Urge Gov. Hochul to sign tenant bills NOW!

There are 4 tenant bills that  Gov. Hochul needs to sign lickety split.  Check out the video!

Call Gov. Hochul's office. Click here to do it through your computer, or just dial 518-474-8390. You can email her too. Tell her, 

Tenants need you to sign S2980, A4047, A6843 and A 3484 to keep more rent stabilized apartments available

• at honest rents 
• by landlords known to their tenants, and 
• enable more municipalities to decide whether they want the same. 

Please sign them as soon as they cross your desk! Thank you. 

and

Join Housing Justice for All, the Coalition to End Apartment Warehousing, Stellar Tenants for Affordable Housing and other groups at a 

Rally to Urge Gov. Hochul to Sign the Bills!

• S2980 (Frankensteining, fraud, subst. rehab, succession)
• A4047 (calculate rent overcharges going forward)
• A6843 (landlords must respond to vacancy surveys so municipalities can decide whether to join rent stabilization)
• A3484 (transparency for limited liability corporations)

Wear a Frankenstein costume (or not), and let's urge the Governor to sign those bills when they cross her desk! 

SUMMARY OF THE SEPT. 14, 2023 MEETING

Tenants and a few neighbors gathered to hear State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal's report on Albany and some important bills, and Council Member Gale Brewer's updates on City Council actions.  

Announcements

We began by talking about Frank Leonardo, whose memorial will be in Community Room on Sunday, October 15th from 2 to 5 p.m.  Please let his wife Barbara Garson know if you're planning to attend.

We also announced:

• Our annual Halloween fundraiser will be on Saturday, October 28 in the lobby.  Volunteers are needed for the 5-6 pm slot, and your gifts of individually wrapped candy is welcome. Leave it with the doorman for Rosa Delgado in 2T.

• The US Supreme Court will likely decide in the next couple of weeks whether to take the case of landlords claiming that rent regulation "takes" their property without compensation.  In the past, all 9 justices (including Clarence Thomas and the late Antonin Scalia - the Court's most conservative justices), ruled that states can regulate property use including by rent regulation. 

• NYC is funding some more "Shape Up NYC!" classes, like those that Jodi Brockington taught before the pandemic.  We may get 2 classes: one strenuous one evening, and another less strenuous, possible during the day. (She will not be teaching them.)

• The Park West History Group is planning an evening on how tenants have shaped our buildings and neighborhood. If you have old documents from this building - particularly about our getting a tax break early on - please let Sue know: sue.susman [at ] gmail.com.
  

• HEAT season begins Oct. 1 and runs through May 31. 

Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal

Pending legislation

Brad spoke about 4 bills that have passed the state legislature but await Governor Hochul's action: signing, modifying, or vetoing. Our tenant association has submitted a memo on three of them. 

Sen. Hoylman-Sigal at our Tenant Meeting THURS. 9/14 at 8 PM

COME HEAR AND ASK QUESTIONS OF

STATE SENATOR BRAD HOYLMAN-SIGAL

at our TENANT MEETING   

THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2023

at 8 PM

in our COMMUNITY ROOM.

We've asked him to talk about the Con Ed rate increase and tenant bills awaiting Gov. Hochul's action:

a. S2943/A4047 (Kavanagh, Dinowitz) (calculating overcharges)

b. S2980/A6216 (Kavanagh, Rosenthal) (Frankensteining, fraud definition, succession, substantial rehab)

c. S1684A/A6843 (Hinchey, Clark) (vacancy surveys out of NYC)

and other state issues.  

You can ask your questions. 

Neighbors are welcome.

Sad News: Frank Leonardo has died

The Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association mourns the loss of long-time tenant, photographer, friend, and man of wonderful humor and impish intelligence, 

FRANK LEONARDO

who died on July 22, 2023 .

 Frank was known to many of his neighbors for generously fixing computer problems and donating pieces - and even entire computers - from his collection of electronics.

 We extend our condolences to his wife Barbara Garson and to their extended family.

 A memorial will be held in the autumn.

Summary of May 17, 2023 meeting of the Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association

Summary of the May 17, 2023 Tenant Meeting

We began with a moment of silence for our late State Senator and City Council Member Bill Perkins who died two days ago. Then we heard from City Council Member Shaun Abreu.  

He talked about: 

RIGHT TO COUNSEL: Shaun is working to get $350 million funding to ensure that the Right to Counsel in Housing Court (RTC) is a reality and not just on paper.  If you go to Housing Court and you can't get a lawyer, (1) contact the Housing Court Answers desk in the courthouse, and (2) ask the judge for an adjournment until you get a lawyer. 

• RENT GUIDELINES BOARD: Right now, the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) has no public hearings scheduled for Manhattan - aside from the preliminary vote and the final vote on June 21st). Shaun has co-signed a letter asking for a hearing in Manhattan, and opposing the RGB's proposed hikes of 2-5% for 1 year lease renewals and 4-7% for 2 year lease renewals.  YOU can contact the Rent Guidelines Board directly at ask@rgb.nyc.gov  and tell them
• You can't afford a big increase.
• The RGB shouldn't rely on 2021 data since it was a pandemic year, and the real estate market has bounced back for landlords. 
• To make the same rate of profits they made in 1990, landlords needed the RGB to increase rents 203% since then. But the RGB has actually increased rents 220%.  So even with a dip in 2021, landlords are making a higher rate of profit. 
• COME to the rally just over the Brooklyn Bridge this Saturday at 11 AM in Cadman Plaza. (C,2, or 3 trains to Cadman Plaza East).

• WAREHOUSING:  Shaun is a co-sponsor of Intro. 195, a bill to reduce hazards in vacant apartments.  There is a hearing on that bill on TUESDAY, JUNE 6 at 1 PM at City Hall. The Stand for Tenant Safety/End Apartment Warehousing (we're a member) will have a rally in City Hall Park just before the hearing. Come: We need a lot of people!    In addition, Shaun plans to introduce a resolution to support Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal's new bill to tax rent-regulated apartments that are vacant for 6 months or more. 

• 
  RATS: In order to reduce rats, the city may be putting all garbage into sealed containers on the street, rather than just black bags. There will be a pilot project of containerization between 110th and 158th Streets, with containers near every school and on 10 residential blocks.  We also talked about the difficulty of sealing existing compost bins.  That said, if all our food and garden waste goes into compost, that leaves much less to go into the trash bags that are put outside.

We also talked about: 

PAYING OUR DUES:  We've made a change in how you can contribute money to the tenant association.  Please make your contribution ($10 per apartment per year for dues and the voluntary $100 toward our legal fund) 

• at our meetings
• at the fundraising tables we have a few times a year in the lobby
• or give it to our treasurer Barbara Geller in Apt. 11T. You can also slide your check under her door if she's not home. 

When tenants were giving money to floor captains, copies of the receipts sometimes got lost and it was hard to balance our books!

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY as bikes (electric or not), scooters, etc. are on the sidewalk. The email below comes from a neighbor in another building on W. 97th Street.  Shaun Abreu mentioned the possibility of requiring licenses for ebikes so that summonses can be issued. 

​From a neighbor: ​PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION!!! Pedestrians deserve safe sidewalks and streets!!​

​"​NO RULES-NO REGULATIONS- NO ACCOUNTABILITY​"​ needs to stop.

LANDLORDS SUING TO END RENT STABILIZATION.   The associations that represent owners of rent stabilized housing have appealed to the US Supreme Court to end rent stabilization.  It's not clear that the Supreme Court will take the case. Among other things, this is a "states' rights" issue and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its decision that "the case law is exceptionally clear that legislatures enjoy broad authority to regulate land use without running afoul of the Fifth Amendment's bar on physical takings."

ALBANY BILLS. Support these by clicking "Aye" on the bill's website. 

FRANKENSTEINING: S9280B​ and A6216A.  This bill would set the first rent of any combined ("Frankensteined") apartment at the last rent stabilized rent paid, increased by the same percent as the size is increased.  It is sponsored by State Senator Brian Kavanagh (head of the Senate's housing committee), along with all the Upper West Side senators: Hoylman-Sigal, Cleare, Jackson.   In the Assembly, it is sponsored by Housing Committee chair Linda Rosenthal. 

WAREHOUSING: A4455. This bill would tax rent-regulated apartments that are held vacant for 6 months or more. DHCR would presume that any rent stabilized or rent controlled apartment that the landlord hasn't registered with the state that year is vacant. 

One reason owners are warehousing apartments is to pressure the state legislature to roll back some of the tenant protections written into a permanent law in 2019.  To accomplish that, landlord associations have drafted S.6352 in the Senate and A6772 in the Assembly.  That bill would provide for enormous rent hikes when someone moves out of a rent stabilized apartment after 10 or more years.  We have to fight this!  When Albany made the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act permanent (the first permanent housing law in many years), they meant it.  

GOOD CAUSE: This would protect tenants who are NOT rent stabilized or rent controlled. It would offer tenants a defense in court if the landlord refuses to renew their lease and then tries to evict them, and would prevent enormous rent hikes. Governor Hochul does not support this bill, but she should.  The name stands for "No eviction without good cause."

Got questions, suggestions, or comments? Tell the Executive Committee or a Board Member of the tenant association. 

JOIN US!

The Executive Committee of the Central Park Gardens Tenants' Association

Sue Susman, 15T, president, sue [dot]  susman (at sign) gmail .  com

Jodi Brockington, 14C, vice president, niarajb \at\ gmail {d o t] com

Barbara Geller,11T  treasurer, barbarageller39 {At} gmail |dot\ com 

Denis Hayward, 7K, vice president, denis (dot) hayward \at\ gmail {dot] com

Patricia Jordan, 4R, vice president, pjordan0711 [at) gmail/dot/  com

Steve Koulish, 12C, vice president, eskoolman ~at~ yahoo [dot} com

Ray von Dohren, 4N, vice president, vondohren \at\ comcast {dot] net

Additional Board Members:

Rosa Delgado, 2T

Ayana Dixon, 11C

Debbie Gonzalez, 15G

Alexandra Martin, 6E

Alec Merber, 10G

Letty Orellano, 8T

John "Bones" Rodriguez, 11F

Maxine Soares, 15N

Thanks to Jodi Brockington for the photo. 

A terrible bill in the state senate. Just say NAY!

Go to https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S6352 and click NAY.

Sen. Leroy Comrie's bill would eat into the 2019 tenant protection law, ending

• the caps on IAIs,
• the ban on longevity increases, and even
• vacancy deregulation.

Rent Guidelines Bd proposing 16% increase! Take Action!

Email the Staff/Board/Chair of the Rent Guidelines Board to let them know

• You can't afford the double-digit increases that the Rent Guidelines Board is talking about right now. 

• Stellar obviously doesn't need the increase: It's already forgoing rents from the roughly 13 empty rent stabilized apartments it's refusing to offer for rent. 

• Stellar is getting a lot of money from its 65 market-rate apartments. Their rent seems to be higher than the city-wide median (half tenants are paying more, half less) of $4,175. 

Do it today!

Image from Wikimedia Commons