N.Y. advocates pushing Gov. Hochul on housing issues, including good cause eviction and tax breaks
ALBANY — Advocates are hoping Gov. Hochul is willing to do good when it comes to post-COVID housing reforms.
Activists are planning protests and rallies across the state Tuesday as they push Hochul to support tenant-friendly measures including good-cause eviction and the repeal of a real estate tax break known as 421a.
The new campaign, dubbed #HouseNY, will focus on long-term solutions after a year and a half of stopgap measures and eleventh-hour extensions of eviction moratoriums, said Cea Weaver of Housing Justice for All.
“We’ve been doing all of this temporary stuff to stabilize neighborhoods and families in the wake of COVID-19, and we don’t really want to have another bruising fight an eviction moratorium, we want permanent solutions,” Weaver said.
Rallies are planned for Hudson Yards in Manhattan as well as events in Rochester, Albany and Buffalo.
Advocates and elected officials are also supporting the expansion of housing vouchers, the “tenant opportunity to purchase act” and additions to a program that helps convert distressed hotels or other commercial properties into affordable housing.
The top of the list though is the long-stalled “Good Cause Eviction” bill which would give tenants the right to lease renewals and prevent landlords from evicting a renter without a good reason. Under the bill, a judge decides if an eviction is for “good cause,” such as breaking the terms of a lease.
Tenants would also be protected from eviction for nonpayment if an “unreasonable” rent increase occurred, essentially anything exceeding 3% of the annual rent or 150% of the region’s Consumer Price Index, whichever is higher.
There is political pressure on Hochul to get behind good cause as she faces primary challenges on her left.
Attorney General Letitia James, who announced her run for governor last month, voiced support for the measure during a stump speech delivered to members of the progressive Working Families Party. City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, expected to formally enter the race this week, also backs the bill.
Asked last week about the good-cause legislation, Hochul touted her work on extending the state’s COVD eviction moratorium and said she doesn’t want to show all her cards ahead of the legislative session.
“I’m not going to be telegraphing my positions early on because otherwise, it’s not a collaborative process,” she said during an event at the American Museum of Natural History. “That’s how I’m changing government in the State of New York.”
Advocates also want Hochul to embrace the repeal of 421-a tax exemption, meant to encourage construction of affordable housing but criticized as a boon to deep-pocketed developers and an incentive for buildings made up of market-rate units.
“I think doing these two things is, to me, a political no-brainer,” Weaver said, noting the high eviction rate in Hochul’s native Buffalo. “To me, this is obvious. It’s an obvious thing that she should be doing.”
