Michael Bloomberg

Mayor Bloomberg's Net Worth Jumped 37 Percent In the Last Two Years

Mayor Mike Bloomberg hasn't been going quietly. He's been spouting thoughts like that drunk guy who's stayed too long at the house party. Stop and frisk more minorities! De Blasio ran a racist campaign! He's clearly savoring this rare moment in the public spotlight when he can really let loose. Wit ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg Takes Some Shots From Al D'Amato, Freddy Ferrer Over New York Mag Interview

Wow, former Republican senator Alphonse D'Amato and three other former high profile pols really let Mike Bloomberg have it tonight over the mayor's criticism of Bill de Blasio's use of his family in his campaign. Bloomberg told New York magazine that de Blasio has been running a campaign that smacks ... More >>

Who Is The Rave Candidate? Mayoral Hopefuls Conspicuously Quiet On Electric Zoo

The final tally from two days of Electric Zoo: two dead, 19 "stricken," 31 arrests, at least one sexual assault. When the third day of the festival was called off, angry ravers directed their rage at Mayor Bloomberg for recommending the cancellation. In the days since though, Bloomberg has forcefu ... More >>

Tabloids Completely Freak Out Over City Council's Vote for More Oversight of the NYPD

Yesterday was a particularly historic moment for New York's City Council, who voted to override Mayor Bloomberg's veto of two NYPD oversight bills . The successful override means that an independent inspector general will be appointed to help regulate the department, and that more people will be abl ... More >>

Mayors Bloomberg and Giuliani Oversaw NYC's Segregation Increase

Folks have been in a real reflective mood in these waning days of the Michael Bloomberg Administration. Sunday's New York Times, for instance, dedicated much its New York section to detailing and assessing the three-term mayor's rule-- from his sweeping quality-of-life accomplishments to his "tirele ... More >>

White Women Get Stopped and Frisked, Too, Writes Fear-Mongering Journalist

The Daily Caller, rightwing blog and trusty purveyor of all things clickbait-y, aggressively aggregated a story over the weekend that a woman has sued the city over being stopped and frisked in Brooklyn last year. The piece about the woman, who writer Eric Owens emphasizes over and over as being "wh ... More >>

Stop-and-Frisk Recap: Things Getting Heated at City Hall

Well, things are certainly getting interesting over at City Hall over stop-and-frisk. Here's a recap: First, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly's signature tactic gets a federal trial in the class-action case Floyd v. City of New York. The city leaks a report critical of the judge in the case, alleging she ... More >>

Hey Techies, Start Your Businesses in New York City. We Promise We're Cool.

Reading from the same playbook as Texas Governor Rick Perry, Mayor Bloomberg toured the Bay Area this weekend trying to lure tech investors and young grads back east with promises of good times and pretty girls. As if San Francisco was just one extended sequence of Revenge of the Nerds.

Bloomberg Unleashes Plan to Guide City Into Climate-Changing Future

On Tuesday, the Bloomberg administration released its long-awaited resiliency plan to shape up a city that will see a quarter of its land become floodplain in the next 40 years. The city had a comparatively early start on climate planning--in 2007, it came out with PlaNYC, a set of recommendations ... More >>

The Green Cab Invasion: Court Upholds Outer Borough Hail Plan

It's two o'clock in the morning on a Saturday night in Astoria. You've just left the bar with your friends and, because of the way the world works, the N/R/Q trains are running every hour and you just missed it. You try to hail a cab back to East Williamsburg, but to no avail, since, you know, you'r ... More >>

The Next Educator-in-Chief: What Will the New Mayor Do With a $25 Billion Budget?

The numbers for the Education budget are in and, once again, they're groundbreaking: In fiscal year 2014, City Hall will spend $25 billion--the most in New York City history--on a line item that takes up about a third of the overall city budget. But, with an election coming up, determining Bloomberg ... More >>

The UFT & PBA's Demand for Payback From New Mayor Faces Budget Realities

October 31st, 2009. For the teachers of New York City, this date marks the last day 94,000 of them had a contract with the Bloomberg administration. Since then, the wages for our city's educators have remained at a standstill, suspended by political tensions over layoffs, attrition and mayoral contr ... More >>

Cooper Union Speaker James Sprang Mic-Checked Commencement in Front of Mayor Bloomberg

Mayor Bloomberg's commencement speech at the Cooper Union on Wednesday came amid an ongoing occupation of the president's office, and just a day after students launched a guerrilla art show on the seventh floor in honor of their mission. The confrontation could have been nasty--after all, it was Blo ... More >>

Criticizing Bloomberg, Weiner Positions Himself as Teachers' Favorite Mayor

The rocky relationship between Mayor Bloomberg and the city's teachers has been the defining narrative of New York's educational politics for the past decade. Troubled by layoffs and recession-based attrition by the Department of Education, the United Federation of Teachers has basically cut all tie ... More >>

"Legacy Costs" Are Eating Up A Quarter of New York City's Budget

In late January, Mayor Bloomberg released plans for his twelfth and final budget. In it, we see an attempt on behalf of the Mayor to leave the City in a fiscally solvent manner when he leaves next year, including a culmination of spending preferences (higher city agency budgets) and an unfortunate r ... More >>

Before June 1st Deadline, DOE & UFT Submit Their Own Teacher Evaluation Plans

Remember the teacher evaluations debacle from a few months ago? You know, the one where the tensions between the UFT and Bloomberg administration cost New York City's public schools nearly $300 million in state funds? Yeahhhhh, that one. Well, after a solution fizzled and the jobs of hundreds of Ne ... More >>

Bloomberg Loses Final Appeal to Keep Emails Secret

Mayor Bloomberg's fight to keep emails concerning the hiring Cathie Black, whose catastrophic career as school chancellor lasted all of 100 days, has finally ended, and Bloomberg has lost. The story stretches back to 2010, when Sergio Hernandez, then a Village Voice intern, filed a Freedom of Infor ... More >>

Bloomberg Tells Police That Critics of Stop-and-Frisk Are "Courting Disaster"

Judging by NYPD crime metrics, 2013 is shaping up to be a pretty good year so far--there have been fewer murders than this time last year, and 2012 was itself a record low. Shootings are down, too. And yet, when it comes to public relations, 2013 has been an annus horribilis for New York police: wee ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg on Post-Boston Security: "You're Never Going to Know Where All Our Cameras Are"

Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly delivered a press conference at City Hall this afternoon, revealing information about the Boston bombers' plans to come to New York City. Upon earlier information and belief, Dzhokar Tsarnaev said he had planned to come to New York to "party," but Bl ... More >>

Bloomberg: Britain & Teen Smoking Rate Were Causes For Cigarette Age Proposal

As we reported yesterday morning, City Health Commissioner Tom Farley and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined forces Monday to announce a proposal to raise the age to buy cigarettes to 21. And then we went into the electoral blowback this could have for Quinn in the upcoming mayoral campaign ... More >>

The Mayor's "Carbon Challenge" Picks Up Ten Major Corporations

Thankfully, companies are much nicer with Bloomberg when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions than they are with banning soda. In 2007, the Mayor announced the "Carbon Challenge;" an initiative from PlaNYC - the city's sustainability program - that dares any organization in New York to lowe ... More >>

Bloomberg's Gun Control Group Undeterred by Congressional Inaction

With Rep. Gabrielle Gifford alongside him, President Obama called it a "pretty shameful day for Washington." Nearly five months after the massacre at Sandy Hook, the gun control package making its way through Congress shut down in the Senate yesterday. Democratic politicians were unable to muster th ... More >>

Mayoral Hopeful John Catsimatidis Picks Up Democratic Firm For Election

The man who calls himself the candidate "for Harlem and for Wall Street" while praising Romney's fondness for oil a few months ago is on the hunt for great PR. And, as a Republican with tons of money in New York, he's decided to pull a move straight out of the Bloomberg campaign playbook. Leave it ... More >>

The CitiBike Program Has A New Map So Maybe It Is Really Happening

We haven't forgotten about the CitiBike plan. Even after it got delayed once (thanks computer glitches). And then again (thanks Sandy). Now, the expected release date is this July for New York's first citywide bike share - a program that Mayor Bloomberg is still whatever about. Keyword: expected. B ... More >>

Democrats Worried About Other Democrats With Bloomberg's $12M Ad Blitz

Yesterday, we reported on Mayor Bloomberg's announcement to spend $12 million on a campaign set forth by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns to counter the NRA in battleground states. The move is the largest yet from the Hizzoner to translate ideology into action on the topic of gun control and, in effe ... More >>

With His $12M Ad Blitz, Bloomberg Is Finally The Opponent The NRA Needed

The substance of this story was almost fit to print. We all know Mayor Bloomberg's stance on guns. He is a co-founder and head of Mayors Against Illegal Guns - a group of America's most powerful metropolitan leaders that all share a very strong stance on gun control. And he's backed his message wit ... More >>

The NYPD Has Conducted 5 Million Stop & Frisks (No, But Really...)

This isn't exactly an anniversary worth celebrating. Yesterday, if the rates went as usual, the Boys in Blue have conducted their five millionth (yes, you read that correctly) stop-and-frisk. This performance can be traced by juxtaposing the activity in the first year of the Bloomberg administratio ... More >>

Soda Ban Appeal Set For June While Mayor Responds To "Anti-Bloomberg" Bill

After New York State Supreme Court Judge Tingling struck down the soda ban on Monday as "arbitrary and capricious," the administration confidently filed a notice the following day to get this whole thing sorted out. And it looks like we have a time frame: an appeals court has agreed to hear the soda ... More >>

Bloomberg's Sneaky Fix For All Those Stop-and-Frisk Lawsuits

Large Sodas Are OK In NYC After All!

A judge has blocked Mayor Bloomberg's measure to ban large sodas at theaters and other establishments. This may be seen by some as a terrible blow against solving the obesity problem.

New York Activists Form National Coalition to Fight Big Ed-Reform Dollars

Parents, activists and educators who are against the so-called education-reform movement are forming a national coalition to combat what they perceive to be a corporate assault on education. They thought it'd be wise to organize their fight on a more national level -- especially since their oppone ... More >>

Our Mayor's Wealth Climax: Bloomberg Is Now 13th On Forbes's Billionaires List

Last month's news that Mr. Bloomberg, after donating millions to his alma mater, John Hopkins, has become the largest living donor to higher education in America's history should have been a clear enough sign. Yesterday, Forbes released that annual archive of people that will forever have more mone ... More >>

The NYC Homeless Population Is At Its Highest Level Since The Great Depression

Remember when Mayor Bloomberg said a few weeks ago, "Nobody's sleeping on the streets"? Well... At that time, the Coalition of the Homeless furiously responded by telling reporters that there was "no accurate measurement of New York City's unsheltered homeless population, and recent City surveys si ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg To New York State: Follow My Lead On Soda Ban

Two weeks from today, Mayor Bloomberg's citywide ban on the sale of soda pop beverages above the 16 oz. size will take full effect. Once that occurs, all establishments regulated by the City's Health Department are expected to toss their fizzy beverages into the trash. Expect rioting from the New Yo ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg Pours Wealth Into Chicago Race; No One's Really Sure How To React

This Tuesday, there will be a Democratic primary for a Congressional seat left open by the resignation of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. The race will be the first major election since Newtown so guns are at the center of this one. Several left-leaning Democrats are vying for the chair and all of them have ... More >>

Rikers Gets New Program to Help Folks Stay Out of Jail

Okay folks, admittedly we're kind of hard on the Correction Department. We've published a bunch of articles about bad goings on out in the Rikers Island jails in recent years. But this time, we're going to throw some kudos to Commissioner Dora Schriro and Mayor Bloomberg for starting a new program t ... More >>

Mayor Bloomberg: Compete For The (Sandy Relief) Gold

Last week, we reported on the first numbers coming from City Hall on just how we're gonna spend the $1.77 billion allotted to us by Washington for initial Sandy recovery efforts. Those figures showed that the money would basically be split into three main categories: housing redevelopment ($720 mill ... More >>

Bloomberg Says Plan to Reduce Salt in Our Food Is Making Progress

Earlier today, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced that he's been working with 21 different food companies, including Heinz, Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, and Butterball to reduce the amount of sodium in pre-packaged foods. Though it's the most recent publicized battle of the mayor's three-term war on food, ... More >>

Millions Of Sandy Relief Dollars From Congress Will Finally Arrive In April

After a worrisome flood zone upgrade, this is definitely a good thing to hear. With funds from the $50 billion Sandy relief package that successfully struggled through Congress, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday morning how the first wave - $1.77 billion worth - would be implemented in recovery e ... More >>

Bus Stop: Striking Bus Drivers to Lose Benefits Today

The City Council urged Mayor Bloomberg to postpone the negotiations of school bus driver contracts yesterday in a letter that called for "restoring much needed normalcy to the thousands of students and families affected by the strike." The stakes get higher for workers today as health insurance for ... More >>

Gov. Cuomo To NYC: If No Teacher Evaluations Deal Is Made, The State Will Intervene

After letting $300 million in state funds slip out of our children's hands, coercion might be the only way to get Mayor Bloomberg's D.O.E. and the United Federation of Teachers to come to an agreement. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo told reporters that Albany has no problem imposing its own teacher eval ... More >>

Bloomberg Backpedals Ass Comment, Claims 'I Never Said It'

Earlier this week, we told you about New York magazine's cover story on Christine Quinn, in which writer Jonathan Van Meter reported that Mayor Bloomberg said, "Look at the ass on her," while admiring a party guest. But now, the mayor denies that he said anything of the sort. The Observer reports ... More >>

Bloomberg Gets in Everybody's Pants This Week

Today, Bloomberg becomes the first mayor to lay claim to a sixth borough: the supple flesh hidden beneath our pants. Oh yes, there's nothing like a good body part to get our outgoing mayor's juices flowing. A New York magazine feature on his possible replacement, Christine Quinn, was completely ov ... More >>

Union Insists Mayor Holds Ultimate Power to End School Bus Strike

Leaders of the Amalgamated Transit Union hosted a town hall teleconference last night to clarify facts surrounding the school bus strike--facts that they argue have been distorted by the Bloomberg administration and the media. Last night's telephone town hall was held for the constituents of City ... More >>

City Advocates Shine National Spotlight on Bloomberg's Reign of School Closure

New York City education advocates, along with activists from 17 other cities, are bringing their fight against school closures to the U.S. Department of Education today. The advocates have filed complaints with the Office of Civil Rights arguing that school closure policies in their cities have dis ... More >>

Bloomberg Donates $350M To Alma Mater, Becomes Largest Living Donor To Education

Yes, you read that correctly. Yesterday, it was discovered in a New York Times exclusive that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg would be making a $350 million donation to John Hopkins University - the Hizzoner's alma mater where he apparently ruled the frat circuit. With this amount, Mr. Bloomberg has don ... More >>

Bloomberg's Flock of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Are Probably Coming to Eat Us

Over the weekend, Mayor Bloomberg quite generously donated $350 million to Johns Hopkins University, bringing his total contributions to his alma mater to a whopping $1.1 billion. The Times has the exclusive story of Bloomberg's philanthropic track record, including fun mayoral trivia (he's 70! he c ... More >>

Pump the Brakes! This is About Health, Not Attacking or Supporting Soda Sizes

There's plenty of shit to dislike as well as like about the two parties involved in the lawsuit over the soda-size restriction set to go into effect in March. In the eyes of many New Yorkers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has come off as an obsessive control-freak during his three terms as mayor. So, whe ... More >>

NYC Supersize Soda Ban Starts March 12

It's been a long and sugar-coated road toward banning sodas over 16-ounce sizes. But earlier this week, the Health Department confirmed that Mayor Bloomberg's rule won't really be enforced until March 12. In the meantime, violators will just get warning notices.

Students and Families Suffer Most In Bus Strike and City Has Itself to Blame

As more than 8,000 school bus drivers and matrons formed picket lines around the city this morning, some 152,000 students and their families were forced to find alternative means of transportation in the pouring rain. Jackie Ceonzo, mother of a 17-year-old autistic son, had to find a way to get her ... More >>