Last Tuesday, Governor Hochul delivered her 2025 State of the State address, laying out her vision for the year ahead. Highlights from the State of the State are below. The Governor will release her Executive Budget soon to...more
In his 2025 State of the City address, Mayor Eric Adams detailed his administration’s efforts to create a safer, more equitable, and family-centered New York City. He noted achievements like reducing crime, expanding...more
1/13/2025
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Consumer Protection Laws ,
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Employment Policies ,
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Homeless Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
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Paid Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
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Tax Relief ,
Wage and Hour
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
New NYS Measures Taking Effect in 2025-
Several new measures have now taken effect in New York State. The hourly minimum wage for non-tipped workers increases to $16.50 in NYC, Westchester County, and Long Island, and to...more
The NYC Campaign Finance Board has denied public campaign funds for Eric Adams’ reelection bid. The Board cited “detrimental” conduct from Adams in their denial. This ruling means that Adams will be ineligible to receive...more
Baltimore nonprofit Waves received a $2 million grant from Baltimore’s Office of Information and Technology to deploy fiber-optic networks in low-income residential buildings, aiming to bridge the city’s digital divide...more
12/19/2024
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Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) ,
City Councils ,
Cloud Computing ,
Fiber Optic Cables ,
Homeless Issues ,
Housing Developers ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
Nonprofits ,
Property Tax ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transit ,
Remote Working ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
Startups ,
State Budgets ,
Taxation ,
Wages ,
Zoning Laws
The Adams administration has officially announced the formation of a 14-member commission to rewrite the City Charter in 2025, continuing its focus on expanding housing opportunities. This commission aims to propose...more
12/17/2024
/ Affordable Housing ,
City Councils ,
City Planning Departments ,
Comptroller ,
Mayors ,
Migrants ,
New York ,
Nonprofits ,
Political Candidates ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
State and Local Government
City of Yes for Housing Opportunity Approved by the Council -
On December 5, 2024, the New York City Council approved with modifications the NYC Department of City Planning’s (DCP) City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, the...more
On Friday, November 15, the Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies New York team held an election debrief. Key insights from our team are below. Presidential Race Donald Trump will enter the White House in January and has promised...more
Jessica Tisch Appointed NYPD Commissioner -
Last Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Jessica Tisch as the new Commissioner of the New York City Police Department. Tisch takes over from...more
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
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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
Last Wednesday, the NYC Council convened a Stated meeting, where they passed and introduced multiple pieces of legislation. The Council passed a bill that will shift the responsibility for broker fee payment to the party that...more
Mayor Adams has announced new appointments within the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Communications. In the Press Office, Kayla Mamelak Altus is now Press Secretary, and Allison Maser has joined as a Deputy Press Secretary...more
PHILADELPHIA — City Council Moves to Ban AI Rent “Price-Fixing” -
The Philadelphia City Council advanced legislation that would empower the City to sue landlords for alleged “price-fixing” of rental rates, particularly...more
11/7/2024
/ Algorithms ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Price-Fixing ,
Property Tax ,
Public Health ,
Public Transit ,
Real Estate Development ,
Rental Property ,
Surveillance
Yesterday, New Yorkers voted on one seat in the U.S. Senate, all 26 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and all 213 seats of the state legislature, in addition to the presidential ticket, which is being widely...more
Mayor Adams Trial Scheduled-
Mayor Eric Adams’ trial has been scheduled for April 21. Mayor Adams has been accused of corruption and bribery, and has pleaded not guilty.
Council Unveils “City for All” Response to “City...more
Two new candidates have entered the field for NYC Mayor: Zohran Mamdani, New York State Assemblymember, and Jim Walden, New York attorney. Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has called on Mayor...more
On October 21-22, 2024, the NYC Council Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises held two hearings to discuss the third of three City of Yes zoning initiatives, the "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity” proposal, aimed at...more
Following the resignation of Phil Banks amid federal investigations into the Adams administration, Mayor Adams has announced the appointment of Chauncey Parker as the new Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Parker has served as...more
Last Tuesday, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigned her position, making her the seventh senior official to leave the Adams administration in recent weeks. Wright’s resignation followed that of her husband David Banks,...more
LOS ANGELES — L.A. Metro Testing AI Weapons Detection System-
L.A. Metro is considering implementing a weapons detections system being tested in Chicago that uses existing security cameras to scan the transit passengers...more
10/10/2024
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Food Safety ,
Landlords ,
Local Elections ,
Mayors ,
Property Tax ,
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Real Estate Development ,
State Elections ,
Tax Increment Financing ,
Urban Planning & Development
Prosecutor Suggests More Charges for Adams, Others -
In a hearing last week, federal prosecutor Hagan Scotten said before a judge that additional charges are “possible” for Mayor Eric Adams and that it is “likely” that more...more
Adams Pleads Not Guilty to Five Felony Charges-
On Friday afternoon, Eric Adams pleaded not guilty to five felony counts, including bribery and fraud. Adams has been accused of receiving over $100K in illegal gifts and...more
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
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Delivery Drivers ,
Forensic Accounting ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Mayors ,
Political Campaigns ,
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Strike ,
Tax Increases ,
Taxation ,
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Last Monday, two former Chiefs of the New York Fire Department were arrested and accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in bribes for expediting the fire-safety approval process for building projects in the City....more