Council Member Rivera, one of the co-authors, at a CLT rally (photo: John McCarten/NYC Council)

In the midst of a persistent housing crisis, there are tens of thousands of rent-stabilized apartment units sitting vacant across New York City, as speculators and unscrupulous landlords contribute to scarcity and a lack of affordability. 

In March 2021, The Real Deal reported that landlords had removed over 1,800 apartment listings in Manhattan alone, a number three times higher than in February 2020, and that they were

May 25 rally for Open Culture (photo: Edward Amador/Office of Council Member Carlina Rivera) 

Under legislation passed in May by the New York City Council, the city’s pandemic-era Open Culture program, which allows arts and culture institutions to host events in public outdoor spaces throughout the city, will be renewed and made permanent. The bill,

Rendering of the lobby of Civic Hall @ Union Square (via Civic Hall website)

Zero Irving, at times referred to as the Union Square Tech Hub, is set to fully open later this year after construction lagged amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Built on a city-owned site that for years housed a PC Richards on East 14th Street in Manhattan, the tech hub was originally proposed as part of then-Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2017 “New York Works” plan, aimed at creating 100,000 jobs by

Outreach in the subways (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

Every day on the Lower East Side and throughout the city, teams of dedicated, trained outreach workers walk the streets, searching out folks who seem like they may need a helping hand.

Perhaps the people they meet are unhoused and would benefit from a hot meal, fresh clothes, or a medical check-up. Maybe they display signs of mental health issues but don’t know how or ...

NYC Greenway

New York City’s greenways are getting another lift. Greenways, paths for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles exclusively, are viewed by supporters as boons for safe, environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional transportation and opportunities for quality-of-life-boosting recreation.

Advocates stress that building these pathways, ideally in an expansive and connected network, has several benefits. Those include reducing car use and pressure on mass transit, offering venues for outdoor exercise, and creating green spaces that line the thoroughfares and prevent flooding and even

NYCHA recovery and resiliency (photo: NYCHA)

Growing up in Section 8 housing on the Lower East Side in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I saw how large an impact the city’s infrastructure investments could have. From the restoration of Hamilton Fish pool across the street from my apartment that gave us a place to cool off in the summer, to the major renovation of the Williamsburg Bridge that made it easier for us to visit our relatives in Brooklyn, to the much-needed renovations at Bellevue Hospital that improved the quality of healthcare for our neighborhood.

...

Voters on the move (photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photo Office)

There are less than three weeks until primary day, August 23, and the deadline for voters to request an absentee ballot is Monday, August 8. In New York’s 10th and 12th congressional districts, where there are heated Democratic primary contests underway, absentee ballots may play a particularly significant role under the peculiar circumstances of the election.

“Absentee ballot organizing is likely to be the single most important factor in determining the winner of these races,” Neal Kwatra, founder of Metropolitan Public

Carlina Rivera (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

Max Politics Podcast: Carlina Rivera Runs for Congress in the New NY-10

Recorded June 1, 2022

Listen to the audio here, or at Max Politics wherever you get podcasts.

Democratic primary day: August 23, 2022

District: Lower Manhattan & parts of Brooklyn (...

Candidates Niou, Rivera, Simon at Tuesday's forum (photo: The Cooper Union/Marget Long)

Several Democratic candidates running to represent New York’s new 10th congressional district answered questions related to climate and sustainability challenges facing the district and New York City during a forum held at The Great Hall in Cooper Union Tuesday evening. Such issues are especially relevant in the district given that much of it is along the waterfront, whether its Manhattan or Brooklyn side.

The panel, hosted by the New York League of

5 of the NY-10 candidates at Monday's forum (photo: Ben Max)

Nine Democratic candidates running inthe crowded race to represent New York’s new 10th congressional district appeared before several Brooklyn politics clubs on Monday evening, answering questions about pressing issues in the district, their policy platforms, and more.

The forum —

City Council Member Carlina Rivera (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

City Council Member Carlina Rivera is running for Congress in New York’s newly-drawn 10th congressional district, jumping into what is looking like a crowded August Democratic primary that is all but certain to determine who winds up with the seat in the heavily-Democratic district spanning parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Rivera, who was raised on the Lower East Side and represents that neighborhood and others in City Council District 2 in Manhattan, announced her congressional candidacy June 1 and ...

Carlina Rivera with constituents (photo: William Alatriste/City Council)

If you grew up on the Lower East Side during the ‘80s, ‘90s, or 2000s you probably remember Lucky Variety Store. Run by a Chinese family from the neighborhood, Lucky was beloved by local kids, selling backpacks, stickers, costumes, and custom nameplate belt buckles (not to mention throwing stars). When Lucky closed in 2010, a common response was “There goes the neighborhood.” 

Many neighborhoods around the city have a version of this story from the last few

Bill de Blasio, Yuh-Line Niou, Carlina Rivera, Jo Anne Simon, Mondaire Jones, Daniel S Goldman, Elizabeth Holtzman, Maud Maron

More than a dozen New York City Democrats are vying to represent the newly redrawn 10th congressional district, which will span much of Lower Manhattan and a large swathe of Brooklyn. The candidate who wins the August primary is expected to win the general election in November given the district is heavily Democratic.

The reconfigured New York congressional map, approved by a New York Supreme Court judge last month, has shifted district boundaries and political aspirations. Given

Carlina Rivera (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

June 1, 2022 - Max Politics Podcast: Carlina Rivera on Running for Congress in the New NY-10

City Council Member Carlina Rivera, a Manhattan Democrat, joined the show to discuss the launch of her campaign for Congress in the new 10th Congressional District of New York. Rivera discussed her vision for representing the district that now includes much of Downtown Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, her priority issues, and what separates her from the rest of the crowded

City Council Member Adrienne Adams, the likely next Speaker of the Council (photo: Emil Cohen/City Council)

City Council Member Adrienne Adams, a Democrat from Southeastern Queens, is poised to become the next Speaker of the City Council. Adams, who has represented District 28 since 2018, will be the first-ever Black Speaker of the 51-member legislative body and will lead the first-ever women-majority New York City Council.

The Speaker is one of only four elected officials with citywide authority besides the Mayor, Public

Council Member Adrienne Adams (photo: Gerardo Romo/City Council)

In response to an effort by allies of Mayor-elect Eric Adams to install City Council Member Francisco Moya as the next Council Speaker, a coalition is forming behind Council Member Adrienne Adams to win the legislative leadership post, several sources with direct knowledge have told Gotham Gazette.

The movement behind Adrienne Adams is being led by powerful labor unions that have been allied with the mayor-elect but were among many interested parties taken aback by the push to anoint

(l-r) Top: Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer; Bottom: Francisco Moya, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera

The seven candidates to be the next City Council Speaker, all Democrats, have in recent months joined the Max Politics podcast from Gotham Gazette, discussing their government work and Speaker campaigns with host Ben Max. The candidates — Adrienne Adams, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Gale Brewer, Francisco Moya, Keith Powers, and

Council Member Carlina Rivera, front, with Council Speaker Corey Johnson (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

“We have these populations of New York City that just alarmingly have not been vaccinated,” said City Council Member Carlina Rivera, a few days after co-chairing a recent Council oversight hearing on vaccine hesitancy and equity. “Like you can look at New Yorkers who are aged 85 years and older — they have the lowest vaccination rate of all age groups, there's only 58% of them that are fully vaccinated. These are some of our most vulnerable in

Allie Ryan, top left, and Juan Pagan, with moderator Ben Max

Two candidates for City Council District 2 in Manhattan met for a general election debate hosted by Manhattan Neighborhood Network and moderated by Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max. Allie Ryan is on the Neighborhood ballot line and Juan Pagan on the Independent ballot line. Democratic Party nominee and incumbent Council Member Carlina Rivera declined to participate in the debate. Watch:

City Council Member Carlina Rivera (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

October 1, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: City Council Member Carlina Rivera on Hospitals Oversight & More

City Council Member Carlina Rivera, a Manhattan Democrat who chairs the Council's Committee on Hospitals, joined the show to discuss two recent hearings she chaired, including one on the city's covid vaccine program, her upcoming legislative priorities, her bid to become the next City Council Speaker, and more.

Listen to the

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Health Chair Mark Levine (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

After weeks of flagging covid vaccine rates, ongoing racial disparities among the vaccinated, and the troubling spread of the Delta variant, Mayor Bill de Blasio is taking his first steps to impose more coercive vaccine policies in New York City. The mayor announced on Monday an upcoming mandate for all city workers to be vaccinated or subject to weekly covid testing, while encouraging private sector actors to institute their own

A celebration of women heading to City Hall (photo: @21in21NYC)

Triumphant speeches and words of solidarity filled the air at City Hall Park on Tuesday morning. A historic expected majority of women likely to fill City Council seats in January gathered at a press conference, pledging to bring a culture of mutual support and a commitment to underrepresented constituents to the legislative body. They were joined by current and former elected officials, advocates, and others who had been part of the yearslong effort to bring the 51-seat Council, where there are

(l-r) Council Members Keith Powers, Adrienne Adams, Justin Brannan, Carlina Rivera

The New York City Council is set for seismic change, as new members will be elected to more than two-thirds of the 51 seats this year. With those new members will come the election of a new Council speaker to preside over the legislative body and exert control of its agenda, and four Democrats are already vying for the powerful position.

Council Member Justin Brannan from Brooklyn, Council Members Carlina Rivera and Keith Powers from Manhattan, and Council Member Adrienne Adams of

Democratic primary debate in City Council District 2

City Council Member Carlina Rivera, a Democrat representing District 2, which covers parts of Manhattan such as the East Village and Lower East Side, is being challenged in her reelection bid by activist Erin Hussein, with the two running in the June Democratic primary. Rivera and Hussein met by Zoom for a debate hosted by Manhattan Neighborhood Network and moderated by Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max. Watch:

Lincoln Hospital staff (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

As public health officials eye a second major swell of COVID-19 infections and an increase in hospitalizations, New York's hospital systems have begun to brace for another flood of patients. The state has even opened a field hospital on Staten Island in response to rising numbers, a dismal reminder of the devastation of the spring.

In the months since the height of the pandemic in the spring, New York's health care institutions have been making preparations to try to avoid the same chaos and