| 2024 is YOUR year! Remember, there’s no right decision just the way you decide to move. -ciaooo! team |
THIS WEEK’S UPDATE
1. NYC NEWS TO KNOW
GOOD NEWS
- Minimum Wage Officially Went Up Yesterday– On January 1st, the minimum wage went up to $16 an hour in New York City, Westchester and Long Island and $15 upstate.
- The $100 Million East River Path is Finally Open! – The East River Midtown East Greenway Esplanade (say that 3x fast) has been under construction since 2017 and just opened last month. The pathway connects 53rd to 61st allowing for walkways, bike paths and a patch of pathway to rival the West Side Highway. East Sideeee Represent
BAD NEWS
- The Brooklyn Bridge is Not for Shopping, Ok?– As of today, the city has banned street vendors from selling souvenirs and trinkets from all of the city’s 789 bridges. I know what you’re thinking…what? The city has 789 bridges?! Yes – the city is trying to clear up congestion. Great for locals, terrible for tourists.
- New Yorkers are Not Ok..Mentally – But its not our fault, ok? A report from NY Attorney General Letitia James found that out of 400 mental health providers listed on health plans’ networks, 86% were unreachable, not-in-network or not accepting new patients. Health Insurance companies stay scamming.
OPINION
2. LET’S TALK ABOUT NEW YORK CITY’S BUDGET CRISIS
| If you are feeling bad about your 2023, take comfort in knowing that someone, somewhere is doing a horrendously worse job than you ever could. Today’s case? New York City. A report by the NYC Comptroller, Brad Lander showcased NYC is facing a major budget deficit, and the biggest culprits? Not avocado toast and lattes but: |
- Lawsuits against the city – Traffic crashes caused by city drivers account for over $1.5 BILLION a year. Like, we know New Yorkers can’t drive but dang!
- Uniformed Overtime – The NYPD alone saw a 3700% increase in overtime last year but more on that below***. They should have been arresting those city drivers
- Carter Cases – Due to the city’s lack of public schools for students with disabilities, costs grew by 80% to $918 million to pay for private schools.
- Migrant Crisis – Over 100K migrants have arrived in NYC, but it’s estimated to cost over $2 billion due to inefficient (corrupt) programs
***NYPD Overtime Pay Blew Up from $4 Mill to $155 Mill in 2023 –
Mayor Adams needs to chill, maybe? You may remember the subway as an especially debaucherous place in early 2023 when subway shovings and murders/rapes ran rampant. As a result, Gov Hochul + Mayor Adams decided to add extra officers to deter crime, an additional 1000 officers PER DAY to be exact. While the sight of officers may be reassuring, it brought less than a 2% decrease in crime, with a 160% uptick in summonses for fare evasion disproportionately towards black and brown people. $155 Million to recover about $100K in fare evasion? The math ain’t mathing…
While the Mayor has continued to point to the migrant crisis for the budget crisis, much of the gap already existed. In fact, if you were to add up the lawsuits and overtime alone, it would almost amount to the same cost of the migrant crisis.
What do you think? What should we do about the city’s budget?
OH HEY, HELLO, ciaooo!
3. A FRESH WAY TO START YOUR 2024
| It’s national mentoring month! And what better way to start your year than by doing some good for someone else? SCORE NYC is a volunteer team of experienced business mentors and advisors providing free insights and knowledge to small business owners and entrepreneurs wishing to start a business. Whether you’re looking to start a business or share some of your insights and experience, check out SCORE to help NYC business owners today or sign up for mentorship! |
Community-first. Women-led. ciaooo! is on a mission to empower brands and organizations that make NYC a better place. Learn more!
