NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Rent Guidelines Board Approves Rent Hikes, Ranked Choice Voting Results to be Released, and Staten Island Family Can Temporarily Keep Pet Pig in City

Episode Date: July 1, 2025

Rents are going up for nearly 1 million New Yorkers in rent-stabilized apartments after the Rent Guidelines Board approved increases Monday night. Starting in October, one-year leases will rise 3 percent, and two-year leases will go up 4.5 percent. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are getting their first look at ranked choice results from last week’s primary election. Plus, a Staten Island family will be allowed to keep their pet pig temporarily while it receives medical treatment. But once it recovers, the mayor says the pig must move to the family’s upstate home, where owning a pig as a pet is legal.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, July 1st. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. In the news this morning, rents are going up for nearly a million New Yorkers in rent-stabilized departments. Starting in October, one-year leases will rise 3%, and 2-year leases will jump 4.5%. The Rent Guidelines Board approved the hikes last night after a heated debate. Landlords say they need the increases to maintain aging buildings, but tenant advocates and elected officials, including mayoral hopeful, Zoran Mamdani, warn the hikes will worsen New York's affordability crisis. The vote comes as housing costs take center stage in this year's mayoral race. And New Yorkers are getting their first look at the ranked choice results from last week's primary election.

WNIC's Bridget Bergman reports what you can expect to see later today. Assembly member Zoran Mamdani leads former governor, Andrew Cuomo, 43 to 36 percent in the Democratic mayoral primary. But those numbers only account for voters who ranked each candidate as their first choice. Since no one won a clean majority, the city's board of elections, now turns to rank choice tabulations. They'll be done by a computer, knocking off each candidate until a victor is determined. They're slated to start releasing those numbers at noon. Mamdani is on pace to win. estimates show he needs to pick up about 65,000 votes from eliminated candidates to secure a majority.

Staten Island Swine is in luck. Mayor Adam says he's agreed to let an ailing pet pig named Lucy stay with her. Human family while she gets medical care. It's technically illegal to have a pet pig in New York City. City officials were going to confiscate Lucy from her Staten Island home when they found out about her. But Lucy's family and elected officials pleaded with the mayor to let her stay. Adam says Lucy can continue to live in her home in a residential neighborhood while she gets treatment. But when the pig is feeling better, the mayor says she has to move to the family's upstate home, where it is legal for pigs to be pets. Here is our forecast now.

75 and partly sunny showers and thunderstorms today mid-afternoon through evening. Some could be severe, a high and near 88 today. So muggy once again. Thanks for listening. This is NYC 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 podcasts. I see.