the fact that multiple reports have suggested a fear that republicans would follow trump’s demands and abolish the filibuster motivated Ds to fold is incredibly damning and is a reminder that the senate itself is a major problem for those who want to save & revive american democracy.

I was kind of 50/50 on whether or not Ds should make a deal - blocking SNAP payments isn't just a political tactic... it actively hurts people - just one month of missed $ is enough to plunge 23k NYers into poverty. But then you see this kind of thinking and you get radicalized all over again.

Spokane has been killing it with housing reforms: eliminating parking minimums near transit increasing height maximums Reducing lot minimums THE RESULTS? The proof is in the puddin':

New Yorkers are sick and tired of the housing crisis. Thanks to our new mayor and big wins to expand affordable housing across New York City, we finally have the chance to start building homes for every New Yorker.

With the passage of the housing ballot initiatives, Mamdani won a second victory—one he didn’t even campaign for. These laws will make at least some of his housing policy goals meaningfully easier to achieve. www.fastcompany.com/91436060/zoh...

An incomplete list of cities where housing abundance was a major campaign issue & pro-housing candidates held or expanded majorities: - Bozeman, MT - Cambridge, MA - Durham, NC - Kalispell, MT - Littleton, CO - Manchester, NH - Missoula, MT - Salt Lake City, UT - Seattle, WA - Wilmington, NC 💪

An affordable housing mandate.

As the sun sets on election day, a few more councilmembers have come out in support of the ballot measures (or some of them), even as council leadership is united in opposition. Eric Bottcher and Shaun Abreu were public "Yes" on all, Pierina Sanchez was Y on 2 and Lincoln Restler was Y on 2,3

Zohran’s voting yes on them too!

Take it from the Municipal Art Society: Voting YES on ballot proposals 2-5 is a vote for affordability and a stronger city Unpaywalled link: archive.is/t72uF paywalled link: www.crainsnewyork.com/op-ed/op-ed-...

Well fam, lets get it. Vote 🗳️ yes ✅ 2-5 on the housing 🏘️ ballots

Just in: Zohran Mamdani says he's voting yes on ballot questions 1-5 and no on 6.

Polls open in 8 hours. In 8 hours, New Yorkers can choose a more affordable future — on the front of the ballot with @ZohranKMamdani.bsky.social and the back of the ballot with @YesOnAffHousing.bsky.social props 2-5.

Still undecided about ballot props 2-5? Read this op-ed from @michelle_delauz, ED of @FACbrooklyn. Fifth Avenue Committee is deeply committed to community voice & vision — and to communities with enough affordable housing that voice & vision are shared. brooklyneagle.com/articles/202...

Tomorrow is Election Day. I hope you'll vote for proposals 2-6. If you'll indulge me, a quick run-down of the remarkable coalition of supporters: Starting with the editorial boards of the Daily News, Post, and Crain's, and though the Times has declined to weigh in, Mara Gay.

Anyways: higher turnout and a more representative electorate are good AND save the city money. Yes on 6

Marathon day vibes are immaculate

Abduction of Proserpina, by Giambologna, 1579 (from the @NortonSimon Museum in Pasadena), 📸 by @nturchiarophoto

yamamoto unquestionably the mvp

LFG Dodgers!!!!! Rojas, Max, Will, YAMA

"Every delay has a cost. Every stalled project is a family left waiting, another family priced out, another neighborhood losing the diversity that defines New York. We can’t build an equitable city if only a few communities carry the weight of its affordable housing needs."

City officials are not supposed to use city funds to battle ballot proposals. But that is exactly what the City Council is doing, records obtained by @marinasam.bsky.social now confirm.

really good thread on the NYC ballot questions and why you should vote yes (I did!)

These are straightforwardly just descriptions of *what already happens today.* We don’t have to speculate: a wave of cities have moved to even-year elections, and what has happened is that more people vote, and when they do, they spend time looking into what’s downballot. That’s a new audience.

“Low-density zoning and ULURP were not designed to protect tenants, they haven’t protected tenants in the past two decades, and they won’t protect tenants in the future. If we want [social housing], we need to build it — and we need to change the rules to make that possible.” Let’s go! Yes on 2-5!

Short explanation of what the deal is with "affordability" in the housing ballot proposals, since people have lots of questions - mainly stemming from the fact that our existing system is so complicated to begin with! (Explanation first, some personal commentary after)

Good advice from Stavvy. www.vulture.com/article/stav...

If you haven’t already—make a plan to vote, vote Zohran Mamdani for mayor, and remember to flip your ballot to vote on the six ballot proposals!

Something to think about when you consider how to vote on the housing ballot proposals here in NYC: "Local opposition to new housing from individual councilmembers can turn whole neighborhoods into “no-go zones” for development." gothamist.com/news/see-whe... via @davidfbrand.bsky.social

The vision laid out by @caseyberk.bsky.social and @kynakwado.bsky.social in the wake of Amazon HQ2’s collapse is finally being realized nearly 7 years later! www.nydailynews.com/2019/02/17/a...

David Schleicher has written about this a lot, e.g. www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/loc...

Under Trump, the draconian future of homelessness policy is coming into focus: mass internment. Utah is building a 16-acre site to detain up to 1,300 homeless people inside locked "accountability centers." This is profoundly alarming. Vital reporting from @ellenbarry.bsky.social and Jason DeParle:

“10 Council districts produced just seven units of affordable housing in total during the first six months of this year. Four produced none” — www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/29/a...

“These Council Districts Produced Zero Affordable Homes This Year: Voters are deciding on a proposal to bypass the City Council on planned developments in the neighborhoods that have built the least. They include swaths of eastern Queens and southern Brooklyn” Zero! www.thecity.nyc/2025/10/29/a...

Berkeley's transformation from one of the NIMBYest cities in California to one of the YIMBYest is a major arc in my book. In 2022, Berkeley completed more new homes than it did in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s combined. Rents there have been mostly flat in recent years.

Very cool* how Councilmembers are weaponizing 130% AMI units that come from 421-a to stop proposals for city-financed deeply affordable housing, or MIH levels (avg 60% AMI = $2187 for a two-bed). *not cool

huge: new york’s largest battery project has been canceled. would’ve stored enough energy to power more than half a million homes. why’d it die? a protest movement in NYC against battery storage, backed by curtis sliwa & national GOP politicians. my latest for @heatmap.news #greensky

The Will Klein game

FREDDIE FREEMAN YOU’RE GETTING A SECOND STATUE

Runs plz

Biblically accurate pitch chart

10 years ago tonight

It’s not just that they don’t have to turn off SNAP benefits — they’re not legally allowed to. They legally must use the contingency fund. The admin is pretending they can’t use it even though their own guidance from a month ago (that they’ve since deleted) contradicts that.

NY Daily News endorses Questions 2, 3, and 4: www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/27/d...

Take it from trusted NYC leaders @bradlander.bsky.social @marklevinenyc.bsky.social @drichardsqns.bsky.social Antonio Reynoso: Vote YES on Affordable Housing Ballot props 2-5!

I often complain about historic preservation orgs in NYC, but the Municipal Art Society is truly a rare bright spot in an otherwise broken field. They were strong supporters of City of Yes and SO PLEASED to see an endorsement of Questions 2,3&4 on this years ballot www.mas.org/news/stateme...

If you care about homelessness and affordable housing, I cannot stress how important it is to vote ✅ YES on #2-4. Without these reforms, there's no way we can address the housing crisis in NYC that is causing historic highs in homelessness.

I voted! You should too!

ICYMI: This week's issue of The Groove helps you understand the ballot questions and helps you navigate the city's Cemetery Belt. Read it here: nygroove.nyc/email/761f50...