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News of the Week

How NYC Can Overhaul ‘Discriminatory’ Government Fines and Fees: Report
New York City collects about $2 billion a year on things like tickets, surcharges and other fees—which typically don't take into account the recipient's ability to pay. The city should take a page from San Francisco, a new report argues, and eliminate or overhaul monetary fees that disproportionately burden low-income residents, a new report argues.

To Renew or Rebuild? Albany Considers Alternatives to Mayoral Control of Schools
New York legislators have until June 30 to decide if they want to extend mayoral control again, and if so, for how long. If they choose not to extend, they need to come up with a new system, since few legislators seem interested in reverting to the school board structure that was in place prior to 2002.

City Watch: Council Arts Chair Urges NYC to Boost Budget in ‘Cultural Capital of the World’
Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé wants to commit 1 percent of New York City’s budget to the arts sector, which shed more than 208,000 jobs during the early months of the pandemic.

Newark Votes to Strike Law Banning Homeless Families with NYC Rent Subsidies
Newark lawmakers accused the Big Apple of outsourcing its homelessness response while squeezing New Jersey’s own affordable housing supply.

NY Air Quality is Improving, But City’s Emissions Goals Are Still Far Off

By 2050, the city’s annual greenhouse gas emissions should be no higher than 12 million metric tons of carbon dioxide—in 2020, buildings alone accounted for 34 million metric tons. “It kind of paints a very stark picture of how much work we have to do and how it can’t just be business as usual.”

“The issue is that the mayor appoints basically a two-thirds majority of the members of the school board. How do people that you appoint actually hold you accountable for anything?”

--Tom Sheppard, the only elected member of the city’s Panel for Educational Policy, on the future of mayoral control of schools.

City Views

Opinions and Analysis on Policy and Politics

Opinion: NYC Must Commit To Zero Waste. Universal Composting is How We Get There
"While cities with comparable populations, like Seoul, are leading the effort on composting by recycling 95 percent of their food waste, it’s estimated that less than 10 percent of New York City homes that are offered residential composting take part. Beyond expanding this program to meet the needs of all five boroughs, we need a serious investment in educating our city about how important composting is to reduce our carbon footprint."

Opinion: As COVID Mandates Lift, We Must Do More to Support Caregivers of Kids With Special Health Needs
"We have all been on our path to accepting COVID-19 as a part of our lives, but let’s not forget that the stakes are higher for some."

Opinion: Overlooked Change in NY’s Estate Law is One Less Barrier to Re-Entry
"The restoration of voting rights in many states for those with felony histories is an encouraging step. In the same spirit, we must educate New York’s families of their right to choose who will protect the generational wealth they have worked so hard to earn and leave to their loved ones."

Una Ciudad Sin Límites

Unidad antidiscriminación por vales de vivienda, que llevaba tiempo escasa de personal, ahora con cero empleados en Nueva York
Los defensores señalan que la aplicación limitada de la ley reduce la efectividad de los propios vales de ayuda al alquiler de la ciudad, poniendo en riesgo a los neoyorquinos de quedarse sin hogar o alargando el tiempo que permanecen en los albergues aunque tengan medios para pagar.

¿De qué se trata la demanda contra ICE por datos del programa alternativo a la detención?
El pasado 14 de abril, tres organizaciones de defensa de los inmigrantes (Mijente, Community Justice Exchange y Just Futures Law) presentaron una demanda contra el Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE por sus siglas en inglés) para obtener información sobre los datos que la agencia está recopilando de los inmigrantes vigilados a través del programa alternativo a la detención.