New York City

Policy

City Council passes class size transparency bill

Compliance with lower class sizes has been a major sticking point in the push to renew mayoral control in Albany.

Policy

Policy

Expansion of hate crimes pushed by Sharpton, Dukes, groups representing marginalized communities

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Member Carl Heastie are being urged to support the Hate Crimes Modernization Act.

Education

Policy

How Hochul’s education budget proposal created chaos in one Long Island school district

Long Beach School District acted quickly to cut spending assuming the worst – that their district will no longer receive full “hold harmless” funding now or in the future.

Education

Policy

David Banks on pre-K, 3-K budget restoration: “I have great confidence”

The New York City schools chancellor warned of inevitable “trade-offs” as City Council members grilled officials over budget cuts.

Heard Around Town

Policy

Jumaane Williams calls for fire retardant storage cases for lithium ion batteries

The Public Advocate wants New York City to spend $1.3 million to purchase the cases to protect users from fires triggered by the batteries.

Policy

Policy

City Hall and Legal Aid Society settle right to shelter case

The temporary settlement will allow the city to limit adults’ shelter stays to 30 days.

Albany Agenda

Policy

Assembly is silent on expanding state cannabis agency enforcement power

The state Senate and the governor both want to expand enforcement powers of the state Office of Cannabis Management.

Policy

Policy

What will New York’s next real estate developer tax break look like?

The replacement for 421-a could come down to negotiations between REBNY and organized labor.

New York City

Policy

Ghostbusters: Hochul and Adams take on fake or obscured license plates

Cracking down on so-called ghost cars will be a joint effort to recoup bridge and tunnel toll money.

Policy

Policy

New York Legislature releases budget rebuttals

Here’s a rundown of where the state Senate, Assembly and governor stand on major budget issues.

Heard Around Town

Policy

Lawmakers tackle “epidemic” of vaping at schools

State Sen. Monica Martinez and Assembly Member Charles Fall are sponsoring legislation that would prohibit the sale of vape products that target kids, resemble toys and school supplies.

Housing

Policy

City program to incentivize upgrades to rent stabilized apartments has just one applicant

The pilot program is just one way the city is trying to help get vacant units back on the market, city officials said at a City Council hearing on housing vacancies.

Albany Agenda

Policy

Legislation seeks to ban fast food surge pricing

A bill introduced by Assembly Member Angelo Santabarbara came as Wendy’s announced it was launching a “dynamic pricing” plan

Immigration

Policy

Over 37,000 migrants applied for asylum and work authorization through city help centers

While New York City has increased legal assistance for asylum-seekers after opening a help center devoted to helping migrants apply for asylum and work authorization, the City Council expressed concerns Tuesday about a lack of funding included in the 2025 fiscal preliminary budget.

Albany Agenda

Policy

NY Legislature seems poised to push back on Hochul’s school funding proposal

The governor wants to move money around based on enrollment, but legislative leaders seem skeptical of that idea.

Budget

Policy

As budget season gets underway, council presses administration for collaboration

City Comptroller Brad Lander accused the mayor of announcing deep budget cuts so that he could later magnanimously reverse them.

Labor

Policy

State lawmakers look to improve pensions to attract public sector workers

Complaints are rampant about the Tier 6 pension level, which some believe make working for the state less appealing.

Policy

Policy

Parents concerned about addictive social media have the ear of Tish James

The New York attorney general is turning her attention to Big Tech – pushing legislation to give her office the power to crack down on algorithms targeting kids.