At-Large City Councilor Julia Mejia offered a proposal to the City Council during their Wednesday meeting to consider offering residential kitchen permits in the City of Boston. A residential kitchen, also known as cottage food operations, is a kitchen located in a private home. There are two types of residential kitchen permits: retail and wholesale. Read More…
During the City Council meeting on Wednesday afternoon, Councilor Kenzie Bok (District 8) offered a proposal targeted at assisting the restaurant industry by promoting pedestrian traffic through various City-sponsored markets. With the threat of colder weather approaching, many restaurants who have come to depend on the City’s outdoor dining program are in danger of seeing Read More…
City Councilors Anissa Essaibi-George (At-Large) and Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) offered an ordinance to support the United States Postal Service (USPS) and the American Postal Workers Union during the City Council meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The proposal urged Council members to call on Congress to ensure the USPS has essential support for its critical needs. Read More…
The City Council voted seven-to-five in favor of rejecting Mayor Marty Walsh’s three zoning board nominees, following the recommendation of At-Large City Councilor Michelle Wu, Chairwoman for the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation. Councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Kenzie Bok, Liz Breadon, Lydia Edwards, Kim Janey, Julia Mejia, and Michelle Wu all voted to dismiss the Read More…
Councilor Lydia Edwards (District 1) and Council President Kim Janey (District 7) proposed an ordinance to address the lack of equity and transparency of the cannabis industry in Boston. A version of this marijuana ordinance has been pushed by Council President Janey since 2019, resulting in the creation of the Boston Cannabis Board in February Read More…
City Councilors Andrea Campbell (District 4) and Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) proposed a civilian review board during this weeks City Council meeting. If passed, the civilian review board would replace an existing oversight panel that currently operates within the Boston Police Department. The proposed ordinance joins one of many city council proposals to address police Read More…
At this week’s Boston City Council meeting, councilors directed their attention toward realizing Mayor Marty Walsh’s police overtime budget cut of 20% by proposing a hearing to discuss strategies for achieving this goal. According to a proposal by Councilors Kenzie Bok (District 8) and Andrea Campbell (District 4), actualizing the Mayor’s cuts will require “active Read More…
Councilor Lydia Edwards (District 1) proposed that the City Council share equal budgeting power with the mayor during the weekly City Council meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The proposed amendment comes after public dissatisfaction with the FY21 budget approvals where protesters demanded funds be reallocated from the Boston Police Department into community services. Councilor Edwards’ amendment Read More…
Councilor Lydia Edwards (District 1) proposed support to hotel employees in daily sanitization of hotel rooms during the ongoing pandemic at the Boston City Council weekly meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Under Governor Charlie Baker’s safety standards for hotels, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of common areas and other high transit spaces are required. Councilor Edwards argued Read More…
City Councilors Liz Breadon (District 9), Michelle Wu (At-Large), and Andrea Campbell (District 4) are urging the City to consider ways to support the childcare industry during and after COVID-19 to ensure affordable access to care remains available when workers begin to reenter the workforce as the state reopens. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to Read More…
City Councilors Lydia Edwards (District 1), Michelle Wu (At-Large), and Julia Mejia (At-Large) proposed a system that would direct non-violent emergency 911 calls away from law enforcement and toward a public safety response team. This proposal comes in the midst of racial injustice protests that continue across the Commonwealth following the death of George Floyd Read More…
UPDATE: Since the writing of this article and following the City Council meeting, the Four Seasons has reversed their decision and agreed to pay the 192 laid-off workers their full severance packages. In response to the controversial layoffs of nearly half of its staff by the Four Seasons on Boylston Street, City Councilors Ed Flynn Read More…