In the News

Noema — Gregory Jost noticed the first two bank branches close in the Bronx about six months before the pandemic. They were right next to each other: a Chase and a Bank of America, about three blocks from his son’s school in Norwood, and one day, he walked by and saw they were gone.

Gotham Gazette Opinion — Here’s something that might surprise you: Almost all of the $100 billion in revenue New York City will collect this year to pay for schools, buses, and other public services will be deposited in three big banks – JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citi. That’s because New York State requires local governments to put our public funds in banks, essentially handing Wall Street a lucrative monopoly that it has lobbied to uphold for more than a century.

Next City — New York City is inching closer to passing crucial legislation that would strengthen its community land trust movement. A bill that would give nonprofits and community land trusts the right of first refusal when a private landlord sells residential housing has enough co-sponsors to become law, as does another piece of legislation requiring the city to prioritize nonprofits when developing public land for public use.

City & State NY Opinion – Last month, New York’s Climate Action Council voted to approve a framework for meeting goals mandated in the state’s landmark 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The plan recommends ambitious policy changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in the next seven years and 85% by 2050. Now, it’s up to Gov. Hochul, the Legislature, and state agencies to implement the plan.