As you may know, New York City public school students in grades 3-8 will be asked to take the NY State Assessment exams this spring. The English Language Arts (ELA) exam will be administered on April 2-3 and the Math exam will be held on May 1-2.
I wanted to be sure you’re aware that though New York State requires NYC public schools to offer these standardized tests — READ MORE
New York, NY – New York City Council Member Brad Lander issued the following statement in response to Amazon’s decision today to pull out of its planned New York City Headquarters:
“It’s been clear for a long time that Amazon had no intention of respecting New York City’s rules, paying their taxes in full, and being a good neighbor. READ MORE
Legislation would transform basement units into habitable dwellings in NYC, creating affordable housing for tenants and financial stability for homeowners.
NEW YORK, NY — Today, New York City Council Members Brad Lander, Rafael Espinal, Inez Barron, New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development Associate Commissioner of Preservation Kim Darga, and Basement Apartments Safe for Everyone (BASE) Coalition advocates celebrated passage by the City Council of groundbreaking legislation to help address the affordable housing crisis. READ MORE
New report finds Employers in Fast Food Industry fire workers arbitrarily or without stated reason
New York City Fast Food workers are being fired or having their hours reduced, for any or no reason, forcing thousands of New York families to live in constant uncertainty and fear, according to a new report.
To fix the pervasive problem, New York City Council Members Brad Lander and Adrienne Adams are working to protect workers from unfair firings by introducing two bills today that will prohibit fast food employers from firing workers without just cause and to require that employers use seniority to determine which employees to displace during layoffs due to economic reasons. READ MORE
Brooklyn, NY – New York City Council Member Brad Lander issued the following statement in response to the Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal released today by the New York City Department of City Planning:
“The Gowanus Draft Zoning Proposal is a strong next step toward the sustainable, inclusive, mixed-use neighborhood that the community has been envisioning for many years. READ MORE
NYC Council Member Brad Lander issued the following statement in response to comments made by Mayor Bill de Blasio on the Brian Lehrer Show today, in which the mayor said that if Amazon has a contractual relationship with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), he would call on them to end it:
“Last month, the New York City Council held a hearing with Amazon executives. READ MORE
New York, NY — Today, New York City Council Members Brad Lander, Jumaane Williams, and Jimmy Van Bramer will introduce legislation to prevent New York City from signing Amazon-style “non-disclosure agreements” (NDAs) during negotiations with corporations or prospective developers regarding economic development projects.
The legislation comes amidst national criticism of Amazon’s bidding process for HQ2 that required cities to sign non-disclosure agreements — READ MORE
Yesterday, the New York City Council held our first hearing on the Amazon HQ2 proposal for Long Island City, “Exposing the Closed-Door Process,” to start asking questions about the $3 billion in tax subsidies, the decision to evade New York City’s “Uniform Land Use Review Procedure” (“ULURP” was even trending on Twitter yesterday), Amazon’s working conditions and anti-labor practices, and much more. READ MORE
Last month (on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when the Trump Administration hoped we would not pay attention) a major climate report issued by 13 federal agencies confirmed what we’ve known for a long time, and what we’re seeing with our own eyes right now with the devastating forest fires in California:climate change is already having and will continue to have disastrous consequences. READ MORE
Yesterday, the City Council held a packed hearing on the “Small Business Jobs Survival Act” (SBJSA), and I attended and listened carefully.
The goal of the bill is one I deeply share: preserving the “Mom & Pops” that are a huge part of what we love about our neighborhoods. This has been a passion of mine for many years, long before I was in the City Council (in my jobs at the Fifth Avenue Committee and the Pratt Center, where we published several policy reports on the matter, on Community Board 6, and just as a resident/shopper/eater/parent). READ MORE
New York City Council