Lawsuits Over City-Owned Grocery Stores and Paraprofessional Pay

The Brian Lehrer Show | Aug 28

Karen Yi, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering homelessness and poverty, talks about the lawsuits against the Mamdani administration by a group representing minority-owned grocery stores, which argue that the city's plan to open city-owned grocery stores will hurt their businesses. Then, Walter Wuthmann, WNYC and Gothamist reporter covering public safety and the legal system, explains the details of the Mamdani administration's lawsuit to try to stop a law passed by the City Council that would give public school paraprofessionals $10K bonuses—and what it has to do with the way the city bargains with all of its public sector unions.

Photo: Mayor Mamdani Attends a Bangladeshi Humanitarian Aid and Leadership Outreach Back to School Event in Queens. Thursday, August 27, 2026. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

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