NYC Politics News

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$143M Queens Senior Housing Opens With 173 Homes

A $143 million affordable and supportive housing development has been completed in Jamaica, Queens, adding 173 apartments for older New Yorkers along with an on-site health center. Sutphin Senior Housing and Clinic includes 121 apartments for residents age 62 and older earning up to 50 percent of Area Median Income and 52 supportive units for people age 55 and older who have experienced chronic homelessness. All apartments receive project-based Section 8 rental assistance. The 15-story development at 97-10 Sutphin Boulevard also includes a 15,000-square-foot Community Healthcare Network health center offering medical and psychiatric care to residents and the surrounding community. The all-electric building incorporates solar power and other energy-efficiency features.

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NYC Pension Funds Eye $5B in Climate Investments

New York City Comptroller Mark Levine is proposing a major expansion of private-market climate investments involving three of the city's public pension funds. Under the plan, the Comptroller's Bureau of Asset Management expects to present $5 billion in potential investments to the boards overseeing NYCERS, the Teachers' Retirement System and the Board of Education Retirement System. Opportunities would include renewable power, energy storage, grid modernization, clean transportation, energy efficiency and building upgrades. Individual investments would still require review and approval by the pension boards. The proposal is part of a broader strategy under which the three retirement systems have established a goal of investing $37.8 billion in climate-related solutions by 2035.

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East New York Concert Series Draws Over 10,000

More than 10,000 people attended the fourth annual East New York Concert and Wellness Series, according to organizers. The four-day community event took place September 17 through September 20 on Van Siclen Avenue. Presented by Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas and DJ Keith Watkins, the free series combined live performances with health screenings, wellness information and community resources.

The lineup included Doug E. Fresh, Nice & Smooth, Angela Winbush, Howard Hewett, Crystal Waters, Byron Stingily, Hildemaro, DJ Famoso, Bri Babineaux, The Walls Group and numerous DJs and other performers. Each day featured a different musical focus, ranging from Caribbean and Latin music to House, Hip-Hop, R&B, Gospel and Jazz, bringing residents together from across East New York and East Brooklyn.

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Bronx’s First Busway Opens on Tremont Avenue

The Bronx's first busway is now operating on Tremont Avenue, bringing bus-priority and street-safety improvements to a corridor used by 39,000 Bx36 riders each day. The route has historically experienced slow bus speeds and is designated a Vision Zero priority corridor, with four people killed and nearly 630 injured in crashes between 2020 and 2024. As part of the project, NYC DOT installed safety upgrades at eight intersections, including painted sidewalk extensions designed to shorten pedestrian crossings and slow turning vehicles. The busway operates from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week and is also expected to serve as the foundation for future bus rapid transit improvements along the broader Tremont Avenue corridor.

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New York Sues Over $1.4B Offshore Wind Deals

New York is leading a coalition of states in two federal lawsuits challenging $1.4 billion in federal agreements to cancel four planned offshore wind leases. The cases involve agreements with Bluepoint Wind and Invenergy, including projects off New York's coast that had been expected to connect to New York City's electric grid. State officials argue that the federal government improperly used money from the Judgment Fund to compensate the companies for abandoning the projects and are asking federal courts to void the lease cancellations. According to the New York Attorney General's office, the two canceled New York projects were projected to generate more than $16 billion in investment and create more than 2,800 jobs in the state.

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DoorDash Reaches $131.5M Settlement With NYC

DoorDash has reached a $131.5 million settlement with New York City following an investigation into payments to the company's delivery workers. More than $115 million will be distributed to over 260,000 workers who experienced underpayments, late payments or other minimum-pay violations, while more than $16 million will go toward civil penalties and costs. The agreement also establishes a three-year monitoring system requiring DoorDash to provide detailed monthly data to the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Workers will also be able to share trip and earnings information directly with the city through new technology being developed with outside partners. Eligible workers are expected to begin receiving settlement payments this fall.

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NY AG Secures Terms in Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal

New York Attorney General Letitia James and attorneys general from 11 other states have reached an antitrust settlement with Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery that establishes conditions for their major media combination. Under the agreement, Paramount must maintain minimum annual film-release levels and increase domestic film-production spending by $1.5 billion over five years. The companies must also negotiate fees for their respective cable channels separately, while an independent editorial board will oversee CNN and CBS. The settlement includes financial penalties if Paramount misses certain film-production requirements and provisions involving unionized entertainment workers. The agreement resolves lawsuits brought by the states and the Writers Guild of America and clears a major legal obstacle to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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New York Moves Ahead With RAISE Act AI Regulations

New York is moving forward with implementation of the Responsible AI Safety and Education Act, establishing new transparency and reporting requirements for large developers of advanced artificial intelligence models. Beginning in November, covered developers are expected to begin registering with the state and preparing for requirements that take effect in January 2027. The law requires covered companies to publish safety frameworks, report specified critical safety incidents within 72 hours and submit information about potential catastrophic risks. Oversight will be handled through New York's new Office of Digital Innovation, Governance, Integrity and Trust, known as DIGIT. The state has also appointed Marc Gilman as deputy director for RAISE Act implementation as it builds the new regulatory operation.

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Rockefeller Foundation Unites 100 Former World Leaders

The New York-based Rockefeller Foundation has brought together nearly 100 former heads of state and government in a joint appeal for stronger international cooperation on challenges ranging from conflict and climate change to migration, pandemics and artificial intelligence. The statement calls on current leaders to develop shared principles based on human dignity, the rule of law, mutual respect and national sovereignty while turning those principles into practical action. The initiative coincides with new polling across 34 countries showing continued public support for countries working together on global problems. Former leaders from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and other regions signed the statement, which is part of the Rockefeller Foundation's broader Principles of Cooperation initiative