May. 30, 2025 By Kirstyn Brendlen There are just weeks to go until New York City’s June 24 primary election, and with early voting set to begin on June 14, New Yorkers are preparing to head to the polls. All 51 seats of the City Council are on the ballot this year, but some…
May. 29, 2025 By Anna Bradley-Smith A major rezoning plan that will dramatically reshape a swath of central Brooklyn — replacing low-lying industrial buildings with apartment towers containing potentially thousands of new units, including affordable ones — was approved by the City Council on Wednesday. The Atlantic Avenue Mixed-Use Plan rezones approximately 21 blocks along…
May. 29, 2025 By Gabriele Holtermann Landlords who own buildings with one or more rent-stabilized units are now required to post signs informing tenants that the building contains rent-stabilized apartments — a move aimed at empowering tenants to fight illegal rent hikes, demand better living conditions and restore illegally deregulated units. The Rent Transparency…
May. 21, 2025 By Gabriele Holtermann Brooklyn lawmakers rallied alongside community members and homeowners on the steps of City Hall on May 20, calling on the City Council to allocate $5 million of next year’s budget toward fighting deed theft and supporting victims of the crime. Black and Brown homeowners in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods…
May. 16, 2025 By Abbie Greenbaum As New York’s primary election approaches, several City Council races are drawing increased public attention — including the contest in South Brooklyn’s District 47. The district includes Bay Ridge, Coney Island and Sea Gate, as well as parts of Dyker Heights, Gravesend and Bath Beach. It is currently…
May. 5, 2025 By Mike Racioppo If you believe the New York City government can — and should — work better for all of us, I urge you to join us this Tuesday, May 6th, from 5-7 p.m. at Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy. That’s when the City Council’s Charter Revision Commission (CRC), aka The…
Apr. 16, 2025 By Kirstyn Brendlen The Brooklyn Conservative Party made an early endorsement for the November general election this week, throwing its support behind Democratic Council Member Susan Zhuang. Zhuang, a conservative Democrat running for re-election in southern Brooklyn’s District 43, has built her re-election campaign on public safety, affordable housing, and other…
Apr. 9, 2025 By Maya Kornberg, Ph.D. This week, I faced a dilemma all too familiar to working parents. Our daycare did not have space for my son and I had an important in-person meeting where it would not be appropriate to bring my five-month-old. My partner and I are both fortunate enough to…
Apr. 8, 2025 By Kirstyn Brendlen Criminal charges filed against southern Brooklyn Council Member Susan Zhuang after she bit a police officer last year were dropped on Tuesday, after she finished a restorative justice program. Zhuang was arrested last summer after she assaulted an officer during a protest against a proposed homeless shelter in…
Mar. 26, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The City Council approved a legislative package Wednesday afternoon to reduce the number of scaffolding structures on New York City streets. The package of five bills takes aim at the temporary steel and wooden scaffolding structures – known as scaffolding sheds – that line and darken thousands of…