{"id":57,"date":"2026-01-28T16:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/oswald-feliz\/?p=57"},"modified":"2026-03-03T20:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:57:15","slug":"inthenews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/oswald-feliz\/2026\/01\/28\/inthenews\/","title":{"rendered":"In the News"},"content":{"rendered":"

NYC Dem warns Zohran Mamdani\u2019s NYPD hiring freeze could make city less safe: \u2018This is not good’<\/a><\/h2>\n

February 22, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

A top City Council politician warned that Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s decision not to add 5,000 cops<\/a> to the ranks of the NYPD could make New Yorkers less safe.<\/p>\n

Oswald Feliz (D-Bronx), who chairs the council\u2019s Committee on Public Safety, said Mamdani\u2019s hiring freeze<\/a> comes as the department is \u201calready facing unprecedented officer shortages.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Moderate Dem picked to lead committee debating Mamdani\u2019s changes to police mental health responses<\/a><\/h2>\n

January 15, 2026<\/p>\n

Oswald Feliz, a Bronx councilman, was tapped by Council Speaker Julie Menin for the the crucial public safety committee leadership spot. <\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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NYC Dem targets popular restaurants like Pura Vida \u2014 demanding \u2018excessive\u2019 sodium warning signs<\/a><\/h2>\n

December 20, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

Health-conscious City Councilman Oswald J. Feliz is taking a stand against absurd levels of sodium, targeting some of the Big Apple\u2019s most popular restaurants. He\u2019s demanding that chain restaurants include red-type warning signs for items containing \u201cexcessive\u201d sodium, in a recently introduced bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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New pilot program for street vendors in City Council<\/a><\/h2>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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City Planning, Councilmember Oswald Feliz Announce \u201cCross Bronx\/Living Legend\u201d Exhibit, Bathgate Walking Tour and Community Engagement<\/a><\/h2>\n

September 18, 2025<\/p>\n

Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick and New York City Councilmember Oswald Feliz today announced a public walking tour of Bathgate on Saturday, September 27, as a part of the Cross Bronx \/ Living Legend<\/em> exhibit at the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC)<\/a>, organized in partnership with Urban Omnibus\/The Architectural League of New York.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Op-Ed | Elevating Latine studies in a time of erasure<\/a><\/h2>\n

May 7, 2025<\/p>\n

At a time when efforts to erase identities from classrooms, library shelves, and our websites have become commonplace, we say no. Not in New York City.  <\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYC council member proposes two bills aimed at keeping used needles out of parks<\/a><\/h2>\n

February 18, 2025<\/p>\n

The battle continues as New York City Councilmember Oswald Feliz, of the 15th district<\/a>, pushes for more to be done within the city’s Syringe Exchange Program<\/a> to keep the needles away from parks and schools.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Locals near NYC needle exchange site cheer plan to force city to collect used syringes: \u2018You clean it up\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n

January 27, 2025<\/p>\n

Locals near a needle exchange site in a Bronx park<\/a> are cheering a councilman\u2019s proposal to require city health workers to collect hundreds of discarded syringes littering the ground.<\/p>\n

Oswald Feliz, a Democrat representing the 15th District, recently put forward a new bill demanding the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene create a plan to pick up the litany of needles strewn around the city-funded, mobile syringe distribution centers.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYC workers may be forced to clean up drug needles next to syringe \u2018exchange\u2019 spots thanks to new bill<\/a><\/h2>\n

January 23, 2025<\/p>\n

Council member Oswald Feliz\u2019s new bill would require the city\u2019s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to come up with a plan to pick up the hundreds of needles that are often tossed aside on sidewalks or parks after they\u2019re picked up at city-funded mobile syringe distribution centers.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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NYC lawmaker wants city to clean up used drug needles near exchange sites<\/a><\/h2>\n

January 23, 2025<\/p>\n

New York City Councilmember Oswald Feliz, D-District 15, introduced legislation Thursday to require the city to deal with discarded needles in areas near needle exchange sites.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYC needle exchange outside children\u2019s library has locals raging: \u2018The whole street is infested\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n

December 16, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

A city-sponsored needle exchange program outside a children\u2019s library in the Bronx is drawing heat from one Big Apple pol \u2014 and a slew of local residents taking a jab at the \u201cunacceptable\u201d location.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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City Council proposal aims to help small businesses with fines<\/a><\/h2>\n

November 8, 2024<\/p>\n

News 12 spoke with Bronx Council member Oswald Feliz who says fines this high can seriously impact businesses that are just trying to get by. This proposed legislation would require the Department of Small Business Services to help entrepreneurs learn through teaching, rather than being left to figure out how to handle fines themselves.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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NYC Small businesses could get a break from burdensome fines with proposed transparency legislation<\/a><\/h2>\n

November 7, 2024<\/p>\n

Small Businesses across New York City could see a reprieve from burdensome fines with upcoming legislation designed to enhance the transparency and fairness for enforcing city regulations.<\/p>\n

Council Member Oswald Feliz, who represents the 15th district in the Bronx, said he plans to introduce a bill requiring the city to track and map fines frequently issued to small businesses and create support systems for small business owners who want to improve their compliance with city codes.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mayor\u2019s Office defends proposed transitional housing project in Fordham, countering Bronx community objections<\/a><\/h2>\n

November 5, 2024<\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s Office pushed back on protests from Bronx community members on a proposed transitional housing project in Fordham<\/a> saying that the project meets the community board\u2019s needs for more affordable housing and the Borough President\u2019s commitment to reducing recidivism in the Bronx despite her stated opposition.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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UPDATE ENOUGH! Residents Say \u201cNo\u201d to Proposed Bainbridge Ave Transitional Housing Development<\/a><\/h2>\n

October 31, 2024<\/p>\n

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15) at podium joins Karla Cabrera Carrera, district manager for Bronx Community Board 7, and residents, merchants and others at a rally at 2586 Bainbridge Avenue in Fordham Manor on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 to oppose a new transitional housing development at the site.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYPD: Citywide crime numbers are down, but Bronx is up<\/a><\/h2>\n

October 17, 2024<\/p>\n

On September, Council member Oswald Feliz sent a letter to interim NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon requesting more police officers in three precincts where crime is up exponentially.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Bronx Council Member Oswald Feliz calls for more cops in his district as shooting incidents spike<\/a><\/h2>\n

September 27, 2024<\/p>\n

Council Member Oswald Feliz<\/a> (D), who represents the 15th District in the Bronx, is calling on the NYPD to send more officers to his district, citing increased shootings in several Bronx precincts.<\/p>\n

Feliz, who represents constituents in Fordham<\/a>, Belmont<\/a>, East Tremont<\/a>, West Farms<\/a>, Van Nest<\/a> and Allerton<\/a>, penned a letter to NYPD interim police Commissioner Thomas Donlon on Sept. 23, calling for extra cops and resources, saying that several Bronx communities are being \u201cleft behind\u201d from the city\u2019s progress in reducing violent crime. <\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYC council member calls for more cops in his Bronx district to deal with rising violent crime: \u2018Left behind\u2019<\/a><\/h2>\n

September 24, 2024<\/p>\n

The Bronx is being \u201cleft behind\u201d as shootings soar across the borough \u2013 and one councilman is calling for more cops to clean up violent crime in the Boogie Down. City Council member Oswald Feliz (D) made a plea for help in a letter to interim police Commissioner Thomas Donlon<\/a> after three police precincts in his district reported double-digit increases in shooting incidents.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Council Member Feliz plans to tackle rising vacant storefronts in the Bronx<\/a><\/h2>\n

April 25, 2024<\/p>\n

More than 1,500 storefronts are currently empty across the Bronx, and one City Council member plans to do something about it. Empty storefronts are a growing issue citywide as vacancy rates skyrocket. City Council Member Oswald Feliz says the city has seen a drastic increase in storefront vacancies, specifically in 2007 when the rates were at about 4%. Today, the rate is about 11.2%.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYC pol wants to \u2018beautify\u2019 concrete medians, claims greenery will help manage flooding<\/a><\/h2>\n

April 11, 2024<\/p>\n

A New York City Council member wants to \u201cbeautify\u201d the Big Apple\u2019s concrete medians by adding greenery, claiming the new plants will help curb flooding during storms. Councilmember Oswald Feliz\u2019s bill, dubbed \u201cOperation Green NYC\u201d and introduced Thursday, would require the city to build three miles per borough per year of vegetation on paved medians, until all of them are filled with flora.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Op-Ed: Shoplifting is turning NYC into a ghost town, we have to fight back<\/a><\/h2>\n

April 19, 2024<\/p>\n

New York City is suffering a \u00adretail catastrophe, with 11.2% of storefronts empty \u2014 nearly twice the 6% of 2019. Oswald Feliz<\/a>, a Democratic member of the City Council representing District 15 in The Bronx and chair of the Small Business Committee, says the city and state must take action to stanch the bleeding \u2014 particularly on the scourge of retail theft.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Small biz would get cash for security amid retail theft spike, under NYC Council bill<\/a><\/h2>\n

February 26, 2024<\/p>\n

The bill proposes awarding small businesses cash grants for purchasing security equipment like cameras and plexiglass windows.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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New York City Council expected to vote to regulate lithium-ion batteries<\/a><\/h2>\n

March 2, 2023<\/p>\n

New York City Council members are voting Thursday on new legislation aimed at regulating lithium-ion batteries and reducing fires caused by the batteries. Lithium-ion battery fires have been increasing at an alarming rate across the city, going from 44 fires in 2020 to 216 fires in 2022 and resulting in exponential increases in injuries and deaths.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In The Wake Of Bronx Fire, Councilmember Wants To Raise The Heat In NYC<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

January 20, 2022<\/em><\/p>\n

The Councilmember who represents the Bronx victims of this month\u2019s deadly Twin Parks fire is vowing to overhaul New York\u2019s fire safety laws, while requiring landlords to provide more heat to tenants in freezing weather. Councilmember Oswald Feliz, a former tenant attorney, was named leader of the Twin Parks Task Force on Fire Prevention, a newly-created special committee announced by the City Council on Thursday.<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NYC Dem warns Zohran Mamdani\u2019s NYPD hiring freeze could make city less safe: \u2018This is not good’<\/a><\/p>\n

February 22, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

A top City Council politician warned that Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s decision not to add 5,000 cops<\/a> to the ranks of the NYPD could make New Yorkers less safe.<\/p>\n

Oswald Feliz (D-Bronx), who chairs the council\u2019s Committee on Public Safety, said <\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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