Federal Judge Rejects NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Housing Intervention Effort
A federal bankruptcy judge has stopped New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s attempt to step into the sale of thousands of rent-stabilized apartments across the city.
City officials under Mamdani had asked the court to delay the transaction after residents raised concerns that the current owner, Pinnacle Group, failed to properly maintain the buildings and that the buyer, Summit Properties USA, could continue those practices.
The administration argued that the city had standing to intervene because it is a creditor of Pinnacle, which owes more than $12 million in unpaid fines, according to Gothamist. However, Bankruptcy Judge David Jones rejected that argument, dealing an early setback to the mayor’s housing agenda.
Jones could authorize the sale to Summit as early as Thursday, though city officials say they are still reviewing possible next steps.
“We will continue to fight to ensure any owner of this portfolio makes necessary repairs to bring the buildings up to code and respects the rent stabilization regulations,” Leila Bozorg, the city’s deputy mayor for housing, told the outlet.
The court ruling follows another episode that has complicated Mamdani’s housing push: his decision to appoint Cea Weaver to head the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Weaver has drawn criticism for past remarks in which she described home ownership as a “weapon of white supremacy” and said property should be treated as a “collective good.”
As scrutiny over those statements intensified, Weaver said she regretted “some” of her earlier comments. She did not specify which remarks she was referring to but said her focus in government would be addressing “racial inequalities” on behalf of city residents.
“But, you know, I do think my decades of experience fighting for more affordable housing sort of stands on its own,” Weaver said. “I’m proud to be in this role fighting for stronger tenants’ rights. And I think that for many years, people have been locked out of the property market, that has produced systemic and racial inequalities in our system.”
The controversy was discussed publicly by former Trump special advisor Catalina Lauf and Trump 2024 deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine during an appearance on ‘Kudlow,’ where they criticized Mamdani’s embrace of collectivist ideas.
“I want to make sure that everybody has a safe and affordable place to live — whether they rent or own,” Weaver added. “And that is something that I’m laser-focused on in this new role.”
{Matzav.com}
