New York State
Opinion
The long and winding road to LGBTQ rights
Gay rights advocates turned a 2009 loss in New York into a victory.
New York City
Opinion
Housing can’t be totally solved by the federal government
Some of the Democratic presidential candidates believe the housing crisis can be solved through federal action. Here’s what they get right, get wrong and can’t do, according to retired New York City planner and current NYU visiting scholar Eric Kober.
New York State
Opinion
Why gestational surrogacy should be legalized and unionized
The New York state Senate passed a bill to legalize paid gestational surrogacy, but the fate of the bill remains uncertain in the Assembly.
New York State
Opinion
The battle for the Democratic Party, in Albany and Queens
Activists are targeting Assembly Democrats and hoping for a district attorney upset.
New York City
Opinion
A spotlight on Staten Island
Staten Island is having a moment – culturally, economically and politically.
New York State
Opinion
Pot legalization opponents exaggerate dangers
In response to the push for legalization in New York, marijuana opponents are making some “wildly overstated” claims of the drug’s supposed dangers – and some claims that are more reasonable.
Housing
Opinion
In rent regulation fight, it’s not just Democrats vs. Republicans
The GOP was the go-to ally for landlords and developers — but it’s always more complicated, writes City & State's editor-in-chief.
New York City
Opinion
Leave de Blasio alone
Why does the New York political press seem to hate New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and hold him to a different standard than his predecessor rivals? Maybe it’s because they got used to covering a billionaire mayor who could buy love, writes journalist Kate Albright-Hanna.
New York City
Opinion
The New Yorker from Vermont
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is the personal and ideological epitome of the most New York kind of New Yorker, an identity that previously was absent from the ranks of serious presidential contenders, writes City & State’s Ben Adler.
New York State
Opinion
John Flanagan’s short-lived stint as majority leader
In this week’s City & State cover story, we recount the rise and fall of John Flanagan – and explore whether, after losing so many seats in 2018, he has a viable pathway back to power.
New York City
Opinion
Instead of fighting landlords, state legislators should fight to increase housing
Tighter rent regulation could exacerbate the shortage of rental housing available to new in-migrants. Instead, New York should force high-rent communities to allow more new housing, writes Eric Kober, a retired New York City planner and visiting scholar at NYU.
New York City
Opinion
Assembly should pass ‘rent justice’ platform
The state Legislature can finally reverse decades of policymaking driven by the influence of the real estate industry and set standards in law for when evictions are appropriate, write Assembly members Catalina Cruz and Harvey Epstein.
New York City
Opinion
New York City parks need more money, here’s how to raise it
New York City should increase parks funding by generating new revenue streams, such as integrating more concessions into parks and placing surcharges on docking fees at city marinas, writes Eli Dvorkin of the Center for an Urban Future.
New York State
Opinion
What New York can learn from Mexico about marijuana legalization
New York could learn a lot from the history of recreational marijuana legalization in Mexico; legalization advocates should make the affirmative case for legal access to marijuana and how that will enhance the lives of New Yorkers, writes journalist Lindsay Beyerstein.
New York City
Opinion
Keep the SHSAT and give black and Latino students a fair chance at passing
Instead of eliminating the SHSAT, New York City must commit to, and invest in, identifying high-potential black and Latino students at a younger age, and then nurture them and prepare them for the rigors of the test, writes Assemblywoman Latrice Walker.
New York State
Opinion
Yonkers overturns term limits – and the voters’ will
Yonkers power brokers extended the voter-ratified two-term mayoral limit to three terms via hurriedly called a Council vote. It’s just the latest example of Yonkers being “the City of Hills where nothing is on the level,” writes former radio host for WVOX-1460 AM Phil Reisman.
New York City
Opinion
How to hold cops legally accountable for killings
Three straightforward steps can start to change the lack of legal accountability for police officers who kill people, writes Alvin Bragg, a former chief deputy attorney general in New York.
New York State
Opinion
New York will get Trump’s tax returns
Last week, the state Senate passed a bill that would allow Congress to access President Donald Trump’s state tax returns, and New York state is much more likely than congressional Democrats to beat Trump in court, writes law professor Scott Lemieux.
New York City
Opinion
A better plan for black and Hispanic NYC high school students
The focus on the small number of students attending New York City’s specialized high schools is diverting attention from policies that could benefit the rest of the city’s students, writes Manhattan Institute education expert Ray Domanico.
New York City
Opinion