– City Council

Daisy Rodríguez, a member of MRNY, wants ICE abolished. (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

Bill Seeks to Forbid NYC Contracts with ICE

Government, Immigration, New York September 7, 2018 at 5:19 pm

The City Council held a hearing, the first of its kind in the nation, on a bill that would ban any type of contract between the city and ICE, El Diario/La Prensa reports.

Cap on Ride-Hail Vehicles Approved by Council

Government, Labor, New York, Transportation August 8, 2018 at 5:30 pm

The City Council passed regulations that put a yearlong cap on new licenses for ride-sharing companies. The move follows a spate of suicides among taxi drivers who faced intense financial burdens.

Rally for solidarity against the deportation of immigrants in front of 26 Federal Plaza. (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

City Budget’s $46M in Aid for Immigrants Not Enough, Activists Say

Government, Immigration, New York July 12, 2018 at 6:15 pm

The New York City Council assigned $46 million in funds for free lawyers and other programs shielding immigrants against the Trump administration, but activists say this is insufficient, El Diario/La Prensa reports.

Gabriela Lazo and her mother, Ana Sumba. Queens residents prepare to vote at Participatory Budgeting New York City. (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

Children, Undocumented to Vote in Participatory Budgeting Program

Immigration, New York, Youth April 9, 2018 at 4:37 pm

Kids as young as 11, as well as people without immigration status, will be voting this week in the participatory budgeting program, in which residents of participating City Council districts decide how to spend millions of dollars on public projects, El Diario/La Prensa reports.

Commuter Ana Torres (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

Latino Leaders Urge Subsidized MetroCards for the Poor

New York, Transportation March 27, 2018 at 11:20 pm

Latino politicians and commuters are increasingly pressuring Mayor de Blasio to allocate $60 million to Fair Fares, a program to subsidize MetroCards for the poor, El Diario/La Prensa reports.

Council Speaker Corey Johnson (center) meets with Council member Chaim Deutsch (second from right) of Flatbush and Jewish community leaders at the home of Josh Mehlman (third from left), the chairman of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition. (Photo courtesy of Office of City Councilman Chaim Deutsch via The Forward)

What a New City Council Means for the Jewish Community

Government, Jewish, New York January 22, 2018 at 4:14 pm

The reshuffling of the New York City Council under new leadership means the loss of influence for some Jewish members. Does this translate to a loss of power for the community as a whole? The Forward takes a look.

Bronx Councilmember Ritchie Torres, at the podium, flanked by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, spoke before the final meeting of the session. (Photo by Jarrett Murphy via City Limits)

Will City Council Debate Be More Contentious?

Government, New York, Police December 20, 2017 at 5:39 pm

City Limits examines the broader implications of Tuesday’s Right to Know vote on the NYC City Council.

Mark Levine (Photo via New York Jewish Life)

The Speaker Race: Interview with Mark Levine

Jewish, Manhattan, New York December 13, 2017 at 5:14 pm

New York Jewish Life interviews Mark Levine, candidate for the City Council speaker position.

(Photo by wellecks, Creative Commons license)

Council Passes Bill on Diversity in Construction

Labor, New York December 13, 2017 at 5:10 pm

The City Council recently passed legislation intended to “level out the playing field” for employees of color in construction, reports Kings County Politics.

City Council members taking a knee in front of City Hall. (Photo by Bernice Elizabeth Green via Our Time Press)

Taking a Knee on Sacred Ground

African American, New York October 2, 2017 at 5:20 pm

When the City Council took a knee in solidarity with football player Colin Kaepernick, they were doing so on sacred ground, writes Our Time Press, noting this week’s 10th anniversary of the dedication of the African Burial Ground National Monument.

Carlos Menchaca, chair of the Committee on Immigration of the New York City Council, addresses a New York Immigration Coalition briefing, with Suzanne Robinson Davis of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center standing behind him. (Photo by Alex Ayala for Voices of NY)

Highlights of the 2017 NYC Primaries

Elections 2017, New York September 11, 2017 at 4:21 pm

New York Jewish Life looks at seven races to keep an eye on the day of the primaries, all involving City Council seats.

Council members Carlos Menchaca and Ydanis Rodríguez vote on two laws that seek to expand protections for “Dreamers” in light of the withdrawal of DACA. (Photo by Mariela Lombard via El Diario)

City Council Promotes New Laws to Protect Dreamers

Government, Immigration, New York September 7, 2017 at 5:52 pm

As two new bills aim to broaden services provided by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and other city agencies, local Hispanic media and pro-immigrant organizations launch a hotline offering legal counsel for Dreamers, El Diario/La Prensa reports.