100 PERCENT SATURDAY MARCH 12, 2016

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

78th Assembly Race

   Before I get into the 78th A.D. race, it seems that there is equal drama in the race to succeed Charlie Rangel as in the Republican Presidential Primary. There is a little man whom we shall call Mr. Rube who is on the payroll of a congressional candidate in much the same spot at Florida Senator Rubio. Mr. Rube is attacking both front runners in this congressional race, but then again he is getting paid for it. I wonder if the candidate paying Mr. Rube has spoken to another candidate in this congressional race who paid Mr. Rube in a past congressional race? 

   On to the 78th Assembly Race and this little man comers up again. It seems that people have told me that this little man can dish it out on facebook, but dare come back to him and reply to one of his rants he will delete your reply as if it was never written. This man is of course Anthony Rivieccio who is currently no longer the top dog with Assemblyman Jose Rivera now that Rivera has other people he can trust. 

   Mr. Michael Benjamin of the Bronx Chronicle reported that Mr. Rivieccio was a candidate for the 36th State Senate District to which Mr. Rivieccio will not confirm or deny. That was what one of my facebook call outs to Mr. Rivieccio was, and my reply on his post was deleted. Well Mr. Rivieccio people know you to well, and while you may block me from your facebook page you can not block me from this blog and my facebook page. 

   Anthony Rivieccio is now trying to get back into favor with Assemblyman Rivera, and has put on his facebook page that Mr. Ricky Martinez is going to run for the 78th assembly seat when in fact that is false. Being the Vice-Chair of the Committee of 100 Democrats, I can say that The Committee of 100 Democrats and Mr. Ricky Martinez will be supporting Ms. Ischia Bravo for the 78th Assembly seat against a person who has had a long career in politics, which many have said has been to long and he should retire. Over the course of the primary election Ms. Bravo will show the voters of the 78th A.D. why she is the best candidate, and why she cares for the district that the current assembly member has taken the voters for granted. I also expect to see the tricks and chicanery that goes on against those who challenge incumbents, and it would do the Bronx Democratic County organization best not to endorse a candidate in the 78th A.D. then to say we are endorsing all incumbents no matter who they are or how out of touch with their constituents they are. 

    I fully expect to see on his facebook page rants about me from Mr. Rivieccio, and Assemblyman Rivera the more Mr. Rivieccio does it the harder I will help Ms. Bravo defeat you. I know that you will not appear at debates as it runs in the Rivera family (sorry Joel), and I will expose any phoney forum that Mr. Rivieccio tries to arrange as some have said he tried in the past 11th City Council race. My advice to you Jose is listen to what you said in the last election about Mr. Anthony Rivieccio, or I might just have to print it. Go ahead Anthony ask him what he said about you, if he remembers I certainly do.

    Check this blog archive on the left for events that took place this past week and check out the many photos. I am sorry I had to waste this column on someone who is not worth it.

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

SENATOR JEFF KLEIN HOSTS 21ST ANNUAL BUNNY BREAKFAST

  State Senator Jeff Klein hosted his 21st Annual Bunny Breakfast this morning at the Villa Barone Manor in the Throggs Neck section of his Senate District.  Hundreds of Bronx children and families enjoyed a free continental breakfast, fun-filled magic show, build-a-bunny workshop, face painting, and children’s music.  The Easter Bunny made a special appearance and children had the opportunity to take photos with the Easter Bunny.  

Above - The Easter Bunny stopped in to take photos with the children.

Below - With it being so popular there were two face painters this year.  

Above and Below - Gabby Funtime the Magician goes through his magic act with some assistance from the children. Do you think the girl in the photo below knows what is going to happen?

Above - Senator Klein is holding Magician Gabby Funtime's live bunny rabbit, as Juan Tavarez from sponsor Health First is also in the photo.

Below - In this photo Senator Klein has given Magician Gabby Funtime his bunny rabbit back, and is joined by some of the happy children.

6th “Abrazo Garifuna in New York”

  Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, in conjunction with  New York State Assemblymen Marcos Crespo, Luis Sepulveda, Michael Blake and newly elected City Council Member Rafael Salamanca, celebrated the 6th  “Abrazo Garifuna in New York.” held Friday night at Maestro's Caterers. Over 500 people attended this standing room only event, and the photos below will tell the rest of the story.

Above - There were photo ops with the elected officials before the event.

Below - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was on hand and almost everyone wanted to greet him, or have their photo taken with him.

Above - BP Diaz opened the event as the five Honorees came into the room with an elected official.

Below - Honoree Yasmin Ramos enters with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda.

Above and Below - After showing off some dance moves Honoree Mirta Reyes and Assemblyman Michael Blake come to the front of the room.

Above - Honoree Barbara Neil Lopez enters with New City Councilman Rafael Salamanca.

Below - Honoree Sulma Arzu-Brown enters with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda who stood in for his semi-twin brother Assemblyman Marcos Crespo who arrived afterwards. 

Above and Below - No it is not the same photo, but Mr. Felix Gamboa was the hit of the night when he sang the International Garifuna Anthem. 

Above - The five Honorees, Barbara Neil-Lopez, Mirta J. Reyes, Yasmin Ramos, Candido Nunez, and Sulma Arzu-Brown. 

Below - I was able to take my place as one of the members of 'TEAM DIAZ'  as I stood in for Assemblyman Marcos Crespo. 

Bronx DA Visits 50th Precinct Council

  Thursday night was the 50th Precinct Council meeting. It was a pack standing room only crowd, not because of issues with the commanding officer, but to see Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark who after a busy day was the scheduled guest. Earlier in the day DA Clark was involved in taking down a large illegal operation, and still found the time to attend the 50th Precinct Council meeting. After she spoke of changes that she intends to do in the way cases are handled, she then took questions from almost everyone in the room. Currently there may be several Assistant DA's who may work on the different aspects of a case from meeting the complainant to prosecuting the case in court, called horizontal justice. DA Clark want to change the process to a vertical system where one DA will handle a case from beginning all the way to the court hearing. 

Above - 50th Precinct Commanding Officer Captain O'Toole introduces Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark to the large audience at the precinct Council meeting. 

Below - 50th Precinct Council President Paulette Schlomo is seated as Bronx DA Darcel Clark first speaks about her new job, and then answered questions from the packed room.

Croton Facility Monitoring Committee Meeting Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - Agenda

Agenda

Croton Facility Monitoring Committee Meeting

Tuesday, March 22, 2016 – 7:00 PM

DEP Office – 3660 Jerome Avenue, Bronx NY 10467 - (718) 231-8470

I  Welcome, Open the Meeting                                      Dan Padernacht, Chair

II Adopt March CFMC Agenda                                    CFMC Representatives

III Consider, Adopt Previous Meeting                        CFMC Representatives

  Minutes: June 22, 2015 & January 21, 2016

IV Update on VCP Landscaping & Clubhouse   DDC & DPR Representatives

V Jerome Park Reservoir – Update from Task     Task Force Representatives      

Force on Public Access 

VI Croton Costs Report & Construction Update     Vincent Moorehead, DEP 

VII Old Business                                                           CFMC Representatives

VIII New Business                                                        CFMC Representatives

IX Set Next CFMC Meeting Date                                  CFMC Representatives

Rep. Engel: Following Iran Dam Hack We Must Account for Risks Posed by Cyberattacks

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, the Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Justice Department’s announcement that Iran is responsible for a cyber-attack on the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye, New York:

“Yesterday’s report confirming that Iran successfully executed a cyberattack on a dam in Rye comes as no surprise. This attack is further proof that Iran cannot be trusted, and we will not tolerate these provocations on their part.

“We live in dangerous times, and cannot continue to underestimate or discount the threat posed by cyberattacks like these. A small dam in Rye might only be the tip of the iceberg. This incident could just as easily be about a nuclear facility sitting 25 miles outside New York City, or a compressed natural gas pipeline running a mere 150 feet alongside it. A cybercriminal or hostile foreign nation which hacked into the Bowman Avenue Dam could also hack into or seize control of – and perhaps even destroy – any piece of infrastructure connected to a computer.

“We are not as prepared to deal with cyber threats as we should be, and we need to make countering them a much higher priority before it’s too late. For months now I have led the call demanding that FERC – the federal agency which approved the Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline project earlier this year – take these dangers into account and consult with experts before going ahead with their approval. Unfortunately, my calls fell on deaf ears, and FERC issued final approval of the project earlier this year. I urge Governor Cuomo in his planned safety assessment of the Algonquin AIM pipeline to focus on the potential threats cyber-terrorism pose to the project.

“The Department of Homeland Security needs to be involved in the decision-making process anytime a new piece of critical infrastructure is proposed. So I am drafting legislation that will give DHS a say in any approval process going forward. At this late hour, I hope it isn’t too late for Governor Cuomo’s independent safety assessment to convince FERC to retract its approval of the Algonquin AIM pipeline.”

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Senator Gustavo Rivera Introduce Smoking Ban Legislation

   New York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Senator Gustavo Rivera have introduced a bill today expanding legislation they passed in 2012 banning smoking within 100 feet of any school entrances or exits to include public libraries.

   The new bill seeks to expand the protections to the public health law created by chapter 449 of the laws of 2012 which prohibited smoking within 100 feet of any entrance or exit of public or private elementary, or secondary schools. This bill would expand these protections by placing the same ban on all private and public libraries – protecting library patrons from the dangers of secondhand smoke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in young children, who visit and benefit greatly from libraries. Along with respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness among school-aged children and young adults, even brief secondhand smoke exposure can damage cells in ways that set the cancer process in motion. This legislation will add to the growing number of places young children, seniors, and all New Yorkers can enjoy without being exposed to second hand smoke.

“Several years ago New York State successfully banned smoking indoors to protect all New Yorkers from the harmful side effects of secondhand smoke, and four years ago Senator Rivera and I expanded that ban to the entrances and exits of our schools, said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “Today, I am proud to extend that smoke-free protection even further to include the entrances and exits of our state’s libraries. New Yorkers have the right to go to their local public library without being exposed to secondhand smoke – which despite being secondhand, is still known have detrimental medical side effects to those exposed. This bill is especially important when you consider the number of school age children and seniors who patronize public libraries – they deserve a smoke free and healthy environment to enjoy our state’s great library systems, and I am thrilled to work with my colleague Senator Rivera again to make New York a healthier place.”

“Extending smoke free areas to our state libraries is a common sense proposal that will protect our community from the unquestionable dangers of second hand smoking. It will also positively enhance the learning experience for the thousands of children, youths, adults and seniors that visit our libraries each year", said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “I am fully committed to working with Assemblymember Dinowitz to ensure we pass this piece of legislation in the Senate and Assembly, which will help safeguard our communities’ public health.”

"The New York Public Library thanks Assemblyman Dinowitz and Senator Rivera for their strong support of libraries, and for extending legislation that will keep our branches cleaner and our visitors safer and healthier," said George Mihaltses, the New York Public Library's Vice President of Government and Community Affairs.

“Tobacco remains the #1 cause of preventable death for New Yorkers, and secondhand smoke can be just as dangerous,” said Guillermo Flores, Jr. of NYC Smoke-Free. “Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause adverse health effects in both adults and children. There is no safe level. Curbing exposure to secondhand smoke in outdoor areas is a measure of comprehensive tobacco control which prevents kids from starting to smoke and helps adult smokers quit.”

MAYOR DE BLASIO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHNEIDERMAN: $10 MILLION FROM TAX PROGRAM CRACKDOWN WILL SPUR NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES

Nearly $10 million recouped by Attorney General from bad actors violating tax programs

City announced first installment will support 600 affordable apartments for formerly homeless, seniors and people with mental health needs

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the initial financing for nearly 600 new affordable apartments across the city, paid for by $10 million in settlements with property owners who violated the law. The new homes will serve formerly homeless New Yorkers, low-income families, veterans, seniors and people with mental health and substance abuse challenges.

The settlement money results from investigations spearheaded by the Attorney General into abuses of tax incentive programs. The $9.8 million includes restitutions paid by owners who failed to provide the rent-regulated leases their tenants deserved, violated tenant rights laws and denied service workers the required prevailing wage.

“The Attorney General and the City are cracking down on bad actors, and we’re putting the proceeds to work, building more affordable housing. Today, we’re announcing that hundreds of families in need will have a home they can afford. And our seniors, and people with mental health and substance abuse challenges, will have specialized housing with services to meet their needs,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“New York has always been, and must remain, a city for working people,” said Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. “For more than two years, my office has been investigating unscrupulous building owners who have been abusing the law to unfairly take millions in tax exemptions from programs intended to help everyday New Yorkers. Today, we turn the proceeds of those investigations into real housing relief for our communities. I am proud to stand with Mayor de Blasio to announce another important step toward our shared goal of all New Yorkers having a safe, affordable place to call home.”

The joint investigations began in 2014, uncovering violations of tax exemption and abatement programs, including illegal deregulation of rent-stabilized units, violations of tenant right laws, and failure to provide rent regulated leases. This included restitution paid by 23 property owners for their failure to register apartments with the State’s Department of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and/or to comply with 421-a prevailing wage requirements for service workers in over 31 New York City properties. In addition to the payment of restitution and as part of the legal case against them, the landlords were required to properly register their properties and to provide tenants with proper regulated leases.

Today’s announcement dedicates about one half of the $9.8 million to four supportive housing projects, with the remainder to be allocated in the months ahead. Ultimately, the settlement funding could help finance more than 1,000 affordable apartments. The total amount for each project will be determined as their financing deals are secured:

The four projects identified so far are:

Institute for Community Living (ICL)

Set for construction in 2017, The Institute for Community Living (ICL) is planning to develop a supportive housing project with 129 affordable apartments for formerly homeless individuals and families in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. The apartments are expected to be affordable to households earning up to $16,335 for an individual, and $20,979 for a household of three; or up to $22,385 for an individual, and $28,749 for a household of three.

The Bridge

The Bridge, a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health and housing solutions, will build a new affordable housing project with 59 apartments for formerly homeless veterans in the Melrose neighborhood of the Bronx. Future residents’ incomes are not expected to exceed $30,250. Rental payments are expected to be subsidized by Project-based Section 8 or HUD-VASH vouchers.

HANAC

HANAC, Inc. will build a low-income senior development with a total of 68 affordable apartments in Corona, Queens. The development will be affordable to seniors earning no more than $30,250 for an individual, and will include intergenerational programming such as an on-site management office and a social service office to assist residents.

Kenmore Hall

Housing and Services, Inc. (HSI) will rehabilitate Kenmore Hall, a supportive housing development in Gramercy Park, Manhattan with 326 affordable apartments for residents who earn an annual income of no more than $36,300 for an individual. HSI's mission is to end chronic homelessness, prevent displacement for those at risk and improve housing conditions for the marginalized through the development and management of permanent supportive housing, collaborations with other community groups, and preservation initiatives to safeguard NYC’s existing affordable housing stock.

“The City is committed to ensuring that owners and landlords who accept tax benefits are complying with their obligations. It is fitting that the money restored from those who would try to evade their responsibilities will now be used to create and preserve affordable housing for some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. We are pleased that these funds will kick-start the development of supportive and senior housing here in Brooklyn, and in neighborhoods across the City. I want to thank Attorney General Schneiderman for his leadership of this ongoing multi-agency enforcement effort, and his support in bringing online new homes and services for families and individuals looking to secure a more promising future,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been.

“It is both just and right to use funds collected from landlords who violated the law to create affordable housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks. “I thank Attorney General Schneiderman and all those involved in this multi-agency effort that will allow 600 families in need to enjoy safe and permanent housing.”