MAMDANI ADMINISTRATION LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO DELIVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON CITY-OWNED LAND FASTER

 

New “Neighborhood Builders” Fast Track Will Pre-Select Qualified Developers to Cut Pre-Development Timeline by Nearly Half   

  

First Three Sites to Use New Fast Track Could Deliver As Many As 300 New Affordable Homes  

Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy announced the new Neighborhood Builders Fast Track, an expedited process to speed the delivery of affordable housing on City-owned land. With Neighborhood Builders, HPD will pre-qualify affordable housing builders and shorten the pre-development Request for Proposals (RFP) process by eight months for certain projects – cutting the time to select an affordable housing developer by nearly half. Together with the new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP), which the Mamdani administration has moved quickly to implement following its approval by voters in November, these programs will cut the pre-development process by more than two years.  

  

“Our city is facing a historic housing crisis -- the last thing we need to do is tie ourselves in red tape,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will speed up housing development and make it faster to build on city-owned land. This administration is willing to move at the speed of need to make this a city New Yorkers can continue to call home.”  

  

“New Yorkers deserve a government that doesn’t just deliver high-quality, affordable housing – but that also delivers it efficiently and effectively. I am proud to launch the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track alongside the HPD team who are working to deliver affordable housing across the five boroughs,” said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. “I’m also excited to be advancing affordable housing projects at 784 Myrtle Ave, 1337 Jerome Ave, and 109-43 Farmers Blvd that will help create more vibrant, affordable neighborhoods, including new homeownership opportunities.”  

  

"New York City needs more affordable housing, built faster and at lower cost — and HPD is not waiting to deliver it," said Dina Levy, Housing and Preservation Commissioner. "The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track will reduce costs, speed up timelines, and maximize affordability. Public land is a public good — and we will not let city-owned sites sit idle while New Yorkers struggle to find an affordable home."  

  

HPD is releasing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) due May 8th for affordable housing developers who will pre-qualify for the Neighborhood Builders program, with a focus on nonprofit organizations and minority- and women-owned businesses. Once development teams have been qualified, the faster Neighborhood Builders process will be used at sites such as 784-800 Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, 1337 Jerome Avenue in the Bronx and 109-43 Farmers Boulevard in Queens, which will together deliver as many as 300 new affordable homes, including around 100 affordable homeownership opportunities at the Bronx and Queens sites. HPD expects to use the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track to advance development of as many as 1,000 new homes over the next two years.  

  

The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track advances the Mamdani administration’s critical goals of creating affordable housing, especially on City-owned land, and speeding up the delivery of housing across the city. On the first day of the administration, Mayor Mamdani signed Executive Orders 4 and 5, establishing the Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) and Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) task forces, both of which will deliver recommendations this spring. The LIFT Task Force is working to identify opportunities for housing on City-owned sites, and the SPEED Task Force is working to reform the affordable housing production process, including pre- and post-construction approvals, project financing, and lease-up.  

Statement from Governor Kathy Hochul

In response to today's jury decision that found Meta and Youtube liable for creating products that led to harmful and addictive behavior by minors, Governor Hochul released the following statement:

“This landmark verdict is a victory for kids and parents across the nation. I've heard firsthand from our young people about the harms posed by addictive social media algorithms –- and that's why New York led the nation in 2024 by enacting the SAFE for Kids Act, the nation's strongest law restricting these deeply addictive algorithms for minors statewide.

“We've continued New York's nation-leading commitment to our kids by getting phones out of our schools statewide and passing first-in-the nation safeguards for "AI companions." And earlier this year I announced new plans go even further, with proposals to protect kids from predators, scammers and harmful AI chatbots on online platforms. As the digital age gets more complex day by day, I'll never stop fighting to protect our kids.”

Chinese National and Two U.S. Citizens Charged with Conspiring to Smuggle Artificial Intelligence Technology to China

 

Stanley Yi Zheng, Matthew Kelly, and Tommy Shad English have been charged with conspiring to commit smuggling and export control violations. The three defendants are alleged to have sought millions of dollars’ worth of export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company for illegal shipment to China through Thailand.

“The cutting-edge AI chips the defendants allegedly schemed to export to China represent the best of American ingenuity and years of strategic investment in maintaining our technological leadership,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “NSD is committed to protecting U.S. innovation and ensuring that those who violate U.S. export controls face serious consequences.”

“Zheng, Kelly, and English allegedly conspired to sell millions of dollars’ worth of American-made AI computer chips to buyers in China, in clear violation of U.S. export controls,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “As our foreign adversaries escalate their efforts to dominate the field of artificial intelligence, we are seeing them employ increasingly brazen schemes to illegally acquire valuable U.S. technology. Enforcing export controls is critical to our work safeguarding America’s economic and national security, and the FBI will continue working with our partners to protect our nation’s innovation and hold accountable those seeking to profit by supplying hostile nation states.”

“Keeping sensitive tech from falling into the wrong hands is a matter of utmost importance to our national security and U.S. competitiveness,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia. “My office is proud to ensure that any bad actor who seeks to profit from endangering our security will face justice in an American courtroom.”

“Protecting sensitive defense technology from diversion to foreign adversaries is a top priority,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Jason J. Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Advanced computing technologies, like Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), play a critical role in military artificial intelligence and national defense capabilities. When individuals attempt to illegally acquire or export this technology for profit, they are putting national security and our warfighters at risk. DCIS will continue working with our U.S. and international partners to identify these networks, disrupt their operations, and hold those responsible accountable.”

“Safeguarding America’s advanced technology is critical to our national security and public safety,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “This case highlights the importance of strong partnerships between federal law enforcement, industry, and our international counterparts. By working together, we were able to disrupt a sophisticated scheme to illegally export sensitive U.S. artificial intelligence technology. HSI remains committed to protecting the integrity of our supply chains and ensuring that critical innovations do not fall into the hands of those who would threaten our security.”

According to the criminal complaints and other information presented in court: In or about May 2023, Zheng, Kelly, and English began conspiring together to obtain computer servers with export-controlled computer chips from a California-based computer hardware company (Company-1) and ship them to Thailand with an ultimate destination of China, in violation of U.S. law. In doing so, the three defendants used the names of Thailand-based companies as the purported purchasers of the computer servers when in fact the co-conspirators intended for the U.S.-origin AI chips to be diverted to China.

In Oct. 2023, English, purporting to act on behalf of a Thailand-based company, ordered 750 computer servers for approximately $170 million from Company-1. Of the 750 computer servers, 600 contained a computer chip that was controlled on the U.S. Commerce Control List and required a license for export to China. In placing that order, English signed an “Advanced Computing Certification,” certifying that the computer servers were not destined for China or any other country subject to heightened export requirements.

In Jan. 2024, English transferred over $20 million to Company-1 as partial payment for the Oct. 2023 order. In Jan. 2024, when discussing via email an upcoming compliance review for the Oct. 2023 order, English asked Company-1 to add Zheng and Kelly to the email thread, which prompted a response from Company-1 noting, among other things, that Zheng’s company was based in China and that it was “odd” that no one from the Thailand-based company was in the list of carbon copy recipients. Company-1 also commented that “China is an embargoed country restricted by the US government. US companies are restricted from selling to businesses or end users headquartered in China.”

In early Feb. 2024, additional review of the Oct. 2023 order was conducted by the California-based manufacturer of the computer chips that would be inside 600 of the servers English had ordered (Company-2). Company-2’s efforts to verify the end user of the computer chips in Thailand were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the Oct. 2023 purchase was not completed.

While the Oct. 2023 deal lost momentum, in April 2024, English, purporting to act on behalf of a second Thailand-based company, sought to order from Company-1 another 500 computer servers that contained an export-controlled computer chip. In doing so, English signed an End User Certification stating that the Thailand-based company was the end user for the purchase. This deal, like the Oct. 2023 deal, ultimately was unsuccessful.

Text messages obtained through the investigation illustrated aspects of the conspiracy and revealed that Zheng, English, and Kelly discussed, among other things, “fake” corporate niceties to help complete the computer chip purchases, the value of the computer chips in China, and recruitment of others to participate in the scheme.

For example, in June 2023, in a group chat with Zheng and English titled “GPU Partnership,” Kelly stated: “They just need more details about your company, customers, revenue, etc.” and “I know you mention you [English] are better than CDW but they have a nice website, company decks, quarterly earning reports, etc that are all public information.” English replied: “I’m not breaking my back. I fake these weeks ago.”

Later, in July 2023, in the same group chat, Zheng sent a message discussing the market value of Company-2’s computer chips in China, showing that Zheng, English, and Kelly were all aware that the ultimate destination for the computer chips would be China.

Subsequently, in March 2024, Kelly messaged Zheng a draft solicitation message for Kelly to send to others. The message stated, among other things: “[I am] [c]urrently working on distributing GPU systems with [Company-2] chips for supercomputing[.] . . . We . . . have a few customers in China but it’s a banned country for distribution. It’s a lucrative business right now – millions of dollars in profits per order – so we are looking for partners. One you can find customers that need GPUs for their supercomputer solutions or two they act as a pass through partner for customers in China. Let me know if you are interested in discussing?”

Approximately 28 minutes after sending the draft solicitation message to Zheng, Kelly received feedback from Zheng. Zheng stated, among other things: “DO NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT CHINA.” Zheng explained that the portions of Kelly’s message that referenced China needed to be removed because: “We will draw attention[] from US government for embargo[] violation.” In response, Kelly noted that similar information had been told to other individuals. Zheng replied: “We just talk about it, no one can hold it as evidence[] against us.”

Stanley Yi Zheng, 56, of Hong Kong, China, was arrested on March 22, 2026, and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa J. Cisneros, of the Northern District of California, on March 23, 2026, for his initial appearance. The Government has moved for Zheng to be remanded to federal custody and held without bail pending trial.

Matthew Kelly, 49, of Hopewell Junction, New York, and Tommy Shad English, 53, of Atlanta, Georgia, surrendered to federal authorities on March 25, 2026. Their initial appearances will be held in the District of New Jersey and Northern District of Georgia today.

The criminal complaints were issued in the Northern District of Georgia on March 20, 2026. The charges contained in the complaints are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry & Security, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF STREET VENDOR SERVICES

 

"I worked closely with the Street Vendor Project to pass my bill establishing this office, and to have one of its leaders now head the office we created together is an exciting indicator of what’s to come for New York City's smallest businesses. 

 

"In speaking with vendors about the barriers they face, I hear stories of long hours and longer weeks, livelihoods being threatened, merchandise being seized, of pain and penalties – and at the same time, I saw the spirit, drive, and hope of people looking to carve out their space on the sidewalk to serve New Yorkers and support their families. We can help.

"I believe that the city can help these entrepreneurs navigate obstacles to licensing, inconsistency in enforcement, and regulations that make it near-impossible to operate in a successful and sustained way. Street vendors provide some of the most affordable options for New Yorkers facing an increasingly unaffordable city, and in establishing this office we hope to provide them with the support they need to survive and thrive."

MAYOR MAMDANI, SBS COMMISSIONER KENNY MINAYA NAME CARINA KAUFMAN-GUTIERREZ AS FIRST-EVER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF STREET VENDOR SERVICES

 

Executive Director Kaufman-Gutierrez brings more than a decade of experience supporting small businesses and street vendors  

  

Kaufman-Gutierrez previously served as co-director of the street vendor project  

Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kenny Minaya announced the appointment of Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez as the first Executive Director of the new Office of Street Vendor Services (SVS) at SBS. The Mamdani Administration is launching the SVS more than four months ahead of schedule, following the New York City Council’s passage of Intro 408-A.  

  

SVS will advance economic justice by serving as a central hub for citywide street vendor education and assistance within SBS. As the Mamdani Administration plans implementation of the “Street Vendor Reform Package” and issues the first new street vending licenses since the cap set in 1979 was lifted, the office will launch a citywide outreach campaign to ensure vendors are aware of opportunities to transition into the formal economy.   

  

The office will also work closely with interagency partners, community-based organizations, and local stakeholders to support a more vibrant and equitable street vending ecosystem across all five boroughs.  

  

“Our street vendors are not a problem to solve — they are a community to support. They feed us, they employ us, and they give our streets life at every hour. Many New Yorkers' fondest memories are of grabbing late-night food at their local taco truck or halal cart. But City Hall has too often made their work harder instead of helping it thrive. That changes now,” said Mayor Mamdani. “With this office and with Carina’s leadership, we will fundamentally transform the relationship that street vendors have with the city. By streamlining bureaucracy and working closely with street vendors themselves, we can lower costs for vendors and their customers alike.”  

  

“Street vendors may be some of our smallest businesses, but they have an outsized impact on our local economies and the cultural fabric of our city. As we build a more just economy, street vendors play a vital role by creating jobs and offering affordable goods for New Yorkers. This new office marks a new era in how City government supports them,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su.  

  

“Street vendors are essential to the fabric of New York City, powering our local economy, shaping our culture, and bringing vibrancy to our commercial corridors,” said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. “With the launch of the Office of Street Vendor Services within SBS, we will deliver long-overdue support, resources, and guidance street vendors deserve. Many vendors are immigrants and entrepreneurs working tirelessly to support their families, and they deserve a city government that works for them. I’m proud to partner with Executive Director Kaufman-Gutierrez as we build this office and ensure street vendors across all five boroughs have the tools they need to succeed.”  

  

“From the tamaleras of Corona to the portrait artists of Times Square, street vendors fold our city’s unrivaled diversity into our streets and sidewalks. Today, more than ever, our city's smallest businesses, 96% of whom are immigrants, need resources, advocacy, and protection,” said Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, Executive Director of the Office of Street Vendor Services. “Street vendors have long fought for both recognition and support from city government, and I'm honored to join SBS and the Administration in centering the needs of our city's smallest businesses at Office of Street Vendor Services. Together with street vendors, interagency partners, community-based organizations, and local stakeholders at the table, we can build a more vibrant, and equitable street vending ecosystem across the five boroughs.”  

About Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez  

  

Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez is the first Executive Director of the Office of Street Vendor Services. Prior to joining the Mamdani Administration, Carina served as the Co-Director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, a member-led organization that builds power among vendors through legal representation, small business training and leadership development.  

 

Kaufman-Gutierrez has spent more than a decade supporting small businesses and the public realm in New York City, including work with Grow NYC Greenmarkets, the Community Service Society of New York, and SBS. Her leadership has been recognized by City & State NY’s Labor 40 under 40, the Neighborhood Leadership Award from the New York Women’s Foundation and the Hispanic Leadership Award from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. She holds a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, with a focus on urban social policy and conflict resolution.  

NYC Council Launches Public Dashboards to Advance Transparency and Equity in City Budget Process

 

Today, the New York City Council launched its new Budget Dashboards, an innovative, public tool to make the City’s budget process more transparent, accessible, and equitable for New Yorkers. The two dashboards, created by the Council’s Finance Division, Web Development Unit, and Data Team, translate dense budget books into easy-to-understand pie charts that visualize the City’s budgeted expenses and projected revenue sources from Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 to Fiscal Year 2027. Users can view the budgeted spending by city agency and unit of appropriation and compare changes at each stage of the budget cycle.

“Transparency is the foundation of trust in government,” said Speaker Julie Menin. “With the launch of this first-of-its-kind Finance Dashboard, we are giving New Yorkers the tools to see, understand, and engage with how public dollars are allocated. This is about more than data—it’s about equity, accountability, and ensuring every community has visibility into the decisions that shape their lives.”

The expense dashboard separates each Financial Plan into categories, including Education, Social Services, Infrastructure, Public Safety, and Pensions, Debt Service, and Fringe Benefits, to display their share of the City’s expense budget. The revenue dashboard shows the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) projected tax revenue from various tax sources, including Personal Income, Real Property, Sales, and more. The dashboards will be updated in correspondence with each future Financial Plan. In the coming months, fiscal years prior to FY21 will be viewable in the dashboards as well.

The Council’s Budget Dashboards were built with the goal of making public budget data more accessible, transparent, and equitable for all New Yorkers, including communities that historically lack access to the City’s budget process. By providing the public with a new, user-friendly resource, the Council is further democratizing the city budget to empower more New Yorkers to navigate and understand the opaque process and better understand the impact of financial decisions that are being made on their behalf.

Bronx Man Charged With The Fatal Fentanyl Poisoning Of A 12 Year Old Boy

Aristides Cabrera, a/k/a “Buddha,” Is Also Charged With Narcotics Trafficking and Firearms Offenses for his Years-Long Armed Drug Trafficking in the Bronx 

Administration (“DEA”), Farhana Islam, and the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging ARISTIDES CABRERA, a/k/a “Buddha,” with drug crimes resulting in the fatal poisoning of a 12‑year-old child in the Bronx on June 28, 2022.  The Indictment also charges CABRERA with having used, carried, and possessed firearms in connection with his drug trafficking crimes.  Today, CABRERA was brought into federal custody from New York State custody, where he had been serving state sentences for other firearm and drug crimes.  CABRERA will be presented today before U.S. Magistrate Jennifer E. Willis.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken. 

“As alleged, Aristides Cabrera was an armed drug dealer who pumped deadly drugs into the Bronx for years,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “The havoc that his alleged drug trafficking wrought did not stop at his own doorstep; it resulted in the tragic death of a vulnerable 12-year-old boy in Cabrera’s own home.  But even the boy’s death did not stop Cabrera from allegedly continuing to deal drugs, exposing others to the same life-threatening poison that claimed the life of an innocent child.  Fentanyl kills.  It kills children.  If you deal fentanyl, you are dealing death.  The women and men of the SDNY, the DEA, the NYPD and all our New York law enforcement partners will hold dealers of death accountable.”

“Weapons, drugs, and violence are too often the hallmarks of drug trafficking organizations operating in our communities,” said DEA New York Enforcement Division Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam.  “Today’s indictment of Aristides Cabera underscores that deadly reality—linking narcotics distribution, firearms, and the devastating loss of a 12-year-old child to fentanyl poisoning.  No family should have to endure the pain of losing a child to this poison and the DEA New York Enforcement Division remains vigilant and unwavering in our mission to target these individuals and ensure justice is delivered.”

“Aristedes Cabrera showed a callous disregard for human life, allegedly selling fentanyl in a home where a 12-year-old boy was exposed to the drugs that killed him,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.  “This case is a devastating example of the danger fentanyl poses, especially when it is brought into a home where children are present.  I thank the NYPD officers whose undercover work helped build this case and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their partnership.”

As alleged in the Indictment and other public filings:[1]

From at least in or about November 2017 through at least in or about January 2024, CABRERA and his co-conspirators distributed heroin, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl in the Bronx.  CABRERA sold large quantities of heroin and fentanyl to undercover law enforcement officers.  In a covert video recording of CABRERA during one of those undercover drug sales—in which CABRERA sold an undercover officer nearly $2,000 worth of fentanyl-laced heroin—CABRERA can be heard, in substance and in part, describing how he was charging higher prices for pills because “it’s a fucking opioid epidemic out here.”  At the height of his drug trafficking, CABRERA was making up to approximately $10,000 a week from dealing drugs.

On June 28, 2022, exposure to the fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl distributed by CABRERA caused the death of a twelve-year-old boy who had been residing with CABRERA and others in an apartment in the Bronx.

CABRERA kept significant quantities of his drugs in the apartment, including in a safe stored in a closet just outside of the bedroom that the twelve-year-old boy shared with at least one of his siblings.  CABRERA kept two guns in the same safe.  He also stored additional drugs, including pills, in the apartment’s primary bedroom, including in bags that he kept there.  In the early morning of June 29, 2022, after returning from the hospital where the twelve-year-old boy had been taken and pronounced dead, CABRERA began looking for one of the bags where he stored his drug supply, texting another person he wanted “to make sure nothing is missing.”

Following the boy’s fatal overdose, CABRERA continued to sell drugs throughout New York, including from behind bars in New York state custody while detained during the pendency of the separate firearms and drug charges that resulted in his recent state court convictions.

CABRERA, 34, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and one count of distribution of narcotics resulting in death, both of which crimes carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.  CABRERA is also charged with one count of firearms use, carrying, and possession, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The statutory minimum and maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding work of the NYPD in connection with this investigation, along with their federal partners at the DEA.  Mr. Clayton also thanked the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkett, Lisa Daniels, and Amanda C. Weingarten are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Attorney General James Announces $3 Million in Grants Supporting Filipino Cultural Organizations in New York City

 

Ma-Yi Theater Company and Woodside on the Move Will Each Receive $1.5 Million to Offer Community Programs and Services

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will deliver a total of $3 million in grants to two organizations serving the New York City Filipino community. The Ma-Yi Filipino Theater Ensemble, Inc. d/b/a Ma-Yi Theater Company (Ma-Yi Theater) and Woodside on the Move, Inc. (Woodside on the Move) will each receive $1.5 million in connection with the dissolution of a charity that provided cultural and educational services to the Filipino community in New York City. The funds will be used to produce cultural and educational community programs and services geared toward Filipino New Yorkers.

“I am proud to announce $3 million in grants to support two organizations serving the Filipino community and all New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “When a charitable organization closes its doors, it is imperative that its remaining assets are dedicated to continuing its mission. Ma-Yi Theater and Woodside on the Move already provide invaluable arts and culture programming to their communities, and I look forward to their continued success.”