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What type of housing do you live in? Own co-op, condo, or private home
Are you now, or have you ever been a landlord? No
If yes, how many units and briefly describe what your experience has been.
Does your campaign accept contributions from real estate developers (including related individuals), corporate lobbyists, organizations that participate in the carceral system, and/or landlords? No
Have you ever worked in, or had another affiliation with, the Real Estate industry? No
Have any of your campaign or advisory staff held a position as a corporate lobbyist or an executive role with the Real Estate industry? No
If so, how can we be assured you will have tenants’ interests in mind?
Do you believe housing is a human right? Yes
If so, what does that mean to you, and if not, why not? Everyone should have the opportunity to housing that affords them safety, security, decency and promotes health regardless of socio-economic status, religious belief or residency status
What actions have you taken in the past to fight for housing justice? I have worked with several organizations to advocate for fair and sustainable affordable housing
What are the most pressing housing issues, and what would you do as an elected official to address them? Housing affordability and accessibility are pressing issues. The expansion of affordable housing, especially permanent housing options would be atop my agenda. We will aslo have to work with state & federal counterparts to have the AMI reviewed to expand accessibility
Have you or anyone close to you (family, friend, etc) been evicted or been threatened with eviction? Yes
Have you ever had to fight a landlord for repairs or faced harassment? Yes
Do you believe that housing should be decommodified (publicly owned and tenant-controlled)?
Yes
Please explain your answer. Instead of incentivizing landlords & developers through tax-abatements & the limited affordable housing mandates, the government should expand rent-controlled housing and support community land trusts
What is one rent and/or eviction protection you would enact if you had the opportunity?
Increased funding for tenants facing eviction, especially in emergency situations. Funding should be accessible for a number of resources including assistance obtaining benefits, financial counseling, employment services, landlord tenant medication or tenant legal fees
Do you agree that all evictions are violent? Yes
Why or why not? There is a mental impact on families which can have far more lasting effects than the physical displacements
Do you support the concept of universal rent control? Yes
For decades the Rent Guidelines Board has fueled the affordability crisis it was created to address. Most NYC tenants are rent-burdened, and hundreds of thousands of families, primarily Black and brown, are forced to deprive themselves of necessities to keep a roof over their heads, while owners’ profits hover near the 40% mark. Do you support freezing or even rolling back rents given these circumstances?
Yes
Do you support proposals to revise the RGB to make it more responsive to the needs of the tenants it was created to protect? Yes
Why or why not? There needs to be more consideration given to the amount and timing of rent increases. While landlords may say it’s not enough, the increases generally exceed the financial growth of tenants, especially when considering factors like inflation and costs of living in buildings that are in disrepair. The RGB needs more influence on addressing bad-actor landlords.
Do you support the NYCHA 2.0 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other privatization schemes? Yes
Please explain why or why not: The implementation of the program has been an issue. We aslo need to do more to ensure long-term security of tenants from displacement
NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems?
Efforts by groups like the Tenant Anti-Harassment Unit is a start. It begins with improved funding and enforcement of laws against bad-actor landlords
How would you use your office to put pressure on landlords to make repairs and stop harassing tenants?
We need to improve the ability for HPD to utilize programs like the Alternative Enforcement Program, increasing the fines and fine collection processes. We also need to incorporate the courts and financial institutions so that the City can recoup money spent to make repairs to privately-owned properties.
Do you support regulating the 300,000 deregulated rent-stabilized apartments? Yes
Do you support significant expansion of HPD’s emergency repair program, including adequate funding, with the city correcting hazardous violations when the landlord doesn’t act promptly, then bills the landlord for the repairs and takes title to the building if the landlord doesn’t pay, keeping it as social housing? Yes
Why or why not? Without proper enforcement techniques, landlords will delay responding to repair needs
Do you support stronger penalties against landlords that practice source of income discrimination? Yes
Despite the city’s commitment to a right to counsel for low income families facing eviction in housing court, currently fewer than half of eligible tenants are getting lawyers. Meanwhile, landlords have pressed the courts to speed up the eviction process so they can take advantage of record high rents, negating efforts to reduce homelessness. Do you support fully funded right to counsel and slowing down the housing court eviction mill?
Yes
What other ideas do you have to address the housing crisis, and what is your strategy for accomplishing them?
Adjusting zoning to allow ADU’s, More multi-family housing and community land trusts