Edited by: Fern Sidman

After 18 months of remaining shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic, on Friday, the iconic Coney Island amusement park was reopened. Visitors and thrill seekers were once again allowed into the amusement attractions since 2019.

Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park and Luna Park, the two most visited sites have come to life once again as has the world’s oldest wooden roller coaster, better known as the Cyclone. Due to the pandemic, the park will institute limited capacity guidelines for visitors which include advanced reservations that can be made online.

According to an NBC News report, the historic Wonder Wheel was built during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, so social distancing is already incorporated on the ride. The swinging cars were made to be about 12 feet apart.

DJ Vourderis, the owner and operator of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park said, “Coney Island has always been a place where people have come to find comfort. To remember what it feels like to smile. We need that now more than ever.”

To that end Deno’s said it’ll give free Wonder Wheel rides Friday to 100 front-line workers including EMT, FDNY, NYPD and Coney Island Hospital staff.

According to the NBC News report, extra layers of protection will be implemented at Coney Island amusement attractions in order that visitors and their families feel safe in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. In accordance with guidelines from the state, some of the safety measures include social distancing markers as well as gates and plexiglass at every point of sale and food stand. These measures were taken by the Vourderis family in order to make their customers comfortable and safe.

“We’re following the guidance best way we can, things change all the time but hand sanitizing is always a good idea, they’re everywhere in the park. Entrances, exits, in between,” Vourderis said, according to the NBC News report.

NBC reported that the park’s attendance capacity will be at 33 percent and amusement seekers can make reservations online if they want a guaranteed entry, but there’s also a standby line, Vourderis said. Masks are required.

Moreover, new policies have been instituted regarding ticketing practices. Instead of receiving paper tickets, visitors to the park will get a plastic card that they can load with money, similar to that of a debit card. All they need to do is tap the card on readers outside the rides, according to the NBC News report.

On Friday morning, NBC News reported that the decades-long tradition of the “Blessing of the Rides” ceremony took place on the boardwalk in front of Deno’s Wonder Wheel. Mayor Bill de Blasio was on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony before taking a ride on the famed Cyclone rollercoaster.

“2020 marked the first time in 100 years that the wheel has not spun. While it was a devastating time for many, we are excited to welcome back guests and celebrate the life and passion of our parents and grandparents’ hard work who dedicated their lives to providing Coney Island with a warm welcoming amusement park on the Boardwalk. We hope to see everyone this season!” the Vourderis family said in a statement.

Due to the mandates that required Coney Island to close for the 2020 season, the park along with its owners and vendors were hit hard financially and thousands were put out of seasonal work that they rely on for sustenance.

By: Jared Evan

The co-founder of the polarizing Black Lives Matter movement is under fire for buying a $1.4 million home in a posh California neighborhood that’s 88 percent white, as per recent demographic numbers.

Patrisse Cullors, who is an out in the open Marxist, has pushed a message of black pride, the black victimization narrative, and lead the sometimes violent BLM movement formed in 2013 in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin. Cullor’s organization soaked up millions upon millions of dollars, and nobody is quite sure what BLM actually does besides organizing disruptive and frequently destructive protests, which resulted in over 50 deaths in 2020. These protests, often described by the press as “peaceful”, have caused billions of dollars of destruction across dozens of major cities.

Black Lives Matter said it raked in a staggering $90 million in donations last year.

The communist revolutionary is amassing quite a real estate portfolio, according to the NY Post. Cullor’s bought a $510,000 home in Inglewood in 2016, which is worth about $800,000 today. She also bought a $590,000 home in South Los Angeles that is worth $720,000 today, and bought a ranch in rural Georgia for $415,000 last year, “featuring a private airplane hangar with a studio apartment above it.” Inglewood is a predominantly black neighborhood, however, she has 3 other “white” enclaves to abscond herself.

According to Dirt.com, her latest home is located in Topanga Canyon, an idyllic rustic neighborhood about 48 minutes outside of Los Angeles and less than 30 minutes from Malibu.

Cullors’ new home has three bedrooms and two baths and sits on one-quarter of an acre. The property also has a separate one-bedroom, one-bathroom guest house.

But what is most interesting is that the BLM co-founder chose to live in Topanga, where less than 2 percent(LINK) of the population is black.

The social media social justice mob, having no criticism of their empyrean Marxist saint permitted; immediately had black sports reporter, Jason Whitlock, suspended from Twitter after he sarcastically called out Cullors for her blatant hypocrisy.

“Black Lives Matter founder buys $1.4 million home in Topanga, which has a black population of 1.4%. She’s with her people!” he tweeted Friday.

Shortly after the thought ministers had this tweet removed and suspended Whitlock.

All is not well in BLM-land however as there has been mounting criticism that the movement has not shared its massive haul with the black community.

BLM chapters nationwide have demanded more transparency from the centralized umbrella organization for the group, Zero Hedge pointed out.

In a December 2020 statement, the local chapters said:

“Since the establishment of [Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation], our chapters have consistently raised concerns about financial transparency, decision making, and accountability … we believe public accountability has become necessary.”

The local chapters also said the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation appointed Cullors as its executive director against their wishes and without their knowledge, rendering her leadership illegitimate.

“We, the undersigned chapters, believe that all of these events occurred without democracy, and assert that it was without the knowledge of the majority of Black Lives Matters chapters across the country and world,” the statement read.

“Patrisse Cullors … became Executive Director against the will of most chapters and without their knowledge.”

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Now that New Yorkers have turned the corner on the dreaded coronavirus pandemic that left the city with thousands dead, many are now turning their attention to the much publicized exodus from the Big Apple by those who had the financial means to move out to the suburbs and beyond.

The NY Post reported that the real estate firm CBRE released a new report about the 2020 population drain that took place in city of the last year. The mass exodus from the crowded metropolis did not only occur in the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, as the report indicated those in less affluent areas also packed their bags for some sparsely populated regions.

Since the height of the exodus from New York City, the real estate market has seen a rebound of fairly modest proportions, however experts in the field say that persuading people to come back to life in Manhattan may be quite a difficult task.

The Post reported that those Manhattan neighborhoods that saw a significant dip in their population included were the Upper East and Upper West sides, Tribeca and Dumbo. These are areas where the vast majority of its residents draw high salaries, thus affording them the ability to make their way to such places as the trendy Hamptons in Long Island or other such upscale suburban areas. The aforementioned areas of the city lost up to 2 percent of their respective populations, as was reported by the Post.

Other areas of the city that do not enjoy the affluent reputation of these Manhattan enclaves for the rich also saw a reduction in their populations. One such area was the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn. The Post reported that in 2020, 5,796 people fled from zip codes 11216, 11213 and 11225. In 2019, 2,759 people left that neighborhood.

The Post reported that the statistics were gathered by CBRE through change of address filings from the United States Postal Service. The real estate firm also took into account the much smaller number of people who did move to the city during this turbulent period. It was reported that this was the first such study to explore the number of people moving out of the city in its 145 zip codes.

CBRE reported that the flight from the city (including all five boroughs) last year totaled about 2.4 percent of the population of the City of New York.

In 2019, it was recorded that New York City had a population of approximately 8.3 million people, as was reported by the United States Census Bureau. According to the Post report this translates into 200,000 people leaving in the last year. In 2020, 25 more people per 1,000 residents departed from the city than in 2019, as was reported by the Post.

The CBRE report was penned by Eric Willett who is in the company employ. He said, “The change is significant relative to normalcy but still reflects a relatively small number compared to the city as a whole.”

He added that “Net move-outs were 51 percent higher in 2020 than in 2019.” It was worse in Manhattan, where net move-outs last year jumped 62 percent over 2019, according to the Post report.

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

New York City murders are up almost 20 percent in 2021, compared to the same period last year. Shootings have risen close to 60 percent, as per the latest NYPD statistics. The most recent victim was a 12 year old boy, shot in the chest on Saturday night near Malcolm X Boulevard and Madison Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The boy is expected to recover.

The wounded boy’s grandmother echoed the thought that New York City has become a place to “kill or be killed”, as she told The NY Post. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio was questioned at a press conference as to what was being done to improve safety for residents. His response was less than heartening.

“There are absolutely fresh approaches happening,” said Mayor de Blasio. “The NYPD is working closely with communities. We’re going to fight back with a lot of gun arrests.” Hizzoner did not offer any further details, nor did he mention the cutbacks for the NYPD. Instead, he continued to put the blame on the Coronavirus pandemic. “Getting the court system going, the economy going again, kids back in school … All of these things are going to turn the tide,’’ said de Blasio. “We will turn the tide. We have done it before. We will not accept violence in this city”.

As reported by the NY Post, the boy shot in Brooklyn was walking on the street a little before 10 P.M., when he heard gunfire and felt pain, police said. The boy ducked into a nearby liquor store, where the owner called 911. He was taken to Maimonides Medical Center and is recovering. Thankfully, he did not even need surgery because the bullet missed his organs and went through his body, sources said.

It was unclear if the victim was a bystander or had been targeted. Police now say that he was with a group of kids when they got into a fight with some older boys. The group was targeted in what is now being called a gang-related shooting. No arrests have been made yet in the ongoing investigation.

“The neighborhood is the neighborhood. It happens all the time,” said the wounded child’s grandmother, Evette Lilly. “Now in this city, it’s kill or be killed.” She told the Post on Sunday that her grandson is “just a normal kid who likes basketball,” adding that he is doing “OK.’’

By Ilana Siyance

President Joe Biden has earmarked funds for New York in his proposed $2 Trillion infrastructure package. On Monday, the White House announced the proposal, named “American Jobs Plan”, which would pour federal money into New York’s roads, bridges, mass transit, housing as well as care for children, veterans and seniors.

As reported by the NY Post, the plan would also provide funding for climate-resilient infrastructure, clean drinking water and expanded internet access, as per to a state-specific “fact sheet” posted online on Monday. “For decades, infrastructure in New York has suffered from a systemic lack of investment,” reads the fact sheet. “The need for action is clear.”

The $2 trillion proposed infrastructure package would tackle NY’s infrastructure shortcomings, promising $22.8 billion over the next 20 years to help the state maintain clean drinking water, and to alleviate the “lack of available and affordable housing”. Another $2.91 billion would go to NYS schools for maintenance requirements.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has suggested the federal spending spree would spearhead subway expansion into southeast Brooklyn and Harlem, and make way for the construction of a new tunnel under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. Each of those projects would cost several billions of dollars — but would not actually help to maintain the state’s existent dilapidated infrastructure.

The White House fact sheet for NY, which says that the Empire State got a C- grade on its Infrastructure Report Card, stops short of promising to meet all of NYS’s infrastructure spending needs. It also does not specify how much would be allocated to each endeavor statewide, rather it cites the total funds that will be spent nationwide.

The breakup for the funds, which is provided on the NY fact sheet, includes $115 billion repairing roads and bridges across the country; an $85 billion investment in public transit for the nation; a $111 billion investment to clean drinking water nationwide; and $100 billion to bring reliable broadband internet coverage to all Americans. It also earmarks more than $200 billion nationally to increase housing supply and aid in the affordable housing crisis.

The President’s plan sets aside $400 billion to help more elders and disabled persons to access care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs. Also, $18 billion would go towards improving the infrastructure of Veteran health care facilities. Other proposed endeavors include creating clean energy jobs, revitalize American manufacturers, investing to make low-income homes more energy efficient, and improving the resiliency of infrastructure to stand up or repair following natural disasters.

By: Barry Horowitz

CUNY, after facing heavy backlash, pulled a $3 million no-bid contract with powerhouse consulting firm McKinsey & Co. to help campuses with their fall re-openings.

The NY Post reported, the colleges had already submitted their proposals, critics said Sunday.

NY Post: the proposed business agreement, which involves about two months of work, is unnecessary, they said.

“Speaking of things that make you go hmmm — $3 million for two months of high-priced consultants on a plan for which there are already enough highly paid CUNY officials, while students continue to suffer from a shortage of full-time professional faculty,” said state Sen.John Liu (D-Queens), the former city comptroller who chairs the senate’s panel on New York City education.

The contract was set to go to consulting powerhouse, McKinsey & Co which Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration also in April 2020 hired to address issues leading up to the state’s eventual reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The consulting firm worked with state Department of Health officials on a controversial report on COVID nursing-home deaths that was later rewritten by Cuomo’s aides to hide the number of fatalities, as reported by the NY Times.

“I move to table the resolution [to approve the McKinsey contract],” CUNY board chairman Bill Thompson said during the governing trustees specially scheduled meeting.

John Jay College Professor Elizabeth Hovey previously sent an e-mail blast to CUNY officials under the subject heading, “Don’t Spend $3Mill on McKinsey – use CUNY expertise and value Students.”

“I have learned that you are planning to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on advice that you did not develop with all the loyal expertise of CUNY experts on health and security you could draw on. How dare you?” she said in the e-mail obtained by The Post.

The NY Post pointed to an anonymous source who heavily scrutinized the contract.

“Where is this coming from? Why does CUNY need to hire an outside firm to do this work?” the source said. “Isn’t that what the administration on the campuses and the central administration is supposed to do — plan for the reopening? This is great work if you can get it!”

CUNY spokesman Frank Sobrino said of the proposed consulting contract, “McKinsey will contribute extensive logistics expertise and experience to the task of safely re-opening our campuses to in-person instruction this fall.”

By: Rusty Brooks

While much of New York City’s famed nightclubs, bars and music venues have vanished over the last two decades and much of the “scene” has moved to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, with the pandemic finishing off many more famed establishments. One trend in Manhattan that seems to keep going strong is the mock speakeasy bar. The latest success story riding the growing trend is a “speakeasy”, located at the entrance to the number 1 train on the IRT line.

At the southeast corner of 28th Street and Seventh Avenue, there is a door on the platform between the staircases to the 1 train that leads to a hidden bar serving up a chic vibe along with $17 cocktails. And with a list of more than 900 reservation requests, it’s also turned into one of the most coveted tickets in town.

Known as La Noxe, the popular spot is a concept created by Jey Perie, who was the founder of the former Williamsburg dance club Kinfolk.

“[In] early 2019, I was looking for any interesting locations that would allow me to develop my own take on a nightlife establishment,” he tells Travel + Leisure of the space that he first saw in The New York Times commercial real estate section. “I lived in Tokyo for six years and was impacted by the restaurants, bars, and clubs I frequented while I was there.” As soon as he came across the space underground at 28th Street, he instantly knew that was the spot.

In the early 1820s, the British used the phrase “speak softly shop” to describe the home of a smuggler. This phrase eventually changed to, “speakeasy shop.” People used this terminology to describe places where alcohol was sold to the public illegally. Since these places did not want to attract attention – especially that of local law enforcement officers – the idea was that customers needed to keep the noise down, or “speakeasy”.

Obviously, today there’s no need for an illegal drinking establishment, however the allure has remained.

Budget and The Bees blog explained the modern concept of a “speak easy”.

Today, modern speakeasies are popping up across the country in major cities. Spots such as The Barbershop strive to create the same atmosphere. They tuck themselves away behind secretive and elusive entrances, like an unassuming janitor door. When you step inside, you are transported into a 1920s-inspired establishment like no other.

Meanwhile, La Noxe is blowing up.

Perie told travel and Leisure, “Our goal is to build a strong community of people who love great food, cocktails, wine, and music.” He adds that the goal is to eventually open until 4 a.m. to truly embrace the nightlife scene. “We are definitely not trying to be a tourist attraction,” he says. “We believe the right people will always find their way to La Noxe.”

By: Ellen Cans

Robert Kraft resigned from the board of Apollo Global Management, the private-equity giant which has already seen its co-founder exit due to ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Kraft, 79, is the chairman and CEO of the Kraft Group, a holding company which includes assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, real estate development and a private equity portfolio. He is also the owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots. Last week, Kraft quietly stepped down as a director of Apollo, as per a Friday securities filing. “On April 6, 2021, Robert Kraft, a member of the Board of Directors of Apollo Global Management, informed the Company of his decision to resign as a member of the Board, effective immediately,” Apollo said in the filing.

As per the NY Post, the filing did not give a reason for the resignation, and Mr. Kraft declined to comment on Monday via his spokesperson. He has been on Apollo’s board since 2014. An insider source told the Post, that Kraft left on his own, and was not pressured to do so. Sources said that Kraft was a friend of billionaire Leon Black, who had made an immediate exit from his post as chairman and chief executive of the buyout firm on March 22nd.

The NY Post reported, quoting an inside source, that on Jan. 26 Kraft had told the Apollo board that he was planning to step down from the company by June 1, which would be his 80th birthday. That was one day following Black’s announcement that he would step down as Apollo’s CEO on or by July 31, his 70th birthday. Both ended up making unexpected early departures. In January, the board had asked Kraft to stay on while Apollo completed the company’s “transition,” the source said. It is not clear why Kraft decided to step down immediately last week. “Following Mr. Kraft’s resignation, the size of the Board shall decrease to twelve directors, two thirds of which continue to be independent directors,” Apollo said in the public filing on Friday.

The Post suggested that Kraft’s early exit may have something to do with his 2019 sex scandal, in which he was caught on tape visiting a seedy massage parlor in South Florida. In September, those charges against him were dropped, when a judge ruled the recording inadmissible as evidence.

When Kraft had joined Apollo’s board seven years ago, Black had praised him as “a seasoned executive and an exceptional leader,” adding that Apollo “will benefit greatly from his insights and expertise.”

Edited by: www.TJVNews.com

Tragically, when marriages end in divorce acrimony reigns supreme, but in the case of well-heeled folks, matters can get quite complicated. According to a report in the New York Post’s “Page Six” it appears that Stephen Ross, the owner of the Miami Dolphins football team and the Hudson Yards complex in New York City is facing some formidable challenges as he is in the midst of a divorce from his jewelry designer wife Kara, after 18 years of marriage.

While making an attempt to privately sort out the details, they couple finds themselves embroiled in an $8 billion divorce settlement.

Ross, 80, is the founder of Related Companies (one of the largest real estate companies in the United States) and is also an investor and majority stakeholder in such companies as Equinox and SoulCycle. As a long time friend of Donald Trump’s, Ross threw a $100K a seat fundraiser for him in the Hamptons in 2019.

The Post reported that Related is said to have developed or acquired more than $60 billion worth of properties from California to Shanghai, including a large amount of affordable housing.

In a joint statement sent to Page Six, the couple provided confirmation of their impending divorce and said, ““We have deep love and respect for each other. We will continue to be a part of each other’s lives and support what is best for the health and happiness of our family.” They each have two children from previous marriages.

Sources close to the couple have said that while divorce papers have not been filed, they have both retained prominent New York matrimonial attorneys to handle their case.

According to the Page Six report, Ross is being represented by William D. Zabel from Schulte Roth & Zabel, whose famous clients have included billionaire George Soros, golfer Greg Norman and Howard Stern. Kara is represented by Judith Poller at Pryor Cashman, who has previously handled cases for Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson.

At present, the couple are no longer living under the same roof and have separate residences. Page Six has reported that Ross is worth between $7 and $8 billion and that the couple signed a pre-nuptial agreement back in 2003 when they married.

The Post also reported that the Ross divorce could possibly be one of the most expensive marital splits in New York. The paper cited a legal source who is not involved in the Ross case who speculated that Kara’s settlement “could likely start at $100 million and go north to $200 or $300 million.”

Another insider told the Post that Ross’ business holdings such as his ownership of the Miami Dolphins football team and his Related Companies would not be adversely affected by the divorce. The source added that Kara would likely receive a sizeable sum of money.

Ross acquired 95 percent of the Dolphins for more than $1 billion in 2008 and 2009.

By Benyamin Davidsons

After months of turmoil, a Supreme Court judge has ruled that renters will indeed need to pay broker fees.

As reported by Crain’s NY, on Friday, Judge Susan Kushner of state Supreme Court in Albany ruled that previous guidance from Department of State which had prohibited brokers from collecting fees were “issued in error” and were “an unlawful intrusion upon the power of the Legislature.”

Following the state’s 2019 rent reforms, the State Department had issued a guidance, which read that landlords would have to pay the fees for brokers they hire to lease apartments, and banned the fees from being passed on to tenants. The pricey fee for a landlord’s broker, which can be one month’s rent or up to 15 percent of the year’s total rent, has long been billed to the renter. The new guidance wreaked havoc in the real estate industry, which was shocked that renters would not pay the commission. The industry swiftly moved to fight the guidance.

A lawsuit was brought forth in response by the Real Estate Board of New York, in collaboration with the New York State Association of Realtors. The suit argued that there was no precedent in legislative history which would allow the state’s interpretation of the rent law. Broker fees were not even mentioned when the law was debated in June, claimed REBNY.

Just days later, in February 2020, Judge Michael Mackey of state Supreme Court in Albany, had given the industry temporary reprieve by putting a temporary restraining order on the guidance. “We were told, overnight, ‘Well, you’ve run your business this way for decades, but you have to make a change right now,’” said Sarah Saltzberg, co-founder of the Bohemia Realty Group brokerage. “The judge’s order was absolutely the right thing to do.”

Now, Judge Kushner’s verdict fully solidifies that New York’s broker fees are back, as she deemed the controversial guidance “null and void”. The judge noted that the ban on tenants paying additional fees was only intended to apply to “application fees, background check fees, credit check fees, and any other fees,” with no mention being made in the statute about broker fees.

The REBNY lauded the judge’s decision. “This decision ensures that thousands of hardworking, honest real estate agents across New York state can earn commissions without fear of unwarranted discipline by the Department of State based on its erroneous interpretation of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act,” REBNY President James Whelan said in a statement.

By Benyamin Davidsons

A proposed bill would require Co-Op Boards to provide a written explanation of why it is turning down a potential buyer.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, in an effort to curb housing discrimination, New York State lawmakers are rolling out a new measure mandating that residential boards offer an explanation in writing when rejecting a potential apartment buyer. Currently, boards do not need to offer any reason, and rarely opt to specify their objection.

Democrats have previously brought forth similar bills, but to no avail. Now, it is being sponsored by housing committee chair Senator Brian Kavanagh (D., Manhattan), who will try to bring it to vote this year. Democrats feel they have an improved chance of getting the bill passed thanks to the current progressive sway of the state legislature.

Fair-housing advocates say that while it is illegal for co-Op boards to reject prospective residents based on a potential buyer’s race, sexual orientation or religion, there is no way of holding a board accountable. Local and federal antidiscrimination laws cannot be effective unless there is transparency for board decisions, advocates hold. Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, a sponsor of the bill in the State Assembly, noted that while discrimination is much less prevalent than it used to be, there is still the need to increase transparency to ensure that bias is not playing a part in the decision making.

As per the WSJ, the proposed bill also would require co-ops to specify their acceptance policies for applicants at the time of application, and to notify applicants of their decision within 90 days of the completed application.

Opponents to the bill argue that the proposed bill could lead to a flood of lawsuits against boards, if applicants don’t believe the stated reason. “I am concerned that something like this may actually create fodder for somebody who wants to make a claim of discrimination where the reasons may be legitimate,” said Steven Wagner, a real-estate lawyer. He said, weak financials or lack of required documents are still legitimate concerns against an applicant. Opponents to the bill say the risk of lawsuits could also dissuade residents from serving on co-op boards. “The vast majority of co-ops function like little democracies and work well,” said Mary Ann Rothman, executive director of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums, a lobbying and advocacy group. “People who serve on the board serve as volunteers and are protecting their own home and community.”

By Benyamin Davidsons

A proposed bill would require Co-Op Boards to provide a written explanation of why it is turning down a potential buyer.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, in an effort to curb housing discrimination, New York State lawmakers are rolling out a new measure mandating that residential boards offer an explanation in writing when rejecting a potential apartment buyer. Currently, boards do not need to offer any reason, and rarely opt to specify their objection.

Democrats have previously brought forth similar bills, but to no avail. Now, it is being sponsored by housing committee chair Senator Brian Kavanagh (D., Manhattan), who will try to bring it to vote this year. Democrats feel they have an improved chance of getting the bill passed thanks to the current progressive sway of the state legislature.

Fair-housing advocates say that while it is illegal for co-Op boards to reject prospective residents based on a potential buyer’s race, sexual orientation or religion, there is no way of holding a board accountable. Local and federal antidiscrimination laws cannot be effective unless there is transparency for board decisions, advocates hold. Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, a sponsor of the bill in the State Assembly, noted that while discrimination is much less prevalent than it used to be, there is still the need to increase transparency to ensure that bias is not playing a part in the decision making.

As per the WSJ, the proposed bill also would require co-ops to specify their acceptance policies for applicants at the time of application, and to notify applicants of their decision within 90 days of the completed application.

Opponents to the bill argue that the proposed bill could lead to a flood of lawsuits against boards, if applicants don’t believe the stated reason. “I am concerned that something like this may actually create fodder for somebody who wants to make a claim of discrimination where the reasons may be legitimate,” said Steven Wagner, a real-estate lawyer. He said, weak financials or lack of required documents are still legitimate concerns against an applicant. Opponents to the bill say the risk of lawsuits could also dissuade residents from serving on co-op boards. “The vast majority of co-ops function like little democracies and work well,” said Mary Ann Rothman, executive director of the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums, a lobbying and advocacy group. “People who serve on the board serve as volunteers and are protecting their own home and community.”