SENATOR KLEIN ANNOUNCEs $50,000 IN FUNDING FOR HEALTHY EATING AND EXERCISE PROGRAM IN THE BRONX

Countdown to Fitness program encourages Soundview residents to lead healthy, active lifestyle

Comprehensive 10-week program includes physical fitness classes, nutrition demonstrations and health assessments

State Senator Jeff Klein announced $50,000 in state funding for the Countdown to Fitness program at a luncheon event today at the Shorehaven Community Center

Over the course of the 10-week program, nearly 70 women from the south Bronx have participated in Zumba, kickboxing and dance classes; learned how to make healthy and delicious recipes like baked apples, sauteed cauliflower and cucumber blueberry salad; and learned more about immunizations, heart disease, cancer screenings and stress management. At the luncheon, Senator Klein will present Countdown to Fitness participants with certificates for completing the Fall program. Another session will be held in Spring.

Above - Senator Jeff Klein has lunch with the members of the Countdown to Fitness Program before each participant was given their certificate for completing the 10 week program that Senator Klein funded.

Below - Senator Klein tells of the importance of fitness programs such as the Countdown to Fitness program he funded.

Above - Senator Klein stands with Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez (President/CEO of Urban Health Plan Inc.), and a few Countdown to Fitness participants.

Below - Senator Klein is with all of the ladies who were given certificates as they completed the 10 week Countdown to Fitness program.

Afterwards the ladies got back into the groove of the Countdown to Fitness program by dancing a bit.

Bronx Borough President's Annual Puerto Rican Heritage Celebration Thursday Nov. 19th

  

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Presents Puerto Rican Heritage Month Celebrating the CULTURE, the LAND, and the PEOPLE. Thursday, November 19, 2015              12:00 - 3:00 PM                                     2297 Cedar Avenue (Between West Fordham Road & Landing Road by the Major Deegan Expy.)   Honoring               Angie Martinez                        Radio Personality, Power 105                            Hon. Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniel Justice, Appellate Division Robert Sancho  Head of Government &Community  Affairs for Bronx Lebanon    Geraldo Rivera Media Personality Enjoy an afternoon of music, dancing and delicious Puerto Rican cuisine . For information & to RSVP call 718-590-3522  or email lroldan@bronxbp.nyc.gov                                               Join us as we honor community leaders and their accomplishments.

Bronx Borough President's Chanukah Celebration Tuesday December 8th

'EXCLUSIVE' -- What You Don't Know About the ZQA Text Amendment Proposal

   One of the battles in Bronx Community Board 8 against the proposed 'Zoning For Quality and Affordability" City Planning Commission proposal is that the Hebrew Home would be given a Zoning Text Amendment ot allow for construction of the Hebrew Home high rise senior buildings in an area zoned for only one family homes. The second battle against ZQA is the option of no parking requirement having to be provided in any new senior housing developments. However what is not being provided by the City Planning Commission is that there is a plan to build on 39 current senior building parking lots citywide by the LiveOn NY Affordable Senior Housing Coalition which includes as its members John Kaiteris, Executive Director/CEO, HANAC, Inc., Laura Jervis*, Executive Director, West Side Federation for Senior & Supportive Housing, Susan Albrecht -Association of New York Catholic Homes,  Monsignor Kevin Sullivan -Catholic Charities Archdiocese, Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens, Chinese American Planning Council, Inc., Community Agency for Senior Citizens, Sr. Elizabeth Hasslet & Sr. Lillian McNamara - Encore Community Services, Goddard Riverside Senior Services, Claire Hilger, Jeanette Puryear, & Jim Crocker - Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council, New York Foundation for Senior Citizens, Presbyterian Senior Services, Nikki Odlivak - (CASC), Queens Community House, Regional Aid for Interim Needs, Inc., James Lenox House & Carnegie East House, Sabrina Lora, John Napolitano HANAC, Inc., Joseph Girven Association,  Donald Manning, Kay Boonshoft - Jewish Home Lifecare, Gary Gutterman - Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens,  Kevin Queen,  Rimas Jasin,  David Gillcrist -  Project Find,  Ben Thomases, Dr. Anderson Torres -(R.A.I.N.), Emily Kurtz - Council Pia Scarfo,  SEBCO Senior Services,  Stuart Kaplan & Evelyn Wolff - Selfhelp Community Services, Sunnyside Community Services,  David V. Pomeranz & Michael Bialek - The Hebrew Home at Riverdale,  YM-YWHA of Washington Heights/Inwood, Judy Zangwill - Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA), and Marty Englisher - Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.

   The goal of LiveOn NY is to build on 39 current parking lots of existing senior homes of which 13 sites are in the Bronx. The addresses include 1291 Lafayette Avenue, 980 Aldus Street, 669 White Plains Road, 1072 Havemeyer Avenue, 985 East Tremont Avenue, 887 Southern Blvd., 230 East 179th Street, 787 East 138th Street, 2000 Washington Avenue, 780 East 186th Street, 2275 Olinville Avenue, and 2973 Independence Avenue. The 2973 Independence Avenue is a parking lot for the Schervier nursing home and senior residence a major complex in Bronx Community Board 8, which is also in an R1-1 zone which like the Hebrew Home in CB 8 would require a zoning text change. This could be why it is important to CPC to have the Hebrew Home zoning text amendment under the ZQA proposal approved so that the same zoning would apply at the Independence Avenue site. 

   One interesting note about the 39 sites selected by LiveOn NY is that they are all in the HUD 202 program for large residential buildings usually found in R6 zones which required parking lots as per the current ZR 25-25 zoning which prohibits building on these parking lots which LiveOn NY and CPC want to change. This is all outlined in a 66 page report Paving the Way For New Senior Housing - A Site Selection Survey of HUD Parking Lots in New York City dated May 2015 which was available on the LiveOn NY website, which I will bet has already been taken down.

Bronx Borough Hearing on City Planning Commission Proposed Zoning Changes

   While several Bronx Community Boards have held their own public hearings on the proposed City Planning Commission "Mandatory Inclusionary Housing" and "Zoning For Quality and Affordability" proposals, last night was the Bronx borowide hearing by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. In a statement released before the meeting BP Diaz said the following.   

 “Tonight, my office will host its hearing on Mayor de Blasio’s proposed zoning changes, known respectively as‘Zoning for Quality & Affordability’ and ‘Mandatory Inclusionary Housing.’ My office is not required to host this hearing, but we concluded it was necessary to allow for greater public participation on this topic due to the accelerated timeline the mayor has imposed.

“There is much controversy surrounding this issue, in all corners of our borough. In mid-October, I convened a meeting of our 12 community boards to both discuss our shared concerns about Mayor de Blasio’s plans and to scrutinize these proposals to ensure that their concerns were met before taking a vote. So far, nine of our community boards have indicated their dissatisfaction with Mayor de Blasio’s zoning plan, and I applaud their willingness to stand up for their neighborhoods and voice their objections loud and clear.

“For months, my office has fielded questions from neighborhoods across The Bronx about Mayor de Blasio’s proposed zoning plans, and this evening I expect even more concerns to be raised. As I prepare for next week’s meeting of the Bronx Borough Board, and for my own recommendations following that, I look forward to hearing from the diverse community of my borough about their thoughts on this process, and will use those statements to inform my own position on this contentious issue,” 

  The Standing room only meeting went on with almost every resident of the Bronx who gave testimony soundly rejecting the two CPC proposals. There were those however who did testify in favor of the two CPC proposals, and I have chosen one such proponent in the photos below since he was thanked by one CPC person for giving his testimony in favor of the CPC proposals. This person who spoke in favor of the CPC proposals was Mr. Paul R. Freitag who is the Executive Director of the West Side Federation For Senior and Supportive Housing Inc. 

  WSFSSH has renovated or built 24 buildings comprising 1,700 units of housing in Manhattan and the Bronx for over 1,800 senior citizens.WSFSSH is also a partner in the Equity Project Charter School in Washington Heights. WSFSSH is also involved in a proposed 176 unit affordable senior housing building in the Mott Haven Section of the Bronx. So it is in the best interest of WSFSSH to be in favor of the two CPC proposals to increase the units of new or renovated senior and affordable housing units in New York City. WSFSSH has made some major connections since their inception 1976, and that could be why they were asked to give testimony. 

Above - While the room was filled where the presentation by the City Planning Commission was being given on MIH and ZQA outside it was a different story.

Below - The public was made to enter in one entrance and have to wait to go through metal detectors in order to be able to attend the CPC presentation and public hearing.

Above - The CPC MIH and ZQA presentations were given by the City Planning representative.

Below - The panel to hear the testimony is set to begin hearing from the public on the two CPPC proposals..

Above - This picture is centered on  Mr. Paul R. Freitag who gave testimony in favor of the CPC proposals. Mr. Freitag is also the Executive Director of the West Side Federation For Senior and Supportive Housing Inc.

Below - A photo of the person from CPC who thanked Mr. Freitag for his testimony in favor of the two CPC proposals. You will note that Mr. Freitag who was seated two rows behind the person from CPC has left his seat after I confronted him with the fact that the person from CPC had thanked him for his testimony in favor of the two CPC proposals. 

Councilman Andy King Fined $17,000 By CFB Board

  The New York Post reports that Bronx City Councilman Andy King was fined $17,000.00 by the city Campaign Finance Board for putting his wife on his campaign payroll, and paying a home phone bill with campaign funds. 

   The Post story reports that the CFB said that King's wife was paid $7,00.00 by King's campaign, and he did not file the necessary paperwork to account for the campaign expense. Councilman King was also ordered to return almost $27,000.00 to the CFB in matching funds he had received. Councilman King also charged his campaign $3,568,70 for his home phone line, while also putting in for a campaign phone line according to the Post. The entire Post story can be found HERE.

Mayor Bill de Blasio Should Go Back and Spend another Night in a NYCHA Building

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

  You should know that on July 20, 2013, when then New York City Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio was campaigning, he took his friend, Reverend Al Sharpton to spend the night and sleep in a New York City Housing Authority Building.

After spending the night and drawing publicity about the problems facing New Yorkers who live in the projects, when daylight came, Bill de Blasio stated:  “It’s as if tenant’s lives don’t matter.”

Candidate Bill de Blasio pledged that if elected Mayor, he would address the problems facing New York City Housing Authority residents.  He stated: "Staying overnight here, is a powerful reminder that behind the thousands of backlogged repairs that NYCHA never seems to get to, are families living in unacceptable conditions that bring shame to this city."

But as I always say: Surprise, surprise!

After being Mayor for the past 2 years, it’s as if New York City Housing Authority tenant’s lives still don’t matter.  The problems facing the families and residents of the New York City Housing Authority and the problems facing homeless New York City residents are worse than ever.

I wish we could hear Reverend Al Sharpton using his Saturday bully pulpit at the National Action Network, or his Sunday Morning program on MSNBC to push or even ask Bill de Blasio to go back to sleep another night in one of the New York City Housing Authority’s buildings … maybe in one of the following:

(1) Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx where this year, crime and murder continue to make the news; or

(2) East River Houses, where Tyrone Howard, the man suspected of shooting New York City Police Officer, Randolph Holder, lived and sold drugs; or

(3) Coney Island public housing complex where NYCHA worker Toni Jackson was killed earlier this year when she fell to her death on a jerry-rigged trash hoist; or  

(4) Lincoln Houses where the lack of security resulted in the murder of Olivia Brown. The lawsuit filed by her mother was shamefully dismissed by New York City's lawyers who stated:“All the risks, hazards and dangers were open, obvious and apparent to [Brown] and said risks, hazards and dangers were openly and voluntarily assumed by [Brown]."

It is well known that the Black and Hispanic community, especially the African American community, voted massively for Bill de Blasio for Mayor based upon Reverend Al Sharpton’s support.  Based on this support, Reverend Al Sharpton has been referred to by some of New York’s media as New York City’s Co-Mayor.

Because Reverend Al Sharpton has a voice and a special influence in the African American community, and because he was instrumental in getting Candidate Bill de Blasio to participate in a political stunt of spending the night in the projects, it’s about time, now, for Reverend Al Sharpton to once again, invite his friend to coordinate another political sleepover in one of the New York City Housing Authority’s buildings.  

This way, Mayor de Blasio could remember his own words and realize that life for the New York City Housing Authority residents does matter.

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

A.G. Schneiderman Issues Cease-And-Desist Letters to FanDuel And DraftKings, Demanding That Companies Stop Accepting Illegal Wagers in New York Stat

Wide Ranging Investigation by AG Finds That Both Companies Are Violating New York State Law Against Illegal Gambling

Schneiderman: Daily Fantasy Sports is Neither Victimless or Harmless

     Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued cease-and-desist letters to daily fantasy sports (“DFS”) wagering sites DraftKings and FanDuel on Tuesday, ordering both companies to immediately stop accepting wagers inside New York. The AG’s action follows an investigation by his office that found DraftKings and FanDuel to be in violation of New York State law against illegal gambling. Traditional, season-long fantasy sports are not implicated by the AG’s action.

“Our investigation has found that, unlike traditional fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports companies are engaged in illegal gambling under New York law, causing the same kinds of social and economic harms as other forms of illegal gambling, and misleading New York consumers,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “Daily fantasy sports is neither victimless nor harmless, and it is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multi-billion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country.  Today we have sent a clear message: not in New York, and not on my watch.” 

In addition, the investigation found that both companies consistently use deceptive advertising to lure consumers into an unregulated online gambling operation that, while marketed as a game that anyone can win, in fact distributes the vast majority of winnings to a small subset of experienced, highly sophisticated players. These winners constitute roughly 1% of all players on the two sites. The AG’s investigation also revealed that both companies deliberately target demographics susceptible to problem gambling.

A copy of the letter sent to DraftKings can be found here.  A copy of the letter sent to FanDuel can be found here.

This case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Justin Wagner, Assistant Attorney General Jordan Salberg, Assistant Attorney General Aaron Chase, Senior Enforcement Counsel and Special Advisor to the Attorney General Tim Wu, Internet Bureau Chief Kathleen McGee, Senior Advisor and Special Counsel Simon Brandler, and Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice Karla Sanchez.