Based on per-capita federal data, USA Today reports that "New Yorkers get more government aid per person from social programs than residents of any other state." The Empire State's Medicaid spending per-person alone is more than double the average, but we're also high in other categories of social assistance. Read More
Amid speculation that passage of a property tax cap covering most of New York State will hinge on the fate of New York City's rent regulations, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has shot down a proposal to cap taxes on some city apartment buildings. Read More
The use of the term "stakeholder" to describe representatives of labor unions, businesses and advocacy groups with an obvious vested interest in the outcome state policy deliberations seems to have soared under Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has appointed... Read More
Some of the residents of New York's more than one million rent-stabilized apartments pay less than the legally allowed rent. How many? Nobody knows. The Rent Guidelines Board's most recent "income and expense study" found a gap of about 15 percent... Read More
You'll have to wait 'till tomorrow for today's promised data -- since today's New York Times has provided fodder for a diversion. The Times reports that the 2,820 households at the Penn South co-op building are doing some "soul-searching." Read More
Yesterday, The Torch looked at what your rent pays for. Today: How long do New York renters keep their apartments? Read More
New York's infrastructure is shot, and money is short. Nonetheless, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is pursuing a contracting strategy that tends to increase highway and bridge construction costs, by linking bid awards to project-labor... Read More
The State Assembly has passed a souped-up bill to extend and expand rent regulations. Last week, The Torch presented some numbers on regulated renters' income. Today's short installment: What does the rent pay for? It costs $855 each month in operating costs... Read More