PARSONS ON HOPE FOR CORPORATE DIVERSITY
Tribecan Dick Parsons (former CEO of Citigroup, Time Warner, CBS, the Clippers, etc etc) talks to Squawkbox about diversity and balancing fiduciary responsibility with a mission to make corporate offices look more like the country. He predicts that companies will start to diversify leadership and boards. But, he notes, with hiring freezes at companies across the country (and world) progress will be slow. “It’s going to be a challenge. But I think what will help is there is going to be more transparency, more CEOs and more senior corporate managers talking about what the intention is, marking where they are now, and explaining to their employee base and their constituents, the shareholders, what the game plan is going forward so people can mark progress.”

REVEL SCOOTERS SUSPENDED
The ubiquitous light blue Revel scooters that are wedged between parked cars all over the neighborhood have been suspended after two riders were killed in the past weeks. A TV reporter died two weeks ago when she fell off the back of a scooter in Greenpoint, and a man died yesterday after crashing into a light pole in Queens. The mayor said the company, which has been operating here since 2018, will need permission from the city to resume its service.

New York riders – starting today, NYC service will be shut down until further notice. We’re reviewing and strengthening our rider accountability and safety measures and communicating with city officials, and we look forward to serving you again in the near future.

— Revel (@_GoRevel) July 28, 2020

OUR RIGHT BANK BACKYARD…
New York YIMBY reports that the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation will soon break ground on two acres of the park in DUMBO, creating a new public plaza closest to Pier 1. The site is currently a fenced-off lot on Water Street, the historic smokestack building, the Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn, and a number of pedestrian pathways.

DE NIRO’S PROJECTS TAKING A HIT
The pandemic has of course taken its hold on all restaurant and hotel properties, and Robert De Niro’s are no different. Page Six reported on his divorce proceedings, in which De Niro’s wife, Grace Hightower, requested an emergency order to raise her monthly credit card allowance to $100,000 from $50,000. “De Niro’s lawyer, Caroline Krauss, told the judge that Nobu lost $3 million in April and another $1.87 million in May. And he had to pay investors $500,000 on a capital call, which he borrowed money from his business partners to make, “because he doesn’t have the cash,” Krauss said. Krauss also explained that under the terms of their 2004 prenuptial agreement, De Niro is only required to pay Hightower $1 million a year as long as he’s making $15 million or more in income, and if his income declines, his payments to her proportionally do too.”