Mayor Appoints Asim Rehman as Next OATH Commissioner

Rehman is the first Muslim-American to serve as OATH Commissioner. On March 29, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced Asim Rehman had been selected as the next Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). OATH serves as the City’s administrative law court, which handles the adjudication of issues referred by City agencies, summonses from City agencies, and other topics including but not limited to employee discipline, City-issued license <Read More>


City Council Approves Zoning Text Amendment for Permanent Open Restaurants Program

City Council still needs to pass legislation establishing the program. On February 24, 2022, the City Council voted to approve the zoning text amendment that will remove geographical restrictions where sidewalk cafes can operate across the city. This vote completes the first step in the creation of a permanent open restaurant program. 


NYCHA Discontinues Over 31,000 Non-Payment Cases in Housing Court

The pandemic and eviction moratorium provided NYCHA with an opportunity to reassess the agency’s approach to non-payment cases. On February 3, 2022, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) announced that the agency has discontinued over 31,000 rental non-payment cases in housing court without judicial intervention. There were approximately 34,000 non-payment cases from NYCHA before the housing court; the discontinuance will result in a resolution of 90 percent of these cases. 



Sidewalk cafe permit denied

Owner of West 23rd Street restaurant sought to extend seating outside. In May 2018, Maxver LLC applied to the City Department of Consumer Affairs for consent to open an unenclosed sidewalk café outside of Calle Dao Chelsea, the Cuban-Chinese fusion restaurant that Maxver operates on Manhattan’s West 23rd Street. The application called for four tables, each seating two people. Consumer Affairs forwarded the application to Community Board No. 4, which, after a public hearing, unanimously … <Read More>