About CCA

DONATE
JOIN
STAY INFORMED

Vision

The Concord Communities Alliance seeks to build a better Concord for ALL residents by working towards better affordability, livability, sustainability, and resident empowerment. Residents of Concord should be able to comfortably live, work and raise a family here, move about Concord efficiently and sustainably, and do so in ways which respect and facilitate the ability of their neighbor to do the same.

Mission

CCA exists to educate, empower and organize Concord residents to achieve more just and equitable conditions for all who call our city their home—to move beyond the status quo to political, economic, and social conditions consistent with the shared American values of mutual respect, fairness, democracy, and the common good. While built on important principles and values, we are about taking action to ensure that these values are manifest in concrete programs, policies, and practices, including ensuring greater accountability of the City government to all residents.

All residents of Concord should have an equal voice in shaping city policies that bring about these objectives, which we will pursue in four dimensions:

    1. Political reforms to level the playing field between the people and privileged and financial interests, and to increase the accountability of elected and appointed officials to residents; specifically, equitable district elections of city council members, a resident voice in the selection of the mayor, and the use of ranked-choice voting.
    2. Economic reforms are structured to increase fairness to residents and decrease the degree to which outside commercial interests dictate city policies; specifically, giving priority to small, locally owned, and worker-owned enterprises, ensuring collective bargaining and local labor clauses in all development contracts, giving priority to housing affordability and justice in existing construction, as well as to inexpensive public transit, and requiring extensive affordability components to all new development.
    3. Community reforms that focus on livability, sustainability, and an atmosphere of mutual respect. Sustainable traffic mitigation measures are but one example; the broader goal is to transform Concord into communities where healthy and respectful choices are easier rather than harder. A greater emphasis needs to be placed on making it possible for people to live AND work in Concord, and to reduce the worst aspects of forcing residents to work elsewhere, and of forcing workers to live elsewhere. Healthy dialogue is the hallmark of a process that fosters mutual respect and balances the reasonable and basic needs of all Concord residents.
    4. Social reforms that empower marginalized and vulnerable people and communities include but are not limited to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), undocumented people, seniors, people with disabilities, people with low or no incomes, unhoused people, and LGBTQ+ people.

Values

Equity – Equity is the absence of avoidable or remediable differences in power, dignity, and a decent standard of living among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, or geographically.

Equality of Voice – By virtue of equality in dignity and rights, there is an implied right to equal participation in the social life of the community on the basis of equality of voice. This is relevant in many dimensions, from equal opportunity to speak in meetings to removing the dominance of spending by commercial enterprises in the political arena. Transparency and representation are very important related aspects of equality of voice.

Freedom – in its fullest sense, Freedom includes freedom from undue coercion by government or society, yet also – for every person – the freedom to lead a fulfilling and economically secure life. True freedom is constrained: one person’s freedom cannot impinge on any other person’s ability to experience similar freedom.

Grassroots Democracy and Empowerment – Real democratic processes shift as much decision-making authority as practical to the broadest geographic and social dimensions. Decision-making authority is primarily vested in the members of the community rather than leaders, and methods that make this manifest are prioritized.

Cooperation and Interdependence – a recognition that we are not entirely separate, particularly as these ideas relate to city affairs, overall humanitarian vision, and the importance of shared social and economic knowledge and experience.

The Common Good – broadly, a commitment in government and society to placing public needs and the concerns of the least well-off above narrow self-interest or the demands of the privileged. In Concord, this means giving policy priority to the vital needs of working families and the most vulnerable, but most especially those conditions which are necessary to fulfill one’s human potential equitably.

Social Justice – the proper arrangement of law, society, civic affairs and the economy to ensure that all people have the formal and informal capacity to shape their own lives and realize their dreams.

Approach

Educate – CCA places a high priority on the free flow of relevant, accurate and complete information between Concord residents. We’re all about helping residents get up to speed on subjects that are important to us all.

Advocate – CCA members engage at all levels – with each other, with residents and neighborhoods, with the city council and staff, with city boards and commissions – to ensure that Concord works for everyone.

Empower – Inclusivity and accountability are critical to ensuring that Concord balances the needs of all residents in an equitable way. CCA strives to empower all voices socially, economically, and politically.