The Weekly Wrap: Congestion Pricing Is Back in New York City

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.

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Congestion Pricing Returns at Lower Cost

Gothamist reports that Governor Kathy Hochul, who put New YC’s congestion pricing tolling program on indefinite pause five months ago, plans to allow some version of the plan to begin before President-elect Trump takes office. (Sources told Gothamist that the pause of congestion pricing, which does not poll well, was meant to ensure New York state representatives could retain their seats.) The plan would return as a $9 toll rather than the approved $15 toll but could increase over time, according to Gothamist. “State law requires the congestion pricing program to create enough revenue for the MTA to obtain $15 billion on the bond market,” the outlet reports. The Hochul administration says the new price would do that, but the details of how to make the math work still need to be figured out.

Housing Nonprofits Raise Complaints About LA’s “Mansion Tax”

The Los Angeles Times reports that a 4% transfer tax on properties that cost more than $5 million has eaten into the margins of nonprofit housing developers, which are not exempt from the tax. The tax has raised over $400 million for homelessness prevention and affordable housing in the two years since it passed. The tax exempts entities that sell to affordable housing developers, but nonprofits that sell off land to for-profit entities are not exempt, even if those nonprofits have an affordable housing mission.

Controversial “CARE Court” Launches in East Bay

Oaklandside reports that Alameda County, which includes Oakland, Berkeley and other East Bay municipalities, will launch a long-gestating plan for a “CARE Court,” an alternative civil court system for people with severe mental illness that is empowered to mandate treatment. The plan is widely derided by disability rights organizations, including Disability Rights California, which says that California residents could be “subjected to statutory penalties for noncompliance when they have done nothing wrong, are not creating a danger to anyone, and are competent to make their own medical decisions.” The group is suing to stop the CARE court programs. A KQED investigation found that counties with CARE courts had far fewer petitions for people to be mandated into the court than expected.

NYC Gets Rid of Broker’s Fees For Renters

A bill that essentially eliminates broker’s fees for most tenants passed the New York City Council with a veto-proof majority, according to Gothamist. Instead, this fee will be paid by the person who hired the broker, typically the landlord or building manager. The bill had 34 co-sponsors as of Wednesday and passed 42-8, a veto-proof majority in the city council. It will take effect 180 days after the mayor signs the bill; if the mayor does not sign, it will become law within 30 days automatically and take effect 180 days after that. Opponents of the bill, including the Real Estate Board of New York, said that landlords would simply raise the cost of rent in market-rate housing to make up for the broker’s fee. A real estate broker who spoke to Gothamist said even if renters did pay the fee over the course of a year-long lease, it would still be less onerous than paying a lump sum all at once.

COP 29 Will Commence Next Week Amid Uncertainty

The United Nations’ annual climate change conference will happen next week in Azerbaijan, and many are expecting countries to make less bold commitments than hoped for, Grist reports. This is due to global inflation and the re-election of Donald Trump, who pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term in office. Negotiations planned for this year’s conference include agreements on payments from wealthier countries, which create most carbon waste, to poorer countries, which bear the brunt of it. A UN report released earlier this week found that developing countries have a gap of between $180 billion and $360 billion to make needed climate adaptations.

Curated by Deonna Anderson

MORE NEWS

• Homelessness among veterans drops to record low levels. Military Times

• Palm Springs has reached a nearly $6 million reparations deal with former Section 14 residents. New York Times

• Transportation reform advocates have a plan to win — even during the next Trump era. StreetsBlog USA

• A federal court just slashed key environmental regulations. NOTUS

• US Supreme Court rebuffs challenge to New York rent stabilization. Reuters

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

• The Bronx Community Foundation is accepting applications for its fall 2024 Participatory Grantmaking, which supports organizations in the borough that are leading transformative solutions to address systemic problems. Applications are due Nov. 22. Learn more here.

• The Urban Institute and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative are accepting applications for their Catalyst Grant Program, which helps organizations address inequities in the criminal legal system by using data and technology to advance racial equity and reform at the front end of the system.  Applications are due Nov. 22. Learn more here.

• If you’re a literary or visual artist in the Detroit area, the Kresge Foundation is accepting applications for its Artist Fellowships. Learn more about the $50,000 no-strings-attached opportunity here. Applications are due on Dec. 2.

• Haymarket Books, a radical, independent, nonprofit book publisher based in Chicago, is giving away 10 key ebooks free to download. “We believe that books are crucial tools in struggles against racism, imperialism, and capitalism — and for a better world,” the publisher writes. Get them here.

EVENTS

• Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. Eastern: Next City is hosting Fixing the Housing Crisis, Beyond Supply, a conversation about effective solutions to the housing crisis outside of building more units. Join us for a conversation where speakers will explore increasing affordability and making units and homes permanently affordable, such as establishing community land trusts, expanding housing assistance, and more!

• Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Eastern: Haymarket Books is hosting a virtual post-election assessment and urgent conversation about how to chart a path forward. Register here.