{"id":83620,"date":"2025-12-29T16:21:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T16:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/83620\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T16:21:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T16:21:14","slug":"queens-top-political-stories-of-2025-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/83620\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens\u2019 top political stories of 2025 \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The year was jam-packed with seismic shifts in New York\u2019s political landscape, most notably when Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani went from relative unknown to Mayor-elect over the past 12 months. But with President Donald Trump taking office for a second term in January and the city implementing a number of divisive programs throughout the year, there were plenty of other stories on the radar of QNS readers throughout 2025.<\/p>\n

QNS is taking a look back at the events that unfolded this year in politics in Queens. Here are some of the top political stories of 2025.\n<\/p>\n

Common Sense Caucus pushes back on NYC\u2019s mandatory composting law, call for voluntary participation
\n\"\"Photo credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n

The City Council\u2019s \u201cCommon Sense Caucus,\u201d co-chaired by Queens Council Members Robert Holden and Joann Ariola, pushed back strongly against the city\u2019s efforts to implement its mandatory composting program.<\/p>\n

The program officially went into effect in October 2024, but until this April, residents were given a grace period during which they were only warned about non-compliance.\n<\/p>\n

Starting on April 1, New York City\u2019s Department of Sanitation (DSNY<\/a>) began\u00a0enforcing the mandate<\/a>, imposing fines on residents who fail to separate food waste from regular trash.<\/p>\n

In a joint statement, the Common Sense Caucus called on the city to make the program voluntary rather than using punitive measures.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers are already overwhelmed by so many burdensome rules and regulations, and now the city wants to mandate household composting,\u201d the caucus said in a statement.\n<\/p>\n

New York passes bill requiring stores to accept cash payments, protecting unbanked and low-income shoppers
\n\"cashNY lawmakers pass bill requiring retailers and food stores to accept cash.Via Getty Images<\/p>\n

In June, the New York State Legislature passed legislation introduced by Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and State Sen. James Sanders prohibiting food stores and retail establishments from declining cash payments.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0legislation<\/a>, which aims to make sure that cash remains a valid form of payment in New York State, passed both houses of the state legislature at the end of May. Gov. Kathy Hochul since signed the bill into law in November.<\/p>\n

Sanders who represents Queens neighborhoods in\u00a0South Jamaica<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Far Rockaway<\/a>,\u00a0 said the bill reaffirms that access to the marketplace remains a \u201cfundamental right\u201d and not a \u201cluxury reserved for the digitally connected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCash is still king for many New Yorkers who live paycheck to paycheck or who simply don\u2019t have access to credit or banking services,\u201d Sanders said in a statement. \u201cNo one should be denied a sandwich, a bottle of water, or a loaf of bread because they don\u2019t have a debit card. This bill is about fairness and basic dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cruz, who represents \u00a0Corona<\/a>,\u00a0Elmhurst<\/a>,\u00a0Jackson Heights<\/a>, meanwhile, said cashless stores \u201cshut out\u201d seniors, immigrants and working-class New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ll stand up for all New Yorkers\u2019: Mayor addresses ICE raids and Roosevelt Ave transformation at Corona town hall
\n\"MichaelMichael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office<\/p>\n

Days after Trump\u2019s second inauguration, Mayor Eric Adams held a town hall in Corona where he told local residents that he hoped to speak to the Trump Administration regarding its immigration agenda.<\/p>\n

Adams told local residents that his administration would stand up for all New Yorkers, both documented and undocumented, stating that he plans to speak to the Trump administration about its plans to\u00a0carry out raids<\/a>\u00a0in New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of anxiety and a lot of uncertainty and the ink is not even dry on these executive orders,\u201d Adams said, referencing a slew of executive orders that Trump signed on his first day in office.<\/p>\n

Responding to concerns that his administration would collaborate with ICE by allowing agents to carry out raids in New York schools, Adams said New York residents should continue to go about their daily lives.<\/p>\n

City Hall to provide homeowners with automatic rebate checks for NYC Bins
\n\"NYCNYC bins on 103rd Avenue. Photo courtesy of Office of Council Member Joann Ariola.<\/p>\n

Adams announced in September that the city would provide automatic rebate checks to eligible households to cover the cost of their NYC Bins.<\/p>\n

Adams announced on Sept. 18 that the owners of one and two-family homes who receive Basic or Enhanced School Tax Relief (STAR or E-STAR) credits will receive a $59.30 check to cover the cost of their official NYC Bin.<\/p>\n

The announcement came after a lengthy stand-off between Adams and the City Council when his Hizzoner initially refused to sign legislation into law even after it passed the City Council with a veto-proof majority earlier in the year.<\/p>\n

The law, introduced by Manhattan Council Member Yusef Salaam, was passed unanimously by the City Council with a veto-proof majority in February and would provide hundreds of thousands of specially-secure bins to New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Adams had initially revealed that he would not sign off on the law even after it passed with a veto-proof majority.\u00a0The Mayor had previously described the law as \u201cfiscally irresponsible.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

However, he reversed course on Aug. 6 and stated that City Hall would now provide the $14.5 million required to fund the program.\n<\/p>\n

Community groups host Jackson Heights rally in support of Airbnb bill that would expand city\u2019s short-term rentals
\n\"BrendanBrendan Levy of the Queens Chamber of Commerce speaks in favor of Intro 1107 at Jackson Heights\u2019 Diversity Plaza. The legislation would expand flexibility for short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.Photo by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Community organizations and Queens homeowners gathered at Diversity Plaza in\u00a0Jackson Heights<\/a> in August to rally in support of City Council legislation aiming to expand flexibility for short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, in New York City.<\/p>\n

Intro 1107, introduced by Brooklyn Council Member Farah Louis, proposes amendments to the city\u2019s short-term rental policies by allowing the owners of one or two-family homes to rent out their space to up to four adults plus children. The proposed legislation would also eliminate an existing law that requires homeowners to be present while letting out their homes.<\/p>\n

Current laws enforced by the city mandate that homes can only be made available on sites such as Airbnb if the host is present during a person\u2019s stay. The bill has not yet come to a vote in the City Council.<\/p>\n

Paladino calls for Mamdani\u2019s deportation
\n\"paladino\"Council Member Vickie Paladino (left) and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani (right) are at the center of a heated exchange over citizenship and political eligibility.Via NYC Council\/QNS File<\/p>\n

Republican Council Member Vickie Paladino provoked significant controversy in June when she called for Mamdani\u2019s deportation. Mamdani, a US citizen since 2018, sharply criticized Paladino over the comments.<\/p>\n

Quoting a post from October 2019, Paladino highlighted that Mamdani had stated he was unable to vote in the 2016 presidential election because he was not yet a U.S. citizen. Paladino argued that it is \u201cinsane\u201d for someone who has not been a citizen for ten years to seek major public office and went on to call for Mamdani\u2019s deportation.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just talk about how insane it is to elect someone to any major office who hasn\u2019t even been a US citizen for ten years, much less a radical leftist who actually hates everything about the country and is here specifically to undermine everything we\u2019ve ever been about. Deport,\u201d Paladino wrote in a post on X.<\/p>\n

Mamdani described Paladino\u2019s comments as a reflection of \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s authoritarian administration\u201d and noted that he had received death threats and Islamophobic abuse since launching his mayoral campaign.He said calls for his deportation go beyond inflammatory language.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just hateful rhetoric \u2014 it\u2019s a reflection of what happens when Donald Trump\u2019s authoritarian administration is allowed to shove New Yorkers into unmarked vehicles, tear our communities apart and spit in the face of the Constitution,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n

CM Holden seeks immediate cease-and-desist zone for District 30 to prevent exploitation of homeowners
\n\"districtRobert Holden pushes for protections against predatory real estate solicitation in District 30.Photo by Colum Motherway<\/p>\n

In March, Holden urged the DSNY to designate District 30 a cease-and-desist zone in response to what he described as an overwhelming increase in aggressive real estate solicitations that homeowners have faced since the city passed the \u201cCity of Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative, a wide-reaching zoning reform package aimed at facilitating the development of more housing across New York City, has led to an influx of real estate speculators targeting homeowners, particularly seniors, with persistent and invasive efforts to encourage them to sell their homes, Holden said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a hypothetical concern\u2014it is already happening,\u201d said Holden. \u201cHomeowners in my district, particularly seniors, are being bombarded with phone calls, postcards, mailings, and even realtors knocking on their doors trying to pressure them into selling their homes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The year was jam-packed with seismic shifts in New York\u2019s political landscape, most notably when Queens Assembly Member…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[81,9497,1445,3280,9,24,63,122,124,123,1069,36721,40673,40907],"class_list":["post-83620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-eric-adams","tag-ice-raids","tag-mamdani","tag-mayoral-race","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-trump","tag-year-in-review","tag-year-in-review-2025","tag-year-in-review-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}