New NYS Measures Taking Effect in 2025-
Several new measures have now taken effect in New York State. The hourly minimum wage for non-tipped workers increases to $16.50 in NYC, Westchester County, and Long Island, and to...more
The NYC Campaign Finance Board has denied public campaign funds for Eric Adams’ reelection bid. The Board cited “detrimental” conduct from Adams in their denial. This ruling means that Adams will be ineligible to receive...more
Baltimore nonprofit Waves received a $2 million grant from Baltimore’s Office of Information and Technology to deploy fiber-optic networks in low-income residential buildings, aiming to bridge the city’s digital divide...more
12/19/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) ,
City Councils ,
Cloud Computing ,
Fiber Optic Cables ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
Nonprofits ,
Property Tax ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Remote Working ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
Startups ,
State Budgets ,
Taxation ,
Wages ,
Zoning Laws
The Adams administration has officially announced the formation of a 14-member commission to rewrite the City Charter in 2025, continuing its focus on expanding housing opportunities. This commission aims to propose...more
12/17/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
City Planning Departments ,
Comptroller ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
New York ,
Nonprofits ,
Political Candidates ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
State and Local Government
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity Approved by the Council -
On December 5, 2024, the New York City Council approved with modifications the NYC Department of City Planning’s (DCP) City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, the...more
CHICAGO — Teachers Union Narrows Contract Demands-
After eight months of increasingly tense contract negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union has now narrowed its number of demands to land a deal in the next month, the...more
12/5/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State Taxes ,
Teachers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
On Friday, November 15, the Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies New York team held an election debrief. Key insights from our team are below. Presidential Race Donald Trump will enter the White House in January and has promised...more
Jessica Tisch Appointed NYPD Commissioner -
Last Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Jessica Tisch as the new Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. Tisch takes over from...more
DETROIT — City Becomes Largest U.S. City to Accept Cryptocurrency Payments -
Detroit residents will have the option beginning in mid-2025 to make payments with the digital currency through a secure platform managed by...more
11/21/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Relief ,
Deportation ,
Donald Trump ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Mayors ,
Mediation ,
Medical Debt ,
NAACP ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Strike ,
Traffic Laws ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions
Last Wednesday, the NYC Council convened a Stated meeting, where they passed and introduced multiple pieces of legislation. The Council passed a bill that will shift the responsibility for broker fee payment to the party that...more
Mayor Adams has announced new appointments within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Communications. In the Press Office, Kayla Mamelak Altus is now Press Secretary, and Allison Maser has joined as a Deputy Press Secretary...more
PHILADELPHIA — City Council Moves to Ban AI Rent “Price-Fixing” -
The Philadelphia City Council advanced legislation that would empower the City to sue landlords for alleged “price-fixing” of rental rates, particularly...more
11/7/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Price-Fixing ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
Surveillance
Yesterday, New Yorkers voted on one seat in the U.S. Senate, all 26 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and all 213 seats of the state legislature, in addition to the presidential ticket, which is being widely...more
Mayor Adams Trial Scheduled-
Mayor Eric Adams’ trial has been scheduled for April 21. Mayor Adams has been accused of corruption and bribery, and has pleaded not guilty.
Council Unveils “City for All” Response to “City...more
Two new candidates have entered the field for NYC Mayor: Zohran Mamdani, New York State Assemblymember, and Jim Walden, New York attorney. Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has called on Mayor...more
On October 21-22, 2024, the NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held two hearings to discuss the third of three City of Yes zoning initiatives, the "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” proposal, aimed at...more
Following the resignation of Phil Banks amid federal investigations into the Adams administration, Mayor Adams has announced the appointment of Chauncey Parker as the new Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Parker has served as...more
Last Tuesday, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigned her position, making her the seventh senior official to leave the Adams administration in recent weeks. Wright’s resignation followed that of her husband David Banks,...more
LOS ANGELES — L.A. Metro Testing AI Weapons Detection System-
L.A. Metro is considering implementing a weapons detections system being tested in Chicago that uses existing security cameras to scan the transit passengers...more
10/10/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Food Safety ,
Landlords ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
State Elections ,
Tax Increment Financing ,
Urban Planning & Development
Prosecutor Suggests More Charges for Adams, Others -
In a hearing last week, federal prosecutor Hagan Scotten said before a judge that additional charges are “possible” for Mayor Eric Adams and that it is “likely” that more...more
Adams Pleads Not Guilty to Five Felony Charges-
On Friday afternoon, Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, including bribery and fraud. Adams has been accused of receiving over $100K in illegal gifts and...more
CHICAGO — City’s ShotSpotter Contract Ends-
After months of contentious debate among city leaders, the City of Chicago ceased use of the gun detection technology ShotSpotter.
NEW YORK — Top Taxi, Rideshare Insurer Facing...more
9/26/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Forensic Accounting ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Mayors ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Public Health ,
Real Estate Development ,
Strike ,
Tax Increases ,
Taxation ,
Unions
Last Monday, two former Chiefs of the New York Fire Department were arrested and accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes for expediting the fire-safety approval process for building projects in the City....more
NYPD Commissioner and Adams Chief Counsel Resign-
Over the weekend, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and Mayor Adams’ Chief Counsel, Lisa Zornberg, resigned their positions. Caban resigned at the request of City Hall, shortly...more
CHICAGO — CTA Launches AI Surveillance to Stop Gun Violence at Transit Stations-
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently rolled out an artificial intelligence (AI) surveillance tool to detect guns at stations, a move...more
9/12/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Bribery ,
Charging Stations ,
City of Chicago ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Government Officials ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Housing Developers ,
Mayors ,
Medical Debt ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State Budgets ,
State Elections ,
Strike ,
Tax Assessment ,
Teachers