The Weekly Wrap: Bozeman Plans To Remake Local Government

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

Have news, resources or events that should be included in a future edition of this newsletter? Let us know. We’re reachable at wrapped@nextcity.org.

City of Bozeman Votes to Remake Local Government

Bolts Mag reports that the mayor of Bozeman, Montana, along with the local group Tenants United, is taking advantage of laws unique to Montana that allow residents to restructure local government. The group plans to expand city commissioners from five to seven, raise the pay for the role, and ensure those commissioners are connected to specific districts instead of being elected at large. The goal of the restructuring is to assure that all types of residents — not just the wealthier ones — are elected to local government and, ideally, address housing affordability in Bozeman. The city’s population has increased 8% in just the last four years, and median home prices have passed the $1 million mark.

Multiple Journalists Assassinated by Israeli Forces

Israeli forces targeted journalists in Jabalia refugee camp, killing reporter Omar Al-Balaawi and killing Al Aqsa TV reporter Mohammed Al Tanani in a targeted airstrike. The army critically injured journalist Fadi Wahidi after shooting him in the neck in broad daylight. According to a report from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, 167 journalists have been killed in the past year, with 190 journalists severely wounded and over 100 arrested between Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, many being tortured in Israeli prisons. Israel’s targeted assassinations of journalists have made 2024 the deadliest year on record for journalists since the Committee to Protect Journalists began tabulating in 1992. “The systematic crimes against journalists have ranged from killing those who bear witness to the truth to imprisoning and intimidating them. Even more devastatingly, their homes have been destroyed, their families killed, and their media institutions targeted,” said Palestinian Journalist Syndicate head Nasser Abu Bakr.

FEMA’s Flood Maps Are Out of Date

As Southern states are still recovering from Hurricane Helene and experiencing the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton, Bloomberg CityLab reports that FEMA’s flood maps are largely outdated and have not adapted to increasing flooding resulting from climate change. CityLab’s report found discrepancies between FEMA’s flood maps and locations hit by Helene in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. FEMA’s flood maps are often used to determine which homes are required to take out flood insurance.

Nonprofit Finds Rampant Section 8 Discrimination in Bay Area

A nonprofit called Housing Rights Initiative ran a year-long “sting operation” of landlords in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose and found that they illegally refused to take Section 8 vouchers 44% of the time, according to San Francisco Standard. The group is asking the state to enforce a 2019 law that banned voucher discrimination and take action against the 203 people and firms they said broke the law. Section 8 discrimination is common around the country, although not all localities have laws banning it. California’s attorney general has begun cracking down on discrimination in recent years, but the state’s efforts have yet to grapple with the extent of the problem.

Harris Proposes Covering Long-Term Care Under Medicare

Vice President Harris announced a proposal to cover long-term care through Medicare. Currently, seniors who need help with activities of daily living can only access home health aides and other long-term care if their income is low enough to qualify for Medicaid, as Medicare does not currently cover long-term care. As a result, seniors who can’t afford services are often advised to move their savings into the accounts of children or other beneficiaries to qualify for Medicaid. In some circumstances, assets can be seized if beneficiaries are found to be over the income limit.

Curated by Deonna Anderson

MORE NEWS

• Portland, Oregon, is throwing out its entire government structure and creating a new one. Politico

• Private equity firms are using U.S. public sector workers’ retirement savings to fund fossil fuel projects, according to an analysis. The Guardian

• New York City’s transportation department is considering proposals to turn blighted areas beneath the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway into vibrant public spaces. Gothamist

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• Next City is hiring a full-time, remote reporting fellow. Applications for our Equitable Cities Reporting Fellowship for Anti-Displacement Strategies position are open now! Are you a writer interested in covering displacement and gentrification? Apply by sending us a cover letter and your resume. The details are here. Or do you know a journalist who might be interested? Send the listing their way.

• The Green-Duwamish Watershed, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-supported artist residency, is looking for an artist/artist team local to, living in or working in Washington state to complete a project connecting people to water and climate issues in the watershed. Apply by Nov. 1. More information is available here.

• The Infrastructure Institute is accepting applications for its Accelerator Program, a free, 6-month public program to support and speed up pre-development processes for mission-driven organizations who wish to invest in their own spaces. Applications are due by Oct. 29. Learn more about the opportunity here.

EVENTS

• Oct. 10 - Nov. 7: Common Future is hosting a series of systems change workshops for nonprofits. Learn more about each of the programs and register here.

• Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. Eastern: Next City is hosting a webinar sponsored by Rails to Trails Conservancy, where a panel of experts will explore the economic advantages that come from building connected trail systems. Register here.

• Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern: In honor of the 20th anniversary of Dr. Mindy Fullilove’s book Root Shock, Next City is hosting a webinar where speakers will reckon with the past and reimagine how to support communities facing displacement today. Register here.

• Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern: If you’re in the Washington D.C. area, the Niskanen Center is hosting an in-person event to celebrate the release of Jerusalem Demsas’s book, “On The Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy.” Register here.