Zhuang Charged With Felony for Biting Cop + Mamdani Considers Mayoral Run
No. 384 | Monday, July 22, 2024
The NYC Thorn is a weekly roundup of local political news compiled by members of NYC-DSA.
Local News
Council Member Susan Zhuang (District 43, Bensonhurst) was charged with felony assault after allegedly biting a police officer at a protest against a homeless shelter in her district. Mayor Eric Adams later met with CM Zhuang and Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who issued a statement of support for Zhuang that described the NYPD as a “mob of unknown forces, allegedly police officers.”
The Transport Workers Union and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams sued the MTA for cutting bus service after the suspension of congestion pricing and won a temporary restraining order from a state judge. Comptroller Brad Lander is preparing a legal challenge in the coming weeks that would force the State to restart the congestion pricing program.
Hell Gate fact-checked Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest anecdote that hotel workers “applauded” her decision to indefinitely delay congestion pricing.
Few applications have been filed for outdoor dining as the City’s new regulations are set to kick in this fall, leading many restaurants and advocates concerned that the new regulations will effectively kill the popular program.
With almost no public scrutiny, NYC gave over half a billion dollars in tax subsidies to the New York Yankees and an Emirati oil baron to build a new soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens.
City Council Member Lincoln Restler (District 33, Greenpoint) has introduced legislation to require landlords to install and maintain air-conditioning units in residential buildings. The bill is co-sponsored by six other Council Members and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
City Council submitted their “advise and consent” bill to the Board of Elections in hopes of gaining voter approval for expanding Council oversight to more Mayoral appointments. The bill will only make it onto the November ballot if the Mayor’s Charter Revision Commission fails to meet its deadlines, as the law only allows one ballot question, and charter revisions take precedence.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams indicated that City Council may decide not to act to lower speed limits within City limits, despite newly gaining the power to do so with the recent passage of Sammy’s Law.
NYC schools are planning to introduce a classroom cell phone ban in February.
Gothamist published a guide on how to start your own tenant association.
Election News
DSA-endorsed Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (District 36, Astoria) is considering a run for mayor next year.
Scott Stringer, Zellnor Myrie, and Brad Lander all posted six-figure fundraising hauls ahead of their expected mayoral campaigns, and Mayor Adams announced over $1 million in fundraising in the most recent reporting period. Andrew Cuomo also spent on polling as he considers a run.
Mayor Adams’ fundraising figures may be inflated by many donations that exceed the legal limit for businesses that do business with the City, which will identified and refunded in a few weeks.
Final spending reports were released by 2024 campaigns, revealing unprecedented sums of money spent in Assembly races against DSA- and WFP-endorsed candidates. Of note, Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman (District 56, Bedford Stuyvesant) spent almost $715k to narrowly defeat Eon Huntley.
Two potential conservative Democrats are emerging as candidates in next year's race to succeed term-limited Council Member Robert Holden (District 30, Maspeth): Dermot Smyth, a United Federation of Teachers staffer, and Daniel Kurzyna, Holden's chief of staff.
Gothamist summarized New York Democrats’ reactions to President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the Presidential election.
The NYC Local
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