NYC Budget
No 17
Monday, June 12, 2017
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Local News
- The 2018 New York City budget was passed this week. Proceedings were not without drama, particularly in the form of a disagreement between Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito over city funding for legal defense fees for undocumented immigrants facing deportation. Mayor de Blasio wanted to withhold from individuals who had committed “serious” (felony-level) crimes. Speaker Mark-Viverito inserted additional funds into the budget in a separate item to preserve the availability of legal aid. The Mayor has the ability to veto the additional program, though it is unclear at this point whether he will do so.
- A number of City politicians, including Mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis and rogue Democrat State Senator Simcha Felder, were vocal in their belief that de Blasio should veto the additional budget provisions added by the City Council.
- The De Blasio administration chose not to include a proposed Fair Fares pilot program in the City budget passed this week.
- Mayor De Blasio is refusing to back the “Move NY” congestion pricing plan that would produce 1.3 billion dollars worth of tolls per year.
- The NYC pension fund will be the first in nation to fully divest from private prisons after a unanimous vote by its trustees.
- Despite recent pressure from the national DNC and congressional Democrats, the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) is still refusing to budge from its power sharing agreement with Senate Republicans, preventing mainline New York Democrats from gaining a majority in the State Senate.
- The referendum on a statewide constitutional convention on the ballot this November is pitting progressive activists who support the convention against organized labor, which opposes it.
- One of NYC’s largest landlords, Steve Croman, will likely spend a year on Rikers Island after pleading guilty to grand larceny and tax fraud. He would be one of the only NYC landlords to serve jail time for illegal business practices, and he has an additional case pending against him for tenant harassment.
Elections
- Christine Parker, the deputy director of the Cultural Museum of African Art and cousin of State Senator Kevin Parker, has entered the 35th Council District race as a Republican, challenging DSA endorsee Jabari Brisport (Green) and the eventual winner of the Democratic primary between Laurie Cumbo and Ede Fox.
- Queens Council Member Julissa Ferreras’ surprise announcement that she won’t not seek re-election has thrown a wrench into the speaker’s race next year, with liberal establishment support potentially headed to Mark Levine (West Harlem), Corey Johnson (Chelsea), or others.
- Ede Fox, a challenger to incumbent Laurie Cumbo in the 35th Council District (Crown Heights), released a statement calling for an expedited Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) on the Bedford-Union Armory. If successful, this would force Cumbo to make a final vote before September’s Democratic primary.
- On the federal level, Governor Cuomo is launching a campaign with Nancy Pelosi to help Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives in 2018.