Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Tascha Van Auken, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, announce the launch of Organize NYC, a long-term initiative to bring mass public participation into the work of governing. | Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani on Wednesday launched Organize NYC, a long‑term initiative to bring mass public participation into city governance, beginning with a major push to mobilize tenants and landlords to testify at the upcoming Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) hearings. The Mayor said that allowing only “0.02% of those impacted” to testify represents “a failure of civic engagement.”
The initiative, announced with Tascha Van Auken, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, aims to ensure more New Yorkers understand “the role they have” in shaping decisions that affect their lives.
A Citywide Effort to Boost Public Testimony
Organize NYC begins with a campaign focused on the June RGB hearings, where the board will decide whether rents for more than 2 million New Yorkers in rent‑stabilized housing will increase or remain the same. Volunteers will canvass across the city — from Jackson Heights to Flatbush — to encourage residents to testify in person or submit written comments.
The administration emphasized that Organize NYC will not advocate for a specific rent outcome. Instead, the goal is to ensure more New Yorkers “know they have a voice in that decision — and how to use it.”
Why the Initiative Is Being Conducted
Last year, only about 400 people testified at RGB hearings, despite the board’s decisions affecting millions of tenants and landlords citywide. Organize NYC aims to close that gap by breaking down barriers to participation and simplifying how residents engage with government.
“Too often, people don’t know about the opportunities they have to make their voices heard — or they don’t know how to take part,” said Commissioner Van Auken, describing the initiative as a way to “break down barriers and cut through the complexity” of civic engagement.
Fil-Am Communities Stand to Benefit
For Filipino American New Yorkers, one of the city’s most active immigrant communities, the initiative carries particular weight. Many Fil‑Am families live in rent‑stabilized apartments in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and a significant number work in essential city sectors — health care, transit, education, and administrative services — where rising housing costs directly affect workforce stability.
Fil‑Am civic groups note that rent decisions often shape multigenerational living arrangements common in Filipino households. Organize NYC’s push for broader testimony gives these families a clearer pathway to share their lived experiences, which rarely surface in formal policy settings.
City Council’s Role and Its Own Surveys
The City Council has not issued a formal statement on Organize NYC, but historically, it has supported efforts to expand tenant participation in RGB processes. The Council conducts its own annual housing and affordability surveys, which help shape its legislative priorities.
However, those surveys do not replace the RGB’s legally required public testimony process. Council members have previously expressed concern that low turnout at RGB hearings limits the board’s understanding of real housing pressures. Organize NYC aligns with long‑standing Council calls for broader outreach, even as the Council maintains its separate data‑gathering tools.
Upcoming Hearings and How to Participate
RGB hearings will take place in Queens on June 4, the Bronx on June 8, Brooklyn on June 11, and Manhattan on June 16. New Yorkers can sign up to canvass or learn more at organize.nyc.gov.
