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Welcome to Don't Sleep New York. This is a podcast for the New Yorker who wants to stay up on policy and politics, in the city that never sleeps. Each episode, we’re going to dissect one topic and ask the big questions - what’s happening and why should you care. We’re not the experts - and that’s the whole point. Our goal with this podcast is to become better, more informed New Yorkers - and we want to take you along for the ride.
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New York City is home to 3 of the country's largest public library systems - New York Public Library, Queens Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. Although the city's libraries serve 10s of millions of visitors a year, libraries tend to be under resourced and under appreciated. In fact, NYC libraries are currently facing drastic budget cuts w…
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We've all been taught the "Three R's" since grade school - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Recycling has been engrained in our culture to a point that we sometimes forget about what it really means - and costs - to really make an impact. Following our episodes on Trash and Compost, we are closing out this chapter by unpacking New York City's recycling -…
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30% of what NYC sends to landfills is organic waste. Which means the city is paying a lot of money and adding to carbon emissions with material that could otherwise be composted. In this episode, we breakdown the benefits of composting and spend a bit more time talking about the practicality of composting - and how the city is changing its approach…
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Whether you’re visiting New York or you’ve lived here for years, you’ve probably been shocked by one of the city’s wonders, towering high above the streets. We’re not talking about the empire state building. Or the Brooklyn Bridge. We’re talking about trash. In this episode of Don't Sleep New York, we unpack the city's garbage/rubbish/basura and th…
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You're probably listening to this episode on a high speed internet connection - maybe at work, at home, or on the go via your mobile connection. Internet access feels like a basic right at this point - its the foundation on which people's work and home life is now built. From doing homework to accessing benefits, a strong internet connection feels …
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Over the last few years, you may have noticed buildings posting energy grades, similar to what you see on restaurants in New York City. But what exactly do these grades mean? And how do they ladder up into the larger climate efforts that NYC has been putting in place? In this episode, we do a quick deep dive on building energy grades, the laws behi…
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This summer the US Supreme Court passed major rulings that impacted the lives of Americans everywhere. How each state responded to these rulings varied from state to state, leader to leader. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state legislature responded rapidly on all fronts - including the passing of new NY gun laws in an attempt …
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The NY primary election is upon us. Our last episode talked about the race for governor, but further down the ballot is another really important, lesser known topic: State Committee aka District Leaders. In this special episode, Arpan is joined by Don't Sleep friend and resource, Billy Richling. Billy is a Brooklyn-based former local journalist, cu…
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This year, New York will have two primary elections. The first is coming up in a few days on June 28, where New Yorkers will be voting for Governor, Lt. Governor and a few other seats depending on where you live. Unlike the NYC Mayor's race last year, the Governor's race has been fairly quiet. In this episode we unpack why that is, along with some …
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A topic contentious enough to delay the passing of the NY State Budget, Bail Reform is a tough one to talk about. It overlaps with issues of public safety and racial equity, and in NY it's gone through several changes/reforms in the last few years. So before we can get into nuanced conversations around bail reform (is it working?), we need to unpac…
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Homelessness is a complex issue - tied to things like affordable housing, mental health, and education, amongst other things. In this episode of Don't Sleep New York, we start with the basics - defining homelessness, challenging public perceptions, and unpacking some of the solutions that our leaders are and should be considering to help address th…
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In Season 1 Episode 2 we talked about affordable housing and how it's defined. This time we're back to unpack the ongoing affordable housing crisis in NYC, but through the lens of the upcoming governor's race. In this episode, Matt, Ranajoy and Arpan discuss Kathy Hochul's proposals for addressing affordable housing - from new tax abatements to new…
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It's election season again! As we head towards the June primary for the governor's election, Don't Sleep New York will be covering key topics to keep in mind before you cast your ballot. For Season 2 Episode 4, we're tackling every New Yorker's favorite - the MTA. This episode is not a deep dive on everything plaguing the MTA (we could do a whole s…
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In this episode, we interview Crystal Hudson - NYC Council Member-Elect for District 35. Hosts Matt and Ranajoy discuss a range of topics with Crystal including how she became a politician, her recent campaign for a city council seat, and the impact of rank choice voting.
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With the general election upcoming, there are five ballot proposals you need to know about before going to the polls over the next week. On Nov 2, in addition to voting for Mayor, Comptroller, City Council and other seats, New York will be voting on the redistricting process, the right to clean air and water, as well as measures to further making v…
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In Season 2 Episode 1 of Don’t Sleep New York, we deep dive on Kathy Hochul - New York’s first female governor. Hosts Matt and Ranajoy explore how her career in politics led her to this moment, what’s she’s prioritizing in the months ahead, and what she needs to do to enhance her chances of winning next year’s Democratic Gubernatorial primary.…
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In this bonus episode of Season 1 of Don't Sleep New York, our hosts break the usual DSNY format to have a candid, roundtable discussion about their personal ranked choices for NYC Mayor. There's some disagreements, some consensus and some laughs. Listen to our picks and let us know who you're voting for by DMing or commenting on our Instagram @don…
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While all eyes have been on the upcoming mayoral primary, there are 5 other categories up for election on the same day. Sometimes referred to as the downballot, these other roles are not as prominent as the mayor, but just as important for local politics. On June 22nd, in addition to ranking votes for mayor, NYC will be voting for the New York City…
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We're 1 week out from the NYC primary election and there's still a few candidates to cover. So Episode 9 of Don't Sleep New York explores 3 more candidates who have been getting a lot of attention during this race - Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, and Shaun Donovan. We explore who they are, some signature policies and moments, and their general vibe a…
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Episode 8 of Don't Sleep New York covers mayoral candidate and current NYC comptroller, Scott Stringer. While this episode covers Stringer's policies and background, it's important to know a few things: Scott Stringer has been accused of sexual assault. He has not dropped out of the race. This episode was recorded before the accusation. We hope to …
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In Episode 7 of Don't Sleep New York, we follow Dianne Morales' campaign, which up until a few days ago, was billed as the most progressive of all mayoral candidates. With a catchy slogan of Dignity, Care and Solidarity for all, the Morales campaign has been gaining grassroots traction, earning her the most number of donations than any other candid…
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In Episode 6 of Don't Sleep New York, we explore one of the frontrunners for NYC's democratic mayoral primary - Eric Adams. The current Brooklyn Borough President has been running a strong campaign - centered on public safety. Hosts Arpan, Matt and Ranajoy dissect Eric Adams journey from the NYPD to mayoral hopeful, and what his campaign for increa…
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In Episode 5 of Don't Sleep New York, we continue our deep dive on New York City's democratic mayoral candidates - this time exploring what Maya Wiley's campaign looks like. A strong activist with ties to current mayor Bill de Blasio, Maya could be considered both a political outsider and insider at the same time. Hosts Arpan, Matt and Ranajoy expl…
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In Episode 4 of Don't Sleep New York, we start our deep dive on the Democratic mayoral candidates - staring with Andrew Yang. At the time of this recording, Yang is leading in the polls; hosts Matt, Ranajoy, and Arpan discuss what makes him a unique candidate for New York City mayor as well as his potential pitfalls. This is not an exhaustive look …
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In Episode 3 of Don't Sleep New York, hosts Matt, Ranajoy and Arpan take a deeper look at the issue of sea level rise in New York City. Rising sea levels and increased storm surges are ever-present threats to our city's future and yet, we rarely think about them in our daily lives. And while the issue is directly linked with climate change and NYC’…
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Episode 2 of Don't Sleep New York explores the concept of Affordable Housing in New York City. Hosts Arpan, Matt and Ranajoy explore the basics - how affordable housing is calculated and who it's for - and discuss some of the implications this has for the city and the next mayor. Affordable Housing is an incredibly complex topic that touches on eve…
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Season 1 of Don’t Sleep New York is pulling us out of the shadows of the recent national election, and into the spotlight of the upcoming NYC mayoral race. And we’re kicking things off by explaining the new normal on how we as New Yorkers will select our representatives moving forward - through a new voting process in New York called Ranked Choice …
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Welcome to Don't Sleep New York. This is a podcast for the New Yorker who wants to stay up on policy and politics, in the city that never sleeps. Each episode, we’re going to dissect one topic and ask the big questions - what’s happening and why should you care. We’re not the experts - and that’s the whole point. Our goal with this podcast is to be…
…
continue reading
