NEW YORK—Waymo Applies for NYC Permit -
Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, plans to begin manually operating vehicles in Manhattan as a first step toward launching autonomous ride-hailing in New York City. The company...more
6/26/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Curfews ,
Driverless Cars ,
Gig Economy ,
Housing Market ,
Minimum Wage ,
New York ,
Property Tax ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
Unions ,
Urban Planning & Development
CHICAGO — Restaurants on Guard Against ICE -
Immigrants comprise roughly 40% of Chicago's restaurant workforce. Some restaurant owners have begun educating employees on their rights, providing required paperwork, and...more
2/5/2025
/ Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Wage ,
Real Estate Development ,
Union Elections ,
Unions
CHICAGO — Jobs Slightly Down Since Last Year, State Data Shows -
The Chicago metro area experienced a 0.2% drop in non-farm jobs between November 2023 and November 2024. While private education, health services, and...more
1/9/2025
/ Affordable Housing ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Funding ,
Homeless Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
Low Income Housing ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
CHICAGO — Teachers Union Narrows Contract Demands-
After eight months of increasingly tense contract negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union has now narrowed its number of demands to land a deal in the next month, the...more
12/5/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Commercial Leases ,
Contract Negotiations ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Public Health ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Small Business ,
State Taxes ,
Teachers ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
DETROIT — City Becomes Largest U.S. City to Accept Cryptocurrency Payments -
Detroit residents will have the option beginning in mid-2025 to make payments with the digital currency through a secure platform managed by...more
11/21/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Relief ,
Deportation ,
Donald Trump ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Mayors ,
Mediation ,
Medical Debt ,
NAACP ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Strike ,
Traffic Laws ,
Trump Administration ,
Unions
CHICAGO — City’s ShotSpotter Contract Ends-
After months of contentious debate among city leaders, the City of Chicago ceased use of the gun detection technology ShotSpotter.
NEW YORK — Top Taxi, Rideshare Insurer Facing...more
9/26/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Forensic Accounting ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Mayors ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Contributions ,
Public Health ,
Real Estate Development ,
Strike ,
Tax Increases ,
Taxation ,
Unions
Gig Economy & Technology NEW YORK —
City Deploys Drones for Major Storm Warnings-
New York City emergency management officials have deployed five teams with multiple drones to warn residents in basement or ground-floor...more
8/15/2024
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Housing Developers ,
Landlords ,
Migrants ,
Over-Time ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Reassessments ,
Strike ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he is moving forward with an education platform driven by artificial intelligence (AI) designed to help students and families navigate the...more
7/18/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biometric Information ,
City Councils ,
Commercial Real Estate Contracts ,
Drones ,
Fair Workweek ,
Federal Funding ,
Illegal Drugs ,
Labor Relations ,
Office Space ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transportation ,
SNAP Program ,
Unions ,
Vacant Properties
CHICAGO — City Council Plans to Turn City Data Pain Into Tax-Revenue Gain -
Alderperson Gilbert Villegas (Ward 36), who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Economic, Capital & Technology Development, proposes 8% of the...more
6/21/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Fair Workweek ,
Gig Economy ,
Homeless Issues ,
Migrants ,
Minimum Wage ,
Opioid ,
Public Transportation ,
State Budgets ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
CHICAGO — Ordinance Requiring City Data Be Stored in U.S. Held in Committee-
The Chicago City Council Committee on Economic, Capital & Technology Development held an ordinance requiring city data to “be processed, stored,...more
5/23/2024
/ Budget Cuts ,
City Councils ,
Green Buildings ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Elections ,
Local Ordinance ,
Police ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
State Budgets ,
Tenants ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
LOS ANGELES — How Tech Sector Downturn has Hurt L.A. Office Market -The Los Angeles tech office space saw fourth-quarter leasing drop to 2.2 million square feet from nearly 3 million square feet the year before....more
3/28/2024
/ Airports ,
Arenas and Stadiums ,
Bridges ,
City Councils ,
Drivers ,
Mayors ,
Mental Health ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Sales Tax ,
Strike ,
Unions ,
Vacant Properties ,
Wage and Hour
BALTIMORE — New UpSurge CEO Bets on Baltimore, Tech Tech- entrepreneur Kory Bailey — who was recently named CEO of UpSurge, a nonprofit, professional ecosystem-building organization — spoke about his efforts to build a...more
12/14/2023
/ Abandoned Property ,
Affordable Housing ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automatic License Plate Readers ,
Budget Cuts ,
Charging Stations ,
City Councils ,
City of Chicago ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Employment Contract ,
Hamas ,
Innovation ,
Migrants ,
Paid Leave ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Safety ,
Public Transit ,
Rent Control ,
Retailers ,
State Budgets ,
Technology ,
Terrorist Acts ,
Theft ,
Unions ,
Valuation ,
Wages
CHICAGO — Chicago Government’s IT Infrastructure Inefficient to the Point of “Barely” Working, Consultant Tells City Council-
An IT consultant hired by City Hall to diagnose the city’s wide array of technological woes urged...more
10/6/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Asylum ,
Child Care ,
Impact Assessments ,
Information Technology ,
Infrastructure ,
Joe Biden ,
Mayors ,
Mental Health ,
Minimum Wage ,
Political Parties ,
Public Safety ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Public Transportation ,
Real Estate Market ,
Retirement ,
Shootings ,
Strike ,
Telecommuting ,
Tipped Employees ,
Trust Funds ,
Unions
CHICAGO — Chicago City Council to Consider Regulating Rideshares- Members of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration have been involved in the discussions, but Alderman Mike Rodriguez is taking the lead on the effort to...more
8/25/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Layoffs ,
Local Elections ,
Mental Health ,
Notice of Default ,
Political Campaigns ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Market ,
Strike ,
Unions ,
WARN Act
CHICAGO — Google Plans to Open in Thompson Center by 2026; Will Tech Giant Help Revitalize the Loop?
The tech giant hasn’t revealed its plans for the Helmut Jahn-designed building, where it plans to open an office by 2026,...more
8/11/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drones ,
Fraud ,
Google ,
Homeless Issues ,
Local Elections ,
Mental Health ,
Public Health ,
Public Transportation ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State Funding ,
Surveillance ,
Unions
CHICAGO — Mayor Johnson Launches Campaign to Close Chicago’s Device Gap-
Mayor Brandon Johnson, in partnership with World Business Chicago, announced the launch of a month-long campaign encouraging Chicago’s business...more
7/28/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
AirBnB ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Asylum ,
Climate Change ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Foreign Workers ,
Homeless Issues ,
Mass Shootings ,
Minimum Wage ,
Police ,
Rent Control ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State and Local Government ,
Tipped Employees ,
Transportation Industry ,
Unions
Chicago Mayor Lightfoot Announces Apprenticeship Program to Create, Grow Technology Talent in City Government, Improve City Services Now former-Mayor Lori Lightfoot and various city departments announced an apprenticeship...more
Gig Economy & Technology-
NEW YORK — NYPD Rolls Out Robotic “Digidog”-
The New York Police Department (NYPD) recently announced a series of high-tech security, including a robotic “digidog” to be used in life-threatening...more
4/20/2023
/ City Councils ,
Commercial Real Estate Market ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Labor Disputes ,
Labor Shortage ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Prison Overcrowding ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Remote Working ,
Robotics ,
Short-Term Lease ,
State Budgets ,
Technology ,
Unions ,
Wage Theft
Gig Economy & Technology-
SEATTLE — Gig Workers to Receive Paid Sick, Safe Leave-
The city will be providing paid sick and safe leave for most gig workers, who will accrue a day of paid sick leave for every 30 days they...more
4/6/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corruption ,
Health and Safety ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Public Transit ,
Rent Control ,
Right to Work ,
Strike ,
Sustainability ,
Tax Credits ,
Unions
Chicago will begin testing parking enforcement technology and smart loading zones following an ordinance the City Council passed March 15. The technology will automatically issue tickets for parking or standing violations in...more
3/23/2023
/ Gun Laws ,
Home Equity ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Market ,
Local Elections ,
Local Ordinance ,
Parking Tickets ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Public Health ,
Rent Control ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Strike ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
CHICAGO — United Center Concessions Workers in One-Day Walkout- Concessions workers at the United Center staged a one-day walkout Sunday that affected food and beverage service during the afternoon’s Chicago Bulls game....more
3/13/2023
/ 911 Calls ,
Bureau of Labor Statistics ,
Condominiums ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Freelance Workers ,
Labor Shortage ,
Mayors ,
Mental Health ,
Pay-To-Play ,
Real Estate Market ,
Rent Control ,
Unions
On the evening of February 2, Chicago rideshare drivers gathered outside the Copernicus Center on the city’s Northwest Side, braving extremely cold and windy weather, to demand better working conditions, wages and benefits. ...more
2/23/2023
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Fair Workweek ,
Hotels ,
Judges ,
Mayors ,
Mental Health ,
Occupancy Tax ,
Political Candidates ,
Public Safety ,
Public Schools ,
Real Estate Market ,
State Budgets ,
Trains ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
Massachusetts’ Energy Facilities Sitting Board approved a special permit for a controversial electrical substation in East Boston. The permit allows the project to circumvent 14 final environmental permits. 84% of Boston...more
12/15/2022
/ Affordable Housing ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Gig Economy ,
Homeless Issues ,
Minimum Wage ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Candidates ,
Property Tax ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
Small Business ,
Starbucks ,
State Health Departments ,
Technology ,
Unions ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Work Schedules
BALTIMORE — Northrop Grumman Opens New Baltimore-Area Phased Development, Integrated Testing Facility-
Multinational aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman has expanded its presence in the Baltimore area...more
10/6/2022
/ Asylum ,
Census Bureau ,
City Councils ,
Crime Statistics ,
General Elections ,
Gig Economy ,
Google ,
Green Deal ,
Minorities ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transportation ,
Recreational Use ,
Redistricting ,
Strike ,
TSA ,
Unions
Throughout the country, large municipalities are laboratories of democracy. New and innovative policies introduced in one market are often exported to others, and ultimately replicated at the state and federal level. This...more
9/22/2022
/ Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
City Councils ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Fair Workweek ,
Gig Economy ,
Grants ,
Homeless Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Political Candidates ,
Property Valuation ,
Real Estate Market ,
Starbucks ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Elections ,
Strike ,
Tax Revenues ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unduly Burdensome ,
Unemployment ,
Unions ,
Wages ,
Wi-Fi Hotspot ,
Wrongful Termination