Good morning. It’s Friday. We’ll take a closer look at the state budget that Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders agreed to in a handshake deal. We’ll also find out about an alternative to free buses that would help low-income passengers. It has the backing of the City Council speaker.
The state budget was 37 days late when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a handshake deal with legislative leaders on Thursday. For a while, at least, it seemed as if her announcement — and the 2,600-word news release that her office issued — had come early. The Assembly speaker, Carl Heastie, said that it had been “very premature” to describe what had been agreed to as a deal. A spokesman for the Democratic majority in the State Senate said much the same. There was an agreement on “big concepts,” he said, not on an overall deal. But to Hochul, a Democrat who is running for re-election, the budget process is an opportunity to promote policy priorities that have little to do with spending. Her appearance on Thursday was as much about building her case for another term as it was about saying that there was a spending plan for the fiscal year that began on April 1. The source of Heastie’s frustration was that so many details still had to be worked out. But they will be, even if it takes time. The difference between a budget that is 37 days late and a budget that is 50 or 60 days late is probably not that significant to the governor — or to Heastie, who would not even say that the Legislature had agreed to the top-line spending total of $268 billion that Hochul referred to. Here are four of the top policy priorities in the budget, as outlined by Hochul.
WEATHER Today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Expect isolated showers tonight, and temperatures around 53. ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING In effect until Thursday (Solemnity of the Ascension). QUOTE OF THE DAY “I think the message that those gates would send is, ‘This park is to be respected.’” — Brian Meister, on a proposal to install permanent gates blocking access after midnight to Washington Square Park. The latest Metro news
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. What about Fair Fares, the City Council says
As a candidate last year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for making buses in the city free for all riders. There’s been little apparent progress on making free rides a reality, but now the City Council and some transit advocates are pressing for a more targeted approach. They want to concentrate on riders who need the most help. My colleague Stefanos Chen writes that the city is looking to revamp an existing program called Fair Fares, which provides half-price subway and bus fares to low-income New Yorkers. Transit riders, advocates and some elected officials have argued that in its current form, it excludes about 575,000 of the roughly one million residents who are eligible. Supporters of the changes say that enrollment has been held back by the application process, which involves complicated paperwork. The mayor angered some advocates this year when he did not include funds in his preliminary budget to expand the Fair Fares program. Now the lack of apparent progress on his free bus plan has opened a door to more specific proposals from the City Council. On Wednesday, Julie Menin, the Council speaker, said that she supported plans to enroll lower-income people in Fair Fares automatically — and to make public transit free for them. “People are literally forgoing meals because of this cost,” she told a news conference. “It is shameful.” City Hall did not respond to requests for comment on the Fair Fare plans. Susie Kamara, a home health aide who lives in the Bronx, said at the news conference that she had been turned down for Fair Fares because she makes about $1,000 more than the current income threshold. She pays full fare for the Bx12 bus and the No. 2 train that she takes on her commute. “I don’t have a choice,” she said, “because my patients are waiting for me.” Then she directed her comments to an audience of one. “Mayor Mamdani, expand Fair Fares,” she said. “Make it fair — now.” METROPOLITAN DIARY Central Park Zoo
Dear Diary: Years ago, our nanny would take our son and daughter to the Central Park Zoo, where they could be set free from their stroller. It was safe because the children loved the zoo and always stayed in the nanny’s sight and because the zoo’s walls meant there was no way they could leave. One spring day when I was not working, I decided to accompany them all on a walk through the park, with the kids in their stroller. As we passed the zoo, a guard at the entrance beckoned our nanny over and had a deep consultation with her. She was laughing when she came back. “He wanted to know who was that strange woman walking with me,” she said. — Georgia Raysman Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Tell us your New York story here and read more Metropolitan Diary here.
Glad we could get together here. See you Monday. — J.B. Davaughnia Wilson and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@nytimes.com. |
