Opening Day Updates from New York
Get your group chats fired up for the latest from city and state politics and policy
Many New Yorkers are celebrating today’s start of baseball season, but our eyes are on next Tuesday. April 1st marks the state budget deadline amidst potentially massive federal aid cuts, the launch of seasonal outdoor dining, and the day penalties kick in for violations of residential composting requirements—and that’s just the start.
See below for more of the latest news to (April) shower into your abundance-minded Signal chats.
Tough Times and Tough Races
New data confirms that straits are dire for New Yorkers: 1 in 4 can’t afford necessities like housing and food, and middle-income residents are becoming increasingly likely to face evictions.
The scale of the crisis, along with advocacy from New Yorkers like you, is waking up much of the mayoral field to the need for housing abundance. State Senator Zellnor Myrie is calling for 700,000 new homes; Comptroller Brad Lander has a plan for 500,000; and even socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani wants more transit-oriented development and upzoning for market-rate development.
Speaking of the mayoral race, new polling still has ex-Governor Andrew Cuomo ahead, hovering around 40%, while Mamdani has surpassed Lander as the most likely second-place finisher if the election were held today.
The rest of the candidates are drawing comfort from the fact that Kathryn Garcia, who fell 7,000 votes short of winning in 2021, was polling at 5% at this point that year—and they’re hoping that the New York Times decides to reverse course on their earlier commitment not to endorse this time around, since Garcia surged after getting that nod.
📖 Read more about the political consequences of the housing shortage and population loss for New York in State Senator Andrew Gounardes’s op-ed: “When residents leave, power follows”
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back on the Streets
Down the ballot, the City Council is flexing its muscle on remaking the streetscape. This week, they passed a suite of bills sponsored by Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher to get unsightly and unnecessary scaffolding off the streets faster.
Unfortunately, the Council hasn’t corrected the shortcomings of permanent outdoor dining, with the onerous requirements of the seasonal program and agency delays leading to a low number of applications and approvals this spring.
In any case, the streetscape is benefiting from congestion pricing. In addition to its commute, commerce, and climate benefits, new data shows that revenue is exceeding expectations and that disabled New Yorkers are moving faster in paratransit.
It’s no wonder Knicks legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier is “loving the congestion pricing.” Thankfully Governor Hochul is also reasserting her support in the face of threats from DC, including speaking out—and shouting out Abundance—after a downtown bus ride.
👉 Take action on outdoor dining by attending a press conference about a state bill being introduced by Assemblymember Tony Simone mandating a year-round program at 10am on Monday, March 31, at Chelsea’s Empire Diner (at 210 Tenth Avenue)
Conflict in Albany—and Advocacy Efforts Underway
In the capital, Hochul is pushing her other priorities via the state budget—due 4/1 but likely to be delayed. She wants a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools, rollbacks to criminal justice reforms, and limits on wearing masks in public.
Also key to the budget talks: funding $68B for the MTA amidst uncertainty about federal help. Chair and CEO Janno Lieber is arguing that contrary to persistent critique, the agency is now a sound steward of resources.
Absent this year are big swings on housing affordability (“This year’s budget proposals don’t include any major initiatives to remove barriers that block new housing across the state”) and climate change (“big-ticket climate items [have] gotten short shrift in budget talks”)—though the state did just release draft rules on its “cap and invest” program.
While the Governor is primarily focused on education and public safety, abundance advocates are pushing for policies and items in the budget that would drive meaningful progress on housing, transit, and climate: allowing faith institutions to build housing on their land, reducing vehicle miles traveled statewide, ending requirements for gas hookups in new homes, and more.
👉 Take action on the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act by attending a “faith walk” for affordable housing on April 9 at noon in the Bronx, sponsored by Open New York.
Keep an eye out for more opportunities to influence these political and policy fights—and for more ways to come together with this community.
To start, remember to indicate interest in our Abundance book club if you haven’t already!