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Dear New Yorkers,

NYC made a big bet on the film and TV industry, creating studio spaces — and hopefully jobs.

But then last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes ground production to a halt.

Six months after the end of the strikes, jobs in the industry remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Some studios are only a little more than half full — and some union leaders are predicting employment will never return to pre-pandemic levels.

Nonetheless, the administration of Mayor Eric Adams is continuing to push ahead with a plan to double the studio space in the city.

It is also possible the industry will face another labor shutdown. Six craft unions are in negotiations for new contracts.

“Nobody wants to get caught in the middle of production,” said Hal Rosenbluth, president of one Queens studio.

Read more about the state of the city’s TV and film industry here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Tuesday's Weather Rating: 9/10. Another winner! High temperatures in the upper 70s with partly cloudy skies. The onshore flow will keep dew points a tiny bit higher than we'd like, but you won't find us complaining. The vibes are very good!

Our Other Top Stories

Gov. Kathy Hochul has twice vetoed a version of the Grieving Families Act, which would update New York state’s wrongful death laws to allow victims’ families to sue for damages and emotional pain. Now, a new version — which was amended to change the list of eligible people who can file wrongful death lawsuits — may be headed to Hochul’s desk. That is, if lawmakers pass it before Albany’s summer break. On the latest episode of FAQ NYC, the hosts discuss Donald Trump’s 34 guilty counts, the Mets retiring Darryl Strawberry’s No. 18, and the seemingly countless points of tension between City Hall and the City Council. Listen here.

Reporter’s Notebook

Gimme the Loo: Mayor Promises Dozens of New Toilets

New York City will open 82 new and refurbished public restrooms over the next five years, in addition to 14 “automatic public toilets” over the next two years, Mayor Eric Adams said Monday.

The initiative — dubbed “Ur In Luck” — hopes to expand bathroom access across the city and also includes a new Google (Loo-gle) Maps layer to make it easier to find a place to go potty.

The new loos join around 1,000 existing public restrooms, officials said.

The bathroom initiative comes after the Parks Department last month said that  it now has installed new baby-changing tables in 600 restrooms, bringing the total to more than 1,200 — responding to a 2023 City Council push.

In 2022, the Council passed a bill that required the mayor’s office to find new locations to open more public restrooms, suggesting 151 new bathrooms.

Adams administration officials testified at a Council hearing last week that so far only 55 of those restrooms were in the planning or installation phase — but the city didn’t have enough capital funds for the rest.

— Katie Honan

Molina to Run DCAS

The controversial former head of the city’s jails will now oversee its large administrative services agency, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday.

Louis Molina, the former Department of Correction commissioner who stepped down to take an assistant deputy mayor post last October, will lead the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). The former head, Dawn Pinnock, told her staff last month that she would leave at the end of June.

DCAS oversees the city’s recruiting, hiring and training of employees; manages its public buildings; buys, sells and leases property; procures goods and services, and oversees public vehicles.

The mayor praised Molina’s appointment, saying he’s “a proven and dynamic leader who has used his decades of experience, across multiple agencies, to make government run better and improve the way we serve New Yorkers.”

Molina, a former NYPD detective, was scrutinized as the jails chief, particularly by a court-appointed monitor, Steve Martin, who accused him of repeatedly trying to hide serious violence inside jails. Molina repeatedly ducked the city Board of Correction hearings, prompting the board to send a letter demanding he show up. He was recently in the running to be the police chief of Oakland, but was not selected.

— Katie Honan

Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Tuesday, June 4: The 2024 Photoville Festival, an outdoor exhibition of photography in more than 85 locations around the city. Runs through June 16.  Friday, June 7: A show by Circus Amok, a queer and justice-oriented troupe that has been performing since 1989. Free from 6 to 7 p.m. at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens. Friday, June 7: Films on the Green: Final Set, an outdoor screening of a French tennis drama (with English subtitles). Free from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Washington Square Park.

THE KICKER: A Queens couple “magnet fishing” in Flushing Meadows Corona Park found a safe filled with $100,000 in cash, reports NY1.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Tuesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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