New York, NY: Council Member Chi Ossé and The People’s Coalition to Stop Deed Theft today announced a new initiative to confront New York City’s growing deed theft crisis at a press conference alongside local and state elected officials. They called on Governor Kathy Hochul to enforce a temporary eviction moratorium on properties in New York City where there is a possibility of deed theft and fraud.
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Brooklyn, NY: Council Member Chi Ossé rallied at Brooklyn Borough Hall alongside unionized CAMBA IT workers to condemn CAMBA’s threat to replace its IT department with an outside contractor while CAMBA IT Workers Union (ALAA – UAW Local 2325) has been on strike since the end of 2025. In a letter, Council Member Ossé, alongside 18 other Council Members, called on CAMBA to immediately withdraw this threat, return to the bargaining table, and reach a fair contract with its IT workers.
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New York, NY: Council Member Chi Ossé’s bill, Intro 360, or the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act, passed with a supermajority of 42 votes in the New York City Council, today. The bill requires that in rental transactions, the hiring party, whether landlord or tenant, pays the broker fee. Under the old system, tenants were usually required to pay the fee to a broker hired by their landlord, creating unfair and often prohibitive upfront costs to moving into a new home.
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Brooklyn, NY: The office of Council Member Chi Ossé received official notice from the Department of Transportation today that they are set to begin building the protected bike lane on Bedford Avenue. The avenue has long been among Brooklyn’s most dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians, and a protected bike lane will serve to alleviate the risk of commuting via the critical artery.
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Intro 360-2024, the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act, would require that the party that hires a broker pays the broker fee
The day came as the New York City Council Progressive Caucus announced that the bill is their top priority for the 2024-2025 legislative agenda, first reported in Politico
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Today, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget passed the City Council, and will be sent to Mayor Eric Adams to be signed into law. It was less than our people deserve, and I voted ‘No.’
For months, the Council has been forced to build this budget with a mayor negotiating in bad faith. He slashed tens of millions of dollars from vital agencies and services, then offered the restoration of that funding as a bargaining chip to secure wins for his true constituents: corporate interests and the carceral state.
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The Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act would require that the party that hires a broker pays the broker fee:
New York, NY: At a full City Council Stated Meeting this afternoon, Council Member Chi Ossé introduced Intro 1105, or the Fairness in Apartment Rentals Act. The FARE Act’s co-prime sponsors are Council Members Shaun Abreu and Oswald Feliz, both of whom worked for years as tenant lawyers prior to entering public office.
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Renewed campaign to save the Center includes a GoFundMe campaign and video by local actor / activist Gbenga Akinnnagbe
Photos and videos from the February 2 event are available here.
Brooklyn, NY: Yesterday, community leaders and local officials from Brooklyn and beyond came together to launch a campaign to save the Magnolia Tree Earth Center, a 50-year-old nonprofit that offers environmental, cultural, and community programming in the heart of Bed-Stuy.
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New York, NY: Mayor Eric Adams signed into law a bill today that will provide free overdose prevention medication and training to bars and nightlife establishments across the city. The bill, Intro 0056-2022, which was introduced by Council Member Chi Ossé in February and passed by a supermajority vote in September, becomes law in the midst of a nation-wide addiction and overdose crisis that has wreaked havoc on communities and families.
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The multi-pronged approach will include neighborhood beautification, investment in anti-gun violence programs, and a participatory budgeting cycle focused on building safe, livable neighborhoods:
BROOKLYN, NY: Gun violence is a persistent scourge on central Brooklyn that was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. To confront it, the government needs to take a multi-pronged approach that not only tackles violence as it arises, but addresses its root causes.
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