NYC Cash Home Tax, 31st Avenue Bike Blvd Phase 2, LIRR Strike Shutdown

Politics & Policy

• Lawmakers plan tax on NYC cash home sales, as Hochul details pied-a-terre plan · Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers will tax certain NYC homes purchased with cash to help close the city’s budget gap. The measure targets high-value properties often used as pied-à-terres. (Gothamist)
• Opinion: Can Mamdani confront the NYPD’s ‘Blue Power’? · An opinion piece discusses Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s challenge in addressing entrenched police influence amid recent protests sparked by a detained Nigerian. (Stuart Schrader)
• Mamdani proposes $124.7B executive budget - without raiding reserves · Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a $124.7 billion budget avoiding reserve raids, addressing concerns of watchdogs and skeptics about fiscal missteps. (Annie McDonough and Sahalie Donaldson)
• LIRR Strike Sparks Unusual Political Coalitions in NYC · The LIRR strike unites hard-red suburban Republicans and urban socialists supporting workers, while liberal-left transit experts and the conservative Manhattan Institute oppose it. (X)
• City Council proposal aims to loosen restrictions on short term-rentals ahead of World Cup · A new City Council bill seeks to relax strict limits from Local Law 18 on short-term rentals to accommodate an influx of visitors for the upcoming World Cup. (Annika Pergament)

Housing & Transit

• Mamdani, DOT announce Phase 2 of 31st Avenue’s ‘bike boulevard’ to commence this year · Mayor Mamdani and DOT will begin Phase 2 of the 31st Avenue “bike boulevard” project in Astoria late this year, expanding safer bike infrastructure and connectivity. (PoliticsNY)
• LIRR service at Penn Station still disrupted after fire, MTA says · Long Island Rail Road faces ongoing evening rush delays and cancellations at Penn Station after an electrical fire on May 14 disrupted service. (Spectrum News Staff, Erin Pflaumer)
• Bus lane camera fines expand to two more Queens, Brooklyn routes · The MTA extended Automated Camera Enforcement to two additional bus routes in Queens and Brooklyn to penalize drivers blocking bus lanes. (Erica Brosnan)
• Hopes Fading for Metro-North Service at New Bronx Stations by Next Year · The MTA confirmed dwindling chances of launching limited Metro-North service at new East Bronx stations by 2027 despite earlier plans linked to the $2.9 billion Penn Station Access project. (THE CITY)

Culture & Lifestyle

• All Falls Down: How The Brooklyn Mirage Permitting Disaster Actually Unfolded · The Brooklyn Mirage was razed after a public permitting disaster a year ago; new details reveal the sequence of missteps and failures behind its collapse. (Brooklyn Magazine)
• New East Village Restaurant Threads Korean and Italian Culinary Lines · A new East Village restaurant fuses Korean and Italian cuisines, answering what a Korean-Italian menu looks like as the itameshi trend expands nationally. (Eater NY)
• Artist Valie Export, Who Saw Right Through the Male Gaze, Dies at 85 · Valie Export, the acclaimed artist who challenged the male gaze through performance and media, died at age 85. (Hyperallergic)
• Free Shakespeare in the Park’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’ starts performances next week · The expanded Shakespeare in the City program begins next week with free performances of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ across NYC parks. (Time Out)
• The Met is merging with the Neue Galerie: here is what that means · The Met will merge with the Neue Galerie, uniting hundreds of Austrian and German masterpieces under one roof without altering the latter’s intimate atmosphere. (Time Out)

Business & Economy

• Opinion: Commercial Rent Stabilization is Our Only Hope · An opinion argues commercial rent stabilization is essential to prevent chain retailers from displacing small businesses, preserving neighborhood character. (City Limits)
• Most New Yorkers are falling short of covering living costs by $40K a year: Report · A nonprofit report reveals 60% of New Yorkers cannot cover living expenses fully, falling short by an estimated $40,000 annually. (Gothamist)
• No profit, no project: Reynoso tries to demystify development · POL Founder Juan Pablo Reynoso stresses that developers require clear profit margins to launch projects, explaining economic risks investors face. (The Real Deal)

Civic Services

• Man charged with setting Bronx fire that killed three people · Daniel Santana, 45, was arrested for intentionally starting a Bronx fire last week that killed three people. (Sarah Ng)
• Rikers Official Forced Out Under Adams Returns to Oversee Discipline · Sarena Townsend, ousted in 2022 for her aggressive approach to Rikers use-of-force investigations, returns to oversee discipline under the Mamdani administration. (THE CITY)
• Mamdani admin set to open 2,000 new 3-K child care seats this September across five boroughs · Mayor Mamdani announced 2,000 additional 3-K child care seats will open citywide this September to advance universal pre-K goals. (AM New York)
• New Maimonides Facility Boosts Health Care Access in Brooklyn’s Caribbean Community · A new Maimonides center in Flatbush opened in April, enhancing one-stop health care access for the area’s predominantly Caribbean population. (Documented NY)
• Why single domestic violence survivors can’t get shelter in NYC despite empty beds · Single domestic violence survivors are routinely denied shelter beds in NYC despite availability, according to advocates highlighting policy barriers. (Gothamist)

Events

• NYC launches World Cup ‘neighborhood passport’ to help fans explore the city · Mayor Mamdani launched a “neighborhood passport” encouraging locals and visitors to explore five boroughs during the FIFA World Cup by collecting stamps at hundreds of community events. (6sqft)
• Chalk Outline Portal · Welcome to Campfire presents “Chalk Outline Portal,” an immersive dance-play exploring grief, running May 14–22 at Theaterlab, NYC. (Dance.NYC)
• Call Your Local Lesbian · Courtney Darlington and Jenni Poole perform “Call Your Local Lesbian” featuring nine stories at Arts on Site on May 21 at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. (Dance.NYC)

DEEP DIVE

LIRR strike shuts down nation’s busiest commuter train line, union says ‘we’re far apart’

The Long Island Rail Road shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after union workers failed to reach a contract deal with the MTA, halting the nation’s busiest commuter line for the first time in over three decades. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers revealed no new talks were scheduled and emphasized the parties remain “far apart” on pay raises and work rule changes. Daily ridership of about 275,000 commuters is forced to seek alternate routes as the strike drags on.

This shutdown comes amid tense negotiations that collapsed despite months of bargaining, spotlighting the deep divisions over wages and working conditions between the metro area’s key transit employer and its employees. The MTA has deployed shuttle buses linking major LIRR stations to subway hubs, incurring up to $550,000 daily in costs, while state transportation agencies brace for increased road traffic and emergency incidents. The strike not only disrupts commutes but also exposes vulnerabilities in New York’s transportation infrastructure that heavily relies on the LIRR for Long Island and suburban access.

The ongoing strike threatens to intensify economic and logistical fallout across the region as commuters scramble for alternatives. Officials and unions have yet to schedule new negotiations, leaving uncertainty about duration and resolution. With summer approaching and no clear path forward, the strike poses significant challenges to daily life, employers, and transit-dependent communities until an agreement is reached. (Gothamist)