Dinowitz Digest: Monkeypox, Lifeguards Shortage, August 23 Primary, & More

 

What's Happening in the 81st Assembly District?

Weekend of Violence Should Not Be The Norm August 23 Primary to Select State Senate and Congressional Nominees Monkeypox Outbreak Continues in NYC Lifeguard Shortage Impacting Pool Access Citywide Local Update: Rats Proliferate All Over Community Albany Update: Governor Signs Mayoral Control Bill, Class Size Reduction Bill Still Waiting Around the Community: Visiting the Methodist Home

Weekend of Violence Should Not Be The Norm

Over the Fourth of July weekend, our beloved city and our nation were wracked by heartless acts of gun violence. In New York City, more than 50 people were shot during this period - including at least seven reported fatalities. I am aware of at least one shooting shooting in our own community this past weekend, where an off-duty NYPD auxiliary officer was shot and robbed of his motorcycle early Sunday morning (late Saturday night). Nationally, headlines were dominated by a devastating mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. There, a young man fired dozens of rounds into a crowd attending a Fourth of July parade — killing at least seven people and wounding at least two dozen more. This was the 313th mass shooting event in the United States this year (defined as an incident where at least four people are shot). According to the Gun Violence Archive, the seven fatalities are the third most in a mass shooting event this year, trailing only the tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde. There have been nine additional mass shootings in our country since the Highland Park massacre, resulting in six fatalities and forty-one injuries (excluding shooters). I am proud of the legislation that we passed in New York to try and defend ourselves against pro-death extremists on the Supreme Court who overturned our 110-year-old law regarding concealed carry permits. I am proud that Congress finally took some action on gun legislation, including expanded background checks for young people (such as the suspect who was arrested for and apparently confessed to the Highland Park shooting) as well as funding to implement red flag laws (such as should have been able to prevent many mass shooters from acquiring legal firearms in the first place. However, we continue to need federal action to limit the types of deadly weapons that are available for people to buy. There is simply no reason for any civilian to purchase a semiautomatic weapon unless their goal is to commit an act of mass harm. I know some of the more ardent gun advocates may disagree with me on this point, but we are fooling ourselves if we think that allowing civilians to access high-powered weapons of war will somehow prevent our country from being taken over by tyrants. Frankly, I think we are more likely to succumb to tyranny by having gangs of heavily-armed political extremists storm the US Capitol than by limiting the types of firearms we are allowed to purchase. The Second Amendment to our US Constitution reads as follows: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." In my opinion, this amendment is intended to defend each individual state's right to organize their own independent militia that could conceptually defend against a tyrannical federal government. It seems obvious that an individual citizen owning a stockpile of weapons does not meet the definition of a "well-regulated militia". We have organizations in New York that would seem to meet this standard, such as the National Guard and the New York Guard. We have police who are supposed to keep us safe, and we have courts which are supposed to dole out justice when wrong has been done. We do not need vigilantes carrying machine guns through our neighborhoods to keep us safe, and it is ludicrous to suggest that such a societal change would do anything except turn our community into the Wild West. August 23 Primary to Select State Senate and Congressional Candidates There will be another primary election for our community on August 23, 2022. This primary is to select party nominees for State Senate and the US House of Representatives, and was separated from the standard June primary because of a court decision made by a judge in Steuben County which overturned district maps that had been approved by the Legislature. Here are the positions which may appear on your primary ballot in August: STATE SENATE • District 31 (covering Northern Manhattan, Kingsbridge, Marble Hill, Part Of Riverdale, and Van Cortlandt Village) » The incumbent in this race is State Senator Robert Jackson.   » State Senator Jackson is being challenged by Ruben Dario Vargas, Francesca M. Castellanos, and Angel I. Vasquez. • District 33 (covering Bedford Park, Belmont, Part of Fordham, Little Yemen, Morris Park, Norwood, Pelham Parkway, Riverdale, Part of Tremont, and Van Nest) » State Senator Gustavo Rivera is the current five time State Senator from the 33rd State Senate District. He is therefore the incumbent in this race. » State Senator Gustavo Rivera is being challenged by Miguelina Camilo. District 34 (Covering Parkchester, Castle Hill, Parts of The East Bronx, Pelham, and Parts of New Rochelle) » There is no incumbent since State Senator Biaggi is not running. » The Three candidates are. Christian Amato, Nathalia Fernandez, and John Perez. US HOUSE • District 13 (covering Northern Manhattan, Bedford Park, Part of Fordham, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Marble Hill, University Heights, and Van Cortlandt Village) » The incumbent in this race is Congressman Adriano Espaillat. » Congressman Espaillat is being challenged by Francisco A. Spies and Michael Hano. • District 16 (covering Part of Wakefield in the Bronx, and Lower Westchester County) » The incumbent in this race is Congressman Jamaal Bowman. » Congressman Bowman is being challenged by Vedat Gashi, Catherine F. Parker, and Mark Jaffe. Please note that State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey in Senatorial District 36 (covering part of Wakefield and Woodlawn, among other parts of the Bronx and Westchester County), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Congressional District 14 (covering Parts of the Bronx, and Parts of Queens), and Congressman Ritchie Torres in Congressional District 15 (covering Norwood, Riverdale, and Woodlawn among other parts of the Bronx) are not contested and will not appear on a primary ballot. Additionally, please note that the only contested Republican primary in the Bronx is for House District 14, which is not in the 81st Assembly District. As such, the only people in the 81st Assembly District who will be eligible to vote on August 23 are registered Democrats. Early voting will begin on Saturday, August 13 and will continue through Sunday, August 21. Early voting sites have not been finalized yet, however you will be able to find your assigned early voting poll site here: findmypollsite.vote.nyc. To request an absentee ballot for this primary election, you can do so online here: nycabsentee.com. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for this primary is August 8. Monkeypox Outbreak Continues in NYC You may have heard about a recent uptick in monkeypox (orthopoxvirus) cases in New York City. I wanted to share some relevant information from the NYC Department of Health that may be of interest to you. According to the NYC Department of Health (DOH), there were 141 people who tested positive for orthopoxvirus as of July 7. NYC DOH has said that most of these cases resulted in mild illness and did not require hospitalization. Although anyone can get and spread monkeypox, DOH has said that current cases appear to be primarily spreading among social networks of men who have sex with men. The monkeypox virus is most often spread through direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus, and can also spread through contact with clothing, bedding, and other items used by a person with monkeypox. Additionally, it can be transmitted through prolonged face-to-face contact (such as would occur while kissing or cuddling). The DOH does not know at this time whether monkeypox can spread through semen or vaginal fluids. Symptoms of monkeypox usually start seven to fourteen days after exposure, and may take up to twenty-one days to appear. The most common symptom is a rash or sores that can look like pimples or blisters, which can appear all over the body or just in certain parts (including face, hands or feet, as well as on or inside the mouth, genitals, or anus). These sores can last for two to four weeks. Additionally, people may have flu-like symptoms (fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and tiredness). New York City has access to an FDA-approved vaccine against monkeypox. This vaccine is available to eligible New Yorkers, as defined by the following conditions: gay, bisexual, or other man who has sex with men, and/or transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender non-binary; age 18 or older; and have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days. Vaccination is free and available regardless of immigration status. If you are eligible to be vaccinated, the DOH suggests that you especially consider getting vaccinated if your partners are showing symptoms of monkeypox, if you met recent partners through online platforms or at large gatherings, or if you have a condition that may increase your risk for severe disease (such as HIV). Vaccine supply is currently low, but appointments will be made by DOH on a rolling basis. For more information about monkeypox, please visit the Department of Health's webside here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/monkeypox.page Lifeguard Shortage Impacting Pool Access Citywide Public pools are an important lifeline for many Bronxites, including children seeking a recreational outlet and adults looking for a way to get exercise. Unfortunately, the City of New York has struggled to find enough lifeguards to staff every public pool and beach we have. This has resulted in the shortening of available hours at outdoor pools as well as the cancellation of all swim programs for the summer, including lap swim, senior swim, and Learn to Swim. I am deeply concerned with the cancellation of this vital programming, especially as we continue to work hard to ensure that the Bronx is able to stop being the least healthy county in New York State. It is also very important that all young people have access to swimming lessons, not least of which so that we can prepare the next generation of lifeguards. This week, Mayor Adams did announce that the City would be increasing wages by 22% (up to $19.46 per hour) for this summer only. The City is also offering a $1,000 retention bonus to lifeguards who work every week of the summer season. In addition, the City is developing a less intensive training program to help staff so-called mini pools, which require less lifeguard experience and skill to monitor as compared to olympic-sized pools and beaches. I think this is a good start, but I would like to see additional efforts to ensure that all Bronxites (and New Yorkers) have easy and convenient access to swimming pools as well as swim programs this summer. There are nine outdoor pools in the Bronx, including one in our community and several that are nearby. The main pool which serves our community is at Van Cortlandt Park, which offers an olympic-sized pool as well as a wading pool. Nearby, the Edenwald Houses Pool offers a mini pool, and Haffen Pool and Mapes Pool both offer an intermediate pool and a wading pool. For a list of all outdoor pools offered by NYC Parks, please see their website: https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/outdoor-pools Local Update: Rats Reported All Over Community As you may have noticed, there appears to be a surge in the number of rat infestation reports throughout our community. My office has received these reports from every people in neighborhood, and although New York City has always had its share of rat problems — it seems clear that we have more rats than we used to. If you are concerned about rats in your neighborhood, please report them to 311. We need our City agencies to step up their efforts to combat the spread of rats, and we need all of your help to document the scope of the problem. To report rats to 311, you can do so online here: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01107 Albany Update: Governor Signs Mayoral Control Bill, Class Size Reduction Bill Still Waiting Last week, Governor Hochul signed into law the bill which extends mayoral control for two more years. As part of an agreement to sign this legislation, she added something called a chapter amendment which will delay the expansion of the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) by five months to allow NYC Department of Education more time to prepare for it. A chapter amendment is essentially an agreement between the Executive and Legislative Branches to make minor changes to bills which are already passed, and they are formalized in the subsequent legislative session by passing a second bill which contains the revised language. I am somewhat disappointed that our legislation to reduce class sizes did not also get signed, but I am still optimistic that it will receive approval from the Governor before the year ends. In my opinion, the class size reduction legislation is one of the most impactful policy changes we can make to improve academic outcomes. Will it cost more money? Yes. Is investing in our children's education worthwhile? Yes. I was pleased to tour the Methodist Home in our district, as they showed off the new Rogosin Institute Hemodialysis Center at Methodist Home, which is a non-profit organization that operates in the tri-state area. We met with Maria Perez, CEO of Methodist Home, as well as board members. Our community is home to many nursing homes and adult care facilities, and it is vital that each and every one of them is able to provide the high level of care that Bronxites need and deserve.