March for COPA is organized by SOMOS Mayfair’s Vecinos Activos and San Jose families coming together in support of establishing a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act. Join us as we march to City Hall demanding that City Council make our community and this policy a priority, by voting for the policy NOW. As an anti-displacement strategy, COPA would prevent tenant displacement, stabilize housing, and promote the creation and preservation of community owned affordable housing.
Interviews will be available, in both Spanish and English. Please use the parking lot off of King Rd.
WHY: In September 2020, community members and grassroots leaders successfully organized for the City of San Jose’s 10-Point Anti-Displacement Strategy aimed at keeping as many low-income renters in San Jose as possible. Despite COPA being part of the first three strategies staff has been directed to explore, the policy has yet to make its way to City Council for a vote. Our communities cannot wait any longer. It is time we move with urgent and bold action to ensure our San Jose families and children are permanently housed.
With an established Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, tenants or qualified non-profits will have the first chance to purchase properties when they go up for sale, allowing our most vulnerable communities to remain in their homes and not be displaced. A COPA policy is a strategic tool that promotes rooted neighborhoods and provides greater resident autonomy over their housing options by putting decision-making power back in the hands of the community.
Committed to building community power and uplifting resident-led solutions, we’ve convened and gathered input from low-income families, communities and organizations across the City of San Jose to craft a community-centered COPA policy that truly addresses the needs of our most vulnerable communities.