Issues: Housing

By Liz Benjamin:

While we’re waiting for the Senate GOP to emerge from behind closed doors or send up some smoke signals on same-sex marriage, (we’re almost at the three-hour mark here), the fight over extending and/or strengthening the rent laws, which are set to expire at midnight, is continuing.

Dear Friends,

By Jon Campbell

While the Senate was in session, a group of New York City senators joined a few dozen protesters outside of the Senate chamber, calling on the majority party to extend and strengthen the state’s rent stabilization laws, which are set to expire tomorrow.

The protesters have been heard throughout the Capitol much of the past two days, with some organizing a sit-in outside of the governor’s office yesterday that led to a dozen arrests.

Democrats in both houses of the Legislature, mostly from the affected downstate area, have pushed for a bolstering of the rent laws, while Senate Republicans has signified repeatedly—as recently as this morning—that they are only in favor of an extension.

Scores of tenants unite in new push for stronger rent regulation laws

BY Erin Durkin and Kenneth Lovett DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Monday, June 6th 2011, 4:00 AM

Hundreds of tenants, clergy and politicians rallied in Harlem Sunday to push for stronger rent regulation laws.

The rules that keep rents in check for 2.5 million New Yorkers are set to expire June 15 unless Albany pols strike a deal to renew them.

"People like me would not be able to live there," said Delsenia Glover, president of the Lenox Terrace Association of Concerned Tenants. "Harlem would not be Harlem anymore."

Nothing Up But Weinergate -- AND Rent Regs

BY Celeste Katz

That June 15th deadline for the expiration of rent regulations may not be such a hard deadline after all.

Our Glenn Blain reports:

“We can always do extensions,” state Sen. Dean Skelos told reporters this afternoon, casting doubt on whether a final agreement can be reached the existing laws expire next week.

Skelos said there have only been “very, very preliminary discussions” with the Assembly and Gov. Cuomo on the rent laws.

“Nothing of real substance,” Skelos said, before noting that the deadline is still “next Wednesday, that’s an eternity away.”