Tag: kristen-gonzalez

MTA shows off accessibility upgrades at Queensboro Plaza in Long Island City

July 10, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and representatives from the office of Assembly Member and Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani toured the Queensboro Plaza subway station Tuesday to view new accessibility features installed by the MTA at the Long Island City station. The upgrades, which included installing elevators on both sides… Read more »

Queens lawmakers condemn Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ as dangerous and unjust

Big Beautiful Bill

Jul. 7, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Elected officials across Queens have criticized the Trump Administration and Republican lawmakers for passing the “One Big Beautiful Bill” last week, stating that the federal budget bill will have “dangerous and rippling effects” across New York City and State. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on…

Gonzalez advances landmark legislation on artificial intelligence oversight

gonzalez

Jun. 19, 2025 By Czarinna Andres New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, who represents parts of western Queens, successfully passed two major bills designed to regulate the growing use of artificial intelligence in public and private systems. The legislation marks a significant milestone in Gonzalez’s broader “Safe and Responsible Artificial Intelligence” package and positions…

NY Irish Center hosts fourth-annual Queens Irish Heritage Festival at Culture Lab

The fourth-annual Queens Irish Heritage Festival platformed Irish music and culture at Culture Lab. Photo: Shane O'Brien.

June 16, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Hundreds of people visited Culture Lab LIC Saturday for the fourth-annual Queens Irish Heritage Festival, celebrating Irish music and culture as well as the importance of diversity in Long Island City. The event, co-presented by the New York Irish Center and the McManus Irish Dance, featured five hours of… Read more »

Western Queens lawmakers back DOT’s 31st Street bike lane redesign

31st Street.

Jun. 13, 2025 By sobrien June 13, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and Council Member Tiffany Cabán issued a joint statement voicing strong support for the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed redesign of 31st Street in Astoria, which includes the installation of eight-foot-wide protected bike lanes beneath…

González-Rojas calls Trump a ‘fascist’ over federal response to anti-ICE demonstrations

fascist

Jun. 11, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas is condemning President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marine Corps to Los Angeles, calling him a “fascist” and describing the move as a response to growing public outrage over his administration’s immigration policies. González-Rojas said the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los…

Advocates push for speed limiter law as Queens drivers rack up hundreds of school zone tickets

Jun. 5, 2025 By sobrien June 4, 2025 By Shane O’Brien The five most persistent “super speeders” in Queens racked up a combined 643 school zone speed camera tickets in 2024—an average of one every 14 hours—according to new research from street safety groups Transportation Alternatives (TA) and Families for Safe Streets. One driver…

NYC’s largest housing voucher program faces legal challenge, budget strain

CityFHEPS

Jun. 3, 2025 By Shane O’Brien As New York City grapples with the ongoing housing crisis, CityFHEPS, a city-funded voucher program for low-income households, has played an increasingly prominent role in securing housing for some of the poorest residents in the city. But the program, which has grown astronomically since its inception in 2018,…

State Sen. Gonzalez lauds budget for cost-of-living measures but says bold action is still needed

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez speaks in the State Senate. Photo courtesy of office of State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez.

May. 14, 2025 By sobrien May 14, 2025 By Shane O’Brien State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez touted a number of measures introduced in the recently-approved state budget that will help working families combat inflation but said the budget could have been “bolder” in its efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Gonzalez, who represents areas in…

Queens and Manhattan lawmakers press Mayor Adams to open delayed pedestrian path on Queensboro Bridge

Queensboro bridge bike lane (Photo by Michael Dorgan, Queens Post, taken on March 16, 2022)

April 10, 2025 By Shane O’Brien Elected officials in Queens and Manhattan have penned an open letter to Mayor Eric Adams and Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez to express concerns over delays in opening a dedicated pedestrian walkway across the Queensboro Bridge. State Senators Mike Gianaris, Kristen Gonzalez and Liz Krueger, Assembly Members Zohran Mamdani and… Read more »