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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jesse Lang on housing and election reform proposals
1:11:47
·
3 min
Jesse Lang, a housing policy professional and advocate testifying on her own behalf, expresses strong support for many housing reforms in the CRC preliminary report.
She emphasizes the need for a three-person body (borough president, mayor, council speaker) to potentially overturn city council rejections of rezonings and extends this to dispositions of public land.
Lang also supports an enforcement mechanism for Speaker Adams' Fair Housing Framework to ensure neighborhoods meet housing production targets.
- She voices support for election reforms, particularly moving to even-year elections and nonpartisan primaries, urging the CRC to send a strong signal to Albany on even-year elections by passing a charter change first.
Jesse Lang
1:11:47
Hi.
1:11:47
My name is Jesse Lang.
1:11:49
My job is in housing policy, policy and I'm a long time housing advocate.
1:11:53
But tonight I just want to be clear that I'm testifying on my own behalf as somebody who wants to see this city that I really love be a better place to live.
1:12:01
I'm glad that the city, that the Charter Revision Commission and staff have really emphasized housing to date.
1:12:07
I know I don't need to repeat the statistics about how bad our city's housing shortage is and how broken the process is to build new housing.
1:12:14
I've been a renter for the ten years that I've lived in New York City, and I've bounced around five different neighborhoods in the struggle to be able to continue to live in an apartment I afford.
1:12:22
And I consider myself lucky because I can still afford housing here.
1:12:26
Over the years, I've seen how member deference is an enormous barrier to getting new housing built.
1:12:31
I've shown up to advocate in support of housing projects that I worry may never end up being built because the local council member doesn't support them.
1:12:39
From just home in The Bronx to today, Haven Green looking like it's going to be canceled, It's hard to maintain hope that we can alleviate the housing crisis for New Yorkers who are really struggling and in some cases literally dying before they can access housing because housing delayed is housing denied.
1:12:55
We do have a real opportunity to address this right now.
1:12:58
I strongly support many of the housing reforms outlined in the CRC preliminary staff report, but want to emphasize two in particular.
1:13:06
One, to replace the current unilateral mayoral veto of ULURP's with a three person body consisting of the borough president, mayor, and city council speaker who could overturn a city council vote against the rezoning.
1:13:18
I would also urge the CRC to consider extending this process to other city council land use approvals, such as for dispositions of public land, as in the case of Just Home.
1:13:29
I also strongly support an enforcement mechanism to accompany Speaker Adams Fair Housing Framework to ensure that neighborhoods that aren't contributing their fair share have a fast track process to catch up to housing production targets.
1:13:42
I also wanna take a moment to comment on the election reform proposals that the CRC is considering to move the city to even year elections and to move to a nonpartisan primary system.
1:13:54
I do support both of these proposals, especially starting the process to move to even year elections, which I really think would be transformative, but I have noticed is not getting as much attention as nonpartisan primaries this evening.
1:14:09
I know that the CRC has brought up the concern that because this would also need state approval that the change would not be immediate and wouldn't be felt by voters right away.
1:14:18
But I really feel strongly that that's not a good reason to delay the necessary charter change until after the state legislature approves it.
1:14:25
I think that we really need to send a strong signal to Albany to act.
1:14:29
I think that they are too slow to act and and would not do this on their own.
1:14:35
And after working in policy for many years, I really think that the only way to do that is through first passing the Charter revision and then encouraging the state to follow suit.
1:14:47
Thank you for the opportunity to testify this evening.
Richard R. Buery Jr.
1:14:49
Thank you.