Mamdani Endorsed by Working Families Party + Landlord Revenues Increase 12%
No. 420 | Monday, March 31, 2025
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA. We Are Looking for New Volunteers to Join our Editorial Team! If you are interested, please contact us:
Local News
The New York State budget is due this week per state law. There are currently no plans to continue to fund a childcare voucher program that began during the coronavirus pandemic.
City Councilmember Justin Brannan, who is running for Comptroller, wants the city to divest $1.2 billion of city pensions from Tesla.
A judge ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop trying to deport a Columbia University student who had participated in pro-Palestine protests on campus. The student is a legal permanent resident and has lived in the US for fourteen years.
A new report about the impact of congestion pricing found that it has brought the Metropolitan Transit Authority over $100 million since it launched in January. Service and travel times have also improved for Access-A-Ride riders.
A new environmental study from the City’s Department of Environmental Protection predicts that excessive use of road salt upstate will make the City’s water unsafe to drink by 2100.
The Rent Guidelines Board found that landlord revenues increased by 12% across the city compared to last year. For Manhattan apartments below 96th Street, revenues increased by 23%.
Election News
Several new polls of the City’s Democratic mayoral primary show NYC-DSA-endorsed Zohran Mamdani, currently an assemblymember (District 36, Astoria), in a clear second place to former governor Andrew Cuomo. All other candidates poll in the single digits.
After a candidate forum earlier this month, the Working Families Party endorsed Mamdani, as well as Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (District 28, Jamaica), City Comptroller Brad Lander, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie (District 20, central Brooklyn), as part of their DREAM (Don’t Rank Eric [Adams] or Andrew [Cuomo] for Mayor) strategy. They will announce rankings of their endorsed candidate closer to the election.
Amidst Cuomo’s claims that he will be a pro-tenant mayor, Hell Gate has published an overview of the anti-tenant actions he took as Governor, including a vast reduction in the number of rent-stabilized units in New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams’s reelection campaign has not yet petitioned the city’s Campaign Finance Board for $4 million in matching funds it was denied last year. The move casts doubt on the seriousness of his campaign.
A pro-Israel group called Solidarity PAC is supporting a challenge to City Councilmember Shahana Hanif (District 39, Park Slope) over her pro-Palestine views. A related PAC, Brooklyn Bridgebuilders, is also considering getting involved in the race to unseat DSA-endorsed City Councilmember Alexa Aviles (District 38, Sunset Park).
The Thorn is published weekly by the Electoral Working Group of the NYC Democratic Socialists of America. Join the Electoral Working Group! Volunteer for NYC-DSA-endorsed mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and NYC-DSA-endorsed City Council candidate Alexa Aviles (District 38, Sunset Park)!
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