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The REAL Rent Reform
Campaign
It is time for real reform of the rent laws - not the
phony, pro-landlord rent regulation reform acts that brought us
the 20% vacancy allowance, the gutting of the registration
system, vacancy decontrol and the rapid loss of affordable
apartments that tenants have suffered since 1993. (See our 2
page summary of the legislative program
English or
Spanish.)
What reforms do we
want? Repeal vacancy decontrol; Re-instate home rule for New
York City's Council and Mayor over rent and eviction rules; Save
affordable units in expiring Mitchell-Lama and Section 8
projects by putting them under rent stabilization and barring
market-rate rent increases; and reforming the rent guidelines
boards in NYC and the surrounding counties.
How do we win reform
of the rent laws? First, by helping the Democrats win
control of the State Senate in November of 2008. Are the
Democrats going to save tenants? Maybe not, but there are more
tenants in the districts that have more registered Democrats, so
its harder for the real estate industry to buy those votes.
Currently, the real estate industry gives most of its campaign
donations to election committees controlled by Joseph Bruno, the
Republican Speaker of the New York State Senate: in 2006,
according to followthemoney.org, the real estate industry gave
$10 million in state campaign donations --more than tobacco,
insurance, pharmaceutical, and medical industries combined.
Almost all of that money went to committees controlled by Joe
Bruno. In return, Bruno promises the real estate industry that
the Senate will not allow the passage of any strengthening
amendments to the rent regulations. Want to get involved in the
elections? Join TenantsPAC.org.
Second, we pressure our
friends. Tenants must go to their Democratic State Senators and
Assembly Members and ask them to support the
campaign platform. Go to Who Represents Me? at nypirg.org to
get contact information for your state reps.
Contact us to get involved. Email us at active at
metcouncil.net
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