Why Not a Senate Conservative Conference?

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District, Bronx County, New York  

   Why Not a Senate Conservative Conference?
As you know, I have been as unusually, uncharacteristically, uncustomary, and uncommonly quiet as possible during the latest Albany brouhaha about the future of the New York State Senate.

News articles and blogs appear daily about the back and forth bickering and dickering among New York’s State Senators about who will control the Senate and what impact the Senate Independent Democratic Conference will have on the Senate.

Like I said, I’ve remained very quiet as my Senate colleagues step in front of cameras and microphones to posture themselves to promote any number of social issues that can or will be on the Senate floor when Session resumes.

You should all know that I have made it crystal clear that I am a Democrat, that I have always been a Democrat, and that I have no intention of being anything other than a Democrat.

You should also know that people have been whispering in my ear saying that since the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference is thriving, there are some Senators who may be interested in forming another Senate Conference.

To this notion, I think to myself: Why not?  Why not a Senate Conservative Conference? If there are people who are entitled to form a different Senate Conference, why can’t there be a bipartisan Senate Conservative Conference to enhance true coalition government?

According to my count, aside from the already two Conservative Democrats in the State Senate, there must be at least ten Conservative Republicans.

And as far as I know, several hot-button social issues will come before the Senate for a vote in 2013 that will be opposed by both Democrat and Republican Conservatives. These issues include the Woman's Reproductive Health Act, which will most certainly push New York’s already staggering abortion rate even higher, and a controversial bill to legalize the medical marijuana in New York.

With all this in mind, if – and I say “IF” new Senate Conferences are allowed to form, and believe me I’m not saying, “Let’s do it,” but IF this is allowed, then why not form a Senate Conference to fight for traditional values.  Keep in mind that family values proved to be one of the major issues that caused some Senators to lose their Senate seats in this past election.  There’s no denying that several elections in New York State were determined because the incumbent opposed conservative values and because some incumbents were in fact opposed by the Conservative Party.

And so my advice to my Senate colleagues is to think very carefully about approving any Senate Conference outside of the Democrat Conference and the Republican Conference because you just may be opening Pandora’s Box.  Once that Box is opened, what would stop Conservative Members of the State Senate from forming a Conference of their own?

This is State Senate Reverend Rubén Díaz and this is what you should know.


  

State Senator Gustavo Rivera Holds Toy/Coat Drive for Victims of Hurricane Sandy

   State Senator Gustavo Rivera 33rd S.D. will be sponsoring a Holiday Coat and Toy Drive in December to benefit victims of  Hurricane Sandy. The Coat and Toy Drive starting Monday, December 3, 2012 through Monday, December 17, 2012. Donations can be dropped off at the Senator's District office at 2432 Grand Concourse, suite 506 from 12:00PM - 6:00PM . 

WHO:         NYS Senator Gustavo Rivera

WHAT:       Holiday Coat and Toy Drive for Sandy Victims

WHERE:    NYS Senator Rivera's District Office

                   2432 Grand Concourse, suite 506

                   Bronx, NY 10458

WHEN:       Monday December 3, 2012 through  Monday 17 2012, 12-6 PM 

"While the 33rd Senate District was not as heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy as other parts of the Bronx or New York City, it is important that we come together around the holidays to help those New Yorkers who were most impacted by the storm," said Senator Gustavo Rivera. "There is no better gift to give during the holidays than the gift of service to your community. I would encourage and invite all who can, to participate in this toy and coat drive to provide some relief to those families and children who were victims of Hurricane Sandy."

All coats and toys collected during the drive will be donated to the families that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy

 

 

 

THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AT MONTEFIORE LOCAL TOY DRIVE

   With the holiday season upon us, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) will create a festive environment for patients and their families thanks to gifts from the 'Care to Share' Toy Drive, sponsored by LaSorsa Auto Group. Gifts for the toy drive will be accepted now through December 16 at various locations throughout the Bronx and the toys will be delivered at CHAM on December 17.

 

   "The 'Care to Share' Toy Drive is not just for patients, it's also for their families who spend a lot of time in the hospital caring for their loved ones as well,” said Roberto S. Garcia, senior director of community and governmental relations at Montefiore Medical Center. “We truly appreciate the support and generosity of the community in helping to bring some of the season’s joy to children who may not be able to spend the holidays at home with their families." 

   The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore has been consistently ranked in U.S. News & World Report's Best Children’s Hospitals editions and is recognized worldwide for its expertise in a wide range of pediatric specialties as well as its innovative clinical and translational research. CHAM has more than 8,200 admissions, 130,000 outpatient visits and 80,000 emergency department visits annually. Each year more than 6,300 babies are born at Montefiore, and the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit admits nearly 900 fragile, premature infants.

   “We are here to support the community with the Care to Share toy drive and ask you to do the same, at this time of year when it's most important,” said John LaSorsa, President of LaSorsa Auto Group.

Unwrapped gifts for babies, toddlers, and older boys and girls can be dropped off at the below locations through December 16.

-          LaSorsa Auto Group, 3510 Webster Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467

-          BESO Lounge, 320 East 204th Street, Bronx, NY 10467

-          Drug Rite, 3432 Jerome Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467

-          Leroy Pharmacy, 314 East 204th Street, Bronx, NY10467

-          LeMED Pharmacy, 159 East Gun Hill Road, Bronx, NY

-          MAS Inc., 3602 E Tremont Ave, Suite 206, Bronx, NY 10465

CHAM and LaSorsa Auto Group are collaborating with Mosholu Preservation Corporation, Jerome Gun Hill BID, East 204st & Bainbridge Ave. Merchant Association, BESO Lounge, Drug Rite, Leroy Pharmacy, LeMED Pharmacy, and MAS, Inc. for the 2012 'Care to Share' Toy Drive. For more information about types of toys needed and other events, please contact Angela Porcelli, MAS, Inc. 718-283-4081 or angela@masmarketingny.com.

Put the Power Lines Underground

   Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, local candidate for city council Andrew Cohen, and dozens of residents of the Spuyten Duyvil Triangle (nine apartment buildings that border Independence Avenue, Palisade Avenue, and Kappock Street) want the power lines there to be placed underground. In what was said to be many interruptions of service where lights may go off and then right back all appliances as well as the buildings machinery such as the elevator, boiler, and washing machines have to be reset. After Hurricane Sandy the area experienced no power for ten days due to multiple downed power lines that had trees fall on them. Con Edison has said that it is to costly to put power lines underground, and estimated the cost at $5,000.00 per foot.

    Dinowitz said that when there is a storm or even a gust of wind it can trip the cut off switches to avert a power surge that could cause a much larger blackout in the area. One elderly woman (who walks with the aid of a walker) said she was trapped in her fourth floor apartment, and could not get down the stairs for over a week. She added that it was the kindness of her neighbors who brought her food consisting of bread, non dairy cheese and milk to go along with the few cans of soup that she had on hand as the food from her refrigerator had quickly spoiled without electricity. 

   Council candidate Andrew Cohen who is the Chair of  Community Board #8's Aging Committee said that it is seniors like this woman who have to throw away spoiled food or medicine, are cold since there is no heat, and are trapped in their apartments when the power goes out for an extended period of time. Dinowitz ended the protest by calling on Con Edison to put their customers first, and the power lines underground.  

Left - Assemblyman Dinowitz addresses the crowd.

Right - Ms. Blance Morganstern tells of her ordeal during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy without electricity for ten days.

Left - Old pole is still attached to the new pole in front of 2550 Independence Avenue. 

Right - Pole on the corner of Independence Avenue and Kappock Street is leaning to one side.

Left - A new pole is standing where the old one was taken down by a tree that recently fell. The sign lying on the ground has not been replaced yet.

Right - One of many trees that have been pruned to almost death.

 

Left and Right - Trees on Independence Avenue by Riverdale Park threaten power lines, and will have to be pruned by next spring. 

Puerto Rican Heritage Month Celebration

   There was live music as provided by Trio Los Platinos with a special guest musician State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. (as you can see in the photo below), short speeches, good food, and lots of Puerto Rican heritage at the annual "Puerto Rican Heritage Month"  celebration Thursday night. There was more than one Bronx Borough President as Former Bronx BP Freddy Ferrer was one of the honorees this year. The keynote speaker was documentary filmmaker Ms. Noemi Figueroa Soulet, as she started her speech you could hardly she her behind the podium. Someone helped out by getting a milk box for Ms. Soulet to stand on and be seen by everyone in the room.

    As you see in the photos below the events that took place.

Left -  Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. poses with a friend.

Right - Sen. Diaz  joins the band for a tune.

Left - Keynote Speaker Ms. Noemi Figueroa Soulet is dwarfed by the podium.

Right - A box has been placed for her to stand on and be seen by all.

Left - Along with Forner Bronx BP Ferrer was his lovely wife Aramina.

Right BP Diaz Jr. practicing for his future run for mayor, posing for photo with one of the bambinos. 

Opening of Intervale Senior Residences in the Bronx

 The official ribbon cutting for the Intervale Independent Senior Residences  in the Bronx took place on Friday. Designed to introduce high quality, affordable senior housing to the Bronx, the Intervale Independent Senior Residence project is comprised of one eight-story mid-rise residential building with the residential space divided into 47 rental apartments.  Apartments at the Intervale Senior Residences will be reserved for low-income households 55 years of age and older. 

 (L to R) Don Shulman - Best Development Group, Cheryl Simmons-Oliver - Staffer for Congressman Jose Serrano, Guido Subotovsky - President Azimuth Development Group, Deputy Bronx Borough President Aurelia Greene, Father Luis R. Gigante - Chairman, SEBCO, Councilwoman Maria del Carmen, and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo.

Left - View of apartment.       Right - View of Kitchen.





************************************************************

COMPTROLLER LIU PROPOSES INNOVATIVE “GREEN APPLE BONDS” TO MAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE & ENERGY EFFICIENT

   City Comptroller John C. Liu today called for the issuance of Green Apple Bonds to rid all New York City Public Schools of light fixtures housing the known carcinogen Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) by 2015, six years ahead of the Administration’s current schedule and at savings of $339 million.

Liu’s plan would lower the City’s greenhouse-gas emissions to guard against climate change, while at the same time create 3,000 jobs. Green Apple Bonds are a green investment tool that will help the Big Apple’s buildings become safer and more energy efficient, thus reducing New York City’s carbon footprint.

“That the DOE ignores parent concerns for the health of their children does not, unfortunately, come as a surprise.  It is, however, mind boggling that the DOE would ignore the formal warnings issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about PCBs. Our students should learn about PCBs in class, but through their textbooks, not through firsthand exposure,” said Comptroller Liu. “Green Apple Bonds will finance the rapid cleanup of PCBs and the retrofitting of old schools buildings.  Moreover, this plan will save $339 million for our taxpayers.  It will even significantly lower our City’s carbon footprint, something we must do immediately if we are serious about the issue of climate change.”

PCBs are dangerous chemicals found in old light fixtures in many City schools, a remnant of earlier construction codes.  Given that the average public school is over 60 years old, more than 772 school buildings have been targeted for remediation.

The Department of Education (DOE) plans to remove PCB-carrying light fixtures in these 772 school buildings by the year 2021. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has deemed the Administration’s plan unacceptable and recommended more urgent and comprehensive action.

Comptroller Liu’s plan is in step with the EPA’s opinion and the $407 million raised by the sale of these bonds will achieve remediation of the 772 school buildings by 2015. IN addition the timetable of this plan would address a pending lawsuit against the City.

The DOE now consumes the most energy of all City agencies, with bills reaching $291 million a year.  In addition to the removal of the toxins, schools also would receive green upgrades and retrofits such as replacement lighting, new boilers, insulation, and smart-meter technology in order to reduce the City’s carbon footprint and lower the DOE’s drastically high energy bills.  The jobs created through this retrofit are estimated at 3,000.

City Agency Energy Costs

Rank	Agency	Heat, Light & Power
1	EDUCATION	$233,064,036
2	CITYWIDE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES	$110,843,543
3	ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION	$84,664,035
4	TRANSPORTATION	$63,228,498
5	SANITATION	$19,632,483
Other		$229,903,308
Total		$741,335,902

Fuel Oil	Tota
$58,299,101	$291,363,137
$506,443	$111,349,986
$21,000,568	$105,664,603
$278,100	$63,506,598
$2,945,062	$22,577,545
$16,948,235	$246,851,543
$99,977,510	$841,313,412

% of Total
35%
13%
13%
8%
3%
29%
100%

Internal analysis of FMS data

Dollar amounts and percentages are rounded

A third-party auditor would audit these projects to ensure eligibility and quantify cost savings.

Overall, Comptroller Liu’s plan would save taxpayers $339 million through 2021. Under Liu’s plan, the estimated debt service would amount to $380 million through 2021; that cost, however, would be more than offset by an estimated $719 million in savings resulting from reduced energy consumption, lower interest rates, and federal subsidies for energy conservation.

In addition to making schools safer and saving tax dollars, Green Apple Bonds would reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions by 1.4 million metric tons through 2021, 47 percent more than the City’s current plan.

Reducing greenhouse-gases emissions, which contribute to climate change, has become more pressing in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

“No issue is more important that the safety of our students and staff,”  said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “Getting rid of the PCBs in the lights of hundreds of schools should be a major priority for the system, and I want to thank Comptroller Liu for this creative approach that will dramatically speed up this process, even as it helps make schools more energy-efficient.”

"PCBs in old lighting fixtures continue to be a major problem in old school buildings,” said Judith Enck, Regional Administrator, United States Environmental Protection Agency.  “The idea of utilizing new green apple bonds is an innovative and smart way to finance much needed energy efficiency improvements in public schools."

 “Investing in a safer and better learning environment for students and educators, and doing it in the most cost-effective way possible, is a priority we in the unionized building and construction trades have long supported.  It is precisely this approach that led to project labor agreements with the School Construction Authority that have improved public school buildings and saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in the last decade,” said Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, representing 100,000 members in local affiliates of 15 national and international unions.  “There is too much work to be done to ignore innovative and fiscally responsible approaches like Green Apple Bonds to make classrooms safer and more conducive to educational excellence for students in our public schools.”

“Despite the huge challenges presented by Superstorm Sandy, we are ready and able to get the job done within two years. Just give us the green light for greener schools,” said NYC Central Labor Council President Vincent Alvarez.  “We fully support Comptroller Liu’s plan to raise $407 million for eligible capital projects through the creation of tax-exempt Green Apple Bonds. This initiative will allow the city to speed up its removal of PCBs in school light fixtures, a vitally important step to protect the health and safety of children and school employees, and create an estimated 3,000 stable, good-paying jobs.”

"For too long, the city has made investment in our school facilities a low priority," said Hector Figueroa, President of 32BJ SEIU, which represents the 5,000 cleaners and handypersons in the city's schools. "Now we see results of that neglect, including hazardous and aging PCB light fixtures that in some cases have leaked toxins onto children or floors or furniture in schools. The city must speed up its timetable, and remove these light fixtures from our schools as soon as possible. It must invest in our schools to ensure they provide an environment that is safe, healthy and conducive to learning."    

"The members of Local 891 support any initiative which would speed the removal of dangerous toxins from the public schools,” said Robert J. Troeller, Business Manager/President, I.U.O.E., Local 891. “Unfortunately, Custodian Engineers and their staffs must at times work with potentially hazardous materials and equipment but there is no reason to wait ten years to remove a known threat. All light fixtures containing PCBs should be removed as soon as quickly as possible.”

"In 2008, PCBs were discovered at PS 199, a public school in my district.  Since then, nearly 800 public school buildings have been identified as potentially containing toxic, PCB-laden lighting ballasts, and I have been outspoken in my advocacy and my opposition to the City's ten-year timeline to remediate all public school buildings,” said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan). “Given the City's recalcitrance to prioritize PCB remediation, I introduced legislation that would require remediation of all schools within two to three years.  All options should be on the table when it comes to removing PCBs from public schools, and Comptroller Liu's creative funding approach should help move the City closer toward full PCB remediation.”

“It is most important to protect students and staff from known hazards.  Removing all PCB light fixtures in a systematic and timely fashion throughout the school system will go a long way in providing a safer environment for everyone,” said Dr. Jacqueline Moline, Chair of the Department of Population Health for the Hofstra- North Shore LIJ School of Medicine.

“Our goal has always been to safeguard children and school staff from the toxic and highly dangerous PCB light fixtures currently in New York City schools,” said Christina Giorgio, Staff Attorney, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest who is representing parents in litigation to shorten the 10-year remediation timeline.  “We applaud Comptroller Liu for introducing a remediation plan that, if implemented, will not only protect children and staff from PCB exposure but also will save taxpayers millions of dollars in energy costs while reducing our City’s carbon footprint.”

“We are thrilled that, unlike the Mayor who is more concerned about the dangers of soda than toxic chemicals in our schools, the Comptroller is coming through with a plan that would eliminate toxic PCB-filled lights from our schools in 2 years,” said New York Communities for Change member Regina Castro, parent of a child who went to PS 56 and now attends PS 77 in Brooklyn.  “Considering that we started the school year with PCBs dripping onto our in children and teachers in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn, it is encouraging to parents like me that something might be done sooner rather than later. Instead of wasting time on sugary drinks, it is a pleasure to know that a really terrible health issue is closer to being addressed.”

"Bringing our infrastructure up-to-date is essential to the health of the economy. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, that couldn't be clearer,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a sustainability advocacy nonprofit that works with investors, companies and policymakers to advance sustainability initiatives.  “Comptroller Liu's plan will put people to work saving energy and money, while also protecting the safety and health of children in New York City's public schools. Investors must play a role in improving New York City's environmental performance, and Green Apple bonds are another way to encourage that process

Background:

The EPA has found that PCBs cause cancer and a number of non-cancer health effects in animals, including damage to the immune system, reproductive system, and nervous system. Studies in humans have suggested that PCBs also can cause learning deficits. In addition the EPA has stated that the City’s current plan is inadequate and too long of a process.
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/ballasts.htm#ballast01  

In February 2011, then-Schools Chancellor Cathie Black, then-Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, and then-Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith announced a plan to raise environmental quality in 772 school buildings over the next decade at a cost of $843.9 million.
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/mediarelations/NewsandSpeeches/2010-2011/energyeffandenviroqualityrelease22311.htm

On July 20, 2011, the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest filed a federal lawsuit against the DOE and the School Construction Authority (SCA) under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of New York Communities for Change (NYCC), an organization whose membership includes thousands of parents across the city. The suit alleges that thousands of light fixtures across New York City are leaking highly toxic PCBs in violation of federal law and are thereby endangering the health of NYC schoolchildren.
http://www.nylpi.org/images/FE/chain234siteType8/site203/client/TSCA2011Complaint_Release.pdf

Last month, Comptroller Liu joined Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn to announce the acceleration of capital projects throughout the City.  As part of the plan, roughly 100 schools would receive expedited PCB removal.  The issuance of Green Apple Bonds would ensure that all City Schools have their PCB lighting fixtures removed by 2015.
http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-10-110.shtm

As was the case with Capital Acceleration, Comptroller Liu stands ready to work with the Administration to expedite the issuance of Green Apple Bonds.

This weeks Riverdale Report "Its Official"

Here is this weeks "Riverdale Report" that did not male it into the Bronx News due to limitation of space for the full page ad of this Sundays Riverdale Avenue Street Festival.

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

It's Official

    While we told you a few weeks ago that Community Board # 8 Aging Committee Chair Andrew Cohen was going to be running for the term limited city council seat currently occupied by Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, it is now official. The announcement came on  Tuesday at City Hall as Mr. Cohen was joined by Congressman Eliot Engel, State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council member James Vacca and Council member Koppell (whom he hopes to succeed). You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to read more about Mr. Cohen, what the elected officials had to say about Mr. Cohen running for the city council seat of Councilman Koppell, and a photo of Mr. Cohen, Congressman Engel, State Senator Klein, Assemblyman Dinowitz, and Councilman Koppell.

    Mr. Cohen now joins Cliff Stanton as official announced candidates for Councilman Koppell's seat to be vacant at the end of 2013. Mr. Ari Hoffnung who ran in 2005, was the front runner in 2009 for Koppells seat until the term limit law was overturned by the City Council and Mayor. Mr. Hoffnung has expressed interest in running again, but told me that he would be waiting until the new year to make a decision. An Assistant Comptroller currently Hoffnung could become Deputy Comptroller at the beginning of the year, as the current Deputy Comptroller Simka Felder was elected to a Brooklyn State Senate seat. Another deciding factor could be the relationship between Mr. Hoffnung and the new leading candidate for comptroller current Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

    NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White thanked those on hand for attending the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Van Cortlandt Park Ice Skating Rink. On hand were Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman G. Oliver Koppel, members of the Van Cortlandt Park Conservancy, Community Board #8 members, and skaters from the Ice Theater of New York who gave several special ice skating performances. You can go to my blog to see photos of the different skaters from The Ice Theater of NY, and the ribbon cutting at center ice. It was interesting to hear BP Diaz, Councilman Koppell, and Assemblyman Dinowitz all compliment the new ice skating rink, as all three put in a plug for the ice skating proposal at the Kingsbridge Armory during their speeches that they have endorsed.

Sunday December 2^nd is the Riverdale Avenue Street Festival. Riverdale Ave. from West 236^th to West 238^th Streets will be closed to traffic from 12 – 4 PM to allow for street activities such as pony rides, a petting zoo, live entertainment, and more. We will have photos on my blog, and a recap of the event in next weeks column.

    Finally, Saturday was the unveiling of “Frank Durkin Way” at the corner of West 240^th Street and Tibbet Avenue right in front of the Gaelic Park field. Mr. Martin Lyons opened the ceremony by telling those assembled the history of Mr. Frank Durkin. On hand to pull the covering of the sign was Monica and Mary Durkin, but they had a little trouble as the rope broke as they started to pull on it. There were some laughs from those assembled, and a few said that it was a sign that Frank is here with us. Mr. Lyons also said that this will be only the third person of Irish Descent with a street sign. He said former TWU head Mike Quill and former City Council Speaker (and relative to Frank Durkin) Paul O'Dwyer were the other two.

State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Ms. Annie O’Connor (chief of staff for Councilman Koppell, who was out of town), Community Board #8 Traffic and Transportation Chairman Dan Padernact, and about 200 other people were on hand for the ceremony. Senator Klein read from a proclamation that November 24^th is to be known as Frank Durkin Day. You can see photos of the event on my blog.

Don't forget that you can find the latest listing of weekly events going on at Wave Hill on my blog by checking the archive section on the left.

    If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press. 

************************************************************