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NEW YORK OFFICIALS NOT BUYING AIRBNB’S ‘COMMUNITY COMPACT’ NEWS Company in PR push following string of bad news BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
A public relations push by Airbnb to cast itself as a good corporate citizen has been met with skepticism by New York lawmakers, who aren’t convinced the changes will bring about any additional regulatory compliance by the company. After fighting to defeat new rules in San Francisco and weathering a damaging story of a guest in Texas who died on
a faulty rope swing during an Airbnb stay (which was advertised in the listing as a draw), the company released what it called its Community Compact, a set of guidelines for working in a responsible way. The measures include a promise to pay hotel and tourist taxes in the cities in which Airbnb operates and the release of previously undisclosed data, such as the safety record of Airbnb listings and the number of days a typical listing is rented. In cities where officials have identified a shortage of longterm rental housing, the com-
WEEK OF NOVEMBR-DECEMBER
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What We’re Thankful For
State Sen. Liz Krueger, one of Airbnb’s toughest critics pany pledged to work with the Airbnb community, “to prevent short-term rentals from impacting the availability of longterm rental housing by ensur-
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TRACKING THE HOMELESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS Advocates worry new apps shame city’s homeless population BY JENNIFER PELTZ
On an app, pins on a New York City map chart sightings of homelessness, accompanied by photos of people lying on sidewalks, slumped in doorways, sitting on curbs with shopping carts piled high with bags. Hashtags frame the scenes: “NeedsMedicalAid,” “Encampment,” “AggressiveBegging,” “Violent.” On a similar Facebook page, residents of a Manhattan neighborhood share pictures and complaints about people
living on the streets, some halfnaked. A website created by a police union posts pictures of the homeless and vows, “We are watching you!” In a year of anxiety and frustration about homelessness in the nation’s biggest city, advocates for the homeless see the social media chronicling as more harassment than help. Organizers say they are only illustrating a pressing social problem to urge the city to solve it. “People thought I was picking on the homeless,” says Ed Mullins, who heads the police sergeants’ union that maintains Peek-a-booNYC, an online photo gallery of people on the streets. “My question is, `Well, what can you do better?’”
New York has the biggest homeless population of any U.S. city, according to federal statistics. There are currently estimated to be more than 57,700 homeless people in shelters, a 13 percent increase from
Reader Jay Hauben sent in this photo of the pool in Central Park in full autumn bloom. Do you have a snapshot you’d like to share with your neighbors? Email us at news@strausnews.com
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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