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If you know anyone who might like this newsletter, send it to them. If this was sent to you by someone else, subscribe here — it's free!  Dear New Yorkers, Earlier this week, we told you about City Hall’s surprise move to relocate hundreds of government office workers to a mostly vacant Brooklyn warehouse formerly home to a Bed Bath & Beyond.  Now, THE CITY has found the move came in tandem with a lobbying push by the property owner that targeted close aides to Mayor Eric Adams, city records show. A principal of the Sunset Park landlord, Salmar Properties, also made a substantial donation to Adams’ 2025 mayoral campaign — including dollars that exceeded strict caps on contributions from people doing business with city government. Salmar spent $28,000 to target several senior members of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, filings show.  By May 11, the city’s Human Resources Administration was trying to lease out 158,000 square feet of space inside Liberty BKLYN, a 1.3 million square foot warehouse at 850 Third Ave., for city office workers. At a Wednesday meeting of the City’s Planning Commission, several members asked skeptical questions of HRA and DCAS officials about the city’s request. Read more here. Sponsor message Some other items of note: The Bronx’s District 13 City Council race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive of the year — and incumbent Marjorie Velázquez is racking up major union endorsements. Meanwhile, her competition is aiming to capitalize on her support for a controversial housing development. Two government agencies have signed off on plans for a multi-use tower at the last undeveloped site at the World Trade Center — a move that likely dooms a push from advocates to use 100% of the space for affordable housing. New York City’s education department plans to ditch DESSA, a controversial social skills assessment, for the coming school year, Chalkbeat reports. Parents and educators had raised concerns about the tool, which screens students for social and emotional well-being in only five minutes. Roughly 45,000 children have been shut out of NYC Summer Rising, a popular free summer program, Chalkbeat reports. While it’s possible that some of the rejected applicants will have to attend the program anyway for academic reasons, other families are scrambling for summer child care. On Thursday, June 1, THE CITY’s Gwynne Hogan will moderate a candidate forum for City Council District 43, which includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Bath Beach. The forum is co-sponsored by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Asian Pacific Americans Voting & Organizing to Increase Civic Engagement (APA Voice) and diverse AAPI member organizations. RSVP here. BRIC TV has released a short documentary about affordable housing in Brooklyn that mysteriously sat unoccupied — in spite of the city’s housing crisis. It features THE CITY’s data reporter Sam Rabiyah. Watch here. Thank you to everyone who attended the Missing Them project’s closing reception at the Bronx Documentary Center on Sunday! Our public art exhibitions with Photoville are on view through Memorial Day weekend. For the latest local numbers on COVID-19 hospitalizations, positivity rates and more, check our coronavirus tracker.  Sponsor message Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Friday’s Weather Rating: 10/10. WE’RE IN OUR PERFECT WEATHER ERA. High temperatures reach the mid 70s, the sun is shining, humidity is low and we’ve got a light breeze. It’s that simple, the vibes are immaculate!!! THE KICKER: “Long live Gray’s Papaya.” — Natasha Gray, the daughter of Nicholas Gray, whose signature hot dog and papaya juice combination fed New Yorkers for decades. Nicholas Gray passed away this week at age 86. (And his legacy continues: His family plans to keep Gray’s Papaya restaurants open.)   Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Friday. Love, THE CITY P.S. If you liked something about today's newsletter, or didn't, let us know at zshah@thecity.nyc

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