A More Equitable NYC

New York, NY — New York City Comptroller Brad Lander hosted community leaders, policymakers, educators, and students at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Wednesday, May 22 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of...

Executive Summary How do you address the challenges of a public school system with just under one million students across over fifteen hundred schools, where some schools face severe overcrowding...

Introduction For over a decade, New York City has been a national leader in providing immigration legal services.[i] New York City has made more investments in immigration legal services than...

Executive Summary Amidst the broader challenges of housing affordability in New York City, concerns have been raised about whether an increasing number of rent stabilized units are being kept off...

Introduction The New York City Department of Education (DOE) provides early childcare and education services to children, from birth to five years old, who live within the City. These early...

Good afternoon, Speaker Adams, Chair Brannan, and members of the Council. Thank you for having me here to talk about the City’s Preliminary Budget, current economic conditions, transparency in the...

Thank you, Chair Ayala, for calling this hearing. Thank you to our new Chair of the Immigration Committee, Councilmember Alexa Aviles, and to Councilmember Hanif, for introducing Int. 210-2024, which...

Thank you Chair Brooks-Powers and Chair Won, and Members of the Transportation & Infrastructure and Contracts Committees, for the invitation to testify today. We appreciate the opportunity to join this...

New York, NY — Today, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander released the office’s Annual Report on M/WBE Procurement, exposing critical shortcomings in the City's efforts to ensure equitable distribution of contracts among...

Executive Summary Contracting is a powerful tool to achieve New York City’s goals and priorities – and the City has the power to use contracting strategically to make investments that...

The Honorable Eric Adams Mayor City Hall New York, NY 10007 Re: Investigation of the implementation of the “60-day rule” for migrant families Dear Mayor Adams, On October 16, 2023,...

Amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment and rhetoric with the arrival of asylum seekers in New York, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a fact sheet called Facts, Not Fear, dispelling...

Background Busting Myths about Immigration As New York City welcomes over 100,000 new arrivals seeking asylum, it is critical to ground conversations on immigration in facts, not fear. This fact...

One Part of a Broader Deal to Address the Housing Crisis An ambitious deal is urgently needed in Albany in 2024 to address New York’s affordable housing crisis. Such a...

Thank you to Chair Gutierrez, Chair Hanks, and Members of the Committees on Technology and Public Safety for convening this important hearing on the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD)...

New York, NY – New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a statement following reports of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau probe into the lending practices of Wells Fargo. “I’m deeply...

New York, NY — As New York State considers establishing a commission on reparations, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a first-of-its kind report shedding light on stark racial wealth...

Introduction Earlier this year, both the New York State Senate and the State Assembly passed bills to establish a state-level commission on reparations. The commission would be charged to examine...

New York, NY – New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and trustees of the five New York City retirement systems (the Systems) today announced the strategic expansion of the Systems’...

A Message from the Comptroller To the Residents of the City of New York, My office has conducted an audit of the Queens County District Attorney’s Office’s (QCDA’s) compliance with...

A Message from the Comptroller To the Residents of the City of New York, My office has conducted an audit of the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office’s (BXDA’s) compliance with...

Honorable Bridget G. Brennan: This Final Audit Letter Report concerns the New York City Comptroller’s audit of the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s (SNP) provision of language access services...

A Message from the Comptroller To the Residents of the City of New York, My office has conducted an audit of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office’s (KCDA’s) compliance with...

Letter from the Comptroller July 12, 2023 To the Residents of the City of New York, My office has conducted an audit of the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office’s (RCDA’s)...

Introduction As children and teachers returned to their classrooms this month, their principals were busy working to determine how to best meet the needs and challenges of their schools, amidst...

The New York City Comptroller’s office undertook a comprehensive review of the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to examine the challenges in supporting homeless single adults and families at a...

Letter from the Comptroller To the Residents of the City of New York: My office has conducted a review of the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to...

After a year of publishing monthly updates on key indicators regarding the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) and one day ahead of a court hearing that may consider...

Introduction On July 23, 44-year-old Curtis Davis was found unresponsive at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island, where he was awaiting trial on assault charges. Two correction officers...

New York, NY— New York City Comptroller Brad Lander gave high marks to the City University of New York (CUNY)’s College Discovery Program in a new audit released today. The...

Letter from the Comptroller To the Residents of the City of New York: My office has audited the City University of New York (CUNY) College Discovery Program, which provides comprehensive...

AUDIT IMPACT Summary of Findings The audit found that the Human Resources Administration (HRA) appropriately reimbursed Career Pathways providers for achieving aggregate milestones and interacted with providers in monitoring the...

Audit Impact Summary of Findings The Department of Homeless Services (DHS) had limited success in convincing the homeless individuals encountered during the sweeps[1] of homeless encampments to enter temporary shelters....

Executive Summary The vast majority of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in New York City seek temporary shelter within the City’s shelter system.[1] However, despite accounting for only a small...

Introduction As New York City moves into the post-pandemic future, it must rise to face new challenges in order to secure a thriving and inclusive future, and remain the greatest...

Introduction For years after someone in New York served time for a conviction, criminal background checks too often prevent them from fully participating in economic and civic life. Unfortunately, the...

Introduction Each year, the City of New York directs nearly 30 percent of its overall budget to fund the operations of the Department of Education (DOE). For the current school...

Introduction Since the Free Academy in Manhattan received its state charter 176 years ago this month, the City University of New York (CUNY) has been a beacon of accessible higher...

AUDIT IMPACT Summary of Findings The audit found that the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) generally complied with the translation standards prescribed by relevant laws, standards, and guidelines....

NYC Personal Income Tax 2019-2021 Tax revenues from New York City’s Personal Income Tax (PIT) increased by 11 percent in each of the first two full fiscal years following the...

Care work is one of the fastest-growing components of New York City’s economy – but frequently one of the most neglected. The pandemic highlighted the importance of care workers to...

Executive Summary Each year, the City of New York purchases billions of dollars of goods and services, ranging from schools supplies to massive infrastructure projects. The City has both an...

Minimum Wage The minimum wage for New York City more than doubled between 2013 and 2020, as a result of State legislation, but its purchasing power has been eroded by...

Executive Summary The January 9, 2022, fire at the Twin Parks development in the Bronx tragically took the lives of 17 New Yorkers, injured dozens, and shocked and horrified people...

Audit Findings and Conclusion The objectives of the audit were to determine whether SBS had adequate controls over the award process for the NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Fund Program...

Audit Findings and Conclusion The objectives of the audit were to determine whether SBS had adequate controls over the award process for the NYC Small Business Continuity Loan Fund Program...

A Message from Comptroller Brad Lander Dear Reader, As the Chief Financial Officer for the City of New York, the Comptroller has an interlocking set of responsibilities to achieve strong...

Introduction Social capital plays an important role in facilitating community disaster response and recovery: Neighbors coming together to help neighbors can make all the difference when disaster strikes. Ten years...

Executive Summary Superstorm Sandy laid bare the vulnerabilities of New York City’s coastal communities and infrastructure. The storm resulted in the deaths of 43 city residents and caused damages estimated...

Executive Summary Basement and cellar apartments, most of which exist within an informal rental market due to regulatory and financial barriers, currently house tens of thousands of New Yorkers, especially...

Executive Summary Cooling centers offer vital, life-saving spaces for people to access air conditioning during heat waves. However, cooling centers are not located equitably across neighborhoods. This report analyzes cooling...

Executive Summary This audit was conducted to determine whether the New York Police Department (NYPD) has adequate controls over the seized property managed by its Property Clerk Division (PCD). NYPD...

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander Queens Council Member Tiffany Cabán Brooklyn Council Member Shahana Hanif Since the moment COVID-19 arrived in New York City, the burden of the pandemic’s...

This analysis, the first Agency Watch List released by Comptroller Lander, compares proposed FY23 DOC spending to prior fiscal years, finding spending rising along with the jail population and rates...

Executive Summary New York City’s current property tax system is notoriously opaque, unfair, and regressive. For the past four decades, rather than dealing with its structural flaws, New York State...

Letter from the Task Force’s Co-chairs Dear New Yorkers,   We are delighted to submit this Action Memo to Mayor Adams and Comptroller Lander on behalf of the Joint Task...