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Dear New Yorkers,

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the day a federal judge approved the unprecedented “Baez agreement.”

For the first time, the New York City Housing Authority — the nation’s largest public housing provider, and the city’s biggest landlord — was committed in writing to fixing serious mold issues, which had already been plaguing thousands of its tenants for decades.

Ten years in, Baez has clearly transformed NYCHA's broken system for responding to mold and water leak repair requests. A once faltering and uncoordinated response to confronting these complaints has vastly improved.

NYCHA officials say new water leak and mold repair requests have dropped by 50%, and 6,200 non-functioning roof fans that were supposed to combat moisture buildup that causes mold have been put back in service.

This did not happen overnight and it didn't come for free.

From the start of the Baez consent decree on April 17, 2014 through October 2023, the city housing authority spent more than $15 million on lawyers and experts in the case, according to records obtained by THE CITY.

And there’s still much more work to be done.

Read more about NYCHA’s mold problems and the Baez agreement here.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Monday's Weather Rating: 8/10. It’s feeling like proper spring out there! The sun will actually be out for most of the day today, with high temperatures in the lower 60s (warmer than yesterday) and a nice breeze. The vibes are pretty dang good!

Our Other Top Stories

State legislators have approved a slew of new rules that will give some New York City tenants more rights to stay in their apartments, and limit how much landlords can raise the rent in eligible apartments. It’s a historic change for the city’s housing market — one that follows in the footsteps of other, similar rent laws recently adopted in other states . But in New York’s version, there are a lot of exceptions — and the devil (and your lease’s future) is in the details. Here is THE CITY’s guide to the new “good cause” rules. On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced new ways for New York City to crack down on illegal cannabis shops. The measures will allow law enforcement to immediately padlock such businesses — and also empower the state to revoke liquor, tobacco and lottery licenses from them. These changes were finalized as part of this year’s state budget negotiations in Albany.

Reporter’s Notebook

A State Budget, Finally

The New York State legislature on Saturday approved a budget for the fiscal year that began April 1 along the lines that were revealed earlier last week, handing both Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams significant victories.

The budget includes a major compromise on housing that could boost construction in the city significantly, a top priority for both the governor and mayor.

Despite the reluctance of Assembly Democrats it includes money and tougher penalties to deter retail theft. It gives the mayor $2.4 billion to help pay for asylum seekers and extends mayoral control of the school system, though with some additional state oversight.

It allows a crackdown on illegal marijuana sales and restores health care reductions that had been sought by the governor. Provisions disclosed over the weekend also aim to curb toll and fare evasion.

While state budget totals $237 billion, the impact of spending remains unclear because detailed financial information has yet to be released.

“Enacting a budget without basic budget tables is absolutely outrageous,” said Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, who expects those details to show spending increases that will not be covered by future revenues — which could lead to huge budget gaps in years to come.

— Greg David

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Things To Do

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

Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26: Spring Break! Family Activities, a daily roster of activities and workshops for children and families. Times vary; registration recommended. Free with admission at the Museum of the City of New York. Monday, April 22 through Tuesday, April 30: Spring Break in Prospect Park, a variety of family-friendly nature activities. Free from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Prospect Park Audubon Center. Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27: The 12th Annual Black Comic Book Festival, an event featuring panel discussions, workshops and cosplay showcases to celebrate Black comic books and graphic novels. Free from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.

THE KICKER: “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story,” a new documentary about the revered Asian American photographer, is now playing in New York and will be on PBS May 13.

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

Love,

THE CITY

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