New York City lawmakers questioned environmental officials Wednesday, September 30, over whether the city needs a new agency to oversee coastal protection as billions of dollars in flood defenses move from planning into construction. The hearing came just days after a major coastal storm tested the city’s response to flooding in vulnerable waterfront communities. 

A powerful Nor’easter brought high winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding to New York City over the weekend, hitting low-lying communities in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, with flooding and widespread tree damage. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), working with New York City Emergency Management and the Parks Department, pumped water from flooded areas after tides receded and deployed crews to help clear downed trees.

With the storm’s impact still fresh, much of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Waterfronts hearing centered on protecting the city’s roughly 520 miles of shoreline. According to the DEP, Mamdani’s administration made a commitment to invest $43.2 million to  help the Bureau of Coastal Resilience (BCR) in expanding from six employees to about 75 and developing a comprehensive citywide coastal resilience plan.

Committee Chair James F. Gennaro pressed officials on whether New York needs a single authority responsible for coordinating coastal protection. “I envision the bureau… having like the grand vision,” Gennaro said, describing his concept as the “Oz of coastal resilience.” The BCR explained that its focus is not to plan new coastal resilience projects, but fulfilling the ongoing operations that continue to protect New Yorkers.

Gennaro’s Introduction 936 would establish a Department of Coastal Protection responsible for developing policies and programs, administering funds, reporting on coastal needs, educating the public and coordinating with other government entities.

DEP Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs Beth DeFalco urged flexibility as the relatively new BCR begins operating major infrastructure. “It’s one thing theoretically…about operating floodgates; it’s another thing to operate floodgates,” DeFalco said, adding that DEP is “learning a lot as these things come online.”

BCR Assistant Commissioner of Engineering Kathryn Prybylski said, centralized planning is already part of the bureau’s mission. “One planning entity to carry the ball – yes, that is the goal for the bureau,” she said. Prybylski said the Resilient Infrastructure for Shoreline Edges initiative, or RISE, is expected to be completed by the end of the year and will provide building blocks for a broader coastal resilience plan. 

The committee also considered Introduction 931, which would require DEP to maintain at least two mobile drinking fountains per Council district and deploy them at publicly accessible locations when temperatures are forecast to reach at least 82 degrees, prioritizing neighborhoods that are highly vulnerable to heat. DEP raised concerns about cost and staffing, with DeFalco saying the proposal could require more than 100 workers because two employees would be needed at each station. 

Under Introduction 343, certain street crane permit fees for rooftop solar installations would be waived. Buildings officials testified that solar filings declined from about 9,400 in 2024 to 8,500 in 2025 and about 3,300 so far in 2026, as lawmakers examined whether reducing permitting costs could remove a financial barrier to expanding solar installations.

Red tape is likely shutting out community organizations and volunteer groups from New York City Public Parks. To address mounting frustrations the New York City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation conducted an oversight meeting on September 30 to examine the event permitting process, created by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Committee Chair Ty Hankerson, representative of District 28, brought out NYC Parks representatives to discuss the requirements for events ranging from small community gatherings to large commercial productions. 

NYC Park Representative David Cerrone, Deputy Commissioner for Activation, Environment, and Planning for NYC Parks explains that a special event permit is required for gatherings that have more than 20 participants. Applicants must pay a nonrefundable $25 application fee and must apply at least 21 days before an event. But when it comes to events with

more than 500 participants, or are commercial in nature, are considered more complex and must be handled by the department’s Citywide Special Events Office, each that have their own guidelines that vary by borough and park classification, that could require additional coordination or permits from other city agencies. 

“We are committed to helping New Yorkers plan fun and creative special events in parks, because we know a park with robust activity is safer and more enjoyable for everyone, but we must still uphold our primary responsibility as the caretaker and steward of city parkland,” said Cerrone. 

The city council questioned the approval timing for events and how that makes it more difficult for community based organizations to make a plan around their local parks without knowing whether or not the permit is going to be approved until a few days before the event. “It’s not until a few days before that we hear, hey, you can’t have your event, it’s been denied, does the Parks Department not see that as problematic?” said Hankerson. Cerrone responded that outright denials are “exceedingly rare,” accounting for less than 1% of permits processed. 

Councilmember Frank Morano, representing the 51st District, asked “How many park days do New Yorkers lose every year to special events?.” Referring to how many days might an average park goer not be able to visit their local park due to the event’s required setup, the event itself, cleanup, and restoration. Cerrone explains that while NYC Parks does track event start and end times they do not track the entire closure period but stresses that they are “ready and willing to work” with the committee and any concerned New Yorkers because they want to have a system that works for everyone. 

Community organizations, however, expressed continued concerns about navigating the permitting system. Heather Lubov, the Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, an

independent nonprofit organization that offers free community events across parks in the five boroughs, acknowledged that NYC Parks has made improvements, including clearer policies, fee waivers, and better online guidance. Even so, she maintains that “the system and the rules itself is what remains too rigid.” Lubov talks of the struggles of the Summer Stage, a concert program they host in Rumsey PlayField in Central Park, in trying to get park permits. Lubov asserted that  delayed permit approvals have caused the program to lose major artists. She urged parks officials and the council to end rules, such as those in their experience in Central Park, that force groups to hoard unused dates in order to maintain tenure. 

“If it’s hard for us, I can’t imagine what it’s like for a volunteer group trying to plan a small event,” said Lubov.

Members of the City Council Higher Education Committee met with CUNY officials to discuss the state of study abroad programs and how to improve them on September 29th. 

CUNY currently offers over 130 study abroad programs across different formats in countries such as Spain, Italy, Japan, France, and more. These programs give students a chance to experience different cultures outside the U.S. while also obtaining academic and personal skills. 

To support students in these programs, various financial aid opportunities and scholarships are available. From fall 2025 to summer 2026, “1,512 CUNY undergraduates from 15 campuses studied abroad in 49 countries,” said Kim Holland, University Director of Global Education and Initiatives in CUNY’S Office of Academic Affairs, with “10 CUNY campuses offering 136 programs in 40 countries.” 

Students who have done these study abroad programs have found faster, higher success compared to students who stay home. Steven Ferst, the Executive Director of the Center for Global Engagement at College of Staten Island, states “students who study abroad have a 95.1% six year graduation rate, a full 30 points higher than their peers who stay home. They’re also 6.2% more likely to graduate in just 4 years…They graduate with higher GPAs, 52% go on to graduate degrees, and they earn 6.3% more. That’s over $4,000 in their first job.”

The main issue study abroad programs are facing is participation, according to the CUNY officials. The lack of participation falls under the issue of lack of exposure and expenses. Some students are turned off from the idea of spending alot of money going away for a semester without knowing of the different aids to relieve some of the financial pressure. The exposure of these programs has to be more in their face so students can even think of attending.

“I knew that colleges sometimes provide opportunities to study in other countries, but i did not know many details about the programs available to BMCC students,” said Keanu May, a former BMCC student. May believes CUNY schools need to do better showcasing their programs and their benefits. “CUNY could improve by promoting these programs through emails, campus events, academic advisrors, and social media. They can also offer more financial aid, scholarships, and affordable program options so students from different financial backgrounds have a chance to participate.”

A solution given by Fester is to encourage students early on, before they get into college. “I know that i get called to go out to some of the schools to give college day lectures and the real purpose behind that, of course, is to recruit the students, but i always slide in, if you do come to my campus I can send you out.” 

Ten individuals donated about $481 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign, accounting for 44% of all money raised, according to a lawyer for the Brennan Center. The revelation came during a meeting hosted by NY State Senator Liz Krueger to discuss the impact of big money on politics on September 29. Marina Pino, an attorney with the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit law and policy institute, joined Krueger to discuss methods to limit the influence of corporate special interest super PACs.

Speaking on Zoom, Pino explained the ubiquity of superPACs and dark money in politics, highlighted the importance of campaign fund transparency, and offered some viable alternatives. “We’ve seen superPACs work in tandem with candidates and parties,” she said, “to the point where affiliate superPAC are now integral to most major campaigns.”

Krueger expressed concern, and wondered aloud if big money was subverting Americans’ ability to hold their elected officials accountable. “That’s how our democracy is supposed to work,” she said. 

Although the Federal Election Committee’s role is to monitor campaigns, Pino explained that a combination of Supreme Court decisions and government corruption have weakened its ability to do so.

A superPAC is a political committee formed to solicit and spend unlimited sums of money, according to Ballotpedia, a digital encyclopedia of American politics. Unlike PACs(political action committees), super PACs aren’t officially categorized as political committees, so the same limits do not apply.

In 2010, the Supreme Court struck down prohibitions on corporate spending in a case known as Citizens United, opening the flood gates for corporate money to flow unchecked into American politics, explained Pino.

She went on to explain how this decision created an ecosystem where corporations can bankroll the campaigns for causes and candidates they believe will further their interests, while undermining the decision-making power of voters. “Americans believe that the interests of billionaires and other wealthy interests are prioritized over those of the general public,” said Pino. 

Polling from the Brennan Center supports this: the center found that 62% of Americans feel that corruption in politics is a “very big problem.”

While superPACs have been influential in past elections, Pino said the 2024 presidential election was unique in that both campaigns relied primarily on superPAC mega-donors for core campaign activities. Roughly 44% of all money raised to support Trump, about $481 million, came from ten individual donors, according to findings published by the Visual Capitalist, an online data analyst tracker.

Kamala Harris received about $126 million from the top ten donors to her campaign, about eight percent. 

Pino described how this system of campaign funding can place outsized influence into the hands of individual billionaires. 

In the run up to the 2024 Presidential election, Elon Musk alone donated $240 million to super PACs for the Trump campaign. These groups funded direct mailings and canvassing, and hired spokesperson consultants in swing states. “He essentially became part of the Trump campaign,” said Pino, pointing out that Musk frequently appeared on stage and at rallies alongside Trump.

Shortly after taking office, Trump appointed Musk head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with targeting excessive government spending.

In the current Texas Senate race, a single oil businessman contributed $750,000 to state attorney general Ken Paxton through the superPAC Lone Star Liberty, which funneled six million dollars to the Paxton campaign.

Earlier this month, Politico reported that Lone Star Liberty was planning a $15 million ad campaign to support Paxton, whose platform includes limiting abortion access (even in the case of life threatening complications) in his race for US Senate against Democrat James Talarico.

Watchdog groups such as the Brennan Center are also concerned with dark money, or funding for candidates and causes whose origins are difficult to discern, and often intentionally obscured.

501(c)4 non-profit organizations are exempt from disclosing the identities of their donors, as long as they don’t claim politics as a primary focus. By applying for non-profit status, superPACs can funnel high volumes of capital into campaigns of their choosing, while retaining the anonymity of their investors. This loophole, enabled by Citizens United, has “undeniably had a negative impact on campaign politics,” wrote Noelle Shih for the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review. Voters are the ones who suffer, she wrote, “as they are unable to access the information needed to make an informed choice.”

In the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, The Future Forward PAC, the largest Democrat superPAC, spent $108 million on ads for the Biden campaign. $74 million of that fund came from un-disclosed donors.

Pino pointed to donation match fund programs as a way to minimize corporate influence on elections. Match fund programs work by matching small contributions from individuals with a larger amount provided by a state fund. In NYC, candidates running for public office can apply to the program to have donations by their supporters matched at a one to eight ratio by city funds. “If you give ten dollars to a local candidate running for a city council seat, they receive $90,” explained NYCVOTES, an initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board. According to the NYCVOTES website, 94% of candidates in the 2021 primary participated in the program.

The New York (NY) City Council heard a record 23 bills calling for reformed legislation to regulate delivery corporations, the sale and use of Class III e-bikes, and protection for delivery workers, among other aims on Sept. 30 in a packed seven-and-a-half-hour hearing at City Hall. This hearing was held in response to multiple recent deaths involving electronically powered mobility devices, such as e-bikes. 

“No New Yorker should have to wonder if their next commute will be their last. No New Yorker should have to worry about their loved ones coming home at day’s end,” said Council Speaker Julie Menin. “No New Yorker should have to choose between getting where they need to go and feeling safe on our streets.” 

Menin said that addressing the issue of street safety will require a “multi-pronged effort with enhancements in technology, stricter enforcement of existing laws, and robust protections for workers.” 

One bill would make delivery companies responsible for ensuring their deliverers meet city licensing requirements, relieving the New York Police Department and Department of Transportation of some of the burden for enforcement. Another bill would require delivery companies to obtain a business license from the NY Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (NY DCWP) to operate. 

Other bills would require delivery companies to maintain liability insurance for their workers, as well as monitor and notify their workers when they utilize unsafe street behaviors, such as running stop signs or red lights on e-bikes. The data collected by companies about such behavior would also have to be given to the NY Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (NY DCWP)

The Regional Plan Association, a New York-based nonprofit civic organization that focuses on quality of life issues, opposed the proposal to monitor delivery drivers’ routes because it “inappropriately targets individual delivery workers rather than companies,” according to a press release. 

The agencies in attendance and city council members continuously reiterated that they would also focus on providing protections to delivery workers while further regulating the delivery space and the companies within it.  

One example of DCWP’s commitment to protecting delivery workers’ rights is its support for Local Law 34-2026, which would remove a platform’s ability to deal out  “arbitrary deactivations in NYC” to their workers, according to DCWP Commissioner Sam Levine.  

“I speak with delivery workers all the time, and they consistently describe the pressure to complete more orders in less time, or risk deactivation [on their platform],” said Levine at the hearing. “No worker should have to choose between their safety and their livelihood.” 

Another set among the 23 bills focused on prohibiting the sale, rental, and eventual use of Class III e-bikes, which are only currently legal in NYC. 

Most Class III e-bikes can reach speeds of up to 60 mph or more, four times the legal limit,  according to a press release by Transportation Alternatives (TA), a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting alternative transportation options, such as bikes rather than cars.  TA voiced its support for the legislation reforms at the hearing in the press release. 

“It’s critical that the City Council move forward with targeted legislation that will get these illegal high-speed devices off our streets, phase out the fastest e-bikes, and finally regulate the delivery app industry,” said TA Executive Director Ben Furnas. “We know how to increase safety — by protecting riders of safe, low-speed e-bikes while ensuring that the fastest, most dangerous devices are phased out of New York City.”

TA feels confident that if these bills pass, the streets will be all the better for it.

“With these pieces of legislation, we can bring safety and peace back to our city’s bike lanes.”

With the midterms a month away, Hands Off NYC is  educating voters about election sabotage and ways to prevent it from happening on voting day.

Hands Off NYC is a coalition of  over 250 grassroot organizations and individuals that promotes standing up for rights,  always using nonviolent resistance to defend democracy. With tensions rising about protecting ballots and voters at the poll sites, Hands Off NYC has been putting in the groundwork by bringing free training and knowledge to voters, so they too can spread the word and protect their vote.

Hannah Strauss, the host of the training and a member of Hands Off  NYC, spoke to about 30 trainees in Manhattan. The crowd was mostly older people, along with a few Gen Z voters whom Strauss said she was elated to see. The training was in Manhattan, but it is available to everyone and in all boroughs from the city. Strauss started by reminding the attendees about January 6, 2021 or known to some as Insurrection Day. According to Strauss, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice have become “stacked with loyalists under Trump’s regime.” 

“I ground us in the stakes because the rest of what we’re gonna do is preparing us for how we fight it.” Strauss said.

Strauss explained that election protection and election defense, two phrases that sound the same, are different. Election protection refers to preventing interference with  voters’ access and with  poll workers’ ability to do their jobs. Election defense means protecting the legitimacy of the election system itself. The evening’s program focused on the defense side and making sure the legitimacy of the vote is  protected.

Held in Hands Off’s  Chelsea office the training proceeded with trainees  put into groups and to role play various scenarios. For example, what news sites should people turn to in a situation like January 6, and what should people  expect from the government in such a situation? Many attendees suggested  looking for information on Reddit, Al Jazeera and other prominent sites, while some thought such a situation would call for a general strike.

The next activity was a hassle line, a role-playing tactic used in nonviolent training. 

Split into two parallel lines, the group practiced both effective ways to resist and techniques for escalating situations during a time of unrest. Some of the examples included standing in front of two people and disarming them, humanizing the person, singing and probably the most important one, filming the situation. These tactics and training use real life emotions to develop the skills needed, that if encountered can be dealt with. 

“You know I knew all these things, but  hearing her was really good,” said a participant who wished to not be named. “You know it’s easy to become complacent if you’re not kind of being reminded all the time how urgent and important this is. So it helped me, I feel  much more motivated, even though I knew about it.”

A second instructor, who chose to not be named, explained the trick to rallying voters and getting them to the poll sites: “Be realistic, present the facts, and always have hope.”

The two instructors  gave two qr codes, one with more  information about rallies and upcoming protests and the other was a group chat that any and every person could chime in and meet with others under the same umbrella.

“When you choose not to vote if you’re not on the table you’re on the menu,” the second instructor said. 

Private equity (PE) firms now control roughly half of the home care sector in New York State,  Cornell University researchers said at a conference organised by the university’s Industrial Labor  Relations on September 30th.  

Researchers from Cornell’s school of Industrial & Labor Relations published a report this June  about PE consolidating home care, home health, and hospice agencies. Home care is the largest  occupational category in New York State. In 2023, NYS had 566,160 home health and personal  care aides, of whom 87% were women, 81% people of color, and 66% immigrants or foreign-born.  

Medicaid is the primary payer for home care services. New York State has higher Medicaid  long-term-care enrollment and spending than most states, offering a steady revenue source for  PE-owned home care agencies. ILR analysts suggest that PE-backed home care agencies in NYS  derive most of their home care revenue from Medicaid, with a reported $2.32 billion in 2022,  more than 7.6% of the Medicaid home care revenue reported by NYS home care providers that  year.  

The total amount of Medicaid revenue flowing to PE owned agencies in NYS is projected to rise  sharply in 2026, as a PE-backed company has now taken over administration of the Consumer 

Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). In 2025, CDPAP accounted for more than 50% of  home care delivery in NYS.  

ILR researchers and authors met to discuss the impact defined in the report. Anne Marie Brady,  ILR’s Director of Research for Worker Rights and Equity, acknowledged the profit extracted by PE  across services for aging and disabled individuals. Researchers, policymakers, and advocates are  concerned about the potential negative impact these changes have on the quality of jobs, and  the quality of care provided, she said. This included serious issues, such as caregivers who went  without pay or were paid incorrectly, limited health coverage for workers, and procurement  irregularities.  

Kezia Scales, the vice-president of Policy, Research & Evaluation of Protected Health Information  (PHI) says that women in home care ”are not treated like real professionals. This severely affects  their wages.” Workers often face workplace discrimination as well, Scales said. Aditi Sen, the  managing director of campaigns at Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF),  brought up ties to structural racism dating back centuries. “Conditions in this sector have been  abhorrent, both for caregivers and patients.”  

With PE acquisition, less funds are being dedicated to employee connection, which means little to  no human support. Automation in customer service has led to reports of lack of information on  patient conditions, as well as racism and bigotry through patient families, according to Scales.  Workers have been unable to connect with support resources. Robin Rowe, the lead project  researcher, says that many home care workers described “feeling isolated from the company, and  that they were left on their own.” 

Dispersion of efforts and economic impact across the five boroughs was the main point of contention at a Sept. 30 joint committee City Council hearing on the impacts of the 2026 World Cup on New York City

Members of both the Committee on Economic Development and the Committee on Small Business took turns asking representatives from the Mayor’s Office for specifics on how the economic impact of the event affected small businesses across all five boroughs. The post-mortem came just a day after Tourism Economics, a tourism economic analysis company, published its report on the World Cup’s economic impact on the city. 

World Cup Czar, Maya Handa, and the other members from the administration were quick to highlight the estimated $2 billion in economic impact on NYC, as well as 12,000 jobs supported by World Cup activity, according to the study. 

While the committee members were complimentary of the findings in the report, many had questions regarding what specific efforts were done to disperse the impact across New York, while stressing the importance of a more equitable approach. 

“When you’re promoting New York City to travelers, promote our neighborhoods,” said Shanel Thomas-Henry, North Queens representative and Chair of the Council Committee on Small Business. “They’re there, they’re bustling, they’re thriving and we need that economic activity to sustain our small businesses.’ 

In their testimony, the administration made it clear they did prioritize this dispersion. Nancy Mammana,  Chief Marketing Officer for New York City Tourism and Conventions, highlighted a targeted online ad campaign that encouraged visitors to spend time in all five boroughs. According to her testimony, the campaign made over 150,000 impressions, of which 44% went to Brooklyn, 40% went to Queens, 24% to the Bronx and 13% to Staten Island. 

Mammana also mentioned a coordinated effort to promote boroughs other than Manhattan in TV broadcasts through Telemundo and NBC, which aired the event. 

“These results demonstrate that our World Cup marketing investment helped broaden the event’s economic footprint and brought measurable visitor activity into communities across the city,” said Mammana. 

Council Member Thomas-Henry, among others, questioned whether these efforts resulted in large enough economic impact in these areas. Thomas-Henry highlighted a section of the Tourism Economics study which measured the increase in incremental visitor spending, essentially the amount visitors to the city were spending during the World Cup compared with average visitor spending. The report found a 19% increase in Brooklyn and a 6% increase in Queens. 

Council Member Frank Morano, a Republican representing Staten Island, brought attention to the “five borough winner special” a city organized small business promotion, getting restaurants and food vendors to sell a $26 food and beverage special which came with a commemorative cup distinct to the borough the business is in. This initiative was originally touted by the administration as a success, with almost 1000 small businesses participating. But Morano voiced frustration with the dispersion of participating businesses: of the 1000, only 33 were in the Bronx and only 22 in Staten Island. 

The program was voluntary and the administration was adamant that it cast a wide net in trying to get businesses to participate. 

“We prioritized outreach in black and brown communities and immigrant communities,” said Haris Khan, Chief of Staff for NYC Department of Small Business Services. “We were in Jackson Heights, in Port Richmond and Harlem. We went to Jamaica, Elmhurst, we went to so many different communities in outer boroughs.” 

In the eyes of the joint committee, the administration did enjoy some wins. According to data from Meltwater, a social media data analysis company, online rhetoric about New York city was generally improved while the World Cup was taking place. 

The Where the World Comes to Play marketing campaign is estimated to have made roughly 30 billion impressions, according to Mammana. Perhaps the biggest win for the mayoral administration was the five free official World Cup fan zones which brought 600,000 people to celebrate the event across all five of the boroughs. In preliminary planning, the fan zones were supposed to be in New Jersey, closer to the games. One of the first actions taken by the administration was to bring the fan zones to New York and place one in each borough. 

“I am the first person to be critical of the administration, when warranted, “Morano said. “The administration deserves a great deal of credit here. New York City didn’t host a single World Cup Match, yet, according to preliminary analysis captured today, the city captured $2 billion in economic impact. That’s pretty significant, so congratulations to all of you for that.” 

As the $3.5 billion vision plan combining an all-electric, 60-acre port with a mixed-use waterfront community in Red Hook marked its year anniversary, Carroll Gardens Association hosted a community forum regarding the future of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal. 

The attending maritime professionals encouraged residents to put freight transportation at the top of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal’s redevelopment priorities, arguing that moving more goods by water could reduce truck traffic, improve air quality and support waterfront jobs. 

Among attendees at Sacred Hearts Church, held on Sept. 28, was a special guest – Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. “The future of New York is on the water,” Velázquez told the enthusiastic gathering, “The community fought for the process to be transparent, now it’s on us to address the issues.”

“It’s a bridge VS real estate,” said Phaedra Thomas, a Brooklyn industrial expert and former executive director of the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation. Having spent 10 years of her career in Sunset Park, she argued that the Brooklyn Marine Terminal should mainly be understood as transportation infrastructure. 

Jim Tampakis, founder of Marine Spares International and a loangtime Red Hook maritime business owner, proposed a waterborne freight and transportation combined distribution system. According to his plan, goods would arrive at the terminal, be sorted into containers and travel by electric vessels to waterfront sites in the city. Tampakis also proposed to have solar panels on terminal buildings to help power operations. 

The stated vision of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which is overseeing the re-development of the port, includes using the terminal as a major hub in its Blue Highways network. The network aims to move freight by water and reduce reliance on trucks. The representatives from the New York City Economic Development Corporation attended the forum as well.

 “The EDC isn’t the enemy, they just got their priorities wrong,” said Geoff Utmark, a naval architect and maritime entrepreneur, who questioned the priorities guiding the terminal’s redevelopment.

Furthermore, Phaedra Thomas said, “There’re some amazing people at EDC that have brought real life maritime facilities and new investments in Sunset Park, the Navy Yard, Hunts Point, and all along our highway since the containerization happened. That is the maritime resurgence we want to see. I don’t want you to think that anything has died back. It has actually grown in the face of little to no support.” 

“We are in the epicentre of the biggest consumer market on the planet, and that is a fact,” she added.

Thomas argued that bringing more goods into Brooklyn by water could shorten truck journeys and help reduce pollution affecting nearby communities. She also called for longer-term stability for the existing port operations and a broader planning effort to reach the terminal’s full potential. She argued that the port’s future should be planned so it serves the city’s transportation needs, supports union workers and reduces the environmental issues in the neighborhood.

“Let’s put our thinking caps on and make New York City number one, because we are.”

The NYC’s Council hosted a meeting supporting multi-language learners in early childhood education programs on September 29. The meeting was chaired by District 34 Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez.

Gutierrez mentioned the Trump administration proposed rule changes for Head Start, a federally funded program providing free childhood education, that includes a new requirement to deliver all instruction in English only. With NYC’s early childhood education increasing in prominence, the subcommittee wanted to understand how the DOE is planning to expand programs and inform families about options.

The subcommittee on Early Childhood Education held the meeting due to 45% of NYC residents from the ages of 0-5 identifying as multilingual with the national average of 32 %.

The hearing detailed the department of education’s ability to identify, educate and support the needs of multi-language learners in preschool programs. 

According to a memo issued by Erica Phillips, Deputy Chancellor for Early Childhood Education at New York City Public Schools, identifying multilingual learners in early childhood differs from English language learners in K-12. The latter identifies English language learners by having families take a home language questionnaire, an individual interview when appropriate, and the New York State English language proficiency assessment. For early childhood settings, families provide their child’s language experience through a survey that specifies which languages are spoken by parents and caregivers, as well as which languages the child understands and uses most often.

“All programs are required to support multilingual learners by using developmentally appropriate practices such as visual aids, modeling, intentional vocabulary development, home-language connections, family partnerships, and culturally and linguistically responsive instruction,” Phillips said. “The goal is to enable children to fully participate in learning while developing English.”

According to Phillips, the Department of Education supports emergent multilingual learners by using data such as home-language information, enrollment, provider information, current Dual Language Bilingual Education Program locations and K–12 Bilingual Education Program data.

 Implementing such support is aimed to enhance the quality of children’s learning experiences to ensure families have meaningful language access and to determine which programs best meet the needs of their children.

Just as with any early childhood program, there may be waiting lists. When a family applies for 3-K or pre-K, they can list an unlimited number of programs on their application. Each student is assigned to their highest ranked program or placed on the wait list. 

There is a massive demand for dual language programs in early childhood and 3-K. Dr. Georgette Branch, Chief of Learning and Partnerships, detailed the exact numbers in terms of applicants. For 3-K, 28 Russian language, and 60 for Spanish. For Pre-K, 17 Arabic, 129 Chinese, 100 French, 47 Italian, 24 Korean, 34 Polish, 60 Russian, and 1574 Spanish. 

To attend to the demand, Branch mentioned that there are 108 teachers who are certified or close to certification to teach in 3K and pre-K dual-language classrooms across NYC. To accommodate teachers, there are instructional coaches, social workers and inclusion specialists. These specialists help teachers in subjects such as literacy, language development, social-emotional learning and inclusive education.

The DOE is continuing to expand its multilingual program. “We cannot do that without investing in the workforce,” Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Child Care, said. “We need to continue both bringing multilingual educators into the pipeline and supporting those who are already in our system to get their bilingual extension or otherwise develop the skills to support multilingual learners.”

According to Dr. Branch, the public school allocation memorandum for bilingual revitalization disseminated this year shows about $13 million distributed across 93 schools. The schools’  programs average from one to five years of existence. 

The meeting made sure to mention that multilingual children will always be honored and valued in the early childhood system. “We will always prioritize ensuring that they can show up and learn in both their home language and in whatever other languages they might be learning in school, and that we see multilingualism as an asset and a strength,” Liss said.

Advocates, attorneys and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers pressed city officials over mental health care and conditions at Rikers Island during a September 23 City Council Committee on Criminal Justice hearing. Council members examined legislation addressing medical care, children visiting jails and protections for transgender people.

Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda and a former Rikers inmate, testified that more than 1,500 people at Rikers have been diagnosed with serious mental illness, a figure he said has increased 83% since 2022. “There’s no one solution to address this,” Mack said, calling on the city to divert more people from jail and invest in community-based treatment.

The committee considered Intro 809, sponsored by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers, which would require the Department of Correction and Correctional Health Services to develop procedures for medical appointments during and after lock-ins. Missed appointments would be prioritized based on medical necessity.

Witnesses questioned current correctional department practices. Zachary Katzenelson of the Independent Rikers Commission criticized the department’s response to “deadlocking,” in other words a practice of isolating inmates. “There’s no new training. There’s no new inspections.” He said joint crisis-intervention training between correction and health staff had “completely fallen apart.”

Transgender housing and safety were also discussed. Testimony presented by Brooklyn Defender Services included an account from a formerly incarcerated transgender woman who described sexual assault and violence at Rikers. “We had no type of protection whatsoever,” she said. Advocates supported extending the task force addressing transgender and gender-nonconforming people through Intro 133 while calling for stronger protections.

Intro 453, meanwhile, would establish mental health services and referrals for jail visitors under 18. Some witnesses questioned DOC’s role. “Care should be provided by trained mental health professionals through trusted community-based organizations, not by the Department of Correction,” Miriam Goodman of the Women’s Prison Association testified.

As the sun set over the Gowanus Canal on September 24, shouts of “Hochul, eschucha estamos en la lucha,”(Hochul, listen, we are in this fight) rang from the gates of the Gowanus Generating Station. Community organizations and New York Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes had gathered to demand Governor Kathy Hochul stop the possible expansion of the station, as power companies rush to meet the growing energy demand brought on by Artificial Intelligence companies. 

The Generating Station, which converts primarily fracked natural gas into electricity, is currently set for closure in 2029. The operating company, Alpha Generation LLC (AlphaGen) recently introduced plans to keep the station open while replacing the current generating units with new ones. AlphaGen says the new units will be twice as efficient as the current ones, while easing the stress on a New York power grid that is already stretched very thin. Community organizers believe the expansion is primarily intended to meet the growing energy demands of new AI data centers.

“We do not need dirty energy to power AI data centers, we need Governor Hochel to keep data centers out of New York and we need her to shut down this costly, dangerous and unnecessary frack-gas power plant,” Eric Weltmen, a senior organizer for Food and Water Watch, said while speaking at the protest. 

Weltmen and other organizers have good reason to believe this expansion may feed energy hungry AI data centers. AlphaGen is owned by Arclight Capital, an energy investment firm. In May of this year Arclight was bought for $1.05 Billion by DigitalBridge Group. In a statement specifically about the acquisition of Arclight, DigitalBridge CEO Marc Ganzi stressed the importance of access to energy infrastructure. 

“AI is rewiring the global power equation, accelerating investment across generation, transmission and behind-the-meter infrastructure,” said Ganzi in a press release about the purchase of Arclight.

Continuing up the AI investment food chain, DigitalBridge Group itself was recently bought by Japanese investment bank, SoftBank Group Corp. The deal was initially agreed in December of 2025 for around $4 billion. The press release to announce the purchase of DigitalBridge directly cited the need for improved energy infrastructure to power AI ventures as a reason for the purchase. 

“The planned acquisition of DigitalBridge will strengthen SoftBank Group’s ability to build, scale, and finance the foundational infrastructure needed for next-generation AI services and applications,” the statement read. 

In late 2024, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son took the stage with then President-elect Donald Trump to pledge $100 billion of investment in American AI companies. 

As investors pour billions of dollars into the acquisition of infrastructure such as the Gowanus Generating Station, local organizers fear the safety of their communities is being put at risk to fill the coffers of investment banks. 

“Its really really not good that a big AI data center investor is financing this whole operation,” Santosh Nandabalan, Organizing Director for New York Communities for Change said plainly. 

The plans to expand operation of the plant require permits from the state of New York. This is where the protestors are hoping Governor Hochul steps in, citing the generating station and a reliance on fossil fuels as threats to the environment and public health as reasons to shut down possible expansion. 

Though the new units are supposedly 50% more efficient than the current ones, the fear is prolonged and increased reliance on the burning of fossil fuels for the New York Energy grid. In 2019, the state of New York passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which required 70% of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. Reversing the 2029 closuring a fossil fuel powered generating station, would be in direct conflict with that act.

“We are here today. We will come back tomorrow. We will come back as many times as we have to, to ensure that the governor gets the message that we need to close the plant,” said New York assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes.  

In 2020, a similar plan to modernize the generating station was walked back after heavy pushback from the community. That plan however, was not backed by multi-billion dollar investment banks. Local organizers are expecting a long fight but are still confident they will come out on top. 

Protesters rallied on Tuesday outside Amazon’s midtown offices against the company’s plan to expand fossil-fueled AI data centers nationwide. Third Act, a nonprofit group that mobilizes Americans over 60 to protect democracy and fight climate change, organized the event. Third Act and its partner groups are concerned about expanding data centers that could affect everyone’s lives. As AI grows, serious concerns remain about its environmental consequences. 

Amazon plans to expand and build more AI data centers to meet demand. The company already has centers in Virginia, Ohio, and Oregon, with more expanding in Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and more. These data centers require massive amounts of electricity to run; therefore, they will use a lot of natural gas.

Data Centers accounted for 415 terawatt-hours of electricity use in 2024 and can potentially double to 950 terawatt-hours by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. More electricity requires more natural gas, which increases fossil fuel emissions and other resource use.

“Selling their services to find oil faster, recover more oil, and reduce the cost per barrel…This is sabotaging the economics of a just energy transition… Without these tools, renewables would be winning, and fossil fuels would be struggling to survive; right now, they’re thriving,” said Holly Alpine, a former tech worker from Microsoft. 

Given Amazon’s influence and power over public policy, its decision to expand its AI data centers may inspire other corporations. Beyond that, this expansion can also affect local communities near these data centers by changing how safe their environment is. 

Alan Palm, the executive director at the Better Future Project, an organization that drives climate change action and goes against the fossil fuel industry, believes “they have gas-powered turbines that put toxic pollution into the air and cause respiratory illnesses for people, and they’re also noisy and cause other things that really degrade people’s quality of life – in addition to their impacts on water availability and electricity prices.”

The expansion of these data centers hasn’t been well received by climate change activists and the general public because of their potential harm. However, these centers could pose fewer risks under certain circumstances. “If you want to build data centers, they should be built in places where the community benefits. They should be powered with renewable energy, so that they don’t contribute to air pollution,” said Palm.

As Amazon moves forward with its AI ambitions, environmental advocates continue to question what those plans could mean for communities and the climate.

City Parks Foundation’s cleanup event at Bensonhurst Park on Wednesday brought out local volunteers, but one says the refurbished park still “could use all the help it can get,”  

The September 23 cleanup attracted a small group of neighborhood residents. Senior Community Engagement Coordinator Karley Chamblee did not attend due to other foundation events held that day in Brooklyn.

City Parks Foundation, otherwise known as CPF, is a program built upon improving NYC Parks. It hosts sporting events, art shows, and educational programs. The foundation’s goal is to create an accessible and safe park for each community. The programs CPF provides are located in more than 330 parks, recreation centers, and public schools across New York City. 

Bensonhurst Park is a 17.5 acre park on Cropsey Avenue between Bay Parkway and 21st Avenue. The park contains baseball fields, basketball and handball courts, fitness equipment, playground and sprinkler system. It’s close to P.S. 101, Joseph B Cavallaro Middle School, Saint Peter Catholic Academy and other schools.  

The park has undergone drastic transformation over the past five years. Then-Councilmember Justin Brannan announced a massive renovation project in 2019. According to the Brooklyn Paper, then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Councilmembers Brannan and Mark Treger raised $7.86 million in funding for the renovations. 

The park’s initial repairs included  replacing outdated and worn out benches, repaving walk-through areas, sprinkler system equipment and improving playground equipment. It was completed in January of 2021. 

Long time Bensonhurst resident John Silas has been volunteering at the park since before there were any organizations to do so. He found “It’s My Park” through an Instagram post of a volunteer. Silas cleans up garbage and gardens whenever needed. 

“I’ve been living in this neighborhood for 43 years and have been going to this park forever,” Silas said. “It’s the least I could do.”

Silas said there the park had a distinctive character but knew it was inevitable given the park’s poor condition. “I used to really like the way the park used to look, but now it kind of looks like any other park,” Silas said. “But change is good. The park is better for it.”

There are problems still within the park. Caesar, who chose not to give his last name, is another volunteer and parkgoer. He said the bathroom has been a real issue. He claimed that the bathroom re-opened with the renovations and it satisfied the park’s needs. It closed due to plumbing and cleanliness issues. It remained closed for months and recently re-opened.

“If a park is open and the bathroom doesn’t work, how does that make sense?” Ceasar said

Ceasar also mentioned that security has increased but does not prevent people from drinking and doing drugs in the park. “This place is a playground and there are still people who think of it as a partyhouse,” Caesar said. “It’s just not safe for people and families.”

Climate Week is in full swing in New York City (NYC), and Sustaining All Life (SAL), a partner grassroots organization of Re-evaluation Counseling (RC), is taking a different approach to helping to solve the climate crisis. The two groups led a workshop on Sept. 22 at Berkeley College in midtown to offer tools and resources to activists to avoid burnout and make connections between the challenges of fighting racism and combating climate change.

“I think we all see [racism and the climate emergency] sort of passively, but sometimes you need to shine a light on it,” said Dyresha Harris, a volunteer delegate who helped lead the workshop. “One thing I haven’t really seen outside of [SAL] is a tool and a space to unlearn the things that we’ve learned that get in the way of our activism, and get in the way of us working well together.” 

SAL focuses on providing emotional regulation and conflict tools to interested individuals and groups alike to unite them in their fight against the climate crisis, and support activists, new and seasoned alike. They utilize these connections to create an activism “network” and allow each activist to help in their own way.

“We want people to think for themselves what they think makes the most sense, and go out in the world and do it, and use us as your support base,” said Diane Shisk, a founding member of SAL.

SAL and UER provide these tools to ensure all solutions made by the movement are strong and inclusive of those it affects. Harris warns that any weakness threatens a proposed solution, either “festering” on its own or “can be leveraged or manipulated by people” opposed to the solutions. 

During the meeting, the organizations led multiple “listening exchanges,” a tool used since RC’s founding in the 1950s, to combat emotional burnout and conflicts. Listening exchanges involve giving each participant equal, uninterrupted time to express their feelings about any given topic without criticism, comment, or judgment from the others. 

While conversation about internalized racism is commonplace, the lack of conversation as to how to approach and solve the problem is a point of concern for Harris. 

The workshops and tools, given by SAL and UER, provide the solution lacking from these conversations, “other than just noticing [internalized racism] and feeling bad about it,” according to Harris.  

The workshop focused on building interpersonal skills and teaching methods to boost unification with those one might not necessarily agree with. Apathy is a “dangerous” part of the climate change conversation, according to Harris.  

“Because we are actually connected, we‘re on one planet, so the more we stop caring about any group of people, and what happens to them, the more it spreads,” said Harris. 

Racism and division stick with people long after the event happens, with the message internalizing in the person, according to Hoa-Li Tai, a volunteer delegate for SAL and UER. 

Closing the gaps between people is critical to advance their activism, according to Tai.

“The ability to heal out hurts is what’s gonna allow us to build that mass movement of diverse peoples we need to build [despite] all the divisions there are currently in the country,” said Tai. 

While SAL, RC, and UER do not have a solely political agenda as a support network, Tai believes the next step is uniting the people to pressure global political leadership to take action on solutions already envisioned by scientists and environmentalists. 

“This might be the biggest human project ever.  […] We know how to [solve the climate crisis],” said Tai. “So, what’s really missing is the political will.”

   The support given by SAL, RC, and UER is at a critical time, according to SAL member Shisk. 

   “We encourage people to be both involved in this movement of emotional support, which we think is important, and some movement in the world,” said Shisk. “Because we think if we don’t change the world, we’re not gonna have it forever.”