WORLD WORLDWIDE USA New York NY New York City NYC the city THE CITY News Journal Update - THE CITY SCOOP: Migrant Megacontracts Sidestep Oversight Despite Companies’ Checkered Records

 

View this email in your browser If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Even as Mayor Eric Adams is forcing city budget cuts he says are necessitated by costs of aiding tens of thousands of migrants, his administration is spending billions of dollars off its books — much of it on companies with histories of city, state and business partner complaints over their practices. Adams handed much of his migrant aid program to the city Health & Hospitals Corporation (HHC), a quasi-government agency that is not subject to the oversight of the city's fiscal watchdog, the comptroller. Two companies, Medrite and Aron Security, have gotten $450 million to staff more than a dozen shelters. But because Medrite and Aron were hired by HHC, the city comptroller and the public know nothing about how they were brought on and what effort was made to check out their job histories.  Comptroller Brad Lander recently refused to sign off on a $432 million city contract with DocGo, which provides shelter and services for migrants, citing irregularities and omissions in its paper trail. He also flagged the company’s lack of experience in housing and social services as well as concerns about its business practices. That contract was made through the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which falls under the comptroller’s oversight authority. “Every vendor awarded a City contract must be found to have the requisite business integrity to justify the award of public dollars,” he said. The comptroller has also tried unsuccessfully to obtain documents or details on what are now at least 38 Health & Hospitals migrant-related contracts, costing more than $2.1 billion. Read more here. In other news: Council Passes Swim Bills A City Council committee on Thursday approved a raft of bills focused on improving pool access and teaching young New Yorkers how to swim.  As THE CITY reported in March, the legislation is part of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ efforts to create more equity around pool and swimming access, as one out of every three Black and Asian students can’t swim. One of the bills aims to provide free swimming lessons to all public school second-graders. Another would require the Parks Department to scout potential new public pool sites.  A third asks Parks to provide information to the Council on seasonal lifeguard staffing, beach emergencies at each beach and pool maintenance closures.  “I think all of these are amazing bills that will prove to be transformative,” Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Queens), who sponsored the new pool locations legislation, told THE CITY on Thursday after the vote. She predicted they would lead to “an exponential shift in water safety in New York, especially for those in marginalized communities.” — Katie Honan and Hasani Gittens Some other items of note: When a gunman opened fire on a Brooklyn subway car in April 2022, wounding 10 people, MTA workers were the first to respond. Train conductors and operators rendered aid to the injured and evacuated passengers before the arrival of police and paramedics, then checked each car for additional victims or gunmen. Six weeks later, a gunman killed a random passenger on a train as it crossed the Manhattan Bridge. Officials publicly praised those heroic responses. But MTA workers who spoke to The Trace say they feel woefully untrained and unprepared in the event of a shooting.  While Belmont Park on Long Island is undergoing construction, its namesake races are happening at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Yesterday, a 28-day fall meet called “Belmont at the Big A” kicked off. It may be one of the last racing seasons at New York City’s only racetrack. Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved a budget to overhaul Belmont and focus racing there, eventually closing down the Aqueduct track.  Earlier this month, the New York state Department of Health ceased reporting overall COVID-19 case numbers. As a result, we’re no longer able to include updates in our Coronavirus in New York City tracker. We’ve kept past numbers for the historical record. According to health experts consulted by THE CITY, hospitalization rates, ICU capacity and vaccination rates remain the best indicators of the current state of the pandemic — all of which are updated regularly on our tracker. Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday's Weather Rating: 10/10. OH BABY! High temperatures reach the mid 70s with partly cloudy skies, low dew points (it's feeling crisp out there this morning!) and a great northerly breeze. You can't ask for much more on a Friday. The vibes are immaculate once again! Things To Do Here’s what’s going on around the city this week. Friday, Sept. 15: The New York Public Library Job Expo & Fair, with career workshops in both English and Spanish. Bronx Library Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Saturday, Sept. 16: Poseidon Parade, a celebration of end-of-summer with costumes and floats. Beach 94 Street Plaza Amphitheater at Rockaway Beach in Queens, 12-2 p.m. Free. Saturday, Sept. 16: Art is Alive 2023, a multi-disciplined conference of forms from an African and African diasporic experience. Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. THE KICKER: NASA has appointed its first UFO director to “eliminate the stigma” around potential extraterrestrial encounters and crowd-source potential sightings. Plenty of New Yorkers didn’t seem to mind the stigma. Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday. Love, THE CITY P.S. Love THE CITY? Our nonprofit newsroom runs on support from readers like you. Donate here. 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