Statement From Attorney General James In Response To Mayor De Blasio's "state Of The City" Address

In response to today’s “State of the City” address given by Mayor de Blasio, Attorney General Letitia James released the following statement:

“I applaud the proposals Mayor de Blasio put forward in his State of the City address today. In particular, his retirement savings proposal is vitally important for ensuring the financial stability and independence of older New Yorkers. Through legislation and policy, I have long championed providing all New Yorkers access to retirement savings programs, and efforts to automatically enroll workers in those plans. This proposal will keep thousands of elderly New Yorkers out of poverty, and will preserve city resources. I also applaud the Mayor’s proposal to create an office of tenant protection. As my previous work as Public Advocate documented, for too long, landlords have used tenant harassment, neglect, and unjust eviction as a business model with almost complete impunity. Creating an office to strengthen and better coordinate enforcement against these unjust and illegal activities will teach landlords that those practices must end, and will provide tenants with much needed support.”