NOVATO, CA—Parent Voices Marin, together with the displaced tenants of Romar Court and tenant rights leaders, celebrates a grassroots win as Novato passes a "Just Cause" renter rights ordinance, one year after the Landmark Realty–owned Romar Court Apartments were issued a red-tag notice. A community celebration will be held on Saturday, June 27th, at 5:00 PM in the Romar Court Apartments parking lot, the same property where dozens of families were displaced, to raise awareness of the benefits of "Just Cause" and how to strengthen renter rights across Marin County.
The rally will feature speakers from Parent Voices Marin, Canal Alliance, Community Action Marin, Grupo de Inquilinos Afectados Romar Court, Legal Aid of Marin, and North Marin Community Services, who stood alongside families throughout the housing crisis. Their efforts helped secure stronger protections for renters, including relocation assistance and a pathway for displaced families to return to their homes when conditions allow.
Parent Voices Marin parent leader Vilma Monzon and her daughter Joselin say they were forced to leave their home suddenly. The red‑tag notice put their family under additional financial strain and left lasting emotional scars. "As a single mom, it has cost me a lot to be able to find a new home," Vilma said in Spanish. "Imagine everything you had to do, more than a decade living there, and everything it has cost you, and you have to let it go. My daughter left all her things."
PV Marin Organizer Amarantha Silva’s daughter goes to the same school as Joselin. Amarantha has seen firsthand the unsafe living conditions and has been advocating for the displaced tenants at City Hall every step of the way. "Parent Voices believes more is needed to deliver full economic justice to those displaced," said Amarantha. "It is shameful that families continue to face tenant exploitation due to language barriers in California, the fourth-largest economy in the world."
Last year in April, PVCA jumped into action when they heard about the families forced to vacate the Romar Court Apartments after the city issued a red-tag notice. People living there, who are primarily Spanish speakers, told PVCA their requests for repairs were often ignored. The displaced tenants faced a spiral of financial challenges in their search for a permanent home. Watch: Romar Court Unlivable Red-Tag Conditions.
"As the only provider of free eviction defense legal services in Marin, Legal Aid of Marin witnesses firsthand the pervasiveness of substandard rental housing and tenants' legitimate fear of reporting unsafe living conditions in this county," said Legal Aid of Marin Executive Director Laura McMahon.
"When families are displaced, the ripple effects impact schools, health, and the entire community," said Charlotte Gonnella of North Marin Community Services. "We need policies that prevent harmful landlord practices and protect our most vulnerable residents from ever reaching that point."
