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New York Playbook

New York Playbook

COUNTERPROPOSAL: A group of lawmakers and activists largely from the vanguard of the city’s left gathered yesterday to push back against elements of the mayor’s budget proposal, which is being combed through by the City Council. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Members Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif, who both co-chair the newly streamlined Progressive Caucus, criticized City Hall’s plans to roll back a planned 3K expansion and require savings from most city agencies while sparing the NYPD. The People’s Plan, an alternative budget proposal endorsed by the elected officials in attendance, also criticized proposed cuts to library and CUNY funding.

New Yorkers, community organizations launch 2023 People’s Budget campaign

New Yorkers, community organizations launch 2023 People’s Budget campaign

The People’s Plan, its thirteen steering committee organizations and dozens of affiliated grassroots groups, and allied elected officials launched the 2023 “People’s Budget” campaign today at the Tweed Courthouse at 11:00am. Over the coming months, New Yorkers will continue to demand that Mayor Eric Adams maintain full funding for public education and critical social services, remove bloat from the NYPD and DOC budgets, and make key investments now to safeguard the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

The People’s Plan & Partners Response to the Mayor’s proposed FY23 budget modification

The People’s Plan, an alliance of dozens of advocacy organizations and community groups, today issues a response to the proposed budget modification sent today by Mayor Eric Adams to the city council for charter-mandated approval. This budget modification contains a series of severe cuts to agencies already in staffing crises, and greatly reduces budgets for public libraries and CUNY while leaving the NYPD budget nearly untouched. The fiscal need for the PEGs contained in this modification is called into question by the Independent Budget Office’s recent estimate of a $2.2 billion dollar surplus for FY23.

Statement from The People’s Plan on the implications of the November 2022 Financial Plan

Statement from The People’s Plan on the implications of the November 2022 Financial Plan

The council should reject these disruptive and unnecessary mid-year cuts, reaffirm the promise of universal 3-K, and tell Mayor Adams to focus on fixing the administrative rot that has decimated city agencies during his first year in office.

Advocate pressure results in temporary reversal of regressive Adams policy

Advocate pressure results in temporary reversal of regressive Adams policy

The New York City Department of Education announced today that FY24 federal stimulus money will be used to hold all New York City schools harmless for register changes, a temporary reversal of the administration policy announced earlier this year. In the face of months of denial and inaction by the Adams administration, the intense public pressure applied by education advocates and allied council members was decisive in winning this temporary policy reversal, adding limited resources for schools serving new asylum-seeking families and saving hundreds of other schools from the additional mid-year cuts that the Adams administration had originally planned. The DOE announcement underlines the fact that the policy reversal is temporary and they plan to continue mid-year cuts again next year.

Council speaker claps back at AOC’s budget gripes

Council speaker claps back at AOC’s budget gripes

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams responded to a series of tweets Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made in recent days lambasting funding choices in the city’s $101.1 billion budget.

$Budget fracas a setback for Council’s progressive movement$

Budget fracas a setback for Council’s progressive movement

The budget vote revealed a fissure within City Council’s Progressive Caucus — a sprawling group containing the budget’s fiercest opponents and the leaders whipping votes for it.

Parents, teachers and students rally against New York City school cuts

Parents, teachers and students rally against New York City school cuts

Education advocates – including students, parents and teachers – gathered outside of New York City Hall to rally against the City Council’s decision to decrease the public school budget by around $215 million.