I Live Here Westchester NY

The Westchester Brief | 05.26.26: One Budget Failed. One District Is Out of Money. Same Broken System.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] On May 20, school budget votes ran across Westchester. 25 districts passed. Eastchester didn't. Yesterday's Brief covered the Yonkers school district's $101 million structural gap. Today's episode is the companion: what a failed budget vote actually signals, and how two different failure modes point to the same broken school finance system. Today's Brief covers what happens next for Eastchester under New York State Education Law, why failed budget votes are as much about trust as taxes, and the structural argument that connects both stories this week. In This Episode: (0:00) Cold open — the May 20 vote results (0:30) What a failed school budget vote means (1:15) Eastchester and what the "no" vote signals (2:00) The contrast with Yonkers — two failure modes (3:00) New York State's 43-district fragmentation problem (3:45) What happens next for Eastchester (4:15) Quick hits: mental health clinic open, Wednesday preview (4:45) Close Sources: News 12 Westchester school budget results | NYSSBA | NY Education Law Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 05.25.26: Yonkers Has a 90% Graduation Rate. Albany's Funding Formula Is Still Failing It.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] The Yonkers Board of Education met this week to consider closing School 21 — a neighborhood elementary school — to address a $101 million structural budget gap. The superintendent said the gap isn't from mismanagement. It's from a state funding formula Albany hasn't fixed. Yonkers Public Schools serves 23,000+ students: 73% economically disadvantaged, 22% with disabilities, 13% English Language Learners. The district has the highest graduation rate among New York's Big 5 cities. It's being rewarded with a funding formula that doesn't reflect what it actually costs to run it. Today's Brief covers the three structural forces driving the gap, why Mayor Spano's Albany trip didn't solve it, and the accountability question that belongs in the state legislature — not at the Yonkers Board of Ed. In This Episode: (0:00) Cold open — the 90% graduation rate (0:30) The $101M gap and what's driving it (1:30) The Foundation Aid Formula — what it is, why it fails (2:30) Mayor Spano and Superintendent Soler go to Albany (3:15) Where the accountability belongs (4:00) Quick hits: primary races, AAA bond rating (4:45) Close Sources: Yonkers Public Schools | Daily Voice | Yonkers Times | Hoodline | WAMC Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Friday Intel | 05.22.26: Westchester's 11,703-Unit Housing Gap — The Data Behind This Week's Story

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] This week The Westchester Brief covered Westchester's housing crisis from the municipal accountability angle. Today's Friday Intel puts a single number at the center — 11,703 — and runs the math on what it actually takes to close the gap. Westchester County has committed $500 million and produced 3,383 affordable units since 2019. At the current production pace of roughly 483 units per year, closing the county's own identified deficit takes 24 years. To close it in a decade, the county needs more than double the current output. Today's episode covers why county funding alone can't get there, what role municipal zoning plays, and three specific data points to track through the rest of 2026. In This Episode: (0:00) Cold open (0:20) The number: 11,703 and what it measures (0:50) The production math — 3,383 units, $500M, and why the gap isn't closing (1:45) Why municipalities are the constraint, not money (2:30) The federal funding variable (3:15) Three things to track through year-end (4:00) Close Sources: Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment | HUD FY2026 allocations | Westchester County 2026 Budget | Welcome Home Westchester Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 05.21.26: 11,703 Units Short — and Most Municipalities Are Making It Worse

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] The Welcome Home Westchester campaign released housing policy scorecards for all 43 Westchester municipalities last December. The county's Housing Needs Assessment puts the current affordable unit gap at 11,703. Most local governments are not helping close it. Today's Brief covers why the county can fund housing but cannot force municipalities to allow it, which towns are making real progress, and why the planning board in your town is the actual decision-making body on housing — not county government. Quick hit: Playland opens Saturday, May 23rd. In This Episode: (0:00) Cold open (0:20) The Welcome Home Westchester scorecards — what they measure (1:00) The 11,703-unit gap — current need, not a projection (1:45) Why county government can't solve this alone (2:30) Who's doing the work: Peekskill, Greenburgh (3:15) The municipalities protecting the status quo (4:00) The planning board as the actual decision point (4:30) Quick hit: Playland (4:50) Close Sources: Welcome Home Westchester | Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment | Westchester County 2026 State of the County Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.

The Westchester Brief | 05.20.26: Crime Is Down 17%. Your Car Might Not Be Safe.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/fan_mail/new] Westchester County announced last week that overall crime dropped 17% in 2025 — violent crime down 25%, every major index category improved. This week, police departments across the county are reporting a surge in vehicle thefts. Both things are simultaneously true, and the gap between them is the story. Today's Brief examines what annual aggregate crime statistics actually measure versus what is happening in real time, why county-level data and neighborhood-level conditions can diverge, and why the asymmetric visibility between annual improvement announcements and seasonal crime surges matters for residents. Quick hit: A housing number to set up Friday's Intel — $500 million committed, 3,383 units produced. The data tells a more complicated story. In This Episode: (0:00) Cold open (0:20) The 17% figure — what it measures and what it doesn't (1:00) The vehicle theft surge — the specific pattern and what's driving it (1:45) Annual stats vs. real-time conditions: why the gap matters (2:30) The asymmetric visibility problem in county crime communications (3:30) Practical guidance: what to do about the current wave (4:10) Quick hit: the housing number (4:40) Close Sources: Westchester County press release | News 12 Westchester | 2026 State of the County Address Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2468485/support] I Live Here Westchester is a production of I Live Here Media. We spotlight the voices, visionaries, and stories that make Westchester County more than just a place to live—it’s a place to belong. Have a guest suggestion or want to partner with us? Email: jimjockle@iliveheremedia.com Website: www.iliveheremedia.com [https://www.iliveheremedia.com/] Follow us on Instagram: @iliveheremedia [https://www.instagram.com/iliveheremedia/] Subscribe, rate, and share to support local storytelling.