Gigi Li
gigili.nyc
Twitter: @gigifornyc Instagram: @gigifornyc
Do you believe housing is a human right? Yes
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
Truly affordable housing is one of my top priorities. I have had the chance to work on several housing justice projects as the Chair of Community Board 3 and as Chief of Staff for the current Council Member. I worked on the development of affordable housing at Essex Crossing, which led to over 500 permanently affordable units, as well as moving forward with discussions to rezone Noho/Soho.
3. What type of housing do you currently live in?
Regulated Rental Apt
4. Are you, or have you ever been, a landlord? No
4a. If yes, where & how many apts. did you own?
5. 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
6. Have you ever worked in, or had another affiliation with, the Real Estate industry? No
7. 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
6. & 7. If so, how can we be assured you will have tenants’ interests in mind? (250 characters)
8. What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a City Council Member? (1000 characters)
Many of the most pressing housing issues come back to protecting and expanding high quality, deeply affordable housing. As a Council Member, I would commit to fully funding NYCHA and using discretionary funds for much needed improvements. I support immediate legislative aid to help people keep their homes, including the expansion of SCRIE and DRIE to seniors living in Mitchell-Lama turned private housing, passing and expanding rent stabilization, and guaranteeing aggrieved tenants a right to counsel.
In evaluating future housing policies I would also give special consideration to marginalized communities, like ensuring that LGBTQIA people are not made to live in abusive environments and that lower-income, Black and Brown residents are not priced out of their communities.
We also need to fund significantly more transitional and permanent supportive housing to provide a path to housing for every New Yorker.
9. Do you believe that housing should be de-commodified? Many of the most pressing housing issues come back to protecting and expanding high quality, deeply affordable housing. As a Council Member, I would commit to fully funding NYCHA and using discretionary funds for much needed improvements. I support immediate legislative aid to help people keep their homes, including the expansion of SCRIE and DRIE to seniors living in Mitchell-Lama turned private housing, passing and expanding rent stabilization, and guaranteeing aggrieved tenants a right to counsel.
In evaluating future housing policies I would also give special consideration to marginalized communities, like ensuring that LGBTQIA people are not made to live in abusive environments and that lower-income, Black and Brown residents are not priced out of their communities.
We also need to fund significantly more transitional and permanent supportive housing to provide a path to housing for every New Yorker.
9a. What would you do as an elected representative to move that vision forward? (500 characters)
Yes
10. Do you support the move to legalize basement apts? Yes
11. Do you support the concept of rent regulation and eviction protections? Yes
12. Do you believe in publicly owned and controlled housing? Yes
13. NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems?
I support fully funding NYCHA and preventing any attempts at privatization. As a Council Member, I would direct discretionary funding to repair and maintenance for NYCHA developments. New York will need to invest heavily in green infrastructure in the coming years and I support using those projects to also improve and better fund NYCHA.
14. Do you support the NYCHA 2.0 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD)/ PACT program and other privatization schemes? No
15. Would you support an immediate moratorium on the sale or lease of all City-owned land and air rights to for-profit developers? Yes
16. Would you require that any housing built on public land be 100% permanently affordable to low- and extremely-low income New Yorkers? Yes
17. Would you aggressively use City programs and eminent domain to take ownership of distressed properties and transfer them to community control such as Community Land Trusts? Yes
18. Would you end the custom of deferring to local council members on land use decisions? No
19. What standards would a rezoning need to meet for you to support it? (500 characters)
Any rezoning would need to include significant affordable housing, targeted to be truly affordable to lower income brackets and not only nominally affordable. There would also need to be community investments decided with substantial community input. Finally environmental review needs to include assessments of potential secondary displacements impacts and racial justice impacts.
20. What reforms to zoning would you propose to increase community input into development? (500 characters)
I would work to develop a process to start community input before the ULURP process is initiated and to continue to prioritize community voices throughout. We also need standards around engaging residents when English isn’t their primary language. I also support enforcing developers to pay for a planner to assist the community with technical aspects of a zoning process.
21. Would you pass and enforce a true racial impact study as part of any rezoning? Yes
Percentage of people who are below 200% of the poverty line 20% Percentage of Unhoused New Yorkers 30%
23. What is/has been the most important land use fight in your district and what position did you take on it? (500 characters)
The building of 4 towers in the Two Bridges area being categorized as a minor modification. I am against both the minor modification classification and the heights proposed of the buildings.
24. Would you support increased funding and oversight of NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Mayor’s Tenant Protection Unit to educate tenants on their rights to organize in NYC rental buildings? YesYes
25. Will you support the City seeking injunctions against the landlords on the Right to Counsel’s “worst evictors list,” barring worst evictors from bringing eviction cases while under investigation, and implementing good cause evictions protections? Yes
26. Do you support expanding funding and oversight of the City’s emergency repair program to correct hazardous violations and send the owner the bill? Yes
27. How would you use your office to put pressure on landlords to make repairs and stop harassing tenants? (500 characters)
I would reach out to landlords directly to put them on notice and work with organizing groups like Cooper Square Committee to organize tenants and support them, through press conferences, social media to amplify or shame landlords, and any other tools I would have access to as part of City Council. I would also escalate cases to the Borough Presidents, Public Advocate, and/or AG to take legal action or join in.
28. Do you support the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA—Int 0737-2018) and Commercial Rent Stabilization bill (Int 1796-2019) currently in committee in the City Council?Yes
29. Do you support converting hotel rooms into permanently affordable apts? Yes
30. Would you end the practice of police responding to people who are homeless? Yes
31. Would you oppose homeless shelters being built in your district? No
31a. Why or why not? (500 characters)
Shelters should be available throughout the city, not just in certain areas. Any new shelter built should include a thorough assessment of what resources are available in the community to ensure that shelter residents and other community members have access to everything they need.
32. Do you agree that all evictions are bad? Yes
32a. If no, why not?
33. Are you committed to making sure every tenant has free access to counsel in Housing Court? Yes
34. Would you support an eviction moratorium every winter (Heat Season Oct. 1-May 31)? Yes
35. Do you believe that the Rent Guidelines Board should lower rents for rent stabilized tenants? Yes
35a. If yes, what will you do to influence the board to do so? (500 characters)
I would testify at RGB hearings and join rallies, press conferences, and other public demonstrations.
36. Have you ever testified on behalf of tenants at a public hearing of the RGB? No
37. Do you support restricting the ability of landlords to discriminate and surveil tenants through the use of technologies such as key fobs, smartphone apps, and facial recognition to gain entry into their apartment units and/or buildings? Yes
38. Will you commit to only vote for a budget that decreases funding to the NYPD? Yes