New York Note: ER Act, AI Hearing, Council Legislation, Mayoral Appointment

Mamdani Announces Offices of Labor Relations and Risk Management Appointments

Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Liz Vladeck as Commissioner of the Office of Labor Relations. Vladeck most recently served as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of New York City Public Schools and previously held positions in the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planning and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. As Commissioner, she will oversee the City’s labor relations functions, including collective bargaining, labor agreements, and employee benefits programs. Additionally, Mayor Mamdani appointed Erin Pilnyak as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Risk Management and Compliance and Citywide Lead Compliance Officer. Pilnyak previously served as Assistant Deputy Commissioner in the NYPD’s Risk Management Bureau, Deputy Director in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, and as an advisor to government entities on organizational reform and accountability systems. In her new role, she will oversee efforts to identify operational risks, vulnerabilities, fraud, and inefficiencies across city government and coordinate citywide lead compliance and remediation initiatives in partnership with multiple City agencies.

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NYPD Use-of-Force Review and Accountability Reforms

Mayor Zohran Mamdani directed the NYPD to undertake its first comprehensive review of use-of-force policies and practices in a decade and announced a series of accountability reforms related to police misconduct investigations and oversight. The review will include a community engagement process and examine the department’s current use-of-force policies and practices. The administration also announced measures to strengthen independent oversight by increasing funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD, improve tracking of officer retirements during pending disciplinary proceedings, formalize the referral of officers facing disciplinary charges for state decertification review, ensure compliance with state reporting requirements for police-involved deaths, and standardize information sharing with the public and families following critical incidents involving serious injury or death.

NYC Council Holds Follow-Up AI Safety Hearing With SpaceXAI

The New York City Council Committee on Technology held a follow-up oversight hearing on artificial intelligence safety featuring testimony from SpaceXAI after the Council issued its first subpoena to a private actor when the company did not appear at a previous hearing. Council Members questioned company representatives about AI safety practices, privacy protections, whistleblower protections, harassment safeguards, and the risks associated with AI technologies. The hearing also included testimony from a former SpaceXAI employee who alleged he was terminated after raising safety concerns about the company’s AI systems.

Mamdani Administration Launches Debt Demolisher Fine Relief Program

The Mamdani administration announced “Debt Demolisher,” a 90-day fine relief program running from October 13, 2026, through January 10, 2027, that allows eligible homeowners and small businesses to resolve outstanding Environmental Control Board (ECB) judgments at a reduced cost. Under the program, eligible participants can have accrued interest waived and settle outstanding debt associated with violations issued by agencies including the Department of Buildings, Department of Sanitation, and Department of Transportation, provided they come into compliance with the underlying violations.

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