Mayor Mamdani creates a new anti-fraud office while the city moves millions in contracts and plans rezoning hearings in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

By Howard Weiss | Friday, May 1, 2026 | nycinfocus.com

What’s Happening

It’s a busy Friday in city government. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani just signed an executive order creating a new office to combat deed theft — the kind of predatory fraud that’s been stripping generational wealth from homeowners, especially in Brooklyn and Queens. Meanwhile, the city’s moving serious money: a $32.9 million contract to repair ten bridges in Queens, a $35.5 million shelter deal for families in Queens, and a $4.5 million truck order for the Sanitation Department.

Plus, if you live near Pugsley Avenue in the Bronx or Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, your neighborhood’s zoning could shift soon. Public hearings are scheduled. Here’s what you need to know.

Mamdani Launches Deed Theft Prevention Office

According to New York City open data, Mayor Mamdani signed Executive Order No. 16 on April 24, establishing a Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention inside the Department of Finance. The office will be led by a director appointed by the mayor and will include a Deed Theft Prevention Advocate to help homeowners navigate complaints and record corrections.

The order is explicit about who’s getting targeted: “seniors and immigrants in historically Black neighborhoods.” Data available through NYC Open Data indicates thousands of deed theft complaints have flooded in since 2014, concentrated heavily in Brooklyn and Queens. The new office is tasked with coordinating across agencies — Finance, Sheriff, HPD, the Law Department, and district attorneys — to flag suspicious recordings and pursue enforcement.

It’s a whole-of-government approach, which sounds ambitious. Whether it actually gets homeowners their property back remains to be seen.

The Money Moving

City procurement records show several major contracts moving this week:

• $32.9 million to Paul J. Scariano Inc. for component rehabilitation of 10 bridges in Queens (DOT, PIN 84124B0008001).
• $35.5 million to Bronx Family Network Inc. for family shelter services in Queens (DHS, PIN 07122P0010064, running through 2031 with a renewal option to 2035).
• $4.5 million to Gabrielli Truck Sales for truck tractors and trailers for the Sanitation Department (PIN 85726B0026001).
• $1.06 million to Comunilife, Inc. for a Safe Haven shelter for single adults in the Bronx (PIN 07126N0014001).
• $562,500 to United Way of NYC for peer specialist support at CPC One on Suffolk Street and Pier 57 (Health Department, PIN 81626L0104001).

Also notable: a $1.5 million on-call wastewater and drain line maintenance contract for DOT facilities citywide, and two $1.5 million towing contracts — one covering Queens and Brooklyn, the other Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Both went to Breen Brothers Towing of Staten Island.

Planning Changes: Bronx and Brooklyn Rezonings

The City Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday, May 13 at 10:00 AM on several zoning applications. Public notices published on May 1 state the hearing will be hybrid — in-person at 120 Broadway and remote via Zoom.

Bronx — Pugsley Avenue (CD 9): 1160-1178 Pugsley Ave LLC is seeking to rezone a stretch near Westchester Avenue from R5 to R7A, with a C2-4 commercial overlay. The application also includes a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing designation, which means affordable units would be required in any new development.

Brooklyn — Bedford Avenue (CD 3): Khalifah Residences LLC wants to bump zoning from R6A to R7X along Bedford Avenue between Madison and Putnam Streets. That’s a significant density increase. MIH would apply here too.

Staten Island — Saw Mill Creek Marsh: The city is looking to acquire Block 1780, Lot 15 in CD 2 for wetland preservation.

Public Hearings This Week

Beyond planning, several hearings are coming up fast:

• City Council Land Use Subcommittee: Tuesday, May 13 at 11:00 AM, 250 Broadway, 8th Floor. On the agenda: the 351 Powers Avenue disposition in the Bronx (selling city-owned land for $1 to a developer for low-income housing). Livestreamed at council.nyc.gov/live.
• DCAS — Human Capital Line of Service: Wednesday, May 6 at 10:00 AM (virtual via Teams). Proposed amendments to civil service classifications for Cultural Affairs and DCAS, including adding managerial titles and increasing New York Urban Fellow positions from 20 to 50.
• Bronx Community Board 10: Thursday, May 7 at 7:00 PM at ArchCare at Providence Rest, 3304 Waterbury Avenue. Hearing on the 815 Hutchinson River Parkway rezoning (M1-2 to C8-3).
• Landmarks Preservation Commission: Tuesday, May 12 at 9:00 AM, 253 Broadway, 2nd Floor. Multiple certificates of appropriateness and two development rights transfers on East 78th Street.
• Rent Guidelines Board: Thursday, May 7 at 7:00 PM at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Long Island City. Preliminary vote on 2026 rent adjustments for stabilized apartments, lofts, and hotels.
• DOT Revocable Consents: Thursday, May 21 at 11:00 AM (virtual). Five roadway cafe applications across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

New Rules on the Way

Several agencies published regulatory agendas for Fiscal Year 2027:

DOT plans to formalize cyclist “ Idaho stop ” rules — allowing cyclists to treat red lights as stop signs and stop signs as yields, following a successful 2018 pilot. They’re also updating newsrack rules, creating an “Adopt-A-Planting” program, and tweaking Dining Out NYC regulations as the Council considers expanding outdoor dining.

DSNY is preparing rules on commercial waste zones, street vendor disposal requirements, and expanding the containerization pilot program for buildings with 31+ units.

DEP adopted final rules adding penalties — $560 to $1,680 — for construction sites that fail to use or maintain noise monitoring devices.

Campaign Finance Board anticipates rules on disclosure streamlining, public matching fund safeguards, and transition/inaugural activity oversight.

Personnel Moves

As listed in official city records, the Board of Elections appointed hundreds of poll workers effective January 1, 2026, with salaries set at $1.00 (standard for per-diem election workers). Several community boards and CUNY colleges also posted appointments, resignations, and retirements through late February.

What This Actually Means

Most of this stuff flies under the radar. That’s the point of this newsletter. The deed theft office could matter a lot if you’re a homeowner in East New York or Jamaica. The Queens bridge contract affects anyone who drives over the Kosciuszko or Grand Avenue spans. The Bedford Avenue rezoning could reshape a chunk of Bed-Stuy.

The city publishes this data. Most people don’t have time to read it. That’s why we’re here.

Got a tip? A neighborhood we’re missing? Hit reply or find us at nycinfocus.com.