This Week in City Hall: Calories, Words, and More

It was a good time to be a bill at City Hall this week as Council Members introduced stacks of legislation concerned with how we eat, speak, and party(bike) in the city.

Council Member Rivera introduced his version of the calorie display law passed by the Board of Health that required restaurants to display nutritional information on menus. Rivera’s proposal would require restaurants to list the nutritional content on posters or brochures, not menus. The bill is opposed by Council Speaker Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg.

What’s the best way for the youth in America to learn about Black History Month and to foster a shared dialogue among generations? Council Member Comrie’s answer is to condemn language. Supporters wearing pins with the letter “N” marked with red slash on it, gathered at City Hall to back a symbolic moratorium to ban the N-word. The resolution gained widespread support among other Council Members. Council Member Liu called it “the vilest word in the English language.”

A bill limiting the number of licenses for pedi-cabs and enforcing stricter regulations was passed and will most likely be signed by Mayor Bloomberg. Spurred by complaints from yellow taxi drivers and hotel and theater owners, the bill also requires regular inspections and equipment such as headlights. And more tragically, the new rules would prohibit the party bikes native to Times Square.

After a series of tragic and high-profile nightlife crime, the Council passed three bills regulating the right to party. The legislative package requires tightened security at nightclubs and will crack down on those that sell fake IDs. Part of the security measures, if passed, would require security cameras at entrances and exits. Mayor Bloomberg supports the bills and will mostly likely sign them into law.

Looking ahead, the fate of Mathieu Eugene’s residency status is still undecided, committee hearings on the Fiscal Year 2008 Preliminary Budget and the Mayor's FY '07 Preliminary Management Report will take place next week, and Council Speaker Quinn goes to Ireland to show her gay pride in their St. Patrick’s day parade in protest to New York City parade organizers who prohibit such participation.

Email This Entry


Comments (2) [rss]

user-pic

Yeah! Those obnoxious partybikes are banned!! Let the fat tourists walk Time Square just like everyone else, the exercises will do them good.

You know I work in the city & I've never seen one of those things . I can see why they want to ban them from the area . That shit is just plain stupid. Some people need a reality check here, This is not some small town in the hills . This NEW YORK CITY and their are things that you just don't do here . As far as Council member Comrie's comments , F-YOU !!!!! I have the right to say what I want and will do so when I feel the need to ! If I feel the need to use the word "Nigger" then I will . It's not about the content of the word itself, This is about censoring freedoms of speech . Today the powers in office want to tell you not to use the word "Nigger", Tomorrow it's something else . Freedom of speech is "FREEDOM of SPEECH" Dickhead ! Deal with it !

Post a comment (Comment Policy)

Tips

Get your daily dose of New York first thing in the morning from our weekday newsletter, now in beta.

About Gothamist

Gothamist is a website about New York. More

Editor: Jen Chung
Publisher: Jake Dobkin

Newsmap

newsmap.jpg

Contribute

Latest Tip:

Is Donald Trump broke? Sale of his VIP jet may indicate serious financial troubles for The Donald.
[more]

Latest Photo:

Subscribe

Use an RSS reader to stay up to date with the latest news and posts from Gothamist.

All Our RSS