Times Ledger

Cruz announces plan to keep housing affordable

August 13, 2018 | by Mark Hallum

Catalina Cruz, a Democratic candidate for the seat held by state Assemblywoman Ari Espinal (D-Jackson Heights), has released her initiative for making neighborhoods more affordable while providing tenants with the resources they need when meeting their landlord in a courtroom.

Espinal won a special election in April and is also facing Yonel Letellier Sosa in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary.

Cruz held a news conference Tuesday in Elmhurst in front of the site where a controversial Target center is under construction. She said that once in office she will push to create a state-funded right to counsel for all renters and end the pass-through to tenants of Major Capital Improvements by landlords, which can increase monthly housing costs even for rent-controlled tenants indefinitely, among other issues.

“As a former housing attorney, I understand the need, the inequities that happen every time someone steps into a courtroom and does not have an attorney,” Cruz said. “We need to make sure people’s rights and people’s homes are protected. I also want to make sure that we are pushing to repeal vacancy decontrol, stop bonuses and MCIs. Every time a landlord fixes an elevator, it should not be passed on to the tenants. This is the cost of doing business, this is not the cost of us living in our neighborhood. I am tired of knocking on doors and hearing from our neighbors, ‘I can no longer afford to live here.’ We need to protect our community.”

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