Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Sarahana

@sarahana.bsky.social

1.1K followers 52 following 83 posts

NYS Assemblymember District 103, Mid-Hudson Valley 🌹

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Sep 2

It's a wrap! Over 600 people attended our six town halls this month, on why and how we want to replace investor-owned Central Hudson with a publicly-owned Hudson Valley Power Authority. We finished strong in Rosendale, with 200 attendees. hudsonvalleypowerauthority.com

Reposted by Sarahana

Public Power NY @publicpowerny.bsky.social · Sep 1

🧵New York could have 25,000 union jobs building a future for the next generation.

Or we could let Kathy Hochul and Donald Trump pour pipeline poison on our planet.

So if you're in New York, send a comment at publicpowerny.org/take-action to ensure we're leading. On Labor Day, and every day. ⤵️

poster of workers building wind turbines with headline: FOR GOOD UNION JOBS, BUILD PUBLIC RENEWABLES

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Aug 25

Hundreds have already attended our town halls on replacing Central Hudson with a publicly-owned utility. Last week we were in Rhinebeck, this week we’ll close it out in Rosendale, at 6 PM. See you there?

RSVP: actionnetwork.org/events/hvpa-...

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Aug 14

In DPS’ own words, publicly-owned utilities don't share the same risks as investor-owned utilities do, and they have access to funding that is unavailable to IOUs!

“Contrary to Assemblymember’s arguments, it would not be appropriate to consider any comparison of publicly-owned utilities in setting the returns of investor-owned utilities because publicly-owned utilities do not share the same risks of operations and they have access to funding that is unavailable to investor-owned utilities.” — department of public service

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Aug 14

PSC’s approval of Central Hudson’s Joint Proposal shows that state regulation of investor-owned utilities is a sham for customers!

We must replace investor-owned utilities with publicly-owned community institutions. My full statement:

docs.google.com/document/d/e...

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 17

The only way to keep enegy rates as low as possible *and* bring an aging infrastructure up to date is to remove investors and their need for profits!

Join our town hall in Gardiner, Olive, Saugerties, Woodstock, Rhinebeck, or Rosendale. RSVP! bit.ly/hvpa-103

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 17

Central Hudson's grid is expensive and aging—we can replace it with one that's resilient and not for profit! Join us at a town hall to learn how public ownership can take the energy system out of corporate boardrooms, and put it in the hands of the people! bit.ly/hvpa-103

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 14

Join our EMERGENCY call on July 22, Tuesday, at 6:00 PM to learn more about the Congress tax and spending bill, its impact on New York, and how the state should respond! actionnetwork.org/events/ddd-o...

The Federal Debt, Deportation and Death Bill, and its impact on New York State

The tax and spending bill recently signed into law by President Trump has been rightly described by author Astra Taylor as the Debt, Deportation, and Death bill. It makes significant cuts to Medicaid,...

actionnetwork.org

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 3

People are tired of hearing what they need is politically impossible. What they want is to be inspired to fight together for what we can win together. It's about time to embrace what’s obvious: that to beat the right we must build the left!

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 3

The break must be real. We cannot respond to these Medicaid cuts with the same old system of private insurers and corporations that mint money from our healthcare system—if we want to win, we must answer with nothing less than universal healthcare.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 3

But we should've never arrived at this moment to begin with, and we have arrived at it because of the establishment’s failure to break from the neoliberal status quo that plunders our public goods, everything from labor to soil, to enrich the few.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 3

The irony of it is almost too blatant to be real. Despite a posture against big govt spending, it puts $100 billion+ towards deporting immigrants, a price tag that doesn’t even include the disastrous impact these policies will have on our economy or the fabric of our communities.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jul 3

This bill is what @astra.bsky.social describes accurately as the debt, deportation, and death bill, so overcome with hatred, and so blinded by a lust for war and a loathing towards a shared humanity that its authors do not realize its self-destruction

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jun 25

So proud of @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social! This win proves there’s no saving our democracy unless we reject the status quo, dream big, and build the movement that can power those dreams. Organize with us and join DSA! dsausa.org

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jun 19

What happened to the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act? The industry used race to stall the bill—and it worked. But we’ll be back! nysfocus.com/2025/06/19/p...

Reposted by Sarahana

Drew Broussard @drewsof.bsky.social · Jun 5

Another month, another insanely high CenHud bill (this time because they estimated my usage last month—which I thought wasn't happening anymore—to be almost nothing(????)) so it's time once again to urge the NYS Assembly to get behind @sarahana.bsky.social's proposals to end the madness.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jun 10

No hate! No fear! Immigrants are welcome here! Pass #NY4ALL NOW! No collusion and collaboration bwtween localities and I.C.E!

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jun 2

Farmers’ markets to go to? We thought so! store.sarahanaforassembly.com/products/fut...

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Jun 2

Hot weather? Cold weather? We’ve got you covered in both short sleeve and long sleeve: store.sarahanaforassembly.com/products/fun...

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · May 13

Central Hudson's Joint Proposal authorizes an 8.6% increase in electric delivery revenues, and 9.4% in gas, plus an increase of Return on Equity to 9.5%. I oppose the proposal because corporate monopolies shouldn't be allowed to raise rates to increase profits.

Reposted by Sarahana

Mid-Hudson Valley DSA @mhvdsa.bsky.social · May 6

On Friday night, our members tabled at a
@sarahana.bsky.social town hall on two critical initiatives to tackle the housing crisis: PASHNY (Permanently Affordable Social Housing for New Yorkers Act) and REST (Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants Act).

The image shows a group of five individuals standing behind a table displaying various signs and materials, likely at a community event or meeting. Three people in the center stand closely together, directly looking at the camera. They appear friendly and relaxed, with one person wearing a hat and holding a clipboard. Another person, to the left, is wearing a blue button-up shirt and is speaking, while another to the right in a printed t-shirt is slightly leaning forward. On the table are two white signs with bold text; one says, "HOMES FOR LIVING, NOT FOR PROFITS," and the other reads, "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE RICH TO LIVE IN THE HUDSON VALLEY." Additional materials and flyers are spread across the table. To the far right, a blue sign with white and red lettering states, "HOMES FOR LIVING! NOT for PROFIT." More people are visible in the background on the left side of the image, including a person in a high-visibility vest, partially out of frame.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · May 9

In the end, we were able to get changes to discovery laws to be much more reasonable than the Governor’s reckless proposal, and the so-called mask ban has been significantly neutered. But the process does New Yorkers a great injustice, and there must be a serious effort to change it.

In the end, we were able to get changes to discovery laws to be much more reasonable than the Governor’s reckless proposal, and the so-called mask ban has been significantly neutered. But that meant we didn’t even begin to earnestly discuss funding—the core function of a budget—until days after the Governor announced a budget deal. The process does New Yorkers a great injustice, and there must be a serious effort to change it.”

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · May 9

School districts and other organizations were left stranded by the state not for fiscal reasons, but because we were forced to spend a significant amount of time negotiating to make the Governor’s harmful non-fiscal policies less harmful.

involuntary commitment and substantial equivalency, and a very low cost of living adjustment for workers in human services. The main problem, however, is that the process is entirely broken. School districts and other organizations, whose federal funding is uncertain, were left stranded by the state not for fiscal reasons, but because we were forced to spend a significant amount of time negotiating to make the Governor’s harmful non-fiscal policies less harmful.

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · May 9

A historically late state budget passed on Thursday night, nine days after the Governor first announced a budget deal. At $254.3 billion, the budget includes some good things and some bad things. The main problem, however, is that the process is entirely broken.

Update on the State Fiscal Year 2025-26 State Budget

”A historically late state budget passed on Thursday night, nine days after the Governor first announced a budget deal. At $254.3 billion, the budget includes some good things, such as paying off a $7 billion unemployment insurance debt so that we can begin to fix it, creating the Housing Access Vouchers Program to help reduce homelessness, and expanding opportunities in higher education. It also includes some bad things, such as questionable changes to

Sarahana @sarahana.bsky.social · Apr 30

Submit a written comment by July 31: on.ny.gov/4lVd0Fj

And learn about my bill to replace Central Hudson with a publicly-owned Hudson Valley Power Authority: hudsonvalleypowerauthority.com