Vacancy decontrol needs to be repealed. New York City’s affordable housing is vanishing every minute, and tenants are facing harassment and intimidation to leave their rent controlled apartments.

At about 5 pm on Tuesday, June 16th, the New York State Assembly passed A8902, a bill to enact public financing of elections.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has just introduced A8902, a bill that would create a voluntary system of public financing in New York.

On Sunday, Democratic Senator Hiram Monserrate, who has been at the center of the controversy in the State Senate for the past week, told the Daily News that he’s “Coming Home.”

Last Monday, billionaire Tom Golisano tried to buy the State Senate. Citizen Action’s grassroots leaders from around New York have stood up to take democracy back. Click “Read More” to see all the news coverage.

Instead of candidates for office raising a lot of large contributions from wealthy donors, a voluntary system of public financing of elections allows candidates to run for office by collecting many small donations…

Today’s Times Union has an editorial commending New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for calling on the legislature to pass public financing of elections.

On Friday, Governor Paterson declined to sign legislation that would extend a 2007 law removing regulation of event ticket price markup. The law was one of five laws featured in our recent report, New Yorkers Pay When Big Money Plays.

We’re attending the Senate Elections Committee Meeting in force on June 9th to show the overwhelming support for passing public financing of elections this year! Join Us!

The State Senate has launched a new website designed to get public comments on how to reform New York’s campaign finance system. They’ll be using these comments to decide how to move forward on legislation this year.