Cabán approves Astoria rezoning project + Adams orders city agency budget cuts
No. 288 | Monday, September 19, 2022
Local News:
City Council Member Tiffany Cabán (District 22, Astoria) announced her support for a major rezoning project in her district that would build 1,300 new units in three towers, after the developer committed to a number of larger apartments that would be regulated at deep affordability levels.
Four months after the New York Public Service Commission enabled a private-equity backed company to purchase two power plants in Staten Island and Oswego, the biggest oil spill in New York in 30 years was recorded in the Oswego Harbor. Researchers estimate that over 20% of New York’s fossil fuel power plant capacity is now owned by private equity, with lax oversight.
Manhattan office workers are slowly returning to in-person work, with approximately 49% of workers in offices on any given weekday, up from 38% in April. However, most of the workers have a hybrid work agreement, and over a fifth of all offices remain vacant.
In response to a recent influx of migrants arriving in New York, Mayor Adams suggested that the City’s constitutional obligation to offer shelter to all New Yorkers should be reconsidered.
Mayor Adams quietly vetoed a bill in January meant to ensure that City's loft spaces are inhabited by artists, an act thought to have directly benefited Adams' friend Scott Sartiano, who purchased a downtown loft shortly after the veto.
Mayor Adams ordered city agencies to cut their budgets by 7.75% over the next four fiscal years. Agency heads must submit their plans by the end of this month.
Despite the HALT Solitary Confinement Act being fully implemented earlier this year, New York state prisons are still holding prisoners in solitary confinement for longer than the law permits.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is being sued by Charlotte Bennett for sexual harassment, along with several former aides who allegedly enabled or covered up that behavior.
In response to a shortage of attorneys across city government, Mayor Adams is seeking to attract big law firms to conduct pro bono work on behalf of the City, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
Amid the crisis at the Jacob Riis Houses, the current CEO and Chairman of NYCHA Gregory Russ will step down as CEO but continue as chair. The chairman position has a salary equal to Mayor Adams, and NYCHA will continue to pay his travel expenses as he still lives in Minnesota.
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