Immigrant Groups Call On Golden To Strengthen Rent Laws

As Republican state senators negotiate over strengthened rent regulations passed by the Democratic-led State Assembly in Albany last month, several immigrant groups are urging Senator Marty Golden, one of New York’s two Republican senators, to take a stand in favor of stronger rent laws.

In a letter sent to Golden on Monday, the Alliance for Tenant Power, the Arab American Association of New York, the Asian American Federation, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, and Make the Road New York stressed the need for increased affordable housing for the many immigrants residing in

“The issue of stronger rent laws is particularly urgent for immigrant New Yorkers, who occupy approximately half of all rent-regulated units in New York City. Immigrant communities, including Latino, Asian-American, and Arab-American communities, struggle to access and hold onto affordable housing in your district and elsewhere in the city,” they wrote.

Current rent regulations must be extended before June 15 to remain in effect, but advocates say renewing existing laws will not sufficiently protect low- and moderate-income New Yorkers for whom rent-stabilized apartments are the only affordable option. Specifically, vacancy decontrol laws incentivize landlords to push rent-regulated tenants out of their apartments so that they can raise the rent to $2,500 per month, after which rent can be increased indefinitely and tenants may lose eviction protections.

“This process of vacancy deregulation is how hundreds of thousands of affordable apartments have been lost over the past 20 years. But as more and more New Yorkers are priced out of their apartments, the number of affordable units continues to shrink, making it harder for many residents of your district to find a place to live,” the letter continues.

Golden’s office did not respond to a request for comment in time for this article, but the senator said in May that the rent regulations are still being negotiated and that he doesn’t think vacancy decontrol will change, according to State of Politics.

“If you don’t stand up for stronger rent laws now, the consequences will be dire for our communities. And, we assure you, our communities are paying attention,” the letter concludes.

The Times Union notes that while Golden has coasted to victory in recent elections, his popularity may soon run out with Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential run, and with him being under investigation for questionable campaign spending. This has made him a target for the labor-backed Working Families Party, which aims to take back Democratic control of the Senate.

“2016 is shaping up to be a true nightmare for Marty Golden and it’s a good time for him to remember where he’s from, and to act to help the 36,000 rent-stabilized families who live in his district,” Bill Lipton, New York State director for the Working Families Party, told the outlet.

Update [11:51am]: We spoke to Golden who told us the rent laws are still being discussed and probably won’t be acted on for another two weeks.

“Obviously we want to make sure rent control is extended and rent stabilization laws are extended,” he said. However, he added, “not as many people are leaving their apartments as they say. In other communities, yes, but not in my community — in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Marine Park.”

“Whatever we decide, we will make sure it won’t hurt our renters. There is a concern, we are looking the concern and taking it very seriously,” Golden added.

Read the full letter here:

Tenant Attack Letter to Marty Golden [June 1 2015] (1) by Chris Bragg