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Illegal Evictions Are Rising Across The State, But Landlords Rarely Face Consequences

There’s a growing trend of landlords changing locks and shutting off utilities to get tenants out without going to court, tenant organizers say.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   October 21, 2021
Retirees Flee City Medicare Program as Deadline Looms for Move to Private Health Plan

Uncertainty about coverage and costs under Medicare Advantage has a quarter million former city workers on edge. Two lawsuits seeking to block the move are slated to be heard in court Wednesday.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 20, 2021
Tenants Suffer As City Sells Landlords’ Tax Debt to Speculators

Critics of New York City’s tax lien sales system say it encourages landlords to evict tenants and ignore building violations.

Peter Senzamici and Allison Dikanovic   ·   October 15, 2021
Legislators Push to Make Phone Calls in New York’s Jails and Prisons Free

Incarcerated New Yorkers pay some of the steepest rates for phone calls in the country, as high as $9.95 for a single 15-minute call.

Rachel M. Cohen   ·   October 14, 2021
Prison Agency Resisting Oversight, Say Lawmakers and Watchdogs

A dispute between the prison agency and the independent prison monitoring organization has left lawyers and advocates wondering whether Gov. Hochul’s commitment to transparency will extend to state prisons.

Daniel Moritz-Rabson   ·   October 12, 2021
Meet The New York City Taxi Drivers Protesting Outside City Hall

Many drivers will face financial ruin if the city cannot help them refinance their debts. Below are eleven of their stories.

Daniel Efram   ·   October 8, 2021
New York’s Excluded Workers Fund is Running Out of Cash

Tens of thousands of undocumented workers could be left out. Advocates are pushing to add more funds.

Sam Mellins   ·   October 6, 2021
Hundreds of Thousands of Co-op Residents Shut Out of State’s Rent Relief Program

“Staff at OTDA seem to be ignoring the plain meaning of the law,” said Senate Housing Committee Chair Brian Kavanagh.

Andrew Giambrone   ·   September 30, 2021
Death at Rikers: How NYC Judges Fueled the Swelling Jail Population

An analysis by New York Focus and Gothamist/WNYC reveals the judges who set bail most frequently, driving up the jail population as it entered crisis.

Akash Mehta and George Joseph   ·   September 27, 2021
As Rikers Crisis Persists, Prosecutors Continue to Request High Bail

“We only ask, and the court sets the bail,” the president of the state prosecutors’ association said.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 24, 2021
Cab Drivers Are Drowning in Debt. The City’s Plan Won’t Help.

The city’s taxi agency has ignored drivers’ demands and proposed a plan that the comptroller warns ‘would spend more money to forgive less debt.’

Wen Zhuang   ·   September 23, 2021
He Says He Was Wrongfully Convicted. His Trial Prosecutor Led The Unit That Rejected His Petition.

Anthony Sims’ case shows the conflict of interest inherent in Conviction Review Units led by former prosecutors, critics say.

Ethan Corey and Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg   ·   September 23, 2021
Will ‘Blue Collar Mayor’ Adams Give City Unions What They Want?

With deep ties to both organized labor and the city’s business elite, Mayor Eric Adams will face tough tradeoffs on union contracts.

Doug Turetsky   ·   September 21, 2021
Senate #2 Joins Mounting Opposition to Hochul’s Pick for Top Financial Regulator

Adrienne Harris has worked for over a dozen financial technology firms that Hochul would put her in charge of regulating.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 14, 2021
Inside New York’s Messy Push to Clean Up Concrete

If concrete production were a country, it would be the world’s third largest carbon emitter. New York legislators want to clean it up.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   September 9, 2021
Governor Hochul Promised a “New Era of Transparency.” So Far, Details are Scarce.

New York’s new leader has pledged to improve access to public records – but hasn’t yet committed to the policy reforms transparency experts say are needed.

Sam Mellins   ·   September 8, 2021
Why Isn’t New York Offering Paper Applications for COVID Rent Relief?

The $115 million state contract for administering the program required a paper application. Without it, tenants who can’t access technology may be getting left behind.

Andrew Giambrone   ·   September 2, 2021
How New York Lets Prosecutors Off The Hook for Misconduct

Not a single prosecutor appeared to have been disciplined for on-the-job misconduct in 2019. Even the state prosecutors association supports reforms.

Rory Fleming   ·   September 1, 2021
Lessons to be learned from New York’s climate policy laboratory

New York is seen as a model - but it also shows the challenges of green public-private partnerships

Lee Harris   ·   September 1, 2021
Nobody knows it, but Bill de Blasio is America’s best climate mayor

And that’s still vastly short of what’s needed.

Pete Sikora   ·   August 31, 2021
Rikers Staffing Crisis Limits Access to Medical Care

With thousands of officers not coming into work, incarcerated people aren’t getting escorted to their medical appointments, a New York Focus investigation finds.

Rachel Sherman   ·   August 26, 2021
Retired City Workers Brace for Shift to Privatized Health Care

City leaders have awarded a contract to provide city retirees private Medicare-like insurance to a corporate coalition termed “The Alliance.” Former public workers worry their coverage may change.

Sam Mellins and Rachel M. Cohen   ·   August 19, 2021
Renters Powered India Walton’s Upset Win

Renters broke decisively for India Walton in Buffalo’s June Democratic primary, favoring an affordable housing advocate with a tenant-centered housing platform over a developer-friendly incumbent.

Russell Weaver   ·   August 17, 2021
Who is Kathy Hochul? An Introduction to New York’s Next Governor

A political moderate and former Congressperson and bank executive, Hochul stands to make history as New York’s first woman governor, but may face fierce challengers in next year’s election.

Sam Mellins and Rory Nevins   ·   August 11, 2021
Cuomo Leaves, But a Corrupt Political Culture Remains in New York

The structure of state government, with its centralized power and few ethical checks, invites scandal after scandal.

Lee Harris   ·   August 11, 2021
New York Dairy Farms Skirt Clean Water Act Requirements

Farms in New York have used a form of legal arbitrage to shield their manure management practices from scrutiny.

Lee Harris   ·   August 11, 2021
Andrew Cuomo Picked His Own Impeachment Jury

The New York Court of Appeals participates in impeachment trials. Cuomo has appointed all seven members, including two of them in June

Sam Mellins   ·   August 6, 2021
Amid Intraparty Conflict, Brooklyn Democrats Issue Judgeship Recommendations

At a meeting that included an attempt by party leadership to prevent several district leaders from voting, the party made seven picks - six of whom were donors to the party and its leaders.

Sam Mellins and Rory Nevins   ·   August 5, 2021
The Promises and Failures of the “Cancel Rent” Movement

Where does the housing justice movement go from here?

Cea Weaver   ·   July 30, 2021
Schumer Announces New York’s Latest Semiconductor Deal, to Subsidy Watchdogs’ Chagrin

New York is showering microchip manufacturers with billions in subsidies—on top of massive federal incentives.

Julia Rock   ·   July 26, 2021
New York Judges Lock the Accused Out of Their Homes, Skirting Review Required by Landmark Ruling, Critics Charge

An appellate court ordered hearings for defendants facing orders of protection that could separate them from their homes and families. But some judges — following a memo from state court officials — aren’t adhering to the ruling, defense lawyers say.

Sam Mellins   ·   July 23, 2021
Albany Passes ‘Good Cause Eviction,’ In a First for New York

Tenant groups are already turning to other upstate cities that could pass good cause this summer—and that could pave the way for statewide legislation.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 21, 2021
Unlicensed Street Vendors Fear Steep Fines as Enforcement Escalates

More than a year after fines for unlicensed street vending were largely suspended when the pandemic struck, enforcement has begun again. Many street vendors say it threatens their only means of economic survival.

Luis Feliz Leon   ·   July 21, 2021
Up and Down The Ballot, Progressives Score Wins in Western New York

In Buffalo, socialist India Walton scored a landmark win against a four-term incumbent mayor. In nearby Rochester, shakeups on the city council and county legislature could chart a new course for local politics.

Sam Mellins   ·   July 19, 2021
A Wave of Upstate Cities Could Ban Eviction Without “Good Cause”

Blocked at the state level, the campaign for “good cause eviction” is going local.

Colin Kinniburgh   ·   July 16, 2021
In 2021 Legislative Session, a New Approach to Drug Policy

This year, state legislators passed major bills in response to the overdose crisis. Will Cuomo sign them?

Sam Mellins   ·   July 13, 2021
Schumer Joins Fight Against Astoria Power Plant Proposal

DSA organized against a fracked-gas plant in Astoria. Now Schumer is getting involved.

Lee Harris   ·   July 12, 2021
NYC Jails Have Far More Correction Officers Than Any Other City. Why Are They Hiring 400 More?

Rikers Island and other city lockups employ five officers for every three incarcerated people. As some call for a reduction in officers, the City Council okays a budget plan that boosts the ranks by 400.

Lauren Gill and Reuven Blau, THE CITY   ·   July 11, 2021
The World’s Most Important Local Climate and Jobs Law is in Eric Adams’ Hands

Elected with real estate industry support, soon-to-be Mayor Adams faces a critical choice on New York’s landmark buildings emissions law.

Pete Sikora   ·   July 9, 2021
New York Regulations Allow Cops Stripped of Training Credentials to Be Rehired

Police officers who were decertified by state regulators went on to find work at other departments and public safety agencies, records show.

Arno Pedram and Luca Powell   ·   July 8, 2021
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