McKee's Media, Dec. 26, 2018

ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES:

 

This is the final "Articles of Interest" for 2018. Happy New Year to all, and here's to a string of tenant victories in 2019! Best. Michael McKee

 

HPD ENFORCEMENT (OR NOT)

New York Times: Leaks, mold & rats: HPD goes easy on worst landlords, subjecting tenants to intolerable conditions

CITY ADMINISTRATION AND POPULATION

David Goodman: Deputy Mayor for Housing Alicia Glen to leave de Blasio administration (New York Times) 

The Real Deal: City launches $7.5 million fund to help non-profits buy rent-stabilized buildings at risk of acquisition by predatory landlords

VIDEO of Dec. 19 de Blasio Town Hall at Hunter College

(Questions on rent laws at 34:35 & 1:36:44)

Landlords say "responsible" landlords should not be demonized because of "a few bad actors" (Daily News OpEd)

Journal News: New York population declining faster than any other state; 1 million have left since 2010

New York Post: New York City losing middle class residents at alarming rate

RACISM ALIVE AND WELL IN NYC HOUSING

WNBC-TV: White man harasses black neighbor in UES building: "You don't live here" (VIDEO)

New York Times: State & city legislators to introduce legislation to bar secret development deals like Amazon

RENT AND THE TRUMPS (AND OTHER MILLIONAIRES)

New York Times: A Queens podiatrist who rented from Fred Trump is said to have provided convenient 1968 "bone spurs" diagnosis that helped Donald Trump avoid being sent to Vietna

The Real Deal: A Russian oligarch's guide: How to hide $20 million in a NYC skyscraper

Washington Post: Evictions and code violations increase as private equity firm becomes big landlord in Memphis, Tennessee

ALBANY EXPECTATIONS AND ETHICS

New York Times: Democratic legislators ready to challenge Gov. Cuomo, push progressive agenda despite his opposition

Zach Williams: What Cuomo left out of his "FDR" speech, including expanded rent protections (City & State

2019 Platform for Universal Rent Regulation

Housing Justice for All's 

2019 Platform for Universal 
Rent Control

Published Dec. 2018

The Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance 
is fighting for greater tenant protections for 
all New York residents.  We believe that 
housing is a human right; that all people 

should live without the fear of eviction; 
and that strengthening renters’ rights is 
critical to strong neighborhoods, education 
and health, and economic stability for all 
New Yorkers. 

For more than 70 years, New Yorkers 
across the state have benefited from 
various forms of rent control, which protects 
tenants from unjust evictions and arbitrary 
rent increases. Now, however, that system 
has been eroded so much that it only applies 
to tenants in eight counties. It has been 

weakened with loopholes that encourage 
tenant harassment and allow sudden and 
permanent rent hikes. Since 1994, we 
have lost nearly 300,000 units of affordable, 
rent-stabilized housing. Five million renters in 
New York State have no protections whatsoever. 

Every tenant in New York, no matter 
where they live, deserves the same basic 
protections. 

In 2019, New York State’s renter protection 
framework — commonly known as rent 
stabilization — will expire. Our Housing Justice 
for All campaign is fighting for a legislative 
agenda that would stabilize neighborhoods 
and eliminate the control that corporate 
landlords have over housing in New York 
State. 

Our priorities would: 

McKees' Media - Dec. 17, 2018

MCI Loophole made Trumps rich

New York Times: As Trump & his siblings dodged taxes, up to 8,000 of their tenants paid the price with inflated rent hikes for building-wide improvements; tenants weigh lawsuit to get rollbacks

What we can expect from Albany

Joe Anuta: Cuomo says he wants to end vacancy decontrol (Crain's)

City & State: Setting the agenda: what Democrats might do in legislative session on rent & other issues

HUD and NYCHA

Sally Goldenberg: HUD Secretary Ben Carson threatens to exercise control over NYCHA if suitable plan is not in place by January 31(Politico NY)

City Council protections for tenants and rezoning

New York Times editorial: While Albany must close loopholes in rent laws, City Council can enact package of bills to curb landlord harassment of tenants

Joe Anuta: City Council committees consider garment center rezoning, restrictions on hotel construction, and 18 bills to strengthen anti-harassment tools (Crain's)

Joe Anuta: Dept. of Buildings integrating DHCR rent registration database into its information systems, as check against false certifications by landlords that there are no rent-regulated tenants in occupancy (Crain's)

Joe Anuta: What took the City so long to close the Kushner loophole? (Crain's)

Courthouse News: Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer & City Council sue to halt development of massive skyscrapers in Two Bridges neighborhood, say process was improper

Kushner building: toxic lead contamination

Patch: Jared Kushner LES building contaminated with toxic lead dust

Mike McKee http://www.tenantspac.org/

Tenants' PAC · United States  Copyright © 2018 TenantsPAC, All rights reserved.

McKee's Media - Dec. 14, 2018

ARTICLES OF INTEREST  TO TENANT ADVOCATES (Excerpted) State legislators pledge real rent reform is top priority   Noah Manskar: At City Hall rally, state legislators vow to make real rent reform top priority for 2019  legislative session (Patch) Kings County Politics: Albany legislators commit to  universal rentcontrol platform at City Hall rally Nick Reisman: Tenant groups & others call on Gov.  Cuomo & state legislators to reject landlord campaign  contributions, pass  campaign finance reforms (NY State of Politics) The Villager: Stringer, Hoylman hold Town Hall on  future of rent regulations  Croman Tenants get compensation 1010 WINS: A.G. Barbara Underwood says checks  of $2,425 each are being mailed to 800 tenants who  were harassed by Steve Croman And from IMPACCT: Recommended reading: The New York Times: Bad Landlord? These Coders Are Here To Help Our Time Press: BP Adams, Cornegy Call on Feds to Investigate City's TPT Program Curbed NY: Co-Op City at 50 CityLab: New York's Small Businesses See a Glimmer of Hope Against Rising Rents City & State: Which NYC Districts Have the Most Rent-Regulated or Public Housing? The Conversation: Domicology: A New Way to Fight Blight Before Buildings Are Even Constructed

McKee's Media - Dec. 3, 2018

Tenants' Rights & Advocacy in a Critical Year

 

New York State's rent laws are expiring in June 2019. State Senator Liz Krueger is hosting an event to help New Yorkers learn about their rights and join the fight to strengthen the laws. The event will start with a discussion on rent law renewal with Mike McKee of TenantsPAC and Delsenia Glover of Tenants & Neighbors, followed by four workshops facilitated by tenant lawyers: Basics of Rent Regulation, If Your Landlord Wants You Out, How To Get Repairs & Improve Building Conditions, and Housing Resources for Older Adults & People with Disabilities.

 

The event will take place on Wednesday, December 5th, from 6pm to 8:30pm at CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 365 Fifth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets.

 

Please RSVP Here or by calling (212) 490-9535