfstandard.com/2025/04/16/landlords-paid-activists-concord-rent-control/)

Now in 2026, the CAA is hoping to win 2 key council races in order to strike down the city's protections for apartment renters, as well as to ensure that single family protections do not return. On October 2nd of this year, the CAA gave $1,000 to support incumbent Laura Hoffmeister of Concord's first district. This contribution has been reported to the Net File public portal.*** Hoffmeister has been in council for two and a half decades, and been involved in Concord politics since the 1990s. She has watched the affordability crisis lead to mass evictions in the city, yet has been oppositional to renter protections every step of the way.
(*** See: https://public.netfile.com/pub2/?AID=CCD)

Hoffmeister's main opposition in this electoral race is Maria Bagley. Bagley, a Millennial, lists protecting Concord's tenant protections amoungst her many concerns. It is notable there is nothing on Hoffmeister's campaign webpage about renters or landlords, one way or another. She does not list voting against single family rent protections as an accomplishment, despite her having done so.

For the fifth district race, the CAA has been building up and funding the political aspirations of Aeysha Corio. The contribution is listed on the Net File portal. In 2019, Aeysha spoke out against tenant protections. During a council hearing on the issue of rent control, Corio gave an anecdote of an alleged client of hers: a senior citizen, blind, amputee, dementia patient landlord. This questionably existing person, would allegedly be unable to maintain their business if there were strong renter protections. Her story never explained how such a person could even function as a landlord, or why such a disabled person couldn't just sell their rental property and use the funds to retire.**** This one council appearance has been the only documented time Aeysha has spoken at a city council meeting, according to the searchable online city clerk records and meeting notes. This is despite a decade of living in Concord, and wanting to a council person.
(**** See video at approx 3 hours and 9 minutes: https://stream2.ci.concord.ca.us/OnBaseAgendaOnline/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=432&doctype=2)

Corio obfuscates about what she does professionally. At a recent Concord candidate forum, she said she moved to Concord to live in an affordable neighborhood. Her house is listed on Zillow at over $1.2million dollars, hardly an affordable area. [Note: This author will not post her address here, but the records can be found online.] She lives in one of the wealthiest parts of Concord. During the forum, she vaguely said she owns a small business, but never once says what that business is, or what the business does.***** She is the owner of Diamond Black Appraisals, which focuses on luxury real estate and singe family rental real estate. Diamond Black is not accredited with the BBB. Diamond Black is a subsidiary of the Corio Group, which is also owned by Aeysha.
(***** See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFcNRa7daCk)

Aeysha is running against incumbent Laura Nakamura, who helped negotiate the city's rent policies. Nakamura has also been an important figure in moving forward the Concord Naval Weapons Station redevelopment project, which was previously stuck. Nakamura also led the Homelessness Strategic Plan Working Group, which has helped get people off the streets. Circling back briefly to Pablo Benevente, Aeysha has already started giving to Pablo's 2028 reelection fund. As documented on Net File.

The CAA has lost influence in some other parts of the Bay Area. Thus it has payed particular attention to Concord. Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County, and is the largest Bay Area city it still has influence in. The lobbying group has been creating a wedge between the suburban and urban parts of Concord, seen geographically as East Concord and West Concord respectively. The CAA has fueled emotional divisions, and flamed anger in the community. The CAA often lies to landlords, misleading landlords about what the Concord tenant rules actually are. They make it sound like it is impossible to evict tenants who break the law, or damage property. When in fact, it is not difficult. The CAA prays upon fears of crime, as does both Corio and Hoffmesiter. Concord's crime rate is down, as is documented by the police department's own statistics.. Hurt most in the discourse is Concord's Hipanic/Latine community. However, a greater breadth of the population, across all ethnic and economic lines, are renters as housing prices increase. More people are coming to Concord as other parts of the Bay Area have become unaffordable. Teachers, coders, healthcare workers and a broad spectrum of professionals are trying to make Concord home. The benefit of this is a greater community, and a stronger economy. Though it hurts local restaurants and stores if residents have nothing left to spend after rent is paid. The CAA and their candidates narrowly look at the wealth of the landlords. The bigger picture they ignore is the prosperity of the city overall.