Mayor de Blasio announces COVID-19 travel checkpoints with Dr. Ted Long and NYC Sheriff Joseph Fucito. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

On August 5, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that checkpoints will be placed at all major entry points into the City to ensure compliance with New York State quarantine requirements. Travelers who have visited 34 designated states, territories, or areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates must complete the New York State Department of Health traveler form and quarantine for a period of 14 days upon entering the City. These travel health forms help the City with contact tracing efforts. (more…)

Credit: CityLaw

New York State in 2021 must redraw the State’s senate, assembly and congressional districts. The process will be different from the process used to draw legislative and congressional district lines in the past. Previously, the State legislature redrew the districts for its own members and for the State’s congressional members.  After years of efforts to reform a process seen as too self-interested, New York State voters in 2014 approved an amendment to the State constitution that created a  new Redistricting Commission that will propose new district lines to the legislature. The legislature still gets the last word, but the commission process opens the redistricting process up, provides an outside entity to act as the initial proposer, and adds guidelines for map design for fairness. (more…)

Image credit: OATH

Kletter currently serves as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Appointments where she oversees and coordinates candidate recruitment, sourcing, and vetting. On March 13, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Joni Kletter as Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). (more…)

Image Credit: 2019 Charter Revision Commission

One of the five ballot questions proposes changes to the City’s land use review process. On Election Day, November 5, 2019, voters will have a say in whether to amend the City Charter by voting on five proposed ballot measures, including one that alters ULURP requirements to allow for more community input. (more…)

Image credit: New York City Council.

The 2018 New York City Charter Revision Commission, appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, recommended three proposals, all of which were approved by the voters in the November 2018 general election.  The proposals related to campaign finance, civic engagement and community boards, and were largely a result of the Charter Revision Commission’s process that emphasized accessibility for all, including those who historically have not had their voices fully considered as part of the Charter revision process. The aim of the Commission was to strengthen democracy and make City government more accessible to New Yorkers. (more…)