New Yorkers For Parks - Working for the future!✨

 

Last fall, our Daffodil Project and Pollinator Project distributed hundreds of thousands of bulbs and seeds – and along with them, the message that the City must invest in clean, green, safe parks..

This spring, our flowers are blooming – and with our Play Fair Coalition partners, we're fighting for key investments in the FY26 Parks Department budget that will make parks safe and clean, and improve the quality of life of every New Yorker.

We won't stop there. With #PlayFair, we are making parks and open spaces a top priority in the Mayor’s race, to build accountability and set the parks agenda going forward. On April 8, six Democratic candidates participated in our Mayoral Forum on Parks and pledged their commitment to safe, accessible parks. And our Open Space Solutions series is elevating community-driven proposals to expand and improve open spaces in neighborhoods around the city.

We need your help to do this work. Be a Parks Champion! Your gift today will help us continue to drive badly-needed resources to New York City’s parks and open spaces.

Give Today!

Thank you!

Adam Ganser, Executive Director  and the NY4P team

Governor Hochul Announces Expanded Access to Affordable Education for Veterans

New Enhancements to New York State Veterans Tuition Awards Program Broaden Eligibility and Flexibility, Empowering Veterans To Pursue Brighter Futures

In honor of Memorial Day, Governor Kathy Hochul announced key enhancements to the New York State Veterans Tuition Award that expand access to college financial aid for more veterans. This expansion now allows veterans who served at least four years on active-duty to qualify for full-tuition awards, even if they did not serve in combat or a specific combat theater. Prior to this historic expansion, only veterans who served in combat or a specific combat theater were eligible to receive the Veterans Tuition Award. These changes take effect on July 1, 2025. The changes underscore Governor Hochul’s ongoing commitment to support veterans, active-duty service members, and their families by ensuring access to the tools they need to achieve a brighter future.

“Memorial Day is a sacred day to honor America’s courageous heroes who gave everything in defense of our freedoms. When we reflect on the magnitude of their sacrifices, we are also reminded of the need to take meaningful action to honor all who served,” Governor Hochul said. “New York State is proud to expand access to the Veterans Tuition Award program, ensuring that those who served our country have the tools they need to succeed in building a brighter future for themselves and their families. This initiative reflects our steadfast commitment to supporting veterans with opportunities for higher education and career success.”

Expansion of the Veterans Tuition Award

The Veterans Tuition Award, administered by the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation, provides eligible veterans with up to the full cost of SUNY undergraduate tuition at approved colleges and vocational training programs across New York State. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the program will now serve even more veterans by broadening eligibility and increasing flexibility.

Program Highlights Include:

• Broadened Eligibility: Veterans with a minimum of four years of active-duty service or those who served in combat or the combat theaters of Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, or Afghanistan, and were honorably discharged can now qualify.
• Flexibility for Full-and Part-Time Studies: Veterans pursuing either full- or part-time education can now benefit, providing greater flexibility.
• Coordinated Benefits: Veterans can maximize federal financial aid and GI Bill benefits and state support, as awards are not reduced by Montgomery GI Bill benefits or Pell Grants.
• Year-Round Applications: Applications accepted year-round, offering greater flexibility for veterans planning their education.

For more information or to apply, visit the VTA website.

Additional Opportunities for Veterans and Their Families

New York’s commitment to veterans and military families extends further with robust educational and financial support programs, including:

• Military Enhanced Recognition Incentive and Tribute (MERIT) Scholarship – Provides scholarships for tuition, fees, and room and board for dependents of New York State residents who were severely disabled or lost their lives during military service.
• Regents Awards for Children of Deceased and Disabled Veterans – Provides annual awards to eligible undergraduate students whose parents served during wartime and suffered severe disabilities or death.
• Veterans Education (Vet Ed) – Supports approved education and training programs for GI Bill® use, ensuring eligible beneficiaries can maximize their federal education benefits.

For more information about the Veteran’s Tuition Award and other New York State financial aid programs, visit hesc.ny.gov.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Acts to Sustain Support for Statewide Transition to Cleaner Vehicles

 

Following Federal Actions, State Issues Updated Enforcement Discretion to Counter Legal Uncertainty for Manufacturers

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took action to help provide much-needed certainty to manufacturers following unprecedented federal actions that challenge implementation of clean vehicle requirements.

“The poor precedent set this week by some members of Congress compounds the Trump administration’s efforts to strip away New York’s legal right to implement environmental laws and initiatives that protect air quality and help safeguard communities from pollution,” DEC Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “New York strongly believes in the importance of states’ authority under the Clean Air Act and, more specifically, clean vehicle programs that continue to be supported by consumers. Despite the Senate’s vote to revoke the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s order granting California’s waiver and with it the authority of New York and other states to act in the best interests of residents, New York will continue supporting the transition to electric vehicles. 

“Car and truck manufacturers need certainty amidst the recent supply chain and other production challenges driven by the instability of recent federal policies and pronouncements. DEC is issuing additional enforcement discretion to help promote ongoing clean vehicle sales and ensure that we have a workable program. We will also continue collaborating with other states, car and truck manufacturers, labor, and other partners through the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition and other initiatives that invest in charging infrastructure and increase use of electric cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles across all sectors of New York’s economy. We will continue to show the leadership necessary to promote market stability, economic certainty, and prevent pollution – leadership that is lacking at the federal level,” Acting Commissioner Lefton continued.

Amidst uncertainties stemming from federal actions, New York State issued enforcement discretions that ease manufacturers’ near-term compliance with the State’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) and Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) requirements. The enforcement discretion aims to provide clarity to consumers while working to keep New York on track to achieve its clean transportation goals and the many health and environmental benefits communities will see from the increased deployment of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and reducing pollution.

To sustain New York State’s progress, DEC’s enforcement discretion actions for ACT and ACC II will pause penalties associated with any shortfalls of ZEV sales during the first two years of implementation of each program – for ACT model years 2025 and 2026, and for ACC II model years 2026 and 2027. 

To sustain New York State’s progress in the transition to cleaner vehicles and making sure consumers have the ability to purchase EVs, enforcement discretion for ACT and ACCII will be provided to manufacturers that show good faith efforts in working toward the sales requirements. This will include keeping records of vehicle sales and reporting vehicle supply conditions, and discourage the practice of ‘ratio-ing’ internal combustion engine vehicles for EVs to dealerships, which has caused hardships among car and truck dealers.

The enforcement discretions are the latest step in helping promote the ongoing adoption of electric vehicles in New York State. Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul joined 10 other states as part of the U.S. Climate Alliance’s launch of the Affordable Clean Cars Coalition (ACCC). The initiative was launched by a group of governors whose states have chosen to use their authority under the Clean Air Act to adopt and implement clean vehicle programs.  

ACCC will sustain America’s transition to cleaner and more affordable cars, support U.S. automotive manufacturers and workers, and preserve states’ clean air authority. Alongside the launch, the Alliance announced the availability of resources to help states tackle vehicle pollution and lower barriers for consumers to more affordably own, drive, charge, and maintain cleaner cars. For more information, visit the U.S. Climate Alliance website. 

State Investments in Electric Vehicles 

To date, New York State’s nearly $3 billion investment in electrifying its transportation sector has supported a range of initiatives aimed to increase access to EVs and charging while improving air quality and health outcomes for all New Yorkers. These programs include EV Make Ready, EVolve NY, Charge Ready NY 2.0, the Drive Clean Rebate, the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, the New York School Bus Incentive Program, the Direct Current Fast Charger program, and the Municipal ZEV and ZEV Infrastructure grant programs.  

New York is also incentivizing new ZEV purchases, and last month, Governor Hochul announced $30 million is now available for consumers to lease or purchase new EVs in New York through the State’s Drive Clean Rebate program, which provides point-of-sale rebates for more than 60 new EV models. This program has issued more than 190,000 rebates to consumers since 2017, contributing to the more than 280,000 EVs on the road statewide.

Release of Body Worn Camera Footage from an Officer Involved Shooting that Occurred on April 29, 2025 in the confines of the 69th Precinct

The NYPD is releasing body-worn camera footage from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on April 29, 2025, in the confines of the 69th Precinct.

The video includes available evidence leading up to the incident as well as during the incident. The NYPD is releasing this video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident.

All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras, which provide transparency into police activity and serve as an independent account of interactions between the NYPD and the citizens they serve. 

You can find the video here 

Five Individuals Indicted in Insider Trading Scheme

 

Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.

According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.

“The defendants were charged for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”

“Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.

“This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”

In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.

Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy. 

Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

New Audit: Comptroller Finds Over a Third of Eligible Mental Health Calls Did Not Get a B-HEARD Team Response for Untracked Reasons

 

Comptroller Lander re-ups “Safer for All” plan to overhaul 911 so every mental health call is met with an EMS, peer, or mental health professional triage

In a new audit, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander exposed that tens of thousands of mental health calls were never routed to the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) pilot program, as they were supposed to be. Rather than sending police officers to a scene with an emotional distressed person without weapons or imminent risk of harm, B-HEARD is a program designed to better connect individuals in crisis to mental health services: a Health and Hospitals (H+H) mental health professional alongside two Fire Department of New York (FDNY) paramedics. In Fiscal Years 2022-2024, 911 assessed 37,113 calls as eligible for a B-HEARD response. Of these calls, 13,042 calls deemed eligible for B-HEARD (35%) failed to receive program services, with no reason provided. In addition, B-HEARD was not dispatched to 14,200 eligible calls that came in overnight between 1 a.m. to 9 a.m.  

“Tens of thousands of New Yorkers experiencing mental health crises needed help that the Adams Administration promised to provide, but failed to deliver,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Despite claiming this was a public safety priority, the Adams Administration consistently failed to connect B-HEARD teams to people in crisis or track the program’s outcomes. Without better management, capacity, and rigorous evaluation, New York City’s public safety will remain off track, endangering the lives of people in crisis, officers, families, and neighborhoods.” 

Launched in 2021, B-HEARD is a “heath-centered” response designed to respond to 911 mental health calls with two FDNY EMTs and a H+H mental health professional to reduce use of police resources, increase connection to community-based care, and reduce unnecessary transport to hospitals, for individuals with no imminent risk of harm to self or known weapons involved, with the goal to route these calls to a B-HEARD team. B-HEARD teams currently operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. in certain parts of Manhattan, the Bronx, South Brooklyn and Western Queens, covering a total of 31-of-78 police precincts, including subway stations. 

Of the 96,291 mental health calls from within the pilot areas and hours of operation between FY22-24, 59,178 calls (over 60%) were considered “ineligible” for a B-HEARD response because calls were considered potentially dangerous, were ineligible because a mental health professional was already at the scene, or were unable to be triaged because FDNY EMS did not take the call or all necessary information could not be collected about the person in distress. Some calls deemed ineligible for B-HEARD might have been eligible calls. Of the remaining 37,113 calls assessed as eligible for a B-HEARD response, 24,071 (65%) resulted in 911 dispatching a B-HEARD team, but over 13,000 calls did not result in a dispatched B-HEARD team. In addition, 14,200 eligible calls came in outside the program’s hours of operation. While participants rated their experience highly when asked, the audit found a troubling lack of data collection and performance measurement records—creating critical barriers to assessing the effectiveness of the pilot program in both the short- and long-term. 

Other findings: 

1. During FY22, only 55% of the calls that B-HEARD teams responded to resulted in a mental health assessment of the patient, then decreased to 31% in FY23 and 25% in FY24. 

1. During FY24, B-HEARD made contact with patients during just 50% of the calls B-HEARD teams attended. The decreasing assessments show B-HEARD is not meeting one of their program standards. Program administrators attributed the infrequency of contact to the fact that patients leave the scene or refuse contact. But administrators did not track this data and therefore the Comptroller’s Office cannot confirm. 

1. Despite the program goal of limiting unnecessary transports to hospitals, the auditors’ review of data published by the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) found a decline in the percentage of patients transported to community based care—from 10% between July 1 and December 31, 2022 to 6% between January 1 and June 30, 2023—and an 8% increase in the number of people taken instead to a hospital over the same period. 

In January, Comptroller Lander released Safer For All: A Plan to End Street Homelessness for People with Serious Mental Illness in NYC, an in-depth look at the crisis of people with serious mental illness cycling between the city’s streets, subways, hospitals, and jails—including the B-HEARD program. The Comptroller re-upped calls to rethink the City’s mental health crisis response framework, incorporating best practices from the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon. Operating 24/7 for over 30 years until last month, CAHOOTS provided a citywide response to mental health crises, handling 100% of 911 calls related to mental health with police joining the response team in cases where individuals present an immediate danger (which comprise less than 1% of cases in Oregon). CAHOOTS focused heavily on serving vulnerable populations with approximately 60% of its calls involving unhoused individuals and 30% addressing serious mental illnesses. Unlike B-HEARD, CAHOOTS was the default response, deploying civilian crisis workers, such as mental health practitioners and EMTs in every case, and limiting a police co-response to situations that involve a weapon or imminent threat. This approach significantly increased the likelihood that individuals will be connected with mental health services and reduced the likelihood of law enforcement escalation during mental health crises, saving the local government an average of $8.5 million each year. 

The Comptroller also backed advocates’ calls for a baseline allocation of $4.5 million to improve compensation and resourcing for Peer Specialists to increase the capacity and reach of the City’s mental health crisis response teams including the B-HEARD staff. Today’s audit findings underscore the calls from advocates to properly staff and resource the B-HEARD program to address the critical gap in the mental health professional staffing. 

Read the full audit here: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit-of-the-behavioral-health-emergency-assistance-response-divisions-effectiveness-in-responding-to-individuals-with-mental-health-crises-and-meeting-its-goals/