Emily Gallagher proposes new affordable housing laws + Sarahana Shrestha has a right-wing primary challenger
No. 361 | Monday, February 12, 2024
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (District 50, Greenpoint) and State Senator Cordell Cleare (District 30, Harlem) announced sweeping new legislation that would develop permanently affordable housing with union labor under a new state agency called the Social Housing Development Authority. The legislation already has the support of Assembly and Senate housing chairs, some labor unions, and many progressive nonprofits and advocacy organizations.
Staffing shortages at the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) have contributed to delays in affordable housing construction and preservation, according to a new report from the Comptroller.
State Senator Julia Salazar (District 18, Bushwick) proposed a bill that would facilitate the firing of abusive corrections officers.
A former police inspector with ties to Eric Adams admitted to funneling donations to Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign to take advantage of the city’s small-donor matching program.
Governor Hochul’s budget proposal includes a repeal of the requirement that employers give employees at least 5 additional paid sick days if they test positive for COVID-19.
Service and kitchen staff at the dine-in movie theater Nitehawk Prospect Park are unionizing, citing inadequate pay and benefits, and being scheduled to work beyond usual hours.
A federal judge cleared the way for NYC to overhaul how the NYPD responds to protests, after the Police Benevolent Association objected to a previous ruling.
The NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey, which is conducted every three years, found that just 1.4 percent of rental apartments were vacant, the lowest vacancy rate since 1968. The vacancy rates were even lower for more affordable apartments - the rate for apartments under $2,400 is just under 1%, and is 0.39% for apartments under $1,100.
Election News
Gabi Madden has announced a right-wing primary challenge against DSA-endorsed Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha (District 103, Kingston). Madden served as chief of staff for former Assembly Member Kevin Cahill before he was defeated by Shrestha in 2022 in a close race.
The New York Board of Elections voted to keep former president Donald Trump on the state’s Republican primary ballot.
City & State published a list of the 2024 state legislature races to watch. The list includes all three of the districts in which NYC-DSA has endorsed insurgent candidates: Claire Valdez in AD-37, Eon Huntley in AD-56, and Jonathan Soto in AD-82.
The NYC Local
We're excited to say that Alex Chan, David Kim, and David Turner have revived our chapter's labor newsletter, The Local. It arrives every other week with a focus on labor organizing, bargaining, and local legislation that impacts NYC's workers. Give them a follow and thoughts about what you'd like to see from a socialist labor newsletter.
Revolutions Per Minute
Listen to NYC-DSA's weekly radio show Revolutions Per Minute. Check out the show here.
