After only a month, supporters of the bail reform law rallied at City Hall to accuse the mayor and the police commissioner of using fear mongering tactics to change back to the way it was. The NYPD Commissioner Shea wrote an op-ed last week, calling for a rollback of bail reform and on Tuesday,
On January 28, advocates gathered on the stairs outside the Senate Chamber to demand the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) this session. Since last session, advocates have been pushing this bill (S.1527-b/A.1617-b) in the Legislature, which would legalize the adult use
State lawmakers and advocates are calling for New York to include reinvesting in communities of color – which have been disportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition – in any bill to legalize recreational cannabis use. The Start SMART NY coalition and several legislators will be
A Manhattan Assembly member is proposing taxing private equity loans in an effort to increase transparency in residential sales and to raise money for public housing. Harvey Epstein, who introduced the tax bill last week in Albany with State Senator Julia Salazar, said that debt that’s not a
New York lawmakers want to close a legal loophole that allows deep-pocketed real estate investors to avoid paying taxes. Sen. Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Harvey Epstein (D-Manhattan) hope to raise millions to fix the state’s public housing by expanding the mortgage recording tax
On Monday, the city sued a Manhattan brokerage firm, Metropolitan Property Group, as well as real estate agents and entities currently or formerly associated with Metropolitan, accusing them of running a $20 million illegal short-term rental scheme. The rentals, arranged mostly through Airbnb,
Jan 15, 2020 – New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams speaks a bail reform rally outside Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News) New York finally implemented landmark bail reform earlier this month. Already
Jan 13, 2020 Jumaane Williams, New York City public advocate, speaking at a press conference about bail reform last week. For years, thousands of people who hadn’t been convicted of a crime languished in New York jails because they could not afford bail. New Yorkers were locked away for months,
Daily News: Not in our name: Don’t use anti-Semitic attacks as a rationale for rewriting bail reform
By DAN QUART, HARVEY EPSTEIN and LINDA B. ROSENTHAL JAN 08, 2020 Today, anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise in New York and around the country. In New York City, anti-Semitic hate crimes increased by 21% in the past year alone. As Jewish legislators, we are deeply concerned about the rash of
Jan 3, 2020 – Just think: Every time you crack open a cold one, you could be supporting higher education in New York a little bit more. That’s the idea behind one New York City assemblyman’s bill to raise the state’s tax on beer — to double it, in fact — and to dedicate those funds […]
A New York politician wants to increase the state tax on beer in order to help fund CUNY and SUNY schools. State Assemblyman Harvey Epstein, who represents a district filled with some of Manhattan’s drinkiest nabes such as the Lower East Side and Murray Hill, has proposed increasing the state