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An Announcement About Gotham Gazette From Citizens Union Foundation Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum



Dear Reader,
 
Gotham Gazette, the digital newspaper published by Citizens Union Foundation, has been bringing you important news and information about our city and state governments since 1999. We are proud to have become a trusted news source for New Yorkers, providing you, our readers, with in-depth coverage of the issues that matter. At this time we have decided to temporarily pause publication of Gotham Gazette, effective July 1, as we determine the most exciting way to focus our coverage on issues at the core of Citizens Union Foundation’s mission.
 
We have not been immune to the challenges facing nonprofit media outlets, particularly the costs. We are taking the time to reevaluate how to ensure Gotham Gazette is aligned with the mission of Citizens Union and Citizens Union Foundation, and is producing content that informs the public, holds government accountable, and shines a light on important public policy issues. We expect to resume periodic publication of Gotham Gazette in its reconstituted format sometime later this year and, in the interim, will continue to publish The Eye-Opener on a weekly basis.

I would like to thank the Gotham Gazette staff for their dedication, and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. Once again, we're grateful for your readership and hope you'll stay with us through this period. We hope you have a great summer, and look forward to bringing you the next chapter of Gotham Gazette.
 
Best,
Betsy Gotbaum
Executive Director, Citizens Union Foundation


 

A New York for All Falls Short in Albany: Immigrants, Tenants, and Justice Reforms Abandoned


Pushing for "New York for All" (photo: Jeff Reed/City Council)


The promise of government is to serve and protect its residents, and to ensure fairness, equity, and justice for all. This year, New York state government in Albany has failed in its duty to deliver on critical issues affecting immigrants, tenants, and those who interface with the criminal justice system.

The lack of progress in implementing key initiatives — such as Good Cause Eviction, the Housing Access Voucher Program, New York for All, and the Access to Representation Act — demonstrates an absence of leadership at a crucial time, with soaring rates of homelessness and tens of thousands of newly-arrived immigrants. The decision to further roll back bail reform measures adds to the list of grave mistakes this year that have undermined the state's commitment to justice and equality. At a time when New York should be moving forward, our leaders appear to be going backwards. 

With New York mired by a generations-long housing crisis, with rents skyrocketing and working class New Yorker’s being pushed to the street, once again Good Cause Eviction was stopped in its tracks. The housing crisis in New York State is well-documented, and leader did nothing to address the deep lack of affordable options.

The failure to implement Good Cause Eviction and the Housing Access Voucher Program is a significant blow to tenants who face arbitrary and unjust evictions, often leading to homelessness. This lack of protection not only undermines the stability of individual households but also erodes the fabric of our communities. Albany's inaction on this front is ensuring that so many of New York’s largest demographic — renters — get pushed further to the margins and continue to be vulnerable.

New York has long prided itself on being a welcoming and inclusive state for immigrants. Yet, we now see a too-familiar reluctance to meet the moment. With over 100,000 recent immigrant arrivals in New York, we expected our government to rise to the occasion — as we have so many times before. Instead, when New York City began resettlement  of migrants to other parts of the state where they face serious risk of negative ICE interactions, the State Legislature failed to pass New York for All, common sense legislation that prevents state and local law enforcement from coordinating with federal immigration authorities. Instead, like so much else, it fell by the wayside.

Additionally, the Access to Representation Act, which would have ensured legal counsel for all individuals facing deportation, was another missed opportunity to provide fairness and due process to immigrants. When our neighbors step into immigration court without an attorney they are set up to fail. Access to legal representation is a fundamental right. Denying this right undermines the principles of justice and equality. By failing to prioritize and allocate adequate resources to this initiative, Albany has hindered the progress of immigrant communities and undermined their potential contributions.

Three years ago, New York State made significant strides in criminal justice reform and the people rejoiced. The most notable of these was long overdue bail reform. This progress has been the subject of unceasing attacks by bad actors who want to continue to double down on carceral solutions and extremism. These attacks were renewed this year as well, and once more a decision was made to roll back key reforms.

Bail reform aimed to rectify the inequities that disproportionately affected low-income individuals, who often languished in jail solely due to their inability to pay bail. Most of those impacted were working class, Black and Latino New Yorkers. By reverting toward a system that perpetuates injustice and inequality, Albany has disregarded the voices of advocates and marginalized communities who called for meaningful change.

New York’s failure to deliver on key initiatives addressing immigrant rights, tenant protections, and criminal justice reforms represents our state ceding leadership. It represents a failure to do right by our communities. It is imperative that our government renews its commitment to these critical issues and constituents, prioritizing the needs and rights of its most vulnerable New Yorkers.

This begs the question: Who are we as New York at this crucial moment? Coming out of a pandemic, a deep affordability crisis, tenants losing their homes, thousands of new immigrants arriving — New York must step up to the plate to lead in this moment. Our State will be judged by the way in which we treat those on the margins and who are most vulnerable.

We must stand in our power and return to the days of being a shining beacon of hope for the marginalized and a northstar for other states to aspire to. We should be applauding our government for being an example of what is possible when leaders lead. 

Our streets should be filled with the thunderous applause of New Yorkers who feel cared for. But instead of a moment of joy, this summer our streets will be filled with New Yorkers fighting for their dignity and survival once more.

***
Claire Cousin is a Member of For the Many and former Executive Director of Hudson Catskills Housing Coalition. Abdullah Younus is Interim Vice President of Advocacy at New York Immigration Coalition. Eddie Taveras is Political Director of Immigration Campaigns at FWD.us. On Twitter @ForTheMany, @thenyic, & @FWDus.

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The State Building Code Council Must Wield Its Power to Electrify New York


Building upgrades underway (photo: Mike Groll/Governor's Office)


This year, New York became the first state to mandate zero emission construction in new buildings through the enacted state budget for 2024. Starting in 2025, the state building code will prohibit the installation of fossil-fuel equipment in most new construction and as of 2028 for almost all new construction.

This was the third law enacted since 2019 that requires the New York State Building Code Council to update the state’s Building and Energy Codes in order to achieve the State’s carbon emission reduction goals. Buildings are the single greatest source of greenhouse gas pollution in New York State. Reducing greenhouse gas pollution from the building sector is vital to achieving those goals.

The Building Code Council, whose members are appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul, are required by law to periodically update the building code to reflect the new standards and policies established since the last building code update. These updates only happen every five years. 

This year, the Department of State’s Division of Building Codes and Standards (DOS) has been drafting the 2024 Building Code Update, which will go into effect in 2025. The Building Code Council is reviewing DOS’ draft updates to ensure that it includes all the new standards and policies that have been established since the last update in 2020, and they will vote to approve the 2024 Building Code update.

To date, the draft 2024 Building Code Update has failed to comply with New York’s electrification and energy efficiency laws by not including the electrification of new construction as required by the All-Electric Buildings Act nor the requirement that new construction be energy efficient and resilient under the Advanced Building Code and Standards Act.

The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 (CLCPA) requires DOS and the Building Code Council to determine if the 2024 Building Code Update will interfere with attaining the State’s greenhouse gas reduction targets. If it will, they must write a detailed statement of justification as to why they are approving a Building Code Update that will interfere with attaining such targets. DOS and the Building Code Council have not made such a determination.

The CLCPA required a report to be created that identifies all of the barriers and opportunities that New York’s disadvantaged communities have to eliminate greenhouse gas pollution. This report identified several barriers and opportunities related to the State’s building code. The Building Code Council is prohibited by law from approving the 2024 Building Code Update if it disproportionately burdens disadvantaged communities with greenhouse gas pollution. DOS and the Building Code Council have not updated the code to reflect the findings of the report.

Electrification is bound to make New York truly light up, creating a win-win-win scenario for renters, landlords, and contractors.

More and more people are renting their homes in New York. A report from the Office of the New York State Comptroller found that the percentage of renters had increased by 5.7 points from 2008 to 2017 – and this number is only growing. Nationwide, rental rates have increased by 31% over 10 years.

This growing rental market is increasingly demanding green housing. Two-thirds of renters say they want green and energy efficient homes, with 40% saying they would not rent a property that does not have green practices.

And it’s clear why. Electrification can save renters money, while also making their living space cleaner and greener.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 51% of a home’s energy consumption each year is for heating and cooling. With energy-efficient heat pumps heating and cooling renters’ spaces, they will automatically see savings on their energy bills. And this is just one example of how electric appliances can improve lives.

Healthwise, switching to an electric induction stove reduces the number of harmful pollutants emitted into the living space. A recent study showed that 35% of U.S. households are at increased risk of asthma due to having gas stoves. Who wouldn’t want to breathe cleaner air day-in and day-out in their home?

Landlords and contractors can now begin to save on purchasing electric appliances for residential spaces. With the federal Inflation Reduction Act, $43 billion in tax breaks and rebates has been set aside to bring down the cost of electric appliances and electric vehicles. This is money that will soon be up for grabs so landlords and contractors can embrace electrification.

Not to mention, with more renters demanding green living spaces, swapping out old appliances for electric ones automatically gives landlords a competitive advantage over rental properties.

Some landlords and contractors are already making the switch over to electric, anticipating this impending transition. Right now, a 110,000-square-foot zero-emission apartment building is being built on Broadway in Albany. Once completed, this space will feature fully electrified systems, including air-source heat pumps for heating and cooling.

It’s obvious why the Council must comply with the state’s electrification and energy efficiency laws to change the building code to reflect what New Yorkers want.

The Council chair has stated that the Council won’t update the code for electrification unless the Legislature requires it to do so. However, there are three laws that require the Council to consider the state’s greenhouse gas reduction targets before updating the building code: N.Y. Energy Law § 11-104 and the Scoping Plan set by the Climate Action Council, mandated by the CLCPA.

We must hold Governor Hochul and the Building Code Council accountable to ensure they include in their 2024 update to state building codes, at a minimum, a prohibition of fossil fuel combustion systems in newly-constructed buildings and a requirement that new construction is energy efficient and resilient. They must also consider if the 2024 Building Code Update will interfere with the State attaining its greenhouse gas reduction goals and, if so, make changes to be in alignment with such targets.

New York cannot wait until the next building code update in 2030. Give New Yorkers what they want. Give them all-electric buildings now.

*** 
Michael Hernandez is the New York policy director for Rewiring America, where he leads efforts to influence state policy initiatives to accelerate the transition to demand-side electrification as the most tangible and common-sense strategy for addressing the climate crisis. On Twitter @rewiringamerica.

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