Adams Announces Budget + Court Orders New District Maps
No. 268 | Monday, May 2
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News:
Mayor Eric Adams announced a new $100 billion operating budget for the city, which includes increased funding for education and social services alongside the NYPD, reversing an earlier pledge to keep police spending flat.
Housing advocates are unimpressed with the budget’s $2.5 billion annual commitment to affordable housing, which falls short of the $4 billion Adams promised when running for Mayor.
Mayor Adams' proposed Parks Department budget falls far short of his campaign promise to bring parks funding to 1 percent of the City budget. Council Member Chi Osse has called on the Mayor and Council to push toward a similar 1 percent benchmark for the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Rent Guidelines Board held a hearing where landlord interests called for one-year rent increases of up to 6.5% on the City's million rent-stabilized apartments.
An appointed panel on education policy rejected the city’s initial funding formula for public schools, raising long-standing concerns about the formula’s equity during what is usually a routine annual vote.
A community board in Manhattan's Chinatown rejected a proposal to build a new homeless shelter on 231 Grand St. following community opposition.
The New York City Council voted to pass the transparency law which requires businesses to disclose minimum and maximum pay ranges on their job postings. Notable exemptions include jobs that can't or won't be performed entirely in New York City. Also, companies can't be sued for not posting salary ranges. Instead, all complaints are to be sent to the Human Rights Commission, which will investigate.
Council Members have introduced a bill aimed at ensuring the presence of at least one public bathroom in every zip code in the city.
For decades residents of the Jewel Streets have dealt with what has been called The Hole, a 20-square block that has never been connected to the sewer system, and as a result regularly floods. Local leaders have pushed for improvements with no meaningful response from city officials.
Elections:
The New York Court of Appeals ruled 4-3 that the recently passed maps for State Senate and Congressional districts violated the State constitution and ordered new maps to be drawn by a "special court master." The Court also ruled that the primaries, currently scheduled for June 28th, will likely have to be moved to August to give time for new districts to be drawn (although that decision is ultimately up to the state Board of Elections). While the Assembly districts were not challenged in this lawsuit, that map faces a new suit filed last week and may need to be redrawn as well.
Assemblymember Robert Carroll criticized fellow Assembly Member and Brooklyn party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, referring to Hermelyn as “Donald Trump in Brooklyn” after the Board of Elections rejected a challenge to petitions for judicial candidates backed by Hermelyn.
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