Sad News: Ana Soto has died

Ana Soto lost a long battle against lung cancer when she died on August 17, 2019.  

Ana had been a floor captain here for many years, and was the person who designed many of our Pot Luck flyers.   

Our condolences go to her three daughters,  Natalie Jimenez, who lives in the Bronx, and Michelle and Jennifer Jimenez who remain in Apt. 5V.  

Visitation will be held Wednesday, August 21, 2019 from 9-10 AM at the Sisto Funeral Home, 3489 East Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Church of St. Benedict , 2969 Otis Avenue, Bronx, NY 10465 at 10:30 AM. Interment will follow at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx.  Click here to send flowers. 

  

Tenants Meeting Sept. 18, 2019 - Your rights under new rent laws

YOUR RIGHTS UNDER

THE NEW RENT LAWS

as a rent stabilized or

unregulated tenant

In June 2019, NY State passed landmark legislation establishing the strongest new protections for rent regulated and market tenants in a generation.  Learn about how the new laws will affect us, and get answers to your questions. 

Speaker:  Ellen Davidson

Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society, and Board Member of Tenants & Neighbors

at our

GENERAL TENANTS MEETING

on

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

8 PM

in our Community Room

with election of a replacement executive committee member. 

Sad News: Richard Jordan has died.

The Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association

mourns the loss of our long-time Board and Executive Committee member and friend

RICHARD JORDAN

who died on July 9, 2019 after fighting long illnesses.

We offer our condolences to his wife Patricia, their daughter Orisha, their extended family, and their many friends.

Richard (Duke) Jordan, Jr. lived with his family here for over forty years. In addition to serving on the executive committee and board of the tenant association, he was a floor captain until his death.  He also served as a member of the tenant association’s legal committee before the building left Mitchell-Lama and on 5 boards of St. Phillips’ affordable housing.  In this career, Rich was the National Director of Urban Services for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (formerly Boy's Club of America). An accomplished musician, he was a consultant in Urban Planning & Youth Development to the federal government, the National Commission on Youth and Voluntary Action, the MLK Commission, the MLK Center for Youth and Non Violent Action, the International Council of Churches, the New Cities Corp. and the governments of the UK, France, Canada and Germany and others.

A memorial to celebrate his life will be in August, with further details to be announced.

Tremendous Victory for Tenants in Albany!

After years and then finally months and weeks and days of tremendous pressure by tenants, and a change in party-control of the NYS Senate (yay, elections!), we now have the 

Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019.

The new law will change many things state-wide for tenants.  Instead of making it easier for landlords to replace lower-paying tenants with higher-paying tenants (a great investment tactic for hedge funds), the new law makes it easier for tenants to keep their homes.   The summary below is not complete and is not legal advice. (See some other summaries here and here.)  In addition, the laws no longer have an automatic sunset date.  They are permanent (which is probably why landlords have filed suit in federal court to undo the rent law changes). 

Learn more about the new law at our next General Tenants Meeting on Wed., September 18, 2019 at 8 PM in the Community Room with Legal Aid attorney (who played a big part in creating and promoting parts of the bill)  will be here. 

Write Albany to urge they pass all 9 Housing Justice for All bills

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

If you didn't get a chance to sign and send postcards,  click on the blue links (one at a time) for each of the names,  Then send them the text below.   Or you can call:   518-455-4100 and ask for Speaker Heastie and tell him to support all 9 bills.

Speaker Carl Heastie

Senator Brian Kavanagh

Governor Andrew Cuomo

Possible text (or write your own!)  :

Dear ____________

As a tenant, I count on your supporting all 9 of the bills to protect tenants, including extending rent protection statewide to communities that choose to invoke it, and eviction solely for good cause, combined with limited and reasonable rent increases.  Finally, we need an end to MCIs and IAIs that invite promote scams and permanent rent increases.  

Thank you.

[your name and address] 

End Individual Apartment Improvement Increase scams!

The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development and Housing Rights Initiative have a new report explaining the scams of Individual Apartment Improvements in the context of rent regulation in NYC.  It's clear and detailed.  Read it!

Sad News: Na'ava Ades died on May 20, 2019.

The Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association

mourns the loss of our long-time Board and Executive Committee member and friend

NA’AVA JANET ADES

who died on May 20, 2019 after fighting the good fight.

We offer our condolences to her friends and family Regina Schaefer, Jerry Tersoff, Ariel Zimmerman, Richard Hansen, Paula Gorney, Rebekka Hye-Knudsen, and others.

The graveside funeral will be at 

11 AM on Thursday, May 22, 2019 

at the Mount Hebron Cemetery, 130-04 Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, 11367, in Queens, 

followed by a 

gathering in her apartment, 12K, from about 1 to 4 PM.