State Assembly 71 Alfred Taylor

Website: http://www.altaylor.org

Social media: assemblymanalt1 assemblymanaltaylor

What type of housing do you currently live in?
Limited Equity Coop
Are you, or have you ever been, a landlord?
No
1. If yes, where & how many apts. do/did you own?
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
1. If so, how can we be assured you will have tenants’ interests in mind? (250 characters)

Values and Vision

Do you believe housing is a human right?
Yes
- If so, what does that mean to you? (500 characters)
  Housing is essential to protect the quality of life and the success of every New Yorker. New Yorkers deserve to have a safe, dignified place to call home, and it is tied to one’s physical health and mental health, and socio-economic equity. Our role is to ensure that New Yorkers are provided with safe and secure housing and that the most vulnerable are protected in our communities by delivering legislative protection.
What type of action have you taken in the past around issues of housing justice? (500 characters)
My work in housing began way before my time as an Assemblymember, and I started my journey as a community organizer fighting for housing equity. I wanted to fight for the rights of those who have been tucked away in our city and priced out of a home, forced to relocate or combat the threat of homelessness in our city and state. As a result, I am a strong supporter of good cause eviction and continue to be a strong advocate of housing reform in New York City.
What do you think are the most pressing Housing issues & what action would you take to address them as a state representative? (1000 characters)
The most pressing housing issues on the city and state level are increasing rent and the homelessness crisis. Due to the rise in rent, families who work are one paycheck away from falling behind on their rent. As a result, many families are forced to rely on our shelter system or rely on their cars for housing since traditional housing options are too costly. One instrumental piece of legislation I support is passing the good cause eviction in addition to protecting and expanding ERAP, in addition to the excluded workers fund.
We need to crack down on vacant units and pied-a-terres and instead build actual truly affordable housing, not the false affordable housing that starts with an income requirement of $60k. We also have to reimagine space, how we use vacant lots and vacant commercial spaces to distribute affordable housing while reinvesting into our communities equitably.
Have you or anyone close to you (relation, 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 de-commodified?
Yes
- Please explain your answer (500 characters)
  The decommodification of housing would be excellent. We should strengthen and support tenant unions and CLTs so that tenants’ voices and grievances are not being stifled but are met with results. We also need to build much more affordable social housing and protect residents from rent increases to protect renters from predatory landlords and developers who are seeking to fill their pockets on the back of the most vulnerable. Decommodification is one method we need to explore to prioritize tenants’ rights in our city.
Do you believe in publicly owned and controlled housing?
Yes
What is one rent and/or eviction protection you would enact if you had the opportunity? (500 characters)
As a housing committee member in The New York State Assembly, I want to make sure that the Good Cause Eviction is adopted in our state to protect thousands of New Yorkers from unfair evictions.
Do you agree that all evictions are bad?
No
- If no, why not? (500 characters)
  Many renters are victims of landlords who seek to abuse their power. However, when tenants pose a physical threat to other families living in the same building or nearby, eviction may be warranted. Ideally, if the person is troubled, we could also connect them with social services and help get into supportive temporary/permanent housing placements.
Do you support the concept of universal rent control?
Yes

Overview on Housing

Do you support the NYCHA 2.0 Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other privatization schemes?
No
- Please explain why or why not (250 characters)
  NYCHA was founded to ensure that members of our city who were disproportionately affected by cruel urban planning would have a place to go and rebuild parts of their communities lost. We need to stand up and fight for a public, fully-funded NYCHA.
NYCHA has suffered from chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair. What do you see as the best strategies to rectify these problems? (500 characters)
NYCHA needs funding and investment. We must ensure that NYCHA gets the funding it needs on the city, state, and federal levels. NYCHA residents should be empowered and feel safe in their homes, and to combat the chronic underfunding, neglect, and disrepair of NYCHA, we need to invest in NYCHA.
Do you support setting aside 15% of all units created in new state-subsidized affordable housing projects for homeless families and individuals?
Yes
How would you use your office to put pressure on landlords to make repairs and stop harassing tenants? (500 characters)
We need to hold landlords accountable and we cannot allow harassment and disrepair continue to tear apart our communities. I will bring to bear every accountability measure I can, highlighting bad landlords to the press, and following up with responsible agencies to enforce our tenant protections.
Do you support regulating the 300,000 deregulated rent-stabilized apartments?
Yes
Will you support increased funding and oversight hearings of DHCR’s Office of Rent Administration to ensure timely responses?
Yes
How will you ensure people who owe back rent due to COVID are not evicted and do not continue to owe money? (500 characters)
We need to expand programs like ERAP and the Excluded Workers Fund. We should not punish people due to the effects that this pandemic has had on their lives. We also need to create programs to help erase rent debts and provide incentives like tax rebates for landlords that forgive debt.
Would you support financial and criminal penalties against landlords and brokers that deny a prospective tenant housing based on using a tenant blacklist?
Yes

Current Bills and Campaigns

Do you support Good Cause Eviction Protections?
Yes
If Good Cause is not passed this session, what will you do to ensure it gets passed in 2023? (500 characters)
If Good Cause is not passed this session, we will continue to apply pressure and build a stronger coalition within the legislature to ensure it gets passed. We will continue to work collaboratively with grassroots organizations and nonprofits who work towards combating housing injustice in our city while working collaboratively with Met Council Action to fight for housing equity in New York.
Will you support ending MCIs?
Yes
Will you commit to fully funding the Housing Access Voucher Program?
Yes
Do you support the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)?
Yes
How will you support tenants in your district opting into TOPA? (500 characters)
The 71st Assembly district is no stranger to the threat of luxury developers. These developers seek to perpetuate systems of inequality. These practices have led to the mass displacement of our communities. We need to make sure all residents know about TOPA and that our residents have access to resources and advice. I will also help mediate and organize tenants for TOPA and make sure that landlords are being held accountable for abiding by TOPA requirements.
Do you support the move to legalize basement apartments and ADUs?
Yes
Do you support tenants’ right to collective bargaining?
Yes
Do you support 421a or Gov Hochul’s proposed 485w?
No
Do you support fully funding the Excluded Workers fund?
Yes
Do you support the “Excluded No More” bill?
Yes
Are you committed to making sure every tenant in the state has free access to counsel in Housing Court?
Yes
Will you commit to fully funding statewide Right to Counsel in 2023’s budget?
Yes