New York City Council

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Shana Tovah, New York! As the sun sets tonight, Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs will gather to welcome Rosh Hashanah — the start of the High Holidays and a time of reflection, renewal, and hope for the year ahead. We wish you all a year of health, sweetness, and peace!

Putting the SLAY in Legislator! Our Members owned the runway at Style Across the Aisle 🕺

Happy Women's Equality Day!      Meet four of the women powering the often behind-the-scenes work at our women-led, women-majority Council!

What will the new Office of Insurance Affordability actually do? ✅ Track deceptive/fraudulent practices by insurers ✅ Publish annual studies on insurance costs ✅ Recommend policy fixes ✅ Create a new unit to help consumers resolve insurance problems

🏳️‍🌈 The Bronx Museum hosted its inaugural Black Pride celebration this week, brought together by Council Members Althea Stevens and Justin Sanchez. We’re so happy to honor a long legacy of Black LGBTQ+ history, culture, and community in the Bronx.

Council Members toured Bronx museums this week, visiting local museums and celebrating the cultural institutions that make the borough what it is. 🎨

Last week the Council voted to: ✅ Make Outdoor Dining Year-Round ✅ Launch the Nation’s First Office of Insurance Affordability ✅ Eradicate Dog Waste on our Streets Read more 👇 https://ow.ly/3Lmj50ZBTlk

It’s kinda chic to serve NYC!

🌳 Three parking lots beneath the Cross Bronx Expressway are being transformed into green space. This new funding will bring upgraded greenery, basketball courts, and public space to Parks-Webster in the Bronx and give it the investment it deserves!

🇵🇰 The NYC Council celebrated 79 years of Pakistani American community at in the City Council Chambers — honoring the culture, resilience, and contributions of Pakistani New Yorkers.

Speaker Julie Menin & Council Member Eric Dinowitz Zhuang, Reily, Council Member Yusef Salaam & Thomas-Henry toured childcare facilities at BMCC earlier this week, spotlighting the Council's investment in affordable, accessible childcare for NYC families. 🧸

🚨 The Council just passed several bills from the SCOOP Act! It includes at least 1,200 new dog waste bag dispensers, a composting pilot, and a citywide PSA campaign to keep our streets and parks clean. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/nyregion/dog-poop-city-council-nyc.html

Tiffany Cabán and Shanel Thomas-Henry got out on the water this weekend, joining a team at the Dragon Boat Race as part of the festivities! 🐉🚣

We just passed it to make it YEAR-ROUND! New Yorkers will be able to eat outside every month of the year, and restaurants will benefit from additional revenue.

🐾 More than 14,000 dog waste complaints have hit 311 since 2020 — and the Council is doing something about it.

Today is Pakistani Independence Day! The NYC Council invites you to join the Pakistani American community this Monday in celebrating 79 years of Pakistani independence and honoring the culture, resilience, and contributions of Pakistani New Yorkers.

🚨 BREAKING: NYC outdoor dining is here to stay — year-round, starting now. 🍽️

Outdoor dining shouldn’t mean a costly annual teardown for restaurant owners or cleanliness headaches for neighborhoods. Today, the Council is fixing both: year-round outdoor dining, with stronger sanitation standards. More in The New York Times: https://ow.ly/VSsq50Zzq1N

42,000 NYC students are getting a free trip to the Brooklyn Children's Museum! 🎉 Speaker Julie Menin & Council Member Crystal Hudson secured $420,000 to bring FREE Brooklyn Children's Museum field trips to NYC students citywide next school year.

This Sunday, hundreds of thousands lined Sixth Avenue for the 44th Annual National Dominican Day Parade 🇩🇴 We celebrated Dominican culture, community, and contributions across our city. The Council stands with New York's Dominican community today and every day.

CM Farías has the second largest electric school bus fleet in New York State! Council Members Farías, Aldebol and Sanchez celebrated their commitment to sustainability and school safety with the unveiling of a stunning new mural in the Bronx!

New data, safer streets. 🚦 Our analysis of 9,562 intersections found exactly which Vision Zero interventions save lives: - Neighborhood slow zones: -21% - Leading pedestrian intervals: -13% - Speed limit reduction: -10% See your block️ https://ow.ly/i4zN50ZxFZe

Majority Leader @shaunabreu.bsky.social and the City Council are fighting for safer streets. Every New Yorker deserves to walk, bike, and cross safely.

Tiffany Cabán unveiled a redesigned 31st Street in Astoria this weekend — re-routing cars, bikes, and pedestrians through one of Queens' most dangerous corridors. Safer streets save lives for everyone on the road!

Trees can be the best safety measure against extreme heat. Today we are announcing a $250K investment in The Generative Canopy, a Cornell Tech Urban Tech Hub initiative that will identify NYC's most shade-deprived, heat-vulnerable blocks.

Last night was National Night Out Against Crime. Across 70+ locations citywide, New Yorkers connected with neighbors and celebrated community safety!

Last night was National Night Out Against Crime. Across 70+ locations citywide, New Yorkers connected with neighbors and celebrated community safety!

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia, Ecuador! 🇪🇨 Join the Council at City Hall next Monday at 5pm as we celebrate Ecuadorian Independence Day –– see flyer for details.

Fresh Food for Seniors is back for its 14th year on the Upper West Side! For $10 seniors get a bag of fresh, locally grown produce sourced from local farmers!

Timothée Chalamet said no one cares about ballet anymore. The Brooklyn Ballet begs to differ — and so does the City Council, which just invested almost $6 million in the Brooklyn Ballet Center. 🩰

$22.5 million is heading to the Playground for All Children in Corona! It was the first playground in the country designed for disabled and able-bodied kids to play side by side. 🛝

It's National Wellness Month: go touch some grass. 🌱 NYC has 30,000+ acres of parkland waiting for you! And a park system that is fully funded with $14.41 million in additional funding this year!

Owning a home can be challenging. That’s why our budget offers new support for homeowners including: ✅ $5.15M for foreclosure prevention, deed theft, and pre-purchase counseling ✅ $500K for a help desk with links to financial & legal assistance ✅ $2M for free or subsidized heat pumps

City Hall is older than the Brooklyn Bridge. Older than the subway. And home to the NYC Council! NYC City Hall, the way Nolan intended. 🏛️

Netflix doc dropping soon🔜 …

Odyssey this. Odyssey that. We Odyssey outdoor dining be YEAR-ROUND.

The Animal Welfare Caucus secured $1.5M in this budget — $750K for pet food pantries, $750K for spay/neuter services. Because affordability includes the whole family, four legs are included. 🐾

What if you and your besties could sip Aperol Spritzes outside ALL YEAR-ROUND?🍹 The Council is pushing to bring back year-round outdoor dining, allowing everyone to get more seating at their favorite restaurant –– and small businesses to have more customers in every season.

"He gave everything to every stage he ever stood on." — Council Member Yusef Salaam Last week, the Council declared Fatman Scoop Recognition Day, honoring the Harlem legend's legacy in NYC, permanently.

Not everyone can afford a baby shower. CM Shanel Thomas-Henry hosted a community Baby Shower at Queens Museum where they gave out FREE child essentials giveaway including cribs, diapers, and more!

In 2022, New Yorkers voted to create the Commission on Racial Equity to ensure the city is advancing in government operations and decision-making. We are proud to be increasing the commission's budget by $2.1M in additional funding.

Too many New Yorkers can’t get around because of the cost of transportation. 🚇 With our FY27 budget, 340,000 more residents are eligible for half-price fares.

Older New Yorkers shouldn't be left to face extreme heat or cold alone. CM Elsie Encarnación passed a bill to develop a wellness-check protocol for older adults during cold weather alerts and extreme heat emergencies — because a phone call or knock on the door can save a life.

Homelessness prevention pays off. Speaker Julie Menin, CM Epstein & Council Member Pierina Sanchez celebrated the expansion of CityFHEPS last week with WINNYC ORG — proof that cost-effective rental assistance keeps New Yorkers in their homes. 🏠

Nearly 200,000 veterans live in New York City. They deserve support and care as they come back home to their communities. We are pleased to announce $450k in new funding to the Department of Veterans Services to increase our care and support for those who committed their lives to protecting us.

It’s programs like ICNA Relief that provide critical services to New Yorkers in need. The Council is proud to fund programs like this that are a lifeline for so many!

The evening, Jewish New Yorkers will begin observing the Fast of Tisha B’av, a somber day to remember the tragedies that have occurred to the Jewish people, including the destruction of both Temples. We wish everyone a safe and meaningful fast.

Tens across the board!  The Council expanded access to FREE swimming lessons to public school second graders across New York City.  Learn more about Wave Makers here: www.asphaltgreen.org/aquatics/wav...

As a fierce advocate of community leadership and a District 8 native, Deputy Whip Encarnación has used her role to champion the needs of immigrants, young people, NYCHA residents, and so many others since she began this year, and she's only just getting started!

The Council is proud to fund free swimming lessons for over 9,000 public school students this year!