Philly Power Research

The Philadelphia city worker strike cost taxpayers $5.4 million, Mayor Cherelle Parker said The city spent almost $1.26 million per day on added costs for things like hauling trash and overtime during the DC 33 strike.

During July’s eight-day municipal worker strike, the city spent almost $1.26 million per day on added costs needed to maintain basic services, such as hiring contractors to haul trash from dump sites and paying overtime to some Water Department supervisors, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker announced Friday.

New bill would ban new convenience stores and pharmacies from opening in Kensington The new zoning restrictions on new pharmacies and convenience stores come in the wake of a curfew bill that sought to crack down on "nuisance businesses."

As City Council struggles to confront skill games, fake weed, and kratom stores--which are regulated (or not) rom Harrisburg and D.C.--local legislators are increasingly using broad brush tools that effect other small businesses too: www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...

Inside the Clunky Elections to Control Pennsylvania's Supreme Court - Bolts The GOP is making an expensive push to end Democrats’ majority on a court at the center of election lawsuits, sparking a fledging campaign season with little precedent or template.

Dispatch from Pennsylvania on a highly unusual state Supreme Court election—one of the few most consequential matters on the ballot anywhere in the country next month. New from me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...

We mapped out some of the key oligarchs and billionaire corporations that are profiting from ICE's deportation machine.

More: littlesis.org/news/the-bil...

AI is everywhere in Philly. But where does that data go? Who has access? Who decides how it’s used? How else could we spend that $?

We have a critical window to demand transparency, accountability, & community control over how tech is used in our city.

Join us: phillytechjustice.org/hearing

The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities

"Many of the ideas included in the proposal...came from a doc circulated last winter at the behest of Marc Rowan"
"as Penn was mired in acrimony over antisemitism & pro-Palestinian activism in 2023, he wielded his wealth & influence to help oust his alma mater’s pres"
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...

Philly will have a ‘cash flow problem’ if the federal shutdown and state budget aren’t resolved by December, Parker says “We have so many challenges that are facing the city of Philadelphia with limited funds in order to address them,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said Thursday.

The federal shutdown was entirely foreseeable. The current fascist constitutional crisis and resulting instability are all the more reason that it was absurd for the Parker admin to codify 13 years of local tax cuts earlier this year.
www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Email text: National Nurses United and UE call for end to military operations, blockade in Palestine Unions demand U.S. recognize Palestine’s sovereignty and demand that Israeli government end violence, starvation, and injustices on Palestinian people National Nurses United (NNU), the country’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses, and the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) — together representing over a quarter million union members — sent a letter today to President Trump to demand that “the Israeli government permanently end its military operations and blockade in Palestine, and that the United States immediately recognize the sovereignty of Palestine.” “Our unions concur with the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, which found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” stated the letter. “The United States must intervene immediately to put an end to the violence, starvation, and injustices being inflicted on the Palestinian people.

Email text continued: The attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023 was an atrocity. But Israel’s collective punishment of millions of Palestinians and destruction of Gaza over two years constitute a crime against humanity,” the letter continued. “More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, including nearly 20,000 children, while 1.9 million have been displaced and countless others have been severely injured and have lost their family members since October 2023. The death toll includes many of our union siblings, including hundreds of health care workers, media workers, engineers, and civil servants killed on the job.” The letter concluded with a demand for “urgent action to immediately halt military aid to Israel; secure a permanent and immediate ceasefire that ensures an end to the mass killing and starvation of innocent Palestinian civilians; ensure that the remaining hostages in Gaza and political prisoners in Israel are safely returned home; and recognize Palestinian sovereignty and restore the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”

NEWS: Major unions @nationalnurses.bsky.social and @ueunion.org are publicly demanding that the U.S. immediately halt military aid to Israel, recognize Palestinian sovereignty, and intervene “to put an end to the violence, starvation, and injustices being inflicted on the Palestinian people.”

Recycle company’s bankruptcy leaves tons of discarded artificial turf across the state The turf, laden with forever chemicals, now faces an uncertain future.

Philadelphia Parks & Rec plans to install 32 acres of toxic turf in FDR Park, has claimed it will be recycled after it wears out (after 8–10 years).
That's BS and Parks knows it.

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

Dear University of Pennsylvania:

Do. Not. Comply.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Building Industry Association president Mo Rushdy resigns amid furor over Gaza speech The developers association leader spoke out about the Gaza war, denouncing the Israeli government's actions.

www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...

Apparently true "Christian" nationalism means dropping bombs on random fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico

A ‘brazen’ Jeffrey Yass-backed mailer suggests the Pa. Supreme Court created the congressional map it actually threw out “It’s probably the most shameless political ad I’ve ever seen,” said Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht in a rare interview.

“Much like we saw in Wisconsin, MAGA billionaires are lying and trying to buy this election so they can install a Pennsylvania Supreme Court that will put the needs of the wealthy ahead of the rest of us.”

share.inquirer.com/bFRImF

Wonder whose agendas block PA reforms & are delaying a final PA budget?
Check legislators on Yass Tracker (read all the way down) alleyesonyass.squarespace.com/yass-tracker
Then check flow of Yass PAC donations listed in Transparency USA.
PA deserves better. 2/2💰
transparencyusa.org/pa/contribut...

Seriously: PA's richest man is sending out mailers accusing the PA Supreme Court of engaging in gerrymandering by using as the example ... the GOP map they threw out *as* a political gerrymander. Completely shameless and false. cc: @taniel.bsky.social @the-downballot.com
share.inquirer.com/m0or44

Declining homicides, business tax cuts, and not a word on Trump: Mayor Cherelle Parker addresses the Union League Despite being a Democrat speaking at a major stop on the national GOP fundraising circuit, Parker likely had many genuine allies in the crowd.

Surely all the people who ~totally genuinely~ made the Union League a campaign issue in 2023 will have smthng to say abt Parker giving a speech there & Vice Chair of her transition team/one of her top donors Greg Segall being "a lifelong Republican"...surely, right?
www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

designating ANTIFA an enemy of the state is telling on yourself

When politicians tell us there's no $ for transit, healthcare, or schools, remember — it exists. Billionaires like Jeff Yass are hoarding it and using it to rig the system in their favor. Yass poured millions into PA Supreme Court races in 2021 and 2023, and will likely do the same this year.

Will billionaire election spending end the Democratic majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court? Democrats need to win three retention elections in November to hold onto the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but billionaire interference could come at a cost.

Will billionaire election spending end the Democratic majority on the PA Supreme Court?
Jeffrey Yass — PA’s richest billionaire with a net worth of $59 billion thanks to his investments in TikTok — is poised to spend millions against Democratic justices.
keystonenewsroom.com/2025/05/21/p...

Look, they do not have the capacity or competence to do this at the scale they want you to fear they do, and your fear is precisely their greatest force multiplier. Everybody who is cowed into silence by their threats allows them a smaller pool to focus on.

St. Joseph’s sells University of the Sciences campus to Belmont charter school run by Michael Karp “The buyer ... has intentions for the property that align with our Jesuit mission,” St. Joseph’s said in an email sent to all faculty and staff.

!!! www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...

Screenshot from a post on Axon website: "With Draft One, the large language model’s creativity is turned off and report narratives are drafted strictly from information found in body-worn camera video transcripts. The underlying model used for Draft One transcription is Open AI’s GPT-4 Turbo. We calibrated the model to prevent speculation or embellishments like those often found in consumer-grade AI output. Draft One report narratives stick to the facts and require officers to review and approve each narrative draft for accuracy I was concerned that it was going to start making assumptions to fill in the blanks. But the way Axon has worked on this model and turned the creativity down, there are no assumptions, no unusual statements — just the facts, which I really like."

Philly has large contracts with Axon for police body cameras. Axon is developing an AI tool for generation of police reports based on body camera audio. They say we don't have to be worried about AI hallucination because they "turned off" the model's "creativity."
www.axon.com/resources/dr...

The Fair Share Amendment is delivering - CommonWealth Beacon Nearly three years after its passage, it’s becoming clear that the millionaires tax has been a total success, and an incredible benefit for our state’s businesses.

"But nearly three years later, it’s becoming clearer and clearer — the Massachusetts millionaires tax has been a total success, and an incredible benefit for our state’s businesses. " #mapoli

commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/the-...

CEO of Pa.’s largest cyber school made $700K on the side from its bank Ethics experts say it presents at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.

CEO of Pa.’s largest cyber school made $700K on the side from its bank
www.pennlive.com/education/20...

I will never forget the way our “pro-union” Democrat mayor used lawfare, intimidation, and a disgustingly cynical PR campaign to bully and break down some of the most essential and underpaid workers in Philadelphia—and nobody else should either.

TELL MAYOR CHERELLE PARKER: PAY CITY WORKERS A LIVING WAGE. TEXT DC33 TO 30403.

Last month, Mayor Cherelle Parker's city budget gave tax cuts to the wealthiest corporations in Philly. Now, she claims there's no money left for striking city workers to make a living wage.

Text DC33 to 30403 to contact the Mayor's office & tell her to give AFSCME DC 33 workers a fair contract.

Screenshot of Inquirer article: "Just as importantly, the city's finances, while still precarious, have improved dramatically since the 1990s, and union leaders know the city is in a better position to afford demands to increase pay. (In contract negotiations this year, the mayor's administration has stressed that President Donald Trump's threats to cut federal funding could devastate the city budget. Boulware was unmoved.)" https://www.inquirer.com/politics/philadelphia/afscme-strike-history-mayor-ed-rendell-20250703.html

Wild for Parker admin to be saying they can't give workers the raises they are demanding due to Trump funding threats when the mayor and City Council JUST LAST MONTH passed a huge 13-year business and wage tax cut plan. Those tax cuts alone could pay for the raises that DC33 is asking for.

If the mayor, one of the highest-paid positions, is getting 9% and 3% annual COLAs in FY25 and FY26, respectively, then rank-and-file workers surely deserve at least the same! Instead they got 5% in FY25 and are currently being offered 2.75% for FY26.

No, Mayor Parker didn’t give herself ‘a 9% raise’ — but she did dole out big raises to aides Mayor Cherelle L. Parker rejected a false claim from striking workers that she gave herself a 9% pay raise – although her pay has increased.

Mayor Parker seems to be suggesting in this article that because the mayor raises are COLAs tied to inflation (rather than "giving herself a raise") AFSCME workers are not justified to be drawing attention to them? 🤔
www.inquirer.com/news/mayor-p...

Why should a sanitation worker have to live in Philly but not a public health policy analyst or database administrator or something? Arguably more important for the latter since their day-to-day work is probably more removed from interacting with Philadelphia residents.