State and Local U.S. Politics

[Psy-Fi]

New York governor deploys National Guard amid illegal corrections officer strike at state prisons

[Psy-Fi]

California asks US government for billions in fire relief funds

[Lisnaholic]

NYC congestion pricing axed as Trump's DOT pulls approval of hated toll

^ In the interests of balance, I'd like to post this news report which suggests that the New York Post's descriptions of "hated toll" and "spectacularly unpopular" are at best, very misleading:

London has had a similar congestion tax for years, and it is popular*, afaik, because of benefits like better air quality, faster buses and safer streets.

* Of course opinions vary, depending on whether you own a car or not -and presumably also on how much the toll is. To judge by a google search, in London it costs you 15 pounds (= 18 USD) a day to drive into the central area of the city.

Mainly for map nerds:

Spoiler

Also significant is how easily car owners, etc. can make a cross-town journey without going into the Congestion Zone:





My guess about London is "Yes, it's do-able to skirt the Congestion Zone if you want."

[close]

My Bottom Line Opinion:
Not having given it long enough for a fair trial or a chance for New Yorkers to amend their attitudes and habits, Trump is overstating his case:-

"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

[Buck_Mulligan]

^ In the interests of balance, I'd like to post this news report which suggests that the New York Post's descriptions of "hated toll" and "spectacularly unpopular" are at best, very misleading:

London has had a similar congestion tax for years, and it is popular*, afaik, because of benefits like better air quality, faster buses and safer streets.

* Of course opinions vary, depending on whether you own a car or not -and presumably also on how much the toll is. To judge by a google search, in London it costs you 15 pounds (= 18 USD) a day to drive into the central area of the city.

Mainly for map nerds:

Spoiler

Also significant is how easily car owners, etc. can make a cross-town journey without going into the Congestion Zone:





My guess about London is "Yes, it's do-able to skirt the Congestion Zone if you want."

[close]

My Bottom Line Opinion:
Not having given it long enough for a fair trial or a chance for New Yorkers to amend their attitudes and habits, Trump is overstating his case:-

"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

Everything I've read said the peeps who use it were delighted with it. That of course doesn't reflect the opinions of those who switched to public transport.

[Lexi Darling]

The pedophile party demands to see kids' genitals.

[Psy-Fi]

LA County DA's office raids Huntington Park City Hall as part of corruption probe

Authorities said the search warrant was served by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office at 11 locations, eight of them in Huntington Park, in the probe that's been named "Operation Dirty Pond".

Current and former city councilmembers and city officials allegedly misused millions of dollars of tax money earmarked for a failed pool project.

City hall was shut down and had yellow crime scene tapes at the front and side entrances. Only law enforcement was allowed inside the building.

The homes of Mayor Karina Macias and Councilmember Eddie Martinez were also among the locations raided.

[Psy-Fi]

Teamsters back Andrew Cuomo for NYC mayor — snubbing Eric Adams, Adrienne Adams

[Psy-Fi]

Cuomo's scandals have cost NY taxpayers whopping $60M and counting in legal bills: bombshell state report

[Psy-Fi]

Schumer postpones book tour amid progressive revolt over shutdown vote as senator blames 'security concerns'

[Psy-Fi]

Newsom sends prepaid phones, aka 'burners,' to tech CEOs

Roughly 100 leaders of state-headquartered companies have received a curious package in recent months: a prepaid, inexpensive cell phone (commonly known as a burner, for those of you who haven't seen "The Wire" or "Better Call Saul"), programmed with Newsom's digits and accompanied by notes from the governor himself.

"If you ever need anything, I'm a phone call away," read one note to a prominent tech firm's CEO printed on official letterhead, along with a hand-scrawled addendum urging the executive to reach out. (We agreed to withhold the executive's identity to protect our tipster.)

It was Newsom's idea, a representative said, and has already yielded some "valuable interactions."

[Lexi Darling]

[Psy-Fi]

Judge permanently dismisses criminal case against NYC mayor

A federal judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, weeks after the Trump administration directed prosecutors to drop the corruption charges.

The move led to the resignation of Manhattan's top federal prosecutor who accused Adams of striking a deal with the Trump administration to dismiss his case in exchange for immigration enforcement.

The Manhattan judge dismissed the case "with prejudice", which means the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot refile the charges against Adams based on the same evidence.

Adams was charged with conspiracy, fraud, soliciting illegal campaign contributions, and bribery. He had denied any wrongdoing.