Opinion: Gov. Hochul Must Do What Eric Adams Won’t—Solve NYC’s Affordability & Climate Crises

Through a tax on the mega-rich the Livable New York Act would fund units of deeply affordable housing and transition every building in New York off of fossil fuels over the next years all while creating tens of thousands of good union jobs for New Yorkers Mayor Eric Adams and Gov Kathy Hochul at a press conference in Darren McGee Office of Governor Kathy Hochul Somehow inexplicably Eric Adams is still mayor of New York City despite clear evidence that he persuaded the Trump administration to drop his corruption development in exchange for enforcing the president s controversial agenda New Yorkers have a right to be worried The president s stated priorities mass deportations billionaire tax breaks corporate giveaways and planet-warming fossil fuels won t do anything to make our city better or more livable for the million people who call it home What New Yorkers really need are solutions to the crises they face every single day soaring rents low-paying jobs and a rapidly heating planet And since we can t count on Mayor Eric Adams to fix our majority pressing problems we need Gov Kathy Hochul to step in Where should she start Easy The beginning At our the bulk basic level every human requirements a scarce key essentials to survive clean air and water food and a safe home to protect them and their loved ones from the elements It sounds simple but it s remarkable how multiple politicians have taken these fundamentals for granted Just look at New York In one newest analysis of the majority of affordable states in the nation the Empire State ranked dead last Residents here will spend percent of their income on basics and have just of their median annual income left over The affordability emergency is painfully real and yet it s only half the difficulty The other half is global warming and impurity Filthy air contaminated drinking water rising temperatures and growing flood risks are all top of mind for families across the five boroughs The good news is that the legislative session is still underway and there s a piece of sweeping measure that meets the scale of these crises head on the Livable New York Act The Livable New York Act is the kind of ambitious citizens works project that New York used to be known for and could be again under Gov Hochul s leadership Here s how it works Through a tax on the mega-rich the Livable New York Act would fund units of deeply affordable housing and transition every building in New York off of fossil fuels over the next years all while creating tens of thousands of good union jobs for New Yorkers regardless of immigration status and criminal history It s exactly the kind of big-thinking that New York demands A new New Deal that answers the affordability and circumstances crises and puts people promptly back to work in family-sustaining jobs New Yorkers can t afford to wait Buildings at the moment produce two-thirds of the city s climate-heating emissions while competition for limited housing forces more and more residents into substandard homes Corporate interests will surely balk at a tax on New York s ultra rich but Gov Hochul shouldn t cave Everyday New Yorkers are fed up with unchecked corporate greed and rising inequality and they re looking to Democrats to step up and be the visionary leaders that working families need New York has unfailingly paved the way for progress and there has never been a more vital moment for our state to lead the fight for a safer more affordable future Gov Hochul must step in and be the antidote to Trump and Eric Adams She can do that by standing firmly on the side of everyday New Yorkers for a more livable New York Olivia Leirer is co-director at New York Communities for Change The post Opinion Gov Hochul Must Do What Eric Adams Won t Solve NYC s Affordability Environment Crises appeared first on City Limits