Governor Hochul Announces Over $500 Million in Pandemic Relief Distributed to Nearly 29,000 Small Businesses Throughout the State

 

Empire State Development's COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program Provides a Lifeline to Small Businesses Experiencing Economic Hardship Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic 

98% of Awards Have Gone to Businesses with Fewer than 10 Employees and 90% to Have Gone to Minority and Women-Owned Businesses

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that nearly 29,000 small and micro businesses throughout New York State have been awarded over $500 million in grant funds through the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. The program was created to provide flexible grant assistance to small businesses, micro-businesses and for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations in the State of New York who have experienced economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Small Businesses are the backbone of our state's economy, and in order to truly recover from the COVID-19 crisis our small businesses need a helping hand," Governor Hochul said. "It is imperative that we continue to move funding out efficiently and quickly so businesses can get back on their feet and get back to business."

Governor Hochul is committed to continuing to support small businesses. She has advanced a proposal to provide up to $200 million to support early-stage small businesses to ensure they are successful long term as New York recovers from the effects of COVID-19. 

Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President and CEO-designate Hope Knight said, "ESD's COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program has been a life-line for our small businesses to get steadily back on their feet. We have worked hard to get this funding where it's most needed and I am grateful for Governor Hochul's support and also for all of New York's small business owners who are working every day to rebuild our economy." 

Micro-businesses—those with ten employees or less—have received 98% of these awards, and businesses that are woman or minority owned have received 90% of awards. These are businesses that have been hit the hardest by the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, and often times have the least access to resources. The average grant award is approximately $17,425.

In August of last year, Governor Hochul expanded the program to include businesses with revenues up to $2.5 million from $500,000 and also increased the limit for businesses that received federal Paycheck Protection Program loans from $100,000 to $250,000, which allowed thousands more small businesses to apply for funding.

Funding is still available for the program. One-on-one assistance, webinars, a call center that has already logged nearly 295,000 calls and materials in 14 languages are examples of support available through Empire State Development, to help small businesses access this critical funding.

To learn more about this and other COVID-19 relief programs, visit https://esd.ny.gov/business-pandemic-recovery-initiative. Empire State Development has a network of partner organizations that provide instruction, training, technical assistance, and support services to entrepreneurs and small businesses statewide that will provide assistance with New York State and federal pandemic relief grant and loan applications. For more information visit https://esd.ny.gov/organizations-available-assist-businesses.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development (ESD) is New York's chief economic development agency (www.esd.ny.gov). The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the New York State Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of "I LOVE NY," the State's iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.

Five Individuals Charged Variously with Stalking, Harassing, and Spying on U.S. Residents on Behalf of the PRC Secret Police

 

The Defendants Participated in Transnational Repression Schemes to Silence Critics of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Residing in the United States and Abroad

 Two complaints were unsealed and one amended complaint was authorized in federal court in Brooklyn charging five defendants with various crimes related to efforts by the secret police of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to stalk, harass, and spy on Chinese nationals residing in Queens, New York and elsewhere in the United States.  All of the defendants allegedly perpetrated transnational repression schemes to target U.S. residents whose political views and actions are disfavored by the PRC government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC.  In one of these schemes, the coconspirators sought to interfere with federal elections by allegedly orchestrating a campaign to undermine the U.S. congressional candidacy of a U.S. military veteran who was a leader of the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, PRC.  In another of these schemes, three defendants planned to destroy the artwork of a PRC national residing in Los Angeles, California that was critical of the PRC government, and planted surveillance equipment in the artist’s workplace and car to spy on him from the PRC. 

Fan “Frank” Liu and Matthew Ziburis were arrested yesterday, while Shujun Wang was arrested this morning.  All three arrests occurred in the Eastern District of New York.  The defendants’ initial appearances are scheduled this afternoon in Brooklyn before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho.  The other two defendants remain at large. 

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Counterintelligence Division (FBI), and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced the arrests and charges.

“The complaints unsealed today reveal the outrageous and dangerous lengths to which the PRC government’s secret police and these defendants have gone to attack the rule of law and freedom in New York City and elsewhere in the United States,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “As alleged, all three cases involve campaigns to silence, harass, discredit and spy on U.S. residents for simply exercising their freedom of speech.  The United States will not tolerate blatantly illegal actions that target U.S. residents, on U.S. soil, and undermine our treasured American values and rights.”   

“Transnational repression harms people in the United States and around the world and threatens the rule of law itself,” said Assistant Attorney General Olsen. “This activity is antithetical to fundamental American values, and we will not tolerate it when it violates U.S. law. The Department of Justice will defend the rights of Americans and those who come to live, work, and study in the United States. We will not allow any foreign government to impede their freedom of speech, to deny them the protection of our laws, or to threaten their safety or the safety of their families.”

“The Ministry of State Security is more than an intelligence collection agency. It executes the Chinese government’s efforts to limit free speech, attack dissidents, and preserve the power of the Communist Party,” stated FBI Assistant Director Kohler.  “When it exports those actions overseas, it violates the fundamental sovereignty of the US and becomes a national security threat. These indictments should serve as a stark warning to the MSS and all foreign intelligence agencies that their efforts at repression will not be tolerated within our borders.”

“As alleged, all of the defendants charged today at the direction of the PRC secret police, engaged in a series of actions designed to silence the free speech of Chinese dissidents in the United States.  Transnational repression schemes pose an increasing threat against U.S. residents who choose to speak out against the People’s Republic of China and other regimes.  The FBI is committed to protecting the free speech of all U.S. residents, and we simply will not tolerate the attempts of foreign governments to violate our laws and restrict our freedom,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

United States v. Qiming Lin

Lin is charged with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment, as well as conspiracy and attempt to use of a means of identification in connection with the interstate harassment conspiracy.

As alleged, Lin, a citizen and resident of the PRC, works on behalf of the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).  The MSS is a civilian intelligence and secret police agency responsible for counterintelligence and political security.

Beginning in September 2021, Lin hired a private investigator (the PI) in New York to disrupt the campaign of a Brooklyn resident currently running for U.S. Congress (the Victim), including by physically attacking the Victim.  The Victim was a student leader of the pro­democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, who later escaped to the United States, served in the U.S. military, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.  In September 2021, the Victim (then living in Long Island) announced his intention to run for a U.S. congressional seat on Long Island in the November 2022 general election.

In hiring the PI, Lin explained that if the Victim was selected during the June 2022 primary election, then he might be “elected to be a legislator.  Right now we don’t want him to be elected.”  Lin emphasized that “Whatever price is fine.  As long as you can do it.”  He also promised that “we will have a lot more-more of this [work] in the future . . . Including right now [a] New York State legislator.”  Lin explained to the PI that Lin was working with other unidentified individuals in the PRC to stop the Victim from being elected to U.S. Congress.

As alleged, Lin first asked the PI to provide information about the Victim, including the Victim’s address and phone number, which the PI later provided.  Lin also requested that the PI unearth derogatory information about the Victim or, if no such information could be found, “manufacture something, like what happened to [a famous concert pianist (the Pianist)]?”  That request referred to an incident in Beijing in which the Pianist was reportedly detained after allegedly being found in the company of a prostitute.  Lin later reiterated that, if the PI could not uncover a scandal, then “can they create some?”  Lin also encouraged the PI to “go find a girl . . . Or see how he goes for prostitution, take some photos, something of that nature.”

In December 2021, Lin proposed that the PI also consider physically attacking the Victim to prevent his candidacy.  In a voice message to the PI, Lin stated:

You can start thinking now, aside from violence, what other plans are there?  Huh?  But in the end, violence would be fine too.  Huh?  Beat him [chuckles], beat him until he cannot run for election.  Heh, that’s the-the last resort.  You-you think about it.  Car accident, [he] will be completely wrecked [chuckles], right?  Don’t know, eh, whatever ways from all different angles.  Or, on the day of the election, he cannot make it there himself, right?

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and David K. Kessler are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

United States v. Shujun Wang

Wang is charged with acting as an agent of the PRC government, criminal use of means of identification, and making materially false statements, in connection with his participation in a transnational repression scheme orchestrated by the MSS.

As alleged, Wang, who lives in Flushing, Queens, is a former visiting scholar and author who helped start a pro-democracy organization in Queens that memorializes two former leaders of the Chinese Communist Party who promoted political and economic reforms within the PRC and were eventually forced from power.  Since at least 2015, however, Wang has secretly operated at the direction and control of several MSS officers. 

At the direction of the MSS, Wang used his position and status within Chinese diaspora community in New York City to collect information about prominent activists, dissidents, and human rights leaders to report that information to the PRC government.  While ostensibly lending a sympathetic ear, Wang reported on statements activists made in confidence to him, including on their views on democracy in the PRC, as well as planned speeches, writings, and demonstrations against the Chinese Communist Party.  The victims of Wang’s efforts included individuals and groups located in New York City and elsewhere that the PRC considers subversive, such as Hong Kong pro-democracy activists, advocates for Taiwanese independence, and Uyghur and Tibetan activists, both in the United States and abroad.  Wang sent email “diaries” to the MSS that contained details of his conversations with prominent dissidents, the activities of pro-democracy activists, as well as relevant phone numbers and other contact information for the targets of the PRC government.

For example, in a series of communications on November 22, 2016, Wang’s MSS handler instructed him to meet with a particular attendee at a pro-democracy event in Queens and to “accomplish the task” assigned by the “Boss.” The MSS handler emphasized that the attendee had contacts with “Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolians.”  Similarly, on November 16, 2016, Wang informed another MSS handler that he “just finished chatting” with a prominent human rights activist and had asked the “necessary questions” and received “candid” answers.  The MSS officer responded “great” and with a thumbs-up emoji, instructing Wang to record that information in a “diary.” 

In April 2020, one victim about whom Wang reported—the Hong Kong democracy activist identified in the complaint as “Hong Kong Dissident #1”—was arrested in Hong Kong and jailed on political charges.  In addition, in April 2019, Wang flew from the PRC to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens carrying a handwritten document with the names and non-public contact information for dozens of other well-known PRC dissidents, including other Hong Kong democracy activists who were subsequently arrested by the PRC in 2019 and 2020. 

The complaint also alleges that, during an interview in Queens on August 2, 2017, Wang lied to federal law enforcement, falsely denying that he had contacts with PRC officials or the MSS when in fact he had been secretly reporting on U.S. residents to the MSS.  Wang later admitted much of his criminal conduct to an undercover member of law enforcement and during a subsequent interview with agents.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Artie McConnell is in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Edward Chang of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

United States v. Fan “Frank” Liu, Matthew Ziburis, and Qiang “Jason” Sun

Liu and Ziburis are charged with conspiring to act as agents of the PRC government.  Liu, Ziburis, and Sun are charged with conspiring to commit interstate harassment and criminal use of a means of identification.  Liu and Sun are charged with conspiring to bribe a federal official in connection with their scheme to obtain the tax returns of a pro-democracy activist residing in the United States. 

According to the complaint, Liu, a resident of Jericho, Long Island, is president of a purported media company based in New York City, while Ziburis, a resident of Oyster Bay, Long Island, is a former correctional officer for the State of Florida and a bodyguard.  Sun is a PRC-based employee of an international technology company. 

According to the complaint, Liu and Ziburis have been operating under Sun’s direction and control to discredit pro-democracy PRC dissidents residing in the United States—including in New York City, California, and Indiana—by spying on them and disseminating negative information about them.  For example, at Sun’s direction, Liu paid a private investigator in Queens to bribe an Internal Revenue Service employee to obtain the federal tax returns of one of the dissidents.  The private investigator was cooperating with law enforcement, and no Internal Revenue Service employee received a bribe payment.  The defendants planned to publicly disclose the dissident’s potential tax liabilities to discredit him.  The coconspirators also made plans to destroy the artwork of a dissident artist whose work is critical of the PRC government, and the artist’s sculpture depicting PRC President Xi Jinping as a coronavirus molecule was demolished in the Spring of 2021.  Sun has paid both Liu and Ziburis for these efforts to stalk, harass, and surveil dissidents residing in the United States. 

As part of their efforts, the defendants electronically spied on the pro-democracy activists.  For example, posing as an art dealer interested in purchasing the artwork of the dissident artist, Ziburis secretly installed surveillance cameras and GPS devices at the dissident’s workplace and in his car.  While in the PRC, Sun watched the live video feed and location data from these devices.  The defendants made similar plans to install surveillance equipment at the residences and on the vehicles of two other dissidents.  Liu and Ziburis planned to gain access to one such residence by posing as a member of an international sports committee. 

The defendants also planned to interview the dissidents in mock media sessions, using the cover of Liu’s purported media organization.  Sun provided outlines for these fake interviews and designed questions to elicit answers that were intended to humiliate or discredit the dissidents.  The defendants intended that audio or video clips of these statements could be used in PRC propaganda materials targeting the dissidents.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and Emily J. Dean are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Brian D. Morris of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Section, Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Grigg of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States.  If you believe that you are or have been a victim of transnational repression, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression.

Attorney General James Leads Coalition Urging EPA to Strengthen Protections Against Childhood Lead Poisoning

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading a coalition of 19 attorneys general, called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen protections against lead poisoning, particularly for children living in low-income communities and communities of color. While EPA has taken steps to increase public health protections and address lead contamination in vulnerable communities, the coalition argues that EPA could bolster its plans by taking various steps to target childhood lead poisoning, such as expanding resources to better enforce laws, creating new policies to address hazardous waste sites and drinking water, and more. 

“Lead poisoning in our kids is a dangerous problem that disproportionately impacts low-income, and Black and brown children and jeopardizes their health and future,” said Attorney General James. “EPA’s current lead plan is an important and necessary start, but more comprehensive resources, strategy, policies, and collaboration are needed to tackle the issue head-on. Our coalition is urging the federal government to be a forceful, reliable, and effective partner in ending childhood lead poisoning in our most vulnerable communities.” 

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can cause serious and irreversible adverse health effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that children in at least 4 million households nationwide are exposed to high levels of lead. A 2021 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics suggested that more than half of all U.S. children have detectable levels of lead in their blood. That study also found that elevated blood lead levels in children were closely related to poverty, race, and living in older housing.  

New York has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation resulting in an ongoing public health crisis of lead poisoning of children from lead paint in aging rental housing. New York communities, in places like Buffalo, suffer from some of the highest rates of childhood lead exposure in the nation from poor housing conditions in old homes with lead paint. Children who have been exposed to even very low levels of lead are at risk for neurological and physical problems during critical stages of early development. In fact, no safe lead level in children has been identified. Children under the age of six are more likely to be exposed to lead than any other age group, as their normal behaviors could result in them chewing lead paint chips; breathing in or swallowing dust from old lead paint that gets on floors, window sills, and hands; and lead can be found in soil, foods eaten by children, and other consumer products.  

In their comments, the coalition credits EPA’s Draft Lead Strategy for identifying government-led approaches to increasing public health protections, addressing legacy lead contamination for communities with the greatest exposures, and promoting environmental justice. However, the coalition’s comments identify numerous other measures necessary to strengthen the plan by aggressively targeting hazards posed by lead in paint, drinking water, soils, aviation fuel, air, food, and through occupational and take-home exposures. These include: 

• Increasing resources for the enforcement of existing laws relating to lead paint in rental housing and amending existing regulations to require landlords to increase the frequency of inspections of houses with a history of lead paint hazards; 
• Developing proactive policies and standards for hazardous waste sites, drinking water, and other sources of lead exposure that are more protective of health and designed to reduce lead poisoning; 
• Developing aggressive deadlines for tightening standards, developing enforcement policies, and conducting an endangerment determination for lead in aviation gas under the Clean Air Act; 
• Identifying meaningful environmental justice targets to ensure that the communities most in need and the vulnerable are protected; 
• Encouraging inter-agency collaboration and data-sharing with other federal agencies such as HUD, OSHA, FAA, FDA, and USDA; 
• Pledging allocations of federal funds to replace drinking water service lines containing lead reach struggling and historically marginalized communities; 
• Adopting federal regulations requiring testing of water and remediation of lead service lines and lead plumbing fixtures in public, charter, and private schools, and in childcare centers;  
• Expanding multi-language informational campaigns and blood lead testing programs to address “take-home lead” exposure — lead from work that accumulates on a worker’s clothing and shoes; and 
• Developing other specific metrics for achieving and evaluating success in lead reduction. 

Attorney General James is a leader in the fight to end childhood lead poisoning. Through her various legal action across the state of New York, she is holding accountable landlords that allow lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in low-income rental properties. In October 2021, Attorney General James sued landlord John Kiggins and his company, Endzone Properties, Inc., for repeatedly violating lead paint laws and failing to address lead paint hazards, which resulted in the lead poisoning of 18 children living in Endzone properties in Syracuse. In September 2021, Attorney General James announced an agreement in her lawsuit against Chestnut Holdings of New York, Inc., a property management corporation, over its failures to protect children from lead paint hazards in New York City. Also in September 2021, Attorney General James reached a pre-suit agreement with A&E Real Estate Holdings, LLC to ensure that children living in its New York City apartments are protected from dangerous lead-based paint. Additionally, in September 2020, Attorney General James sued a group of Buffalo individuals and companies for repeated violations of city, county, state, and federal laws by illegally allowing lead paint-related hazards to proliferate in their rental properties . 

Joining Attorney General James in submitting the comments are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. 

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Pierina Sanchez Called to Nix 421-a Developer Tax Break

 

Comptroller Lander presented new analysis of $1.8 billion boondoggle and recommended comprehensive property tax reform. Cabán + Sanchez announced co-sponsored resolution urging state legislators to let 421-a expire.

 New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Pierina Sanchez rallied with advocates and other elected officials to call for the end of the 421-A tax break. Council Members Cabán and Sanchez introduced a City Council resolution (Res 0064-2022) urging the state legislature and the Governor to allow the program to expire, rather than enact a revised version proposed in the Governor’s budget. Comptroller Lander concurrently released A Better Way Than 421-a: The High-Rising Costs of New York City’s Most Unaffordable Tax Exemption, an analysis of the cost of the program and its proposed changes, the impact on housing production, and the nexus between 421-a and structural property tax reform.

Read the resolution here. Read the report here. The press conference was livestreamed here.

“The 421-a program is a towering boondoggle – costing our city $1.77 billion this year in foregone taxes and delivering only a small handful of actually affordable units in return,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Rearranging the number and letters is tantamount to slapping a gold-plated bandaid on to hold together a deeply inequitable and opaque property tax system, and then pretending we’ve fixed our affordable housing crisis. Tinkering around the edges may be what developers want, but it’s not what New York City needs. It’s time to let 421-a sunset — and take our best shot to build a fair and stable property tax system that eliminates disparities, facilitates rental development, and focuses our scarce affordable housing resources on genuinely affordable housing. Today, we are laying out the path to do it.”

“421-a is not an affordable housing strategy, it’s Free Billions for Developers. At a time when we have so many people desperately in need of vital assistance, we have absolutely got to stop this massive give-away to the wealthy real estate interests who need it least. New York City real estate is one of the most valuable, most profitable asset forms in the world. It’s time we stopped focusing on pleasing the profiteers, and started focusing on meeting the needs of the everyday New Yorkers who make this city such a desirable place to live,” said NYC Council Member Tiffany Cabán.

“In its 51 years of existence, 421-a has yet to provide the adequate number of affordable homes for low-income New Yorkers. Instead, this program has given developers the biggest tax break in our city for their profit. In a city where 75% of New Yorkers cannot afford the units set aside through this program, 421-a does not provide low income New Yorkers with the affordable homes they need. We need a true affordable housing plan for New Yorkers, not another opportunity for developers to profit. It is time we make New York City affordable for New York City residents,” said Council Member Pierina Sanchez.

Over the years, New York’s property tax system has become a patchwork of exemptions and abatements responding to changes in the housing market, the largest of which is 421-a. Established in 1971, the 421-a tax exemption was designed to spur housing development at a time of disinvestment. The Department of Finance estimates that the 421-a program will cost New York City $1.77 billion in foregone tax revenue for roughly 64,000 exemptions this year.  Both the Comptroller’s report and Council Resolution call on state legislators to allow the current program to expire as scheduled on June 15, 2022.

In “A Better Way Than 421-a,” the Comptroller’s office estimates that more than 60% of the income-restricted units created by the 2017 version of the program were built for families earning well over $100,000 a year, making those units unaffordable to nearly 75% of New Yorkers. For example, a family of three would have to earn up to $139,620 and pay about $3,400 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. The rally on Wednesday was held at The Willoughby in downtown Brooklyn, which will receive this tax break and has an open affordable housing lottery. The least expensive unit is $2,500 per month for a studio apartment, advertised to an individual or couple making between $86,500 and $124,150.

Governor Hochul has proposed a reformed version of the tax break called 485-w, which offers developers three options in order to qualify for a decades-long tax break. Based on an analysis of the impacts of the 2017 program, the Comptroller’s office anticipates that most developments would likely choose 485-w’s new Option B or Option C (see page 15 of A Better Way Than 421-a), creating units with monthly rent for a two-bedroom at over $2,300 or estimated monthly homeownership costs over $3,800, still out of reach for the majority of New Yorkers.

Rather than small reforms that achieve little affordability—like 485-w—the Comptroller’s office proposes structural changes to the property tax system that would address the disparity in taxation between condominium and rental buildings that constrains the development of multifamily rental housing. The New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform found that the median effective tax rate on rental buildings is roughly double than a condo building, a strong disincentive to developing rental housing. The Comptroller’s report finds that the lower, uniformly, and broadly applied tax rates proposed by the New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform could largely eliminate the need for 421-a as a development incentive.

The report recommends that State legislators should let 421-a expire on June 15, 2022 and should set a deadline of December 31, 2022 to achieve structural property tax reform. The report finds that allowing 421-a to lapse in June, with a deadline of achieving comprehensive property tax reform, is not likely to impair housing production in the short term. The Comptroller’s office analyzed permitting data from when 421-a lapsed in 2015, finding that developers rushed to begin projects before the deadline, yielding roughly three times as many permitted units in that year as in the years prior. The data shows that the number of permits jumped to over 25,000 units in May and June 2015 just before the program was initially set to expire; more permits were filed in those two months than in all of 2014. The analysis found more than 50,000 units permitted in 2015 have been built, with large increases in the number of units receiving 421-a exemptions.

A Better Way than 421-a lays out recommendations on how to reform the City’s property tax system to bring both parity horizontally between homeowners across the city, as well as vertically between new rentals and new condos/co-ops. Building on the principles and recommendations in the Commission’s Final Report in December, the Comptroller’s office urges comprehensive property tax reform that would include the following elements:

• Introduce a uniform sales-based valuation methodology and a single revenue-neutral tax rate for 1-3 family homes, co-ops and condominiums, and small rental buildings. Tax relief programs should favor primary and low-income residents and replace the current assessed value growth caps.
• Make tax treatment equal between new residential constructions to provide a broad, strong, fair incentive for new construction going forward. This would largely eliminate the need for a 421a-style development incentive program.
• Establish a new, targeted affordable housing tax incentive that would match the level needed to achieve genuine affordability, rather than provide a tax exemption that underwrites both market-rate and income restricted units. This new incentive should also come along with strong labor standards to provide good jobs for New Yorkers.

“421-a has always been a boondoggle, generating very little truly affordable housing for the communities we represent,” said Judith Goldiner, Attorney-In-Charge of the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society. “Governor Hochul’s proposed ‘reform’ to 421-a, 485-w, is just another version of the fundamentally flawed tax break and is in many ways much worse. We laud the Senate and Assembly for taking this costly tax break out of the budget, saving New York City hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and call on the City to use these funds to expand already proven housing programs – including CityFHEPS, a highly successful voucher initiative that has so far connected thousands of New Yorkers to safe and affordable housing.”

“With affordability at record lows and rents at record highs the last thing we can afford is to continue to waste billions of dollars on the failed 421-A program or the Governors proposal for its doppelgänger 485-w,” said Charles Khan, Organizing Director at the Strong Economy for All Coalition. “The program has proven, similar to NY’s other economic development programs, to be excellent at padding the profits of wealthy developers and an abject failure at creating actually affordable housing or sustainable good jobs.”

“Churches United for Fair Housing is thankful for the strong leadership of Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Member Tiffany Caban, and Council Member Pierina Sanchez as they elevate calls on the City level to our State Legislature to finally end the broken and flawed 421A program,” said Whitney Hu, Director of Civic Engagement and Research for Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH). “After 50 years, multiple attempts at reform, 421A has only increased displacement, rent prices, gentrification, and has failed to provide true affordable housing for New Yorkers while giving giant tax giveaways to corporate developers. It’s time to end that program and make space for investments and legislation that will actually protect New Yorkers and keep them in their homes including social housing and passing Good Cause.”

“It’s long past time that we end 421a. We cannot afford to give tax breaks to new luxury developments with high priced rents that push residents out. The urgency of our housing crisis is clear. We must end 421a and use our precious public benefits to support the truly affordable housing our neighborhoods need, not the private profit interests of real estate developers,” said Barika X Williams, Executive Director of Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD).

Read more about the analysis in A Better Way than 421-a here.

Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Robbery and Firearm Attack on New York City Police Department Officers

 

Defendant Stabbed NYPD Officer in the Neck, Robbed Him of His Service Weapon and Fired Multiple Shots at Other NYPD Officers During Civil Unrest

 Dzenan Camovic pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to robbing a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer’s firearm and discharging the firearm at NYPD officers during the course of the robbery. The offenses took place on June 3, 2020, when Camovic attacked multiple police officers on patrol in Brooklyn. The proceeding was held before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner on March 15, 2022.

When sentenced, Camovic faces 30 years’ imprisonment pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement with the government. Camovic has stipulated that the terrorism enhancement to the United States Sentencing Guidelines—an enhanced sentence for certain criminal conduct that was calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion—is applicable to his offense. As part of his plea agreement, Camovic, a Bosnian citizen illegally in the United States, agreed to the entry of an order of removal so that he will be deported after completing his sentence. Camovic also pleaded guilty today in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn to charges arising out of the same conduct.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, FBI, New York Field Office and Keechant Sewell, Commissioner, NYPD, announced the guilty plea.

“With this guilty plea, Camovic admitted robbing a police officer’s gun and shooting that gun during an extremely violent attack on officers keeping the city safe during a public emergency,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “Inspired by terrorists, the defendant viciously attacked officers, stabbing one officer in the neck and shooting another in the hand. Protecting our community from terrorist attacks will always be a priority of this Office, and we will bring to justice those who commit such reprehensible acts against the community and against our law enforcement partners.”

Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force for its outstanding work on the case and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance.

“When Mr. Camovic ambushed and feloniously assaulted several heroic NYPD officers, it was also an attack on our city and our collective sense of security.  Yesterday’s plea ensures Mr. Camovic will never again be in a position to commit such a heinous act on our soil.  His case should serve as an example of the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities against extremists, while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our law enforcement partners,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll. 

“An attack on police officers who are sworn to protect the public is an attack on all of us,” stated NYPD Commissioner Sewell, “and our society will never tolerate such destructive violence. This prosecution affirms our joint commitment to confront, combat, and defeat violent extremism in all its forms, anywhere. I commend the NYPD detectives, FBI agents, and representatives of the more than 50 agencies that make up the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force for their investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.”

As set forth in court filings and during the plea proceeding, on the evening of June 3, 2020, in the midst of a public health emergency and while New York City was under a nightly curfew order due to civil unrest, Camovic attacked several uniformed NYPD officers assigned to an anti-looting post near the intersection of Flatbush and Church Avenues in Brooklyn. At approximately 11:30 p.m., Camovic walked past two police officers on foot patrol and appeared to crouch for several minutes watching them. Camovic then moved around the block in an apparent effort to approach the two police officers from behind. 

At approximately 11:50 p.m., Camovic rounded the corner from Flatbush Avenue onto Church Avenue and stabbed one of the officers (“Officer 1”) in the neck with a knife. After stabbing Officer 1, Camovic chased the second officer (“Officer 2”), lunging at him and attempting to stab him. Camovic then ran back to Officer 1, attacked him, forcibly took control of Officer 1’s firearm and fired multiple shots at Officer 2 and other officers who responded to the scene. Responding officers ultimately shot Camovic and took him into custody. Several officers suffered injuries during Camovic’s attack and robbery, including Officer 1, who was stabbed in the neck, and Officer 2, who was shot in the hand.

During his attack on the police officers, Camovic repeatedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is the greatest,” that has been used by perpetrators of violent jihadist terror attacks during the commission of violent attacks. Prior to the attack, Camovic possessed a significant volume of radical jihadist propaganda. 

Governor Hochul Announces More Than 20 Million COVID-19 Tests to Be Deployed Across State Through Spring to Bolster Ongoing Preparedness Efforts

 

Tests To Be Distributed to Nursing Homes, Adult Care Facilities, Schools, NYCHA Residences, Senior Centers, Food Banks, and Elected Officials for Local Communities

More Than 54 Million Tests Already Distributed Throughout the State in Recent Months, More than 90 Million Procured To Date

State Will Establish Precautionary Stockpile of At Least 20 Million Tests

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than 20 million COVID-19 over-the-counter tests will be distributed across the state through the Spring to bolster New York State's ongoing preparedness efforts. 

“As we've seen throughout the pandemic, test kits are a critical tool in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent exposure to others,” Governor Hochul said. “While our numbers remain low, now is the time to ramp up the distribution of tests and build up our stockpile so we can bolster our preparedness for the future to protect our communities, and safely move forward through this pandemic."

The State will continue to provide over-the-counter test kits to nursing homes, adult care facilities, and schools, and will partner with elected officials for continued distribution to the public, during the next few months to identify new COVID-19 cases and keep New Yorkers safe. 

This includes one million tests to schools outside of New York City every other week until the end of the school year. New York City no longer receives State distributions because they have sufficient test kits to get them through the year. At home tests have proven to be an invaluable tool for identifying cases and protecting our communities; they were responsible for finding at least 15,000 positive cases among students and staff the week after the winter break alone.

In addition to these continued distributions, the State is increasing distribution points for test kits. The State will partner with Mayors, County Executives, Members of Congress, Borough Presidents and State Legislators across New York to increase access to tests for the general public. And the State will coordinate distribution of 1.74 million tests to the NYC Housing Authority tenants, enough for each household to receive four tests. An additional 500,000 tests will be made available to various food banks and senior centers throughout the state, based on request.

Ahead of the Omicron surge in late 2021, Governor Hochul and her team identified the need to secure over-the-counter test kits to combat the Omicron surge, providing regular distributions to the general public, prioritizing schools and adult care facilities across the state. 

More than 54 million tests have already been distributed throughout New York since the beginning of the year, including nearly 30 million tests to schools, 12.5 million tests to nursing homes and adult-care facilities, and more than 10 million tests to local officials for public distribution in their respective communities. The distribution efforts follow the procurement of more than 90 million rapid tests in recent months. 

Of the more than 90 million tests procured, approximately 20 million tests have been stored to help prepare for any potential surges later this year

State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “This winter Governor Hochul got test kits into New Yorkers hands to combat the Omicron surge. These kits helped keep all of us safe by identifying cases early so that New Yorkers could take action to stop the spread. Our team at DHSES will continue to distribute millions of additional test kits to New Yorkers this spring to help us identify future infections and interrupt transmission early and will maintain the State’s stockpile of this essential tool in case of a future surge.” 

State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said, “Testing has been a critical tool to curb the spread of COVID-19, and the State continues the important work of getting test kits to New Yorkers. The distribution of rapid tests has been a hallmark of Governor Hochul’s winter surge plan, and testing continues to help our classrooms, workplaces, and communities at increased risk stay healthy and safe. If New Yorkers have had COVID-19 exposure, experience symptoms, or have recently traveled, they should take advantage of these free at-home tests being distributed statewide thanks to the hard work of our partners at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.”

Bronx Rive Arts Center (BRAC) Spring 2022

 

BRONX RIVER ART CENTER (BRAC) ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF REGISTRATION FOR SPRING 2022 CLASSES IN FINE ARTS AND MEDIA.

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) continues with its mission to bring high quality and affordable classes in Fine Arts and Digital Media at its state of the art facility located in the West Farms area of the Bronx. For Spring 2022, BRAC offers in person classes in Cartooning, Drawing, Painting, Textile Art and Crochet, Ceramics, Printmaking, Mixed-Media Painting, and in hybrid mode (online and onsite) Digital Illustration and Digital Animation for children, youth, teens, adults and families. Spring 2022 registration will take place until April 23rd through Eventbrite with an Early Bird discount special of 10% off through March 26th ! In addition, BRAC has partnered with KaN Design Studio for its TPS+2.0 (teens plus young adults) Project Studio course to design and produce the "Tableware Product Design" project inspired by ethnic food cultures. TPS+2.0 will take place in BRAC's 3D Makerspace; including the ceramics studio, woodworking shop, and Digital Media Lab. The final designs will be part of a public art installation featured in the Summer exhibition "Around the Table: Stories of the Foods We Love" at the New York Botanical Garden. TPS+2.0 is Free and by Application Only. BRAC's Spring 2022 classes will begin the week of April 4th and run through June 20th with a culminating Student Exhibition opening on June 18. For more information, please visit our website: www.bronxriverart.org to see a more detailed listing of classes, and the roster of professional teaching artists who will be teaching this Spring.

SPRING 2022 REGISTRATION Visual Arts and Digital Media Spring 2022 Classes REGISTER FOR CLASSES NOW REGISTER HERE

COVID-19 vaccination proof requirements have expanded to include younger children and to require full vaccination: Children: Children ages 5 to 11 are now required to have proof of vaccination for the public indoor activities. They must show they have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Full Vaccination: People 12 and older participating in public indoor activities are now required to show proof they have received two vaccine doses, except for those who have received the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Starting January 29, 2022, children ages 5 to 11 must also show proof of full vaccination. Masking, social distancing, hand washing, temperature check and exposure questionnaire will be strictly enforced.

This program is made possible with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, including the Bronx Delegation. Additional support is from Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, the NYS Council on the Arts with support from Governor Kathy Hochul and the NYS Legislature including Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda. Foundation support is from Con Edison: The Power of Giving, BronxCare Health System, New York Community Trust and private donors.

Permits Filed For 1258 Shakespeare Avenue In Highbridge, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a 70-story residential building at 1258 Shakespeare Avenue in Highbridge, The Bronx. Located between Jerome Avenue and West 169th Street, the lot is near the 170th Street subway station, serviced by the 4 train. Zev Mayer of Skyrock NYC Development is listed as the owner behind the applications, and is also responsible for permits for the neighboring five-story residential building at 1268 Shakespeare Avenue.

The proposed 70-foot-tall development will yield 48,137 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 90 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 534 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a 35-foot-long rear yard and 45 open parking spaces.

Nikolai Katz Architect is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed last month. An estimated completion date has not been announced.