Ariela Lopez
Staff Reporter
ariela.lopez@yale.edu
Ariela Lopez covers City Hall and City Politics. Originally from New York City, she is a first-year in Branford College.
Author Archive
ARIELA LOPEZ & LILY BELLE POLING
Environmental policy hearing urges new city priorities: pesticides, artificial turf, electrification

EAC Chair Laura Cahn urged the city to strengthen its policy regarding pesticides and artificial turf at the Board of Alders’ Community Services and Environmental Policy Committee meeting on Thursday. A representative from the New Haven Climate Movement and Steve Winter, director of the Office of Climate and Sustainability, also discussed the city’s progress towards electrification.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ & KENISHA MAHAJAN
New 24-hour crisis intervention center planned for New Haven

Continuum of Care’s REST Center, Connecticut’s first 24-hour short-term crisis stabilization hub for adults, is slated to open later this spring

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Ceasefire resolution hearing set for May over Zoom

Alders will discuss and hear public testimony on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza over Zoom on May 1, 155 days after the resolution was proposed.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Budget proposal for separate Parks Department follows a year of advocacy

Mayor Justin Elicker’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year would separate the Parks and Public Works Departments, which have been merged since 2020. For local advocates, it’s a step in the right direction.

March 8, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Ceasefire resolution moved to committee, organizers testify outside Board of Alders meeting

The Board of Alders convened as pro-Palestine protesters held what they called a “public hearing” in favor of a Gaza ceasefire resolution on the steps of City Hall. During the protest, organizers learned that the resolution had been moved to committee, meeting their immediate demand.

March 6, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
Tirzah Kemp appointed as new resilience chief

Kemp, who currently works at Clifford Beers Community Care Center, will replace Carlos Sosa-Lombardo as the director of the city’s Department of Community Resilience in March.

February 29, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
PROFILE: Rick Fontana to the rescue

New Haven’s emergency operations director of 16 years stepped down in January to take on the part-time position in his hometown of West Haven. While Fontana is looking to scale back, he’s not scaling down.

February 23, 2024

YURII STASIUK & ARIELA LOPEZ
Hamden Town Council hears four hours of testimony on ceasefire resolution

Residents in support of the resolution urged the council to stand up for global human rights, while opponents condemned the “divisive” resolution’s invocation of the Holocaust. No vote was held on the resolution.

February 22, 2024

ARIELA LOPEZ
City considers creating Director of Emergency Management position

The position is currently held by the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, but its duties were carried out by a deputy director who stepped down in January. On Monday, alders discussed whether to change the system following his retirement.

February 14, 2024

YURII STASIUK, ARIELA LOPEZ & ETHAN WOLIN
State of the City address disrupted by pro-Palestine protests

Protesters from several groups promoting a ceasefire resolution halted the mayor’s annual address for 25 minutes.

February 6, 2024

MIA CORTÉS CASTRO & ARIELA LOPEZ
ANALYSIS: Four takeaways from State of the City

Amid a chaotic Board of Alders meeting, Elicker highlighted housing and growth as key priorities in his annual State of the City address.

February 6, 2024