McKee's Media - March 24, 2021

 

GOVERNMENT AID FOR LANDLORDS/TENANTS Katherine Fung: Second round of NYS rent relief only distributes $7 million of $60 million available (Gothamist) Will Parker: Some landlords don't want any of the $50 billion in rent assistance approved by Congress, say it comes with too many conditions (Wall Street Journal) (AUDIO) Georgia Kromrei: Some landlords shun federal rent relief over program requirements (The Real Deal) Josh Cohen: HUD has $10 million per year for tenant organizing. Why won't the agency spend it? (Shelterforce) The Real Deal: Real estate reps react to revelation that many brokers illegally reject tenants with Section 8 vouchers DOES RENT REGULATION WORK? Shane Phillips: Renting is terrible. Owning is worse. A third option is needed (The Atlantic) Miriam Axel-Lute: Shelterforce weighs progress on rent control & rental assistance over the last few decades CHUTZPAH.  CROMAN NEEDS MORE TIME TO PAY FINE: Vacancies he caused means not enough tenants to pay rent, so his income dropped.  Kathryn Brenzel: Judge gives Steve Croman an extension of deadline for final $2 million payment in tenant restitution (The Real Deal) BAN NO-CAUSE EVICTIONS AND RENT HIKES for 5 YEARS! Kathryn Brenzel: Housing advocates pressure Albany to ban no cause evictions & rent hikes for five years (The Real Deal) HOMELESSNESS (Lucerne Hotel) Jake Offenhartz: As dispute over Upper West Side hotel continues, NIMBY attorney Randy Mastro hires detectives to spy on homeless activist (Gothamist) PREDATORY EQUITY Bloomberg: House-flipping investors are throwing cash at a red-hot U.S. housing market NYS BUDGET and TAX THE RICH Daily News: Hundreds march on Heastie's Manhattan office, demand he impeach Cuomo & tax the rich WSYR: Syracuse activists rally for Invest in Our New York Act (VIDEO) Rebecca Lewis: Cuomo probes move forward as senate & assembly pass "one-house" budget bills with $8.2 billion in new taxes (City & State) Nick Reisman: Andrea Stewart-Cousins pushes back against Cuomo, says budget should be about equity (NY State of Politics) Nick Reisman: How the pandemic changed the tax-the-rich debate in New York (NY State of Politics) Carl Campanile: DSA Assembly Members demand Heastie double tax hikes to $14 billion (New York Post)  Paul Buchheit: The boundless advantages of the welfare state -- for the rich (Nation of Change) Joseph Spector: Cuomo says there's no need to raise taxes on rich New Yorkers (Hornell Evening Tribune) Nick Reisman: Cuomo says there is no need to raise taxes on the rich (NY State of Politics) New York Post: Cuomo suddenly finds $5 billion in unexpected revenue, says no need for tax hikes Jimmy Vielkind: 250 business leaders urge state lawmakers not to raise taxes (Wall Street Journal) (AUDIO) Nick Reisman: Report finds New York billionaires gained $156 billion in wealth over last 12 months (NY State of Politics) Richard Rubin: Tax avoidance by high income earners is much larger than IRS estimated (Wall Street Journal) (AUDIO) New York Times editorial: How to collect $1.4 trillion in unpaid taxes MIKE McKEE's GOT PEOPLE POWER!  City & State: The 2021 Real Estate Power 100 TENANT WINS AND LOSSES Orion Jones: Rockland County village rolls back discriminatory zoning against Orthodox Jews (The Real Deal) Ben Weiss: Greenpoint tenants fear eviction after 7-year court case with landlord (Greenpointers) Albany Times Union: Judge rules in favor of Troy landlord, finding he did not illegally evict tenant The Real Deal: Judge rules lawsuit against Vincent Viola charging him with illegal deregulation in Brooklyn building can proceed Kelly Ann Cosentino: Remembering Marie Runyon, tenants' rights crusader and progressive icon (Columbia Spectator) GOV. CUOMO'S TROUBLES New York Times: FBI investigating whether Cuomo aides gave false nursing home data  CNN: Investigations into Cuomo heat up as new controversies arise in their wake Albany Times Union editorial: Assembly choice of law firm with ties to Andrew Cuomo to investigate him is too close for comfort Tom Precious: Meet Charles Lavine, the Assembly Member who will run the impeachment inquiry into Andrew Cuomo (Buffalo News) New York Post: Assembly Judiciary Committee chair Charles Lavine says probe into Cuomo's behavior will take months New York Post: Ana Liss becomes second Cuomo accuser who says she will not cooperate with Assembly investigation Jimmy Vielkind: How Andrew Cuomo is fighting for political survival (Wall Street Journal) (AUDIO) Morgan McKay: Attorney for Cuomo accuser says investigation by governor's office into his behavior is rigged, asks Attorney General Tish James to issue statement (Capital Tonight) (VIDEO) Brendan Lyons: Attorney for Cuomo accuser says AG Tish James should condemn Cuomo's "shadow investigation" (Albany Times Union) Zack Fink: Could Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie be Andrew Cuomo's lifeline? (New York 1 News) Stanley Fritz: Men have a responsibility to take action against sexual harassment of women (Medium) Johnathon Croyle: 1913: The downfall of William Sulzer, New York's first impeached governor (Syracuse Post-Standard)

New York Post: Cuomo accuser speaks at impeachment rally as Cuomosexuals gather to support him (VIDEO) TOM REED (GOP) WON'T RUN FOR GOV. Jaclyn Diaz: U.S. Rep. Tom Reed of New York announces he will not run for re-election following sexual abuse accusations (NPR) Nick Reisman: Tom Reed's withdrawal will have political implications for next year's reapportionment fight (NY State of Politics) NYC MAYORAL RACE Daily News: Eight Democratic candidates for mayor discuss their "biggest idea" to help NYC New York Times: 5 takeaways from the NYC mayoral race Shant Shahrigian: NYC mayoral candidate Eric Adams wants to house homeless New Yorkers in vacant apartments (Daily News) Ross Barkan: NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang declares war on the teachers union (Political Currents) Katie Glueck: Anti-Asian hate puts Andrew Yang in the spotlight. How will he use it? (New York Times) The City: "Meet Your Mayor" tool gives voters a way to find out which NYC mayoral candidates agree with them on major issues (first: policing, education & COVID recovery) Allison Smith: VOCAL members push Democratic candidates for NYC mayor on drug policy, homelessness & policing (Gotham Gazette) Sheneca Sharpe: 12 candidates run to be next Brooklyn Borough President (City & State) ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE Mihir Zahevi: As protesters rally against anti-Asian hate, NYC records five assaults (New York Times) Matthew Fenton: Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou describes her personal response to wave of anti-Asian violence (The Broadsheet) Copyright © 2021 TenantsPAC, All rights reserved.