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NEW: @NYCMayor announces budget deal, for $88.1 billion for new fiscal year starting July 1.
Down from $95.3B prelim budget released in Jan., pre-covid crisis. Happening w "deep cuts to city agencies" & tapping billions in reserves. Has $1B in labor savings TBD, could be layoffs
Down from $95.3B prelim budget released in Jan., pre-covid crisis. Happening w "deep cuts to city agencies" & tapping billions in reserves. Has $1B in labor savings TBD, could be layoffs
De Blasio says deal on NYPD reform, budget changes meets his 3 goals of:
-ensuring safety
-keeping patrol strength "throughout our communities"
-reinvest resources "on young people & communities hardest hit"
Background: https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9553-city-council-negotiations-de-blasio-promises-1-billion-cut-nypd-operating-budget-500-million-capital
-ensuring safety
-keeping patrol strength "throughout our communities"
-reinvest resources "on young people & communities hardest hit"
Background: https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9553-city-council-negotiations-de-blasio-promises-1-billion-cut-nypd-operating-budget-500-million-capital
Truly fascinating: as we reported, some of the NYPD capital $ that's being moved was supposed to go to new 116th Precinct in SE Queens. De Blasio now says today it will go to create a youth center there instead... https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9553-city-council-negotiations-de-blasio-promises-1-billion-cut-nypd-operating-budget-500-million-capital
There was a big celebration about that planned new precinct when it was announced by the mayor & @DRichards13, but things have obviously changed, & there's been some significant conflict around Richards' stance NYPD budgeting, policing.
Gotta say, it's a bit strange how much BdB has announced on the budget *without* @NYCSpeakerCoJo.
Here's BdB slide on "reinvestments" from NYPD $ into other services & places
As we reported, the NYPD officer headcount will drop by about 1,160 as part of budget deal, de Blasio says. This is fairly close to the nearly 1,300 *increase* voted through just a few years ago https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9553-city-council-negotiations-de-blasio-promises-1-billion-cut-nypd-operating-budget-500-million-capital
De Blasio is saying some truly wild things about NYPD overtime & being able to rein it in, which is part of this budget plan.
It was budgeted at $600 million for 2019 and wound up at $728 million! https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9475-defund-the-nypd-whats-in-new-york-city-police-department-budget-de-blasio
It was budgeted at $600 million for 2019 and wound up at $728 million! https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9475-defund-the-nypd-whats-in-new-york-city-police-department-budget-de-blasio
So the city is skipping the July NYPD cadet class, which will lead to the 1163 officer headcount reduction based on attrition, and then it will go forward with the October class, de Blasio says.
De Blasio says the school safety transition from NYPD to DOE will happen over 2 years and the school safety officers will get significant training in restorative justice & other strategies to ensure shift away from policing in schools. Some background: https://twitter.com/TweetBenMax/status/1277961242997657600
"are there going to be critics on all sides, of course," de Blasio says re NYPD changes. but says he's convinced this is real reform.
Again trying to say he can rein in NYPD OT spending, which is very unlikely given past performance on such promises, de Blasio says NYPD is a very well managed department. (He means by the commissioner, not by him, b/c he can't get officers to wear face masks during a pandemic.)
"this budget does not include that amount," @NYCSpeakerCoJo says of his push for a $1 billion reduction in the NYPD's $5.9 billion budget. He cites progress he says is being made, like some reduction in headcount & moving school safety out of NYPD & into DOE.
Johnson says de Blasio "was not budging more than what we got" & there were some Council members not behind the amount he was pushing for in reducing NYPD headcount/budget.
Johnson says "this is just the beginning," the Council will push for more change & also will work to ensure that things like the shift of school safety to DOE is done the right way (mayor talked about this, too).
"I wanted more cuts," Johnson says, saying he did the best he can while Mayor didn't want as much as is being done re NYPD, some Council members in that same boat while others wanted more.
Again: even given covid restrictions, it's pretty strange that de Blasio & Johnson are doing separate press conferences on their budget deal. Not a great sign for the city.
Worth repeating: the only real ways to reduce the NYPD budget & policing footprint significantly is to reduce officer headcount &/or hundreds of millions of $ in annual OT. Budget deal reduces NYPD headcount by 1,163 ($81M) & aims to reduce OT spending by about $225M (unlikely).
More context here: https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9475-defund-the-nypd-whats-in-new-york-city-police-department-budget-de-blasio
The shift of school safety from NYPD to DOE is a debatable & TBD shift; as I've been saying & has been discussed a bit today, it's really all about what comes next in terms of the role of those safety agents in schools.
Notable that of the 4 Council leaders speaking during @NYCSpeakerCoJo presser, 2 are Black women - @Vanessalgibson & @cmlauriecumbo - who are saying similarly to Johnson that they understand some frustrations but feel that this budget is significant progress re NYPD & beyond.
"This isn't $1 billion & I'm not going to pretend that it is," @NYCSpeakerCoJo says calling into Q de Blasio's rhetoric & fuzzy math, which includes a projected *increase* in traffic enforcement revenue - ie Johnson says he wanted to cancel several cadet classes not just 1.
"I represent a district that wants to see cops" on the beat, @Vanessalgibson says, citing gun violence in the Bronx CD she reps. They don't want brutality, but they want safety, she says. Says many of her constituents are not out in the streets, they want good policing.
Btw, same story different chapter here w de Blasio: he could have made a big, detailed announcement re school safety shift & next steps that meet some of what is being demanded by activists & some electeds. Instead it's lots of TBD right at deadline & he gets slammed.
"I believe we will have the votes today to pass this budget," @NYCSpeakerCoJo says when asked if he has the votes. Says he expects a lot of "no" votes from both ends of the spectrum. Here's earlier intel re *likely* "no" votes: https://twitter.com/TweetBenMax/status/1277975899581804545
I'm hearing about 1 or 2 other possible "no" votes, like @DRichards13, but also hearing 1 or 2 of those CMs on my prior "no" list could shift to "yes." Everything tentative till the actual vote, of course.
!!! "They will be twitter & facebook heroes tonight," @cmlauriecumbo says of City Council members who will vote "no" on the budget deal that @NYCSpeakerCoJo & others were able to craft in a complicated compromise with major progress.
Asked about lack of joint announcement with de Blasio (in past years called the "budget handshake" b/w mayor & council speaker), Johnson says the mayor gave his press conference and he's giving his.
"I don't know what the mayor was talking about earlier," @NYCSpeakerCoJo says re Fair Fares. He says budgeting simply a "re-estimate" based on lower ridership & no one will be kicked off of Fair Fares, eligible people can still enroll.
More: https://twitter.com/TweetBenMax/status/1278035885372641282
More: https://twitter.com/TweetBenMax/status/1278035885372641282
"I think the Ferry should be cut," Johnson says of city's ferry program, and a lot of members think so, too, but mayor didn't go for it.
Johnsons says there wasn't enough consensus in the Council about moving traffic enforcement out of the NYPD even tho he believes it should be moved.
Argument for doing that by @TransAlt & @BKMovement: Remove the NYPD from the Enforcement of Streets and Sidewalks https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/130-opinion/9486-remove-nypd-from-enforcement-of-streets-sidewalks
Argument against by @cwabobmaster & colleague Rebecca Greene: Who Traffic Enforcement Agents Really Are, and Why They Must Remain Part of the NYPD https://www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/130-opinion/9513-traffic-enforcement-agents-must-remain-part-nypd
Johnson says there was a $10M reduction in @NYCferry funding from the mayor's executive budget. (Still no movement on raising the fare & reducing sky-high per-ride subsidy)
Other interesting comments by @cmlauriecumbo during presser w @NYCSpeakerCoJo: 1. reiterating her belief that 'Defund NYPD' protests are not being led by long-time Black activists. 2. saying that Council members voted "begrudgingly" to increase NYPD headcount by 1300 in 2015.
Bottom line from @NYCSpeakerCoJo during presser on budget w/r/t NYPD: says it's not some "big victory" but believes it's meaningful progress & plans to push for more change.
I believe that's some real revisionist history from @cmlauriecumbo about the 2015 budget vote that increased NYPD headcount, by the way. There was pretty widespread support in the Council for the push to add 1,000 officers.
happier, simpler times one year ago
"the most historic part of this budget is how it fails to meet the moment" - @JimmyVanBramer on his "no" vote on the city budget https://twitter.com/JimmyVanBramer/status/1278096925380808707
and of course @MarkGjonajNY has the most intriguing declarations of possible conflicts of interest vis a vis the city budget.
quick 2021 political currents of *apparent* votes on city budget:
-Reynoso voting no; Cornegy yes (BK BP)
-Kallos voting no; Levine yes (M BP)
-Gibson & Cabrera voting yes (BX BP)
-Matteo voting no (SI BP)
-Rosenthal & Lander voting no (comptroller)
-Johnson voting yes (mayor)
-Reynoso voting no; Cornegy yes (BK BP)
-Kallos voting no; Levine yes (M BP)
-Gibson & Cabrera voting yes (BX BP)
-Matteo voting no (SI BP)
-Rosenthal & Lander voting no (comptroller)
-Johnson voting yes (mayor)
I *think* all the potential Speaker candidates (Rivera, Ampry-Samuel, Brannan, Powers, Adams, Salamanca, Moya) are voting "yes," which is telling re institutionalism & goal to become next institutional leader.
Vaguely remembering when this yet-to-start City Council budget vote was going to begin at 6pm.
And we're starting: https://council.nyc.gov/livestream/#virtual-room-1
Telling that after the mayor zeroed out one of his own signature programs - the single shepherd counselor program for disadvantaged kids - the Council fought to restore it & did (per @NYCSpeakerCoJo remarks).
"I did my best," @NYCSpeakerCoJo stresses to New Yorkers & his members. Says he & Council team fought successfully to restore many various cuts & to go further re NYPD reforms, but had to find consensus within Council & compromise with the Mayor.
. @JoeBorelliNYC says with this budget the City Council is furthering the falsehood that police officers make New Yorkers less safe, and the approval of the NYPD cuts on the table are actually what will make New Yorkers less safe.
"Our system of policing in New York is rotten to the core," says @ReynosoBrooklyn.
The theme of pushback by Black female City Council members against those advocating/taking a "no" vote on this budget & criticizing the deal reached on NYPD reform is really something.
However Inez Barron votes no. That after Adrienne Adams & Alicka Ampry-Samuels voted yes.
Quick tally so far, with 14 of potentially 50 votes in:
9 Yes: Adams, Ampry-Samuel, Ayala, Brannan, Cabrera, Cohen, Chin, Cornegy, Dromm
5 No: Barron, Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr
9 Yes: Adams, Ampry-Samuel, Ayala, Brannan, Cabrera, Cohen, Chin, Cornegy, Dromm
5 No: Barron, Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr
. @BobHoldenNYC thinks that those calling for police reform & shifting resources from the NYPD to youth & social services are..."anarchists"
. @BenKallos says Council must undo its mistake of adding 1,300 officers through 2015 budget vote. Says he stood in solidarity with @BLACaucusNYC when it called for $1B NYPD cuts...but he's voting no on budget while most of BLAC votes yes.
@CMKoslowitz says this is the hardest budget in her 20+ years of city budgets.
Tally, with 25 of potentially 50 votes in:
16 Yes: Adams, Ampry-Samuel, Ayala, Brannan, Cabrera, Cohen, Chin, Cornegy, Dromm, Eugene, Gibson, Grodenchik, King, Koo, Koslowitz, Lancman
9 No: Barron, Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr, Gjonaj, Holden, Kallos, Lander
16 Yes: Adams, Ampry-Samuel, Ayala, Brannan, Cabrera, Cohen, Chin, Cornegy, Dromm, Eugene, Gibson, Grodenchik, King, Koo, Koslowitz, Lancman
9 No: Barron, Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr, Gjonaj, Holden, Kallos, Lander
"We need police who live in our communities," says @FranciscoMoyaNY.
"Systematic racism runs rampant through the NYPD," says @DRichards13.
wow, @CarlinaRivera votes no.
We're at 25 yes - 13 no. One yes vote from approval - which would be the Speaker, among others, so it's done.
. @CMDebiRose officially makes it a majority of Council votes, with 26 yes votes for the budget in 51-seat Council.
In voting no, @HelenRosenthal reiterates her call for state to give the city borrowing authority, specifically calls out @NYCComptroller (whom she is hoping to succeed) for opposing that borrowing permission.
didn't really think @PaulVallone would be a yes, but he's a yes.
Final city budget vote:
32 Yes
17 No
1 absent
(1 empty seat)
32 Yes
17 No
1 absent
(1 empty seat)
32 Yes: Adams, Ampry-Samuel, Ayala, Brannan, Cabrera, Cohen, Chin, Cornegy, Dromm, Eugene, Gibson, Grodenchik, King, Koo, Koslowitz, Lancman, Levin, Levine, Louis, Maisel, Miller, Moya, Perkins, Powers, Rodriguez, Rose, Salamanca, Torres, Treyger, Vallone, Cumbo, Johnson
17 No: Barron, Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr, Gjonaj, Holden, Kallos, Lander, Menchaca, Richards, Reynoso, Rivera, Rosenthal, Ulrich, Van Bramer, Yeger
Absent: Constantinides
Empty: CD37
Absent: Constantinides
Empty: CD37
9 no votes from the left: Barron, Kallos, Lander, Menchaca, Richards, Reynoso, Rivera, Rosenthal, Van Bramer
8 no votes from the right: Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr, Gjonaj, Holden, Ulrich, Yeger
8 no votes from the right: Borelli, Matteo, Deutsch, Diaz Sr, Gjonaj, Holden, Ulrich, Yeger
4 members who voted did not explain their votes: Eugene, Maisel, Perkins, Ulrich
De Blasio says as former Public Advocate & based on what his law department says, he believes @JumaaneWilliams is putting forth a misinterpretation of the charter & can't block city budget implementation https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/9554-de-blasio-city-council-88-2-billion-crisis-budget-focus-nypd-cuts
