Subway riders: Are we there yet?

Presented by the 5 Borough Housing Movement: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers

Mar 09, 2023 View in browser   By Danielle Muoio Dunn Presented by the 5 Borough Housing Movement Advocates and city leaders rallied outside City Hall in Manhattan on March, 9, 2023, to press for more funding for the nation's largest transit system. | Danielle Muoio Dunn/POLITICO New York City lawmakers want to see more out of the state budget for mass transit riders. On Thursday, several City Council members joined the transportation advocacy group Riders Alliance to rally for an additional $300 million in the state budget for the fiscal year that starts April 1. The funding would go toward increased service on subways and buses, with the goal of ensuring no more than a six-minute wait for a ride. Legislators in attendance spoke to how the funding fight had become personal. Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said it can take two hours for her to get to work in Manhattan from her Canarsie, Brooklyn home. The same goes for her son’s commute to school in the Bronx. "It's wrong. It should not be like this,” Narcisse said. Council Member Lincoln Restler, a Brooklyn Democrat, added that poor subway service had, ironically, delayed him from getting to Thursday’s event. “Every part of the city and state government needs to step up right now, not just to stabilize the MTA, but to expand service,” Restler said. While New York Democrats are in general alignment about providing more assistance to the cash-strapped MTA, they diverge on how exactly to get there. The MTA is projecting a $600 million deficit this year that’s expected to grow to $1.2 billion in 2025, after using what’s left of the $15 billion the agency received in federal pandemic relief. Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed closing that gap by raising new revenue, such as by hiking the Payroll Mobility Tax, and providing a one-time infusion of $300 million. Hochul also expects City Hall to contribute $500 million to cover paratransit services and student MetroCards, but Mayor Eric Adams has said it would be too big of a burden on the city budget. As budget negotiations continue, transportation advocates argue the state needs to go beyond simply keeping the MTA afloat. "This proposal is a good foundation. It diverts catastrophic service cuts, fare hikes and job losses,” Caitlin Pearce, Deputy Director of Riders Alliance, said of Hochul’s budget. “But a truly sustainable solution for the future of the MTA must also include more service.” They won’t hear any complaints from the MTA. “If someone gives me money to run more service, you’re damn right we will,” said Richard Davey, president of New York City Transit. IT’S THURSDAY: Stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news in Albany, City Hall and beyond. A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement: New York City is facing a housing supply crisis that’s harming outer borough communities of color. That’s why a diverse and growing coalition is calling on State lawmakers to support converting unused office space to new housing, create an incentive to maximize affordability in conversions, and lift the FAR cap to unlock more affordable housing. Learn more at https://5borohousing.org/   Around New York The Assembly and Senate passed a resolution Thursday to allow remote voting for lawmakers in emergency situations. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo REMOTE VOTING: The Assembly and Senate on Thursday passed a resolution to allow for the use of videoconferencing for some lawmakers who can’t attend session or committee meetings. The resolution, however, still requires a quorum of lawmakers in Albany for any public meetings. The concern could be that fewer lawmakers will be at the Capitol for session, but Democrats who control the chambers defended the measure, saying the resolution notes it can only be used in “extraordinary circumstances” and with the approval of the conference leader. “We functioned entirely remotely for a couple of years,” Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris said. “We're here to do the people's business. We're still requiring in-person presence by a quorum of the body, and I think the intention is to make any remote possibility extremely rare and for very unique circumstances. It's not the kind of thing where people can just sit at home because they don't feel like coming in.” — Joseph Spector DINAPOLI ON THE BUDGET: Comptroller Tom DiNapoli warned in his analysis of the state budget Thursday that “significant headwinds” will present challenges to the state’s economic growth and fiscal stability as revenue will likely start to wane after a boost in spending during the final years of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the $227 billion proposed budget increases spending 2.5 percent from the current fiscal year, the Division of the Budget projects outyear gaps of $5.7 billion; $9 billion and $7.5 billion in the next three years. “With economic risks and the impending loss of federal financial assistance ahead, now is the time for New York to carefully prepare for the short- and long-term,” DiNapoli said in a statement. — Joseph Spector   A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement:   From City Hall Retired city workers marched in Lower Manhattan on March 9, 2023, to protest a controversial Medicare Advantage proposal approved by the Municipal Labor Committee. | Madina Toure/POLITICO RETIREES PROTEST MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Retirees rallied against a controversial Medicare Advantage plan as the Municipal Labor Committee approved the plan Thursday. The MLC — which represents 1.2 million active and retired unionized city workers as well as their dependents — voted to approve the plan, with 941 in favor and 253 against, or 79 percent in favor. Approval of the plan — which would go into effect Sept. 1 — means that Senior Care, the retirees’ current plan, will be scrapped. Julie Schwartzberg of the Cross-union Retirees Organizing Committee — a group of retirees from different municipal unions that got together when they first found out about the plan — said they have been fighting for three years to keep their Medicare, calling it “the best insurance there is.” She added that it is “one of the saddest days of my life.” “For 20 years, I have had wonderful health insurance,” Schwartzberg said during the rally. “Guess what? The Municipal Labor Committee just voted to take away our Medicare, and I am sorry to report that most of us knew it was going to happen. And what are we gonna do now? We’re gonna fight.” The retirees marched in Lower Manhattan to protest the plan, holding posters with slogans such as “OUR LIVES ARE NOT FOR PROFIT” and “FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES.” — Madina Touré A message from the 5 Borough Housing Movement: TELL STATE LAWMAKERS: SUPPORT CONVERSIONS AND LIFT THE FAR CAP! A growing number of advocates and community groups are joining the push to convert New York City’s unused office space into affordable housing and lift the FAR cap. Supporters include:   ● Borough-based chambers of commerce and local business improvement districts ● Community boards and neighborhood-based non-profits ● Racial and social justice advocates More elected officials are joining the effort too, including State lawmakers, City Council members and members of Congress. See all of our supporters and recent announcements from elected officials at https://5borohousing.org/. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity to help address the City’s housing shortage. State lawmakers must act now to support conversions, create an incentive for affordability and lift the FAR cap. If State lawmakers fail to act, they will be failing the New Yorkers who are relying on Albany for answers to our housing supply crisis. Learn more at https://5borohousing.org/   On the beats Andy Pallotta, president of the New York State United Teachers union, speaks at a rally at the state Capitol on March 9, 2023, with higher education unions to press for more state aid. | Katelyn Cordero/POLITICO HIGHER EDUCATION: SUNY and CUNY students and staff filled the halls of the state Capitol on Thursday advocating for a “New Deal” for higher education that proposes a $1.4 billion increase in operating aid for two-and four-year colleges across the state, along with SUNY hospitals. A lengthy list of lawmakers showed support at a rally hosted by New York State United Teachers, calling for not only increased operating aid, but also $267 million in support for mental health services and $3 billion to lower student debt. “This is a big expense for the state, but we’ve heard very clearly that it’s an investment,” NYSUT President Andy Palotta said in an interview. “If (lawmakers) could look at the billions that we are asking for as an investment in the future of New York State, they won’t be scared of the dollar amounts.” United University Professions and Professional Staff Congress, unions for SUNY and CUNY are concerned with the financial impact left by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, who they claim didn't invest enough in the colleges. UUP President Fred Kowal said he would like to see a $160 million special fund for 19 of the system’s colleges that are in financial distress. “There is a $75 million budget line for this, but we need to get these campuses out of deficits created by the previous administration," Kowal said. — Katelyn Cordero CRYPTO SUIT: Attorney General Tish James is suing one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges for operating as an unlicensed securities and commodities broker, marking a major escalation in the state’s widening crackdown on digital asset businesses, POLITICO’s Sam Sutton reports. KuCoin, a Seychelles-based entity, allegedly offered unlicensed investment securities to New York residents — including through a crypto lending and staking platform, according to the suit. Around New York —  The license of a Rochester concert venue has been revoked after two women died in a stampede. (New York Post) — A man spent 18 years in prison for a murder in Brooklyn he did not commit because of the witness identification of a different person holding his same name. (The New York Times) — According to new federal data, Syracuse's income growth in 2021 was much slower than the rest of the large U.S. metro areas, ranking 321 out of 384. (Upstate New York) — A popular Saratoga-based chain of convenience stores is joining the group that opposes Hochul's proposal to ban flavored tobacco products. (Times Union)   Follow us on Twitter Anna Gronewold @annagronewold Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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