Leaning on his time as HUD secretary during the Clinton administration, Cuomo called affordable housing "the building Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2011/real-estate/very-big-deal-cuomo-comes-out-strengthening-rent-regs Now vacant in the Bloomberg administration: a job that requires being yelled at for hours on end, hosting countless public meetings, making decisions that will leave everyone mad at you. The pay: $125 a day.

Late last year, Marvin Markus sent the city a letter of resignation from his post as chairman of the Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2010/real-estate/marvin-markus Almost indisputably, the mayoral race this year was a desert of big new ideas for New York City. Be it the lack of a competitive Democratic primary, the billions in budget gaps or the challenger's preference for blanket criticism over policy prescription, the incumbent and-at the time of this writing-presumptive winner, Michael Bloomberg, was never Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/four-more-years Almost indisputably, the mayoral race this year was a desert of big new ideas for New York City. Be it the lack of a competitive Democratic primary, the billions in budget gaps or the challenger's preference for blanket criticism over policy prescription, the incumbent and-at the time of this writing-presumptive winner, Michael Bloomberg, was never Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/four-more-years-what-experts-opine-economic-development-through-13 Mike McKee was in the State Capitol Monday afternoon, eagerly awaiting Tuesday. For the past three years, the white-haired, bearded activist had devoted his efforts almost exclusively to passing sweeping new rent regulations in the State Senate that favor the city’s one million–plus stabilized tenants. As of early afternoon Monday, the chamber’s housing committee was Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/politics/after-coup-landlords-get-reprieve Mike McKee was in the State Capitol Monday afternoon, eagerly awaiting Tuesday. For the past three years, the white-haired, bearded activist had devoted his efforts almost exclusively to passing sweeping new rent regulations in the State Senate that favor the city’s one million–plus stabilized tenants.

As of early afternoon Monday, the chamber’s housing committee was slated Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/3941/after-coup-landlords-reprieve Rent Guidelines Board chairman Marvin Markus calls for major reforms and a rent Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/rent-regulation-chief-system-needs-wholesale-reform-rent-tax It seems the far-reaching impacts of last week’s tremendous Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village court ruling will wait some time to take effect.

A court on Friday gave Stuy Town landlord Tishman Speyer a stay in having to take any actions after the decision last week, waiting until the results of an appeals process are Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/mass-rent-re-regulations-payouts-will-wait-stuy-town-case On Thursday morning, Alexander Schmidt, a partner at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz, received a phone call from an appellate court clerk. A decision was on its way about Roberts v. Tishman Speyer, the clerk said, a major rent-stabilization case in which Mr. Schmidt represented a group of tenants suing the mega-landlord of Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/after-big-stuy-town-ruling-all-eyes-appeal The battle by tenant advocates to repeal a key rent regulation law favored by landlords just got a boost from a Republican.

Last week, Frank Padavan, a Republican state Senator from Queens with an independent streak, signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would repeal vacancy decontrol, a law that allows landlords the Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/padavan-gop-ally-democrats-rent-stabilization-fight The battle by tenant advocates to repeal a key rent regulation law favored by landlords just got a boost from a Republican.

Last week Frank Padavan, a Republican state senator from Queens, signed on as a co-sponsor to a bill that would repeal vacancy decontrol, a law that allows landlords the Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2094/padavan-signs-tenants-democrats-rent-regulation-battle The announcement comes one year after Ms. Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2009/real-estate/quinn-turn-unsold-condos-middle-class-housing The path to rent-regulation reform in New York City may lie through Rochester.Tenants PAC, a political action committee whose stated mission is to strengthen New York's rent-regulation laws, has donated thousands of dollars to Democratic candidate Rick Dollinger, who's trying to regain a Senate seat in Rochester. The group has also sent money to Democratic Read More

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/real-estate/tenants-pac-hopes-tip-senate-dems-through-upstate-focus City Room has a Q-and-A thread going on rent-stabilization with housing lawyer Joel E. Abramson. Wonder why.

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/real-estate/ask-about-rent-stabilization Release on the FEC complaint here. More on the Rangel imbroglio in The Observer here and here. (Hat tip: Curbed).

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/real-estate/watchdog-calls-federal-investigation-rangel-apartments