By Stephen Louis
On January 1, 2026, Zohran Mamdani will become the Mayor of the City of New York. He will be busy from Day One. But to implement his policies, both big and small, what does he have to do on Day One, or shortly thereafter?
CityLaw
Three Ideas for the Next Mayor to Innovate Around Gig Work
By Mark Chiusano
New York City’s gig economy is staggeringly influential by almost every measure. Delivery bikers make close to 3 million takeout dropoffs a week. Ubers and Lyfts dwarf the 14,000 green and yellow taxis on city streets. Roughly 6% of all workers in the five boroughs rely on gig work as their main income, a number that is likely a significant undercount. Their labors have changed consumption patterns and powered restaurants, small … <Read More>
New York’s Even-Year Election Project Faces Odd-Year Opposition
By Jarret Berg
In October, the New York State Court of Appeals unanimously upheld New York’s recently enacted Even Year Elections Law (EYEL) as constitutional, confirming that state lawmakers have the authority to move most local elections to even years via ordinary legislation, aligning them with higher-turnout elections when federal and state candidates appear on the ballot. While such a ruling by the State’s high court is intended to achieve finality, that hasn’t … <Read More>
Questions Remain as Mayor Adams Advances Partial Plan for ‘Department of Sustainable Delivery’
By Mark Chiusano
The post-Independence Day missive from Mayor Eric Adams had notes of grandeur: the city was announcing a new “Department of Sustainable Delivery.” Funding was on the way. Once again, New York was taking the reins to regulate the nascent gig economy — a timely move, since the field has shaped how New Yorkers shop and experience the city, as companies turned streetscapes into workplaces for tens of thousands of bikers and drivers, … <Read More>
Congressman Goldman Outlines Solutions to Lack of Public Trust in Government
By Ili Pecullan
According to Congressman Dan Goldman, a second-term Democrat representing New York’s 10th Congressional District, the fundamental principles of American democracy are being tested like never before. But even as he identifies abuses of power by President Donald Trump and the self-inflicted fraying of checks and balances thanks to decisions by Republicans who have the majority in both houses of Congress and decisions by the conservative-led Supreme Court, Goldman also sees bipartisan problems … <Read More>
New York’s Green Light Law Hits Flashing Yellow
By Stephen Louis
On September 21, 2007, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer and Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David Swarts announced administrative changes that would allow applications for driver licenses without regard to immigration status. After a long and winding road, undocumented immigrants began to legally obtain driver’s licenses in New York in 2019, after the “Green Light Law” was passed by the State Legislature and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo. But it now faces … <Read More>