Mayor Zohran Mamdani Goes After Slumlords and Anti-BDS Rhetoric on his First Day in Office

We are starting the first Monday of 2026 with good news, even though the world seems to be crumbling beneath us.

One thing everyone knows about New York City (unless you live under a rock) is that the rent prices and landlords are out of control. One of Zohran Mamdani’s promises was to pursue affordable housing and proper living conditions, and he pursued that on day 1 of his term in office.

VIA PIX11 News

Mamdani declared that the office’s first act will be in court, where they plan to intervene in Pinnacle Realty's bankruptcy proceedings.

Not only does Pinnacle Realty owe the city money, but it has also received a whopping 5,000 violations and 14,000 complaints, according to Mamdani. According to Mamdani, NYC plans to:

"…seek immediate relief and improve living conditions for Pinnacle tenants."

Mamdani made his first major policy announcements just moments after his inauguration ceremony, detailing three new housing executive orders to protect tenants and speed up housing construction across New York City. He signed the executive orders on Thursday evening at a Pinnacle-owned building.

This was in addition to well-known tenant organizer and housing rights advocate Cea Weaver being appointed as the director of the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Mamdani states that the office’s primary function will be to defend tenants’ rights and act “swiftly” to intervene on behalf of New Yorkers facing illegal housing conditions.

Mamdani also created the SPEED and LIFT task forces in his second and third executive orders to promote housing construction on city-owned land and reduce the bureaucracy that often slows down the process.

The LIFT Task Force

Short for Land Inventory Fast Track, this will leverage the city-owned land to speed up the housing development, increase supply, and drive prices down. They will review city-owned properties and identify sites suitable for housing development no later than July 1, 2026.

The SPEED Task Force

Short for Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development, this group will identify and remove bureaucratic and permitting barriers that raise costs and slow housing construction. The goal is to make it more affordable to build and to provide easier access to housing across New York City.

BDS and Pro-Israel Messaging Revoked

In addition to these moves, Mamdani also signed orders on the same day, revoking a handful of orders that former mayor Eric Adams signed, including orders that ban BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) and adopt a pro-Israel definition of antisemitism.

The anti-BDS order banned all mayoral agencies and officials from “discriminating against” Israel, Israelis, or individuals “associated with Israel” in contracts. The IHRA’s definition of antisemitism considers anti-Zionism and some criticism of Israel to be antisemitic.

Although these moves may seem small, if you had told me five years ago that I would see the New York City Mayor swear into office with a Quran and pass this kind of legislation on the first day, I would’ve told you that you are insane. New York City turned out in large numbers to support and elect Mayor Mamdani, because he represents a particular voice that has long been demonized in this country.

What Mamdani’s first day shows us is that change doesn’t always arrive loudly… it arrives through intention, who is centered, and what is treated as urgent. Housing justice, tenant protections, and the right to dissent were not pushed to the margins or delayed for political convenience. They were prioritized immediately. And that matters.

In a moment where so many people feel locked out of the future: priced out of their homes, silenced for their beliefs, and told to lower their expectations, New York City chose something different.

This isn’t the end of the fight, and it certainly isn’t perfection. But it is a signal. A reminder that power can look like accountability, that leadership can look like courage, and that the city many of us love is still capable of moving toward justice, even when the world feels like it’s falling apart.