The Weekly Wrap: Governor Hochul’s Bad Math Leaves MTA in Debt

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.

We’re excited to announce this year’s Solutions Fest, a virtual event series to recognize the most promising solutions we’ve reported on this year and those that we hope to see expand in the year to come. Register here to donate for the full series bundle — or sign up for the individual webinars you’re most interested in at this link.

Now onto this week’s briefs…

Governor Hochul’s Bad Math Leaves MTA in Debt

A new state comptroller’s report shows that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs New York City’s subway system, could be heading for a financial cliff next year. The agency will have a $176 million budget shortfall next year, thanks to sluggish ridership, overtime costs, and Governor Kathy Hochul’s “indefinite pause” of congestion pricing, which was set to bring in $1 billion in revenue annually. Hochul had also promised a $500 million infusion into the agency in 2023, but these funds relied on creative accounting, including the approval of three casinos that may never be approved.

Oxfam Denounces Assassination of Engineers Restoring Water

Oxfam denounced Israel’s murder of four water engineers who were on their way to repair water systems in Khan Younis. The engineers had coordinated with the Israeli military beforehand and the government gave their coordinates before they were targeted. The killings are not the first time Israel has assassinated utility workers attempting to repair water systems in Gaza. Oxfam has called for a complete arms embargo against Israel. In related news, last week, an Israeli airstrike killed the mayor of one of Lebanon’s largest cities. The airstrike on the city’s main municipal building happened while the mayor was coordinating aid to displaced refugees. On Wednesday, Israel designated several prominent Gazan reporters as militants, a claim it also made after the assassinations of journalists Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Refee, raising alarm among the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Researchers at Brown University have released a “conservative” estimate that Israel’s genocide has killed at least 100,000 people, which has cost U.S. taxpayers over $17 billion. And this week, the largest healthcare union in the U.S. also called for an arms embargo.

Kaiser Therapists Strike in California

More than 2,400 mental health workers organized under the National Union of Healthcare Workers began a strike at Kaiser Permanente offices in Southern California, CalMatters reports. The union also went on strike in 2022, which led to promises from Kaiser to hire more workers. Workers are now asking for more time in between patients, a wage increase and pension benefits on par with other Kaiser clinicians. According to CalMatters, there is a shortage of mental health care workers in California, driven by the pandemic and burnout by clinicians.

Palestinians in Gaza and Diaspora Replant Palestine

Prism reports on farmers in the Palestinian diaspora, including in Berkeley, California’s Gill Tract Farm, planting traditional Palestinian plants and seeds to keep ancestral traditions alive. TrueLove Seeds, a Pennsylvania-based company that “provides urban and rural farmers with seeds that sustain culture and ancestral connection,” also ran a fundraiser for Gaza with its seed sales. And in Palestine, farmers are trying to replant land amid Israel’s devastation but face many challenges, including long-lasting chemicals from Israeli and American weapons that persist in the soil.

Midwest Cities Serve As Examples for Medical Debt Relief

The Nation covers how Vice President Kamala Harris’ vague plans to forgive medical debt could take inspiration from Ohio, where the city of Toledo bought up medical debt sold by its largest hospitals to third parties and immediately forgave it, something that Columbus, Cleveland and Akron followed suit on. Cook County, Illinois took similar measures with the organization Undue Medical Debt. The debt is sold for pennies on the dollar and often never retrieved, making it easier for city governments to erase large sums at once. To learn more about how such local medical debt relief programs are working, join us at Next City’s virtual Solutions Fest in December.

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Curated by Deonna Anderson

MORE NEWS

• Communities could lose unspent ARPA funds in December if they don’t do this. Smart Cities Dive

  • Related: Watch the recording of Next City’s webinar about the final push to allocate remaining ARPA funds.

• How Do the Presidential Candidates’ Housing Plans Measure Up? Urban Insitute’s Housing Matters

• The fate of Denver’s last slaughterhouse is on the ballot. Civil Eats

• Here are five cities that are going big on pedestrianization. The New Urban Order

• A new report shows that billionaire investors are ‘supercharging’ the housing crisis. Common Dreams

• In New York City, Black home mortgage borrowers pay more than white borrowers, a new study confirms. The City

• Richmond’s Black History Museum joins a global network for education on slavery. Axios

• How this Birmingham nonprofit is helping youth out of homelessness. AL.com

• Meatpacking plants mostly pollute low-income communities of color, EPA data shows. Investigate Midwest

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• The Digital Justice Grant Program, which is designed to promote and provide resources for projects at various stages of development that diversify the digital domain, advance justice and equity in digital scholarly practice, and/or contribute to public understanding of racial and social justice issues, is accepting applications until Dec. 3. Learn more and apply here.

• Multitude Films, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, and the BLIS Collective are collaborating to produce REPARATIVE FUTURES, a series of short documentary films about the transformative power of reparations. And they’re looking for filmmakers to be a part of the project. Applications are due by Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Learn more details and apply here.

• PolicyLink and Colorado Homes for All just released a Just Cause comparison tool, designed for advocates to compare and contrast just cause legislation as they develop and advance their own. Access it here.

EVENTS

• Oct. 28 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern: The Brookings Institution is hosting a conversation about protecting election integrity. Register here to attend in person or here to watch the livestream.

• Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern: Next City is hosting a webinar about preserving LGBTQ spaces and stories in cities across the globe. Register here to be a part of a crucial conversation about ensuring the survival and thriving of LGBTQ spaces.

• Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. Eastern: Policylink is hosting a pre-election webinar with its CEO Michael McAfee and President Ashleigh Gardere. “We invite you to gather with us ahead of the election to ground in our purpose to be the founders of a nation where all can thrive,” the organization notes. Register here.