Tag: news

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Math, Not Myth: A Clear-Eyed Guide to NYC’s $12 Billion Crisis

Christa Avampato

We’re seeing a lot of headlines and finger pointing about NYC’s budget crisis. Here’s a clear-eyed breakdown I wrote of what’s actually happening and why, and what we can do about it.

A picture of the NYC skyline as seen from the water looking at Lower Manhattan
Photo by Jermaine Ee on Unsplash

New York City is currently staring down a projected budget gap of $12.6 billion over the next two fiscal years ($2.2 billion for 2026 and $10.4 billion for 2027). While headlines often focus on political blame, the math behind this crisis is driven by three specific, documented factors:

1. The “Funding Cliff”

During the pandemic, the city received billions in one-time federal aid. This money was used to launch or expand recurring programs, such as 3-K, mental health services, and summer youth employment. Now that the federal funds have dried up, the city must either find its own tax revenue to pay for them or shut the programs down. This “cliff” accounts for roughly $700 million to $1 billion in new annual costs.

2. Chronic Underbudgeting

Non-partisan watchdogs like the IBO have flagged a trend of “underbudgeting” known expenses. This occurs when the city’s budget lists a cost (like police overtime or housing vouchers) far below what history suggests will actually be spent.

  • The Reality: In FY 2026 alone, unbudgeted costs for rental assistance (CityFHEPS), uniformed overtime (NYPD/FDNY), and special education legal cases are projected to create a $3.8 billion hole that wasn’t fully accounted for in initial plans.

3. State Mandates

New York State laws often require the city to spend more without providing the full funding to cover it. The most significant example is the Class Size Mandate, which requires smaller classes in NYC schools. The IBO estimates this will cost the city an additional $700 million to $1.6 billion annually by 2027.

What Can Be Done? (Mamdani & Levine’s Path Forward)

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Comptroller Mark Levine are now tasked with closing this gap. Here is what they are proposing (or could do) to mitigate the crisis in both the short and long term:

Short-Term Fixes (Closing the 2026 Gap)

  • Targeted Efficiency (PEGs): The Mayor can implement a Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG). Rather than across-the-board cuts, this targets “administrative efficiencies”—like consolidating back-office functions or reducing the $1 billion spent annually on vacant positions that haven’t been filled in years.
  • Re-evaluating the “Rainy Day Fund”: The city currently has billions in reserves. While monitors warn against using these for recurring costs, a one-time draw could prevent immediate, “destabilizing” service cuts while more permanent solutions are negotiated.
  • Revenue Generation: Mayor Mamdani has proposed taxing the city’s highest earners and most profitable corporations. This would require state approval and is a central part of his strategy to avoid “austerity” cuts to services.

Long-Term Solutions (Stabilizing the 2027+ Gaps)

Healthcare Savings: The Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) has suggested that rebidding the city’s massive health insurance contracts for employees could save upwards of $1 billion annually without reducing benefits, by leveraging the city’s massive size to get better rates.

Budgetary Transparency: Comptroller Levine has pushed for a “Truth in Budgeting” approach. This means accurately budgeting for overtime and housing vouchers from day one, rather than pretending the costs will be lower. This prevents mid-year “surprises” and allows for more honest long-term planning.

State Level Negotiation: The city is currently pushing Albany to foot more of the bill for the Class Size Mandate and to increase the city’s share of state tax revenue. (Currently, NYC provides over 50% of state revenue but receives back much less in aid).

For further reading and raw data, visit these non-partisan resources:

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The Climate Film Festival Storytelling Collective

Christa Avampato

I’m really happy to have joined a new collective created by Climate Film Festival that’s bringing together sustainability professionals with filmmakers to raise the bar on and expand opportunities for climate storytelling. As someone who has one foot in each of these worlds, I’m so excited to be part of this new professional group and to help craft and fund these stories that drive action.

Yesterday I went to the Essex Market coffee hour for our first in-person event and attended an excellent panel about climate documentary making. As someone who studied how to use storytelling to drive more climate investment from family offices, I felt like I was in just the right place at just the right time because financing was a key part of the conversation. I heard a number of filmmakers talk about the challenge of finding financing for their climate films, especially with the current situation in D.C.

What filmmakers need to consider is that private funders don’t want to just fund a movie. They want to fund systemic change, especially when it comes to protecting and restoring the health of the planet. Filmmakers need to show how their films, and the platforms and supports they are building around their films, will get viewers to engage in creating meaningful change. That change needs to be measured and reported on.

Is that asking more from filmmakers? Yes. Is it asking them to be skilled business people, entrepreneurs, and community leaders on top of their filmmaking expertise and beyond the creation of the film? Yes. Isn’t making a movie already a Herculean task? Yes. Is that a challenge? Yes. It’s also today’s funding reality.

You aren’t just making a movie, not anymore. You’re building a movement, and that movement is what’s fundable with a movie being one cornerstone of many.

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NIH funding freeze endangers American lives and the US economy

Christa Avampato
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash. Chanelle Case Borden, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute’s Experimental Immunology Branch, pipetting DNA samples into a tube for polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a laboratory technique used to make multiple copies of a segment of DNA.

Earlier this week, I wrote in my Togetherhood newsletter about the history and scientific research of Gila monster venom that led to Novo Nordicks’s medications Ozempic and Wegovy. This research began at the National Institutes of Health and led to some of the most profitable and promising drugs. These types of advances are now in danger because the Trump administration has frozen much of the $47 billion the US spends annually on biomedical research like this through 60,000 NIH grants.

The US houses the world’s leading medical labs that research cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s, heart disease, child health, and diabetes to name just a few. NIH grants provide significant funding to these labs. To make sure the grants are used efficiently and ethically, there’s an extensive review process of grant applications. When the Trump administration froze the funding, they stopped all these review processes. These frozen funds also caused many research labs and universities that house them to halt hiring and PhD and post-doc admissions. Even if they released the funding today, it would take weeks or months to restart all these processes.

Additionally, freezing these funds is negatively impacting the economy and US competitiveness on the world stage. Every $1 of NIH spending generates more than $2 dollars in US economic activity. Healthcare is the biggest industry in the US. Without the foundation of NIH-funded research, the industry is in crisis. The US produces more influential health science research than the next 10 leading countries, combined. Every day that goes by, lives and livelihoods of Americans are in jeopardy. Please call your reps today and tell them to fight to restore NIH funding. Your life and the lives of those you love depend on it.

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Follow the money: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on what’s behind all the executive orders and what we can do

Christa Avampato
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on an Instagram Live event

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doing regular Instagram Live events about what’s happening in this new administration and actions we can all take. These events help us understand what underpins everything that’s happening and why it’s happening. Knowing this information can help us stay calm and focus our energy into actions that will move the needle.

I didn’t know 99% of what AOC explains in this week’s Live event, and I read all day, every day. I watch the news constantly. The media and the opinions of friends and family members, no matter their jobs and past experience, are not facts. Many think they’re experts in what’s happening and almost no one is because what’s happening is unprecedented. Past experience isn’t a guide because we’re not living in the same world we were in two weeks ago. The only people who actually see the entire landscape are those on the ground right now, in the room where it happens inside the Capitol Building. That’s exactly why AOC is doing these Live events.

I highly recommend watching AOC’s Live events. They’re saved as Reels to watch later. They’re long because the landscape is complex. If you don’t have the energy or time, I’ve put the biggest take-aways from this week’s event below.

Here is the biggest thing you need to know: A massive tax break for the rich with a looming deadline, Medicaid, Department of Defense spending and the tech industry (including AI), immigration, prisons, and the GOP are all connected.

Tax breaks
In 2017, this president and the GOP forced through one of the biggest tax giveaways to the rich in U.S. history — a total of ~$4 trillion. For example, they include tax write-offs on private jets and yachts. These tax breaks sunset this year. Not only does this administration want to extend them but they also want to expand them.

Medicaid
Where will they find $4 trillion to extend and expand these tax breaks? I thought I would be from raising taxes on people who make less than $350,000. Nope. That’s only going to give them a fraction of the $4 trillion. They’re going after Medicaid because they think they can get $2 trillion from there. This explains why they want us to think people on Medicaid are lazy and that they’re the enemy. This explains why they tried to freeze Medicaid portals, except that massively backfired on them, and they had to reopen them.

Department of Defense spending and tech companies (including AI)
You know what government waste they won’t cut? Defense spending. Why? Because most tech companies whose products we use every day, and the billionaires who own them, make a massive amount of money from defense contracts. Defense contractors price gouge constantly. The Pentagon has yet to pass an audit. They want us to believe supporting Defense spending proves we’re patriots and love our country; if we question anything to do with the Defense spending, we’re not patriots. We’re the enemy. This is how they pit us against one another. Don’t fall for it.

Immigration, prisons, and the GOP
They want us to think they’re focused on immigration and mass deportation for our safety. Nope. They know they can’t do mass deportations all at once so what will they do with the people they round up? Detain them. Where? Prisons (like the news about the 30,000 people they want to hold at Guantánamo.) Who makes money from prison construction and management? The private prison industry. Who owns the prison industry? Billionaires. Who finances a lot of Republican campaigns? The private prison industry.

What actions can we take?
No action is too small. 
We are all grains of sand in these giant gears and if enough of us mobilize, we can at least slow them down. If a lot of us mobilize, we can stop them. When your mind says, “we can’t do anything”, STOP. Breathe. Do it anyway. When we are relentless, they will fatigue. Draw them out. Do not comply in advance.

File your Federal taxes directly FOR FREE 
For years AOC and many others have been fighting against the lobbyists at TurboTax, H&R Block, and others who make massive amounts of money off of people filing their taxes. IRS Free File could potentially cause those companies to lose a lot of money this year. That’s why this administration is trying to kill IRS Free File. This administration cares about making money for big businesses, not about protecting working class people. I’ve used a company to file for years. I’ll file my taxes for free this year with IRS Free File.

If you’re exhausted and have no time
Look up your rights, whether you’re a U.S. citizen, green card holder, visa holder, or undocumented. You can also help your neighbors know their rights. AOC put a Know Your Rights flyer on her website in English, Spanish, Bangla, Mandarin, and Arabic.

If you have a little more energy
Print out the Know Your Rights flyer. Take them around to your local shops, business, food carts, and libraries, and ask if you can put them up for people to read.

If you have a medium amount of energy
Call your senators. No matter what party they’re in, tell them you want them to vote no on every single cabinet appointment. Even if your call just slows them down a fraction, it’s effective. No matter how they vote, your voice matters. Your anger matters, even if they make you think it doesn’t. Their skin is thin. And so is this administration’s. And so is this batch of billionaires’. 
 
Call your House Reps. No matter how they vote, no matter what party they’re in, express your dismay. You might think it doesn’t matter, especially if they support this administration, but it matters. The tallies of who calls and what those callers say is reported to them every single day. Call them.

If you’re a federal worker
Don’t take the buy-out. They’re counting on you giving up and walking away so they can do whatever they want. Make them make you leave. Don’t consent in advance.

If ICE comes to your home, workplace, school, house of worship, or community center
You don’t have to open the door. They need a judicial warrant with a judge’s signature to enter. You can ask them to leave. You don’t have to give them any personal information. You don’t have to answer any of their questions. You don’t need to sign anything. You can ask for an attorney. California and New York provide attorneys for everyone, even those who are undocumented. Outside those states, you can ask to speak to an attorney. You can stay silent, even if you’re detained.

In summary
Take a breath
Focus
Know your rights and help others know theirs
Call your senators and House reps

creativity

How to stay focused in this mad, mad world

Christa Avampato
Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

Please don’t get distracted by claims about Greenland, the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Mexico, and all the madness that is sure to arrive in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Focus on what needs our attention and support right now: climate issues leading to the devastating fires in Los Angeles (which may be the worst they’ve had in over 30 years), the bitter deadly cold sweeping across the U.S., and the increase in bird flu and Norovirus; social media walking back fact-checking and calling it a win for users knowing it will lead to even more rampant misinformation and conspiracy theories; further restrictions on access to healthcare; continued intense geopolitical wars and unrest all over the world; the ever-growing gap in wealth that has serious consequences, especially for the most vulnerable. There are many more I could add to that list; I’m sure you can add to that list, too.

So how can you keep your focus on what matters most and what you can actually do? Don’t get it twisted. Take care of yourself and your community, preserve your mental health and energy, and do what you can do where you are with what you have. Our collective priority needs to be caring about each other and this planet.

creativity

We’re All Part of President Jimmy Carter’s Legacy

Christa Avampato
President Jimmy Carter. City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How do you sum up 100 years of decency, service, and love? President Jimmy Carter’s advocacy and policies to secure human rights, world peace, free and fair democratic elections around the world, protections for nature, and health, well-being, and housing for the most vulnerable will live on long into the future. In the midst of all his accomplishments and contributions, he always maintained his grace, humility, and gratitude for being able to help others.

When Jimmy Carter was elected President, the U.S. was reeling from the Watergate scandal. Americans had lost faith and trust in their government and politicians. And what did President Carter say and do? He publicly pledged to always tell the truth and support all Americans, no matter the personal consequences to him. He was not concerned about getting re-elected or flexing his power. He cared only about taking care of all people in any and every way he could.

I had the honor of hearing him speak just as I was starting my career. His message was simple and powerful — be honest, take care of others, and build a better world for all beings. His remarks mirrored his actions. He walked the talk. His advice is more important now than ever.

President Carter will be laid to rest in Plains, Georgia in the shade of a willow tree next to his beloved wife, Rosalynn. Symbolically, a willow tree stands for mourning and rebirth, flexibility and adaptability, renewal and vitality, strength and stability, vision, endurance, tranquility, and introspection. These are also the principles President Carter lived by, and the principles he’s calling all of us to live now in the wake of his remarkable life. Let’s honor his legacy and continue it.

creativity

How to lead when we lose

Christa Avampato
Prospect Park, Brooklyn – Fall 2024. Photo by Christa Avampato.

On this difficult day, I have some things to say about gratitude, storytelling and leadership. Hundreds of thousands of people heeded the call ~100 days ago to not do something but do everything to try to help Vice President and Governor Walz win. I’m sorry neither of them took the stage at Howard University last night to say thank you, so I will. I’m abundantly grateful to all of you, and for everything you taught me during this campaign. You showed up, generously giving your money, time, and talents. That means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me.

On leadership:
It was a huge missed opportunity that they didn’t address supporters and the nation last night. Even though we didn’t know the final count, it was important to say something, anything, and then say they’d be back today to say more. We needed them, and they left without saying a word. That’s not leadership. It doesn’t matter how disappointed they were. We’re all disappointed. They had a real opportunity to maintain a connection with people and they didn’t. They went out the back door and sent the campaign manager to talk to the crowd at Howard and the nation. Vice President Harris will deliver remarks at Howard University today at 4pm. That’s too late. They missed the moment. And sadly, tragically, their opponents didn’t. There’s a lesson in that for us, too. Leaders have to lead, even when they lose. Especially when they lose.

On storytelling:
We have to take a long, hard look in the mirror, and at the words we said and didn’t say in this campaign. We need to meet the audience where they are, listen, understand, and work together to craft a better story for all of us. We didn’t do that and the election results show it. How things have been done on campaigns in the past no longer matters because we’re no longer living in the time of “how things are done.” We need better stories and methods. We need to be better listeners and storytellers. Plato said, “Those who tell stories rule society.” That’s true then and true now.

So that’s my focus moving forward – leadership and storytelling. I’ll stay curious, keep learning, improve my craft, and get better. I’ll continue to “be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder,” as Rumi so beautifully said. I will continue to, “walk out of my house like a shepherd” every single day. I will listen and love. I hope you’ll join me.

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Carnegie Hall radiates joy as Dudamel, Lang Lang, and Castillo open the 2024–2025 season

Christa Avampato
Carnegie Hall 2024–2025 Season

Last night I had the great honor of joining a sold out crowd to open Carnegie Hall’s 2024–2025 season, and I’m so happy my friend, Ashley, could enjoy it with me. There were so many surprises and delights as the program mixed well-known favorites with first-of-their kind discoveries during a thrilling concert. 

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel is beloved among classical music lovers and Hollywood as one of the greatest of our time. He gives a full-body experience to his conducting and the joy he gets from leading the exceptional Los Angeles Philharmonic is evident to everyone who has the good fortune to see him do the work he loves. What knocked me out was the absence of a physical score. He conducted entirely from memory and never missed a beat. Even among world-class conductors, this was an incredible feat. 

Lang Lang joined Dudamel as the soloist for Rachmaninoff’s well-known Piano Concerto №2 in C Minor, Op. 18. At turns sweeping, fun, serious, and heartfelt, it spans the range of human emotion. Like Dudamel, Lang Lang gives his entire being to the music and also performs entirely from memory. At multiple points in this piece, Lang Lang’s hands and fingers were moving so quickly they appeared to blur. He’s an absolute wonder to see live and the audience was on their feet as soon as the piece ended demanding an encore, which Lang Lang happily gave.

The second half of the program was anchored by baritone soloist Gustavo Castillo performing Estancia, Op. 8 by Alberto Ginastera. The lyrics derive from José Hernández’s poem Martín Fierro, a heartbreaking story of the plight of the gaucho (a farmer or cattle herder in Argentina) losing his rural way of life. Last night this work received its first complete Carnegie Hall performance on record, demonstrating the Hall’s dedication to lesser-known works deserving of the spotlight. Castillo, Dudamel, and the Philharmonic kept the audience’s rapt attention right to the end. 

This season at Carnegie Hall will prove to be a bright light for music lovers of all genres, especially classical, pop, salsa, and reggaeton. With opening night, Dudamel and Castillo officially began the 2024–2025 season-long Nuestros Sonidos (Our Sounds) festival that celebrates the heritage and influence of Latin culture in the U.S., including those from the Caribbean. As usual, a plethora of talent will grace the Hall’s stages. I’m particularly excited about Pink Martini, Angélique Kidjo, Joyce DiDonato’s master class series, Ivy Queen, Asmik Grigorian, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason, Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson, Angel Blue and Lang Lang, and Samara Joy. 

There’s no better way to spend a year than reveling in music, familiar and new. See the full program and purchase tickets at https://www.carnegiehall.org/.

Photos below by Christa Avampato.

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NYC’s Harbor is cleaner and more resilient. Thank the oysters.

Christa Avampato
Billion Oyster Party. Photo by Christa Avampato.

On Thursday night I wound my way through Brooklyn’s Navy Yard. Past industrial buildings, natural gas smoke stacks, and heavy machinery, I found myself at building 269 to celebrate a sustainability milestone in our city. 

For 10 years, Billion Oyster Project has used the nature-based solution of oyster restoration to clean the water of the Hudson River to a level unprecedented in the last century. Restored oyster reefs will also protect the coastline from storm surges, a threat the city faces from climate change. To commemorate all their work, and look toward the future, 2,000 guests gathered together this week to sample trays of freshly harvested oysters, enjoy small bites and drinks from over 20 of New York’s best restaurants, and celebrate the efforts of oyster over 50 oyster farmers from all over the country at the organization’s 10th Anniversary Billion Oyster Party — Back to Nature, Back to Health. 

New York City used to be the oyster capital of the world, home to half of the world’s oysters. When the Dutch arrived in the 1600s, New York Harbor’s oysters measured up to 10 inches long, the city was known for them, and the oyster industry helped lay the foundation for the city. Liberty and Ellis Islands where the Statue of Liberty now stands and where millions of immigrants landed to begin new lives here were originally known as Oester (Oyster) Islands. New York’s oyster industry ended due to overharvesting, water pollution, and shoreline build-outs from the city’s rapid expansion. The pollution of the river prompted a typhoid scare, and the city shut down oyster farming in 1927. 

The book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky tells the fascinating history of New York’s oysters. The Billion Oyster Project is creating its future. The city’s 220,000 acres of oyster reefs were once homes to whales, dolphins, seals, seahorses, herring, striped bass, and hundreds of other species. Thanks to Billion Oyster Project, they’re on their way to being this home again. Today, the organization has 18 active oyster restoration sites across 16 acres of New York Harbor. Their efforts have restored 100 million juvenile oysters to the harbor. Oysters are starting to reproduce in the Harbor — a clear sign that this once booming industry can be revived and be self-sustaining. Billion Oyster Project’s goal for the next 10 years is to restore one billion oysters to New York Harbor by 2035.  

To grow the oyster population 10-fold in the next 10 years, they need our help. Volunteer, become a member or donate, share their mission through education efforts, dine at their restaurant partners, or attend an event. 

All photos taken at Billion Oyster Party by Christa Avampato.

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I submitted my dissertation to the University of Cambridge

Christa Avampato

It is written. It is submitted. In the wee hours of Monday morning, I submitted my dissertation to the University of Cambridge. I’m proud of it. Every cell in my body is passionate about the topic and I think it can help to make this world a better place.

There are many people who helped make this dissertation what it is. The anonymous marking criteria precluded me from thanking them by name in the acknowledgements of the dissertation so I’ll thank them here.

My advisor Dr Candice Howarth provided support and encouragement from the start. 

Louise Drake was enthusiastic about my topic from the point I submitted my proposal and provided early materials that helped me on my journey. 

My first year tutor Angus Morrison-saunders sharpened my writing and research skills to make the writing of this research project possible. 

The staff at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) always warmly welcomed us in Cambridge, answered our many questions with kindness and grace, and created the space to make this phenomenal experience possible. There is so much work that happens behind the scenes and the staff is to be commended for all they do. 

My friends and classmates Milly Moore, Alasdair Martin, Patricia Minogue, Aaron Hemsley, Mark Champkins, Barbora Kotoun, Laura Hillis, Mitch Reznick, CFA, Iuliia Takhtarova, and Aonghus Kelly read my work at various points (some more than once, you kind souls!) and provided feedback that made the work much better than it would have been otherwise. 

My close community of friends and relatives cheered me on throughout this two-year adventure and provided support for my studies in so many ways. 

Many people graciously and generously gave their time so I could interview them for this dissertation. Your insights and perspectives made this research possible. Thank you for your honesty, candor, and enthusiasm for the work. 

I love being a part of Cohort 13 and I’m inspired every day by all my wonderful classmates and friends. You taught me so much, not only about sustainability but also about life. I’m a better person for knowing you. Thank you for everything. 

While we all now wait for our grades and the confirmation of our graduation celebration in 2025, I’m filled with gratitude and love for two fantastic years. Onward now to save the planet.