Hopes for Housing and Criminal Justice Bills in Final Week of Session + Council and Mayor Battle over City Budget
No. 325 | Monday, June 5, 2023
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
Before the legislative session ends this week, state lawmakers appear to be negotiating toward a housing compromise bill that could incorporate some of the affordability protections and incentives for housing construction that were omitted from the budget earlier this spring.
Advocates are hopeful that the State passes the Clean Slate Act, which would seal most criminal records after a period of time, eliminating a barrier to employment and housing for many New Yorkers with criminal records.
NYC-DSA's three state senators have announced that they will vote against confirming Justin Driscoll, a former fossil fuel lobbyist, as CEO of the New York Power Authority (NYPA). NYPA is mandated to carry out the sweeping mandates passed in the Build Public Renewables Act earlier this year.
City Council leadership and Mayor Adams appear to be facing significant conflicts over the mayor's desire to implement spending cuts in the FY24 budget deal due at the end of June.
Mayor Adams joined national right-wing figures in attacking a CUNY Law School graduate who made a speech critical of Israel and the NYPD at her school's commencement last month. Many of these critics are calling for defunding CUNY as punishment for allowing the speech. While Adams has not indicated his interest in doing this, he already proposed budget cuts to CUNY totalling $155 million, according to a comptroller report.
The departure of Mayor Adams’ chief housing officer last week highlighted an unusually high rate of turnover for senior staff in his administration during his 18 months of service.
The City Department of Corrections has announced that it will stop notifying the public when an incarcerated person dies, which they claim was just an informal practice that the de Blasio administration implemented and will no longer be followed.
The New York Times profiled a community policing pilot program in Brownsville where local residents responded to 911 calls about minor conflicts without involving the NYPD.
AirBnB sued the City of New York ahead of the City's plan to enforce a 2021 law that limits the platform's home shares to short-term rentals.
Elections
The City and NY1 released an interactive portal that highlights all 51 city council districts across NYC and describes whether or not they have competitive races in this month’s primary election.
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