Subject: NYC Council Speaker Vallone tries to stop Rent Law renewals
NYC COUNCIL SPEAKER VALLONE TRIES TO STOP RENT LAWS RENEWAL
Tenants will Picket Vallone's District
Office Monday 2/24/97
It was reported Friday that New York City Council Speaker
Peter Vallone (D. Queens) was refusing to allow the
introduction of a bill by NYC Councilmembers Virginia
Fields and Stanley Michaels that would renew the Rent
Regulation laws and that would also repeal portions of
the devestating Local Law 4 of 1994.
Before the expected rent battles take place in Albany this
summer, NYC council must pass and Mayor Guiliani must sign
an extender of the local NYC rent regulation laws by
March 31st.
According to reports, City Council members Fields and Michaels
were set to introduce a bill that would not only renew the
rent laws, but would also repeal portions of Local Law 4 of
1994 which extended and made permanent the so-called
"High Rent" and "High Income" provisions of the 1993 Albany
rent renewal laws (what the politicans called "reform").
These provisions have been devestating on tenants in that
any landlord can set a rent above $2,000 and claim the
apartment is then deregulated. Landlords have done this
with impunity and the NYS Division of Housing and Community
Renewal (DHCR) refuses to examine and scrutinize how the
rents got above $2,000 in the first place.
The major NYC tenant groups (Met Council, East Side Tenants
Coalition, Queens League of United Tenants) have pushed hard
for this bill and reports were that there might be enough votes
for the renewals and tenant initiative to pass.
It appears that Speaker Vallone know this and therefore is
refusing to allow the bill to be introduced. It was also
reported that Speaker Vallone has refused to speak to a
contingent of tenants. It must be remembered that Vallone's
former Chief of Staff was Joseph Strasburg, who is now head of
the landlord trade group Rent Stabilization Association (RSA),
and Strasburg reportedly has funneled almost $200,000 to upstate
Republicans to try to end rent regulation this summer in Albany.
In response to Vallone's refusal to allow the bill to have a
fair hearing, his tenant constituents, led by the Astoria Concerned
Neighbors, will picket Vallone's district office today, Monday,
February 24 at 4 p.m. Tenants from all areas of NYC are invited to
join in. Take the "N" train to the last stop and go to the corner
of 31st and Ditmas. For more information, call Claudia Massa at
(718) 274-0717.
2/24/97
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The Tenant Network for Residential Tenants
TenantNet: http://tenant.net
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email:
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Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.
Subject: Tenants Picket Vallone; City-Wide-Tenant Rally Looms
TENANTS PICKET PETER VALLONE;
LARGE TURNOUT EXPECTED AT CITY-WIDE TENANT RALLY
Over 150 tenant-constituents of New York City Council Speaker
Peter Vallone (D. Queens) picketed his district office in Astoria
yesterday, it was reported by a Queens tenant source.
Speaker Vallone is reportedly blocking attempts to allow the
introduction of a bill by council members Virginia Fields and
Stanley Michaels that would renew the Rent Regulation laws by
the NYC Council and that would also repeal Local Law 4 of 1994
which has had the abusive effect of deregulating many NYC
apartments when landlords make the claim the rent is above $2,000.
According to sources, Vallone actually appeared at his district
office during Monday afternoon's picketing and, as the source
put it, "wondered what the 'nonsense' was all about".
Tenants reportedly challenged Vallone on his opposition to
the Fields/Michaels bill and he tried to claim his position
was in support of tenants.
Vallone spearheaded the passage of Local Law 4 in 1994 which
reopened and made permanent the "High Income" and "High Rent"
decontrol provisions in the Rent Stabilization Law. At that
time Vallone's Chief of Staff Joe Strasburg had left his
office only a few months prior to take the helm of the
landlord trade organization Rent Stabilization Association
(RSA) which lobbied for the passage of Local Law 4. It
appears that now, in 1997, many council members realize that
Local Law 4 was a mistake are willing to support the
Fields/Michaels bill.
This comes shortly before the City-Wide Tenant Rally set for
this Wednesday, February 26 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall where
organizers expect good weather and a turnout of over five
thousand tenants who have had enough of the abusive DHCR,
Housing Court, and deaf-ear politicians who are taking steps
to insulate themselves from accountability for the lawless
practices of DHCR and Housing Court.
Tenants say Enough!
Faced with the possible ending of Rent Stabilization and Rent
control tenant protections by Governor Pataki and Republican
Senator Joe Bruno, tenant leaders indicate that converging on
City Hall is just as effective (if not more) than knocking on
closed doors in Albany. It's important that you show up for the
rally and tell your neighbors.
This Wednesday it's the tenants' turn to give the speeches.
Show your support for your home, your neighborhood and your
fellow tenants by coming to the rally at the steps of the
offices of Mayor Guiliani, Speaker Vallone and Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver. Let them know tenants will not accept further
abuses and weakening of tenant protections.
2/25/97
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The Tenant Network for Residential Tenants
TenantNet: http://tenant.net
NYTenants Interactive: http://nytenant.net
NYTenants Express: http://members.aol.com/nytenant
email:
NYtenants Discussion List: email to and in
the body of the message put "subscribe nytenants".
Information from TenantNet is from experienced non-attorney tenant
activists and is not considered legal advice.
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