DSA Sweeps State Legislative Races
No 176
Monday, July 27, 2020
A note to our readers: The Thorn has switched from Mailchimp to Substack so we can keep delivering you local New York politics news from a socialist perspective with fewer administrative costs. Starting in January 2022 our new issues can be at thethornnyc.substack.com along with how to subscribe. This website will serve as an archive of our past issues.
Elections
- DSA-backed candidates Jabari Brisport, Marcela Mitaynes, Phara Souffrant Forrest, and Zohran Mamdani all won their legislative races. Other socialist and progressive candidates also won their state elections, including Emily Gallagher, Kahleel Anderson, and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. Gotham Gazette covered the sweeping victories of DSA-endorsed and other progressive candidates in last month’s primary, which is now confirmed by absentee counts.
- Vito Bruno, a nightclub owner from Bay Ridge, is planning a serious Republican challenge against State Senator Andrew Gounardes (District 22, Southern Brooklyn) this November, who managed to flip the historically Republican district away from Marty Golden two years ago.
Local News
- The State Legislature reconvened last week and passed several pieces of legislation, including automatic voter registration, a requirement for contractors to pay airport workers the prevailing wage, limitations on legal immunity for nursing homes and hospitals facing malpractice suits, a two year moratorium on the use of facial recognition software in schools, and redistricting changes that will likely result in more Democratic districts for the 2022 campaign cycle.
- Assembly Member Richard Gottfried and State Senator Alessandra Biaggi called on the legislature to pass the Budget Equity Act, which would strengthen the legislature’s power over budget negotiations by allowing it to modify appropriations within the budget, as opposed to the current system of being offered all-or-nothing proposals from the Governor. Ten progressive and socialist Democrats who are now headed to Albany have also written a public letter to Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins that demands the passage of this bill along with taxing the rich.
- New York State’s emergency rent relief program, which is designed to help a relatively small subset of renters and will give rent voucher money directly to landlords, is under fire for being inaccessible and restrictive.
- A federal judge has blocked the release of NYPD police misconduct records following a lawsuit from the city’s police union.