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CONVENTION CENTERS
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State consultant suggests waiting on BCEC expansion
Hold off on that big expansion for now. That's the bottom line for the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in an extensive report prepared
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HOSPITALS
Lawrence General named former Tufts Medical exec as new CEO
After a challenging year for Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, former Tufts Medical executive Diana L. Richardson will take over as interim president and CEO next month, the hospital system announced Thursday. She will join the organization on April 14, following
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MUNICIPAL FINANCE
Los Angeles faces $1b budget hole amid broad federal cuts, wildfire recovery
Los Angeles is facing a projected deficit of nearly $1 billion in the next fiscal year as the city grapples with the aftermath of historic wildfires and a deep decline in revenue. A key budget official painted a grim picture of the city's finances at a council meeting on Wednesday. Warnings included the possibility of thousands of layoffs and 'extremely difficult cost-cutting decisions' that will be required to close the gap, said Matthew Szabo, the city administrative officer. The shortfall is about 13 percent of the adopted budget, a threshold he called 'extraordinary.' 'This is an enormous hole to fill,' he told city council members. 'The severity of the revenue decline paired with rising costs has created a budget gap that makes layoffs nearly inevitable. We are not looking at dozens or even hundreds of layoffs, but thousands.' The stark statements offer a first glimpse into what is expected to be a challenging budget cycle for Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat who is set to unveil her spending proposal next month. Most US cities can't operate at a deficit, so her plan is poised to include cost-cutting efforts. On Wednesday, she directed Szabo's office to game-plan ways to save between $500 million and $900 million in structural budgetary expenses. Cities across the United States are facing tough budget decisions this year as inflation raises costs and pandemic-era stimulus aid sunsets. Chicago's city council passed a 2025 budget that closed a nearly $1 billion deficit and in San Francisco, the city is projecting a budget shortfall of about $876 million for the 2026 fiscal year. The municipalities, already facing a squeeze, could see further pressures from federal government cuts. President Trump has threatened cities that don't comply with his immigration agenda while educational institutions are already cutting staff and freezing some spending.
— BLOOMBERG NEWS
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Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'Roof over people's heads': Proposed cuts to HUD funding could impact local public housing programs
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – President Donald Trump's proposed broad and historic cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's discretionary funding could, if ultimately enacted, significantly transform the nation's public housing and Section 8 rental voucher programs that approximately 20% of Johnstown residents use. Trump, in his 'skinny' budget, recommended slashing HUD's funding by approximately $33 billion, including $26.7 billion for rental assistance programs, compared to this current fiscal year. For now, it is just an outline of a spending plan that, in its text, refers to the nation's 'dysfunctional rental assistance programs,' he said. 'The skinny budget and what I've seen, it isn't enough for us trying to make any kind of guess of what to expect,' JHA Executive Director Mike Alberts said. 'It's too early. There's been no good numbers coming out of the (U.S.) Senate and House (of Representatives) yet that would give us any kind of idea of where we might see cuts in specific programs. We just haven't seen anything to give us a good idea yet.' Alberts continued: 'Really, the only thing that's going to matter in the end is the budget that they pass that is in effect for Oct. 1, which is the federal government's beginning of fiscal year.' Federal Fallout logo Regardless of what budget changes may occur, Alberts said JHA's mission will continue to be helping people 'with the basic human need of housing.' 'With things being tougher than ever with the cost of living in general, affordable housing is absolutely needed, especially in Johnstown and Cambria County, where the poverty rates are traditionally so high,' Alberts said. 'It's important work, and we really rely on those federal dollars to keep the lights on and keep a safe roof over people's heads.' 'Where things stand' JHA operates 1,504 public housing units – with 1,400 being in the city proper – that are used to assist people in poverty or economically disadvantaged conditions, the elderly, and disabled. The dwellings are almost always filled to capacity. Johnstown Housing Authority | Prospect Homes Blueprints Johnstown Housing Authority executive director Mike Alberts with original blueprints for the Prospect Homes Housing Project. Photo taken at the Johnstown Housing Authority main office in the Cambria City section of Johnstown on Monday, May 8, 2023. Meanwhile, as of the end of May, the authority had 764 of its 960 Section 8 vouchers leased up, as part of the nation's rental assistance program. JHA has left vouchers unused due to funding uncertainties. For example, Alberts pointed out that JHA was told to expect $500,000 for the program in May, but only received $460,000 when the money showed up in its account. 'We've been extremely conservative with those vouchers because we don't know where the money is and what the value is, so we've been extremely conservative,' JHA Chairman Charles Arnone said. 'We probably won't be doing any more during the summer until we know where things stand.' In total, JHA has a total budget of just under $20.3 million for fiscal year 2025. The areas of spending are: • Public housing: $8,642,000 • Section 8 landlord payments: $5,675,903 • Section 8 administration fees: $722,233 • Capital Fund: $4,673,514 • Family self-sufficiency ('On The Rise') program: $72,840 • Choice Neighborhoods grant: $500,000. Alberts said the current situation is 'business as usual' with the next budget being 'a huge question mark.' Last year, JHA was awarded a Choice Neighborhood planning grant to develop an outline for stabilizing and improving Coopersdale Homes. The 30-month process is still ongoing. Alberts said the $500,000 grant is 'completely safe.' 'That (planning grant) money's already obligated to us and that's not in any danger of being taken away,' Alberts said. 'That's not all to us yet, since we have to kind of request it as we need it, but there's no danger of that going away.' 'More state control' The Republican president's plan would transform the funding system 'into a State-based formula grant which would allow States to design their own rental assistance programs based on their unique needs and preferences. 'The Budget would also newly institute a two-year cap on rental assistance for able bodied adults, and would ensure a majority of rental assistance funding through States would go to the elderly and disabled. 'A State-based formula program would also lead to significant terminations of Federal regulations.' 'With respect to cuts to housing, one thing that I would view as a positive is it would put more state control on some of these issues,' said state Senate Majority Whip Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township. 'I know when we exposed some of the issues within HUD in the past with the (Section 8 voucher) porting, with the wait list, with the influx of individuals from Philadelphia that could not get a voucher in that area but were coming here to Johnstown, our hands were kind of tied. 'There wasn't a lot we could do from a state perspective, as it fell on the federal government. So if that does in fact change and come back, it will give our state much more discretion in shaping that policy and ensuring that it is done appropriately, and we would be able to have an impact on a lot of those areas, specifically that porting issue and the loopholes that we exposed for residency requirements.' Langerholc said the situation is currently 'in flux.' 'It's a fluid situation,' Langerholc said. 'I know it's something that we're watching very closely at the state level, what the federal government is doing across the board as well.'
The Intercept
a day ago
- The Intercept
Virginia AG Hopeful Was Outraising His Rival — Then Dominion Energy Tipped the Scale
Both candidates for Virginia attorney general in Tuesday's Democratic primary have much in common. They've both promised, for instance, to fight against Donald Trump and DOGE, and to protect abortion rights. When it comes to who is funding their campaigns, though, there's one source of cash that marks a striking difference between the candidates: Dominion Energy, the Fortune 500 utility company that has long thrown around huge sums to shape politics in Virginia. In the attorney general primary this year, local prosecutor Shannon Taylor has accepted $650,000 in donations from Dominion, while former state delegate Jay Jones has not taken any from the company. And that cash has made a difference: Jones had a significant fundraising lead this year — until Dominion began sending checks to Taylor. The spending split shows how Dominion continues to shape Democratic politics in the state, six years after party leaders said they would refuse donations from the controversial electricity monopoly. In response to Dominion's attorney general race donations, 14 current and former Democratic officials aligned with Jones wrote a letter this week calling out Taylor for what they said was a looming conflict of interest. 'The scale of these contributions appears to be unprecedented in Virginia Attorney General races,' the officials said. 'This level of corporate influence over a candidate seeking the state's highest law enforcement position undermines public confidence in the independence and integrity of the office.' Hitting a theme of her long experience as a prosecutor, Taylor's campaign said in a statement, 'Shannon is the only Democrat who can be trusted to flip this seat and fight back against Donald Trump.' In a statement, Jones's campaign manager Rachel Rothman took a swipe at Taylor's reliance on Dominion cash. She said, 'Shannon Taylor is clearly aspiring to be Dominion's in-house counsel.' Nobody in Virginia politics has a pocketbook quite like Dominion. The company is the leading campaign contributor this election cycle, according to the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. For years, it has showered candidates with what one observer called a 'staggering' amount of cash. Meanwhile, the company has faced complaints about its business. Dominion has been accused of overcharging customers by $1.2 billion over a yearslong period, slowing efforts to develop rooftop solar energy, and threatening the climate with a since-canceled natural gas pipeline. Dominion's political vise grip allowed it to get away with it all, critics said. In recent years, however, that grip has loosened. Responding to outrage from voters, the Democratic Party announced that it would no longer accept donations from Dominion — though individual candidates were not obliged to follow suit. Some Democrats have continued to take money from the company, while others have aligned themselves with the Clean Virginia Fund, a political organization created by a wealthy Charlottesville investor named Michael Bills to combat Dominion's influence in state politics. In 2018, then-attorney general Mark Herring, a Democrat, said he would stop taking money from Dominion. That did not stop the company from donating in 2021 to the Democratic Attorneys General Association, which spent on ads to support Herring when he was fighting a primary battle against Jones. The donation was not made public until after Jones had lost the race. The intra-party split is playing out again in this year's attorney general race. Dominion, which partnered with environmental groups on an unsuccessful clean energy bill last year, defended its involvement in state politics in a prepared statement. 'Like most companies, we participate in the political process on behalf of our thousands of employees and millions of customers,' said Aaron Ruby, a company spokesperson. 'They depend on us for reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy. We contribute to candidates from both parties in support of common sense public policy.' The Virginia attorney general race is one of this year's marquee contests. Because the state has a large contingent of federal workers affected by DOGE cuts and the office's ability to challenge actions by the administration, the race viewed as a bellwether for how Trump's second term is going over with voters. Dominion has its own reasons for being interested. The attorney general's office also plays an important role in utility regulation in the state. In 2022, Jason Miyares, a Republican and the current attorney general, tangled with Dominion Energy over whether a large offshore wind project did enough to protect ratepayers from potential cost overruns before reaching an agreement. The massive donations to Taylor have helped her even out Jones's fundraising advantage. Jones has won endorsements from centrist Democrats such as former Virginia governors Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe, as well as national figures like Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. Along the way, Jones raised $2.7 million compared to Taylor's $2.1 million. Jones's major contributors include the Clean Virginia Fund, which has given his campaign nearly $579,000, according to disclosures. Prolific campaign spending by Bills, the Clean Virginia Fund founder, has drawn criticisms of its own from observers who say it is drowning out small-dollar donors. Earlier this month, Jones also received $1,000 from a Dominion Energy executive, complicating his allies' criticism of Taylor. Jones's campaign said they are refunding the money. Both candidates have criticized Miyares for not doing enough to fight back against Trump, and both have promised to fight for abortion rights. Jones has pointed to his experience fighting for consumer rights as a lawyer at the D.C. attorney general's office and his legal fights with the administration of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin over voting rights. Taylor, the commonwealth attorney for Henrico County, has leaned heavily on her experience as a criminal prosecutor. In a statement responding to the letter from Democratic officials criticizing the Dominion donation, Taylor repeated her allegation that Jones lacks the experience to serve as the state's top law enforcement official. 'Jay Jones has never prosecuted a case and spent less than 10 months in the DC AGs office,' the release said. 'Shannon spent 30 years prosecuting thousands of cases to protect Virginia families and hold fraudsters accountable.' Taylor also called out a few thousand dollars that Jones took from lobbyists associated with Dominion Energy between 2021 and 2024, and donations from the company itself in 2017 and 2018. Rothman, Jones's campaign manager, said, 'Virginia needs an Attorney General who fights for Virginians first. That candidate is Jay Jones.' Democrats are banking on outraged voters angry at Trump to hand them victories in key statewide races on the ballot this year, including governor and lieutenant governor. Dominion could be the ultimate winner, regardless of whether Democrats are right. The company has also donated $175,000 to the campaign of Miyares, who rallied with Trump ahead of last year's election. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Public lands sell-off plan draws blowback among Colorado Democrats
U.S. House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, a Lafayette Democrat, speaks at a press conference on protecting public lands May 28, 2025, at the Lake Estes Marina. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Democratic members of the Colorado congressional delegation criticized a recent proposal by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, to allow the federal government to sell off more than 2 million acres of public land. The proposal covers 11 Western states, including Colorado. Introduced Wednesday, the proposal would target 'underused' public lands to sell for housing development, roads, water infrastructure and other projects, according to Lee. During a remote news conference Friday, the proposal drew disapproval from U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, as well as Reps. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, Jason Crow of Centennial and Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood. '(This proposal) is a five alarm fire for hunters, for fishermen, for conservationists, for recreationists and for everyday Colorado folks who enjoy these lands and who are committed to preserving them for future generations,' Neguse said. 'The fact that they are potentially trying to auction off these lands to pay for President (Donald) Trump's reckless tax agenda, tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations, in my view, is shameful.' Neguse represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, 60% of which is made up of public lands. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lee's proposal would insert the public lands sell-off measure into the GOP 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill, which was passed by the House and is now before the Senate. Under the proposal, state and local governments would have priority to purchase the federal lands, and areas that already have a designation — like national parks, national monuments and mining claim sites — would be safe from sale. Public lands advocates fear for Colorado's national parks under Trump budget proposals Colorado is home to 23 million acres of federal public lands, which play a significant role in many local economies. Sarah Shrader, the president of the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition in Grand Junction, called on Congress to save Colorado's public lands from sale. 'These lands must remain protected, accessible and managed for the benefit of everyone, not just a few,' Shrader said. 'It's an economic imperative, an environmental responsibility and a moral commitment to future generations.' Tony Prendergast, a hunting guide and rancher based in Crawford, pointed to the widespread support of his community for the protection of public lands, regardless of their political affiliation. 'There's nothing like this issue that will fire up people like me to get involved politically,' Prendergast said. 'The depth of the anger I feel, and the disappointment in those elected officials who are putting this proposal forward and those who will support this, is intense for me.' After bipartisan opposition to a recent public land sale proposal in the House, the plan was axed. Bennet said he hopes there will be enough common ground to defeat the Senate proposal through continued negotiations. 'Public lands make Colorado, Colorado,' Bennet said. 'They make the West, the West. They're the foundation of our economy, and they represent treasured parts of our culture, our geography and our history.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
