NYC Explainers & Analysis

A dated, sourced accounting of 2026's random attacks on New Yorkers, with the prior record of every identified attacker. One had 53 arrests. The most famous had none. Updated September 10, 2026.

On $250,000 in New York City you keep about $8,444 a month after taxes, a Manhattan 1-bedroom, and the subway. The honest take-home math, line by line.

Hochul signed the $268.5B FY27 budget May 28, 57 days late. NYC's take: $11B Foundation Aid, $140M NYCHA capital, mayoral control through 2028, Tier 6 reform.

~1M NYC apartments are rent-stabilized. How to check if yours is, what DHCR registration means, and what the June 25 RGB Order #58 rent freeze means for your lease.

Bronx at 71%, Staten Island at 50%: how the June 2026 amendment extended full compliance to 2030, and what Mamdani's $122M cut means for your school.

Rent stabilization, rent control, NYCHA, Section 8, Mitchell-Lama, Good Cause covered, Good Cause exempt. Find your regime, then your rent cap and your rights.

Mayor Mamdani's public insurance program for rent-stabilized building owners: coverage structure, projected 20-30% savings, and where the DFS and Hochul stand.

NYC city government, mapped: Mayor Mamdani's powers, Speaker Menin's Council, the Comptroller, and the budget, housing, and transit fights to track.

Which cap limits your NYC rent increase in 2026? RGB Order #58 is a rent freeze (0% / 0%, from Oct 2026), Good Cause 8.79%, HCV Payment Standards, rent control. With worked-example math.

Who controls NYC's 1 million students? How mayoral control works, the 32 CECs, four funding sources, and what the class-size mandate means for 2026-27.

A biglaw first-year makes $225,000 in NYC and keeps about $7,300 a month after a 36% tax bill, a doorman one-bedroom, and the subway. The marginal-rate trap, line by line.

What you keep on a $90k to $250k NYC salary after federal, state, and city income tax, rent, and the subway. The honest take-home math, by salary band.

On $150,000 in New York City you keep about $4,552 a month after taxes, a median 1-bedroom, and the subway. The honest take-home math, line by line.

On $90,000 in New York City you keep about $2,220 a month after taxes, an outer-borough 1-bedroom, and the subway. The honest take-home math, line by line.

NYC transit's 7 funding sources, how the $68.4B capital plan got fully funded in 2025, and why NYC controls only 4 of 14 MTA Board votes.

NYC's $127B budget: the 6-step Charter timeline, 4 revenue sources, capital vs. expense, and how Mamdani's FY27 cycle actually moves.

How NYC rezoning works: the 205-day ULURP clock, who votes (CB, CPC, Council, Mayor), member deference, and the 2025 Charter overhaul that changed ULURP.

Six million applications per year for roughly 10,000 apartments. Why 77% of applicants drop out on paperwork, how log numbers work, and the 0.2% odds.

NYC property tax: why a Park Slope brownstone pays 0.33% but Mott Haven pays 3.75%. The four-class system, the 6% assessment cap, and the TENNY litigation.

NYCHA: 177,565 apartments housing 511,384 residents. A $78.3B repair backlog, federal monitor since 2019, PACT privatization pipeline. Updated June 2026.

One year in: $562M raised, 27M fewer vehicle entries, the Second Circuit DOJ fight, and whether the $9 peak toll survives Trump's appeal. Updated June 2026.

SHSAT, G&T, kindergarten zones, middle school match: how NYC school admissions actually works in 2026, with application timelines for each program.

Does Good Cause Eviction protect you? The three-test coverage check, the 8.79% rent cap for 2026, what it does in Housing Court, and the 2034 sunset.