NEW ORLEANS - The Crisis Intervention Strategy Task Force (CISTF) will hold its first meeting on Monday, August 23, at 1 PM to begin building out a citywide effort to reimagine emergency response in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS - Council President Helena Moreno hosted City of New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Gilbert Montaño during today's regular meeting to present a final plan to raise the living wage for City workers to at least $15/hr. The presentation was prompted by Moreno's motion M-21-238, which required a pay analysis of increasing the living wage to $15 within 45 days. CAO Montaño's presentation confirmed that all City workers would receive at least $15, that the Administration was working closely with Civil Service to make the necessary pay plan adjustments, and CAO Montano confirmed to Moreno that the 2022 budget would contain funding for a $15 living wage for all city employees.

NEW ORLEANS - The City Council has passed several major agenda items authored by Council President Helena Moreno to end penalties for small amounts of cannabis possession and pardon roughly ten thousand convictions and pending cases. This will help gain community trust with police and allow New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers to focus their efforts on reducing recent spikes in violent crime. While the Council does not have the authority to legalize recreational marijuana (only the State Legislature can accomplish that), it does have the power to fully decriminalize as it has done today. 

NEW ORLEANS - Today, Council President Helena Moreno announced her local cannabis decriminalization legislation is moving forward for final approval this Thursday, August 5. The package of legislation pardons thousands of summonses issued by NOPD and creates an innovative “automatic pardon” for any future summonses, functionally removing penalties for small possession of cannabis in New Orleans.

"New Orleans will continue to love and accept ALL"
NEW ORLEANS - Council President Helena Moreno has responded to efforts to remove peaceful protestors from the Louisiana House Chamber during the veto override session of Senate Bill 156, which bans transgender athletes from competing on school sports teams with their identified gender and allows people 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit or safety training.

“As a former legislator, I have seen many protesters in the House Chamber and never seen any removed like this. I view this as a physical manifestation of what some legislators are doing to the transgender community. It’s horrific and sad.” Moreno stated.