Rally against Sen. Espada FRIDAY, JUNE 12 in the Bronx

Protest Senator Pedro Espada’s Betrayal of Tenants

Friday, June 12, 11:30 am
400 East Fordham Road, at Webster Ave.
In front of Senator Espada’s empty “District Office”

By joining with the Senate Republicans, Espada ensures defeat of important legislation to protect affordable housing in New York!

Why in the Bronx: Because he represents that district (although living in Mamaroneck), and Bronx tenants are especially likely to face serious challenges finding safe, decent, and affordable housing. But we all need the Stewart-Cousins / Pretlow bill that the Republicans and landlords oppose. And we all need the repeal of vacancy decontrol, which will re-regulate many of the apartments that have been de-regulated through vacancy decontrol - like the market-rate apartments in this building.

Recently, Bronx tenants and their allies had been hopeful that a Democratic controlled State Senate would pass important legislation that would help protect tenants and preserve affordable apartments.

This legislation would have been especially important in Senator Espada’s district, which has 77,000 rentregulated apartments and 4,400 Mitchell‐Lama apartments.

In handing the State Senate over to Republican Leadership, Pedro Espada has directly halted legislation that would have helped tenants in his district, and all over New York City.

This rally is sponsored by Housing Here & Now, the Mitchell-Lama P.I.E. Coalition, Latinos for Affordable Rent Coalition, North West Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, CASA – New Settlement (Community Association for Safe Apartments) and more groups.

Republican Coup in State Senate Jeopardizes Tenant Bills

Landlords said they were "pleasantly thrilled" (NY Daily News) when State Senators Pedro Espada (facing ethics charges) and Hiram Monserrate (facing criminal charges for domestic violence) threw their lot with the Republicans, upsetting the Democrats' 5-month-old control of the NYS Senate.

___________________

Money seems to have been the main issue.

According to Crain's New York Business.com,

[Former Senate Majority Leader Malcolm] Smith’s spokesman, Austin Shafran, said on the New York Post’s Fred Dicker’s radio show Tuesday morning that the Democratic leader’s refusal to approve Mr. Espada’s requests for funding was what drove the Bronx senator into the GOP’s arms. “He was trying to give $2 million to sham groups,” Mr. Shafran said.

The lawsuit that landlords brought to overturn the state housing agency's regulations is now even more important. Gluck and other landlords sued the Division of Housing & Community Renewal to overturn the November 2007 regulations that say that just leaving Mitchell-Lama is not a "unique or peculiar circumstance" justifying an increase in the starting stabilized rent.

Hear all about the June 3rd hearing at our tenants' association meeting this

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10th at 8 PM in the Community Room.

Other items on the agenda are

• our new building manager
• what we've won so far through our DHCR complaint on reduction of building services
• finances
• Rent Guidelines Board hearings
• and more!

BRING A CHAIR AND A NEIGHBOR !

Tenant Events

1. Come to the General Tenants Meeting on

Wednesday, June 10th at 8 PM in the Community Room.

We'll be talking about the new building manager and procedures, the court case (argument June 3rd), and more.

Bring a chair and a neighbor!

2. Individual tenant activity:
Helen Merber sings in the Broadway at the Y Chorus of the 92nd St. Y. The chorus is performing at 2 PM this Sunday, May 31st at hte Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave. Free Admission, with a reception to follow.

Laws and Rents

CHANGING THE LAW:
MITCHELL-LAMAS:
Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell has joined State Senator Bill Perkins in co-sponsoring the Stewart-Cousins/Pretlow bill, S.3326/A.4359. This bill will put all buildings leaving Mitchell-Lama (or Section 8 projects) into rent stabilization

• regardless of when they were built (now only pre-1974's like our building go into rent stabilization)
• whether they are in or out of Mitchell-Lama at the time the bill becomes law
• without "unique or peculiar circumstances" increases.

This is good news since it would protect our rent stabilized rents and end the lawsuit - but there are only a few weeks left in the legislative session to get it passed. Please contact friends upstate and urge them to get their legislators to sign on as well.

RENT STABILIZATION:

The Real Rent Reform Campaign, Housing Here & Now, New York Is Our Home, and many, many other groups are working to REPEAL VACANCY DECONTROL. That bill and the rest of their joint program can be seen if you click here.

KEEPING OUR RENTS LOW - RENT GUIDELINES BOARD MEETINGS

To keep our regular rent increases at ZERO or at least low, we need a strong tenant presence at the Rent Guidelines Board hearings.

Every June, the RGB decides what percentage rents will go up for all leases whose renewals are between October 1 and the following September 30th. So be there and be counted.

Sign up to join your neighbors. Contact Debbie Gonzalez , Letty Orellano, or Helen Merber
to find out when we'll be meeting in the lobby to go. Cab fare included!

Thursday, June 4, 2009 9:30 AM - Noon	Department of City Planning Spector Hall 22 Reade Street New York, NY 10007
Monday, June 15, 2009 4 PM - 10 PM	Main Theatre of Hostos Community College / CUNY 450 Grand Concourse Bronx, NY 10451
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10 AM - 6 PM	The Great Hall at Cooper Union 7 East 7th Street at corner of 3rd Ave. (Basement) New York, NY 10003
FINAL VOTE Tuesday, June 23, 2009 5:30 - 9:30 PM	The Great Hall at Cooper Union 7 East 7th Street at corner of 3rd Ave. (Basement) New York, NY 10003

Supporting affordable housing & individual causes

I. HELP REPEAL VACANCY DECONTROL AND KEEP APARTMENTS AFFORDABLE IN OUR BUILDING AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE.

Michael McKee of Tenants PAC writes:

Eight weeks remaining in the legislative session!
Eight weeks left to pressure recalcitrant State Senators.
Eight weeks left to win repeal of vacancy decontrol and other pro-tenant changes [including the Stewart-Cousins bill]

The State Legislature will recess for the year on Monday, June 22 – eight weeks from today.

YOUR help is needed NOW to make sure that the tenant movement wins significant pro-tenant changes in Albany, starting with repeal of vacancy decontrol, and:

► adequate rent protections for Mitchell-Lama and Section 8 tenants (S.3326!)

► reform of the Major Capital Improvement system

► reform of the 1/40th Individual Apartment Improvement system

► closing of the owner use eviction loophole

► reduction of the 20 percent statutory vacancy bonus

► closing of the preferential rent loophole

► reform of the NYC and suburban rent boards

► home rule.

It is going to take a real effort by tenants like you, and all tenant supporters, for us to win. We are up against a powerful adversary: the New York City real estate lobby, whose lobbyists are walking around Albany with their checkbooks open.

Ask yourself: how much do I want to win pro-tenant reforms to our weakened rent laws? Then ask yourself: what am I prepared to do in the next eight weeks to help the tenant movement win?

Most of the bills we are supporting have already passed the State Assembly, but are stuck in the State Senate where we do not have adequate votes to pass them. On the most important and controversial bill, repeal of vacancy decontrol (S2237-A), we are close, very close – but we do not yet have the 32 votes necessary to pass it.

How you can help:

(1) Volunteer for phone banking

(2) Volunteer for door knocking and street canvassing

(3) Make a contribution.


PHONE BANKING
We are phoning voters who live in rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartments in targeted State Senate districts represented by State Senators who are not supporting the
tenant agenda (see list of non-supportive Senators below).

Tenants PAC is sponsoring a nightly phone bank, Mondays through Thursdays, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at our office at 11 Park Place in lower Manhattan (complete address below). To volunteer or for more information: (212) 577-7001 or action@tenantspac.org.

There are other phone banks operating at different locations: one in Brooklyn, and several in Manhattan: one on the Lower East Side, two in midtown, and one on the Upper West Side. To volunteer or for more information: (212) 577-7001 or action@tenantspac.org.


DOOR KNOCKING

Tenants are going to make several trips to targeted State Senate districts in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Westchester County and Nassau County. The targeted districts are those with significant numbers of rent-regulated voters that are represented by State Senators who are not supporting the tenant agenda (see list of non-supportive Senators below). We will distribute literature on the streets and in apartment buildings, urging tenant voters to put pressure on their state senators to support our legislative agenda. To volunteer or for more information: (212) 577-7001 or action@tenantspac.org.


MAKE A CONTRIBUTION

We urgently need funds to pay for the costs of running a major legislative campaign: our two biggest expenses are for printing, and buses and vans to Albany (at this point we are sending small groups of tenants to Albany every day the Legislature is in session).

Send a check to one or more of the following organizations:

Tenants PAC
11 Park Place, Suite 814
New York NY 10007
(Make check payable to Tenants PAC, or donate on line)

Housing Here and Now
339 Lafayette Street, 3d Floor
New York NY 10012
(Make check payable to Housing Here and Now)

Met Council on Housing
339 Lafayette Street, 3d Floor
New York NY 10012
(Make check payable to Met Council on Housing or donate on line)

NYS Tenants & Neighbors Coalition
236 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
New York NY 10001
(Make check payable to Tenants & Neighbors or donate on line)


State Senators who should, but do not, support the tenant agenda:

(1) Craig Johnson (Democrat)
7th State Senate District, NW Nassau County
(Great Neck, Port Washington, Floral Park, Bellerose, Mineola, Carle Place)

(2) Martin Malave Dilan (Democrat)
17th State Senate District, Brooklyn
(Williamsburg, East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Clinton Hill,
Wyckoff Heights, Broadway Junction, Highland Park, Cypress Hills)


(3) Martin Golden (Republican)
22nd State Senate District, Brooklyn
(Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Ocean
Parkway South, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritson Beach)

(4) Diane Savino (Democrat)
23rd State Senate District, Brooklyn/Staten Island
(Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Grasmere, Rosebank, Grymes
Hill, Clifton, Stapleton, New Brighton, Livingston, Port Richmond)

(5) Carl Kruger (Democrat)
27th State Senate District, Brooklyn
(Midwood, Gravesend, Flatlands, Sheepshead Bay, Ocean Parkway, Mapleton)

(6) Pedro Espada (Democrat)
33rd State Senate District, Bronx
(Tremont, East Tremont, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, University
Heights, Fordham, Mount Hope, Norwood, Van Cortlandt Village, Bedford
Park)

(7) Jeffrey Klein (Democrat)
34th State Senate District, Bronx/Westchester County
(Throgs Neck, Westchester Square, Morris Park, Pelham Parkway,
Eastchester-Bronx, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon,
Eastchester-Westchester, Yonkers, North Riverdale, Woodlawn, Norwood,
Belmont Park)

If you know people in their districts, please ask them to call their senator!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Michael McKee, Treasurer
Tenants Political Action Committee
11 Park Place, Suite 814
New York NY 10007
(212) 577-7001
mmckee@tenantspac.org
____________________________

II. Tenant Luciane de Andrade of Apt. 9D will be participating in the Vision Walk to raise support for the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

City Council Hearing on Predatory Equity

On Monday, April 27, 2009, the City Council held a hearing on Predatory Equity - including about our landlord, Laurence Gluck of Stellar Management.

Predatory Equity occurs when investors buy affordable buildings knowing that what all the tenants pay together (the "rent roll") cannot support their investment or pay the high returns they expect. The only ways to get that money are to

• oust rent regulated tenants (through eviction, bribes, and harassment)
• sell or refinance the building immediately for more money (no longer possible in this market) - as Gluck did for the Riverton in Harlem, or
• let the building maintenance and infrastructure go to seed.

The City Council hearing was packed to the rafters, as tenants from every borough looked through the Predatory Equity Survival Guide - a terrific, easy-to-understand pamphlet.

Click on the publication below for newspaper reports on the hearing:

The New York Post, Foreclosing in on 90,000 Apartments

The New York Times, Housing & Economy

The Indypendent, Foreclosures Could Loom for Rent-Regulated Buildings.

For more information on this hearing, click here.

Report on the NYS Assembly Hearing

What a turnout at the April 23rd NYS Assembly Hearing on Mitchell-Lama laws! This building did itself proud. We had Rosa & Paul Delgado, Flora Francis, Barbara Geller, Richard Jordan, Gregory Murray, Eve Posen, and possibly more (Denise Rivera was supposed to have come after Sue left at 3:15).

Mitchell-Lama tenants and co-op residents packed the NYS Assembly's Housing Committee hearing on Mitchell-Lamas.

Click here for some of the testimony given. The first set concern rentals; the last one is about co-ops.

Amy Chan of Tenants & Neighbors and the P.I.E. Coalition brought bright stickers for tenants to wear saying "S.3326" - the number of the Stewart-Cousins bill. (That's the bill that puts all buildings leaving Mitchell-Lama into rent stabilization without "unique or peculiar" increases, without regard to when they were built, and without regard to when they were or will be taken out of the program.)

More than 50 tenants - including seven from our building - came in support of the bill, including its Assembly companion bill, newly-introduced by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal.

Chairman Vito Lopez seemed a bit nonplussed at the complete unity: all the tenants supported the same bill, as well as A.6706, the moratorium of all buy-outs (including co-op privatization) until 2011. In contrast to past hearings, he noted that contracts and arrangements of all sorts are routinely changed by the Legislature: that's what legislatures do. (Since that had been a basis for his earlier concerns about the Stewart-Cousins bill, that may be of some help to tenants now.)

The meeting was somewhat overwhelmed by roughly 15 residents of East Midtown Plaza Co-op who all spoke supporting privatization. (They were joined by two members of the Cadman Towers Co-op board) They described their "investment" in their Mitchell-Lama co-op apartments as equity, and noted the things they could do if their investments represented the current market value of the apartments. As pointed out by Assembly Member Michael Benjamin - and in the excellent testimony of Jeanne Poindexter, a resident of the same development who opposes privatization, Mitchell-Lamas were built to provide affordable housing, not to provide equity to private residents. In fact the "deal" - or the contract - stated that they could not sell their apartments for more than they paid for them. And as Bernie Cylich noted, the return on their "investment" was low-cost housing, including low maintenance costs made possible by tax abatements and low-interest mortgages over decades.

By about 3:15 PM, there were many tenants and a few cooperators left to testify, but attendance was dwindling.

Chairman Lopez kept repeating the need to listen to both sides of the story - but evidently there was no other side to support for S.3326.

Tenants have to keep up the pressure to make that bill a reality. Our building is part of the P.I.E. Campaign, so we're working hard on it. If you want to participate, contact Sue.