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)

To stop an eviction proceeding till May 1, file a Hardship Application!

Use EvictionFreeNY to file a Hardship Declaration that will delay any eviction proceeding against you until at least May 1, 2021.  Don't delay!

McKee's Media - 3/17/2021

 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES: FEDERAL COURT DISMISSES LANDLORDS SUIT AGAINST HSTPA Molly Crane-Newman: Federal judge dismisses NYC landlords' lawsuit, upholding constitutionality of 2019 rent laws (Daily News) 88 LANDLORDS SUED FOR DISCRIMINATION AGAINST VOUCHER HOLDERS Matthew Haag: Housing Rights Initiative lawsuit accuses 88 NYC landlords of illegal discrimination in renting (New York Times) R.I.P.  Chris Libonati: Douglas Barclay, GOP patriarch from Central New York, dead at 88 (Syracuse Post-Standard) NOTE: Senator Barclay was sponsor of the 1975 Warranty of Habitability Law HOTELS AND THE HOMELESS: Nicholas Slayton: Hotels can play a crucial role in long-term housing for homeless people (Shelterforce)  TAX THE RICH - NYS BUDGET New York Post: State Senate & Assembly release budget proposals with $7 billion in new taxes on the most affluent New Yorkers Christopher Robbins: State lawmakers want higher taxes on the rich, but shy away from billionaires' tax (Gothamist) Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes: It's time for a wealth tax (The Indypendent) Edward McKinley: New York State enters budget season: marijuana legalization, wealth tax & sports betting (Albany Times Union) Rob Katz: From Brooklyn to Buffalo, socialists are organizing to tax the rich (The Indypendent) Morgan McKay: Senate and Assembly pass one-house budget bills, with increased taxes on rich New Yorkers (NY State of Politics) (VIDEO) Clayton Guse: Lawmakers sink Cuomo's plan to raid $160 million from mass transit funds (Daily News) Tom Precious: As NYS budget bargaining begins, which Cuomo will be in the room? (Buffalo News) Zach Williams: Three issues to watch in state budget negotiations (City & State) Kathryn Brenzel: Real estate execs slam Senate & Assembly one-house budget proposals (The Real Deal) Nick Reisman: What's a Big Ugly? The mothership? A guide to Albany-isms (NY State of Politics)

What do the Mayoral candidates think on housing and homelessness for NYC?

Gotham Gazette: Democratic Mayoral Candidates Outline Housing, Homelessness Plans

NY Times Opinion (Mara Gay) : https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/07/opinion/nyc-mayoral-candidates.html

From McKee's Media, March 17, 2021: 

Howard Wolfson: Interview with Dianne Morales, candidate for NYC Mayor (Bloomberg)

Samar Khrushid: Donovan, Garcia, Morales, Wiley & Yang seem to be on track to receive matching funds in NYC mayoral race (Gotham Gazette)

Shant Shahrigian: NYC mayoral candidates Kathryn Garcia & Andrew Yang challenge City to streamline business licenses (Daily News)

Sally Goldenberg: New York Communities for Change supports Scott Stringer for NYC Mayor (Politico NY)

Andrew Siff on race for NYC Mayor: Yang, Wiley, Stringer & Adams emerge as early frontrunners (NBC New York) (VIDEO)

New York Times: Five takeaways from NYC mayoral race

Politico NY: How Andrew Yang charmed the right on his road to political stardom

Shant Shahrigian: NYC mayoral candidate Maya Wiley awarded $1.9 million in matching funds (Daily News)

Martin Braun: NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang raises $2.1 million in direct donations (Bloomberg)

Jarrett Murphy: NYC mayoral candidates have uneven records of voting over the years (City Limit)

Patrick Sissoon: More than 300 candidates compete for 35 seats on New York City Council (Bloomberg CityLab)

McKee's Media - 2/15/2021

 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO TENANT ADVOCATES

(excerpted from Michael McKee's emails)

HOUSING POLICY Jose Lopez & Barika Williams: NYC needs an Integrated Housing Plan to end homelessness & promote racial equity (Gotham Gazette OpEd) Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani: How socialists solved the housing crisis (The Gravel Institute) (VIDEO) (MUST VIEWING) HARDSHIP DECLARATIONS NEEDED TO HALT EVICTIONS TIL MAY 1 Emma Whitford: Few tenants have filed anti-eviction hardship declaration, stirring unease (Law360) Claudia Irizarry Aponte: NYC families caught in rent assistance Catch-22 sue to sidestep state blockade (The City) HOUSING DISCRMINATION Nick Reisman: State senate passes housing discrimination bills (NY State of Politics) TAX THE RICH! Nick Reisman: Fiscal Policy Institute releases new report says taxing the rich can spur recovery (NY State of Politics) Michael Kink & Becky Saletan: The Wall Street tax New York needs now (Daily News OpEd) Emilie Munson: Pelosi rebuts Cuomo's claim that pending federal aid shortchanges New York (Albany Times Union) Spectrum News: Protesters across the state urge Cuomo to support the Invest in Our New York Act (VIDEO) 13WHAM: Protesters call for NYS to help New Yorkers facing homelessness, addiction (VIDEO)

Landlords hail relief bill as end of "cancel rent"

 The Real Deal

Newly amended legislation would distribute $1.3B in federal funds

New York /

By Georgia Kromrei

EXCERPT:

A newly amended bill aims to meet the federal requirements for the rent-relief program, which include means-testing and priority for tenants who demonstrate housing instability or risk of homelessness.

Facing eviction for nonpayment or holdover? File a hardship declaration!

 https://www.evictionfreeny.org/en/

Protect yourself from eviction in New York State

You can use EvictionFreeNY.org to send a hardship declaration form to your landlord and local courts— putting your eviction case on hold until May 1st, 2021.  [Otherwise your case could start after Feb. 26, 2021.]