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Press release: Assembly Manhattan Delegation Releases Report Urging NYCHA Funding in State Budget

Today, the Manhattan Assembly delegation issued a report, NYCHA Crisis: Finding Tenant Solutions, that details the living conditions of several NYCHA developments across Manhattan, and urges New York State to commit substantial and consistent funding for NYCHA’s most urgent capital needs.

“Written prior to the COVID-19 State of Emergency, the pandemic further highlights that, for over 400,000 NYCHA tenants in substandard housing, the public housing crisis is a public health crisis,” said Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried, the dean and Chair of the Manhattan Assembly Delegation.  “New York State can act now with serious funding commitments and lead the way towards the restoration of NYCHA.”

November Community Update

Assembly Health Committee Hearing on Youth Tackle Football

            Should children 12 and under be playing tackle football?  On October 29, the Assembly Health Committee, which I chair, held a hearing in Lower Manhattan on the health impacts of that.  There is a bill in the Assembly (A. 2692) to outlaw organized team tackle football for children 12 and under.  The bill is sponsored by Assembly Member Michael Benedetto of the Bronx, and I am a co-sponsor.

            Following many news media reports of cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) disproportionately affecting professional football players and former players, many families, physicians and researchers have been raising concerns regarding the health effects of tackle football on children.  Repeated concussions can cause serious lifelong brain damage.  The damage is greatest when players start when their young brains are developing, and even more when play continues for years.

Working Group Formed to Consider Plans for Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses

            Like almost all New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses urgently need extensive and expensive work.

            Because of concerns about the City’s proposal for responding to this need, all of Chelsea’s local elected officials, including me, called on Mayor de Blasio’s administration to put a hold on its plans and participate in a working group with the elected officials, tenant representatives, Community Board 4, and other advocates.  We want real input from the tenants and the community.  We also stated that we will not allow any plan that does not protect and preserve the Fulton Houses community, with no displacement of residents from Fulton Houses or any reduction of tenant rights or affordability.

            The City agreed to put a hold on its plans and join the working group, which is now looking at all the options for organizing and funding the needed work.

            Earlier this year, the City was developing a plan to generate badly needed revenue to repair these public housing developments in Chelsea.  At Fulton Houses, the City is proposing new construction, replacing some buildings, repairs, and installing new private-sector management, to raise the funds necessary to renovate, repair, and improve conditions at Fulton Houses and at the nearby Elliott-Chelsea Houses.  NYCHA estimates that meeting the combined capital needs of the two developments would cost approximately $344 million.

            NYCHA’s draft plan for Fulton entails constructing three new buildings in the complex, with tenants in two existing buildings then moving into the first of the new buildings.  The City would then replace two older, low-rise buildings with two big new buildings.  Those buildings would be a mix of market-rate and affordable apartments.  The new income generated would be dedicated to repairs and renovation of Fulton Houses and Elliott-Chelsea Houses.   

            Under the City’s proposal, Fulton and Chelsea-Elliott Houses would then enter the federal “Rental Assistance Demonstration” (RAD) program, which uses Section 8 vouchers instead of traditional public housing subsidies, and management of the complex would be turned over to a private sector entity.

            The working group held its first two meetings in October.  There will be more meetings and public forums.  We expect the Working Group to present its proposals by year’s end.

            I have serious concerns about the City’s proposal.  I am always wary of privatization.

            To raise critically needed funds for the MTA’s capital plan, NYCHA and other programs, I am co-sponsoring several proposals in Albany.  These include re-instating the stock transfer tax and raising the state income tax rate on tax brackets above $1 million a year.  I also support proposals to increase corporate income taxes and to enact a surcharge tax on so-called “pied-a-terre” luxury apartments that are not the owner’s primary residence.

Enforcing the New Law Against Floating Billboards

            This past legislative session, Senator Brad Hoylman and I sponsored legislation in Albany to prohibit boats with illuminated billboards from operating in the navigable waters of the State, such as the Hudson River.  Governor Cuomo signed our bill into law in August.  Despite the fact that it took effect immediately, Ballyhoo Media continued to operate its “floating billboards” in New York waterways in flagrant violation of the new law.

            In September, Senator Hoylman and I wrote to Mayor de Blasio asking that the City provide a detailed plan of how it would enforce the law.  Soon after, the City announced that it had reached an agreement with Ballyhoo that bans it from operating its floating billboards on any New York state waterway.  The company agreed to pay $100,000 to the City, and has since relocated its billboard boat to Florida.  Now President Trump can enjoy them.

Tues., Nov. 12: Upper Manhattan Town Hall on New York Health Act

            At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, I will be speaking at a Town Hall hosted by NYS Senators Robert Jackson, on the New York Health Act, my bill that would provide universal health care coverage in New York state by establishing an “improved Medicare for all” single-payer health care program.  The Town Hall follows up on last month’s joint hearing on the NY Health Act, held in the Bronx by the Assembly and Senate Health Committees.

NEW YORK HEALTH ACT: I co-chaired a joint hearing of the Assembly and Senate Health Committee on the New York Health Act in the Bronx in October.

            The Town Hall, which is free and open to the public, will be at the YM/YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood at 54 Nagle Avenue (take the A train to 190th Street).  Please RSVP by going online to SenatorRJackson.eventbrite.com.

Wed., Nov. 20: NYCHA Town Hall Meeting

            On the evening of Wednesday, November 20, the Manhattan delegation of the New York State Assembly is hosting a Town Hall meeting on New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing.  It is free and open to the public.  People will have a chance to voice their concerns about NYCHA developments, hear from NYCHA officials on maintenance and re-pairs, and learn how to connect with tenant lawyers.

            The Town Hall meeting will be at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 20 at the Boys and Girls Republic at 888 East 6th Street between Avenue D and the FDR Drive service road.

Census Job Opportunities

            Every ten years the United States Census Bureau takes a count of every person living in the United States.  It’s required by the Constitution.   Getting accurate Census data in New York is vital for ensuring that we receive our fair share of $650 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, infrastructure, and more — as well as the number of seats we have in the U.S. House of Representatives.  It also determines how much representation each community has in the State Legislature and the city council.

            It’s critical that every New Yorker be counted in the 2020 Census.  In the last Census in 2010, New York City’s self-response rate was less than 62%, significantly lower than the national 76% response rate.

            There are many jobs now available for workers to conduct the 2020 Census.  To inquire about Field Representative Testing in New York, please send an email with your name, zip code, and phone number(s) to new.york.recruit@census.gov, or call 212-584-3495.  For other questions or inquiries about Census opportunities outside New York City, please call the New York Regional Census Center at 212-882-7100.

Deadline to Register to Vote for Presidential Primary

            Under a new law passed by the Legislature, you can now change your party enrollment closer to next year’s New York presidential primary.  February 14 – Valentine’s Day – is the deadline to re-register to change which political party you are enrolled in, or to enroll with a party for the first time, in time to vote in New York’s April 28 presidential primary.  If you are already registered at your current address and enrolled with the party of your choice, you do not need to do anything.

            To make a change, send a Voter Registration Form with your new choice to the board of elections office for your borough or county.  You can learn more about registering or changing your party affiliation by going online: https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister.html

            If you want to print out and mail your voter registration form, the address for the New York County (Manhattan & Roosevelt Island) Board of Elections is:

            New York County Board of Elections

            200 Varick Street – 10th Floor

            New York, NY 10014

EPL/Environmental Advocates Name Me an “Environmental Champion”

            In October, EPL/Environmental Advocates, the leading statewide organization that has advocated for stronger environmental protections since 1969, released its 2019 Environmental Scorecard, which grades all state legislators’ voting records on environmental legislation.

            I was proud to earn a 100% score this year, and EPL/Environmental Advocates named me an “Environmental Champion.”  I am honored by this recognition, and will continue working hard to earn the trust and support of New Yorkers who believe that helping to protect and preserve our environment remains one of government’s most critical functions.

            In its “Scorecard,” which you can find online at www.eplscorecard.org, EPL/Environmental Advocates rated legislators on their votes on several critical bills that have now been signed into law by Governor Cuomo.  These include the Climate Leadership and Protection Act; congestion pricing in Manhattan; allocating $500 million for water infra-structure; a ban on single-use plastic bags; and a bill to deny offshore drilling companies access to state marine and coastal district lands.             Other environmental legislation that has passed both houses of the Legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s signature include bill to ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos; bar the sale in New York of personal care products that contain the toxic chemical 1,4-dioxane; and The Child Safe Products Act, which requires manufacturers to list toxic chemicals that are present in their products, as well as begin the process of phasing them out.

Testimony Before NYC Human Resources Administration: Expand & Strengthen Tenants’ Right to Counsel

Testifying on behalf of tenants’ right to counsel before the NYC Human Resources Agency, November 15, 2018

Testimony by Assembly Member Richard N. Gottfried Before the NYC Human Resources Administration’s Office of Civil Justice

                                        Public Hearing on the                                                      Universal Access to Legal Services Program for Tenants Facing Eviction

                                Thursday, November 15, 2018

My name is Richard N. Gottfried.  I represent the 75th Assembly District in Manhattan, which includes the neighborhoods of Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown, and part of the Upper West Side and Murray Hill.  Thank you for this opportunity to testify about the Right to Counsel program.

Right to Counsel (RTC) or Universal Access to Legal Counsel (UATC) in Housing Court became a New York City law in 2017.  With this law, some, but not all, low-income tenants have the right to have a lawyer provided to them if they are sued in Housing Court by their landlord.  Before Right to Counsel was enacted, landlords tried to evict over 230,000 tenants a year.  Most of those tenants were low-income people, and predominantly people of color and immigrants.

The program has quickly made a real difference in the lives of many people.  Since the implementation of Right to Counsel, evictions are down 24 percent from 2014; filings are down 10% from 2014; and shelter entries from evictions are down. The program contributes to preserving affordable housing and stable communities by keeping people out of court and out of homeless shelters.  But there are too many people who cannot access the program because of the income level requirement.  The next step is to expand and strengthen the successful Right to Counsel program.

City Council Members Mark Levine, Vanessa Gibson and Diana Ayala have introduced legislation, Intro 1104-2018,  to increase the income threshold of 200% of the federal poverty level to 400% and to expand the types of cases covered by RTC to include administrative hearings such as those in HPD, and the NYS HCR (Homes and Community Renewal) agency, as well as for cases that are appealed and a portion that land in state Supreme Court.  These would be important steps ahead.

More must be done to increase outreach and tenant awareness.  The City needs to finance efforts by various community organizations to educate tenants about when they are entitled to legal representation.

It continues to be a challenge to get the word out to tenants that the right to counsel in Housing Court exists and how to find out if they are eligible and where to go.  As part of the RTC implementation, New York City’s Tenant Support Unit knocks on doors to advise tenants at risk of eviction that they are entitled to a lawyer.  More tenant outreach and education is needed and can best be provided by neighborhood-based groups with a history of tenant organizing, as well as the Tenant Support Unit. Increased funding to neighborhood-based groups already doing education and outreach would contribute to the effectiveness of the right to counsel program.

Several public awareness efforts, if funded by the City, would help tenants learn of the new right.  Efforts such as subway ads, tele-town halls, mass mailings, email and social media, and a hotline are all possible ways to increase access to the program

After only a year, Right to Counsel has proven its effectiveness.  It should be expanded and strengthened.

 

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Chelsea Now – DHS Ducks Capacity Crowd as CB5 Cuts Shelter Info Session Short

By Alex Ellefson, September 7

BY ALEX ELLEFSON | Plans to discuss the use of an infamous Flatiron hotel as a months-long refuge for homeless single men and women awaiting long-term housing stalled last week when a conference room was unable to accommodate scores of irate residents intent on voicing their objections.

Neighbors packed shoulder-to-shoulder — with a line of people out into the hall — to hear a presentation on the proposed shelter at the Community Board 5 (CB5) Budget, Education & City Services Committee meeting.

Chelsea Now: A House Divided: Community Debates Fate of 404 W. 20th St.

By Sean Egan, 6/9/16The sale of 404 W. 20th St. for $7.4 million set in motion the current dispute over proposed changes to the historic house. Photo by Sean Egan.

The sale of 404 W. 20th St. for $7.4 million set in motion the current dispute over proposed changes to the historic house. Photo by Sean Egan.

BY SEAN EGAN | Who can truly lay claim to pride of ownership, when it comes to what is widely regarded as the oldest house in Chelsea: those who say its structural and historical integrity must be preserved, or the person who bought it for $7.4 million and wants to make extensive renovations?

Built in 1830 and purchased in 2015 by British banker Ajoy Veer Kapoor, the home at 404 W. 20th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) sits within the Cushman Row of the Chelsea Historic District, making any attempts at alteration subject to review by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The renovations, which would significantly increase the size of the house, would require most of the original house to be destroyed in the process, as the new owner attests that the house is structurally unsound.

Chelsea Now: Protected Buildings Fraudulently Marked For Destruction

By Sean Egan, 1/20/16

BY SEAN EGAN | A set of residential buildings in the middle of W. 38th St. became an unassuming battle site in preserving the character of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, as well as a telling example of how vigilance and activism can yield results.

The buildings — two of them standing four stories tall and one at three stories — were acquired by an entity controlled by Peter Poon, who bought out the tenants living in the building in order to demolish the complex. Poon hails from Peter F. Poon Architects, known for developing budget hotels — and applied to do just that. His Dec. 2014 application indicates that he planned a 22-floor hotel on the W. 38th St. site. Furthermore, another associated application to the Department of Buildings (DOB) indicated that the current W. 38th St. buildings were single room occupancies (SROs), which they have never been. The contractors (H&O Associates) also claimed that the proposed construction would not increase or decrease the number of residences, nor would it alter their layouts — clearly at odds with the proposed demolition.

Chelsea Now: Illegal Construction, Unsafe Conditions on W. 25th St.

By Eileen Stukane, 10/21

BY EILEEN STUKANE | Four months ago, families were living normally, as they had for years, in their rent-regulated apartments at 264 and 266 W. 25th St. Today, the five-story, 17-apartment building at 264 has been transformed into a demolition and construction site, with 10 of those apartments gutted and under renovation. At 266, the five-story building next door, residents are also vacating.

Why is everybody leaving?

NY Times: Construction in Buildings Declared Vacant Surprises Some: The Tenants

By Mireya Navarro, 9/18

The complaints to the city from 292 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, read like dispatches from chaos.

“They have huge piles of dust and concrete, which is getting tenants sick,” one said.

“Caller’s apartment is vibrating, and he is afraid his ceiling will drop,” said another.

When New York property owners plan to do work on their buildings, they are required to tell the city if people are living there and, if so, to submit plans to protect them from dust, blocked exits and other perils. But at 292 Bedford and numerous other occupied work sites, the city allowed work to proceed even though owners or their agents asserted the buildings were empty, claims that could be easily disproved through public databases, or by simply pressing the buzzers outside the front doors.

City officials acknowledge they have no system to verify whether buildings undergoing construction are unoccupied, a blind spot that tenants and their advocates argue has helped promote a climate of lawlessness, particularly for rent-stabilized residents.

Commercial Observer: City Seeks Developer for Former Hell’s Kitchen Slaughterhouse Site

by Liam La Guerre, Sept 1

The city is is collecting proposals for a mixed-use development with 100 percent affordable housing on the site of a former slaughterhouse in Hell’s Kitchen.

New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced a request for proposals today for the development of the city-owned site at 495 11th Avenue between West 39th and West 40th Streets near the Hudson Yards.

The property is 24,687 square feet and was once home to New York Butcher’s Dressed Meat Company, which operated a slaughterhouse at the site. Currently the city is using it as a surface parking lot for the New York Police Department.

Chelsea Now – Momentum Building to Confront Construction Permit Fraud

By Eileen Stukane, July 15

New York state and city elected officials are responding to the activism of the newly-created Community & Residents Protection Working Group (CRP), which this year has been alerting Chelsea residents to widespread building fraud that has previously gone unnoticed.

At meetings with representatives of city agencies and Community Board 4 (CB4), the CRP began to flush out owners, landlords and developers who received NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) permits for construction by routinely lying on their DOB Form PW1, section 26 applications, stating that occupied buildings were unoccupied — a statement which freed them from instituting required Tenant Protection Plans, and making conditions unlivable in order to pressure occupants to leave.

The CRP revealed that 80 occupied buildings in Chelsea were construction sites permitted through falsified applications. Seeing legal permits posted, residents of those buildings did not think they had any recourse. As research deepened, it also became apparent that this fraudulent situation is a citywide concern. The CRP’s findings ignited a call for action, which shows strong signs of being heard — especially by the DOB, which is receiving word from community leaders, and has its own reforms in the works. Although no specific corrective measures are in place, the drive for change has begun.

On June 30, 2015 five elected officials — Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, NYC Councilmember Corey Johnson, NY State Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, NY State Senator Brad Hoylman and U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler — signed a letter addressed to DOB Commissioner Richard (Rick) Chandler, requesting a meeting with him and his appropriate staff to discuss the CRP’s findings and to “find a satisfactory way for the agencies to work together to stop the harassment and dangerous conditions facing many tenants today.”