Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds a Press Conference to Make a Housing Announcement
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Good morning, everyone. It is a pleasure to be here at the Tenement Museum alongside tenants, advocates and partners in government to announce the release of New York City's first-ever "Rental Ripoff Report.” I want to — I want to thank Annie and the Tenement Museum for welcoming us today. Thank you for the work that you do to highlight the history of tenant organizing in our city, and the importance of it and the long-lasting impacts of it. It is a pleasure to be joined by leaders from across my administration, including Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg; Cea Weaver, director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants; HPD Commissioner Dina Levy; and DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. We also have staff from HPD, DOB, DCWP and the Office to Protect Tenants, who helped make the Rental Ripoff Hearings a reality. And I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the leaders that we have here from tenant organizations across our city — let's have a round of applause for those who've been on the front lines. December of 1907 was not a happy time to be a tenant in New York City. Two out of every three New Yorkers were living in crammed tenement housing, like those brought to life here at the Tenement Museum. It was brutally cold. Nearly 100,000 New Yorkers had just lost their jobs in an economic crisis. And in response, many landlords had decided to raise the rent by 33 percent. What New Yorkers needed in 1907 was a City government that worked for them; one that prioritized their struggles, one that took material action to hold bad landlords accountable. They did not have such leadership in City Hall. But in its absence, New Yorkers did what New Yorkers do best: they organized. More than 10,000 families came together to protest these conditions — one of the largest tenant movements in our city's history. That movement ushered in a century of tenant organizing and of progress. Today, New York City is home to the strongest tenant protections anywhere in the United States of America. And yet we know this work remains unfinished. Too many still pay soaring rents, only to live with kitchens full of cockroaches and bathroom pipes that leak and rust. Yet today, New Yorkers have a City government that is quite different from the one in 1907. Throughout our first four months in office, City Hall held New York City's first-ever Rental Ripoff Hearings, attended by more than 2,300 New Yorkers across the five boroughs. Forums where tenants could share their struggles and ideas directly with those who have the power to deliver change. I spoke with New Yorkers who told me about vents filled with mold; nights spent shivering in the dead of winter; elevators that sat out of order for months on end; and landlords who, amidst all of this, refused to do anything about it. These New Yorkers did not share these stories only for them to be promptly forgotten. They shared them so they would serve as the foundation of the policies City Hall would pursue, the change we would deliver. Today, City Hall delivers on that promise. This Rental Ripoff Report, also known as RRR — not to be confused with the 2022 Tollywood smash hit — is based on thousands of testimonies shared at Rental Ripoff Hearings across our five boroughs. It outlines the actions our administration will take to improve the lives of tenants who call this city home. These actions fall under four major categories. First, we will improve housing quality by strengthening our enforcement of common housing code violations and complaints. For the first time ever, inspectors will investigate every single heat complaint the city receives. Also, for the first time ever, if HPD inspectors come at a time when you're not available, you will be able to reschedule a visit at a time that works for you. New Yorkers have been able to schedule food deliveries and the time they pick up their clothes at the dry cleaner for years; they should be able to do the same when it comes to an inspection of their home. We will also tackle pests, eradicate mold, and fix broken elevators — three of the largest concerns voiced by New Yorkers during the Rental Ripoff Hearings. We will address the underlying causes of mold for the first time. No longer will landlords be allowed to slap a new coat of paint over a wall of black mold and pretend that the issue is fixed. And we will keep New Yorkers safe by confronting the causes and devastating consequences of residential fires. Second, we will continue to hold bad landlords accountable. We will take on the worst landlords in the city with our “Fix the City” campaign. And we will reform our systems for cataloging, building registrations and penalties. Right now, everything is still done on paper. That not only slows things down; it makes it harder to hold those who violate the law accountable. Digitizing this process will not only help us crack down on repeat violators, [but] it will also allow us to support the many landlords who operate with integrity. Third, we will empower tenants across New York City. The best-protected tenant is an organized tenant. That is why we will legally recognize tenant unions, protecting New Yorkers from harassment or threat of eviction for seeking solidarity with their neighbors. And we will partner with organized tenants across the city to deliver the accountability they deserve from their landlords and, in certain cases, to support the successful transfer of their buildings to more responsible owners. Fourth, we will make the housing market fairer and more transparent. This includes requiring the disclosure of AI or digitally altered images and video on misleading rental listings that waste New Yorkers' time and money. You shouldn't have to worry whether or not the apartment you are viewing online is real. After all, it's called StreetEasy, not “StreetHard.” All of these actions and improvements come as a direct result of every tenant who attended a Rental Ripoff Hearing. Every tenant who chose to speak up; every tenant who refused to tolerate another year of negligence and disrepair; every tenant who demanded more from their city government. This work is just beginning. We will build on the success of the Rental Ripoff Hearings as we hold five “NYCHA in Your Neighborhood” events — one in each borough beginning this September. These, too, are forums where NYCHA tenants' ideas and concerns will be translated into material change across public housing. In the words of Mayor John Lindsay, “Cities are for people and for living.” Every New Yorker deserves to live a dignified life in a dignified home in the city they love. That is a responsibility that government can, must and will fulfill. Thank you very much.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThank you very much. Yes, so just before we start any questions I do want to talk about the air quality. As New Yorkers can see, and in some neighborhoods as New Yorkers can smell, smoke from the Canadian wildfires is over our city. What the experts say is that today is expected to be the worst day of this event. The state has forecast air quality in the unhealthy range for the New York City region, and I want to be clear about what that word means in this instance. At unhealthy levels, everyone, not just people with asthma and heart conditions, not just older adults, everyone may feel health effects. So today, every New Yorker should take precautions. Limit your time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. We have made free KN95 masks available at hundreds of locations city-wide, including libraries, police precincts and a number of firehouses. Go to on.nyc.gov/freemask, and you'll find a map of where to pick one up. Or call 311. You can also text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692 so we can reach you if conditions change. And do try and check on your neighbors through it all. We will keep you updated through the day. These are conditions that we know are also coming at the same time as a heat emergency for New Yorkers. So, it is very important to stay up to date, to stay prepared and to respond with your safety as the most important thing, because that is what it is for City government as well. Thank you.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceSo, one thing we are fortunate to have in this city is that there is a broad coalition that understands the urgency of this work and the necessity of it. And so, when we are speaking to our partners, whether it be those who serve in the City Council or beyond that, about the importance of tackling the root causes of mold, of ensuring that we are finally bringing the kinds of tenant protections that the city should have brought years ago, we are also oftentimes speaking to an audience that knows exactly what that means. I mean, you heard it just now that — from our DOB commissioner, it's not as if he had to sit there and listen to understand that these were issues; he grew up facing a lot of these issues himself. And I think the same is true for many others. So, I know that we've already started conversations with City Council members around the aspects of this report that require legislative action. What I will also say is there are other aspects of this report that can begin immediately. And we are going to look to take as fast of an approach as we can with every single recommendation that is here. I'm gonna pass it over to our executive director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants to add any additional details.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI'll be honest with you, whether we're speaking about the heat, whether we are speaking about the air quality, or whether we even speaking about the levels of rainwater and flooding in our city, I am concerned. And I'm concerned because what we see is that the climate crisis exacerbates so much of what our city is facing. And what we want to do is take every single short-term measure that we can. But as you also say, looking to medium- and long-term measures to ensure that we can continue to provide safety to New Yorkers, even amidst these kinds of challenging conditions. One thing that I would underline is in our city, we pride ourselves on being resilient. Today is not a day to say, “In spite of the air quality, I'm gonna do everything I was gonna do yesterday.” This is very serious; we are reaching into a level of air quality that is dangerous for every single New Yorker. And so yes, it is masks, but also it is to stay indoors, whereas otherwise you might have been outdoors. If you were thinking that today would be the day that you would finally take that run, let it be tomorrow. This is a day where this is a serious impact, and it's coming alongside temperatures in the mid-90 degrees, which also is something that needs to be treated with seriousness given that we know that our city loses about 500 New Yorkers a year to the effects of heat.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceMan, everyone I root for has lost, so I feel like whoever I say is going to lose at this point. What I will say is it's been an incredible World Cup, and as someone who likes to think of myself as technologically fluent and able to spot AI versus a real image, I thought that the image of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal was AI. I don't know if you've seen this image, but Lamine Yamal was picked out of a number of different children for a photo to be bathed by Lionel Messi when he was a child. There's a photo of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal as a baby being bathed in a bathtub, and now those two are going to face off this Sunday in New York City and New Jersey, and it's pretty incredible. So, I'm excited, I'm gonna say the classic politician answer: [I’m] excited for a good game.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceThere are many good landlords, and in fact, my former landlord was one of them before I moved into where I currently live, at Gracie Mansion. I knew their name first as an LLC, and then I met them after I became the mayor. They came up to me on the street. They said, “Oh, it's great to meet you.” So, one of the things that we have heard from landlords, especially landlords of affordable housing, is that the skyrocketing cost of insurance has been a real burden for them to be able to keep up with. I think we've seen estimates that go beyond even 100 percent increase for the cost of insurance. And so, I really want to credit our deputy mayor for housing and planning for spearheading the creation of a first of its kind city-backed insurance fund that will invest $100 million over three years to provide landlords with a far more affordable option to insurance costs that then make it much easier for them maintain their buildings and actually move forward on the maintenance of these buildings and being stewards of these buildings. And this comes back to the fact that when we talk about an affordability agenda, we're not picking and choosing as to who it's for. We're looking to address costs for every New Yorker, and that also includes insurance costs for landlords. I'm gonna pass it over to Deputy Mayor Bozorg to add details on the updates to the Pfizer Building.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe believe that workers should have protections at all times. And we have sent out guidance across the city for the actions that employers as well as city agencies should be taking at this time, because again, we're talking about an air quality index that is now [unhealthy] for everyone. And we know that there are some New Yorkers who have the luxury of making a choice as to where they want to spend their time. There are others for whom their work site is outside. And so, we are making sure that that is something that is being clearly communicated across city agencies, across our city as well. To your first question, I want to first just underline the importance of paraprofessionals in our city, in our education system. The work that they do is critical. I've also said that I believe that this is a matter that is best treated at the bargaining table and we will see what the City Council does, but those are my thoughts on the matter. [Crosstalk.]
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYou know, I think that Mike Lawler's record speaks for itself, and I think the more focus there is on that record, the easier the choice it is for voters in that district. He was all right.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYeah, so I want to be very clear the site has been noticed and it will be cleared, and as with any site, once we notice there is seven days, until the point of clearing, each of those seven days is characterized by outreach from city workers looking to connect those who are present with services, whether it be services at a shelter, medical services or supportive services beyond that. We can get back to you on that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceOf the pickup soccer game this evening? That's going to be indoors. Not the — the game is not going to be played indoors, but we'll just be gathering. We're going to be having people indoors at Gracie Mansion to celebrate the end of this event.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI'll be honest with you, the only decisions I've made when it comes to 2029 have been the ones that we have to declare with the Campaign Finance Board at this early stage. One of those, as you said, is whether or not to participate in the matching funds program. The matching funds program was critical in my race to becoming the mayor of our city. What we also saw in that same race was the amount of money that was spent in opposition to our campaign far dwarf what we were able to raise and spend through the program. And so, this is a decision we've made to look to narrow the gap between the resources that we would be able to raise and spend and those that we know will be marshaled in opposition.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI don't know who I'll have on my side in 2029. I just hope that the work that we do between now and then speaks for itself.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceI just — I haven't knocked on anyone's door in New York City, and they've said their concern is that the mayor makes too little. So, that's not my concern either. Like, it won't be mine. If it was mine, then that would mean I would be excited.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceTo go to the pockets of those who are struggling in this city. Thank you all so much.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds a Press Conference to Make a Housing Announcement.