The Briefly for December 17, 2019 – The "End Fare Evasion by Ending Fares" Edition

Today - Low: 29˚ High: 36˚

Light rain until evening.

The best & worst of SantaCon 2019. (Ben Yakas for Gothamist) SantaCon's aftermath was predictably awful. (Nikita Richardson for Grub Street) Despite being illegal for a decade, discrimination against people with Section 8 vouchers persists. (Cindy Rodriguez for Gothamist) A well laid out plan to cut fare evasion to zero: make public transit free. (The Independent) The City Council could circumvent the governor in making electric bikes legal. Councilmember Rafael Espinal is pushing forward with his bill that would legalize the bikes and cap their speeds at 20 mph. The governor has a bill on his desk since June that would legalize them. (Dave Colon for Streetsblog) This year's legislative session was, in Governor Cuomo's words, the "most productive legislative session in modern history" thanks to truly Democratic control. There's been one major bottleneck in getting those bills into law: the governor himself. (Luis Ferré-Sadurní for NY Times) The NYCHA is the city's worst landlord for the second year running, topping Public Advocate Jumaane Williams's list of the worst landlords in the city. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Does it make more sense to buy or rent? Depends how long you're gonna stay in your apartment. In Canarsie the time is under two years, but in the Lower East Side, it's thirty. Don't worry, there's a calculator. (Ameena Walker for Curbed) A look at Brooklyn's first public bike parking hub, the confusingly named Oonee Pod. While it's only 20 bike racks, it's a start. (Paul Frangipane for Brooklyn Eagle) 14th St's buses will be going all-electric in March. The busway's improved service has meant a ridership increase of nearly 25% over last year at this time. Turns out people will take the bus if it's reliable. Who knew? (Devin Gannon for 6sqft) If you can't fight the addictiveness of old photos of New York City, the archive of photographs from Carole Teller from the 60s through the 90s is enthralling. (Dawson Knick for GVSHP) Who can fight the charm of Billy On The Street with Mariah Carey? (@billyeichner) Four first responders who died from 9/11-related illnesses were posthumously awarded Bronze Medallions from Mayor de Blasio on Monday for advocacy work that ensured fellow responders will receive medical care throughout their lifetimes. Nineteen people were honored, including Jon Stewart. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) Apartment Porn: The most beautiful homes of 2019. (Valeria Ricciulli for Curbed) In one of the most classless moves of the year, Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, is using the death of Tessa Majors to baselessly claim she was in the park where she was murdered to buy drugs and criticize the change in the city's marijuana enforcement laws. (Ja’han Jones for HuffPost) New York’s law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain licenses went into effect on Monday and there were lines. (Tracey Tully and Michael Gold for NY Times) A look back at a full decade of the rent being too damn high across the city. (Valeria Ricciulli for Curbed) You know who thinks the MTA is doing great? The MTA. (Kathleen Culliton for Patch) A wholly acceptable "Why I'm leaving New York" essay. (Joan Summers for Jezebel) Here are the stories of the 28 bicyclists who were killed on city streets by drivers. 2019 is the bloodiest year since 2000 for cyclist deaths. (Emma Whitford for Gothamist) Pasta cake? (Emma Orlow for Time Out) Say farewell to Tootsie, Oklahoma!, and Waitress as seven Broadway shows are coming to a close in January. (Matt Windman for Gothamist) Just in case you were wondering if Harvey Weinstein wasn't a Scooby Doo-level villain, his recent interview where he calls himself a "pioneer" in providing opportunities for female actors and directors and that he is a "forgotten man" will clarify that issue for you. (Alan Feuer for NY Times) MetroCard scammers cost the MTA about $40 million a year. These aren't turnstile jumpers, but people intentionally breaking machines or disguising themselves as an MTA employee and asking for a dollar to walk through the emergency exits, or one of the dozens of other ways people have thought of to outsmart the MTA. (Vincent Barone for amNewYork) “All the current administration cares about is getting to the day where they can have a press release saying that we’re not at an all time high [of homelessness].” Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is now the CEO of a nonprofit that is the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing and has some things to say about how the city treats its homeless. (Ben Max and Stephen Wyer for Gotham Gazette) When Veronica Vanterpool resigns from the MTA's board, it will leave the city severely underrepresented. (Benjamin Kabak for Second Ave Sagas) It's not even Christmas, but here comes the signs for Mulchfest. (EV Grieve) It's like a greatest hits record, but for NYC restaurants. (The Infatuation) Thanks to reader Zlata for today’s featured photo!