NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin today called for permanent protections to ensure continued public access to the City-owned plaza adjacent to Guastavino’s, following allegations that the luxury private event venue had restricted New Yorkers from accessing the space and used it for private events.

In a letter sent today to Louis Rose, chairman of Rose Group Hospitality, Speaker Menin requested a meeting with Guastavino’s ownership to establish a clear and durable agreement governing public access, signage, and security practices at the East 59th Street plaza.

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Council’s $1 million investment in the 9/11 Memorial & Museum will fund free field trips for New York City students, with a focus on eighth graders, and expand educational programming

NEW YORK — Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Members gathered at the 9/11 Memorial this morning to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost and announce $1 million in funding for the 9/11 Memorial &

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NEW YORK – Today, the Mamdani Administration filed a lawsuit against the RESPECT Check Act, which would require the City to issue workforce stabilization payments totaling up to $10,000 to paraprofessionals employed by the Board of Education. In response, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Carmen De La Rosa issued the following statement:

“Every member of the Council, in a unanimous and bipartisan vote, supported the RESPECT Check Act because it is unacceptable that paraprofessionals who support some of our highest-need students are earning as little as $32,000 a year.

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Council launch the start of the Park-Webster Avenue Neighborhood Plan

The plan will kick off engagement process to develop community-driven vision for needed neighborhood investments and potential housing growth

THE BRONX – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Oswald Feliz announced today a $24.4 million capital funding investment into Ittner Place to transform the area’s underutilized lots under the Cross Bronx Expressway into new community green and park space.

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Taskforce brings together community leaders, census experts, advocates, and trusted voices to develop best practices and recommendations for the Office of the Census ahead of 2030 Census

NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and civic engagement leaders this week announced the launch of a new Census Taskforce and convened for the group’s inaugural meeting.

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Package invests in small business owners, protects consumers from rising insurance costs, and improves quality-of-life with sanitation and neighborhood cleanliness initiatives

NEW YORK – Today, the New York City Council approved a package of landmark legislation to lower costs, strengthen neighborhood quality of life, and support small businesses across the five boroughs. The package includes legislation to make outdoor dining available year-round, create the nation’s first Office of Insurance Affordability to help protect consumers from rising insurance costs, and establish new standards to improve neighborhood cleanliness and responsible pet ownership.

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Events Include Adoption Pop-Ups, Vaccination Clinics, Pet Food Pantries, and Emergency Preparedness Workshops

NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Member Harvey Epstein, Co-chair of the Council’s Animal Welfare Caucus, today announced a slate of fall programming promoting responsible pet ownership and affordable pet services. The series kicked off over the weekend with a mobile adoption event in East New York with Council Member Chris Banks alongside Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC).

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Investigation and planned hearing are aimed at determining need to strengthen consumer protections, safeguard minors, and address risks of marketing to those with addictive tendencies

Speaker Julie Menin sent letters to Kalshi, Polymarket, Coinbase, and Gemini Titan notifying platforms and requesting information about practices

NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin today announced an investigation into major prediction market platforms.

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Cornell Tech and New Yorkers for Parks will use new funds to employ advanced mapping and modeling tools to enhance NYC’s tree canopy and empower local communities to fight extreme heat

ROOSEVELT ISLAND, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Members announced new funding for Cornell Tech Urban Tech Hub in the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute and New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P) to launch The Generative Canopy Project.

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Analysis of nearly 10,000 intersections finds interventions that slow vehicle speeds and increase pedestrian visibility deliver greatest impact 

NEW YORK, NY – Today, the New York City Council released a new analysis evaluating the effectiveness of nine Vision Zero street safety interventions, providing one of the most comprehensive and data-driven assessments to date of which street safety strategies have been most successful at reducing pedestrian casualties. The analysis confirms that while Vision Zero has had a positive effect on street safety, not all interventions have the same impact across the city. 

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