Landlord Leonard Litwin is Cuomo's biggest donor.

State of Politics: $22 million of Cuomo’s $45 million came from only 331 donors who contributed $40K or more. 

Leonard Litwin, LLC loophole master, is Gov. Cuomo’s biggest donor at $1 million, and also gave $470K to the Democratic party & Lt. Gov. candidate Kathy Hochul

Tenants PAC: Oct. 4 2014 alert

 TENANT ALERT 
from Tenants Political Action Committee

October 4, 2014: The election for governor, lieutenant governor, 
state comptroller, attorney general, and all 213 seats in the 
state legislature is one month from today: Tuesday, November 4.

Tenants need to focus on the fight for control of the New York 
State Senate, because the fate of tenant legislation inevitably 
depends on the outcome. If the Democrats win a majority, 
we will have a chance to reverse the phaseout of our rent 
protection laws, and win pro-tenant reforms. If the Republicans 
are in control again, we are in serious trouble when the rent laws 
come up for renewal next June.

NYS' Tenant Protection Unit settles with Bklyn landlord over harassment

NY Times

Settlement in Investigation of Brooklyn Landlord Over Rent-Regulated Units

By MIREYA NAVARROOCT. 7, 2014

Excerpt: 

The accusations against the landlord, Yeshaya Wasserman, involved alleged practices in eight rent-regulated properties with 181 apartments in Flatbush and Crown Heights. The state investigation targeted practices that tenant advocates say have become more commonplace in fast-changing neighborhoods where the market now can demand rents many times higher than those paid by long-term residents.

Some of Mr. Wasserman’s tenants have lived in their apartments for more than 20 years and pay less than $1,000 for three-bedroom units, said representatives of the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, which aided the state investigation. Some tenants complained that the landlord did not cash their rent checks, a tactic that officials said relies on the expectation that tenants will not have the money to pay the back rent when it is finally demanded of them. Other tenants said the landlord cut off heat and hot water or took them to housing court on frivolous charges.

Click here for the full article. 

All tenants have rights - link to Gothamist blog: Jake Dobkin

The Gothamist:  Should I be scared to ask my landlord for repairs in a super-cheap apartment? 

EXCERPT:   Our satanically complex housing law affords you many rights and protections. I emailed my dad, well-known tenants-rights lawyer Steve Dobkin, for more. He replied:

"Regardless of whether your apartment is rent controlled (highly unlikely)-rent stabilized-or rent subsidized, or none of the above, as a tenant in New York you have a right to a habitable apartment, and the landlord is responsible for providing basic services and necessary repairs. Don't worry about looking a gift horse in the mouth or pissing the landlord off. 

Click on the link for the full blog post.

Southbridge Tower's Vote to Leave Mitchell-Lama

Debating Privatization:
Southbridge Tower Votes

by Charles Chawalko , September 17th, 2014 

Excerpt

But public discussion of the plan thus far has almost exclusively focused on the creation of new housing rather than the preservation of existing units. In a city where land for new construction is at a premium, maintaining assets already in place is crucial. According to a Community Service Society report released in January, the city lost 385,000 units of affordable housing between 2002 and 2011, far outpacing the 165,000 units that the Bloomberg administration aimed to create and preserve. If the loss of affordable homes continues at this rate, plans for new construction will fail to replace diminishing supply, let alone meet our growing city’s demand for more affordable housing. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BLOG PIECE.

Bill doubles harassment fines. Is it enough?

NY Press
Bill Highlights Issues For Harassed Tenants

Lawmakers hope increased penalties for tenant harassment will deter unscrupulous landlords

by Daniel Fitzsimmons

September 30, 2014

A recently passed measure in the city council that toughens penalties for landlords found guilty of tenant harassment is receiving mixed reviews from affordable housing advocates, who say increasing penalties against unscrupulous landlords is a worthy cause, but more must be done.

The legislation, sponsored by council members Margaret Chin and Jumaane Williams, actually amends a pre-existing bill that levied a $5,000 fine to landlords found guilty of harassment. The amendment doubles that fine to $10,000 and will also result in the guilty landlord’s name being posted to a public list on the city’s Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development’s website.

Sue Susman, president of the Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association, who also runs a popular mailing list on affordable housing issues and is considered a communication hub in the affordable housing community, said the amendment is an important step in the right direction but that the definition of what constitutes harassment must be broadened.

Click here for the full article. 

Big real estate $$ trying to defeat pro-tenant candidates

Michael McKee writes: "All three of the Democratic candidates that the Real Estate Board of

New York (REBNY) is targeting for defeat are pro-tenant, and are priorities for Tenants PAC. "

Crain's Insider

REBNY jumps into Senate battle

Share

CHRIS BRAGG 

OCTOBER 2, 2014 4:32 P.M.

Jobs for New York Inc., an outside spending group that poured $8 million into New York City’s 2013 elections, is now poised to help Republicans in the high-stakes battle for the state Senate, records show.

. . . . 

The treasurer of the new state-level group is William Auerbach, the chief financial officer for the Real Estate Board of New York, which ran the 2013 city-election effort for the real estate industry. On Wednesday, records show, Jobs for New York's city-level committee transferred nearly $9,000 in leftover funds into its new state-level unit.

Click here for the full article.