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Dear New Yorkers,

Last year, a series of investigative reports from THE CITY exposed how real estate speculators dispossessed people from homes they had inherited, by buying up shares of properties at low prices from far-flung heirs, going to court and forcing sales.

Last week, a new state law took effect that was directly inspired by our reporting. Now, under the revamped law, only those who inherit property can initiate action in court — and real estate investors who purchase shares of property from heirs cannot.

The investor schemes, which target historically Black and Latino neighborhoods and often force people out of property they had been living in or hoped to move to, could grow scarcer as a result.

“We just want to discourage this predatory activity,” said K. Scott Kohanowski, general counsel at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, who helped develop the changes to the state law. “This should put a huge damper on the industry that engages in this.”

Read more here about the new protections for people who inherit property in New York.

Weather scoop by New York Metro Weather Wednesday's Weather Rating: 3/10. High temperatures are a bit cooler (in the lower 80s), but dew points are still rising and we've got multiple rounds of showers and storms throughout the day. The vibes are uncomfortable out there ...

Our Other Top Stories

An NYPD administrative trial judge has recommended that a disciplinary case against Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey be dismissed. The Civilian Complaint Review Board was set to prosecute Maddrey next month over a November 2021 incident — first exposed by THE CITY — in which he ordered officers at a Brooklyn precinct to void the arrest of a retired cop who used to work under him. But the judge ruled that the board didn’t have jurisdiction in the case.   Since last June, the city’s four free public health vending machines have dispensed over 18,000 items —  everything from COVID tests and safe sex products to fentanyl test strips and 2,100 naloxone kits to reverse overdoses. But that’s a far cry from the 10 machines the city’s health department had promised when first announcing the initiative in 2022. Now  the four existing machines may be the last of their kind: the public health vending program quietly closed this May. According to a department spokesperson, not enough eligible organizations were interested in managing the machines to launch all 10.

Reporter’s Notebook

Mayor’s Charter Changes Take Aim at Council Power

The mayor’s Charter Review Commission released its final report on Tuesday, proposing five amendments to the city’s constitution for voters to consider on November’s ballot.

Those proposals include confirming the Department of Sanitation’s authority to require trash to be containerized, improving the city’s capital planning process to provide more transparency on costs and increasing opportunities for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises.

Another would require a fiscal impact statement be prepared before a public hearing on any proposed local law — which comes after the mayor’s office has refused to implement a bill passed by the Council that expands housing voucher eligibility.

It would also change budget deadlines following a mayoral election to ensure more updated tax revenue information.

Another proposal is seen by some as a way to remove some power from the Council: it would create new review procedures for public safety legislation, including more public hearings and more advance notice for those hearings.

The City Council had submitted its own ballot initiative that would expand their approval process for commissioners and other leaders appointed by the mayor. The mayor’s ballot proposals could now knock that initiative off the ballot.

The proposals are expected to be approved at the commission’s final meeting on Thursday, July 25 at 2 p.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library’s central branch at 10 Grand Army Plaza.

— Katie Honan

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Things To Do

Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.

Wednesday, July 24: A summer arts experience offered on weekdays for youth ages 6 to 13, with different classes offered in painting, dance, theater, and more. Free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center in Brooklyn. Thursday, July 25: The Queens Jazz Trail: Salcedo’s Latin Soul, a free outdoor performance, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Travers Park in Queens. Friday, July 26: Dance for Every Body, a movement and dance class hosted by the Brooklyn ensemble Urban Bush Women and Lincoln Center. Free at 5 p.m. at the Garden at Damrosch Park in Manhattan.

THE KICKER: Astoria’s Neptune Diner, which has been in business for 40 years, will close for good this Sunday.

Thanks, as always, for reading. Make it a great Wednesday.

Love,

THE CITY

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