NYC Council’s Economic Forecast Projects $3.4 Billion More in Tax Revenue for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027 Compared to Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget

 

City anticipated to see moderately increased revenues, despite continued uncertainty and challenges from tariffs and federal policy decisions

Today, the New York City Council released its December 2025 Economic and Tax Revenue Forecast, which projects the City’s economy will remain resilient and lead to a slightly improved tax revenue outlook, despite uncertainty and challenges stemming from federal economic and tariff policies. It estimates $3.4 billion in greater tax revenues for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026 and 2027 than the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) indicated in its November 2025 Financial Plan. The differences in projections are mainly driven by stronger than expected personal income, as well as a more comprehensive reforecast of taxes than OMB. The City’s tax revenue growth rate is projected to remain moderate at an average of 3.4% annually from FY26 to FY29, compared to the 5.5% average annual tax revenue growth experienced over the decade of FY10 to FY19.

The full economic forecast report can be found here.

“The Council’s latest economic and tax revenue forecast projects continued positive growth despite Trump’s reckless policies, with $3.4 billion more in expected tax revenue than OMB’s November Plan for the next two fiscal years,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan.“The national and city economies remain resilient, which means our city will continue to have the necessary resources to invest in essential services to meet the needs of all New Yorkers. The next Mayor and Council will have what is needed for continued targeted investments to make our city more affordable while confronting the inequities facing our diverse communities. Protecting New Yorkers from threats that undermine our fiscal health and stability must also remain a top priority.”

Aided by the federal budget bill and the Federal Reserve’s policy interest rate reductions, the national economy overall is expected to grow. However, this economic growth will continue to be unevenly distributed, with consumer spending highly concentrated in higher income brackets, while lower-income households will continue to be constrained by the impact of tariffs and the rising cost of living.

Year-over-year, the city experienced 1.9% total employment growth, with lower-wage job sectors like home health care and social services continuing to be the main driver of job growth in the city. At the same time, the financial sector saw a 1.1% decline in employment growth, and the construction trades experienced the highest decline of 5.4% since last August. 

New York City’s real estate market is one of the key indicators of local economic health, and the market underpins over half of the City’s tax revenues. The city’s real estate landscape shows a resilient high-end commercial office market and a stable residential market, with recent sales momentum as mortgage rates gradually decline. Manhattan’s Class A leasing registered record year-to-date activity, while office vacancies continue to decrease slightly, from 22.7% to 22.1%, due to increasing office-to-residential conversions and a limited construction pipeline.

United States Department of Justice Transfers 14 Mexican Nationals with Drug or Firearm Convictions to Mexico Under International Prisoner Transfer Treaty

 

The United States Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, with support from the Department’s Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), transferred 14 Mexican nationals on Friday to Mexican authorities pursuant to the International Prisoner Transfer Treaty between the United States and Mexico. Each individual was serving a federal sentence in the United States for drug-distribution offenses, illegal firearms offenses, or both.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director Shane Salem of  BOP’s Correctional Programs Division made the announcement.

All 14 inmates requested transfer to their home country. Following approval by both governments, the inmates were transferred on Dec. 5 and will serve the remainder of their sentences in Mexico under the terms of the treaty.

These transfers were conducted through the congressionally authorized International Prisoner Transfer Program. The Criminal Division’s International Prisoner Transfer Unit (IPTU), housed in the Office of International Affairs, administers the program and coordinates all treaty-based transfers.  Through this program, eligible foreign nationals in federal and state custody may, under certain conditions, be transferred to their country of nationality to complete their sentences. The United States currently maintains 10 additional bilateral transfer agreements and two multilateral transfer conventions, providing treaty relationships with more than 85 countries.

The same treaties also permit American nationals incarcerated abroad to apply for transfer to the United States. On Dec. 9, three U.S. citizens convicted for controlled-substance trafficking were transferred to the United States. The remaining terms on their sentences range from 22 months to four and a half years.

To learn more about the International Prisoner Transfer Program, visit: https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-oia/iptu.

BRONX TEEN SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR KILLING INNOCENT BYSTANDER AND WOUNDING FOUR OTHERS IN SUBWAY

Defendant Was Also Sentenced for Prior Shooting that Wounded Teenage Boy 

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a 16-year-old Bronx boy was sentenced to 12 years to life in prison for second-degree Murder for killing an innocent bystander on a subway platform, and one to three years in prison for Attempted Murder for shooting a teen four weeks earlier. 

District Attorney Clark said, “This case is beyond tragic. The defendant was just 14 years old when he committed two shootings in less than a month. He engaged in a shootout in the subway, killing a man and wounding four people, including a woman who required reconstructive surgeries to her face. He also wounded another teenager in a shooting. This illustrates our community’s need to stem youth gun violence.” 

District Attorney Clark said Michael Baker, 16, was sentenced to 12 years to life in prison for second-degree Murder and one to three years in prison for Attempted Murder in the seconddegree by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Gayle Roberts. The sentences are to run concurrently. He pleaded guilty to those charges on October 20, 2025. 

In the first incident, according to the investigation, on January 15, 2024, at approximately 6:40 p.m., on the corner of Davidson Avenue and West Tremont Avenue, the defendant along with unapprehended individuals began shooting in the direction of young rivals. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the leg. 

On February 12, 2024, at approximately 4:35 p.m., at the Mount Eden subway station on the 4-train platform, the defendant engaged in a shootout with two people during rush hour. Four people coming home from work and school were shot, including Obed Beltran Sanchez, 35, who was fatally shot in the torso. A 28-year-old woman was shot in the face and required multiple reconstructive surgeries, a 14-year-old girl was shot in the foot, a 28-year-old man was shot in the arm, and a 71-year-old man was shot in the hand. The defendant was also shot in the left thigh and left ear. Evidence supports that the defendant fired the fatal shot at Beltran Sanchez. A total of 19 shell casings were recovered at the scene and are believed to have come from the defendant and other shooters.

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Mark Buono, Thomas Geberth and Jameson Masker of the 46th Precinct Detective Squad, and NYPD Detective Arelis Collazo of the Bronx Homicide Squad for their work on the investigation. 

Safer Streets: Governor Hochul Announces Shootings Down 60 Percent Since 2021

Lowest Number of Shootings for First 11 Months of The Year Since 2006

28 Communities Participating in GIVE Also Reported 81 Fewer Shooting Incidents With Injury and 142 Fewer People Shot From January to November 2025 vs. 2024

Double-Digit Decreases in Shooting Incidents With Injury in Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse During First 11 Months of 2025 vs. Last Year

Governor Hochul’s Doubling of Funding for Nationally Recognized State Initiative Has Contributed to Sustained Progress in Reducing Gun Violence

Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that shooting incidents with injury in the 28 communities that participate in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative have dropped 60 percent since she took office in 2021, with the lowest number of incidents with injury reported for the first 11 months of the year since the state began tracking this data in 2006. New statistics reported to the State Division of Criminal Justice Services by those police departments also show 81 fewer shootings and 142 fewer people shot from January to November 2025 as compared to the same time last year. Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse continue to lead the way with double-digit declines in gun violence. Governor Hochul’s investment of more than $3 billion in public safety — including doubling the annual funding to combat gun violence through GIVE and expanding the communities eligible for funding through the initiative — has contributed to these dramatic reductions in gun violence.

“When I came into office, gun violence was surging. Thanks to our record investments in public safety and law enforcement, we are seeing major progress in our ongoing mission to eradicate gun violence from our communities,” Governor Hochul said. “By partnering with more than two dozen police agencies, we are driving down gun crimes to record lows — and I remain laser focused on doing everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe.”

Governor Hochul announced record-low shooting data with local elected officials and law enforcement executives from the Albany Police Department, which experienced the largest reductions of any GIVE jurisdiction. Albany saw a 47 percent drop in shooting incidents with injury and a 44 percent decrease in shooting victims during the first 11 months of this year compared to 2024.

The 28 police departments participating in GIVE reported 477 shooting incidents with injury during January through November 2025, a 15 percent drop compared to the 558 incidents reported during the same period last year. The number of people shot decreased by 21 percent, 547 compared to 689, and there were 29 fewer gun violence-related deaths, 87 compared to 116, during the same time frame.

The GIVE initiative currently provides $36 million in State funding for equipment, overtime, and personnel, as well as comprehensive, focused training and technical assistance, to participating police departments and their county law enforcement partners: district attorneys’ offices, probation departments and sheriffs’ offices. These police departments are on the front lines of fighting gun violence outside of New York City and account for roughly 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms and 85 percent of all violent crime reported outside the five boroughs.

Governor Hochul also highlighted the work of the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center, one of 11 in a unique, statewide network supported by DCJS in partnership with local law enforcement agencies. The center, located at Albany Police Headquarters, is currently staffed by crime analysts, police and probation officers, and investigators from 10 local, state and county law enforcement agencies from across the region. Through October, the center had handled 13,198 requests for service that have allowed police and prosecutors to more effectively solve, reduce and prevent crime. The center serves agencies from 11 counties — Albany, Columbia, Greene, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga, Schoharie, Warren and Washington — and any agency upon request.

In addition to significant decreases in gun violence in Albany, Governor Hochul’s sustained investment in GIVE funding has contributed double-digit decreases in shooting incidents with injury in Buffalo (18 percent) and Syracuse (13 percent), during the first 11 months of this year compared to 2024. These police departments participating in GIVE also reported declines in shooting incidents with injury during the same timeframe:

• Village of Hempstead Police Department
• Mount Vernon Police Department
• Nassau County Police Department
• Niagara Falls Police Department
• Poughkeepsie Police Department
• Rochester Police Department
• Troy Police Department
• Utica Police Department

An interactive dashboard featuring current-year and historical data reported by each of the 28 police departments is available on the DCJS statistics page.

New York City also experienced notable declines. Through Dec. 7, the NYPD reporteda 23 percent decrease in shootings (662 vs. 862) and a 22 percent drop in shooting victims (823 vs. 1,048) compared to the same period in 2024.

Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced that she secured record-level funding for GIVE for the third consecutive year: $36.38 million, with $36 million awarded and the remainder reserved for emerging needs identified by participating agencies, which are required to use evidence-based strategies to drive down shootings and combat violent crime. See the breakdown of funding awarded to GIVE partners in 21 counties outside of New York City for the contract period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services provides critical support to all facets of the state’s criminal justice system, including, but not limited to: training law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals; overseeing a law enforcement accreditation program; ensuring Breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment used by local law enforcement operate correctly; managing criminal justice grant funding; analyzing statewide crime and program data; providing research support; overseeing county probation departments and alternatives to incarceration programs; and coordinating youth justice policy. Follow DCJS on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson - YOU'RE INVITED: Veterans & Family Toy Giveaway

 

Statement from NYGOP Chair Ed Cox on NY-11 Redistricting Litigation

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement:

“Attorneys for the State Board of Elections Commissioners, NY-11 citizen intervenors, and Representative Nicole Malliotakis have filed legal papers requesting the recusal of Acting Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Pearlman from presiding over litigation seeking to alter the boundaries of the 11th Congressional District.

“Acting Justice Pearlman has an over 20-year record as a close advisor to Governor Kathy Hochul and State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The request cites Pearlman’s legal representation of Stewart-Cousins in contested election cases and his role as a top aide and counsel to Kathy Hochul.

“Hochul and Stewart-Cousins have publicly stated their support for reopening

congressional redistricting despite these issues having been extensively litigated in 2022 and 2024. Now they have a close ally and appointee sitting as judge over this new and legally suspect case. After having failed to gerrymander congressional districts in 2022, Hochul and Democrats now try to rig the process by having a close political ally sitting over the case. The public should be outraged.”

Department of Justice Rule Restores Equal Protection for All in Civil Rights Enforcement

 

Today, the Justice Department issued a final rule updating its regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights of 1964. This rule ensures that our nation’s federal civil rights laws are firmly grounded in the principle of equal treatment under the law by eliminating disparate-impact liability from its Title VI regulations.

“For decades, the Justice Department has used disparate-impact liability to undermine the constitutional principle that all Americans must be treated equally under the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “No longer. This Department of Justice is eliminating its regulations that for far too long required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race.”

“The prior ‘disparate impact’ regulations encouraged people to file lawsuits challenging racially neutral policies, without evidence of intentional discrimination,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Our rejection of this theory will restore true equality under the law by requiring proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions.”

“For over 50 years, the prior disparate-impact rule fostered the very thing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited — discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. But with today’s rule,” said Chief of Staff and Supervisory Official for the Office of Legal Policy Nicholas Schilling. “The Department reaffirms Congress’ commitment to measure all Americans by merit.”

Congress enacted Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance. In 1973, the federal government added to the law a new rule — disparate impact — that was not part of the law. The term “disparate impact” refers to the concept of imposing liability on a federal fund recipient only because there may be different outcomes for different people, not based on prejudice or intent. That prior disparate-impact rule was already enjoined in one state, prohibiting DOJ from enforcing it there.

The Department’s new rule reflects the best reading of Title VI, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized for over twenty years. Title VI has and will continue to prohibit intentional discrimination. The Department’s new rule ensures that recipients of federal funding will be judged on their actual conduct, not on statistical outcomes or circumstances beyond their control.

Despite decades of case law, the Department’s prior Title VI disparate-impact regulations remained on the books, sowing confusion and creating costly compliance obligations for states, local governments, nonprofits, and private organizations receiving federal financial assistance. This new rule eliminates these burdens, promotes consistent enforcement across agencies, and restores public confidence in civil rights law by aligning the Department’s regulations with the Constitution.

Attorney General James and Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force Secure More than $672,000 from NYC Landlord for Creating Unsafe Living Conditions for Tenants

 

BlueSky Management Violated Several NYC Construction Codes, Forcing Hundreds of Tenants to Live in Hazardous Conditions

Settlement Secures Rent Credits for Tenants, Refunds on Overcharges, Civil Penalties, and Safer Construction Conditions

New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force today announced a settlement with Steven Kashanian and his real estate company, BlueSky Management NY, LLC (BlueSky), for violating the New York City construction codes and creating unsafe and unsanitary conditions for hundreds of tenants. BlueSky owns 72 buildings comprising 1,150 units, including rent stabilized units in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Tenants at BlueSky’s properties were subjected to dangerous living conditions, including but not limited to illegal construction and frequent interruption of essential services such as gas and water. As a result of today’s settlement, Kashanian and BlueSky will pay $672,578 in civil penalties, provide refunds for tenants who were overcharged rent after February 2023, give tenants $100 credit for each day there was no heat or hot water during the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 heat seasons, correct open construction violations, and hire monitors to oversee construction activity and compliance.

The Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force is comprised of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the Tenant Protection Unit (TPU) of New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB), and the New York City Law Department (NYCLD).

“No family should ever feel unsafe in their home,” said Attorney General James. “BlueSky consistently forced tenants to live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, putting the safety of New Yorkers and their families at great risk. Today we are putting money back into tenants’ pockets and requiring BlueSky to make their buildings safer and cleaner for the New Yorkers who call them home.” 

“We have zero tolerance for those who target vulnerable tenants to exploit them for profit and attempt to unlawfully deregulate apartments,” said HCR Commissioner Visnauskas. “Working alongside Attorney General Letitia James and New York City’s regulatory agencies, HCR’s Tenant Protection Unit has imposed additional penalties against a landlord for erroneous or missing apartment registrations. This $100,000 fine levied against BlueSky is an essential deterrent to thwart the illegal deregulation of apartments and demonstrates our commitment to protecting the rights of millions of rent regulated tenants.”  

“This settlement against BlueSky, led by the mission-driven and determined agencies and government entities that make up the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force, demonstrates the value of coordinated enforcement and how, together, we can do more to ensure that no tenant lives in fear in their own home,” said Acting HPD Commissioner Tigani. “The Task Force acted decisively, drawing on the unique strengths of each agency to secure justice for these tenants. HPD is proud to have played a role in this case, and, more generally, is proud to stand alongside our partners in this important work every day. Let this serve as a clear message: we will not stand idly by while landlords let buildings fall into disrepair – we will take action to ensure our neighbors are protected and housing is made habitable.”

“When city agencies order a landlord to fix ongoing safety issues at their buildings, the nonnegotiable expectation is that those owners will live up to their legal obligations and make the needed repairs,” said DOB Commissioner Oddo. “This important settlement will mean that these repairs will finally happen, and the New Yorkers living at properties owned by BlueSky Management will no longer be put in harm’s way due to hazardous building conditions. We are grateful of the combined efforts of this Task Force, working alongside DOB’s Office of the Tenant Advocate and our Borough Enforcement Unit, to spotlight the important public safety issue of proper building maintenance.”

Between 2018 and 2022, BlueSky purchased scores of distressed buildings in New York City and began construction projects. During their management and operation of these buildings, Task Force members received numerous complaints from tenants about conditions in the buildings, including complaints of unsafe conditions, unpermitted and unsafe construction activities, lack of proper maintenance and repairs, failures to comply with the requirements of rent regulation, and harassment.

The Task Force conducted its own investigation into these complaints, including site inspections, interviews with tenants, and review of documents and agency records. The Task Force found that BlueSky engaged in illegal and unsafe construction projects without the appropriate permits, leaving tenants without access to essential resources such as water, heat, and gas. BlueSky also consistently failed to file the required annual building and unit registrations for rent-stabilized tenants, often denying rent stabilization rights to their tenants, overcharging renters, or deregulating rent-stabilized housing accommodations.

HCR’s TPU found that most of the BlueSky portfolio had not been registered for multiple years. Registrations often ended immediately after BlueSky purchased the building, and some buildings had never been registered by the prior owner, impeding HCR’s oversight in an attempt to obscure the rent stabilized status of apartments and buildings.

Overall, BlueSky has had over 3000 violations in its portfolio and 798 open violations as of May 20, 2025.. Some of the most dangerous violations include lead-based hazards, unsafe or exposed electrical wiring, leaky roofs, pest nuisances, missing or defective smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, and construction work without a permit.  The Task Force also found seven buildings with 20 open lead-based paint hazard violations that remained open for extended periods of time.

The settlement requires BlueSky to file missing registrations, conduct an audit of its rent stabilized apartment portfolio to be reviewed by HCR’s TPU, bring back to regulation any units that were wrongly or erroneously deregulated, provide or amend rent stabilized leases to tenants with correct legal regulated rent, and refund any overcharges.

Kashanian and BlueSky will pay $272,578 in open violations, $300,000 in civil penalties to HPD for Housing Maintenance Code violations and $100,000 to HCR for failing to file rent registrations. BlueSky must also provide credits of $100 for each day tenants had no heat or hot water in the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 winter seasons. The settlements also require BlueSky to correct all construction code violations issued by DOB and the Task Force and all Housing Maintenance Code and Multiple Dwelling Law violations and submit all documents and fees for a dismissal request inspection to HPD. BlueSky will also be required to provide affordable housing opportunities in any of the company’s buildings where tenants faced harassment.

For a period of three years, BlueSky will be subject to an independent construction monitor, who will review ongoing construction and BlueSky properties and make unannounced visits to inspect construction projects.