Governor Announces Dedication of State Park to LGBTQ Civil Rights Activist Marsha P. Johnson

First ever state park dedicated to a LGBTQ person. On August 14, 2020, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the dedication of East River State Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to LGBTQ activist Marsha P. Johnson. The dedication comes on Johnson’s seventy-fifth birthday and marks the first state park dedicated to LGBTQ person and a transgender woman of color. Marsha P. Johnson State Park is a seven-acre waterfront park located along the East River. It … <Read More>



Nail Salons, Personal Services Reopen as Part of Phase 3

Indoor dining is still suspended. On July 6, 2020, New York City entered Phase 3 of its reopening. Phase 3 allows personal services like nail salons, spas, tanning salons, massage parlors and tattoo parlors to reopen, as well as courts for sports in City parks. The “personal services” industry under Phase 3 does not include hair salons and barbershops, which were allowed to reopen under Phase 2. 


Governor Cuomo Extends Eviction Moratorium Through August

Advocates and industry leaders calling for more protections and more action from Governor. On May 7, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 202.28, extending the eviction moratorium through August 20, 2020. The moratorium prevents the filing of eviction proceedings against both residential and commercial tenants. The original eviction moratorium, came by way of Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks on March 15, 2020, and was reinforced by Governor Cuomo’s Executive <Read More>


New York City Adding and Converting Facilities to Alleviate Pressure on Hospital System

USNS Comfort and Billie Jean King Tennis Center to be utilized as Corona outbreak strains hospital system. On March 31. 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow, Queens will be converted into a temporary hospital facility. The facility will hold up to 350 patients and will treat COVID non ICU patients beginning on April 7th, 2020. The conversion of this facility is intended to relieve … <Read More>


Governor Cuomo Signs Sweeping Rent Control and Rent Stabilization Reforms into Law

The law places limits on various mechanisms through which landlords of rent-regulated units can raise rent and provides many other protections for tenants. On June 14, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which Cuomo called “the most sweeping, aggressive protections in state history.” The legislation extends and strengthens rent protections for tenants across the state and went into effect before the expiration of the … <Read More>