NYC Pushes Tenant Testimony Effort Ahead Of Rent Guidelines Board Hearings

NEW YORK, NY— Mayor Zohran Mamdani launched Organize NYC on Tuesday, a city initiative aimed at increasing public participation in government decision-making, beginning with outreach ahead of Rent Guidelines Board hearings that determine rent adjustments for more than 2 million New Yorkers.

The program will deploy volunteers in early May to canvass neighborhoods in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn to encourage residents to testify at upcoming hearings before the board’s June vote.

“For us to be complacent in accepting of a process where 0.02 percent of those impacted are testifying is to me a failure of civic engagement,” Mamdani said.

The Rent Guidelines Board considers public testimony when setting rent adjustments for rent-stabilized apartments across the city.

Organize NYC will not instruct participants on what to say or advocate for any specific outcome in the board’s vote, according to city officials.

Tascha Van Auken, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, said the effort targets barriers to civic participation.

“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,” Van Auken said.

City officials said about 400 people testified at last year’s Rent Guidelines Board hearings, which affect more than 2 million tenants.

The Rent Guidelines Board holds public hearings in each borough in June before issuing its annual rent adjustment decision.

Rent Guidelines Board 2026 Public Hearings Schedule

Queens
Thursday, June 4 — 5:00 p.m.
Jamaica Performing Arts Center Auditorium
153-10 Jamaica Avenue

Bronx
Monday, June 8 — 5:00 p.m.
Hostos Community College, Main Theatre
450 Grand Concourse

Brooklyn
Thursday, June 11 — 7:00 p.m.
The Theater at NYC College of Technology (City Tech)
275 Jay Street

Manhattan
Tuesday, June 16 — 5:00 p.m.
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway & West 95th Street