|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, April 7, 2023
Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
PUBLIC ADVOCATE, CITY LEADERS CALL ON ALBANY TO PRIORITIZE HOUSING AND PROTECT TENANTS IN STATE BUDGET
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams is leading calls from a coalition of city elected leaders and advocates for Albany to enact Good Cause eviction protections and fund the Housing Access Voucher Program as part of the delayed state budget. At a Thursday press conference, they highlighted the importance of these measures as the city faces a homelessness and eviction crisis, with rents skyrocketing, and urged lawmakers to prioritize housing and tenant protections in the final days of negotiations.
“Instead of prioritizing urgent issues like housing in the state budget, negotiations are being centered around yet another attempt to roll back bail reform,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “This is becoming an annual effort, at the expense of tenants and others suffering in our city and state’s housing and homelessness crisis. The legislature, along with tenants across the city and state, are pushing for vital Good Cause eviction protections and voucher programs to help New Yorkers find and stay in their homes. These programs must be at the forefront of the discussion and the foundation of our state’s budget and housing strategy.”
Good Cause Eviction protections would grant every tenant in New York State safeguards against unjust evictions and unreasonable rent hikes. It would require landlords to justify rent increases beyond 3% or 150% of the Consumer Price Index, protecting 1.6 million households in New York State and helping to stem the rising tide of evictions. The coalition pushed back on misinformation surrounding the measure spread by its opponents and highlighted the importance of these tenant protections as essential to any affordable housing plan on a state level.
During the press conference advocates also urged Albany to enact the The Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP), which would establish a state-level rental subsidy program for low-income New Yorkers who are homeless, facing eviction, or at risk of losing their housing because of hazardous living conditions or domestic violence. HAVP would allow tenants to be able to afford units previously inaccessible to them by capping rent burden at 30% of a tenants' income. It would help to get people out of temporary shelters and into permanent homes, regardless of of immigration status.
The coalition stressed that these two measures, which would have benefit statewide, are absolutely essential to address the housing crisis in New York City, where over two thirds of residents are renters and rents have skyrocketed to all-time highs.
“In a city where renting is the primary form of housing, New York has a responsibility to protect tenants from arbitrary and unjust eviction," said Comptroller Brad Lander. "Any housing deal in Albany must provide stable and secure housing to millions of New Yorkers. Good Cause Eviction will protect tenants from price-gouging and unfair evictions, so that every New Yorker can live in dignity and security.”
“Any budget devoid of ‘Good Cause’ will fail the millions of tenants throughout New York State who need immediate protections now from unwarranted evictions and exorbitant rent increases,” said Adriene Holder, chief attorney of the Civil Practice at The Legal Aid Society. “With eviction filings spiking statewide, inflation at unprecedented levels and economic uncertainty abound, lawmakers must ensure that this needed measures is adopted into New York’s upcoming budget.”
"New Yorkers know the most effective pathway in achieving a truly safer state is by investing in housing and tenant protections. It's a problem that our Governor has not recognized this. Churches United for Fair Housing is calling on our state legislators to hold the line for our communities being priced out of their homes, for the hundreds and thousands of New Yorkers in eviction court, because we cannot wait on delivering for tenants (again) during a mass housing and eviction crisis," said Whitney Hu, Director of Civic Engagement and Research at Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH)
MAYOR ADAMS, CITY CORPORATION COUNSEL HINDS-RADIX ANNOUNCE CITY INTENDS TO FILE SUIT AGAINST KIA, HYUNDAI FOR REFUSING TO SAFEGUARD VEHICLES
City Will Join National Kia/Hyundai Litigation After Both Companies Have Refused to Equip Certain Models of Cars with Standard Anti-Theft Measures
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix today announced that the city intends to join ongoing national against car manufacturers Kia and Hyundai that aims to hold the two companies accountable for refusing to equip certain models of both cars with standard anti-theft measures following an uptick in car thefts. Due to the absence of sufficient anti-theft devices in Kia and Hyundai vehicles, New York City saw an 890 percent increase in Kia thefts at the end of last year and a 766 percent increase in Hyundai thefts in the preceding months.
The vulnerability of these vehicles to theft has been spread through a viral social media trend. Thieves have been breaking ignition covers off Kia and Hyundai vehicles made between 2011 and 2021 and are able to use any external device shaped like a USB to bypass the ignition sequence and easily drive away. Certain models of the companies’ cars that use mechanical keys, instead of a key-fob, lack theft “immobilizer” systems that are present in other vehicles — making them especially vulnerable to theft.
“We are not going to sit idly by while automakers turn a blind eye to safety and make it easy for criminals to prey on New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “New Yorkers count on their Kia and Hyundai automobiles to earn a living, get to and from work, transport their children and elderly family members, and live their daily lives. We have the right to expect that those cars have standard anti-theft measures — measures which certain Kia and Hyundai cars lack. We’re going to hold Kia and Hyundai accountable for the public nuisance they’ve created and protect New Yorkers’ cars.”
“A public safety crisis is growing in our communities because of the irresponsible business practices of Kia and Hyundai,” said Corporation Counsel Hinds-Radix. “Criminals are becoming more intuitive and are now capable of stealing cars by using USB cables. As attorneys for the city, we too must be just as intuitive to prevent these crimes. The city intends to file a lawsuit against these automakers, to hold them accountable for the public nuisance they have created.”
“These automakers left people open to having their cars stolen, and they need to be held accountable,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III. “These thefts put an extreme burden on the victims who may rely on their cars to get to and from work, and who have to shoulder the cost of repairing or replacing their vehicles, but they also impact our city as a whole. The criminals committing these thefts often use the cars for other crimes, like reckless driving or robberies. This is a major concern for us, and we are taking action to put an end to it.”
“We always say that public safety requires everyone to do their part —– that’s how we reduce crime and disorder in New York City,” said New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell. “All of our partners — both in the public and private sectors — must work together to ensure our communities are secure.”
Today’s announcement comes after, last week, Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Sewell warned New Yorkers about a significant uptick in auto thefts involving Kia and Hyundai vehicles. Thefts of both vehicles increased dramatically between September and December of 2022. Hyundai thefts increased from 12 to 104, while Kia thefts escalated from 10 to 99 in that same timeframe.
The City of New York plans to join the multidistrict litigation that is being coordinated and consolidated for pretrial purposes in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit — — which was established on December 22, 2022, operates on two separate tracks: one for the consumer class action and one for the governmental entities cases. The original governmental entity lawsuit was filed on January 23, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The government entity cases primarily assert claims of public nuisance and, sometimes, negligence against the two car manufacturers arising out of their decisions not to equip certain models of their vehicles with industry standard anti-theft immobilization devices.
DEC ISSUES GUIDANCE TO REDUCE CONFLICTS WITH BEARS
Public Encouraged to Remove Bird Feeders, Feed Pets Indoors
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today reminded New Yorkers to remove or secure outdoor food sources that may attract black bears.
New Yorkers who feed birds in areas with bears (which includes most of upstate New York), should begin emptying and cleaning up spilt seed from feeders, and let nature feed the birds from spring through fall. The public is also advised to secure garbage cans in a sturdy building, clean or remove all residual grease and food from grills, and store pet and livestock food indoors. New Yorkers should also consider installing electric fences around chicken coops or apiaries to protect flocks and hives.
Black bears emerging from their winter dens have depleted fat reserves and will search extensively for easily obtainable, calorie-dense foods. Bears will readily utilize human-created food sources and repeat access can make bears bolder, leading to an increase in human-bear conflicts around homes and residential areas, especially when natural food sources are scarce.
Feeding bears intentionally is illegal. Unintentional feeding can create problems for the surrounding community, or even the bear if it becomes a threat to people or property.
By removing and/or securing food sources that might attract bears, the public is helping keep bears away from people, homes and neighborhoods, which helps keep bears healthy, wild, and safe. The public is also advised to remove any unnatural food attractants and encourage neighbors to do the same. Recently, a bear in Chemung County proved that bears leave the area if there is no food available, https://www.dec.ny.
For more information on how to live responsibly with black bears, please visit DEC's webpage and Bearwise.org.
An interview with DEC Wildlife Biologist Jeremy Hurst discussing ways to avoid human-bear conflicts can be found here:
https://www.dec.ny.gov/fs/