Mayor Signs Executive Order Supporting Minority and Women Owned Businesses

The City awarded over $3 billion in contracts to minority and women-owned businesses in FY19. The City is On July 28, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed Executive Order 59 to increase the City’s utilization of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBEs), and also announced numerous programs with the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity that will connect Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to business opportunities.


City Launches Landlord-Tenant Mediation Project for Housing Security

The Community Dispute Resolution Centers will be available in all five boroughs. On July 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity announced the start of a new mediation program for small landlords and tenants across the City. The Citywide Landlord-Tenant Mediation Project will provide both parties with an opportunity to resolve rent-related disputes outside of the housing court system to prevent evictions during the pandemic.


NYCHA Community Centers to be Renovated with $22 Million from NYPD Capital Funding

The funding will help four community centers. On July 21, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that three NYCHA community centers will be renovated, and a fourth will receive expense funding for programming, using $22 million in capital funding shifted from the NYPD to NYCHA in the Fiscal Year 2021 Adopted Budget. This project is a part of the Mayor’s commitment to reinvest $450 million in NYPD capital funds to community centers across the City.



Parks Dept Launches NYC Water Safety Campaign for Beaches

The campaign was created after beaches have finally reopened for the summer. On July 9, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation announced a new NYC water safety campaign.  The campaign aims to inform New Yorkers about how quickly drownings can happen and remind beachgoers to only swim at designated beaches when lifeguards are on duty. The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation will also post signage and flags to identify areas where … <Read More>


Upgraded Storm Sewers to be Installed in Richmond, Staten Island

The project aims to relieve street flooding in the neighborhood. On July 9, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection and the NYC Department of Design and Construction announced a $6 million project to upgrade storm sewer infrastructure in the neighborhood of Richmond, Staten Island. The project began in January 2020, and is scheduled to be completed during the summer of 2021.