Arsenic Discovered in NYCHA Water Supply + DSA Primary Roundup
No. 286 | Monday, September 5, 2022
Local News
The New York Housing Authority warned residents of the Jacob Riis Houses in the East Village to not drink the tap water as tests revealed it contains high levels of arsenic. The results were known by NYCHA managers for two weeks prior to them being released to residents.
Arrests for low-level crimes like fare evasion and petty theft have risen by 25% under Mayor Adams, the first such increase in a decade.
The Court of Appeals may have broken the law in its selection of an interim replacement for outgoing Chief Janet DiFiore, allowing her to improperly select her successor.
The City Council is considering a bill to outlaw 24-hour shifts for home care workers, after a similar bill failed at the state level.
The Brooklyn Democratic Party diluted the power of County Committee members in an effort to consolidate power around Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who has faced questions about her leadership.
With ebike subsidies left out of federal climate legislation, the state legislature may take up the issue next year.
City workers’ vacancy rate has quadrupled since the pandemic to 8%, as the City fails to compete with the private and nonprofit sectors’ willingness to offer flexible work options.
Data collected by the United States Geologic Survey shows the areas in dire need for greater flood protection. Those areas include Park Slope, Gowanus, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Woodside, and Jackson Heights amongst others.
Elections
City & State covered the successes of DSA and other statewide progressives in the August primary.
The 2022 primaries saw mixed results for the Working Families Party.
There will be four ballot proposals for New York City voters to vote on in November.
Speculation continues about whether State Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, who narrowly lost to Daniel Goldman in the NY-10 primary race, will mount a challenge to Goldman in the general election on the Working Families Party line. According to a spokesperson for the party, WFP has until September 6 to decide.
A lawsuit filed by conservatives to block New York City's efforts to grant the right to vote in local elections to noncitizens is citing the words of several members of the Adams administration, including ex-Council Member Laurie Cumbo, who alleged that expanding the right to vote is racist.
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE
Listen to NYC-DSA's weekly radio show Revolutions Per Minute. Check out the show here.
Contribute to The Thorn!
We welcome submissions of in-depth articles, comics and illustrations from anyone in DSA. Whether you want to write for us or share a story we should cover, please get in touch. Email: hello[at]thethorn.nyc