Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Movie Night! Little Shop of Horrors - Thursday, July 14

 

 

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) • Thursday, July 14

Meet the bloodthirsty carnivorous plant, Audrey II, and sing along with all of your favorite characters. Cameos by Steve Martin, John Candy, and Bill Murray. 

 

Pack a picnic and head over to the Parade Ground. 

Movie starts at the last light of day – that’s ~ 9 PM on July 14.

Arrive at 7:30 PM for movie-themed fun: 

 

Dance to 80s tunes with Herbert Holler. 

Make your very own Audrey II puppet.

Meet (meat?) carnivorous plants(!!!).

BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket)

 

The best part? It’s all FREE! Thanks to Council Member Eric Dinowitz, NYC Parks, Van Cortlandt Park Alliance, and optimum. 

 

Our friends at Lloyd’s Carrot Cake will be open late. Grab a slice for dessert on your way over. 

 

Join us for the whole series! 

July 14    Little Shop of Horrors (1986) July 28   Them! (1954) – Please note the change in movie, due to availability. Aug 4      The Birds (1963) Aug 11    Jurassic Park (1993)   Arrive early! From 7:30pm on… Dance Party – Boogie to the hits of 1954, 1963, 1986, 1993 Movie Themed Crafts VCPA Nature Nerds – Meet Plants & More!    RSVP Encouraged.   *Movies subject to change based on availability.  Van Cortlandt Park Alliance 80 Van Cortlandt Park, Ste. E1 Bronx, NY 10463 718-601-1460 http://vancortlandt.org

MAYOR ADAMS RELEASES RAINFALL READY NYC ACTION PLAN, PREPARING CITY GOVERNMENT AND NEW YORKERS FOR MORE EXTREME RAINFALL

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala, and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) Commissioner Zach Iscol today released the Rainfall Ready NYC action plan — a plan to prepare the city government and everyday New Yorkers for more extreme rainfall in the future. As climate change brings more extreme weather to the five boroughs, the city is making significant investments in infrastructure to keep New Yorkers safe, and today’s action plan outlines the additional steps New Yorkers can take to protect themselves and their property.

 

“Climate change is the city’s biggest environmental threat, and while we continue to invest in resiliency and infrastructure projects to protect us for generations to come, the Rainfall Ready NYC action plan will help every New Yorker to protect themselves, their families, and their homes,” said Mayor Adams. “The city is acting now to keep New Yorkers safe as we move into hurricane season, and I encourage every New Yorker to make emergency plans for the next extreme weather event.”

 

“Our climate is changing and that means increasingly common extreme weather impacting New York City, but there are measures we can take to prepare ourselves and the Rainfall Ready NYC action plan outlines the projects city government has underway to manage our new reality, as well as steps residents can take to protect themselves and their property,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and DEP Commissioner Aggarwala. “The design and construction of large infrastructure projects to manage our changing climate will take time to complete and Rainfall Ready NYC is meant to outline the shared actions that can be taken in the short-term to ensure public safety.”

 

“Every New Yorker deserves to live in a safe home in the face of a changing climate,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Working with Chief Climate Officer Aggarwala, we will ensure that New York City is prepared for increasing extreme weather and that our neighbors’ homes are protected against flooding. Rainfall Ready is an important step forward in building stronger housing and a more resilient city.”

 

“Being prepared for extreme weather emergencies is a shared responsibility, and Rainfall Ready NYC is a blueprint that will guide us throughout all phases of the disaster cycle,” said NYCEM Commissioner Iscol. “While the city has made several improvements to its operations — from mitigation to preparedness, response, and recovery — Rainfall Ready NYC captures how we will continue to safeguard our city and the public. With hurricane season and summer under way, I also encourage New Yorkers to make emergency plans that best match their needs before extreme weather and other emergencies occur, by visiting us online or calling 311.”

 

As rising greenhouse gas emissions accelerate climate change, New Yorkers should expect more frequent and extreme rainfall events that can produce volumes of stormwater that the city’s infrastructure was never designed to capture. While the city is making important investments to improve resiliency and prepare New York City for the effects of climate change, all New Yorkers can take immediate steps to prevent death, injury, and property damage when these intense rainfall events do occur. Rainfall Ready NYC outlines what steps New Yorkers and city government can take to combat extreme weather together, including: 

 

• Encouraging New Yorkers to use new interactive stormwater flood maps to understand the likelihood of flooding on one’s block and to make a plan to get to higher ground if needed. 
• Inspecting chronic flooding locations and clearing debris from catch basins in at-risk locations prior to predicted storms. New Yorkers are encouraged to clear litter and debris from the curb line and nearby catch basins and deploy barriers to protect low-lying areas. 
• Expanding FloodNet, a network of street flooding sensors designed to better understand the frequency, severity, and impacts of flooding in New York City. These sensors will be installed in the most vulnerable areas for real-time data collection and will be accessible via a dashboard for public use beginning later this month. 

 

DEP will also be providing sandbags and flood barriers to residents in at-risk neighborhoods, and the city has engaged Los Deliveristas, Uber Eats, GrubHub, and DoorDash in a working group to create new strategies for ensuring extreme weather messaging reaches delivery workers. The group will also work to develop protocols to ensure that delivery workers are kept safe during extreme weather, such as restricting deliveries during dangerous weather conditions. The Rainfall Ready NYC action plan will be shared widely in the weeks and months to come as all New Yorkers must take steps to prepare for more extreme weather.

Attorney General James Recovers Nearly $300,000 of Illegally Withheld Security Deposits for Brooklyn Tenants

 

SGW Properties LLC Failed to Return Security Deposits Within 14 Days and Failed to Provide an Itemized List of Costs, as Required by New 2019 Laws

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that she has reached an agreement with New York City landlord SGW Properties LLC and their related LLCs for failing to return approximately $296,272 in security deposits to New Yorkers following new changes to security deposit laws. Attorney General James found that SGW failed to comply with the 2019 changes to the state’s rental laws when they did not return security deposits to 129 tenants within 14 days of the tenant vacating the apartment or providing a written itemized list of their reasons for keeping the deposit. All of the tenants resided in SGW’s various buildings throughout Brooklyn, including Crown Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Midwood, Stuyvesant Heights, and others. Under the terms of the agreement, SGW must return all improperly retained security deposits to approximately 129 tenants harmed by their failure to follow the law, train all staff in compliance with the updated security deposit law, and pay a $10,000 penalty.

“As housing, health, and affordability crises continue, it's more important than ever to put money back into the pockets of New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “Tenants deserve transparency and accountability from their landlords, and New Yorkers should trust that their security deposit will be returned to them as required by their leases and the law. I will always stand up to landlords who take advantage of their tenants and disregard the law for their own benefit.”

In June 2019, New York enacted new legal protections for tenants requiring landlords to either return the entire security deposit or provide an itemized written list of their reasons for keeping the deposit. If the landlord fails to provide the itemized list within 14 days, they no longer hold the right to keep the deposit and must return the entire amount. Tenants who sue for their security deposit and are successful are entitled to actual damages. If the landlord’s actions were intentional, the tenant is entitled to double damages.

In May 2021, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation into violations of the new security deposit law, following complaints by New Yorkers who reported that their security deposits were being withheld by landlords. The investigation found that SGW failed to send itemized lists outlining their reasons for withholding security deposits, and therefore were not authorized to keep the deposit. Additionally, SGW did not properly segregate the security deposits in escrow accounts as required by law. It is estimated that SGW unlawfully withheld security deposits from 129 residents for a total of $296,272.59.

Attorney General James’ agreement with SGW ensures that all unlawfully withheld security deposits are returned to former tenants and requires the company’s staff to receive compliance training to prevent future violations. SGW must also pay $10,000 in damages to New York state and will be subject to a $2,000 penalty for every significant violation of this security deposit law in the future.

The OAG is engaged in several other investigations related to security deposits and tenant protections. The OAG will continue to monitor complaints to ensure that landlords are complying with the law. Anyone who has questions or believes that their landlord has violated the law is encouraged file a consumer complaint.

NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy & NY Conservative Party Chair Kassar Announce Coalition to Challenge Democrats' Unconstitutional Gun Law

Groups Join Forces Once Again to Bring Democrats to Court & Stop Their Trampling of New Yorkers’ Rights 

New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy today announced that the Party will join forces with New York Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar to build a coalition to challenge Kathy Hochul & Democrats’ unconstitutional gun law signed into law last Friday. Chairmen Langworthy and Kassar just recently joined forces to successfully block Democrats’ illegal gerrymander and their law allowing foreign citizens to vote in our elections. 

Hochul and legislative Democrats convened a special session last Friday to pass and sign into law legislation that severely limits New Yorkers’ ability to obtain a concealed carry permit following the Supreme Court’s decision striking down New York’s law that was in violation of the Second Amendment. Chairman Langworthy blasted the law as another gross violation of New Yorkers’ rights and vowed to challenge it in court, just as he has successfully done on other issues. 

“The moment Democrats passed this outrageous bill, I vowed to fight them in court,” said NYGOP Chairman Langworthy. “We have been working the phones and talking to legal experts to build a coalition and bring a winning case that will stop this law in its tracks. Chairman Kassar has been a true partner with us and I’m proud to be joining forces with him again to ensure we protect New Yorkers’ constitutional rights.” 

“We have proven that we will use every resource at our disposal to fight Democrats in court and win,” said New York Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar. “One-Party rule has emboldened Democrats to trample over the constitution and rule of law to enact their radical agenda. We believe that this law will be struck down by the courts and the Conservative Party is proud to once again lead this effort with Chairman Langworthy.”  

“Thank you to Chairmen Langworthy and Kassar for taking action to protect our Second Amendment rights and stopping this unconstitutional law,” said Tom King, Chairman of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. “The Supreme Court ruled decisively on this issue and Democrats once again showed complete disregard for New Yorkers’ rights and the rule of law. “We have also been pulling together legal resources and we are 100% behind their efforts to challenge this law in court.” 

Assemblymember Nathalia Fernandez - Green Day of Action at Bronx Park East

 

Greetings, On Monday, July 11th between 10am - 12pm, I will be hosting a Green Day of Action in partnership with NYC Parks and other community collaborators at Bronx Park East and Allerton Avenue. I invite you all to come out and volunteer as we do our part to protect our environment and keep our community green with this day of action! If you and/or your organization are interested in participating please fill out this attached google form by using the link below: https://bit.ly/GreenDayOfAction We appreciate your time and efforts in advance!   Best Regards, New York State Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez

Governor Hochul Announces Steps to Further Strengthen New York’s Nation-leading Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy

 

New Yorkers Invited to Provide Input to Further Strengthen Protections

Feedback Form Available Here

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Department of Labor will update its nation-leading sexual harassment prevention policy. The Department is inviting New Yorkers to provide input to further strengthen workplace protections. This builds on the Governor's ongoing efforts to improve transparency and increase accountability in the workforce.

"The moment I took office, I vowed to make the workplace safer, more respectful, and more collaborative across New York State," Governor Hochul said. "From overhauling anti-harassment training for state employees to signing a package of legislation to address workplace harassment and discrimination, we have taken significant action to strengthen protections against discrimination and harassment. Now, I am encouraging all New Yorkers to provide their input to protect workers and help ensure that New York continues to lead the nation on harassment prevention."

The current sexual harassment prevention policy was adopted in 2018 and must be reviewed every four years per legislation. As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to shift the labor landscape, the Governor and the New York State Department of Labor are reviewing the current policy to ensure that all New Yorkers have the fullest protections possible while on the job.

Now through September 20, 2022, New Yorkers can submit feedback through this secure form. NYSDOL is also launching a multi-platform public awareness campaign, including this video, to encourage New Yorkers to participate in this important process.

NYSDOL will also update the current model sexual harassment training videos, incorporating remote work, and include the recent amendment to the Human Rights Law expanding protections to public employees, including staff of elected officials and the judiciary, from sexual harassment in the workplace.

Every employer in the New York State is required to adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy. An employer that does not adopt the NYSDOL's model policy must ensure that the policy that they adopt meets or exceeds the following minimum standards, which must:

• Prohibit sexual harassment consistent with guidance issued by NYSDOL in consultation with the Division of Human Rights.
• Provide examples of prohibited conduct that would constitute unlawful sexual harassment.
• Include information concerning the federal and state statutory provisions concerning sexual harassment, remedies available to victims of sexual harassment, and a statement that there may be applicable local laws.
• Include a complaint form.

• Include a procedure for the timely and confidential investigation of complaints that ensures due process for all parties.
• Inform employees of their rights of redress and all available forums for adjudicating sexual harassment complaints administratively and judicially.
• Clearly state that sexual harassment is considered a form of employee misconduct and that sanctions will be enforced against individuals engaging in sexual harassment and against supervisory and managerial personnel who knowingly allow such behavior to continue.
• Clearly state that retaliation against individuals who complain of sexual harassment or who testify or assist in any investigation or proceeding involving sexual harassment is unlawful.

Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to know their rights about sexual harassment in the workplace. New York State has several online resources for employees and employers, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions page to help guide New Yorkers about the steps they can take if they have been victimized at the workplace.