SUMMER OF HELL: New York City’s upcoming summer presents significant challenges for the NYPD, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
During an extensive four-hour budget hearing today, the city’s top police official shed light on potential security threats during the World Cup and hinted at tensions between the police department and the mayor’s office regarding the scale of citywide celebrations. Tisch also provided an estimate of the police overtime costs related to various upcoming events, including America’s 250th birthday celebrations, the NBA Finals, a major sailing event, and annual parades.
“Each of these events individually would require a major operation in New York City,” Tisch explained to members of the City Council’s finance and public safety committees. “Collectively, they impose extraordinary demands on the NYPD.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already announced five fan zones where residents can watch World Cup games for free, and Tisch mentioned that more are expected.
“I understand that the mayor plans to announce a comprehensive set of FIFA watch parties across all five boroughs, spanning the entire tournament duration,” she noted.
However, as reported by POLITICO, there is friction behind the scenes, with police officials expressing concerns over the ambitious scale of these watch parties, particularly unique events like soccer on the beach, as desired by the mayor, a fervent fan. Tisch’s comments on Monday highlighted the significant strain these events will place on the NYPD.
“I urge you to consider the demands on this department in this context,” she remarked, emphasizing the NYPD’s limited resources to lawmakers. “We aim to facilitate as much as possible, perhaps even everything — but there will be substantial celebrating in New York City.”
Tisch and her team illustrated the enormity of the tasks at hand: The department will screen 200 buses arriving from New Jersey on eight days when games occur at MetLife Stadium. Officers will also secure the staging areas in Midtown where passengers will board these buses before returning across the Hudson River. Additionally, the NYPD plans to screen an estimated 15,000 rail passengers before they head to the Garden State.
Tisch has previously expressed concerns about weaponized drones potentially being used for attacks during the tournament. On Monday, she provided a more tangible example of why NYPD involvement is crucial in planning.
“We don’t want vehicles driving into watch parties, whether intentionally or accidentally,” she stated. “We aim to prevent vehicle ramming attacks throughout the city.”
In total, Tisch and her team projected summer-related overtime costs to be around $92 million. Officers will be on mandatory 12-hour shifts from July 1 through July 7, as previously reported by POLITICO, a period Tisch suggested might need extension. Approximately $70 million of these costs are covered by the city’s budget or federal support, leaving a $20 million shortfall at a time when the city is financially constrained. — Joe Anuta
From the Capitol
SLOP THERE IT IS: In time for the NBA Finals, Governor Kathy Hochul’s Republican opponents are eagerly portraying themselves as basketball stars in AI-created videos and images, dunking on the Democrat.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott today shared an image on X of himself in a San Antonio Spurs jersey scoring against Hochul, depicted as a Knick. President Donald Trump is shown smiling courtside in approval.
This comes after a video from Hochul’s general election opponent, Bruce Blakeman, showcasing him dribbling past Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. In this scenario, Blakeman dons a Knicks jersey while the New York Democrats wear Cleveland Cavaliers attire.
Hochul, a Buffalo native with an apparent preference for the Bills and Sabres, dismissed the Abbott image today, alluding to controversies involving transgender participation in sports.
“I was actually surprised to see the president and Governor Abbott — with their memes of me, they’re dunking me on the court — that they’re supportive of men and women competing in the same sport,” she commented. — Nick Reisman
THE KIDS ARE ALERT: A new statewide cellphone ban has led to students learning more and scrolling less, according to research released today by the governor.
Approximately 80 percent of teachers statewide reported in a survey that the ban, which was implemented this school year, has had positive effects, including improved student engagement. Additionally, 60 percent noted a decrease in bullying and cyberbullying, and 75 percent said their teaching effectiveness has improved.
Hochul, who participated in a roundtable discussion with students and teachers at a Brooklyn school today, said she initially sought to identify the causes of youth mental health issues over a year ago.
“I quickly came to the conclusion that there were severely negative impacts on young people’s mental health in classrooms when they could not put down their cellphones,” she stated. “It literally became an addiction.”
The governor’s office received 585 survey responses. According to Hochul, 47 percent of the educators polled were from New York City.
It remains uncertain whether the policy will affect students’ academic performance, however.
“Logic would tell us that that is a result we expect to see at some point,” Hochul remarked to reporters after the roundtable. “I don’t know that it follows at the end of any first year, but it is data I’ve asked for. We don’t have the final exams in, for example.” — Madina Touré
FROM CITY HALL
CLASS SIZE DELAY CEMENTED: Mamdani is set to receive an additional two years to comply with a state law requiring reduced class sizes in public schools.
Legislation to facilitate this will adjust the benchmark for the upcoming school year from 80 percent to 70 percent, according to state Senator John Liu, chair of the Senate’s New York City Education Committee.
Afterward, the city must achieve 80 percent by the 2027-28 school year, 90 percent by the 2028-29 school year, and 100 percent by the 2029-30 school year.
Initially, the city was required to reduce class sizes to between 20 and 25 students, depending on grade level, by September 2028.
“The legal timetable will be extended by two years, empowering the Mamdani administration to at long last bring all NYC class sizes down to state and national norms of teacher-student ratios,” Liu stated. “This amendment to state law is respondent to clear and accountable teacher recruitment and classroom construction plans developed by the Mamdani administration to be fulfilled within the mayor’s current term of office.”
The class size law is a key concern for Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers. He noted the union preferred meeting compliance over getting an extension.
“But the reality is that New York City, up until now, had not done all that was needed to make this law a reality in every classroom,” Mulgrew stated. “If giving this new administration two more years gets us a partner committed to building the necessary seats, then it is the fastest way to turn the law into reality.”
The agreement includes an “accountability incentive” requiring the city to use space and hard-to-staff exemptions — schools receiving funds to hire staff but unable to fill these positions for the fall — as temporary measures.
The city must pay teachers a differential when working at schools with space or hard-to-staff exemptions to meet the 70 percent benchmark for the upcoming school year. — Madina Touré
IN OTHER NEWS
— NO DICE: Resorts World, New York City’s first casino, is embroiled in a tax dispute with the state’s Gaming Commission, which claims the casino owes an additional $150 million annually to the state’s horseracing industry. (New York Focus)
— AT RISK: The Trump administration is proposing cuts to the nation’s largest homeless assistance program, potentially leaving thousands of formerly homeless New Yorkers without shelter. (Gothamist)
— BREAKING BREAD: Competing visions for the left are sparking tensions in the open NY-7 Democratic primary, with tribal politics shaping the contest between progressive Antonio Reynoso and democratic socialist Claire Valdez. (The New York Times)
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