Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lawmakers Spar over Taxing the Rich

  Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera (78th A.D.) said "stop talking sh*t" about the fight over state aid between NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo. Rivera added that certain people should stop whining. 
  Over in the state senate meanwhile, Senator Gustavo Rivera (no relation) questioned the Republican Senate Finance chairman on the millionaire's tax, trying to get Senator De Francisco to say that it was a tax break for the rich by letting it expire. 
  And then there was Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. who accused Governor Cuomo of eyeing the White House, instead of doing what's right for New Yorkers. See the entire article "Lawmakers Spar Over Taxing the Rich" here , including the 5 1/2 minute video of Senator Diaz announcing the Cuomo for President campaign.


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Pedro Espada Jr. and Son, Hit With New Federal Charges

  We said months ago that we thought that Pedro Espada would be hit with charges of tax evasion, and that is just what the U.S. Attorney has done. You can read the entire 30 page indictment here where tax evasion charges have been added to other charges against Pedro Espada Jr. and his son Pedro Gautier Espada.
  Both Espadas are currently out on $750,000 Bail, and their was no comments on the new charges.


Monday, March 28, 2011

Assemblyman Dinowitz declares victory in fight to save senior centers

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on Aging, has applauded the restoration of Title XX funding in the budget, part of which is used to fund senior centers in New York City.  Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget cut Title XX funding, causing Mayor Bloomberg to threaten to close 105 senior centers in New York City.  There is now a three-way agreement among the Governor, the Assembly, and the Senate to restore this funding.

“Restoration of Title XX funding was my number one budget priority as Aging Committee Chair.  New York City colleagues joined with me in insisting that this crucial funding be restored.  Speaker Silver strongly supported this restoration, and the Assembly budget resolution included a full restoration of Title XX funding,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

“I am pleased that Governor Cuomo, the Assembly, and the Senate are now all on the same page in supporting continued funding of our senior centers.  This huge victory means that thousands of New York City seniors will not be closed out of their senior centers.  I call upon Mayor Bloomberg to rescind his hit list of senior centers to be closed as soon as the budget is passed and signed.  Now that there will be no state funding cut to New York City senior centers, I call upon Mayor Bloomberg to pledge not to close even a single center,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.

Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association Dinner Dance APRIL 30th

 
JOIN US FOR
A
TRIBUTE TO LEADERSHIP
DINNER DANCE
This Year Honoring

SR. Mary Cleary
Principal
Our Lady of Angels School


SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2011
7 PM – 11 PM

Lehman College-  East Dining Room
Make your reservations early as seating is limited for this very special occasion.

TICKETS: $25.00      Info/718-618-7550



The Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc.
2805 University Avenue, Suite B
Bronx, N.Y. 10468
Tel- 718-618-7550       Fax: 718-618-7549


Plight of Working Poor Inspires Citywide Call for Living Wage

On Anniversary of Dr. King’s Death, New Yorkers Rally in Two Boroughs

Brooklyn and Bronx City Council Members, Faith Leaders, and Many Others to Demand Living Wage Jobs
 
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed while fighting for living wage jobs. This April 4th, Brooklyn and Bronx rallies will honor his legacy as part of the growing citywide movement for a living wage at a time when far too many working people continue to struggle to survive, despite working full-time hours. Through story, song, and sermon, they will convey a sense of crisis and rally for action.

On this historic occasion, elected officials from Brooklyn and the Bronx will join faith leaders, labor leaders, community leaders, and local residents in pushing for swift passage of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, popular legislation that will help create more living wage jobs.
Bronx - The event is co-hosted by the following Bronx elected officials: Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.; Bronx City Council Member G. Oliver Koppell; and other elected officials, faith leaders, labor leaders, community leaders, and local Bronx residents will participate.
Monday, April 4, 2011, 7:00 p.m., Bronx Pentecostal Deliverance Center 1755 Watson Ave. Bronx, NY (6 Train to Lawrence)





Sen. Klein & Public Health Advocates Unveil Plan to Combat Underage 'Alcopop' Abuse

  State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester), chairman of the Senate Alcohol and Drug Abuse Committee, was joined by public health advocates from across New York Sunday to unveil plans to crack down on easy access that minors have to Four Loko and similar high-alcohol malted beverages.


This strategy came as result of recent undercover police stings in New York City, as well as a survey of hospitals and colleges across New York State. The results all showed that these beverages – and their dangerous consequences – continue to be easily within the reach of underage drinkers.

“The results of these investigations clearly show that 'alcopops' like Four Loko- or any other type of these deceptive drinks- are still too easy for teens to get their hands on. It is time for us to take the necessary steps to get these dangerous cocktails off the shelves of convenience stores and bodegas in order to save our teens from any further injury or harm,” Senator Klein said.

“Alcopops,” or High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages, are sweetened and flavored malt-based drinks with high alcohol content (Four Loko has a 12 percent alcohol content, while a normal beer generally has a 4 to 5 percent alcohol content.) They are generally sold for $2 to $3 for a 22 ounce can, have very similar packaging to non-alcoholic energy drinks, and have a history of being aggressively marketed to minors.

Senator Klein's plan includes:
  • Moving alcopops out of the corner store and restricting their sales to liquor stores
Liquor stores, which are more highly regulated, are not frequented by minors, and are the more appropriate place to purchase a product with such a high alcohol content. Senator Klein was introduced legislation (S.4221) to make this change. This measure was draft as Phusion Projects, announced that it would be packaging its High Alcohol beverage Four Loko in bottle form with the specific goal to further increase its presence in grocery and convenience stores. According to the bill, a High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverage is classified as defined, under this bill, as a beverage with a combination of 6 % alcohol by volume and 1 % sugar that also includes the addition of flavorings. Such flavorings can be fruit juices or fruit flavor additives, or herbs, nuts, or spices, such as chocolate, licorice or vanilla or stimulants such as guarana, ginseng, or taurine.
  • Once and for all banning caffeinated alcopops in New York
Police recently discovered a caffeinated version of Four Loko – which that Federal Food and Drug Administration has deemed to a public health concern – still being sold in a gas station in Pelham. This is despite an agreement that the State State Liquor Authority secured with Phusion Project to stop selling that version of Four Loko in New York, and a seperate agreement that the SLA forged with the state's largest beer distributors to stop selling any alcoholic energy drinks that contain caffeine and other stimulants. Senator Klein has introduced legislation (S.3889) that would make it illegal to sell these caffeinated alcoholic beverages. This legislation is slated to be voted on by the Senate Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee on Monday.
  • Holding the first-ever statewide hearing on underage alcopop abuse
On April 12, at 11:30 am, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Committee will be holding a hearing on the dangers, rising trend of underage drinking, direct marketing targeting minors, college campus prevalence, law enforcement, and legislation on dealing with alcopops. The goal of the hearing is to raise awareness of the issue and to shape pending and future legislation dealing with the regulation of High Alcohol Flavored Malt Beverages.

"There are a number of alcoholic beverages like Four Loko that are marketed specifically to our youth. These drinks often are the ones that get younger teens started drinking," said New York City Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. "When young teens drink alcohol they experience alcohol-related harms and increase their risk for lifetime problems of alcohol dependence or abuse. Senator Klein's bill is an important first step toward protecting our young people from these alcoholic beverages."

Earlier this week, Senator Klein asked the NYPD's Bronx Borough Command to look into whether teens were gaining easy access to alcoholic beverages, including Four Loko and other alcopops in the Bronx portion of the 34th Senate district, which he represents.

Following Klein’s request, an undercover investigation was launched in the three principal precincts of his district: the 45th Precinct (serving Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay, Co-Op City, Country Club, Westchester Square and City Island), the 47th Precinct (serving Wakefield and Woodlawn which Klein represents as well as Baychester, Edelwald and Fishkill) and the 49th Precinct (serving Morris Park, Van Nest, Allerton, Ollinville, and Pelham Gardens).

The operations were led by the Borough Inspector. An undercover volunteer - under the age of 18  - went into several businesses attempting to buy Four Loko and other alcoholic beverages. Out of the 23 businesses visited, 17 sold alcohol to the minor without asking for ID. The types of locations that were part of the investigation were a combination of bodegas and convenience stores.

The breakdown is as follows:
The 45th Precinct investigated 10 stores, 7 were issued violations
The 47th Precinct investigated  7 stores, 5 were issued violations
The 49th Precinct investigated 6 stores, 5 were issued violations

In addition, Senator Klein and the Independent Democratic Conference released the results of a survey taken in the past week of hospitals and law enforcement across New York State regarding incidents involving beverages with high alcohol content.

The results were startling.

In the past week, four minors were rushed to the Elmhurst Hospital Emergency Room in Queens with alcohol poisoning due as a result of consuming Four Loko and Joose.

On March 17, 2011 - St. Patrick's Day - police were called to an underage party in Eastchester involving the consumption of Four Loko. The survey also unveiled that a gas station supermarket in Pelham is still selling Four Loko in its caffeinated form.

In a third survey of colleges conducted by the Independent Democratic Conference, many campus security officers knew of the beverage, were concerned of the high level of alcohol and had policies in place to deal with not only these products but underage drinking as well.

Since January, Canisius College reported 10 cases involving underage consumption of Four Loko - both on and off campus.

In addition, the University of Buffalo reported a number of 821 alcohol violations in 2009, many included Four Loko, of both underage and of age, in the residence halls. Since January 2011, there have been total of 16 overdoses due to alcohol.

The Independent Democratic Conference also learned through their survey so far this year, the Downstate Poison Control Center has received 7 calls reporting 7 separate cases of people being hospitalized after consuming Four Loko. 5 of those 7 individuals were under the legal drinking age.

“The New York Alcohol Policy Alliance commends Senator Klein for his commitment to the young people of New York State by proposing to greatly restrict access to these sweetened, high-alcohol ‘binge-in-a-can’ drinks. We believe that this legislation represents an important first step toward protecting our kids from alcopops – highly sweetened ‘starter drinks.' We look forward to participating in Senator Klein’s upcoming hearings on the matter, so that the people of New York can take effective action to thwart the alcohol companies who are irresponsibly marketing these products to our youth,” said Robert Pezzolesi, CEO of the New York Center for Alcohol Policy Solutions.

"Marin Institute applauds Senator Klein's leadership to help get this dangerous products out of the reach of youth. We are seeing a disturbing trend of high-potency, sweetened alcoholic beverages that needs to be stopped, " said Michele Simon, Research and Policy Director, Marin Institute.

“Four Loko is clearly marketed to seduce our young people, due to its high sugar content and flavoring. It is not the type of beverage that would be attractive to adults. All underage drinking is harmful, and we are grateful and supportive of Senator Klein’s position, in order to protect our youth,” said Joan Bonsignore, Executive Director, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence/Westchester, Inc.

"On behalf of prevention providers and parents, I applaud Senator Klein's efforts to keep kids safe. By taking these dangerous beverages out of convenience stores and supermarkets it will be less likely that a store cashier will mistake them for non-alcoholic beverages and therefore less likely that youth will be able to obtain them," said Ellen Morehouse, Executive Director of Student Assistance Services of Westchester County.

"Moving these "binge in a can" products from convenience stores to liquor stores makes sense.  The Eastchester Communities That Care coalition supports initiatives that keep alcohol out of teenagers' reach,” said James Genova, Project Director for Eastchester Communities That Care.

 

(Photo Attached: James Genova, Project Director for Eastchester Communities That Care, Ellen Morehouse, Executive Director of Student Assistance Services of Westchester County, Tanya Cooper, NCADD - Westchester Chapter, Senator Klein and Robert Pezzolesi, CEO of the New York Center for Alcohol Policy Solutions)

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Geraldine Ferraro Passes Away

  The first woman to run for Vice-president on the Democratic line, (shown here with presidential running mate Walter Mondale)  Ms. Geraldine Ferraro has died at the age of 75, from  complications from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer she had been battling for many years. 

  The New York Times goes into detail about her political career here. The tributes for her are coming in from all over, as we will print some of our local elected officials who have sent out statements about the unfortunate passing of Ms. Ferraro. 

 

   City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about the passing of Former Vice Presidential Nominee Geraldine Ferraro:
“Geraldine Ferraro was an extraordinary New Yorker and American who set new standards of public service and shattered the glass ceiling for women in our nation. All the while, she never forgot her values of fairness and equal opportunity, and never forgot her roots in NYC and Queens. Geraldine Ferraro leaves behind a great legacy.”
 
  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. stated the following.
“As a Bronx native, Geraldine Ferraro was an icon not just in the City, but across the entire nation. Her contributions to the civic and political life of the United States are immeasurable, and the thoughts and prayers of the entire Bronx are with her family during their time of grief. We have lost a true legend in Geraldine Ferraro, and she will be sorely missed,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
 
  Senator Gustavo Rivera, 33rd State Senate District  issued the following statement.
“Today I join with my fellow New Yorkers and Americans in mourning the loss of former Queens Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, a role model and inspirational leader. Geraldine Ferraro certainly made her mark on this country and our history as the first female candidate for Vice President, but long before becoming a household name, Geraldine Ferraro made her own mark on New York as a public school teacher, an assistant district attorney in the Special Victims Bureau and as a Queens Congresswoman. Throughout her career, Geraldine focused on issues impacting women, especially the economic rights of women, whether it be wages, pensions or retirement plans. She will be remembered throughout the country, but especially here at home in New York, as a hero, dedicated public servant and trailblazer.”

  We are sure all of our elected officials are deeply saddened by the loss of Ms. Geraldine Ferraro, and expect more statements to come in from them.  


Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz Urges His Colleagues to Oppose Any Budget without Rent Control

New York State Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) has released the following statement calling upon all of his Black and Hispanic colleagues in the Senate and in the Assembly to vote against any budget that does not include rent regulation.
“I am calling upon all of my colleagues in the Senate and the Assembly – especially my colleagues who are Black and Hispanic – to refuse to vote for any Budget without rent regulation protection. These protections limit rent and rent hikes that landlords can charge on more than a million apartments in New York.
I urge my colleagues to learn from Senator Liz Krueger, follow her lead and support her one key Budget issue – rent regulations – which are set to expire on June 15, 2011.  We all know that rent regulations effect our constituents, and how essential it is for rent control to be included in the Budget. 
It will be a pure hypocrisy for any Black or Hispanic Senator or Assemblymember to vote for any budget that does not include rent regulations.  A vast majority of our constituents depend on these rent regulation laws, and if we do not address it in this Budget, millions of working and middle-class New Yorkers will be in immediate risk of losing their homes.
We must not let the Governor hijack New York’s Budget and omit rent regulations in it.  Our constituents rely upon us to represent them in Albany, and we must not abandon them.”