Senate Democrats, NYC Elected Officials, and Housing Advocates Call For Renewal and Strengthening of Rent Regulations to be Included in SFY 2011-12 Budget

Sen. Espaillat, Senate Dems, NYC Elected Officials, & Housing Advocates Call For Renewal and Strengthening of Rent Regulations to be Included in SFY 2011-12 Budget

With rent regulation laws that protect over 1 million units of affordable housing in New York City dangerously close to expiring, Senator Adriano Espaillat was joined by his Senate colleagues, City elected officials, and over 150 advocates to call for the immediate extension and expansion of tenant protections.

To prevent the expiration of rent regulations and the most significant “tenant tax” in the history of New York, which could force over a million New Yorkers from their homes, Senate Democrats are calling for Sen. Espaillat’s omnibus tenant protection bill (S.2783-A) to be included in the SFY 2011-12 budget. The laws governing rent regulation are set to expire on June 15, 2011. Between 1994 and 2010, it is estimated that over 300,000 units of affordable housing were removed from rent regulation.

“Raising rents on middle-class and poor families that are already struggling in this tough economy is tantamount to a crushing tax that will drive New Yorkers from their homes,” said Senator Adriano Espaillat, Ranking Democrat on the Senate Housing Committee That’s why I have introduced legislation strengthening rent control and other crucial regulations that protect tenants and stabilize communities across New York. As elected officials, leaders, and grassroots activists, we stand united in fighting to preserve the millions of homes that might be lost if rent regulations are allowed to expire on June 15th.”

Mary Tek, spokesperson for the Real Rent Reform campaign, said, “We thank Senator Espaillat for recognizing that our current, weakened rent laws have resulted in the loss of over 300,000 affordable homes for New York’s families. We need real rent reform that not only renews rent protections, but also strengthens them by repealing vacancy destabilization. Without these steps, over 1 million families face unsustainable rent hikes leading to increased homelessness, destabilized communities, and the further erosion of New York’s economy.”

Senate Democratic Conference Leader John L. Sampson said, “To maintain our communities, grow our businesses, and keep middle-class families in their homes, we must extend and expand tenant protections. If rent regulations expire over a million New Yorkers could be driven from their homes by a devastating tenant tax. Including tenant protections in the budget process will safeguard tenants and stop an affordable housing crisis from crippling New York.

New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said, “These laws are the only thing standing between our city and the largest affordable housing crisis in this country’s history. If we don’t act here and now, hundreds of thousands of working and middle class families could lose their homes. We must live up to our historic responsibility to keep the more than million apartments under threat affordable.”

Key Components of S. 2783- A/ Espaillat:

• Repeals vacancy destabilization and re-regulates most of the apartments that have been lost through this loophole in the last two decades.
• Allows New York City and suburban municipalities to bring former Mitchell-Lama and Section 8 buildings under rent stabilization.
• Reduces the statutory vacancy bonus from 20% to 10%.
• Reforms preferential rent loophole that enables landlords to increase stabilized rents by hundreds of dollars when tenants renew their leases.
• Reforms the provision that allows landlords to empty entire buildings by claiming they need more than one unit for themselves or their family members.
• Reforms the Major Capital Improvement (MCI) program by making rent surcharges temporary and which end when the landlord has recovered the cost of the improvement.
• Reforms the Individual Apartment Improvement (IAI) program by reducing the monthly rent increase from 1/40th to 1/60th of the cost of the improvement.
• Adjusts high-income deregulation thresholds to more accurately represent inflation.
• Repeals the Urstadt Law which would restore home rule powers over rent and eviction legislation to the City of New York.

Ana Maria Archila, Executive Director, Make the Road Action Fund, said, “Immigrant renters in New York City confront serious challenges finding safe, decent, and affordable housing. The deregulation of thousands of rent regulated housing units has been disastrous for immigrants, drastically cutting the supply of affordable housing in our communities. We cannot wait any longer. We must repeal vacancy decontrol this year."

Senate Democrats, Good-Government Groups Talk Ethics | Vote Up NY!

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This is a video of Senate Democrats’ news conference today on the six ethics-reform bills they have introduced. The legislation would:

– Set up an independent ethics commission to police the legislative and executive branches;

– Increase financial and client disclosure requirements for public officials, legislative employees and candidates;

– Restrict the personal use of campaign funds;

– Develop a public campaign-financing system for state races.

– Create an independent redistricting commission;

– Eliminate pay-to-play in the state.

Meanwhile, the Citizens Union of the City of New York and other good-government groups held a news conference on what they described as an Albany “crime wave.”

One in 11 legislators - 17 of 185 - who have left office since 1999 have done so because of ethical misconduct or criminal charges, according to the Citizens Union. In the past four years, nine lawmakers have left for one of those reasons, compared to a total of eight in the previous eight years.

“So you can see that the pace has increased dramatically, which is why we have called this a crime wave that needs to be stopped,” said Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union.”

Jeff Klein Out, Mike Gianaris In as State Senate Democrats' Top Political Strategist by Celeste Katz - NY Daily News

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Queens Sen. Mike Gianaris (left) will replace Jeff Klein (right) as the new head of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

Jeff Klein is out as the state Senate Democrats' top political strategist after a bruising election cycle that left the party facing a possible Republican majority.

Democrats are making Queens Sen. Mike Gianaris the new head of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee instead, the Daily News has learned.

"Mike Gianaris is a dynamic fund-raiser and effective leader who will work with our members to win more Democratic seats," said Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson.

"With his energy and expertise, Senate Democrats are gearing up for a successful election cycle."

Sampson called Klein "instrumental in key victories this year."

But as Sampson applauds Klein, whose district spans parts of the Bronx and Westchester, there is more going on behind the scenes - as usual.

Insiders readily admit Klein had it tough this cycle, what with anti-incumbent sentiment sweeping the nation and the state. It's also not uncommon for leadership of the DSCC to change hands between election seasons.

One top Democrat specifically says Klein could've better managed the Dems' resources.

Klein signed off on too much money to back Democratic hopefuls like Susan Savage and Joanne Yepsen in races where polling suggested near-certain defeat, the insider griped.

"We spent a million on those two races, and they both got killed," the source said. Klein could not be reached.

That money, insiders say, could've gone instead to put boots on the ground in races like that of Long Island's Craig Johnson, whose next court date in his struggle to keep Republican Jack Martins out of his seat is today.

Gianaris steered clear of talking about the rumblings that the replacement of Klein, who's still deputy leader of the conference, had to do with any designs he might have had on Sampson's leadership post.

He also insisted there was "no merit" to any suggestion that Sampson, who's made a few not-too-laudatory headlines of his own, might fear being toppled.

"We have a lot of work to do," said Gianaris, who moved up from the Assembly to the Queens Senate seat vacated by George Onorato.

"The Democrats around the country had a difficult year last year," Gianaris said.

"The state Senate came out of it in a lot better shape than some of the other Democratic institutions in New York and around the country," he said in praise of Klein.

And he has a vow: "Even if we end up in the minority, we will not be in the minority for very long."

Through the special elections that tend to crop up each year, Gianaris said: "I have a prediction Democrats will be in the majority before the end of 2011."

Senator John Sampson Elected Leader by Liz Benjamin - Capital Tonight

Update: I received the following statement from a member of Senator-elect David Carlucci's staff:

"David Carlucci has not  "said flat out he would not be voting for Sampson" .That quote is inaccurate at best and misleading at worst. Senator Elect Carlucci is looking forward to having a voice in the vote on who becomes the next conference leader in January when he is officially sworn in as Senator.  David has yet to publicly support, or not support anyone. Thank you very much for clarifying his position."

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Senate Democrats have just emerged from a closed-door conference committee meeting where they consolidated their leadership, electing John Sampson as their leader for 2011 despite the fact that the question of who will control the chamber going forward remains unanswered.

UPDATE: Here’s Sampson’s statement:

“Today, it was my honor to win the support of our members as Leader of the Senate Democratic Conference for the upcoming legislative session.”

“It is with deep humility and profound purpose that I accept this responsibility to work with our members, and colleagues across the aisle to move our state forward and get the people’s business done.

“Whether it is addressing the state budget, property tax relief, government consolidation, or other issues of importance, New York faces extraordinarily difficult times. We need to put people back to work, grow our economy, and ease the burden on families and businesses.

“As we embark on the New Year, I look forward with renewed hope in the potential for our state to achieve the greatness New York has reached in its past and the greatness New York deserves for its future.”

Following the coup in June of 2009, Democrats had divided their leadership and titles among a handful of members. Malcolm Smith was President Pro Tem, Pedro Espada Jr. was majority leader, John Sampson was conference leader, Jeff Klein as deputy majority leader, and Dave Valesky was vice president pro tempore.

But, for all intents and purposes Sampson was the leader of the conference with Klein serving as his No. 2.

Over the past few weeks, we have asked several incoming Democratic senators – all of whom ran on reform platforms – if they would be supporting Sampson for leader, and some wouldn’t commit 100 percent to backing him.

In the wake of the IG’s scathing AEG report, at least one newcomer – Senator-elect David Carlucci – said flat out that he wouldn’t be voting for Sampson. A number of insiders suggested Sampson should have considered stepping aside – at least temporarily – to reduce the strength of the AEG bomb the GOP used against the Democrats during the fall campaigns, but he refused.

Sign Petition: Deny a Waiver to Cathleen Black; She is Unqualified to Become NYC Chancellor!

To Sign Petition Click here...

Targeting: The NY State Senate, The NY State House, Board of Regents, David M. Steiner (Commissioner, NYS Education Department), John B. King (Deputy Commissioner, NYS Education Department), State Sen. Dean Skelos (NY-009), State Sen. John Sampson (NY-019), and State Rep. Sheldon Silver (NY-064)

Started by: NYC Kids Pac

Mayor Bloomberg has appointed Cathleen Black as the new NYC Schools Chancellor to succeed Joel Klein.  Ms. Black is a corporate executive and magazine publisher who has no education experience, did not attend public school herself, and sent her children to private boarding schools in Connecticut.  Her background does not qualify her to lead a school system of 1.1 million public school students.

NY state law requires that candidates for school superintendency who do not meet minimal requirements must receive a waiver from Education Commissioner David Steiner. This waiver is to be issued only to persons “whose exceptional training and experiences are the substantial equivalent of such requirements and qualify such persons for the duties of a superintendent of schools.”  Ms. Black has no “exceptional” training or experiences that would qualify her for this position.

NYC has had nine long years of a chancellor who was not an educator.  NYC public school students have suffered enough with crowded classrooms, inflated test scores, and parents shut out of the system.  Our children can only be saved if we have an educator as Chancellor, and who understands what a quality education really means. The waiver must be denied.

Take action now by signing our petition, and your letter will be sent immediately to Commissioner Steiner, the Board of Regents, and the entire NY State Legislature. Please also follow up with a call to the Commissioner’s office at (518) 474-5844. 

Thank you for supporting our kids.

NYC Kids PAC

 PETITION TEXT

Denial of Waiver for Cathleen Black as NYC Chancellor

Dear Commissioner Steiner:

We respectfully urge you to withhold any waiver that would allow Cathleen Black to become Chancellor of the NYC public schools. Ms. Black is simply not qualified to become the leader of the nation’s largest school system.

We have had nine, long years with a chancellor who had little or no educational experience, and our schools have suffered as a result, with growing class sizes, worsening overcrowding, test prep replacing a full and varied curriculum, rampant credit recovery, and no narrowing of the achievement gap.

We need an educator who understands what teaching and learning are all about, who will listen to parents, and who will recognize the meaning of a quality education.

Yours respectfully,

[Your name]

Comedy in the Community - Walt Whitman Theater @ Bklyn College on September 9th...

Click on image to enlarge

What: Legislative Comedy Show

Who: 

• Congressman Ed Towns
• NYS Senate Majority Leader John Sampson
• NYS Senator Eric Adams
• NYS Senator Kevin Parker
• NYC Council Member Letitia James

When: September 9th - 7pm - 9pm

Where: Walt Whitman Theater

2900 Bedford Avenue @ Hillel Place

Cost: Free

Silver Signs Off On Genting by Ken Lovett - NY Daily News

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And they're off again.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has signed off on the Genting New York bid to run the long-delayed racino at Aqueduct race track in Queens, meaning all three state leaders have now backed the deal.

Silver spokeswoman Sisa Moyo said the speaker informed the governor that he's ready to sign the necessary contracts after having consulted with
Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee Chairman Gary Pretlow and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, whose district includes Aqueduct.

“We did a thorough examination,” Moyo said. “It met provisions that the Assembly had wanted and it was a good offer.”

Gov. Paterson and Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson had previously signed off on the Genting bid.

Once the memorandum of understanding is officially signed, it must be approved by the offices of attorney general and controller.

Genting, which has promised the cash-strapped state $380 million upfront, says it will begin construction quickly with the first phase of 1,600 video slot machines opening within six months. The remaining 2,925 machines will open within a year, under Genting’s schedule.

Of course, the governor and legislative leaders awarded the bid earlier this year to politically-connected Aqueduct Entertainment group only to see the deal fall apart when the Lottery Division found AEG “unlicensable.”

In late 2008, Delaware North was awarded the project, but abrubtly pulled the plug in early 2009 after the credit crunch made it impossible for the company to raise the promised $370 million upfront payment to the state.

No such problems are expected in this case. Genting is a global company worth $5.25 billion, with $1.6 billion in cash on hand.