Puerto Rican Day Gracie Mansion Reception — Cancellation and Walkback Amid Latino Backlash

Mamdani administration on/around Wed Jun 3 emailed Latino electeds telling them the nearly-30-year tradition of a pre-Puerto Rican Day Parade reception at Gracie Mansion would not happen this year ("We will not be hosting a reception at Gracie Mansion"); the mayor would instead "prioritize attending the parades." The decision landed in the same week as the Espaillat-challenger endorsement, compounding Latino-elected frustration. By Fri Jun 5 Mamdani reversed and committed to hosting a scaled-down Puerto Rican heritage event at Gracie sometime over the Jun 12-14 parade weekend. City & State summary: "Nobody's happy about Mamdani's scaled-down Puerto Rican event."