This morning, City Council members rallied in the rain with tenant advocates in support of extending and expanding New York’s rent regulation laws. Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the rent issue would be dealt with separately from ongoing budget negotiations.
That’s not what the elected officials and activists huddled on the steps of City Hall wanted to hear. City Councilmember Margaret Chin said she was “disappointed in the governor’s backtracking.” Just a few days ago, Cuomo suggested the rent law issue as well as property tax relief could be part of a budget deal.
The current rent regulation law expires in June. In Albany yesterday, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, “I’d probably prefer it be dealt with in the budget, but if it can’t be dealt with in the budget, we should deal with it shortly thereafter.”
Protecting rent stabilized and rent controlled tenants in New York City is a high priority for all downtown elected officials. Earlier this month, Silver held a press event of his own at City Hall to release a report from the Community Service Society and to call for stronger rent protection laws. (You can upload the PDF of the report from the Assembly web site).
State Senator Daniel Squadron is weighing in, as well. Today in Albany he called on the governor to address rent reform in the budget, not afterward:
Senator Squadron is right on. You cannot make your bed after your house burns down. Well said.
Hopefully, in the future, this protection and ideology could help specific industries in need of property tax relief, which can help many small business and non profits that are integral to New York City’s identity, groups that also boost New York City’s economy with much higher positive figures than those of the taxes paid by such people.
People need places to live and work, or else they cannot attempt to live their life and pursue happiness, (something guaranteed to us, if I remember correctly from Jr. High School)