Meet the New Boss: State Senate Dems MIA on Rent Reform

Courtesy S.D.'s Flickr.

For years now, tenant activists have dreamed of a State Senate controlled by Democrats, because then they'd finally get changes to the rent regulation laws that the Republican majority had so consistently blocked. But advocates for rent reform are now dismayed to find that Democratic Senators are as beholden to landlord campaign donations as the GOP. Albany watchdog group NYPIRG reports that since January 2007, Democratic lawmakers have accepted more than $1 million in donations from landlords, about $500,000 less than Republicans raked in.

The Daily News notes that Brooklyn Senator Carl Kruger, who has 40,000 rent-stabilized units in his district, took in $27,700 from landlord lobbyists, and has yet to take a position on the issue. Groups like Tenants PAC are working to change the vacancy decontrol laws that landlords have exploited to take thousands of apartments out of the rent-stabilized system. Under the current laws, they can do this if rents reach $2,000 a month and household income exceeds $175,000, or if renovations on a vacant apartment require raising the rent above $2,000.

Though the Assembly has passed 10 rent reform bills since November, reform in the Senate is tied up in committee, just like in the Republican era! Pedro Espada, chairman of the housing committee, opposes reform because he says it would just help the affluent: "If we rubber-stamp the Working Families Party housing agenda, we would virtually provide protections for people who earn $175,000 or more annually — which is essentially a Manhattan-based constituency."

Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal finds Espada's argument specious, noting that far fewer units (4,223) are decontrolled because their occupants earn $175,000 a year, compared with the 70,000-plus decontrolled by becoming vacant. Many tenants in rent-stabilized apartments complain that landlords pressure them to leave so they can make renovations and get out of the rent stabilization system; that's why the City Council passed the Tenant Protection Act last March. Rosenthal tells the News, "This has nothing to do with the rich. This is about a calamity for people of middle-income means. "It’s not a Manhattan issue. That’s what landlords are saying."

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By John Del Signore in News on March 30, 2009 12:35 PM

Comments [rss]

Qraymond

As many of you already know it's these same three guys (Diaz, Espada, Kruger) who are also blocking funding the MTA.

I imagine their constituents are going to start getting phonecalls about this.

ides_of_march

Charlie Wrangle needs even more rent-stabilized apartments.

thefacts

#1,2,3 As stated above, the Democratic-controlled Assembly passed ten - 10- rent reform bills since November. That belies your claims the Dems don't care about working folk.

They care a hell of a lot more than do the Republicans, that's for sure.

The only people who whine about rent laws are landlords and their tenants foolish enough to pay market rent.

nicemarmot

Gotta agree with Gothampc. Anybody who thought the Dems would help them are idiots. Politicians are politicians - they care about power and money, not their constituents. Especially here in NYC. And the landlords have more money than rent-stabilized tenants. That's why the Dems are on their side - same as the Republicans were.

fugothamist

nor should our ridiculous housing laws become even more "tenant friendly". (in actuality they are "older f*cks, lucky f*cks, and connected f*cks, who dont want to leave their cushy apartment and insane below market rents - friendly")

Gothampc

"But advocates for rent reform are now dismayed to find that Democratic Senators are as beholden to landlord campaign donations as the GOP."

Can we put signs on liberals that say "Kick me I'm an idiot"? Did they think that Democrats were remotely concerned about their sorry little lives?

Wake up! Your elected officials don't give a rat's butt about you. They want to push you out of the city so that it can become a playground for the rich.