By the end of summer, construction will begin on 500 storm-damaged homes and another 500 reimbursement checks for repairs will have been mailed, according to a plan for reforming Sandy recovery aid outlined by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday. Over 4,000 additional residents will be eligible for compensation under the plan. To handle the workload, the mayor said he'd shift employees from the Buildings Department. He also committed to hiring local workers. It's been over 18 months since the storm hit, and construction under the Build it Back program has only begun on nine homes, though more than 14,000 people have asked for help. Officials estimate another $1 billion in federal funds will be needed, but Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm complained that the mayor never mentioned the need to him. The New York League of Conservation Voters also criticized the plan for a lack of resiliency planning for future storms.
New this morning at Gotham Gazette
Building Back, Hiring Local
Kristen Meriwether looks at Mayor de Blasio's promise that Sandy rebuilding projects will be done, in part, by workers from devastated communities.
A Post-Budget 'Big Ugly'?
David King reports on the legislation on the agenda in Albany for the post-budget section of the legislative session.
The Next 100 Days
An op-ed by StudentsFirstNY Executive Director Jenny Sedlis outlining what she would like to see from the mayor and the chancellor, especially with regard to the teachers' union contract.
Other Stories We're Following
MTA and Union Reach a Deal (NY Times)
Muslims Unite on Push to Add Holidays to School Calendar (NY Times)
City Wins Two Charter Lawsuits (Daily News)
NYPD Commissioner Rolling Back Overseas Counterterrorism Efforts (AP)
Former NYPD Commissioner Had Shrunk Demographics Unit (Daily News)
Experts to Weigh in on Port Authority Reforms (WSJ)
Co-leader of State Democrats Is Out (Times Union)
Petition Challenges Fly in Recchia-Grimm Battle (NY Observer)
Old Timey Car to Replace Horse Carriages (AP)
City Jobs Up Again - So is Unemployment (Crain's)
>The MTA and the union representing city subway and bus workers appear close to agreeing on a new contract more than two years after their last one expired. The 34,000 transit employees of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) are likely to receive a significant raise, according to officials. The Daily News reports it to be an 8 percent raise over five years. To help close the deal, the union has asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to get involved in the discussions. Talks between the MTA and the union began last fall, and the Authority appears to have backed off demands for a three year wage freeze after the union threatened to strike.
New from Gotham Gazette
Cornegy: Right the Economy Through Small Business - part 2 of a video interview of Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr. by Gotham Gazette
Park Equity Begins with a Better Public Budget
an op-ed by Tupper Thomas, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks
ICYMI from Gotham Gazette
Cornegy: My Bill Will Save Lives - part 1 of a video interview of Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr. by Gotham Gazette
Other Stories We're Following
Without Panel, Move to Monitor Lawmaker Income Thwarted (NY Times)
Cuomo’s Passage of Gun Law Was Legitimate, Judge Rules (NY Times)
New Rule Gives Homeless Added Time in Shelters (Capitol Confidential)
Fariña Says Arts Teach Other Skills (WSJ)
City Comptroller Launching Audit of Build it Back (Daily News)
Councilmember Asks Obama to Investigate Shooting (NY Observer)
State Has Sixth-Lowest Rate of Pedestrian Deaths (WNYC)
Lawmakers Push for Higher Wages at Big Businesses (NY Observer)
Mark-Viverito Rejects Paid-Vacation-Leave Bill (Crain's)
Richard Ravitch Chronicles Life in Government (Times Union)
De Blasio Can’t Find Communications Director (NY Post)
Fewer Commuters Take Cabs to Work: Study (NY Post)
New York Says 960,000 Enrolled in Health Exchange (WSJ)
New York's Long-Running War on Weed (Village Voice)
>The NYPD has disbanded the controversial unit that spied on Muslims and reassigned its officers, officials said yesterday. The Demographics Unit, later renamed the Zone Assessment Unit, was a secret program that sent undercover officers into Muslim communities to build detailed records on them. No lead was ever generated from the extensive surveillance. The NYPD's chief spokesperson, Stephen Davis, said that information “probably could have been just as readily obtained through other community outreach programs.” Mayor Bill de Blasio had promised to discontinue the practice while he was running for office, and officials say the unit has been largely dormant since he was elected and appointed police commissioner Bill Bratton. Muslim groups welcomed the change but still worry that spying and information gathering will continue.
New from Gotham Gazette
Cornegy: My Bill Will Save Lives
In part one of a video interview, Brooklyn City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr. discusses his latest legislation with Gotham Gazette.
Deportation Deferred: Why Are NYC's DACA Application Rates So Low?
Hayley Camacho reports on the barriers to immigrants applying for Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Other Stories We're Following
Internal Affairs Warns Against Making Arrests for Overtime (Daily News)
City Heat Study Stalls Due to Lack of Funding (Capital)
Public Advocate Letter Prompts New Homeless Policies (Capital)
Why Democrats Have Turned Against Cuomo (The Atlantic)
Unpaid Interns Gain the Right to Sue (NY Times)
Mark-Viverito Gave Zero to Charity: Tax Records (NY Post)
Espaillat and Rangel Neck-and-Neck in Money Race (NY Observer)
Cuomo's New Book Helped Boost His Salary to $358,000 (Daily News)
Study: New York No Longer Worst State to Do Business (Crain's)
Cuomo Signs 'National Popular Vote' Bill (Associated Press)
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