As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and affordable-housing advocates push state legislators to strengthen protections for the city’s rent-stabilized tenants, they argue that these mostly poor residents are uniquely burdened by unaffordable rents.

“Rent-stabilized tenants are paying more than 30% of the incomes on rent,” said Harvey Epstein, a tenant member of the city’s rent-setting Rent Guidelines Board, at a recent meeting. “That ain’t right. The rent is way damn too high.”

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