3-Year Old Daycare Program.

Mask and vaccine mandates are being rolled back by Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. They are moving too fast. Mandates should not be universally lifted until 100% of our populations including children younger than five had an opportunity to at least choose to be vaccinated and that is not the case right now.

A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Helped Support

The Center for New York City Law

During 2021

It is with deepest gratitude that New York Law School and the Center for New York City Law thank all of you who have supported us through this on-line Covid year. Your financial support helped make possible the Center’s CityLaw Breakfasts series, as well as our publications CityLaw and CityLand, our on-line research library CityAdmin, and our Continuing Legal Education programs. We are grateful beyond measure for your financial support. Thank you.

The Marc Haas Foundation

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.

Steven Aresty Foundation

Charina Endowment Fund

Francis Greenburger

The Jewish Communal Fund

Angela Albertus

Penelope E. Andrews

Larian Angelo

Lauren R. Angelo ’08

Anonymous

Ken Auletta

Andrew Bateh

Jennifer Benepe

Andrea Berger

Darren S. Bloch ’04

Chuck Brass

Jeffrey Braun

Molly Brennan

Robert M. Brill, Esq.

Ray Bromley

Michael Burten

Albert K. Butzel

Alfred C Cerullo III

Diana Chapin

Kendall Christiansen

Steve M. Cohen ’13

David Condliffe

Jane R. Crotty

Elissa Cushman

Clinton N. Daggan, ’09

John L. Damon

Mark Diller

Linh Do

Deneen Donnley

Judith Fields Jurney ’79

Antonio Figueroa

Jeffrey Friedlander

Bethany Friedman

Noah Genel

Jennifer Gilroy Ruiz

Ramon Gilsanz

Mark Ginsberg

Steven Glassman

Jason Goldberg

Emily Goldman

Y. Gail Goode

Lorna Goodman

Adam P. Gordon ’11

Paul Gottsegen

Christabel Gough

Bryan Grimaldi

Robert Guitelman

Myrna Hall

David Hammer

Janet Handal

Wayne Hawley

Marjorie Henning

Samuel Hornick

Lawrence S. Huntington ’64

Petal M. Hwang ’13

Hon. Debra James

Lawrence Kahn

Brian Kaszuba ’04 and Molly Kaszuba

Roman Katz ’11

Jessica H. Kavoulakis ’01

Seth Kaye

Paul J. Korngold

James A. Krauskopf

Edward LaGrassa

Peter Lampen

Robin Lampert

Fay Leoussis

Leslie N. Leutwiler ’16

Lele Levay

Brenda Levin

Steven B. Levine

Lynette Lewis

Jack T. Linn

Brian E. Logan

Ronnie Lowenstein

Evelyn I. Mason ’86

Sharon McCarthy

Mary McCorry

Mark McIntyre

Carol Meenan

Hilary Meltzer

Dorothy Meyer

Frances Milberg

Joanna Mintzer-Ferrell and Donald Ferrell

Robert Moore

Alison Morpurgo

Thomas Thaddeus Newell

Glenn Newman

Dr. Lisette Nieves

James R. O’Neill

Michael D. Patrick

Hannah Pennington

Robert Plautz

Steven M. Polan

Christopher Pondish and Susan Pondish

Grace Powers

Dale and Craig Raisig

Ian Rasmussen

Michael Rebell

Lucius Riccio

Ronald E. Richter

Kurt W. Rieke ’91

David Rohde

Eric Rundbaken

Pasqualino Russo

Hon. Joan R. Salzman

Prof. Ross Sandler and Mrs. Alice Sandler

Lee and Diane Sandler

Jenny Sandler

Josie Sandler

Larry Sapadin

Gary D. Schuller ’78

Katie Schwab

Keith Schwam

Bart Schwartz

Gerald Scupp

Brendan Sexton

Robert Shansky

Frank Sinatra

Asha S. Smith ’07

Steven Smollens

Gerard Soffian

Polly Spain

Susan Stamler

Roschel Holland H. Stearns

Paul and Chandler Tagliabue

Andrew Tagliabue

John R. Tatulli ’04

Patricia-Anne Taylor Carsel ’87

Sheila Tendy

Erika Thomas

Philip Tugendrajch

Johnny T. Vasser Jr. ’11

Louis Venech

Roxanne Warren

Leonard Wasserman

Roberta Weisbrod

Carl Weisbrod

Joanna Weiss

Demia Wilburn

Anthony Wood

John Wotowicz

Barak Wrobel

Joni Yoswein

Derek Zimmerman ’03

Professor Annette Gordon-Reed, speaking at the 169th CityLaw Breakfast. Image Credit: CityLand

Annette Gordon-Reed, our friend and colleague for 17 years at New York Law School, has just published On Juneteenth (Liveright 2021), a personal and readable story of her growing up in Texas in the 1970’s.  Gordon-Reed grew up in Conroe, Texas where her family regularly celebrated Juneteenth. Gordon-Reed was the first Black child to integrate a White elementary school in her city. Through her personal story Gordon-Reed annotates and re-calibrates the conventional story of slavery in the United States, and the history of Texas as taught in her public school and as portrayed in novels and movies.

Current Congressional district map for New York City. Image Credit: New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reappointment.

The Redistricting Schedule

On November 2, 2021, New York State voters will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment revising the redistricting process to be based on the 2020 census. If the constitutional amendment is approved, the changes will take effect on January 1, 2022. This amendment is necessary to address delays in the census created by the pandemic and to accommodate New York State’s change from a September primary to an earlier June primary for both federal and state elections. These changes compressed the time needed to complete the redistricting. Without these changes, it is possible that the new districts will not be ready in time for the political process to function.

Rendering of the proposed new building at 250 Water Street, which will replace a parking lot. Image Credit: NYC LPC

Zoning is under attack in New York City. Not here or there, in this location or that, but the concept itself. This has been the long game of the city’s real estate interests, and after a decade of raids those interests have launched a full assault on several fronts. The historic city should expect no quarter.

Sandy Hornick. Image Credit: Sandy Hornick/Hornick Consulting, Inc.

I was motivated to respond to an article by Robert Kuttner on The American Prospect website that in general argued that a tax-subsidized project was facing impending collapse which could provide an opportunity for affordable housing. I have no problem with the author disliking Hudson Yards and he wouldn’t be the first or only one to do so. I believe, however, that the American Prospect piece contains misinformation on the Hudson Yards project. This article is an attempt to put Hudson Yards into context and explain how this public/private venture is currently working.