The People’s Budget is a campaign working towards a vision for a City that provides dignity, care, and justice for all New Yorkers, and fighting against the Mayor’s austerity agenda and for a budget that provides #CareNotCuts for the working class and people of color. Learn more about our campaign demands and how to get involved below.
Background: New Yorkers in every city council district use our city’s vital public resources. But these resources are under attack from a mayor determined to cut corners and slash essential services. Since entering office, Eric Adams has cut NYC’s budget six times, making it difficult for New Yorkers to get timely basic services they rely on — everything from public libraries to SNAP and cash assistance to childcare has been slashed or deteriorated. Meanwhile, the wealth of billionaires and money spent on police overtime and wasteful spending for corporate contracts is growing. Our Mayor is prioritizing the wealthy and powerful OVER the needs of working and poor New Yorkers.
We have a different vision than Mayor Adams — a people’s budget that offers care, dignity, and justice for all NYers (not cuts or criminalization). Join us in fighting for a People’s Budget that prioritizes #CareNotCuts! #CareNotCriminalization!
We have a different vision than Mayor Adams — a people’s budget that offers care, dignity, and justice for all NYers (not cuts or criminalization)
FY25 People’s Budget Core Demands
Invest in Public Infrastructure with Union Labor in the FY25 Capital Budget
- Invest in Homes Now and for Generations. Invest $2B/4 years into HPD to preserve/build affordable community-controlled housing with union jobs. Secure $3.55B for NYCHA repairs.
- Improve Public School Buildings. Invest $400M to electrify/upgrade 500 schools by 2030. Invest $1.25B/5 years to make schools accessible. Fund class size reductions, required by law.
- Invest in CUNY Infrastructure. Invest $545.5M for improvements in community colleges.
Invest in Essential Services & #CareNotCuts for *All* New Yorkers in the FY25 Expense Budget
- Invest in Public Education: Save key education and youth programs on the chopping block due to $1B in expiring federal funds or city cuts. No cuts to school budgets or cuts to education.
- Invest in CUNY. Baseline $35.5M in funding for advisors to move toward ASAP for all. Free Metrocards for all students. Restore $94M in cuts so CUNY can hire back faculty and staff.
- Invest in Childcare: Recommit to universal 3K, Pre-K, and childcare. Fund extensive outreach and advertising. Salary parity for early childhood workforce. Restore cuts of $400M to childcare.
- Invest in Social Safety Nets, Health, and Housing. Invest in housing and services for all, regardless of legal or immigration status, and service workforces. No cuts to service provision.
- Invest in Libraries: Invest in library services and no cuts to libraries. Restore $130M in capital and $58.3M in expense funding cut by Mayor Adams’ prior budget cuts and weekend service.
Divest from Criminalizing New Yorkers & Wasteful Spending in the FY25 Expense Budget
- Divest from harmful policing, NYPD overspending. Cut vacancies. Freeze officer hiring for DOE, DPR, DHS, NYPD “co-response” teams. Disband SRG. Cut DCPI/NYPD comms by 50%.
- Eliminate DOC vacancies and budget waste. Invest $6.4M in supportive housing; $14.9M in mental health resources. Restore $27.8M to alternatives to incarceration and re-entry services.
You can find a full list of our budget priorities here.
How You Can Support a #PeoplesBudget
Everyone
- Email the Mayor and your City Council Member to demand a People’s Budget with #CareNotCuts for this upcoming (FY25) fiscal year! (Note: we need hundreds, no, THOUSANDS of these emails going to the council over the next few months!)
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Your members or constituents can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Elected officials
- We need your support! Express your support for #CareNotCuts, #CareNotCriminalization, and #PeoplesBudget by putting out a statement, a tweet, or a post.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Your members or constituents can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor demanding a People’s Budget.
Organizations
- Get involved in our campaign and become a member organization of our coalition! Join here.
- Send out our email tool to your membership to encourage members to take action and email their elected officials!
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to host events or actions with us.
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Your members or constituents can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Parents
- Talk to other parents, parent groups, and people who are part of your school communities and encourage them to take action and email their elected officials!
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can organize a letter or postcard writing or do outreach to more parents during school drop-off or pick up or otherwise.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you are willing to talk to reporters about how cuts or lack of resources are impacting your school.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Parent groups can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Students
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Talk to other students, student groups, and people in your school communities to encourage them take action and email their elected officials!
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can organize more students to take action (e.g. go to rallies, organize school walk outs, or talk to reporters about how cuts or lack of resources are impacting your school).
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Student groups can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Educators
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Talk to other educators, educator groups, and people in your school communities to encourage them to take action and email their elected officials!
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can organize more educators to take action (e.g. go to rallies, organize actions, or talk to reporters about how cuts or lack of resources are impacting your school).
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Student groups can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Faith Leaders
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Talk to other faith leaders, faith-based groups, and people in your faith communities to encourage them to take action and email their elected officials!
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can organize more faith leaders to take action (e.g. go to rallies, organize actions, or talk to reporters about how cuts or lack of resources are impacting your community).
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Faith groups and congregations can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Librarians
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Talk to other librarians, library advocacy groups, and people in your library communities to encourage them to take action and email their elected officials!
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can organize more librarians or library communities to take action (e.g. go to rallies, organize actions, or talk to reporters about how cuts or lack of resources are impacting your community).
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Your organization or group can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.
Artists
- Join us at upcoming events to testify at hearings, canvass fellow New Yorkers, actions directed at the Mayor, and outreach to Council Members.
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) if you can help with signs and visuals for the campaign: public education, art for rallies and actions, art-centered resistance and actions
- Contact us (info@peoplesplan.nyc) to request a people’s budget training and letter writing session with the campaign. Your artist group or organizational members can learn more about the Mayor’s budget cuts, how to get involved in the campaign, and write/color postcards to the Mayor and the Council demanding a People’s Budget.