Zohran Mamdani

January 22, 2026

Mamdani bans hidden ‘junk fees’ at NYC hotels

Hotels in New York City and beyond are now barred from charging hidden “junk fees” that often add unexpected costs to bookings. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the final rule Wednesday, which is projected to save millions by banning fees labeled as “destination” or “resort” charges, as well as unexpected credit card holds or deposits. Taking effect February 21, the rule also applies to businesses outside the city that advertise prices to New Yorkers.
Find out more
January 20, 2026

NYC landlord to pay $2.1M to resolve 4,000+ building-code violations

A major New York City landlord will pay $2.1 million to settle thousands of violations across its properties under a settlement announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday. The deal covers 14 A&E Real Estate-owned buildings, requiring the landlord to pay fines, fix more than 4,000 building-code violations, and bar further harassment of tenants. The settlement concludes a year-and-a-half legal battle that began under former Mayor Eric Adams and is the largest in the history of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Anti-Harassment Unit, according to Gothamist.
Learn more
January 20, 2026

Mamdani renews support for Morris Park hospital supportive housing project

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has revived a controversial supportive housing project at a Bronx hospital that would deliver more than 80 homes, including nearly 60 for formerly incarcerated people leaving Rikers Island. On Monday, Mamdani announced his support for “Just Home” at the NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi campus in Morris Park, a plan to convert a vacant hospital building into 83 affordable apartments, including 58 supportive units for New Yorkers exiting Rikers Island with medical conditions such as cancer or heart failure. Former Mayor Eric Adams initially supported the project when it was unveiled in 2022, but withdrew support ahead of the 2025 election, urging lawmakers to abandon the plan, according to Gothamist.
Find out more
January 16, 2026

Mamdani signs executive order to cut costs and red tape for NYC small businesses

An executive order signed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week gives seven city agencies 45 days to inventory the thousands of fees and penalties facing small businesses and identify ways to reduce and streamline them. Signed on Wednesday, Executive Order 11 directs newly appointed Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and city agencies to compile a comprehensive inventory of more than 6,000 rules, regulations, fees, and penalties affecting small businesses. The effort aims to lower costs and make it easier for small businesses to operate across the five boroughs.
Learn more
January 12, 2026

Mamdani unveils $4M pilot program to expand public restroom access in NYC

New Yorkers on the go often face a familiar dilemma: finding a public restroom in a city of immense luxury yet with too few facilities across the five boroughs. On Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $4 million pilot program to address the shortage, publishing a request for proposals (RFP) for high-quality modular public restrooms that can be installed quickly and more cheaply than traditional public facilities. Similar to facilities already in use in cities like Los Angeles and Portland, the modular units can operate without direct connection to the city’s sewer and water lines, speeding installation.
Learn more
January 9, 2026

Under the Radar theater festival to distribute 1,500 free tickets

Under the Radar, the theater festival that brightens New York City every January with more than 30 free and affordable shows citywide, returns this month for its biggest edition yet. Running through January 25, the event features boundary-pushing productions, from a tasteful adaptation of James Joyce’s "Ulysses" at The Public Theater to performances at Lincoln Center, the Irish Arts Center, and more. On Friday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the festival will offer 1,500 free tickets to New Yorkers, as the festival aligns with the administration’s push for greater accessibility and affordability in the arts.
Discover more
January 9, 2026

City blocked from halting sale of neglectful landlord’s rent-stabilized apartments

A federal bankruptcy judge has denied Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s bid to halt the sale of thousands of rent-stabilized apartments owned by a notorious landlord, a move aimed at preventing the buildings from falling into the hands of another negligent owner. On Monday, Mamdani asked the court to delay a bankruptcy auction scheduled for Thursday, arguing the city needed more time to evaluate a deal that would give ownership to Summit Properties USA. Despite the mayor's claim that the city is a major creditor in the case—Pinnacle owes the city millions in unpaid fines—the judge rejected the request, likely ensuring Summit's potential purchase of nearly 90 buildings, pending court approval at a January 15 hearing.
READ MORE
January 8, 2026

Mamdani restarts bike lane redesign on Astoria’s 31st Street

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is reviving another street safety plan delayed or scrapped under his predecessor. The mayor announced the city will restart the redesign process for Astoria's 31st Street, which had briefly seen construction on a partially-protected bike lane before a Queens judge ruled the city had failed to follow proper protocols and ordered its removal. The Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to address the legal issues that previously stalled the project and ensure improved safety on the notoriously dangerous corridor, which ranks among the top 10 most dangerous streets in Queens.
Find out more
January 7, 2026

NYC paves infamous bike path bump at foot of Williamsburg Bridge

A small bump on the bike path at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan—notorious for sending cyclists flying over their handlebars—has finally been fixed. On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) paved over the hazard on Delancey Street, which had forced riders to slam on their brakes and risk crashes. The effort joins other transit-related improvements Mamdani has overseen during his first week in office, including the restoration of the full “road-diet” plan for McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint, which features expanded protected bike lanes.
bump begone!
January 7, 2026

Mamdani orders city to close or renovate migrant shelters

The city has 45 days to create a plan to close or renovate its emergency migrant shelters under a new executive order signed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday. The Departments of Social Services and Homeless Services (DHS), working with the Law Department, have until February 19 to create a plan to bring all emergency shelters into compliance with city law, including maximum capacity limits and requirements for cooking facilities in shelters housing families and children. Former Mayor Eric Adams suspended those rules through a series of emergency executive orders beginning in October 2022, as the city grappled with the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
Learn more
January 5, 2026

NYC renters can share apartment complaints during series of public hearings

New York City renters dealing with poor living conditions or bad landlords will have an opportunity to share their apartment complaints directly with the city. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday announced plans to host "rental rip-off" hearings across the five boroughs to hear from tenants on challenges they are facing in their homes. Following the hearings, the city will put together a report examining common issues and use the testimony to inform future policies.
details here
January 5, 2026

McGuinness Boulevard to be redesigned with two protected bike lanes, after all

Greenpoint’s notoriously dangerous McGuinness Boulevard will receive its originally planned safety upgrades, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Saturday. The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) will move forward with its plan to install protected bike lanes along the entirety of McGuinness Boulevard, extending existing protected lanes between Meeker and Calyer Streets up to the Pulaski Bridge. The move fulfills a campaign pledge Mamdani made in August to complete the original project and follows a corruption scandal under former Mayor Eric Adams, in which the redesign was scaled back amid allegations that a neighborhood film production company bribed a senior administration official, as Gothamist reported.
Find out more
January 2, 2026

Mamdani signs housing, tenant protection orders on first day

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has wasted little time advancing his campaign agenda, signing a series of executive orders on his first day in office, including three aimed at building new housing and protecting tenants. On Thursday, Mamdani signed the orders, which revamp the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and create two new task forces focused on streamlining housing construction, connecting New Yorkers to homes more quickly, and increasing supply by identifying qualifying city-owned properties. He also appointed Cea Weaver, executive director of Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Block, as director of the revitalized Office to Protect Tenants.
Find out more
December 31, 2025

Mamdani to use 19th-century Quran from the New York Public Library at swearing-in ceremony 

At his swearing-in ceremony at midnight on New Year's Eve, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will use a 19th-century Quran from the collections of the New York Public Library. Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayor, will put his hand on a Quran that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, a historian and writer whose collection of Black literature, art, and other materials formed the foundation of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
READ MORE
December 22, 2025

Mamdani to host inauguration block party on Broadway

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will celebrate his swearing-in on January 1 with New York City's first-ever inauguration block party. The seven-block celebration along Broadway in Lower Manhattan is expected to draw over 40,000 spectators. Mamdani’s public swearing-in takes place at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, alongside a massive block party between Murray and Liberty Streets. About 4,000 tickets will be available for the City Hall ceremony, while 40,000 tickets will allow attendees to watch the ceremony on big screens at the adjacent block party.
Find out more
December 19, 2025

Adams stacks Rent Guidelines Board, jeopardizing Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

With just two weeks left in office, Mayor Eric Adams has appointed and reappointed four members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, in an effort to block Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s push for a rent freeze. With these appointments and reappointments, Adams' allies now hold a majority on the nine-member board, which sets rent increases for the city’s one million rent-stabilized apartments.
Learn more
December 2, 2025

Starbucks to pay $39 million in historic settlement over violation of NYC labor law

Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Vilda Vera Mayuga announced on Monday a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks over violations of New York City’s law that guarantees fair working conditions. According to city officials, the resolution was the largest worker protection settlement in the city’s history. Starbucks agreed to the settlement after an investigation by DCWP showed the company had denied thousands of workers the legal right to stable schedules as well as the right to pick up additional hours, arbitrarily cutting schedules to prioritize their own bottom line over workers’ rights.
find out more
November 13, 2025

Adams to designate Elizabeth Street Garden as official NYC park to block housing project

To prevent Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani from turning Nolita's Elizabeth Street Garden into senior housing as first intended over a decade ago, Mayor Eric Adams is designating the one-acre green space as official city parkland. As first reported by Gothamist, Adams is transferring ownership of the lot to the Parks Department, which would require any development on the site to be approved by the state legislature. The move comes less than two months before Mamdani, who said he would build affordable housing at the site, takes office.
details here
October 27, 2025

Adams considers stacking Rent Guidelines Board to block Mamdani’s rent freeze pledge

Before leaving office, Mayor Eric Adams is considering stacking the city’s Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) with allies in an effort to block mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani’s rent freeze proposal. As first reported by the New York Post, the mayor could appoint at least six new members to the nine-person board, which determines rent changes for the city's one million rent-stabilized apartments. One of the contenders is reportedly Douglas Elliman real estate agent and reality TV star Eleonora Srugo, who has since told the New York Times she intends to decline the offer to focus on her television career.
Find out more