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Friday, July 31, 2026
Office of the Brooklyn Borough President - Legal Advice for Consumer Debt, Immigration Enforcement Preparedness, & More
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Are you being sued for a consumer debt in Kings County? Apply for a free meeting with a volunteer attorney to get advice and learn about your options. Applications must be submitted by Friday, July 31.
Wednesday, August 5
Selected participants will receive appointment times between 3 PM and 5 PM
Apply to receive additional information, including location details.
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Join us for a free public forum to learn about your rights when dealing with debt collectors and other consumer matters. Register by Monday, August 3.
Wednesday, August 5
6 PM to 7 PM
Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
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Join us to access information and resources to protect yourself and your loved ones in case of immigration enforcement.
Thursday, August 27
5:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Mixteca, 245 23rd St, 2nd Fl., Brooklyn, NY 11215
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In 2025, President Trump and Congress imposed stricter work requirements for many SNAP recipients. Learn more about how the new eligibility guidelines might affect you and how to take action to keep your benefits at bit.ly/BKBPSNAP.
Governor Hochul Announces Award of Nearly $6 Million to Strengthen Services for Young People Impacted by Substance Use Disorders
New York State Opioid Settlement Funds Awarded to 12 Providers
Investment Delivers on Governor’s State of the State Commitment to Address Behavioral Health Issues Among Youth
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the award of nearly $6 million in opioid settlement funding to 12 Recovery Community and Outreach Centers across New York state, fulfilling a key promise in this year’s State of the State address. This initiative will allow these programs to expand their work to include new and additional youth-focused services. Funding is being provided through the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund, overseen by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and aligns with the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board’s recommendations to increase recovery services and outreach to priority populations.
“As part of my State of the State address in January, I made a commitment to ensuring that young New Yorkers are protected and have the tools and resources they need to live healthy, productive lives,” Governor Hochul said. “With this important initiative, we are increasing youth-focused services across the state, giving young people more opportunities to find the help and support they need and deserve.”
OASAS Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “Our recovery centers play an important role in helping New Yorkers and their families impacted by addiction and this will help to further expand these services to young people who can be especially vulnerable to the effects of substance use. Governor Hochul has shown strong support for this initiative and others like it, and thanks to this work we have seen a significant drop in overdose deaths across the state.”
OASAS offers numerous services focused on youth, including youth-specific treatment programs, as well as an adolescent designation for other treatment programs, verifying they have the staff and programs in place to support young people impacted by substance use disorder. In addition, OASAS providers operate more than 20 youth clubhouses across the state, which offer services similar to recovery centers but focused on a younger population. The agency also works to implement prevention services for youth, including in schools as well as the community at large.
This funding will be used to expand the availability of youth-appropriate services at existing Recovery Community and Outreach Centers, including education, skill-building, and recreational activities. These services are focused on young people ages 12 to 17 who are in recovery from a substance use disorder, or who are not in recovery but seeking a safe and drug-free environment.
Recovery centers are non-clinical settings that offer a range of supports including the opportunity to connect to peers who are facing similar challenges. They also provide help to families of those in recovery.
The following providers were awarded funding to support these services for two years, with an additional $60,000 included in the first year:
Capital Region
- The Prevention Council of Saratoga County: $490,000
Central NY
- Center for Community Alternatives, Inc.: $510,000
- Helio Health, Inc.: $510,000
Finger Lakes
- Center for Community Alternatives, Inc.: $510,000
- UConnectCare, Inc.: $509,990
Long Island
- Family and Children's Association (FCA): $450,000
Mid-Hudson
- Independent Living, Inc.: $510,000
Mohawk Valley
- Catholic Charities of Herkimer County: $510,000
- Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council of Hamilton, Fulton, and Montgomery Counties d.b.a. HFM Prevention Council: $489,000
New York City
- Community Health Action of Staten Island (CHASI): $450,000
- Let's Talk SAFETY, Inc. The PILLARS: $510,000
Southern Tier
- Friends of Recovery Dedicated to Others, Inc.: $502,000
New York State has already received $2.8 billion through various settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies that were secured by Attorney General Letitia James. A portion of the funding from these settlements will go directly to municipalities, with the remainder deposited into a dedicated fund to support prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery efforts to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.
This initiative continues New York State’s nation-leading efforts to distribute opioid settlement money. To date, New York has made more than $454 million available through the opioid settlement fund, which is the most of any state in the country. A detailed list of initiatives funded with this money is available on the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund tracker.
The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports oversees one of the nation’s largest systems of addiction services with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery programs serving more than 731,000 individuals per year. This includes the direct operation of 12 Addiction Treatment Centers where our doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to approximately 8,000 individuals per year.
New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).
Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found on the NYS OASAS website.
Thursday, July 30, 2026
DiNAPOLI: LOCAL SALES TAX COLLECTIONS TOTAL $12.7 BILLION IN FIRST HALF OF 2026, UP 6.8% OVER LAST YEAR
Local government sales tax collections totaled $12.7 billion in the first half of 2026, an increase of 6.8% ($803 million) compared to the same period last year, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The 6.8% increase in collections was stronger than the year-over-year growth in the same period in 2025 (3.7%) and more than three times higher than the rate in 2024 (1.9%).
“New York’s local sales tax collections grew significantly in the first half of 2026 compared to last year, but this rate of growth may not last,” DiNapoli said. “This growth is due in part to higher prices for goods and services as a result of higher tariffs and global conflicts. Local officials should be cautious in estimating future revenue amid the current economic uncertainties and harmful federal policies.”
Findings from DiNapoli’s report include:
- Each of the state’s 10 economic development regions, including New York City, experienced a year-over-year increase in first-half collections.
- New York City’s sales tax collections totaled nearly $5.8 billion in the first half, an increase of 7.8% ($418 million), higher than the increase in the same period in 2025 (4.7%).
- Outside of New York City, aggregate first-half collections for counties and cities grew by 5.6% ($324 million), which was double the increase experienced in the same period in 2025 (2.8%).
- Regionally, first-half growth outside of New York City ranged from a low of 2.8% (North Country) to a high of 7.1% (Long Island).
- Fifty-two out of 57 counties experienced an increase in first-half sales tax collections.
- Seneca County saw the highest growth in the first half at 16.5%, followed by the counties of Genesee (12.5%), Suffolk and Wyoming (both 9.2%) and Niagara (8.9%).
- Among the five counties that had decreases in first-half collections, Sullivan County saw the steepest decline at -5.3%, followed by Lewis (-3.0%), Hamilton (-2.9%), Cortland (-2.8%) and St. Lawrence (-2.6%).
- Thirteen out of 18 cities outside of New York City that impose their own sales tax experienced growth in the first half. Ogdensburg had the largest increase at 22.8%, followed by White Plains (11.3%) and Olean (9.6%). Conversely, Salamanca saw the steepest decline in collections at -5.3%, followed by the cities of Gloversville (-5.2%) and Norwich (-3.7%).
Report
Data
NYGOP Submits FOIL Request Over Mamdani-Hochul Home Tax List
The NYGOP today submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request demanding records relating to the creation of the public list of properties subject to the Mamdani-Hochul Home Tax, including communications between New York City and Governor Kathy Hochul's office over how the list was developed and whether officials understood the dangers it would create.
"The Mamdani-Hochul Home Tax isn't just bad policy - it's dangerous," said NYGOP Chair Ed Cox. "Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani have put a government seal on a roadmap to people's homes. This is unconscionably reckless in an era in which radical left-wing political violence is on the rise."
Recent news reports have also revealed that many homeowners have been wrongly identified as subject to the tax. "These mistakes leave innocent New Yorkers facing tens of thousands of dollars in improper tax bills, penalties, legal costs and the Kafkaesque burden of proving to government that government itself got it wrong," Cox continued.
The FOIL request seeks to understand who designed the list, what standards were used to determine who appeared on it, what safeguards were implemented to protect innocent homeowners from erroneous inclusion, whether officials discussed the obvious security implications of publishing the list, and what role Governor Hochul's administration played throughout the process.
"The public deserves to know whether Kathy Hochul's office recognized the danger of publishing what amounts to a government-generated directory of targeted homes, or whether anyone in Albany even bothered to ask the question," Cox said. "Either they knowingly endangered New Yorkers, or they never stopped to consider the consequences. Neither answer is acceptable.
"The Mamdani-Hochul Home Tax has already become synonymous with class warfare and bureaucratic incompetence. The public deserves to know exactly how this fiasco happened and who signed off on it."
The New York Republican Party will make the records public upon receipt. A copy of the FOIL request is available here.
Mayor Mamdani, Office of Labor Relations Announce Ratification of Contract with NYC Deputy Sheriffs’ Benevolent Association
Agreement Delivers Compounded Wage Increases, Higher Starting Pay, Improved Uniform Allowances and Expanded Health and Welfare Benefits
New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Office of Labor Relations (OLR) Commissioner Renee Campion today proudly announced the successful ratification of a new 62-month contract with the New York City Deputy Sheriffs' Benevolent Association (DSBA). The agreement, which runs from Jan. 1, 2022, through Feb. 28, 2027, provides retroactive wage increases, higher entry-level salaries, enhanced uniform allowances and increased funding for health and welfare benefits.
“Deputy Sheriffs perform essential work every day to keep New Yorkers safe and uphold the laws of our City. They deserve a contract that recognizes that service with fair pay, stronger benefits and the dignity that comes from good-faith collective bargaining. I am grateful to the Office of Labor Relations, the Department of Finance and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Benevolent Association for working together to reach an agreement that supports these public servants while protecting the City’s long-term fiscal stability,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“This contract honors the hard work and vital public safety role of the New York City Deputy Sheriffs while remaining responsible to the City's taxpayers. We are thrilled to see members ratify this 62-month agreement that provides enhanced benefits for our employees,” said Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations Commissioner Renee Campion. “I want to thank DSBA President Ingrid Simonivic for her collaboration in negotiating the agreement, as well as Mayor Mamdani for his steadfast support and the Finance Commissioner and Sheriff for their assistance in settling this long-expired contract.”
Contract Highlights:
- Higher Starting Pay: Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the first step of the deputy sheriff salary schedule increases by $4,368 to strengthen recruitment and support career advancement.
- General Wage Increases (GWIs): Compounded annual raises totaling more than 18% over the life of the agreement:
- Jan. 1, 2022: 3.25%
- Jan. 1, 2023: 3.25%
- Jan. 1, 2024: 3.5%
- Jan. 1, 2025: 3.5%
- Jan. 1, 2026: 4%
- Uniform Allowance: Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the annual uniform allowance increases by $475, bringing the total allowance to $1,042.
- Health and Welfare Benefits: Effective Jan. 1, 2026, welfare fund contributions for active members and retirees increase by $100.
The agreement reflects the City's commitment to negotiating fair contracts that support the workforce responsible for delivering critical public services to New Yorkers. This contract's ratification leaves only a few contracts remaining from the 2021-26 round of collective bargaining.
“The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office work tirelessly every day to protect New Yorkers and uphold the law. Their professionalism and dedication are essential to the important work they perform in service to our city. This contract recognizes those contributions by providing well-earned benefits that support our deputies and reinforce our shared commitment to maintaining a strong, effective Sheriff’s Office. We thank the Office of Labor Relations for its partnership in reaching this agreement and the members of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association for their collaboration throughout the process. Most importantly, we thank every deputy sheriff for their unwavering commitment in serving the people of New York City,” said Department of Finance Commissioner Richard Lee.
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER CHARGED WITH OPERATING INTERNATIONAL STOLEN MERCHANDISE RING FROM EAST ELMHURST APARTMENT AND VALLEY STREAM HOME
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced today that mother and daughter Maria Betances and Leslie Cruz were charged with criminal possession of stolen property, grand larceny, conspiracy and other crimes for allegedly operating a retail theft and fencing ring from a registered daycare. The duo allegedly directed “boosters” to steal specific in-demand merchandise from retailers – including cosmetics and clothing – and then resold the goods locally as well as shipped them to the Dominican Republic for resale.
The investigation included the sale by undercover officers of purported stolen goods to the defendants at their homes in East Elmhurst and Valley Stream. Maria Betances operated a daycare center from her Valley Stream home while the sales took place. More than 5,000 pieces of stolen goods and purported stolen merchandise, with a combined retail value of $159,602, were recovered along with $30,000 in cash.
District Attorney Katz said: “As alleged, these defendants directed theft crews to steal from numerous retailers in the New York City area, stored the goods in their homes and then advertised the merchandise via social media for sale locally. Other products were shipped to the Dominican Republic for resale in that country. Retail theft hurts all consumers and leads to higher prices on the checkout line. I thank our partners at the New York State Police and Homeland Security Investigations for their work on this case and we pledge to use every tool at our disposal to stop these organized retail theft rings.”
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said: “Organized retail theft operations harm businesses, increase costs for consumers and often extend across multiple jurisdictions. This investigation demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships and coordinated enforcement. I commend the members of our Special Investigations Unit, the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the Nassau County Police Department for their work to disrupt this alleged criminal enterprise and hold those responsible accountable.”
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas said: “The defendants are accused of directing booster crews to steal merchandise from legitimate retailers, then reselling those goods through an international operation designed to turn theft into profit. Their alleged conduct caused real harm: it drove losses for businesses, increased risks for retail employees, raised costs for consumers, and brought criminal activity into a home that also operated as a daycare. HSI New York, the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Police will continue to utilize every tool at our disposal to protect the businesses, consumers, and neighborhoods impacted by these organized retail theft schemes.”
Maria “Glenny” Betances, 47, of Valley Stream and Leslie Cruz, 24, of East Elmhurst, were charged in felony criminal complaints with criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree, attempted criminal possession of stolen property in the second degree, grand larceny in the third degree and conspiracy in the fourth degree. Maria Betances was additionally charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
Betances was arraigned July 24 by Judge Thomas Wright who ordered her to return to court September 29. Cruz was arraigned July 22 by Judge Lana Schlesinger who ordered her to return to court September 29. They face five to 15 years in prison, if convicted. Two defendants are in custody on other matters and are expected to be arraigned at a later date. Two additional individuals remain at large.
DA Katz said that, according to the charges and investigation, the Queens DA’s office initiated a probe into a retail theft and fencing operation based at Maria Betenaces’ home and daycare operation with the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit and Homeland Security Investigations. Betances ran Smile Bright Day Care for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old from the residence.
The mother and daughter allegedly directed four others, the booster crew, to steal large quantities of goods from retailers including Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Home Goods, CVS and Ulta Beauty in Queens and Staten Island as well as Nassau, Westchester and Rockland counties. They asked for items they could resell quickly and for a high price. The crew sold the items to Betances at her home, at Cruz’s apartment or at locations in Queens near Cruz’s home.
Between February 10, 2026, and July 16, 2026, undercover officers made 10 sales of purported stolen goods to Betances and her daughter. The duo paid anywhere from 17 percent to 37 percent of the retail value of the goods, which included beauty products and clothing. During the first such sale, Betances told investigators that she was interested in buying high-end beauty products from Dior, Gucci, Prada, Chanel and other brands. She is also alleged to have requested 2,000 pairs of women’s skinny jeans from American Eagle.
On April 14, a blue shipping drum was taken from Betances’ garage by a shipping company and loaded into a truck. US Customs and Border Patrol placed a hold on the barrel at the shipper’s facility. A court-authorized search of the contents resulted in the recovery of 760 beauty items with a combined retail value of $22,419, that were allegedly stolen by the defendants’ booster crew or purchased by the defendants from the undercover officers.
A search warrant executed on July 21 at Betances’ home resulted in the seizure of 4,272 pieces of allegedly stolen and purported stolen merchandise with a combined retail value of $131,114 including cosmetics, sex toys, pajamas and clothing from retailers such as Ulta Beauty, Victoria’s Secret, Polo Ralph Lauren and others; hundreds of broken security devices and alarms; and tools to remove security devices. A total of $10,000 was also recovered. A search warrant executed that same day at Leslie Cruz’s home resulted in the recovery of 101 pieces of allegedly stolen merchandise with a combined value of $6,067 from Macy’s, American Eagle, Longchamp, Walmart and other retailers. A total of $20,000 was also recovered.
The investigation was conducted by members of the District Attorney’s Detectives Bureau assigned to the Crime Strategies and Intelligence Bureau under the supervision of Lieutenant Joseph Oliver, Sergeant David Moore, and under the overall supervision of Chief Investigator Robert LaPollo; as well as members of the New York State Police Special Investigations Unit under the supervision of Senior Investigator Mark Buglione, and under the overall supervision of Lieutenant Matthew J. O’Connell and Major James M. Browne.
The District Attorney also thanks members of the Nassau County Police Department for their assistance.
