WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York 

With A Committee Like That…

You should know that the Committee to Sell – I mean to Save New York - has invested more than $17 million in selling out - I’m sorry – in saving New York. The Committee has been selling Governor Cuomo’s popularity to the people of New York State to the point where he consistently receives 70% approval ratings.

The Committee to sell – again, I apologize, I mean to Save New York- has been very effective in selling out the workers of New York State.  Just take the Tier 6 Pension Plan that was recently adopted. This new pension plan raises the retirement age and requires new state workers to work longer before they can receive a pension.

Another effort of the Committee to Sell – I mean, to Save New York- is the New York Works Infrastructure Initiative, where Governor Cuomo played the private sector unions against the public sector unions and also where he provided millions in corporate tax breaks.

Another project, where the Committee spent millions to push through was the Budget Deficit Solution, where the Governor cut social services, senior citizens program, school aid, and services to the poor without extending the Millionaires Tax.

You should also know that the Regional Economic Development Councils are basically for multi-million dollar companies, while the Governor cut funding to organizations like little leagues in poor neighborhoods.

I remember all the fanfare that Andrew Cuomo created when he was Attorney General. I remember Project Sunshine where he promoted transparency in government and that everyone should release the names of contributors to their campaigns. What happened Mr. Governor? Why are you not pushing for the names of the contributors to the Committee to Sell –I mean Save New York- to be made public? Why can’t we know who they are?

I have to give it to the Governor.  The creation of the Committee to Save New York has been one of the greatest, biggest, most successful, amazing, Machiavellian, and indirect promotion for a political candidate in the history of New York State.

I am Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know. 

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13th Congressional Debates Tonight

    Tonight starting at 6 PM the candidates for the 13th Congressional District will debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, which will air on channel 34 of Time Warner Cable or on the web here, just check which channel the debate is on .

    Later tonight at 9 PM on Bronxtalk Channel 67 on Cablevision there will be another debate by the candidates in the 13 C.D., but this one will not be held by the League of Women Voters.

    I will give my breakdown of the race and prediction of the winner of the 13th C.D. in my June 21st column of "100 PERCENT" that appears in the Bronx and Parkchester Newspapers.

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NYC COMPTROLLER, NYC LAW DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE MAJOR SHAREHOLDER DERIVATIVE SUIT AGAINST WAL-MART

  The Office of the New York City Comptroller and the New York City Law Department announced today that the New York City Pension Funds filed a shareholder derivative action against Wal-Mart Stores Inc.  The lawsuit concerns the recent revelations contained in a New York Times article regarding the bribery and corruption scandal at Wal-Mex, the Mexican subsidiary of Wal-Mart. 

The City Funds’ Complaint, filed in the Delaware Chancery Court, alleges that Wal-Mart’s officers and directors breached their fiduciary duty to the company and its shareholders by failing to properly handle credible claims of the bribery allegations and attempting to cover up details of the scandal.  

“Wal-Mart’s board has repeatedly rebuffed our office and the New York City Pension Funds when we have raised concerns over the company’s failure to comply with legal and ethical standards,” Comptroller John Liu said. “Rooting out the directors and executives responsible for the current crisis would be a first step, but Wal-Mart also needs corporate governance reforms and an independent board that will protect outside shareholders and safeguard against another breakdown of internal controls.”

“This suit seeks to recover corporate assets lost as the result of its wrongful acts, tighten legal and regulatory compliance structures, and institute improved governance oversight,” noted Inga Van Eysden, Chief of the New York City Law Department’s Pension Division. 

In 2005, Wal-Mart executives were notified of a scheme involving the bribing of Mexican officials to expedite the building of Wal-Mart stores in that country.  Several internal investigations resulted.  The Pension Funds allege that the company took no significant action to change the situation.  On April 21, 2012, The New York Times published an article concerning the Mexican bribery scandal.  Wal-Mart’s stock quickly declined approximately 8 percent in the days that followed. 

Based on these developments, the Funds decided to commence their derivative action against Wal-Mart directors and executives.  Separate derivative cases against Wal-Mart are also pending in Delaware Chancery Court and the U.S. District Court in Arkansas.

New York City’s legal team includes Valerie Budzik and Richard Simon of the Comptroller’s General Counsel’s Office, and Inga Van Eysden and Keith Snow of the New York City Law Department’s Pensions Division.

The New York City Law Department is one of the oldest, largest and most dynamic law offices in the world, ranking among the top three largest law offices in New York City and one of the largest public law offices in the country. Tracing its roots back to the 1600’s, the Department has an active caseload of 90,000 matters and transactions in 17 legal divisions. The Corporation Counsel heads the Law Department and acts as legal counsel for the Mayor, elected officials, the City and all its agencies. The Department’s approximately 650 attorneys represent the City on a vast array of civil litigation, legislative and legal issues and in the criminal prosecution of juveniles. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/law.

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu serves as the investment advisor to, custodian and trustee of the New York City Pension Funds. The New York City Pension Funds, consisting of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, New York City Teachers’ Retirement System, New York City Police Pension Fund, New York City Fire Department Pension Fund, and New York City Board of Education Retirement System, serve more than 600,000 active and retired New York City employees, and combined constitute one of the largest public pension funds in the United States.


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Closure of Goulden Ave between Sedgwick & 205 St during Summer Months

   Once again as was the case last year the Department of Environmental Protection will be closing Goulden Avenue. Here it is as it was sent to us.

" TheNYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will close Goulden Ave in both directions, between Sedgwick Ave and 205 St, on June 28, 2012 to commence water main repairs in the Goulden Ave roadway.  Construction will continue on weekdays and Saturdays through August 31^st.  DEP and its contractor will restore the roadway to two-way traffic before schools open for the fall term".

From June 28 through August 31, motorists and the BX 10 bus will be detoured to Paul Ave.  Access for pedestrians will be provided along Goulden Ave during construction.

 

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1st Annual Unity in the Community Festival ~ Sat. 6/23, 12-6PM

Save the date for the 1st Annual Unity in the Community Festival, a free event taking place on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 from 12PM to 6PM. Aqueduct Ave. Between Kingsbridge Road and West 192nd Street.

This wonderful community event is presented by the Kingsbridge Road Merchants Association in conjunction with the Mosholu Preservation Corporation, Montefiore Medical Center & the Avenue NYC Program of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, with the support of Bronx Community Board #7 and #8, Jewish Home Lifecare, Mekong, and the United Federation of Teachers.

Home to the iconic Kingsbridge Armory, the Kingsbridge Road community consists of over 200 merchants, one of the largest retail shopping districts in the Bronx. Rich in cultural diversity, this neighborhood also boasts top notch eateries throughout the area.

The purpose of this event is to celebrate community unity and raise awareness on the diverse array of merchants in this district.

Attendees as well as sponsors will have access to thousands of people, including all participating merchants.

The day will consist of live music and entertainment, various kid's activities, health screenings, free gifts and give-aways, and lots of food!

Come out and join us as we kick off the summer with this great, free, community event!

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New Woodlawn Weekend Van Service

  From left to right are , New York City Taxi & Limousine Commissioner David Yassky, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Mr. Carl Gromes (owner of the van service) State Senator Jeff Klein, Monsignor Barry of Woodlawn is behind Senator Klein, Ms. Christine Sheridan (President of the Woodlawn Taxpayers Association), and Mr. Jim Ellis of the Woodlawn Cemetery  who are  standing in front of the new "Woodlawn Weekend Group Ride Van Service".

  "This all came about when the MTA cancelled the weekend bus service on the BX34 bus to Woodlawn in 2010" said Senator Jeff Klein. He added that in conjunction with NYC TLC Commissioner David Yassky, and the Dorcel Edenwald Bus Service that the weekend van service would operate on the weekend where the BX34 bus use to. The van service will run every half hour between 9 AM and 9 PM with a fare of $2.00.

  Mr, Gromes of the van service said that his company came into existence ten years ago during a similar circumstance when the old BX14 bus was eliminated. He added that the van can carry up to 14 passengers, and that there have already been requests that he extend the service up Bainbridge Avenue past the #4 train to the D train on East 205th Street. Check the local stores for the schedule of the new van service. 

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LIU IDENTIFIES EXTRA $100 MILLION FOR FY 2013 CITY BUDGET

-Additional funds available to provide budgetary relief -  

  Due to the $997 million General Obligation bond refinancing set to be finalized on June 7^th and lower than expected interest rates for the current year, the City will gain more than $100 million in additional funds to help close gaps in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, according to City Comptroller John C. Liu.

Liu will provide the information, which has not yet been included in the Mayor’s Executive Budget, today when he testifies before the City Council Finance Committee.

Comptroller Liu said that lower than expected interest rates will yield $33.6 million in savings which could be rolled over to FY 2013; while the  refinancing, which was announced on May 23^rd by the Comptroller’s Office and Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, would produce savings of $67.8 million in FY 2013 and  $68.9 million for Fiscal Year 2014.

“By successfully navigating the bond market, we have been able to save more than $100 million which can now be used to provide budgetary relief,” Comptroller Liu said.  “As our national and local economies remain fragile and we are facing a number of risks to the City’s bottom line, we must continue to aggressively identify savings and recoup every single dollar the City is rightfully owed.”

Comptroller Liu also reiterated his call for the City to recoup as much as $163 million from Hewlett Packard as a result of overbilling and underperforming on the contract to upgrade the City’s 911 call system, which was uncovered as a result of a recent audit.

Some other aspects of Liu’s testimony and budget report, which can be found at http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/bureaus/bud/budget_reports.shtm include:

·         The budget relies heavily on one-shots to close the gap, specifically an estimated $1 billion for the sale of taxi medallions that may not materialize

·         The settlement from CityTime and $1 billion in funds from the Retiree Health Benefit Trust are being used to close gaps

·         Events outside the City’s control such as the Eurozone or a stalemate in Washington D.C. should spur the City to institute a Capital Acceleration plan to foster job growth and address  the high unemployment rate

·         The potential cost as a result of City Hall’s failed negotiations with the United Federation of Teachers and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators could be as high as $2.5 billion in FY 2013

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Statement by Council Member Annabel Palma:

In Response to Mark Page's Testimony on EarlyLearn

  

   Last fall, my colleagues and I sent a letter to the Administration highlighting a number of concerns related to the EarlyLearn RFP, which at the time had not yet awarded contracts to child care providers.  Among the concerns laid out in this letter were that the RFP would result in a significant decrease in child care capacity and that the reduction in per child rates would place thousands of child care providers at risk of losing their jobs or benefits. 

 

Despite the concerns we expressed in the letter, as well as in subsequent committee hearings and meetings, the Administration is moving forward with only minor changes to the original RFP and the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) awarded contracts to providers this spring. 

 

The release of these contracts has made clear that our concerns were well-founded and our predictions were accurate. EarlyLearn’s impact on the child care system will be devastating for providers, workers and a number of New York City’s children and families.

 

This morning, Office of Budget Management Director Mark Page came before the City Council’s Committee on Finance to present his annual budget testimony and, during this appearance, I took the opportunity to once again highlight the Council’s concerns over EarlyLearn.  While it is clear at this point that the Administration and the Council are at odds over the implementation and consequences of EarlyLearn, Mark Page, as steward of the City’s finances, has an obligation to look beyond ideology and focus on the fiscal impact of these reforms. 

 

Slashing child care services and the jobs they support will place the City’s fiscal health in jeopardy for many years to come.  I hope the Administration will address the Council’s concerns we push to fix this flawed RFP and ensure that we have a system that works for our children and our City.  

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