Tag Archives: NYC Council

The New York Daily News reports: He may be a misogynist, but he’s no snitch. Bronx Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. interrupted a mandatory City Council sensitivity session on Wednesday by loudly vowing never to report sexual harassment, lest he be a “rat,” several lawmakers in attendance told the Daily News. “He just started screaming and shouting out: ‘So we’re supposed …

The New York Times reports: Most employers in New York City would no longer be able to force job applicants to take drug tests for marijuana use, under a bill overwhelmingly approved this week by the City Council. If the drug-screening law is enacted, it would put New York in relatively uncharted territory. Several drug policy and employment experts said …

Patch reports: The city councilman who recently drew fire for his inflammatory remarks about gay people says he will run for Congress to give conservatives and moderates a voice in Washington. Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. said he will run to replace U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, who is not seeking re-election in 2020. The Bronx Democrat — who drew widespread criticism …

The New York Post reports: Council Speaker Corey Johnson said Monday that Bronx Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. should step down for making an inflammatory remark about the gay community. “I think he should resign. It’s not up to me, but I think what he said is totally unacceptable,” Johnson said during a press briefing in Albany, where he testified on …

NY 1 reports: Rubén Díaz Sr. says he faced rejection from his colleagues the moment he got to the City Council last year because “over there, everybody is controlled by the homosexual community.” “When I get to the City Council, I find that the City Council is controlled — most council members out of 51 council members — over there, …

The New York Daily News reports: The City Council voted Wednesday to stop issuing new licenses for most for-hire vehicles for a year in an effort to regulate e-hail apps like Uber, Lyft and Via, whose rapid growth has thrown the city’s taxi industry into chaos. “This is about supporting and uplifting drivers, making sure they are paid enough to …

The New York Times reports: New York City officials are moving to cap the number of vehicles driving for Uber and other ride-hailing services as part of an aggressive move to address mounting concerns that their explosive growth has led to worsening congestion and low driver wages. The legislation being considered by the City Council would make New York the …

Bloomberg reports: Last week, Airbnb Inc. was dealt one of its biggest blows in the company’s 10-year history. New York City council members voted to require the home-rental company to hand over the names and addresses of its hosts in the city. The officials have said they need the information to police Airbnb hosts that operate illegally and drive up …

The New York Daily News reports: A Brooklyn city lawmaker is sponsoring sex-segregated beach days to give his Jewish and Muslim constituents an opportunity to enjoy the seaside. City Councilman Chaim Deutsch announced the first ever “Southern Brooklyn Beach Day,” with separate dates for men and women by the sandy spot behind Kingsborough Community College. Deutsch, who is an observant …

The New York Daily News reports: Suck on this — plastic drinking straws could be banned in New York. Businesses in the city would be barred from using disposable plastic straws under a bill set to be introduced Wednesday in the City Council. Plastic coffee stirrers would be forbidden, too. Restaurants and take out spots would either have to forgo …

Courthouse News reports: Targeting one culprit in the panoply of noxious street odors, a Queens Democrat asked the New York City Council on Thursday to ban smoking while walking. “In a perfect world, every smoker would have the self-awareness to realize that smoking and walking down a crowded sidewalk subjects everyone behind you to breathing in the fumes,” City Councilman …

The New York Daily News reports: Corey Johnson was elected City Council speaker in an overwhelming vote Wednesday, capping months of maneuvering that will make him the city’s second-most-powerful elected official. Johnson — a Manhattan Democrat who is gay and HIV positive — was chosen in a 48-1 vote. Councilwoman Inez Barron, who mounted her own last-minute bid for speaker …

The New York Daily News reports: Mayor de Blasio gave his blessing Thursday to a deal that is likely to make Councilman Corey Johnson the next City Council speaker. Johnson, a Manhattan Democrat, sewed up the backing Wednesday of the Queens and Bronx county Democratic leaders, who brought with them support from enough Council members to give him the win. …

The New York Post reports: For an anti-Semite, this guy’s got tons of chutzpah. A two-bit political gadfly named Thomas Lopez-Pierre has been running for City Council on an outrageous platform that calls for stopping “greedy Jewish landlords” from committing “ethnic cleansing” against blacks. His low-rent hatemongering seemed designed to get as much negative attention as possible. And it did …

Last week homocon Chris Barron, co-founder of the defunct GOProud, launched “LGBT For Trump” despite have once denounced Trump as a “sociopath.” Last night openly gay New York City Councilman Corey Johnson pointed out that pesky fact in a heated exchange on CNN. Barron responded, “Hillary Clinton is a bigger sociopath than Donald Trump will ever be.” Seriously. Watch below. …

Gothamist reports: New York City will impose a five cent fee on plastic and paper shopping bags starting October 1, following a contentious City Council vote Thursday afternoon. The Council voted 28-20 in favor of the legislation, which also has the support of Mayor de Blasio. The bill won’t be actively enforced until April 2017. “There is going to be …

Via DNA Info: City councilmembers are pushing ahead with their fight to end noisy tourist helicopter rides, introducing a bill Thursday that would ban the sightseeing flights in New York City. Several councilmembers including Margaret Chin, who represents Lower Manhattan, as well as the Upper West Side’s Helen Rosenthal, and Brooklyn’s Carlos Menchacha, proposed the legislation, which would squash the …

Posted yesterday to the Facebook page for the boycott of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass: STATEMENT – LGBT CAUCUS – NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL “Owning businesses that cater to the LGBT community comes with a heightened level of responsibility. For the proprietors of the OUTnyc and Fire Island Pines, hosting anti-LGBT politicians like Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson …

The New York City Council is contemplating decriminalizing the six petty offenses listed above in a poll by the Wall Street Journal. New York City Council’s speaker and lawmakers are discussing amending the city’s code to make six low-level offenses civil violations, rather than criminal offenses. However, the plan to decriminalize these low-level violations has sparked intense debate among state …

Andres Duque writes at YouTube: In a 30 minute video posted on January of 2014 New York City pastor and Councilmember Fernando Cabrera addressed viewers from Uganda and praised their draconian anti-gay laws for lowering HIV transmission. He also said the United States should have an “department of ethics” such as the one that launched the extreme attacks against the …