NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Jersey City Lawmakers to Vote on Rent Algorithm Software Ban, Ferry Seat Prices Going Up, Columbia University Holds Commencement, and Fleet Week Begins

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

Lawmakers in Jersey City will vote Wednesday on whether to ban rent algorithm software like RealPage to set rental rates. Meanwhile, the cost to reserve a seat on NYC Ferry trips to the Rockaways is going up. Also, it’s commencement day at Columbia University, following a tense year on campus. Plus, Fleet Week is officially underway in New York City.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Wednesday, May 21st. Here's the morning headlines from Tiffany Hanson. Lawmakers in Jersey City will vote tonight on a bill to ban landlords from using rent algorithm software like Real Page to set rental rates. Councilmember James Solomon wrote the legislation. He says the technology shares non-public information among landlords to drive rents higher. and that amounts to collusion. You have to do a lot of things to solve the housing crisis.

But if one of the core drivers is some of the biggest billion-dollar real estate companies engaging in illegal cartel behavior, we are going to tackle that. New Jersey's Attorney General has also sued software providers and major landlords for using the technology to set rents. The company, Real Page, denies that it uses data illegally. Some property owners say a ban ignores the real problem. a shortage of affordable housing in New Jersey. It'll be easier to catch New York City ferry to the Rockways this summer and a little more expensive. WNYC's Liam Quigley reports on the simplest way to catch a boat to the beach. Every summer, the NYC ferry offers one-seat rides from Wall Street, North Brooklyn,

and Long Island City all the way down to the Rockaways. But it can be hard to secure a spot on the boat. Three years ago, the city began allowing riders to pay a premium to reserve a spot on a trip. And this year, officials say they'll offer more trips than ever. Reserving a seat on the NYC Ferry's Rockaway Rocket or Rockaway Reserve Boats will cost $12. That's up from last year when they charged $10 for the reserve seats and higher than the $4.50 cost for a regular ferry ticket. The city's Economic Development Corporation, which runs the ferry system, says higher ticket prices means less taxpayer dollars are subsidizing the service. It's commencement week at Columbia University. Graduation will take place at 1030 this morning,

capping another turbulent year on campus. Following the pro-Palestinian protests and encampment that roiled campus last year of the Trump administration slashed funding to the university in February, accusing it of failing to address anti-Semitism. Columbia then agreed to some of the administration's demands, hoping to restore the funds. Still, negotiations between Washington and the school remain ongoing. It's also Fleet Week and it's time to buy a sailor a drink. Fleet Week gets underway as New Yorker salute members of the armed forces. And to help with that salute, the city will set off celebratory cannons this morning in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn. You can expect that celebration starting at 11 with cannon testing between 9 and 930. Weather-wise currently overcast with rain on the way

and steady temperatures in the mid-50s. Thanks for listening. This is NYW. Now from WMYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a date for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives, and subscribe wherever you get your podcast. NYC.