Wrote a bill to prevent squatters.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is State Senator John lou And he is in the studio with us. And he was eight years with the city council. He was four years control of this of the city and six years now in the States Senate and running for reelection this November. Well, John Loue, you know a lot about the city in

0:23 the state.

0:25 Speaker 2 Well, mister Catman, thanks for having me on again.

0:29 Speaker 1 Well, I mean everybody was calling me Catman when we were running for mayor that time. And it was a lot of fun running for mayor, you.

0:36 Speaker 2 Know what, you know, Yeah, we were on the circuit together.

0:38 Speaker 1 I know. You know what I found the most fun meeting so many people in our city, meeting so many people in every borough. I never knew that there was so many little towns that makes up our city and so many great people.

0:52 Speaker 2 You couldn’t even pay for a tour like what we had.

0:54 Speaker 1 Absolutely absolutely, And you know what I tell you know, Anthony Wina he would have won if he didn’t.

1:03 Speaker 2 Screw up there.

1:07 Speaker 1 He watched the w A season.

1:09 Speaker 2 You know, I like the guy.

1:10 Speaker 1 Uh. Right now, you’re in the State Senate. We’re in a critical period. Uh in our city, We’re a critical period in the state things. People are moving out of our city. I mean once in a while, I do it with sadness. I played the song Exodus, uh and crime.

1:32 People are scared to walk around at night in New York City. Give us an update the city budget being the state budget being eminent and beat me and the Governor Pattison and Governor Battacki and Governor Cuomo has has said to the Governor Huncle that this is her time that they hang tough, because if we don’t fix it now,

2:01 we’re going to lose our city in our state. Tell us where we.

2:04 Speaker 3 Are, Yeah, and we’re all trying to fix it. And there are some challenges that face our great state. Not everything is falling apart, but we have some challenges, housing being among one of the top issues. Housing is something that is perhaps the number one reason why people have been leaving New York, the affordability crisis. People can’t afford

2:24 to live here anymore.

2:26 Speaker 2 We need to build more housing.

2:28 Speaker 3 We also need to help people stay in the homes that they currently have. That’s all part of the housing proposal that is being hashed out right now. And I expect that we’ll be able to finish the budget within days.

2:40 Speaker 1 What it’s on yours on today’s call and is Judge Richard Weinberg. Judge Weinberg, you’ve worked closely with John lou in the city council in many places. Tell us what your biggest concerns in the state budget is? Mine is I’m shy.

3:02 Speaker 4 And I no. We agree on that crime is the number one issue. I think Senator Low is absolutely correct. There’s an affordability crisis. It’s now more expensive than ever to maintain or own a home. That drives people out.

3:19 I believe we’re overregulated and we’re over tax So you have to realize that people are fleeing because they can’t afford to be here in the quiet life is is crashing down. So it’s up to people responsible, people like the Senator, to carry the ball to make sure that we maintain our viability. What’s the use, Senator.

3:38 Speaker 3 Yeah, thank you very much, Judge one Berk for for those comments. That’s exactly what we’re talking about in opening. There are different opinions of us how to achieve it, but we need to build more housing so that there’s more availability and the rents can’t keep skyrocketing.

3:56 Speaker 2 Well, we also have to help people.

3:57 Speaker 3 Stay in their homes, and to do that, we have to prevent rents other rents from being sky from skyrockets. So it’s a combination of packages. It’s housing. We’re also talking about healthcare. Healthcare is one of the main sticking points in the state budget negotiations right now, and of course education, which actually is my main portfolio. Education here

4:19 in New York City, and of course the state we have issues with regard to mayoral control as well as state school funding.

4:28 Speaker 4 On mayoral control, SENA, that’s.

4:32 Speaker 2 A great question, your honor.

4:34 Speaker 3 I mean, mayoral control is how New York City public schools have been operating since two thousand and two, which Mayor Bloomberg was able to win from the state legislature. It expires this coming June, in about two and a half months. So we’re looking to figure out how to either extend mayoral control or make changes to it, or

4:58 adopt a new system all ti together, and we’ll do that well in advance of the June thirtieth expiration. But this is not a budget issue per se. That although the governor included extension of mayoral control in her budget proposal, we are not entertaining it as part we the legislature are not entertaining it as part of the budget proposal

5:19 because quite frankly, it has no impact on state revenues and expenditures, and state revenues and expenditures don’t have any impact on mayoral control or school governance in the City of New York. So once we enact the state budget, we’re going to turn our full attention to the issue of mayoral control and school governance in New York City,

5:38 aided and informed by a very comprehensive study that the State Education Department just released this week on that very top.

5:47 Speaker 1 The other problem that we discussed in the studio a couple of days ago was the fact that before twenty one, a or some kind of subsidy uh to for for for new construction. Uh. The the uh sanity of being able to uh people of the scoff uh uh that scoffs the squatters squatters, thank you, judge. And the other one that you were

6:16 concerned about, Judge was uh uh that uh something about being not being able to move tenants out if they haven’t paid the rent two years.

6:27 Speaker 4 Yeah, there’s a there’s.

6:31 Speaker 3 I understand what John is talking about. The four that has historically for decades been the tax incentive to get developers to build more housing. And that’s that’s been controversial virtual in recent years, just because you have, you know, you have very expensive developments being subsidized with significant amounts of taxpayer dollars. An egregious example of that, I think

6:59 I’m looking yeah right now from your office window, John, one of these residential towers, which is which got on average just under one million dollars of taxpayer subsidies for each apartment. So that’s been an abuse of four to twenty one a and that’s what’s made it controversial.

7:17 Speaker 2 We’re trying to fix it so that we can truly.

7:20 Speaker 3 Encourage the construction of affordable housing. And how we get there, there’s the Real Estate Board, has different opinions, the labor unions, and of course tenant advocates. But I believe that we will come to a compromise and a solution that will result in more housing being constructed in New York City.

7:39 Speaker 1 My concern is, Senator, is that if there’s not common sense to be had, that New York is going to suffer overall, and investments are going to flow, Investments flow where they’re best.

7:55 Speaker 2 We understand that people are not going to build something.

7:58 Speaker 1 And you got nine percent struction notes now in nine percent interest rates.

8:02 Speaker 2 Well, that’s part of the issue here.

8:05 Speaker 3 So and we have to understand the economy goes up and down. We want to put together a system that is going to weather the economy, the economic cycles and foster a sustained period of housing development and construction here in New York City.

8:21 Speaker 1 John Lowe, we’re almost out of time. We get another minute.

8:24 Speaker 2 Left that quick.

8:26 Speaker 1 Well, you know it’s we only have a one hour show at night. And your running for re election. This this in November of November fifth, and you seem to have a lot of common sense. Can you have common sense prevailed amongst the rest of your constituents?

8:47 Speaker 3 You know, College college are actually very qualified and intelligent for the most part. But people have different ideas. And that’s exactly what Albany and the state capital is about, and that’s what the legislative process is. I try to try to infuse some of my experience. You know, this is not my first rooteo. I’ve been around the block

9:06 a few times a few times, and I’m a lifelong New York City residence apart from the five years before I immigrated here, so I tried to share some of my experience and insight on these issues.

9:18 Speaker 1 Jrong Lou. If I was in your district, I’d be voting for you.

9:21 Speaker 2 You’re welcome to come over and.

9:23 Speaker 1 Thank you and thank you so much for coming on this.

9:27 Speaker 3 What do you think, Judge wine Break, John Katsamatide is flushing resident.

9:32 Speaker 4 I like to say, I’ll help him, I’ll help him pack.

9:37 Speaker 1 Thank you so much, and we’ll catch up with you again real soon.

9:39 Speaker 2 Thanks for having me