The following comes from State Senator Gustavo Rivera.
THE BIG UGLY
"I am deeply disappointed on the end results of this legislative session. It is appalling that throughout the negotiation process hardworking New Yorkers were used as political pawns to serve special interest. The policies included in this legislation simply fail to adequately address the dire issues facing New Yorkers in the areas of housing, education, and criminal justice reform."
HOUSING
"The failure to make significant changes to the rent-regulation laws ensures that at least 90 thousand apartments will be deregulated during the next four years, further exasperating our housing crisis and leaving thousands of New Yorkers struggling to afford a home. Furthermore, this deal made little effort to fix the 421a tax abatement that is supposed to encourage the development of additional affordable housing.
EDUCATION
At a time when our public schools are struggling, this legislation uses public resources to assist private schools and allows charter schools to continue to determine their admissions process without requiring that they serve an adequate portion of high need students in the communities they are in. It also extends Mayoral Control for only one year, leaving New York City's educational system exposed to the political whims of next year's legislative session.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
It is truly unbelievable that given the current climate criminal justice reform was not addressed during this legislative session. This legislation completely omits any measure that would help make our criminal justice system more balanced and just - whether we are talking about the implementation of an independent prosecutor for cases involving a police officer that result in the injury or death of a civilian, decriminalizing syringes or raising the age of criminal responsibility.
Editor's Note:
It seems very interesting that Senator Rivera has adopted the "Our Public Schools are Struggling", instead of admitting that Mayoral Control has done nothing to end or even slow down the fact that more public schools are failing than before Mayoral Control. That is the reason parents, especially those with students who achieve higher scorers on the state tests are looking for a better education system than the public school system.
As for the other issues Senator Rivera, admit that Speaker Heastie did little if anything, and was outflanked by Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Governor Cuomo. Until then you can stand on your soap box and yell at the top of your lungs, but no one will listen to you.
See the statement from Assemblyman Pichardo that I have placed below.
Which one of the two are correct Senator Rivera?
Assemblymember Pichardo: Rent regulations agreement enhances tenant protections
“My neighbors in the Bronx and families across New York State can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the vital rent laws that help them stay in their homes and neighborhoods will not only be extended, but improved. The final agreement includes a four-year extension of rent regulations, ends loopholes that were detrimental to renters and increases the vacancy decontrol threshold while requiring that it be indexed to future increases.
From day one, the Assembly has been an unflinching advocate for tenants’ rights and I’ve long supported efforts to bolster the laws that protect renters and increase access to affordable housing. We refused the extreme proposals that would have shortchanged tenants and worked to find a compromise because the more than 29,000 families who live in rent-regulated units in my district deserve peace of mind knowing that they will not be forced from their homes. Moving forward, I will continue to be a staunch supporter of pro-tenant measures that protect my constituents and renters across the state.”
