Does city have quota for business fines? Public advocate announces probe
Outraged by an explosive report in the New York Daily News alleging that the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs has a quota system of fines against small businesses in Brooklyn and the other outer boroughs, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio announced that he is launching an investigation into the matter.
On June 17, the Daily News reported that the agency set quotas for issuing violations against small businesses and also directed its administrative judges to uphold the unfair fines in the appeals process.
In a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz, de Blasio demanded answers in response to multiple sources and documents cited in the Daily News report. The public advocate said he is seeking to determine the extent to which the enforcement process is being stacked against the small business owners.