By: Jared Evan

New York Governor Kathy Hochul defended the state’s controversial bail reform laws on Sunday, saying that she has been working to reverse them since she took office in 2021.

The governor appeared on WABC-770 AM’s talk show John Catsimatidis “Cat’s Roundtable”.

The reforms prohibited judges from setting bail in most criminal cases, but Hochul said that the changes she negotiated will allow judges to consider factors such as criminal history and the severity of the crime when deciding whether to set bail.

“I’m not going to say statistics should make people feel better,” Hochul said. “Let us keep doing our job and working hard to make sure that people stop committing these crimes.”

Hochul also defended the Big Apple’s congestion pricing plan, which would charge drivers a fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. She said that the plan is necessary to deal with Manhattan’s clogged streets and that it will not have a significant impact on New Jersey commuters.

Most New Yorkers feel the congestion pricing will be the death kneel for the city, keeping more workers from the outer boroughs, NJ, CT., and Upstate working from home or finding other jobs, which will add to the struggling commercial office space market.

The reality regarding congestion pricing lies with disastrous far left extremist policies of former Mayor De Blasio, who decriminalized fare beating, resulting in billions of dollars in revenue loss, decimating the MTA, who will benefit the most from the congestion pricing fees.

Many old-time New Yorkers are comparing the current situation to the disastrous Mayor Beame administration who suffered a city bankruptcy in the late 1970’S after 8 years of his predecessor Mayor Lindsey who exploded the welfare state and ran the city to the ground, where De Blasio is comparable to Lindsay and Adams is Beame.

“From their perspective, yes, there will be some people affected,” Hochul said. “But this is going to be so beneficial for Manhattan, which is literally paralyzed.”

Hochul’s comments come as New York City is facing a growing crime wave. The number of shootings in the city has increased by more than 20% this year, and there have been several high-profile incidents of violence, including the shooting death of a police officer.

Hochul said that she is committed to addressing the crime problem, but she also stressed that the state’s bail reform laws are not the only factor contributing to the increase in violence.

“We’re not done yet by any stretch of the imagination,” she said. “But it is nowhere what it had been before.”

In addition to the above, here are some other things to consider:

The bail reform laws have been criticized by some law enforcement officials and victims’ advocates, who argue that they have made it easier for criminals to get back on the streets.

The congestion pricing plan has also been controversial, with some businesses and residents arguing that it will hurt the economy and make it more difficult for people to get around.

Supporters of the plan argue that it is necessary to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in Manhattan.

The bail reform laws, and the congestion pricing plan are just two of the many challenges facing New York Governor Kathy Hochul.