Zohran Mamdani moved quickly to begin implementing his socialist housing agenda after taking office on Thursday, signing a series of executive orders he says were aimed at addressing New York City’s rental market and housing shortage. Less than two hours after his inauguration ceremony, Mamdani announced he had signed three executive orders.
His administration stated that the orders aim to intensify pressure on landlords and expedite the development of housing throughout the city.
“Today, on the first day of this new administration, on the day where so many rent payments are due, we will not wait to deliver action. We will stand up on behalf of the tenants of this city,” Mamdani announced at a rent-stabilized building in Brooklyn.
The first order reestablishes the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, which “will serve as a central coordinating body to defend tenants’ rights, stand up to landlords, and ensure city agencies act swiftly on behalf of renters facing unsafe or illegal conditions,” the mayor’s office said.
The mayor said, “We will not compromise on housing quality.”
The mayor appointed Cea Weaver to lead the Office to Protect Tenants. Weaver played a key role in the passage of New York’s 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, a sweeping tenant-protection law, according to CBS News.
“You cannot hold landlords who violate the law to account unless you have a proven, principled and tireless fighter at the helm. That is why I am proud today to announce my friend Cea Weaver as the director of the newly reinvigorated Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants,” Mamdani said.
His second order creates the Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) Task Force, which his administration said “will review city-owned properties and identify sites suitable for housing development no later than July 1, 2026.”
Leila Bozorg, the city’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, will spearhead this effort.
The mayor’s third order created the Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) Task Force, which he says will “identify and remove bureaucratic and permitting barriers that drive up costs and slow housing construction and lease-up, making it more affordable to build and easier to access housing across New York City.”
Bozorg and Deputy Mayor of Operations Julia Kerson will have leading roles, noted CBS News.
Mamdani scored a high-profile victory in last November’s election, an outcome that some political observers view as a potential indicator ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress.
While parts of the Democratic Party have embraced Mamdani’s political approach, Republicans have sought to cast him and his left-wing socialist agenda as a national foil ahead of the 2026 midterms and beyond.
“We will answer to all New Yorkers, not to any billionaire or oligarch who thinks they can buy our democracy,” he said. “I was elected as a democratic socialist, and I will govern as a democratic socialist.”
The program for Mamdani’s inauguration featured remarks from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both prominent democratic socialists who are leading figures within the Democratic Party’s leftist wing.
During an inaugural speech, Sanders—whom Mamdani said was his inspiration—defended the new mayor’s agenda.
“Making sure that people can live in affordable housing is not radical,” Sanders said. “It is the right and decent thing to do.”
Sanders—himself worth millions—then lapsed into a familiar refrain of calling for more taxes on “the rich,” which many in the crowd cheered.
The 34-year-old Mamdani campaigned heavily on cost-of-living issues and was sharply critical of Republican President Donald Trump, whose approval rating has steadily ticked up in recent weeks as the cost of gasoline and other common consumer goods began to decline and concerns about affordability eased somewhat.
