DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 56
GETTING TO 200K: Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled an ambitious housing plan today, which he believes will initiate the most significant municipal housing transformation the nation has seen.
This comprehensive blueprint outlines Mamdani’s strategy to tackle the primary factor behind the city’s affordability crisis, a key issue that fueled his successful mayoral campaign.
While Mamdani’s plan sets ambitious targets that could exceed those of previous mayors—aiming to create and preserve a combined total of 400,000 affordable homes over ten years—it also shows a continuation and expansion of policies from past administrations rather than introducing entirely new ideas.
The plan addresses multiple concurrent crises: a severe housing shortage, a deteriorating public housing system with significant capital needs, and a rental housing market under stress due to rising operating costs.
“If the absence of good government created the conditions we now face, the presence of good government can build the solutions we now need,” Mamdani stated during a speech in Brooklyn’s Gowanus area, where a city-led rezoning nearly five years ago sparked a residential construction boom.
Mamdani is witnessing the challenges of some campaign promises and is adjusting expensive plans amid a strained city budget. He had promised to create 200,000 publicly-subsidized homes in ten years, tripling current production rates. He maintains this goal, while also committing to preserving another 200,000 affordable homes.
The blueprint acknowledges the difficulty of reaching these levels of affordable housing production quickly. The administration aims to develop about 14,000 affordable homes in fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1, and increase to 21,000 units annually by fiscal year 2031.
According to the plan released Tuesday, Mamdani’s housing department intends to finance 8,000 new affordable homes in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, which would expand subsidized housing by more than 35 percent compared to the previous two years. However, the plan does not detail how the remaining approximately 12,000 units will be produced each year to reach the 200,000-unit goal.
This additional affordable housing will primarily depend on zoning, tax, and other financing mechanisms rather than direct city subsidies, necessitating private sector cooperation with these tools. — Janaki Chadha
From the Capitol
‘BIG UGLY’ VOTE: The Legislature spent much of the day voting on the budget’s comprehensive “big ugly” bill, which includes many contentious issues in this year’s financial plan.
“This bill has some really good stuff in it and some really bad stuff,” remarked Assemblymember Jeff Dinowitz, highlighting Tier VI pension plan changes as a reason for his “yes” vote. “I look forward to seeing the positive impact it’s going to have on many, many state workers.”
The prevailing sentiment among Democrats during the debate was discontent with the rollback of climate laws, coupled with support for a pension provision that Republican Assemblymember Michael Fitzpatrick called “the mother of all pension sweeteners,” leading to reluctant approval. This reasoning was common among members facing Democratic primaries in four weeks, who might be criticized for perceived environmental weaknesses.
“This is not an easy vote for me,” said Assemblymember Grace Lee, who is vying for a Senate seat and supported the bill due to Tier VI.
Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas also expressed her support, saying, “I am voting yes because I refuse to deny hardworking union members and retirees the retirement security they have worked years to achieve.”
Gonzalez-Rojas criticized the climate law changes, stating, “Communities like Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, LeFrak City have already experienced the consequences of environmental injustice. Climate change is not theoretical for our communities. It is personal.”
This might indicate how budget discussions have merged into primary season. Not all mentioned neighborhoods fall within Gonzalez-Rojas’ district, but they describe the Senate district where she challenges Democrat Jessica Ramos next month. — Bill Mahoney
FROM CITY HALL
MEANWHILE, IN KNICKS WORLD: Mamdani suggested that watch parties may return outside Madison Square Garden for the NBA finals next month.
“They will be there,” Mamdani said with a laugh when asked at an unrelated press conference if celebrations would return outside the iconic arena when the Knicks participate in their first NBA finals in nearly 30 years.
However, a Mamdani spokesperson clarified to Playbook that the mayor did not refer to official watch parties but rather to the inevitable gatherings of Knicks fans outside the Garden to celebrate or commiserate, often in exuberant fashion.
The spokesperson did not confirm whether official watch parties with large screens would return, mentioning that plans are still under development.
“It’s not a question of if there will be watch parties but where,” spokesperson Dora Pekec stated.
This issue could provoke Knicks fans.
Last week, the city revoked MSG’s permit for large outdoor parties during Knicks games due to NYPD concerns over public drinking and rowdiness. During one of the Knicks’ Eastern Conference Finals games against the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, six arrests were made related to the outdoor watch party.
The NYPD’s decision to halt the parties might anger Knicks fans eager for their team’s first NBA finals since 1999. Mamdani, a devoted Knicks fan, is already at odds with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over World Cup policing strategies, and a dispute over MSG could further strain relations.
With the outdoor party permit canceled, MSG hosted a watch party at Radio City Music Hall for the Knicks’ victory over the Cavs last night.
Mamdani assured at today’s press conference that Knicks fans can still cheer for their team at various watch parties across the city during the finals.
“We’re looking forward to making sure that it is a time for New Yorkers to celebrate, it’s a time that they’re also safe,” he said. “We’re going to have a number of different kinds of watch parties, and we’ll get back to you as we keep going through those plans.”
The Knicks will compete against either the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals next month. The first game of the series is scheduled for June 3. — Chris Sommerfeldt
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
DEBATE-A-PALOOZA: Got plans in June? How about attending a congressional primary debate—or six?
After numerous forums in the city’s competitive primaries, several televised debates are lined up for the June 23 election: two each for the races to replace retiring Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Jerry Nadler, and another two for Rep. Dan Goldman’s primary challenge against Brad Lander.
All debates will air live at 7 p.m., except for the first NY-07 debate on June 3, which will be prerecorded earlier that day and broadcast at 7 p.m. Here are the dates to mark on your calendar:
— June 1: Goldman and Lander will face off in their first televised debate, hosted by Spectrum News NY1. Moderators will be NY1’s Errol Louis and Courtney Gross.
Goldman’s campaign has criticized Lander for refusing to participate in seven debates.
— June 3: State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and City Council member Julie Won will debate for Velázquez’s seat. The event will be hosted by NY1 and moderated by Louis and Gross. Public defender Vichal Kumar is also on the ballot but did not qualify for the debate.
— June 4: The four leading candidates aiming to succeed Nadler will participate in a PIX11 debate: state Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg, and anti-Trump commentator George Conway. Dan Mannarino will moderate.
— June 9: An additional NY-12 debate will be hosted by NY1 and WNYC. Moderators will be Louis, WNYC’s Brian Lehrer, and Brigid Bergin. This debate will feature Bores, Conway, Lasher, Schlossberg, and public health practitioner Nina Schwalbe.
Schwalbe, a progressive candidate struggling to stand out in the crowded field, has often criticized media coverage and event organizers for excluding her. Several lesser-known candidates will also be on the ballot next month.
— June 10: Valdez, Reynoso, and Won will participate in a PIX11 debate, with Mannarino moderating.
— June 15: PIX11 will host another debate between Goldman and Lander, moderated by Mannarino.
Early voting begins June 13. — Madison Fernandez
MUM-DANI: Mamdani remains undecided about engaging in the competitive race in his home district.
When queried by PIX11’s Henry Rosoff about his choice for the Democratic primary to replace Nadler, Mamdani, a new resident of Gracie Mansion, laughed and said he hasn’t decided but is “following the race as a keen constituent.”
“At this time, I would say that I’ve focused on the two decisions I’ve made thus far,” Mamdani added, referring to his endorsements for Lander and Valdez.
Bores recently expressed his desire for Mamdani’s endorsement. Lasher, meanwhile, has campaign assistance from political strategist Morris Katz, who played a key role in Mamdani’s victory last year. A recent Emerson College/PIX11 poll showed Mamdani enjoys a 66 percent approval rating among district Democratic primary voters. However, Mamdani’s endorsement might alienate some Jewish voters—a significant constituency in the district—who oppose the mayor.
“It was a pleasure to serve with both of them in Albany,” Mamdani said of Bores and Lasher. — Madison Fernandez
ENDORSEMENT CORNER: Abundance New York unveiled its voter guide on Tuesday, showcasing candidates in competitive races who, according to the group’s executive director Catherine Vaughan, are “willing to actually build the things New York needs.”
The candidates include Reynoso and Lander, with a dual endorsement for Bores and Lasher. (The group stated that between Bores and Lasher, it “cannot recommend one over the other at this time, but we may revisit as the race continues.”)
The endorsements are not entirely positive. For Reynoso, the rationale states that his “record has not always supported our agenda, but we have decided to take his evolution at face value and to commit to holding him to his word.”
The blurb on Lander acknowledges the group’s “concerns about [his] record and some of his current stances,” including opposition to certain rezonings while on the Council and support for a ban on what the group terms “investor-owned ‘build-to-rent’ housing.” The guide also mentions dismay at Lander’s call for delaying the Brooklyn Marine Terminal development, calling it a NIMBY stance seemingly aimed at undermining Goldman’s leadership. Despite this, the group appreciates Lander’s “record on housing production, transit, and the local land-use machinery in this district” and believes he “would prioritize the built environment issues that we champion more strongly.”
The group also supports Drew Warshaw, an affordable housing nonprofit executive, who is one of two primary challengers to state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, along with several state Legislature candidates and City Council member Carl Wilson. — Madison Fernandez
IN OTHER NEWS
— THINGS GO SOUTH: Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidate Claire Valdez, who advocates for abolishing ICE, faces scrutiny over her father’s association with a firm involved in Texas border projects. (New York Post)
— WHAT’S IN A NAME: Internal renderings for the Penn Station overhaul project feature a presidential seal with Donald Trump’s name alongside a revamped train hall. (Gothamist)
— ACROSS THE AISLE: Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Co-op is divided over a potential boycott of Israeli products from the socially conscious store. (The New York Times)
Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
