STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding NLV City Council Financial Impact Statement (Neighborhood Stability):

ONLINE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, July 6, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT:

Bethany Khan: bkhan@culinaryunion226.org ▪ (702) 387-7088 

STATEMENT by Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge regarding NLV City Council Financial Impact Statement (Neighborhood Stability): 

The Culinary Union sent a letter requesting that the North Las Vegas City Council delay adoption of the Financial Impact Statement of the proposed Neighborhood Stability Ordinance. 

The citizens of North Las Vegas deserve to have an accurate understanding of the impact of the Neighborhood Stability Ordinance and the one study referenced in the staff report does not provide that. There is an urgent crisis of rising rents in North Las Vegas, rent increased 25% in North Las Vegas on average in 2021. Since 2019, rent for a one-bedroom apartment has gone up 47% and rent has risen 38% for all apartments. The Neighborhood Stability Ordinance is the only viable solution that has been publicly proposed to address this urgent crisis in the immediate term.

The figure referenced in the Financial Impact Statement regarding a loss of 1.8% per year in property values does not appear to be referenced in the Brookings Institute article that is cited in the staff document, which is the sole citation provided. The staff report does not include cost savings from reduced evictions due to lower rents or increased sales tax revenue that will likely result from tenants having more money to spend on goods rather than rising rent.

Neighborhood Stability will prevent North Las Vegas residents from being evicted and in some cases becoming homeless. Reduced costs associated with lower rates of homelessness and crime moving forward are also not accounted for in the Financial Impact Statement. 

North Las Vegans deserve a clear and comprehensive report on the financial impact of the Neighborhood Stability Ordinance, this document does not provide that.  

The City of North Las Vegas should provide staff with additional time to ensure that working families in North Las Vegas are fully informed of the impact of Neighborhood Stability on their community, thus the Culinary Union urges the North Las Vegas City Council to delay adopting the Financial Impact Statement of the proposed Neighborhood Stability Ordinance as written.

ABOUT CULINARY UNION:

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 300,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. 

The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 145,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.  

The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest Latinx/Black/AAPI/immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project.  

The Culinary Union has a diverse membership which is 55% women and 45% immigrants. The demographics of Culinary Union members are approximately: 54% Latinx, 18% white, 15% Asian, 12% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples. 

Culinary Union members work as: Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting and winning for working families in Nevada for 87 years.

CulinaryUnion226.org / @Culinary226 

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