Dozens rallied against new rules for community gardens, ending with “shame on you” chants as Mayor Bill de Blasio walked into City Hall. Garden members rallied alongside support from Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, State Senator Brad Hoylman, and Councilmembers Carlina Rivera, Mark
U.S. Sen. (D-Massachusetts) and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren spoke of bringing down corruption in Washington and giving power back to thousands of people at Washington Square Park on Monday. “[We must] put economic and political power in the hands of the people, and we start by
Sep 13, 2019 — The first hearing of a state commission to implement a public campaign finance system for New York’s elections was overshadowed by the issue of whether to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple ballot lines. Critics of the proposal say Gov. Andrew
Lawmakers in one state have introduced a bill that would effectively eliminate 24-hour workdays in home care. If it passes, the legislation could mean significant financial strain for home care agencies there. It’s happening in New York — a state that frequently serves as a starting point for
Home healthcare workers say they are being exploited: Working 24-hour shifts in some cases, taking care of patients who are homebound. “When people come to the office and they talk about, ‘you know. All night I can’t sleep. I have to be up with the patient. The patient is in
Landlords are warning warehousing apartments could become the new normal. The news comes as the city confirmed it is investigating reports that Stuyvesant landlord Blackstone is warehousing apartments at its 11,000-unit East Side complex. A spokesperson for the Department of Housing,
A pair of state lawmakers plan to introduce a bill to “impose hefty fines” against landlords and brokers who don’t follow New York’s newly enacted rent laws. Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal said Thursday she and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein (both D-Manhattan) are drafting a measure to boost
State lawmakers say they will introduce a bill to slap brokers and landlords who violate New York’s recently enacted rent regulations with “heavy penalties.” Assembly members Linda Rosenthal and Harvey Epstein are in the midst of crafting legislation that would impose fines “in the thousands”
Real estate brokers who match prospective tenants with landlords are claiming a new cap on application fees doesn’t apply to them — snubbing a key part of New York’s recent rent-law overhaul. The sweeping housing measure state lawmakers passed in June bars landlords from charging more than $20
The Working Families Party announced Tuesday it had filed a lawsuit meant to protect the practice of fusion voting, pre-empting an election law commission that could end the practice of candidates running on multiple ballot lines in New York. The lawsuit represents a fight by minor parties like
A mysterious benefactor has purchased the historic Boys’ Club building in the East Village for $32 million with the promise of preserving the space for community use, sources said Thursday. The buyer, who bought the land as a foundation, wants to remain anonymous, according to the sources, one
At a packed public hearing on Wednesday night, elected officials, neighbors, and advocates expressed their concerns about the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project, and a city official announced a two-week extension on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) comment period. Though
A new bill seeks to raise money for public housing while bringing more transparency to the complex world of mezzanine financing. A new state bill introduced by State Senator Julia Salazar and Assembly member Harvey Epstein would include mezzanine debt in mortgage recording and include such
Protestors were arrested on Tuesday after blocking the entrance to the state Assembly chamber, as they demanded that the state legislature pass a package of nine bills aimed at reforming rent regulation laws. Similar protests and arrests took place outside the Senate chamber and Gov. Cuomo’s
May 18, 2019 – Politicians left no doubt that the balance of power in Albany has unquestionably shifted during a hearing of the New York State Assembly last week. At the heart of the debate was the understanding that a package of tenant-friendly legislation stands a good chance of being
Two Grand St. stops on the M14A bus route will be restored, according to the city’s Department of Transportation. “We rallied, petitioned and organized and we won!” tweeted Councilmember Margaret Chin. “The M14 Grand Street stops were restored. I want to thank everyone —especially the seniors
This is shaping up to be the Year of the Tenant. The year the pendulum swings back in a big way in favor of renters versus landlords. The year when rent regulation could make truly historic gains, not just in New York City — but statewide. So says Michael McKee, the treasurer of TenantsPAC.
April 17, 2019 – There’s no time like the present. A coalition of state and local elected officials are calling on Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance to hasten the implementation of long sought criminal justice reforms set to go into effect next year. The pols sent a letter to Vance
Following contradictory news reports that President Donald Trump might reinstate a policy that separates children from their immigrant parents at the southern U.S. border, two dozen state lawmakers are pushing back with a bill to help keep track of displaced children in New York. Senator Brian
With Democrats having won a clear majority in the New York state Senate for the first time since the 1960s, there is strong momentum to strengthen the state’s rent-regulation laws. Legislators and housing activists say changes are virtually inevitable—from the rollback of Giuliani-era
Since the sale of a $238 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South made headlines, calls for a pied-à-terre tax on the second homes owned by the wealthiest of the wealthy have grown louder. A bill has already been introduced by state Senator Brad Hoylman—one that is, unsurprisingly,
At the March 3 forum on pot legalization, budding pot entrepreneurs from High Mi Madre, Emily Ramos, left, and Pilar DeJesus, second from right, posed with Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, right, and a fellow legalization advocate. (Photos by Lincoln Anderson) BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
Seizing on the opportunity that comes with a massive advantage in both houses of the state legislature, Democratic lawmakers are making a renewed push for a tax on pied-à-terres, non-primary residences favored by the super-rich who’d rather pop in to a penthouse for a weekend visit than crash
City Council members are leveraging ire over billionaire Ken Griffin’s purchase of a $238 million Central Park South penthouse to galvanize support for a stalled state bill aimed at creating a new tax on part-time New York residents, also known as the pied-à-terre tax. Council members Mark
From left, Assembylmember Harvey Epstein, Principal Marlon Hosang, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, Principals Robert Simon and Abbe Futterman and District 1 Superintendent Carry Chan Howard during Carranza’s recent tour of some of the schools in District 1. BY ALEJANDRA
Listen closely in New York’s halls of power these days and you’re likely to hear the unmistakable strains of a kale smoothie in the blender. Yes, the Empire State’s share of politicians shunning meat is growing, with many going green in recent years. Sources in the state Capitol say hummus
In November, New York Democrats made history by securing a true blue trifecta. Democrats technically had a trifecta prior to the 2018 midterm elections, but due to the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of conservative Democrats who caucused with the Republicans, the GOP held control
Harvey Epstein handily defended the seat against Republican and Reform party challengers. EAST VILLAGE, NY — Assemblyman Harvey Epstein defended his seat in Tuesday’s midterm election for the 74th Assembly District. Epstein, whose district includes the East Village, Gramercy and part of
District 74’s State Assembly seat is up for grabs and three democratic candidates will vie for the position during this week’s primary. The district represents a swath of Manhattan’s east side, including the Lower East Side, East Village, Stuyvesant Town and Murray Hill.
After Madison Realty Capital evicted an East Village family, the company was readying to use a clause in the family’s former lease to make them pay Madison Realty $250,000 in legal fees. But last Thursday, just before dozens of activists rallied, word got out that the company is now considering
Between the L Train Shutdown and development along East 14th Street, the whole area is a battered construction zone. The MTA began working on the Avenue B electrical substation and the purported Avenue A exit for the new 1st Avenue L station in September 2017. Since then, residents
At the rally outside the old P.S. 64, from left, CHARAS’s Chino Garcia, G.V.S.H.P.’s Andrew Berman (hidden from view), Councilmember Carlina Rivera, Ayo Harrington, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Borough President Gale Brewer, former Councilmember Rosie Mendez and District Leader Anthony
Healthy Harv-est: Harvey Epstein raked in a slew of endorsements this week in his bid to be the new assemblymember for the 74th District, succeeding Brian Kavanagh, who recently became Lower Manhattan’s state senator, succeeding Daniel Squadron. Enthusiastically jumping on the Epstein bandwagon
As of Monday, at least 879 parents had been reunited with their children. State lawmakers unveiled new legislation on Wednesday aimed at New York facilities that are caring for immigrant children who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Separation of Children
The NYCTA improvement plan prizes accessible stations, so why won’t the updated L-train stations be? By CARLINA RIVERA, HARVEY EPSTEIN When Andy Byford, president of the New York City Transit Authority, announced his new Fast Forward plan last month, we finally saw the price tag for fixing a
State Senator Brad Hoylman, left, and Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, to the right of him, denounced predatory lending in front of 504 E. 12th St., the offices of the Kushner Companies’ realty management firm, Westminster City Living, on Sun, June 3. BY SYDNEY PEREIRA | State legislators
Steve Croman, one of the city’s most notorious bad landlords, may be locked up Downtown in the Tombs, but his tenants are still suffering. Tenants at 141 Ridge St., for example, have been living without cooking gas since last September. “We ask, when will there be a stop to Croman’s behavior?”
The politicians fear commuters will turn to cars if the buses aren’t a reliable option. A dozen Brooklyn and Manhattan politicians are calling on the mayor to implement a 24-hour busway along 14th Street during the looming L train shutdown. The city plans to operate the busway, which would
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