Adams Calls for Rikers “Plan B” + RSVP for the Thorn's 300th Issue Party!
No. 303 | Monday, January 2, 2023
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Come celebrate with us at our 300th Issue Party next Sunday, January 8th between 4-8 PM! The party will be held in Manhattan at the NYC-DSA Office at 14 Jefferson St, New York, NY 10002. RSVP and more details here.
Local News
Mayor Adams raised serious doubts about his interest to follow through with the City's legally mandated plan to close Rikers Island by 2027, calling for a "Plan B" after he projected an increase in inmates in the coming years.
Opposition continues to mount against Governor Hochul's Chief Judge nominee Hector LaSalle, who will now require Republican votes if he makes it to a hearing.
Almost two years after New York State legalized recreational marijuana, the first licensed cannabis store opened for business in Manhattan. The rollout of legal cannabis in New York has been fraught with delays that led to an explosion of illegal retailers, as well as challenges for individuals with criminal histories to receive prioritization for new licenses.
Traffic fatalities in NYC were down in 2022 from an outlier year in 2021, but remain stubbornly above pre-pandemic levels. The Department of Transportation, incapacitated by staff attrition, will fail to meet legally mandated bike lane and bus lane expansion targets this year.
Citi Bike raised rider fees for the second time in 2022, raising questions about both Lyft's management of the system and the City's refusal to publicly subsidize the eight-year-old bike share program.
Governor Hochul signed a bill late last week to give New York State lawmakers a $32k pay raise.
Gothamist compiled a list of Rep.-Elect George Santos’s lies about his own background.
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