What to know about Cea Weaver, NYC's tenant advocate
Mamdani's first executive order: FULL ANNOUNCEMENT
The mayor issued an executive order continuing all city executive orders in effect before September 26, 2024, through the end of 2025, while revoking those issued on or after that date. The order takes effect immediately and does not impact emergency executive orders already in force as of January 1, 2026.
NEW YORK - Protecting tenants is a central priority for Mayor Zohran Mamdani as he begins his administration, and one of his first major appointments underscores that focus.
What we know:
On his first day in office, Mamdani named Cea Weaver, a nationally recognized tenant advocate, as director of the newly revitalized Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, an agency tasked with coordinating the city’s response to unsafe housing conditions, landlord violations and tenant harassment.
The appointment comes as Mamdani advances an aggressive housing agenda, including a proposal to freeze rents on roughly 1 million rent-regulated apartments, a move that would require approval from the Rent Guidelines Board.
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Who is Cea Weaver?
The backstory:
Weaver currently serves as executive director of Housing Justice for All and the New York State Tenant Bloc, organizations that advocate for stronger tenant protections and rent regulations.
She played a key role in the passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which closed loopholes that allowed landlords to sharply raise rents and deregulate rent-stabilized apartments.
Under the law, rent increases after a tenant vacates a unit are strictly limited, and deregulation is permitted only in narrow circumstances.
Weaver is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and previously worked as a campaign coordinator for Housing Justice for All. She also served as a policy adviser to Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in 2025.
Originally from Rochester, Weaver lives in Brooklyn and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from New York University. She is a frequent media spokesperson on housing issues.
The other side:
Weaver has faced criticism over past social media posts, with the New York Post reporting that she previously called to "seize private property" and described homeownership as a "weapon of white supremacy" in now-deleted posts on X.
What does the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants do?
Traditional tenement buildings are now expensive rental apartments, November 4, 2022 on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City, New York. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Why you should care:
The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants serves as a central coordinating body within city government to defend tenants’ rights and hold landlords accountable. Under the revitalization announced by Mamdani, the office is expected to:
- Coordinate enforcement among city agencies handling housing violations
- Respond more quickly to tenant complaints involving unsafe or illegal conditions
- Target landlords with repeated histories of neglect or harassment
- Support tenant education and organizing around housing rights
Mamdani's housing agenda
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 31: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces a series of top appointments, including the city’s new schools chancellor, ahead of his swearing-in on December 31, 2025, in New York City. Mamdani announced Kamar S
Dig deeper:
On the same day Weaver was appointed, Mamdani announced the city would intervene in the bankruptcy proceedings of Pinnacle Realty, a landlord linked to more than 5,000 housing violations and 14,000 complaints across 83 buildings, according to city officials.
The city says Pinnacle owes money to New York City, making the mayor’s office a creditor in the case. Mamdani has directed his nominee for corporation counsel to pursue court action aimed at improving living conditions and preventing tenant displacement.
Mamdani announced the move from a Pinnacle-owned building, where he toured an apartment showing broken walls, damaged flooring and a lack of heat.
The appointment of Weaver signals that tenant protections will play a central role in shaping Mamdani’s housing agenda.
The Source: This report is based on information from New York City government.