John joyner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnjjoynerjr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/citycouncilcandidate2021/
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)
Housing is a human right, affordable housing is an issue of inequality and lack of opportunity. I developed a housing advocacy organization, say no irresponsible development organization in which I have advocated for over 7 years, developing protest, rallies, developing petitions and proposed legislation to call for real affordable housing, in 2016 I developed proposed legislation, the Equal Living Cost Rights Law calling on a mandated 50/50 affordable housing split.
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)
The most pressing issue is lowering the price of quote on quote affordable housing, restructuring how people pay rent to create equal opportunity access to housing we need to base housing off income by law. Housing is an human equal right everyone deserves housing at every pay level, I will call for an expansion of low income housing, so all incomes have equal access to housing directly based off their incomes.
9. Do you believe that housing should be de-commodified? The most pressing issue is lowering the price of quote on quote affordable housing, restructuring how people pay rent to create equal opportunity access to housing we need to base housing off income by law. Housing is an human equal right everyone deserves housing at every pay level, I will call for an expansion of low income housing, so all incomes have equal access to housing directly based off their incomes.
9a. What would you do as an elected representative to move that vision forward? (500 characters)
Maybe
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?
NYCHA needs to invest in totally gutting out every single apartment one by one renovating each unit of every building. While developing new public low income housing developments, a big solution to our affordable housing issue is NYCHA needs to develop more affordable housing even if that mean over developing in low income housing to provide to quantity and quality real affordable housing.
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? No
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)
N/A
20. What reforms to zoning would you propose to increase community input into development? (500 characters)
A community voting structure, in which represents 1/4 up or down vote in the rezoning process, this community rezoning vote would differ from the community board vote.
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 45% Percentage of Unhoused New Yorkers 15%
23. What is/has been the most important land use fight in your district and what position did you take on it? (500 characters)
Staring in 2007 Bedford Stuyvesant was rezoned and divided by south and north, I agree with this rezoning
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)
By developing and enrolling landlords in a pay as you go repair program so we can insure repairs will be made for tenants.
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? No
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)
I would not oppose this because we need to have
32. Do you agree that all evictions are bad? Yes
32a. If no, why not? All evictions are bad but we have to think about landlord protection and for our (homeowners)
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)
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