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New far-left tenant group targets real estate-backed politicians

NYS Tenant Bloc is working with the DSA to “reclaim” homes from the industry

Far-left Group Launches as New York State Tenant Bloc
(Photos via Alex Chan and Denis Ibarra)

Tenant advocates are coming for mayoral candidates and state elected officials who are favored by the real estate industry.

A new group, the New York State Tenant Bloc, is focused, in part, on organizing tenants to only vote for mayoral candidates who agree to freeze the rent for stabilized apartments. It also has its sights set on the 2026 gubernatorial race, “when real estate-backed Governor Hochul will be up for election,” the group said in a release. 

The group is a “sister organization” to Housing Justice for All, a coalition that includes the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, but functions as a 501(c)(4). Having this designation means the Tenant Bloc can support specific candidates and lobby, while Housing Justice for All, as a 501(c)(3) cannot partake in such activities. 

The Working Families Organization, an affiliate of the Working Families Party, is the fiscal sponsor of the Tenant Bloc, which means it is lending the group its 501(c)(4) status to collect donations.  

Tenant Bloc’s Ritti Singh said the new group is primarily focused with “direct to voter contact, not lobbying.” 

The new group has taken over Housing Justice for All’s social media account on X, and is led by Cea Weaver, who is also the campaign coordinator for Housing Justice for All. 

“Tenants are half the state and a majority in every major city,” Weaver said in a statement.  “United we have the power to reclaim our homes from the stranglehold of the real estate industry.” 

Housing Justice for All, which fought for the changes to the state’s rent stabilization law in 2019 and advocated for the passage of good cause eviction, will remain a “tenant-led advocacy presence in Albany,” Singh said. Housing Justice for All, along with Tenant Bloc, will build on its good cause campaigns outside of New York City to “activate tenants as first-time voters and election volunteers.”

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Three mayoral candidates have committed to freezing the rent for stabilized tenants: State Sen.Jessica Ramos, Assembly member Zohran Mamdani and former Assembly member Michael Blake. Mayors can’t unilaterally freeze rents, though they appoint members of the Rent Guidelines Board. 

Past mayors have also made their preferences clear to the board. During the pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio called on the board not to increase rents on stabilized units. 

Weaver has indicated that a state bill seeking to reform the board is in the works. 

Jay Martin, a lobbyist with landlord group New York Apartment Association, sees the Tenant Bloc as a political arm of the DSA that is being used to threaten elected officials.  

“They’ve abandoned all pretense of wanting to work on housing policies,” Martin said.  

The Tenant Bloc’s press release included several supportive quotes from elected officials, including Ramos, Mamdani and City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is also running for mayor. 

City & State was first to report on the new group.   

The announcement about the Tenant Bloc came as Mayor Eric Adams was facing speculation that he was planning to resign. He denied those rumors on Thursday during an interfaith breakfast at the New York Public Library. The Tenant Bloc’s press release noted that Adams once declared “I am real estate,” referring to the fact that he owns property. He has also repeatedly recounted his time as a residential agent.

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From left: New York Communities for Change director Jonathan Westin, Neighborhood First Fund program director Joan Byron, and Ford Foundation president Darren Walker (Credit: NYC Communities, LinkedIn, and Ford Foundation)
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