Joshua Solomon reports in the Times Union that while "Good Cause" eviction laws have been passed on the local level, but efforts by progressive Democrats to pass a statewide law have stalled. A bill in Albany has been referred to a housing committee, but has made little in the early days of the current legislative session. Meanwhile the cities of Albany, Newburgh, and Poughkeepsie passed their own good cause eviction bills. Hudson passed a law that was vetoed by Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson, and a replacement bill then failed with the Hudson Common Council. "Good cause" eviction laws require the automatic renewal of leases, removing the ability for landlords to displace tenants at the end of their lease. Landlords can still evict tenants for a variety of reasons, such as conducting illegal activity, damaging property, or nonpayment of rent but only if rent increases have been kept under five percent a year. But while there has been some success locally passing the tenant protection legislation, it is being undermined by the lack of a statewide measure. Asked about the "Good Cause" law passed in the City of Albany during a state budget public hearing with Feb. 9, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, "Well, we've been sued." That's because the city is preempted by the state. If New York passed statewide eviction standards, that "would allow us to move forward with something that is really important," Sheehan said. "When you have security in housing, then you have security in families," the mayor said. "We have such transience that we see and it impacts school performance, it impacts peoples' mental health, it creates anxiety and it takes resources from people who are in the least position to be able to marshal those resources." Jumaane Williams, the New York City public advocate now running for governor against incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul, said that he thought Democratic leadership are not backing "Good Cause" legislation because they are beholden to developers and property owners. Hochul, for instance, held a "small, private" dinner for donors Feb. 10 in Manhattan at Hudson Yards, a massive recent development in the city that was developed by Related Companies, cost between $10,000 and $45,200 to attend. Hochul's office claims the governor has "taken decisive action to protect tenants.... We will continue to work closely with the legislature and members of the advocacy community to protect vulnerable New Yorkers and keep tenants in their homes," the governor's office said in its statement. Read more about this story in the Times Union.