In the 2022 midterm elections, New York Democrats suffered what can generously be described as a disappointing night, as the Empire State delivered four seats in the House of Representatives to Republicans. In 2024, the control of the House is on the line with the Republican Party holding a thread bare majority.
With the stakes so high, we absolutely cannot afford a repeat of 2022 in New York. However, if Democrats fail to take meaningful action to address the housing affordability crisis and protect tenants, we will be doing ourselves absolutely no favors.
A recent poll from Marist found that the vast majority of New Yorkers are concerned about housing affordability. Across the state and across the country, housing costs and rents are higher than ever. Americans are expressing their legitimate concerns about the housing crisis to elected officials from city council members up to the president.
President Biden recently told his aides that “the challenge of affording a home is the main complaint he hears” out on the campaign trail. The president has expressed concern that the high cost of housing could be a top issue on the campaign trail this November.
Biden is correct, and policymakers in New York should heed his message. As rents continue to climb, we risk appearing out of touch with the daily experiences of New Yorkers if we fail to embrace tenant protections and other measures that actually address affordability.
The housing affordability crisis has reached epic proportions in every part of New York State. From Buffalo to Long Island to Ithaca, the rent has simply gotten too high and too many New Yorkers have already lost or are at risk of losing their homes.
Some tend to think of this crisis as a problem that only impacts New York City and the major urban centers of our state, but unaffordable housing costs are sadly hitting suburban and rural areas in New York just as hard. New Yorkers are rightfully demanding that the people they voted into office address the skyrocketing cost of living and help working people stay in their homes.
One key solution to this crisis already exists: Good Cause Eviction, which protects tenants from unreasonable rent hikes and retaliatory or discriminatory evictions. Good Cause Eviction already has the backing of many senators and Assembly members in Albany.
Senate Democrats have made clear they will not make a deal on the budget without “protections similar to those in the Good Cause Eviction legislation,” and the Assembly majority has committed to “enacting statewide policies that protect tenants from arbitrary and capricious rent increases and unreasonable evictions of paying tenants.” This is welcome news for all New Yorkers to hear as budget negotiations get underway.
As with all things, the devil will be in the details. There are some calling for a “swiss cheese” version of a Good Cause Eviction bill that would require localities outside of the five boroughs to opt-in as well as provisions that would deny tenants’ protections based on the size of their buildings or the size of their landlords’ real estate portfolios.
This watered-down Good Cause would devastate thousands of tenants across the Empire State and severely weaken the impact of any bill in the housing package. These carve-outs could leave at least 67% of non-New York City renters (872,000 households) vulnerable to predatory rent hikes and retaliatory evictions. This is unacceptable and fails to truly address the crisis we face.
By protecting only some but not all tenants, a patchwork network of protections would be impossible to enforce, weakening even municipalities who have chosen to opt-in ability to hold bad landlords accountable.
If Good Cause Eviction fails to move forward this legislative cycle, it will represent a major win for the real estate lobby. Over the past five years, top real estate organizations have spent nearly $14 million lobbying against Good Cause Eviction. We absolutely cannot let special interests get in the way of enacting policies that can offer crucial protections to New Yorkers who are fighting to keep their homes.
We have just a few days until the state budget is due, and all eyes are on Albany. Legislative leaders have made their commitment to tenant protections clear, and now it is time to deliver a budget that reflects these promises.
All politics are local, and passing Good Cause legislation allows us to address one of New Yorkers’ most pressing concerns. We cannot miss this opportunity. If we do, it will be catastrophic for renters and possibly for Democratic chances in New York come November.
Velázquez represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens in the Congress.
