Akash Mehta, Editor-in-Chief
akash@nysfocus.com

Akash’s reporting on New York politics has appeared in The Intercept, THE CITY, Jacobin and Gothamist.

Lee Harris, Managing Editor
lee@nysfocus.com

Lee has written for The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Jewish Currents, and The Chicago Maroon, where she was editor-in-chief from 2019-2020.

Sam Mellins, Associate Editor
sam@nysfocus.com

Sam’s reporting on New York politics has appeared in The Appeal, THE CITY, Jacobin, and City & State.

Morley Musick, Contributing Editor
morley@nysfocus.com

Morley has written for The Nation, the LA Review of Books, the South Side Weekly and the Hyde Park Herald, and is the founder of Mouse magazine.

Ari Dubow, Contributing Editor
ari@nysfocus.com

Ari has covered upstate news for Tompkins Weekly, the Ithaca Times and Ithaca.com, and was City Editor at the Cornell Daily Sun.

Chloe Miller, Operations
chloe.dl.miller@gmail.com

Chloe Miller is director of operations at Supermajority.

Ross Barkan, Andrew Hsiao, Alexander Kaufman, Sarah Leonard, Raina Lipsitz, and Joel Lovell sit on New York Focus’ Advisory Board.

Web design by Stephan Shaw. Logo by Eric Doctor.

“It’s a life or death situation out here”: a brutal winter for unsheltered New Yorkers
Housing, New York City, Reporting
“It’s a life or death situation out here”: a brutal winter for unsheltered New Yorkers
“We sleep together like chickens”: Street homeless New Yorkers describe the struggle to endure the pandemic-era winter....

By

February 8
Will Manhattan’s Next D.A. Break Ranks With Tough-on-Crime Colleagues?
Criminal Justice, Electoral Politics, New York City, New York State, Reporting
Will Manhattan’s Next D.A. Break Ranks With Tough-on-Crime Colleagues?
Three candidates in the June election say they would not join the association of state DAs, which has fought measures such as bail reform....

By

February 2
“What am I to do?” An oral history of mothering children in online school
Education, New York City, Reporting
“What am I to do?” An oral history of mothering children in online school
“I’m the security guard, a mother, a father, a teacher, I’m everything." Parents and children reflect on a year of remote learning and its impact on their finances, mental health, and family....

By

January 22
Will New York Decriminalize Syringe Possession in 2021?
Criminal Justice, Health, New York State, Reporting
Will New York Decriminalize Syringe Possession in 2021?
Amid dramatic spikes in drug overdoses and HIV cases, legislators and public health professionals push for New York to decriminalize sterile syringes. ...

By

January 22
Cuomo’s Tax Hike Friendlier to the Rich Than Advertised, Budget Experts and Legislators Say
Budget, New York State, Reporting
Cuomo’s Tax Hike Friendlier to the Rich Than Advertised, Budget Experts and Legislators Say
"The governor’s twisting himself in knots to not offend rich people,” the number two Democrat in the state Senate said....

By

January 21
Tali Farhadian Weinstein’s Run for Manhattan D.A. Fueled By Wall St Megadonors, Filings Show
Electoral Politics, New York City, Reporting
Tali Farhadian Weinstein’s Run for Manhattan D.A. Fueled By Wall St Megadonors, Filings Show
A leading candidate for Manhattan DA has raked in two thirds of her campaign funds from five-figure donations—many from financial industries she would be in charge of prosecuting....

By

January 21
NYC Plans to Import Canadian Hydropower. Who Really Benefits?
Climate, New York City, Reporting
NYC Plans to Import Canadian Hydropower. Who Really Benefits?
A planned transmission line from Canada is meant to reduce NYC's fossil fuel dependence. But First Nations say the project ignores them - and New York environmental advocates say it won't even benefit...

By

January 15
Progressives Slam State Senate Finance Secretary Pick
Budget, New York State, Reporting
Progressives Slam State Senate Finance Secretary Pick
Democratic leadership appointed David Friedfel, the top state policy analyst at the Citizens Budget Commission, to a key staff position in budget negotiations....

By and

January 12
The Next Mayor Must Launch a Green New Deal for NYC
Climate, Electoral Politics, New York City, Perspectives
The Next Mayor Must Launch a Green New Deal for NYC
Here are the policies candidates for Mayor and Council must commit to enacting if they're serious about a Green New Deal for New York City....

By

January 8
Queens Public Defenders Push to Unionize. Management Calls Them a ‘Mob.’
Criminal Justice, Labor, New York City, Reporting
Queens Public Defenders Push to Unionize. Management Calls Them a ‘Mob.’
A wave of legal aid attorneys are joining the labor movement. But bosses say it’s bad for business and the unions just want to collect their dues....

By

January 7
Tenants Can’t Pay Rent. Landlords Won’t Pay Bills. What Happens Next?
Housing, New York State, Perspectives
Tenants Can’t Pay Rent. Landlords Won’t Pay Bills. What Happens Next?
New York’s looming foreclosure crisis could lead to massive corporate windfalls - or to large-scale social housing conversions. The choice is ours....

By

December 23
New York Must Stop All Evictions. It’s a Matter of Life and Death.
Housing, New York State, Perspectives
New York Must Stop All Evictions. It’s a Matter of Life and Death.
New York must immediately reinstate a complete eviction moratorium, incoming DSA legislators argue, because you can’t stay at home if you’re forced out of it....

By and

December 19
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