Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Administration Bans Hotel Hidden Fees and Unexpected Credit Card Holds
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good afternoon, everyone. It is a pleasure to be here at the Whitney, and I have to say that one of the last times I was here, incredible exhibition on Alvin Ailey, and it is lovely to be here today to celebrate alongside members of our administration and colleagues, both in government and in organized labor. I want to say first a thank you to Council Member Gale Brewer; who has been working with DCWP on this issue for quite some time; as well as our Council Member Harvey Epstein, a former colleague in Albany and now here in the City, who is the new chair of the Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection; and Rich Maroko and our brothers and sisters at HTC who have long been leading the fight for dignity and decency when it comes to our hotels; as well as our commissioner, Sam Levine, who has been a champion of what it can look like to use the law as a tool for working people as opposed to a weapon against them. And most of the hardships that New Yorkers contend with on a daily basis make no effort to conceal themselves. When a bus takes 20 minutes to arrive, you feel that hardship when you're late to work or to school drop-off. When your fingers go numb as you wait, when your phone battery dies in the January cold, when you open up Bus Time and you see it's supposed to be there in seven minutes, and then it disappears and it's as if the bus was never there at all. But there is a specific kind of hardship that New Yorkers only reckon with long after the fact, when they check their credit card bills at the end of the month, or they dig deep into the fine print of a confirmation email that may be in their spam folder, because those imposing it do not want to be caught. I speak of the hidden fees that plague New Yorkers' lives any time they have the audacity to book a hotel room, not only when they're in our city, but when they're booking that room from here for wherever they're traveling around the country. These fees go by many different names: destination fees, resort fees, hospitality service fees. Whatever you call them, they are slippery, they are elusive, and ultimately—quite simply—these junk fees that hotels and booking sites sneakily impose on the people of this city without them knowing, this is something that we are bringing to an end. And what we see is in the three weeks since we took office, I have stood alongside our Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine several times to lay out an agenda and actions that would protect New Yorkers from greedy corporate interests that seek to take advantage of them. We've stood up to be champions for delivery workers whose hard-earned tips have been denied by the companies that employ them. We've signed executive orders to target junk fees that add costs to New Yorkers' rent payments, gym memberships, or concert tickets. We've created a Citywide Junk Fee Task Force, and we've gone after the subscription tricks and traps that deceive our neighbors. Today, we are taking the next step in our efforts to stand up for workers and consumers. As we announce DCWP's final rule, banning junk fees on hotel stays. While this is built on the great progress achieved by the FTC at the national scale, our rule goes one step further, requiring transparency on mandatory credit card holds and deposits. This will protect New Yorkers when they make bookings both here in our city, as well as when they travel across the country. And it will keep costs down, too, for those visiting our city, whether they're coming from the other side of the country or from just across the river to visit the Whitney. As we prepare to celebrate the World Cup in mere months, a tournament that has already started to become defined by exorbitant costs that threaten to price people out of the world's game, this will help lower costs and dissuade any business that's operating outside of the law from cheating these kinds of customers. Because make no mistake, most hotels in the city do not employ these kinds of predatory practices. They have nothing to be worried about with this rule. Those who treat their customers fairly will not be affected. But to those who have long approached business as an opportunity to mistreat those who they serve, let today be a warning. If you do not change your practices, [the] City government will change them for you. Life in our city does not need to be defined by hardship. It can be defined by costs that come down, by businesses that give you what you paid for, and by City government that New Yorkers know is actually fighting for them. Thank you so much. And now, Commissioner Sam Levine.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes, it's very much a coincidence. The money that we are saving New Yorkers is money that's going back into their pockets. And the money that we've spoken about with DCWP is money that is to be funding the agency's work. And we'll be giving more specifics as we get closer into the budget process. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThe process is going well. We continue to conduct interviews for the position. And we are an administration that is dedicated to the continued generation of prosperity in the city, and ensuring that that prosperity reaches the lives of each and every New Yorker. So, in addition to the policies we've put forward to protect New Yorkers and consumers and as workers, we've also put forward an executive order that directs every agency to cohere every single rule and regulation that a small business faces by operating in this city with the directive to reduce those fines and fees so that we can make it easier for those businesses to actually survive here. The other point that I'll echo, from Commissioner Levine a few press conferences ago, is that there are a number of businesses that are following the rules. And what they see in an environment where impunity tends to govern the response from City government, or lack thereof, is they ask themselves, “Why am I going through the trouble of following the rules, if there are so many others that can operate outside of them?” And so, today is not just to hold bad actors accountable. It's also to say to those who have been good actors, that we see the work that you're doing, and you're right to do it, and we'll support you in doing so.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWell, the focus on affordability is something that drives us each and every day. Whether we're talking about the prices for a tourist to come into New York City, or also what the cost of the game is to actually go and watch a World Cup match. I had somebody stop me on the street the other day and ask me for help to get them tickets for Brazil-Morocco. And I told him, I know Rich Maroko, but that's as close as I can get to it. And he supports Brazil. But I think that this is one example of the ways that we are trying to make this a city that's easier to visit, and also a city where it's easier for a New Yorker to take a vacation. What we do think the key here is, how do we do this work in a manner that makes it cheaper to visit and also protects the dignity of the workers that are keeping these hotels running? I can tell you I had the privilege, frankly, of meeting with an HTC member by the name of Shakira, who used to live in a shelter working at a non-union hotel. And the difference it has made for her to work in a union hotel, is one where she has her own apartment, where she can raise her children, and where she knows that this is a city where she shouldn't just work, but one where she should be able to live as well.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI knew this moment would come. As someone who grew up in this city, and used to put the trash can at the bottom of the hill and pack it with snow, this is a question that I have anticipated. Look, we are taking every single precaution that we can. I think at this time, a lot of these are hypotheticals. But what I can tell you is that we are not going to be taken by surprise about the weather coming this weekend. And we are also going to communicate directly and clearly to New Yorkers what they should expect. Right now, the spectrum of possibilities is large. As that gets closer to the date, we will be able to share exactly what New Yorkers should be looking for. Yeah, well, that depends on exactly what I've just said.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceFirst, I will say we've only been in office for weeks. Today does mark our third week in office. And it is not acceptable for a New Yorker to have to find shelter outside, whether on the Upper West Side or anywhere in the city. New Yorkers should be able to find a place to call their home. And what I have said consistently, first as a candidate and now as the mayor, is that outcomes are how we judge ourselves. And in the previous administration, the approach to homeless encampments has been one where only three New Yorkers were connected with supportive housing over the entirety of a year. And so right now, one of the focuses of our administration, as well as in conversations with the councilwoman, but also internally, is how we change those outcomes. Because the answer is not that someone should find the safest places outside. The answer is, how do we connect them with the services they need? And that's going to be the policies that we'll be putting forward.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAnd I think this is the key here, is that it's not just the question of how we approach homeless New Yorkers or encampments. It's also, why are they choosing to live there? And what does it say about the options that we've been giving them? And that's why, at the heart of this, has to be the connection with services that they want, that they will use, that they will actually utilize. And so that's going to be a key part of what we're actually going to deliver as our administration's new policy. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI think the governor's budget makes meaningful investments that move us closer to an affordable and a livable New York. And I think especially we've seen that in terms of early childhood education, which by the way, the deadline for enrolling is February 27th, for any parents who are watching, for Pre-K. I think that it's actually the governor's fiscal stewardship. I think it's also the strength of our city's tax base that the state is on firm financial footing. The issue, however, is that the city is not. And that is a result, a direct result, of Eric Adams' gross fiscal mismanagement. You know, unlike the prior administration, we're not going to sweep problems under the rug. We are going to restore long-term stability. And we continue to believe that will require taxing the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers their fair share, so that we can actually build a city that has a firm fiscal footing. And we will also look to change the relationship between our city and the state, in terms of one that better reflects the city's status as the economic engine of the state. And what we're talking about, in many ways, are reflections of prior administrations, both at the city level and at the state level. And now is the opportunity to actually deliver on a new era.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceOur administration is preparing to make the case that it is the time for New York's most profitable corporations and wealthiest residents to pay their fair share. And I also was speaking about the relationship between the city and the state. To just put it into exact terms, the city makes up 54.5 percent of the state's tax revenue. It receives 40.5 percent. This is a reflection of then-Governor Cuomo's decade-long effort to shift cost burdens from the state to the city. And so, what we are looking to do is to tackle longstanding fiscal issues that both have to do with the need for more revenue from the highest earners, but also the relationship between City Hall and Albany.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI'll say it again. I continue to believe that now is the time to increase taxes on the most profitable corporations that do business in New York, and the wealthiest residents that call this city home, so that they pay their fair share. So that we can create a city that delivers for all of us. What we are talking about here is New Yorkers who make a million dollars a year or more, increasing their personal income taxes by 2 percent. I had – I spoke to one New Yorker, just the other day, who identified themselves as making more than a million dollars. They said, “Is it true you wanna increase my taxes?” I said, “Yes.” And they said, “Why? You know, how much is it gonna be?” I said, “It's 2 percent. It's $20,000 additional in tax. They said, "That's all?” And I said, “Yes.” And I think part of this is that there is a lack of understanding as to what exactly it is that we're talking about. And also, that this has to be one part of proving to New Yorkers that every dollar they give to the city is a dollar they're going to see back in services. Because just as much as I care about public goods, I care about public excellence. I want to make sure that you can look at your tax dollars going in and you can see them coming back in the form of a quality of life that is unparalleled in this city and in this state and in this country, rather.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI very clearly continue to be supportive of taxing the wealthy.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThat's the first that I'm hearing of that, but that's something that I'll follow up on. Thank you for flagging that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, we do not have any additional personnel announcements at this time, but we will make those public as soon as we do. We are conducting a number of interviews for positions across the admin and are very excited, frankly, by the team that we're building.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI can tell you that of all the questions that I ask my police commissioner, who she had dinner with the night before is not one of them. The focus that the two of us share is on delivering public safety to each and every New Yorker, and that's the work we continue to do.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, I'm incredibly grateful for Commissioner Iscol’s service and the work and dedication that he has done in preparing New York City for everything from extreme weather to fires. And I can tell you that in just the first days of being the mayor of our incredible city, there were two five-alarm fires consecutively. And each time that I got to the scene, I found Commissioner Iscol there. And we're also grateful that he will continue to be in his position through February 11th to ensure that there's a smooth transition, and that we are completely prepared not only for this weekend's potential severe storm, but that we are also continuing to work with our Emergency Response Team for anything that comes in the time in between.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWell, I'm very heartened by the news. And each and every day that I've been at the picket line or spoken about the strike, I've always encouraged a swift and immediate resolution to the strike. And also recognizing the incredible work that nurses do in this city. And I can tell you that I am tired of speaking to a working person and asking them where they live in New York City, and then they tell me it's a state nearby, because they can't afford to live here. And I'm heartened by this news and I look forward to the resolution of the strike.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI will not sign any legislation that we find to be outside of the bounds of the law. I speak regularly with the speaker. We haven't discussed the specifics of this legislation. I do continue to look forward to the findings of that review of its legality, from my police commissioner and my Law Department.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, I've made clear my position, which is that I don't think that we should purchase Israel bonds. We don't purchase bonds for any other sovereign nation's debt, and the comptroller has also made his position clear and I continue to stand by mine. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWell, that's something that I'm gonna follow up with and get back to you on. I think that I want to take very seriously both the request from Staten Islanders themselves, and also give you an answer that I can hold myself to. But I appreciate you for flagging it, it’s something we'll get back to you on. Thank you all. ###
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Administration Bans Hotel Hidden Fees and Unexpected Credit Card Holds.