Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - MAY 12, 2022

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing, and Treatment  

18 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

"Being fully vaccinated and keeping up to date with booster doses is still the most effective way to combat this virus," Governor Hochul said. "As we mark the unthinkable milestone of one million American lives lost to COVID, let's remain vigilant and continue using the tools we have available to us - get vaccinated, get boosted, test often, and if you test positive talk to your doctor about available treatments. This is how we move forward safely through the pandemic."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Cases Per 100k - 69.06
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 51.03
• Test Results Reported - 171,125
• Total Positive - 13,495
• Percent Positive - 7.45%**
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 7.19%**
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,331 (-27)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 428
• Patients in ICU - 225 (+3)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 101 (+7)
• Total Discharges - 300,358 (+414)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 18
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 55,690

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 71,103

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

• Total vaccine doses administered - 38,588,363
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 24,869
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 148,189
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 92.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 83.8%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 87.1%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 83.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 82.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 74.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 90.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 77.1%

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:

Borough	Monday, May 9, 2022	Tuesday, May 10, 2022	Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Bronx	3.62%	3.75%	3.77%
Kings	3.66%	3.86%	4.17%
New York	6.62%	6.56%	6.40%
Queens	5.08%	5.16%	5.13%
Richmond	5.28%	5.35%	5.91%

Man Charged With April 2018 Mount Vernon Murder

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John B. DeVito, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division (ATF), Frank A. Tarentino, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New York Division (DEA), and Glenn Scott, Commissioner of the Mount Vernon Police Department, announced the unsealing of a federal Indictment charging JAMES BAZEMORE, a/k/a “TJ,” with the broad daylight murder of Tasheen Williams on April 30, 2018 in Mount Vernon, New York.  The Indictment also charges JARED MUJAAHID, a/k/a “Jay,” with aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon by providing BAZEMORE with the gun BAZMORE used to commit the murder. The Indictment also charges BAZEMORE and MUJAAHID with racketeering conspiracy. BAZEMORE is detained pending trial on other federal charges brought by this Office and MUJAAHID is serving a sentence from a prior federal conviction in this District. The defendants will be brought to the federal courthouse in White Plains, New York to be presented before a United States Magistrate Judge.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said:  “In April 2018, Tasheen Williams was shot dead in broad daylight just as a local school was letting out, the victim of senseless gang-related violence. As alleged in the Indictment, James Bazemore is responsible for that murder, and Jared Mujaahid gave him the murder weapon. Thanks to the work of our remarkable law enforcement partners, Bazemore and Mujaahid now stand charged in federal court for this terrible crime.”

ATF Special Agent-in-Charge John B. DeVito said:  “ATF’s top priority is investigating and apprehending those who commit firearms violence and those who provide  firearms for use in violent crimes. This indictment demonstrates the commitment of ATF and our great partners at DEA and the Mount Vernon Police Department to relentlessly pursue justice for victims of violent gun crime and hold those responsible accountable no matter how long it takes.”

DEA Special Agent-in-Charge Frank A. Tarentino said:  “This cold-blooded murder is another example of drug-related violence plaguing our cities. DEA’s priority is making our communities safer through investigations and arresting members of criminal organizations responsible for drug-related overdoses, drug trafficking, and violent crime. I thank the ATF and US Attorney's Office Southern District of New York for their partnership and diligent work on this investigation.”

MVPD Commissioner Glenn Scott said:  “This arrest again shows that Mount Vernon continues to benefit from the partnership the MVPD has formed with its Federal Law Enforcement partners. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, NY Field Office has shown how dedicated they are to assisting the MVPD with closing violent crime investigations. Mount Vernon Police has had Detectives assigned as Task Force Officers with the ATF for several years and this is just one of the many violent crimes that has been solved as a result of the hard work of the Detectives and the Special Agents from ATF.  In cases of this magnitude the MVPD always strives to bring justice to the families effected by violence and we will utilize any and all resources and partnerships that we can do achieve that goal.” 

According to the allegations in the Indictment[1]:

BAZEMORE and MUJAAHID were members or associates of a racketeering enterprise known as Big Paper. In order to fund the enterprise, protect and expand its interests, and promote its standing, members and associates of Big Paper committed, conspired, attempted, and threatened to commit acts of violence against rivals, including murder and assault; conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics; and obtained, possessed and used firearms, including by brandishing and discharging them.

On or about April 30, 2018, BAZEMORE acquired a gun from MUJAAHID, and then BAZEMORE stalked and shot Tasheen Williams dead in Mount Vernon, New York.

BAZEMORE is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and one count of murder through use of a firearm, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

MUJAAHID is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, one count of aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in prison; and one count of aiding and abetting the discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

[1] As the introductory phase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE EXPANSION OF DYSLEXIA SCREENING AND SERVICES

"As a student, I struggled with Tourette Syndrome, which is very visible, and ADHD, which like dyslexia is not – both undiagnosed until high school. Once I could put a name to it, and develop a learning plan, it immensely improved my educational outlook.

"Early screening of all students for risk of dyslexia, and providing targeted resources and focus for those who need it, will help our schools meet the individual educational needs of each student, and each student reach their full potential. This effort will improve educational opportunity, and in a way that will promote educational equity.

"Many adults also struggle with undiagnosed dyslexia, disproportionately in our criminal legal system, and I urge the City Council to pass my legislation instituting screenings in our jails. By screening and servicing affected people, we can provide better support for incarcerated New Yorkers and help prevent them from re-entering the criminal legal system in the future. This would help correct an educational services gap that should have been addressed long ago, and one that today’s announcement is a major step toward closing in the future. 

"Dyslexia is under-discussed, and likely under-diagnosed, in our city, but with today’s announcement we can help to make sure New Yorkers struggling with it have access to the services they need to succeed."

MAYOR ADAMS SIGNS LEGISLATION TO FORM TWO NEW BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS AND PROMOTE SALARY TRANSPARENCY IN NEW YORK CITY

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed legislation to establish two new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the Bronx’s Castle Hill and Manhattan’s West Village. The bill signing will help accelerate the incorporation of these two BIDs, so that they will be fully functional by the beginning of Fiscal Year 2023. The creation of these new BIDs — along with today’s release of comprehensive guides for forming and expanding BIDs and Merchant Associations — deliver on Mayor Adams’ commitment to strengthen business supports in small and underserved commercial corridors, particularly in low-to-moderate-income (LMI) communities, as outlined in his “Renew, Rebuild, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery.”

 

Mayor Adams also signed legislation amending Local Law 32 of 2022, which requires certain employers in New York City to post a salary range with all job postings. The legislation amends provisions of the salary transparency law and moves the effective date to November 1^st of this year.

 

“Small businesses are the backbone of New York City’s economy, and ensuring they have the resources they need is critical to an equitable recovery,” said Mayor Adams. “The bills we are signing today underscore our commitment to delivering for underserved communities, while promoting greater transparency for employees throughout the city.”

 

The health of the city’s small businesses is essential to the vitality of local neighborhoods and represents the foundation of the city’s economy. BIDs represent specific geographical areas where local stakeholders oversee and fund the maintenance, improvement, and promotion of their commercial districts, and are overseen by the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS).

 

The creation of new BIDs in the Bronx and lower Manhattan will help local businesses bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and are the result of years of grassroots organizing. Steering committees — representing property owners, business owners, and residents — came together to identify the needs of their neighborhoods and envision how a BID could improve the conditions and economic activity of Castle Hill and the West Village.

 

Intro. 47 establishes the Castle Hill Business Improvement District in the Bronx. The new BID will serve Castle Hill Avenue from Manning Street to the Cross Bronx Expressway, and Westchester Avenue from Olmstead Avenue to just east of Glebe Avenue. The Castle Hill BID will have a first-year budget of $300,000, funded by a special assessment billed to property owners in the district, to provide supplemental sanitation, marketing, promotion, holiday lighting, economic development, and administration.

 

Intro. 73 establishes the West Village Business Improvement District in Manhattan. The new BID will serve 7^th Avenue South from Leroy Street to Perry Street, Bleecker Street from 6^th Avenue to Charles Street, Christopher Street from Hudson Street to Greenwich Street, and various blocks nearby. The West Village BID will fund sanitation, beautification, security/public safety, community engagement, economic development, advocacy, and administration. The first-year budget will be $594,906, also drawn from special assessments.

 

Intro. 134 amends Local Law 32 of 2022, New York City’s salary disclosure law, to provide that the law applies to employees who are paid hourly or through an annual salary. As amended by Intro 134, the salary disclosure law would not allow a person to sue their employer unless such person is a current employee who is suing the employer for advertising a job, promotion, or transfer without posting a minimum and maximum hourly wage or annual salary. It also provides that the penalty for the first violation of this law would be $0, and employers will have 30 days to correct the violation. This bill also moves the effective date of Local Law 32 to November 1, 2022.

 

“Our Business Improvement Districts are essential partners in supporting our small businesses, helping our economy rebound, and keeping our commercial corridors and public spaces active and vibrant,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer. “Launching two new BIDs will help accelerate our economic recovery and underline our commitment to businesses and residents in every neighborhood of every borough.”

 

“Creating new BIDs are a critical component of jump-starting our economy, and SBS is committed to fulfilling the mayor’s mission by continuing to support their creation across the city,” said SBS Commissioner Kevin D. Kim. “These new BIDs in the Bronx and Manhattan will help local businesses to recover, and boost quality of life for residents.”

 

“Intro 134 marks an important step toward leveling the playing field for New Yorkers who have been harmed by wage disparities — often women and people of color,” said New York City Commission on Human Rights Commissioner and Chair Annabel Palma. “The commission is committed to eliminating barriers to equity, to strengthen human rights in the workplace for all New Yorkers.”

 

“We are excited to work together with the new Castle Hill BID and SBS to ensure local merchants and residents get the investments and additional services we need for this community to thrive,” said William Rivera, district manager, Bronx Community Board 9.

 

“I want to thank everyone for their time and consideration in supporting the Castle Hill BID development,” said Tony DeRosa, steering committee member, Castle Hill BID. “The steering committee and I firmly support and believe with the formation of this BID, Castle Hill Avenue will develop into a cleaner, safer, and prosperous area for all involved.”

 

“We look forward to supporting the West Village community and delivering the supplemental services that our neighborhood needs in order to thrive,” said Brooke Schooley, chair, West Village BID Steering Committee. “We are so grateful to all who volunteered their time to make this happen.”

 

New Instructional Guides to Help Form Merchants Associations and BIDs 

 

Today, SBS is releasing two instructional guides to help communities form nonprofit organizations and serve their commercial districts. The two guides provide an overview of establishing a merchants association or a Business Improvement District (BID).  

 

The Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Merchants Association outlines the step-by-step process of organizing merchants in a commercial corridor and creating a merchants association to provide services and advocate on behalf of local business owners. Merchants associations can provide commercial corridors with a stronger voice, greater resources, a stronger community, and improved quality of life. 

 

The Comprehensive Guide to BID Formation and Expansion explains the multi-year process to form a new BID or expand an existing BID. The guide provides detailed instructions and advice for local stakeholders to progress through the planning, outreach, legislation, and start-up phases of BID formation. Forming a BID can take a long time and involves the hard work of property owners, businesses, and other local stakeholders.   

Attorney General James Sues Bus Companies for Polluting in New York City Communities

 

Jofaz Transportation, Inc., 3rd Avenue Transit, Inc., and Y&M Transit Corp., Inc. Violated City and State Idling Limits Leading to Widespread Air Pollution in Communities of Color

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced a lawsuit against three New York City bus companies for causing significant air pollution in communities of color by violating city and state bus idling laws. Buses owned and operated by Jofaz Transportation, Inc., 3rd Avenue Transit, Inc., and Y&M Transit Corp., Inc. repeatedly and unlawfully idled at schools, bus yards, and other locations predominantly in low-income and communities of color throughout the five boroughs, polluting the air and endangering the health of New Yorkers. Attorney General James’ suit seeks monetary relief and a court order to ensure the companies’ full compliance with city and state idling laws. 

“These school bus companies have a responsibility to follow the laws that help protect the health and the safety of our communities and the environment,” said Attorney General James. “Too often, we see companies emit these dangerous pollutants in low-income communities or communities of color without consequence. In this case, it’s our Black and brown children who are suffering the impacts and experiencing record-high levels of asthma as a result. We must confront and eliminate environmental injustice in all of its forms, and I will continue to hold companies accountable for taking advantage of vulnerable communities.” 

Jofaz Transportation, Inc., 3rd Avenue Transit, Inc., and Y&M Transit Corp., Inc. are three school bus companies that are owned and operated by Joseph Fazzia and his family, and collectively operate 614 buses and three Brooklyn bus yards. The lawsuit, filed in Kings County Supreme Court, alleges that from September 2019 to present day, the companies constantly violated New York state law, which prohibits idling for more than five minutes with certain exceptions, and New York City law, which prohibits idling for more than three minutes — and no more than one minute at schools — with certain exceptions.

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) previously reached an agreement with Jofaz and 3rd Avenue Transit for violating city and state idling laws, requiring the companies to comply with the laws and train all staff on anti-idling policies. However, using data provided by Geotab, the fleet management system that the Department of Education (DOE) installed on the buses, OAG discovered that the companies continued their substantial, widespread, and persistent exceedances of idling limits at bus yards, near schools, public housing, and other locations across the city, as recently as April of this year.

For example, OAG found that between September 4, 2019 and December 31, 2019, a Jofaz school bus idled for at least 10 minutes at a bus yard in Red Hook, Brooklyn on 82 different occasions on 42 different days, indicating that the bus often idled multiple times a day at the yard. The bus yard is in close proximity to the Red Hook Houses, which is the largest public housing development in Brooklyn with more than 6,000 residents.

The OAG also found that during that same time period, 30 different Jofaz school buses idled near P.S. K140 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn for at least 10 minutes each, for a total of 285 different times over 65 days. More than 90 percent of the students at P.S. K140 are Black or Latino. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the neighborhood surrounding P.S. K140 is in the 92nd percentile in the country for levels of diesel particulate matter and has childhood asthma rates in the 70th to 80th percentile.

In her lawsuit, Attorney General James is seeking monetary penalties and a court order requiring the companies to ensure that their drivers are complying with the laws and educating and training employees on idling laws and the health and environmental impacts of diesel pollution.

Tailpipe emissions from cars, trucks, and buses are one of the leading sources of air pollution in New York state due to the release of smog-forming pollutants, soot, toxins, and greenhouse gases. Idling is a significant — and usually unnecessary — source of these emissions, with an estimated 130,000 tons of carbon dioxide emitted in New York City each year. New York City suffers roughly 1,400 premature deaths every year — the highest death toll in the Northeast — and pays billions in health costs due to significant pollution from hundreds of thousands of vehicles that operate in the city.

Pollutants found in tailpipe emissions have been linked to numerous serious health issues including asthma, cancer, heart disease, and other serious health impacts, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with respiratory ailments. The vast majority of the health impacts of soot and air pollution exposure are felt in low-income communities and communities of color in New York City. These communities have the highest truck and traffic volume and have industrial facilities, such as bus yards, located in close proximity to residential areas. The children in the high poverty areas of Central Brooklyn, the South Bronx, and Northern Manhattan are three times more likely than children in other areas of the city to be diagnosed with asthma.   

Today’s lawsuit continues Attorney General James’ aggressive approach to taking on companies that unlawfully pollute the air, especially in communities of color. Recently, Attorney General James reached an agreement with Reliant Transportation, the now-defunct owner and operator of 838 school buses, following an investigation that revealed the company's unlawful idling practices. The agreement required Reliant to pay a $59,500 penalty. Reliant is no longer in operation, and if the company is ever reestablished in New York City, they must enact a strict compliance program that includes extensive driver training, the adoption of a strict company anti-idling policy, the installation of automatic shut-off technology on all buses operating in the city, and the monitoring of driver compliance with idling laws.   

“Environmental negligence can’t be the cost of doing business, and I’m glad the attorney general is holding polluting bus companies accountable with real penalties,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “Additionally, this action is a key long-term commitment to improving environmental outcomes and removing health disparities in the low-income communities and communities of more color that have borne the brunt of the harm caused by environmental irresponsibility. In each of these initiatives, Attorney General James and her office are using the legal tools at their disposal to protect New Yorkers and promote environmental justice.”

“The attorney general's action sends a strong message to all potential offenders: Poisoning our air by idling will no longer be tolerated,” said Marco A. Carrión, executive director, El Puente. “Our communities have suffered for too long from ailments caused by high levels of pollutants, along with unenforced and often ineffective laws. We are grateful that Attorney General James is holding these bad actors accountable and providing justice for our communities.”