TENANT POWER RISING:

THE FIGHT FOR A

RENT FREEZE IN NYC

ACTIVATING TENANT VOTERS IN NYC

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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WHAT IS THE

NEW YORK STATE TENANT BLOC?

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GOALS of NYSTB:

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The Why:

• The real estate industry has used their outsized power over our homes and our democracy to increase their profits by raising rents and making the city/state less affordable for working class New Yorkers.

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The How:

• Organize tenants and build a voting base
• Activating the tenant vote could shift the balance of power back to tenants.

TENANTS ARE THE MAJORITY IN NYC – 70%

Tenants

Owners

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TENANTS

TENANT BLOC

HOW DOES THE MAYORAL RACE HELP US WIN A RENT FREEZE?

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THE RENT GUIDELINES BOARD IS A BROKEN SYSTEM & �THE NYC MAYOR HAS OUTSIZED POWER & INFLUENCE OVER WHETHER OUR RENTS GO UP – OR NOT.

• Every year the Rent Guidelines Board determines rent adjustments for over 2.4 million tenants across the city. All the RGB members are appointed by the Mayor.�
• Mayor Eric Adams has raised the rents by 12% cumulatively over the last 4 years. Mayor Bill de Blasio froze the rent THREE TIMES.�
• The data supports a rent freeze. Landlord incomes are up 12% �while tenants struggle to pay our bills.�
• Organizing tenants around housing issues can increase the tenant vote!

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2021 BY THE NUMBERS:

• 941,319 people voted (~ 3 million registered Democrats in NYC)

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Current Mayor Eric Adams won by 7,200 votes

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BRINGING THIS BACK TO THE RENT FREEZE

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An organized bloc of tenant votes CAN swing an election! ��20,000 signatures > 10,000 tenant voters > 7,200 voters in 2021

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Our message: Tenants are the majority in NYC – we can elect a mayor who stands with us, not real estate.

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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OUR INTERVENTION & GOTV STRATEGY:

• Collect 20,000 signatures of tenants across the City to organize them for longer term tenant organizing!�
• Ahead of the election – re-contacting our list of 20,000+ tenants to make sure they know about the 6/24 election are activated to
• Phone banking
• Text banking�
• Plug into candidate canvasses to help knock on doors and turnout as many voters as possible. We’re tenants and we vote!

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MORE CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• A campaign that built tenant power across race, class, language, and generation!
• CAAAV Voice, CASA, and other members of our coalition led deep neighborhood organizing that activated a diverse coalition of tenant voters!�
• Developed the skills and leadership of long-time tenant leaders!
• Leading canvasses, utilizing new tools, and more�
• We built incredible political pressure on Mayoral candidates AND the Rent Guidelines Board

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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FREEZE THE RENT

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS/IMPACT

• Over 20,000 signatures collected
• Over 700 individual volunteers
• 3 citywide canvass days
• A powerful Freeze the Rent Rally with almost 1,000 tenants

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THE NYS TENANT BLOC�RENT FREEZE CAMPAIGN

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FREEZE THE RENT

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS/IMPACT:

• 12 Phone banks, 30,000+ calls, 20,000 + texts
• Rent Freeze becomes defining issue of the campaign
• ZOHRAN in the win heard around the world!

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THANK YOU!

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QUESTIONS?

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