New Yorkers may not like those Taxi TVs in the back of every cab, but the backseat boob tubes are here to stay—so at least the TLC is finally going to make some use out of them? Yesterday the Taxi and Limousine Commission began adding mini-surveys to the mix of GPS, local and news and annoying videos that greet fares when they enter one of the city's 13,237 cabs. Is your driver talking on his cellphone? Are you riding a cab for business or pleasure? How much money do you make? Is this TV broken and impossible to turn off? The TLC wants to know! more ›

Who's ready for a little 20/20 hindsight? Way back in 1998, before this whole crippling recession, a TLC issued taxi medallion cost $240,000. That may have seemed steep, but if you held onto it for 12 years you could see a 154% profit. These days, the medallions sell for about $609,000. TLC head David Yassky told the Post, "We have a high level of customer confidence in the quality of taxicab service, and I think that is one factor contributing to record-high medallion values, along with the strong and qualified driver pool and the underlying health of the city's economy." Unfortunately, those qualified drivers may never be able to afford one. more ›

Bloomberg is really sorry that your commute is going to get bitchier with all these bus cuts. But you know what are better than buses? Vans. The Mayor announced yesterday plans for a year-long pilot program for a van share program targeted to people with limited access to public transportation in Brooklyn and Queens. The vans would cost between $2 and $4, and would shuttle commuters between designated pick up locations and major transportation hubs. more ›

Due to a licensing loophole in fine regulations, the Taxi & Limousine Commission has failed to collect on over $11 million in driver fines from the past six years. Of the $23.2 million in issued summonses since 2004, the TLC has collected just $11.9 million, and officials told the Post at least $5.75 million is owed by unlicensed drivers. However, the TLC doesn't have the authority to pursue payment once a driver turns in or loses their license. more ›

The Manhattan DA's office is currently preparing criminal cases against cabbies who wrongly charged passengers out-of-town rates. A TLC analysis shows the scam wasn't as widespread as initially thought, with only 21,819 drivers shown to have overcharged passengers at some point, rather than the initial projection of 35,000 drivers. The DA is looking only to take down the "worst offenders" who used the higher rates as a source of income, and is moving to revoke the licenses of 663 drivers who wrongly charged passengers over 50 times each. TLC head David Yassky told the Wall Street Journal, "I don't want to start the hearing unless I'm confident that the driver deserves to have his or her license revoked." more ›

TLC officials have decided to launch a cab share plan to LaGuardia airport, and hope it catches on better than the program did in Manhattan. Commissioner David Yassky said on Friday, "There is no question that the current group ride locations haven't caught on as we would like...In the meantime, we will put whatever lessons have been learned into planning next steps to expand on the group ride concept." The plan might work better originating from a place where people are actually looking for cabs. One woman at the airport said, "I wouldn't worry about safety. If someone looks weird, I'd say 'no,' obviously." more ›

Between the recent assaults, fallout from the taxi scandal, and the tendency for their meetings to devolve into a series of kooky death threats, no one would blame you for not wanting to listen to more cabbies griping. But that's why we have WNYC! more ›

Those annoying TV screens that you scramble to turn off every time you get into the back of a cab may be your new conduit of complaints! Former city councilman and new TLC head David Yassky wants to make complaining about (or complimenting) your cab ride even easier by utilizing the touchscreens. Yassky said he wants riders to be able to use the screens to alert the TLC the same way people use 311. He told the Post, "We're looking for people to provide feedback about their cab experience, and possibly beyond that." more ›

New TLC chairman David Yassky has a lot on his plate, but one thing he says he's committing to is making sure yellow cabs have an equal presence all around the city—not just Manhattan. The former City Councilman told CityRoom, "Having represented for eight years a district in Brooklyn, I know many residents in the city, particularly outside the core business district of Manhattan and nearby neighborhoods, feel yellow cab service is concentrated there. In fact, it is.” A recent study shined light on taxi trips, showing that Penn Station is the most popular place to catch a cab, Wednesday has the highest taxi traffic, and the biggest pickup spot on the weekends is the Meatpacking District. So for those of you who complained the map only showed Manhattan, you're right! more ›

Well, look at that: Former City Councilman David Yassky has been named head of the Taxi and Limousine Commission by Mayor Bloomberg, who is now serving his third term as mayor—a position made possible by Councilman Yassky's vote to extend term limits. Yassky, whose district included the progressive neighborhoods of Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights when he served on the City Council from 2002 to 2009, paid a price at the polls for his term extension position when he ran for Comptroller. But all that's forgotten now; he'll be making $192,198 as TLC head. In his radio address, Bloomberg didn't mention the term extension vote, but noted that Yassky "led the way in introducing hybrid taxis to the city." more ›

Last night, the Democratic candidates for Public Advocate and City Comptroller were decided in runoff elections: City Councilman Bill de Blasio won the Public Advocate race, with 63% of the vote while Councilman John Liu won the Comptroller matchup with 56% of the vote. While they will face Republican challengers in the November election (Alex Zablocki for PA, Joseph Mendola for Comptroller), de Blasio and Liu are expected to win, given NYC's overwhelming majority of Democratic voters. more ›

Today's runoff elections for Public Advocate and City Comptroller were greeted by lower voter turnout. According to NY1's results, Bill de Blasio has won the Public Advocate race with 62.50% of the vote to Mark Green's 37.50% while John Liu won the Comptroller race, with 55.68% of the vote while David Yassky earned 44.32%. This means the Working Families Party had a big night— both its candidates won. more ›

Today, the Democrat candidates for NYC Public Advocate and City Comptroller will be decided today in runoff elections, because no candidate received at least 40% of the vote during September 15's primary. In the PA race, it's City Councilman Bill de Blasio vs. former Advocate Mark Green (in the primary, de Blasio got 32% to Green's 31%), and in the Comptroller race, it's City Councilmen John Liu (who got 38%) vs. David Yassky (30%). If you're a registered Democrat, go vote—because it's costing the city millions anyway! more ›

The primary run-off election is this Tuesday, and last night, City Comptroller candidates John Liu and David Yassky had their last debate. And apparently, with the race running close, they left nothing to chance by coming out swinging. more ›

David Yassky is best known in some political circles as the man who was the only white candidate in 2006 for the Congressional seat being vacated by Major Owens, leading some to accuse him of racial carpetbagging. Now he has the unenviable task of trying to pull an upset in Tuesday's comptroller runoff election against John Liu, blocking him from being the first Asian-American elected to citywide office. more ›

Besides a run-off for Public Advocate, yesterday's primary election also resulted in a run-off for City Comptroller, with City Council member John Liu (D-Queens) getting 38% of the vote and fellow Council member David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) getting 30%. Two other Council members from Queens ran— Melinda Katz got 20% and David Weprin 11%. more ›

Last night, the four Democratic candidates for City Comptroller met for a debate to show why he or she should be in charge of ensuring the city's financial health. The Daily News explains, "With just days to go before Tuesday's primary, the race to become the city's top financial official is still a nail-biter, with three of the four candidates tied in the polls. Only two would be eligible for a runoff if no one takes at least 40% of the vote." more ›

The Daily News noticed that there were three of the four City Comptroller candidates, John Liu, David Weprin and David Yassky, trying to bring their cases to commuters at the 72nd Street and Broadway subway station on the Upper West Side—and it wasn't pretty: "'Doesn't he look like a used car salesman?' asked a Liu worker of a straphanger who'd just finished talking to Weprin. When Weprin volunteer Luther Eason loudly urged voters to support 'the honest controller' - a reference to allegations that Liu embellished a story about working in a sweatshop as a child - Liu's team told commuters that Weprin flubbed a Daily News quiz about the size of the controller's office budget." Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, a Liu endorser, explained the appeal of the West 72nd Street subway station, "Texas has oil and the upper West Side has Democrats. It's a rite of passage. Like you go to Nathan's hot dogs out in Brooklyn, you've got to go the 72nd St. subway station." Or Fairway—we've seen Mark Green, Cyrus Vance, and countless others there on weekends! more ›

As if Macy's could move the 4th of July fireworks from the East to the Hudson River and not hear about it from Brooklyn. Council Member David Yassky issued the following statement yesterday regarding the huge dis to the borough: “The annual Fourth of July fireworks show on the East River and over the internationally-recognized Brooklyn Bridge is one of our City’s greatest spectacles. Moving the show to New Jersey would negatively impact thousands of tourists and residents who come to Manhattan and Brooklyn to enjoy the show, and the countless local business that stand to benefit from the event. I urge Macy’s to split the show so that Brooklyn residents are not robbed of this important tradition and influx of economic activity during this moment of economic uncertainty.” The Brooklyn Paper seconds that emotion today with a number of quotes from disappointed residents, including Marty Markowitz himself, who reminds the retailer that the borough is also linked to Henry Hudson's journeys. The paper notes that "the change will hinder views from the Columbia Street Waterfront District all the way to Greenpoint — and inland to Fort Greene, Park Slope and beyond." more ›

While the two former cops convicted of carrying out murders for the mafia were sentenced to life in prison yesterday, the two men will continue to receive thousands of dollars each month in pensions. Since Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were charged with their crimes after retiring in the early '90s, their families will continue to receive the pensions, which cannot even be seized and used towards the millions in fines they have to pay as part of their sentence. Yael Perlman, the daughter of a gem dealer killed by the pair, said yesterday, "That's sick." Attempts to overturn the statutes that are paying out pensions to 450 corrupt officials have gone nowhere. Last year City Councilman David Yassky said, "It's a world that rewards people who lie, cheat, steal, take bribes, betray the public trust and embezzle public funds." more ›

Serious Eats reports that City Council member David Yassky has introduced a bill to set up a licensing process for urban beekeepers. Currently illegal—thanks to an archaically-worded health code subsection—beekeeping in the city thrives in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” sort of way; an excellent Edible Manhattan article published last fall describes the outlaw subculture for all of its charms. Last fall, author Rowan Jacobsen told us that more rooftop buzzing in the city could “generate quite a bit of its honey needs,” not to mention a really local sweetener. In the meantime, there’s a NYC Beekeeping meetup group and a petition you can sign. There’s even a $75, twelve-hour, soup-to-nuts urban beekeeping course (going on now, with another starting next month) administrated through the New York City Beekeepers Association. more ›

Even though the area once home to the House of D is now better known as the House of TJ's, City Councilman David Yassky and Controller William Thompson are still trying to block the city from the reopening and expansion of a jail in Downtown Brooklyn that has been closed since 2003. The two filed a lawsuit against the city trying to stop $430 million deal planned by the Bloomberg administration to add 720 beds to the the Brooklyn House of Detention in a move they say is a "waste of taxpayer money and would have a destructive effect on the local economy.". The suit claims that the city "secretively and illegally" re-populated the jail when it sent 31 prisoners there over the weekend in order to claim that it never closed. The Dept. of Corrections says it would like to have the jail reopened by early next year. more ›

City Councilman David Yassky announced a plan yesterday for the city to sell ads on its trash cans, a revenue source that he says could rake in $2.5 million. The city owns 25,000 trash receptacles that under Yassky's plan would all bear ads within two to three years. The move would also potentially put a stop to trash cans being funded out of Council members' budgets and then arriving on the streets with the only legal form of promotion currently allowed--emblazoned with the names of the Council members themselves. How close would this all lead us to designer trash cans? Garbage bins in Tompkins Square Park recently began getting spruced up with pink and polka-dotted bags designed by a local artist. more ›

On January 20th, residents of 475 Kent in Williamsburg were evicted from their apartments, which were deemed illegal, after the Fire and Buildings Departments found multiple violations (including a matzo factory housed in the building). more ›

The MTA's various fare hikes for the NYC subways and buses, as well as its railroads, went into effect this weekend. Today, subway and bus base fares still cost $2, but higher-value pay-per-ride Metrocards have less of a bonus discount while weekly and monthly unlimited ride Metrocards are more expensive. more ›

Brooklyn bars and restaurants rejoice: you can once again put your sandwich board signs on the sidewalk without fear of tickets from the Department of Sanitation! Your free and effective method for seducing customers with daily specials and clever jokes about drinking the pain away is now perfectly legal. Of course, this does not give you permission to lose all restraint and play music or let people dance. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian struck on East 112th St. and 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, shots fired at 132nd St. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, and a commercial burglary on 4th Ave. and 90th St. in Brooklyn.
• Page Six lists its top ten scoops of the year. #1 is about Rosie O'Donnell's writer being escorted from The View offices for drawing magic marker mustaches on pictures of Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and rumors that O'Donnell might quit the show.
• James Colliton, the lawyer who pleaded guilty to having sex with two underage sisters and served 18 months in jail, is suing the 188-year-old law firm Cravath, Swaine, and Moore for $1.45 million he feels the firm owes him after he was fired. Colliton's lawsuit was handwritten on notebook paper.

Yesterday afternoon, Mayor Bloomberg announced that every yellow taxi on the streets of NYC will go green under the hood in five years. His latest implementation of PlaNYC involves using requirements set by the Taxi and Limousine Commission to have cab owners upgrade their hacks to hybrid vehicles so that the entire fleet will be hybrid by 2012. Yahoo! exec Patrick Crane was on hand at City Hall to donate ten of the new hybrid vehicles as part of Yahoo!'s green initiatives, which seemed pretty nice, but proved that purple interiors can be a matter of taste. Council Member David Yassky (Brooklyn) has been hailing this issue for the last five years. We're glad he finally managed to flag it down. more ›

So this is how borough presidents wield power: Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz has flexed his BEEP muscles by dismissing five members of Brooklyn's Community Board 6 - and their common quality was that they were vocal opponents of the Atlantic Yards project. And City Council members David Yassky and Bill DeBlasio also didn't reappoint four other members who opposed the massive $4 billion project that has been the source of community tension. Gowanus Lounge calls it "The Atlantic Yards Saturday Night Massacre." more ›