A.G. Schneiderman Leads Coalition Of 19 AGs Opposing Citizenship Question On 2020 Census

Citizenship Question Would Directly Threaten States’ Fair Representation in Congress and Electoral College, Billions in Critical Federal Funding, By Undermining Census Participation among Immigrants – Causing Population Undercounts in State and Cities with Large Immigrant Communities, Like New York

  Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, leading a coalition of 19 Attorneys General and the State of Colorado, today urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to reject the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 decennial Census, which would directly threaten states’ fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College, as well as billions of dollars in critical federal funds for programs like Medicaid.

Under the Constitution, the Census Bureau has an obligation to determine “the whole number of persons in each state.” Yet the addition of a citizenship question to the Census is expected to depress participation among immigrants, causing a population undercount that would disproportionately harm states and cities with large immigrant communities. Non-citizens are counted in the Census for the purposes of federal funds, apportioning of congressional seats and Electoral College votes, and the drawing of state and local districts.

“Fair representation is at the heart of our democracy. Yet DOJ’s effort to add a citizenship question to our Census directly targets state like New York that have large, thriving immigrant populations – threatening our representation in Congress and the Electoral College and billions of dollars in federal funds on which New Yorkers rely,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “With fear on the rise in immigrant communities, it’s no surprise that many families would be frightened to participate in a Census that asked about citizenship. Our coalition will continue to fight back against these sorts of draconian polices that seek to punish states like New York that embrace and celebrate our diversity.”

The letter was led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and signed by the Attorneys General of New York, Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, and the Governor of the State of Colorado. The letter is available here.

On December 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice requested that the Census Bureau include a citizenship question on the 2020 census form sent to every household in the United States, even though the Census is supposed to count all persons—citizens and non-citizens alike. The Department of Justice argued that the collection of such information was necessary to ensure proper enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Yet as the Attorneys General explain in today’s letter, the Justice Department’s proposal would have precisely the opposite effect by driving down participation in immigrant communities—a concern that is even more acute in today’s political climate. The resulting undercount would deprive immigrant communities of fair representation when legislative seats are apportioned and district lines are drawn. 

To the extent that the Voting Rights Act requires a calculation of the number of eligible voters in a given jurisdiction, the Census Bureau provides an adequate—and far less intrusive—source of citizenship information based on sampling, including the American Community Survey.

The letter emphasizes the irreparable harm that will result from inaccuracies in the 2020 Census caused by the inclusion of a citizenship question. The decennial census is used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives, and to determine the total number of delegates each state receives in the Electoral College. As a result, an undercount of population in states that are home to large immigrant communities will impair fair representation, a principle fundamental to the fabric of our democracy. In addition, hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds are directly tied to demographic information obtained through the census, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and Title I funding for local educational agencies. Consequently, inaccurate counts can potentially deprive states of much-needed funds designed to protect low-income and vulnerable communities.

The letter also explains that the threat to the accuracy of the 2020 Census is magnified by the extreme lateness of the Justice Department’s proposal. The Census Bureau is considering the addition of a citizenship question only three months before it is required to send a list of final questions to Congress. This short timeframe is not nearly enough to adequately test the full impact of the citizenship question, as required by the Census Bureau’s standards on data collection. These concerns are heightened by the Bureau’s already precarious fiscal position. The Bureau is dramatically underfunded, and the additional of a citizenship question would significantly increase the overall cost of completing the Census.

Comptroller Stringer: City Dragging its Feet on Over 1,000 City-Owned Properties, Despite Housing Crisis

While tens of thousands of permanently affordable homes could be built on city property, HPD is failing to act

Hundreds of city-owned properties sit vacant for up to 50 years

Stringer renews call for NYC land bank/land trust to build the next generation of affordable housing 

  As New York City faces an extraordinary housing crisis, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released a new report today that revealed that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is dragging its feet on building new affordable units on hundreds of empty, City-owned lots. Despite rents rising at a record pace, the Comptroller’s follow-up review found that more than 1,000 city-owned properties—most of which the agency earmarked for residential development—continue to sit vacant, and that HPD is moving at a glacial pace in developing that land. Lacking realistic schedules to develop its own property, the City has owned up to 900 of these empty lots for at least 20 years and up to a half century.

Today’s report is a follow-up to a groundbreaking 2016 audit by the Comptroller’s Office on vacant lots owned by HPD, which found more than 1,100 City-owned properties, including many that could be used to build affordable housing were instead languishing, often vacant, and often eyesores in local neighborhoods. In 2016, the Comptroller also issued a report, Building an Affordable Future: The Promise of a New York City Land Bank, which outlined how the City could use a land bank to develop an estimated 57,000 units of permanently affordable housing units on those vacant lots and a smaller number of privately-owned, tax-delinquent properties. Those properties, through a land bank/land trust, could be used to develop housing, mitigate the homelessness crisis, and improve the availability of truly affordable units across the five boroughs. 

“New Yorkers are struggling in an affordability crisis that touches us all. We’re no longer just a tale of two cities – we’re becoming a tale of two blocks, with luxury towers on one corner and struggling families on another. That means we need to leverage every resource we have to help working families get by. Our idea to engage non-profit developers to build 100 percent, permanently affordable units on city land could build the next generation of housing in New York City. We have the tools, but we just need the will from our own government. The ticket to the middle class cannot be a million dollar condo,” Comptroller Stringer said. “Two years ago, as rents were skyrocketing, we counted vacant properties and gave the world a blueprint for what to do with them. HPD promised the public that hundreds of those properties would be developed in two years. Now, we’ve come back two years later, and we’ve uncovered that the agency’s promises were as empty as these vacant lots. At a time when we face an affordability crisis, HPD is sitting on precious resources. And to make matters worse, we know that it has been willfully avoiding the truth for years.”

Today’s report showed that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the city agency charged with increasing the supply of affordable housing units across the city, sets specific time schedules for properties within their inventory to be developed. The review found, between September 2015 and September 2017:

• Nearly 90 percent—of the vacant lots that were in its inventory two years ago remain undeveloped.
• 1,007 lots in our audit sample have remained in HPD’s inventory, and have not been transferred to developers.
• HPD transferred only 64 of the 1,125 lots for development.
• HPD transferred only 54 of the 1,125 lots to other City agencies for use.

While HPD has previously claimed it had plans to develop several hundred lots, the agency did not meet its own target dates for nearly 80 percent of the properties that it projected would be transferred to developers through June 2017. Instead, it pushed most of the target dates for development further into the future. At the rate established in the past two years, it will take HPD approximately 17 years to transfer all 1,007 lots either for development or to another agency.

That track record directly contradicts the agency’s response to Comptroller Stringer’s audit in 2016, in which HPD said, “approximately 670 of these properties are suitable and feasible for residential development. Roughly 400 of these have been designated or are earmarked for developer designation within the next two years.”

Based on the alarming findings, Comptroller Stringer reiterated his recommendation from two years ago that HPD set realistic timeframes for the transfer of vacant land in its inventory for residential development and document any delays in their schedules. Further, as the City faces a mounting affordability crisis and as more than 60,000 New Yorkers sleep nightly in homeless shelters, Comptroller Stringer called for the creation of a New York City land bank that could be used as a vehicle for the creation of tens of thousands of permanently affordable housing units. Specifically, a land bank could:

• Make use of over 1,007 parcels of vacant City-owned land on persistently underutilized sites for residential development;
• Create at least 50,000 units of permanent affordable housing;

The review also included recommendations for HPD:

1 - HPD should develop and propose a realistic time schedule for transferring the City-owned lots in its inventory to developers or other City-agencies.

2 - HPD should take into consideration the required interim steps and the time frames in which they should be completed when determining the time schedule for the transfers of the lots in its inventory.  Those steps should include:

• Selection of a developer for a specific site;
• Submission of architectural plans by developer;
• Approval of architectural plans;
• Meeting with community representatives;
• ULURP process;
• Obtaining financing; and
• Obtaining all necessary approvals from within HPD to proceed with the project and transfer the lots.

3 - As it establishes a realistic schedule for the transfer and development of the vacant City-owned lots in its inventory, HPD should systematically track its progress in completing the required steps, document the reasons for deferrals of projected transfer dates, when applicable, and adjust the schedule based on the interim steps that remain to be completed and the time frames in which they should be completed.

Engel Responds to President Trump's Budget Proposal and Infrastructure Plan

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s budget proposal:

“Years ago, President Trump proudly declared himself ‘the King of Debt.’ Today, he lived up to that moniker in a big way, by unveiling a budget proposal that would explode the national debt to an unheard of degree. This once again proves that the GOP is not, and never has been, the party of ‘fiscal responsibility.’ 

“This proposal rehashes many of the tired battles the GOP has already lost: repealing the Affordable Care Act, radically restructuring Medicaid, cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood. The President’s budget would further decimate departments like the EPA and State Department, while eliminating completely programs such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the NASA Office of Education, just to name a few.

“Then there is the infrastructure element of this proposal, which calls for a $1.5 trillion investment to rebuild our crumbling nation. Except, the President is only offering to pay for a small fraction of that $1.5 trillion, and expects state and local governments—already struggling to meet their own financial needs—to pay for the rest. Needless to say, that just isn’t going to work.

“This whole budget is a ridiculous proposal. Thankfully, Congress has the power of the purse, not the President.”

Statement from IDC Leader Jeff Klein RE: Sexual Predators Near PreK Sites

  For years, I have worked on legislation and issued numerous reports to protect the state’s most vulnerable children from convicted, high level sexual predators who have been allowed to reside near preschools and inside family shelters. It is unbelievable that the law doesn’t protect all children through 1,000 feet residency restrictions because pre-kindergartens are not considered ‘schools’ under the law or continues to allow these ticking time bombs to reside next door to children in shelters. The Senate has passed my bills year after year to remedy these serious issues. I applaud Governor Cuomo for including this in his 30-day budget amendments and protecting our youngest, most vulnerable children.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE ENFORCMENT ACTION AGAINST 250 NYC APARTMENT BUILDINGS

Property owners with total of 4,000 apartments in need of significant repair placed in City’s 2018 Alternative Enforcement Program

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that 250 apartment buildings have been placed in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Alternative Enforcement Program, an initiative that shines a spotlight on multi-family buildings whose owners have allowed them to fall into dangerous disrepair. The buildings, listed here, each have enough health and safety code violations to allow for enhanced enforcement by HPD, including roof to cellar inspections, fees, and an AEP Order to Correct underlying conditions and bring the buildings up to code.

This is the 11^th year of the AEP program, and this round’s 250 buildings – home to 3,970 families – have a combined total of 26,301 housing code violations. Since AEP’s inception, 1,647 buildings with 22,033 apartments have been repaired, and more than $74 million in repair costs recovered by HPD.

“This kind of willful negligence puts tenants in danger. It is immoral and illegal and we will use every tool we have to go after property owners and make these buildings safe for New York families,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

“HPD is working on all fronts to make sure that landlords live up to their obligations to provide tenants with the safe, quality housing that they rightfully deserve. The Alternative Enforcement Program is a powerful tool to take negligent owners to task and address systemic conditions in buildings,” said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I want to thank the hardworking team in HPD’s Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services, as well as the many elected officials and community groups who partner with us to protect our city's tenants.”

“All New Yorkers deserve to live in safe housing and to have hazardous violations resolved immediately,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “The Alternative Enforcement Program, established through legislation passed by the City Council, helps protect our most vulnerable tenants who are living in deplorable conditions because of unscrupulous landlords. I thank the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for their continued diligence in improving housing conditions for our city’s tenants.”

Number of Buildings/Homes per Borough in AEP Round 11:

·    Manhattan:  47 buildings/ 940 homes

·    Bronx:  57 buildings/ 1,169 homes

·    Brooklyn: 127 buildings/ 1,435 homes

·    Queens: 18 buildings/ 370 homes

·    Staten Island: 1 building/ 56 homes

The 250 buildings in Round 11 have a total of 4,859 immediately hazardous (C-class) violations, 21,442 hazardous (B-class), and 7,602 non-hazardous (A-class). Immediately hazardous violations include inadequate fire exits, evidence of rodents, lead-based paint, and the lack of heat, hot water, electricity, or gas. Class B hazardous violations repair conditions, such as leaks or holes in plaster or sheetrock. Non-hazardous, or A-class, include more minor leaks, chipping or peeling paint when no children under the age of six live in the home. 

HPD’s Housing Litigation Division is currently active in 277 housing court cases against the owners of 161 of these buildings seeking to correct all violations. HLD’s caseload includes cases for access warrants to allow HPD and their contractors onto properties to perform repairs. The division also provides support for Tenant Action Cases, initiated by tenants against their landlords.

The Round 11 buildings already owe the City more than $1.5 million to HPD Emergency Repair Program charges. ERP charges accrue when repairs are done by HPD to correct immediately hazardous violations that the owner failed to address in a timely manner.

Legislation establishing the program, the 2007 New York City Safe Housing Law (Local Law No. 29 of 2007), calls for an annual list of different multiple dwellings with high counts of the most serious building code violations based on a broad set of criteria, including paid or unpaid emergency repair charges. Additional financing from Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Council in 2014 allowed for an increase in the number of buildings in the annual round, from 200 to 250 buildings targeted a year. The funding allowed for increased AEP staff and an increase in emergency repairs that can be made by HPD.

To be discharged from the program, a building owner must act affirmatively to demonstrate that conditions at the property are improving. This means correcting all violations associated with heat and hot water, all immediately hazardous violations; 80% of B-class mold violations; 80% of all violations related to vermin; 80% of all remaining B- and C-class violations; and correct all related underlying conditions detailed in the AEP Order to Correct.

The owner must also submit a pest management plan to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene if there is an infestation, submit a valid property registration statement, and repay all outstanding charges and liens for emergency repair work performed by HPD or enter into a repayment agreement with the NYC Department of Finance.

Buildings/Homes discharged throughout all previous rounds of the AEP (Rounds 1-10):

·    Manhattan: 191 buildings/ 4,116 homes

·    Bronx: 496 buildings/ 9,803 homes

·    Brooklyn: 881 buildings/ 7,537 homes

·    Queens: 72 buildings/ 536 homes

·    Staten Island: 7 buildings/ 41 homes

AEP Selection Criteria (Round 11):

·    Buildings with 15 or more units must have a ratio of 3 or more open “class B” and “class C” violations per dwelling unit issued in the past 5 years, and paid or unpaid ERP charges equal to or more than $2,500 incurred in the past 5 years as of January 30, 2017.

·    Buildings with between 3 and 14 units must have a ratio of 5 or more “class B” and “class C” violations per dwelling unit issued in the past 5 years and paid or unpaid ERP charges equal to or less than $5,000 incurred in the past 5 years as of January 30, 2017.

·    The buildings selected must be ranked so that those with the highest paid or unpaid ERP charges in the last 5 years are selected first.  No more than 25 buildings with less than 6 units can be selected.

·   If there are not enough buildings that meet the above criteria, HPD may select the remainder of the buildings based on the following criteria:

·    Buildings with six or more units that have a ratio of 4 or more open class B or class C violations per dwelling unit issued in the past 5 years. The buildings selected must be ranked so that those with the highest number of open hazardous and immediately hazardous violations issued in the last 5 years are selected first.

Information for Tenants on AEP can be found here:

·    FAQs for Tenants on the Alternative Enforcement Program

Information for Owners on AEP can be found here:

·    FAQs for Building Owners on the Alternative Enforcement Program

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ HOSTS HIS ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION

  This Year Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. held his Annual Black History Month Celebration in Coop-City. Ms. Cheryl Wills of NY1 Spectrum cable television emceed the event. The Bartow dancers provided the warm up and mid event entertainment. All of the local elected officials were on hand with the exception of Councilman Andy King who had a staffer fill in for him. 

   Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. told the audience that one of the three honorees Mr. Shaun King was not feeling well, and could not attend the event on this rainy day. Former Councilwoman Helen Diane Foster and Ms. Tamika Mallory were the other two honorees. the photos below should tell the rest of the story. 

Above - The Bartow Dancers pose for this photo before starting to dance before the event.

Below - Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark got into it with Joseph Cooper in what looked like a dance off.

Above - Is Congressman Engel giving Bronx BP Diaz Jr. some pointers in a possible run for mayor in four years?

Below - Ms Wills was stopped as soon as she entered the room as Elayne Gubitose speaks with her.

It seemed a lot of people wanted their picture with Ms. Wills.

Above - Bronx DA Darcel Clark, Below State Senator Jamaal Bailey. 

After Ms. Wills opened the event there was an invocation by Elder Nitisha Moore, and the singing of the American and African American national Anthems by IS 117 Principal Delise Jones.

Below - the Bartow Dancers hit the floor once again,

Above - Bronx BP Diaz Jr. holds the book that Ms. Wills autographed for him as she introduces him.

Below - Bronx Bp Diaz Jr. spoke about what this celebration means to him, while just about saying that the current president was nuts. 

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND PARTNERS HOST FIRST EVER 12-HOUR FREE TAX PREPARATION EVENT IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS

Attendees Who Earned $54,000 Or Less In 2017 Can Have Their Taxes Filed For Free By An IRS Certified VITA/TCE Volunteer Preparer

  Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Lorelei Salas, in collaboration with the Department of Education’s network of community schools, today announced the first ever NYC Free Tax Prep-a-Thon, a 12-hour tax filing marathon and resource fair, which will be held this Saturday, February 10 at schools in all five boroughs. From 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., attendees who earned $54,000 or less in 2017 can have their taxes filed for free by an IRS certified VITA/TCE volunteer preparer who will help them claim deductions and tax credits. During the event, New Yorkers can take advantage of free financial counseling with a professional, financial counselor from the NYC Financial Empowerment Centers. Counselors can help filers make a plan to manage their refunds, create a budget, reduce debt and much more.

Free screening for local, state, and federal health and human service benefits will also be available to help individuals find out if they are eligible. This family friendly event will offer fun activities for kids and a resource fair for individuals to learn more about the many City resources available to all New Yorkers. Those looking to learn more about the NYC Free Tax Prep-a-Thon can visit DCA’s event calendar to find a location near them.

“Since 2015 we have helped New Yorkers file more than 425,000 returns for free and claim refund-boosting tax credits that can be pivotal in helping them pay bills, get out of debt, and save for their future,” said DCA Commissioner Lorelei Salas. “During the busiest time of the tax season this twelve hour event will allow us to reach even more families. We are committed to helping all hardworking families and individuals struggling to make ends meet receive every penny of their hard-earned refund. I encourage all New Yorkers to come out to our free tax prep-a-thon to file their taxes and take advantage of free financial counseling, benefits screenings, and other City resources and services.”

Throughout the tax season, NYC Free Tax Prep includes more than 200 Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)/Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and AARP Tax-Aide sites citywide, as well as online self-preparation at nyc.gov/taxprep. New Yorkers can call 311 or visit nyc.gov/taxprep and use DCA’s interactive map to search for the most convenient free tax site, and text “Taxes” to 42033 (message and data rates may apply) to find the nearest location and receive tax season updates and reminders. A checklist of what is needed to file is available at nyc.gov/taxprep.

The City’s free tax filing options:

·         For most sites, New Yorkers with an annual income of $54,000 or less with children or $30,000 or less without children, can visit one of more than 200 free tax sites in the five boroughs. At the sites, returns can be prepared in-person by an IRS certified VITA/TCE volunteer preparer or dropped-off to be completed by the preparer. At the convenient drop-off sites, filers can drop off their tax documents and return later to pick up the completed return or receive it by email.

·         New Yorkers earning less than $66,000 can file their taxes online for free atnyc.gov/taxprep. The City partners with Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation and MyFreeTaxes, powered by H&R Block and in partnership with United Way Worldwide, to offer these services.

Senator Klein honored during M.S. 101’s “Who’s Your Hero? Valentine’s Day Dance”

  The students at MS 101 on Lafayette Avenue wanted to do something special for their first Valentine's Day Dance. They decided to do a 'Who's Your Hero' dance dedicated to people they can call hero's  The dance was in memory of Police Officer Edward Byrne, of which  MS 101 is named for. The gym was decorated with red and white balloons, and various heart designs, with a DJ and photo area. 

  State Senator Klein who has given monies to MS 101 through the Project Boost program was received a special award for being the hero to many of the students in the Project Boost programs at MS 101. 

Above - State Senator Jeff Klein standing next to the sign honoring Police Officer Edward Byrne asks the students if they are having a good time, while letting the parents in attendance know the benefits of the Project Boost Program at MS 101.

Below - Senator Klein known for giving out certificates, receives one from Principal Jared Rosoff, and parents of MS 101.