#  Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, and AvalonBay Communities Deliver $5.1M to California Apartment Association

     Details    Patrick Range McDonald   ![logo](https://mail.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         May 21 2026      [  ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/May-2026/040c.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/stories/May-2026/040c.jpg?width=1646&height=1076)    ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/state-watch/32751-equity-residential-essex-property-trust-and-avalonbay-communities-deliver-5-1m-to-california-apartment-association)

  [STATE WATCH](https://mail.citywatchla.com/state-watch)   - [  Previous Article **AB 747 Passed After California’s Deadliest Fire. Why Isn't City Planning Implementing It?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32827:ab-747-passed-after-californias-deadliest-fire-why-isnt-city-planning-implementing-it&catid=385)
- [  Next Article **LA Charter Reform: How Ranked Choice Voting Ends the ‘Lame Duck’ Primary Problem** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32719:la-charter-reform-how-ranked-choice-voting-ends-the-lame-duck-primary-problem&catid=385)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
>  [Comments](#disqus_thread)

 HOUSING - Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, and AvalonBay Communities – three of the largest corporate landlords in the United States – have recently delivered a whopping $5.1 million to the California Apartment Association’s Independent Expenditure Committee. That money has been used to fund little-known political action committees that aim to influence elections and, ultimately, to kill tenant protections. Like in the past, the [CAA is used as a middle-man](https://macdomhnalls.substack.com/p/expose-big-real-estates-money-trails) by corporate landlords that don’t want to be directly connected to elected officials and political campaigns.

For years, the [California Apartment Association](https://www.housingisahumanright.org/category/stop-caa/), the powerful lobbying group for Big Real Estate, has received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from corporate landlords to stop pro-tenant ballot measures and legislation and to buy political favors and influence. Big Real Estate sends major money to one of the CAA’s four political action committees, and then the California Apartment Association carries out a kind of shell game by delivering campaign cash to politicians and other political committees.

The scheme allows corporate landlords to largely avoid public scrutiny, with only the California Apartment Association connected to an elected official, candidate, or political campaign.

Corporate landlords have good reason for such secrecy: many have troubling track records that include mistreating tenants, wildly increasing rents, and aggressively evicting tenants.

[Equity Residential and Essex Property Trust](https://www.housingisahumanright.org/equity-residential-and-essex-property-trust-dragged-into-realpage-scandal-its-hardly-a-shocker/), for example, have been mired in the ongoing RealPage scandal, in which they used a RealPage software program that allegedly helped them to collude with other corporate landlords and charge inflated rent prices. The nationwide scandal has resulted in numerous state and federal investigations and antitrust lawsuits, including one by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general.

Recently, [Equity Residential](https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/equity-residential-other-apartment-owners-pay-218-million-settle-antitrust-2026-05-15/) agreed to a class action settlement of $56 million that was filed in federal court in Tennessee. Other corporate landlords, such as Greystar, have made similar deals because of their involvement in the RealPage scandal.

Currently, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the parent organization of Housing Is A Human Right, is sponsoring a [state bill called SB 295](https://housingishumanright.substack.com/p/the-briefing-support-californias), which bans rent-gouging software in California.

Between 2018 and 2024, AIDS Healthcare Foundation also sponsored three ballot measures to end statewide rent control restrictions in California. In total, the California Apartment Association and corporate landlords, including Essex Property Trust, Equity Residential, and AvalonBay Communities, spent more than $310 million in political money to successfully kill the initiatives and [pass a 2024 proposition](https://www.housingisahumanright.org/big-real-estate-raised-171-million-to-kill-prop-33-and-pass-prop-34/) to try to silence AHF’s housing advocacy work.

Today, Essex Property Trust, Equity Residential, and [AvalonBay Communities](https://www.housingisahumanright.org/if-equity-residential-and-avalonbay-communities-merge-will-americans-face-a-mega-predatory-landlord/) continue to shell out massive amounts of cash to impact housing policies in California.

Between August 2025 and March 2026, Essex Property Trust delivered $2,888,770 to the [California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure Committee](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1294628&view=received). Equity Residential sent $2,018,220 to the same political committee between November 2025 and March 2026. And AvalonBay Communities handed over $286,732 between July and October of 2025 – the contributions weren’t filed with the California Secretary of State until April 2026.

That makes for a grand total of $5,193,722.

The California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure Committee then went on to contribute corporate landlord cash to a number of [little-known political committees](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1294628&view=contributions): $2.5 million to Advance California sponsored by the California Apartment Association and California Life Sciences and $500,000 to Housing Providers for Responsible Solutions in April 2026 and $250,000 to Results California: A Coalition of Housing and Energy Providers in February 2026.

The California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure Committee also spent [$257,875 on polling and survey research](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1294628&view=expenditures) in 2026.

Recently, in May 2026, the [CAA Independent Expenditure Committee delivered $100,000](https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1294628&view=late2) of corporate landlord cash to an obscure political action committee to oppose the California State Assembly campaign of [Sara Deen](https://www.saradeenforca.com/endorsements/), who’s endorsed by the California Teachers Association and the California Nurses Association.

Although rarely reported by the mainstream media, corporate landlords and the California Apartment Association have sought to [sway elections and influence politicians throughout California](https://www.housingisahumanright.org/special-investigation-the-california-apartment-associations-deep-pocketed-campaign-to-kill-tenant-protections/) for years – making it difficult for housing activists to pass pro-tenant ballot measures and legislation. As a result, middle- and working-class Californians continue to face a serious housing affordability crisis.

 *(Patrick Range McDonald is an award-winning investigative reporter and advocacy journalist for Housing Is A Human Right and a frequent contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)*

  - [  Previous Article **AB 747 Passed After California’s Deadliest Fire. Why Isn't City Planning Implementing It?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32827:ab-747-passed-after-californias-deadliest-fire-why-isnt-city-planning-implementing-it&catid=385)
- [  Next Article **LA Charter Reform: How Ranked Choice Voting Ends the ‘Lame Duck’ Primary Problem** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32719:la-charter-reform-how-ranked-choice-voting-ends-the-lame-duck-primary-problem&catid=385)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>