Assemblyman Marcos Crespo Christmas Event at the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community Center

 Saturday afternoon Santa stopped by the Sonia Sotomayor Community Center in Soundview to help Assemblyman Marcos Crespo give the Soundview community a huge Christmas party. The event was co-sponsored by the Sheet Metal Workers Local 28 who are with Santa before he left for his next event. Several elected officials were in the house including Bronx Borough president Ruben Diaz Jr., City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., and 87th A.D. District Leader John Perez. Music and entertainment was provided by FPJ Amusements, and a good time was had by all who attended.

Above - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. wishes everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Ruben Diaz Jr. also said that this would be his last term in office as Bronx Borough President, but that in 2021 when he is term-limited out he will be running to become the first Latino Mayor of New York City. 

Below - City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. with Assemblyman Crespo and former assembly candidate George Alvarez had a contest testing the knowledge of local residents about their community. 

Above - One member of Local 28 holds the bag with the raffle tickets to win a PlayStation Four, as another Local 28 member draws the winning number.

Below - The winner of the Sony Playstation Four, who wanted to remain anonymous.

Above - Since he announced that he was running for mayor in 2021, it was time to for BP Diaz Jr. to shake hands and gain support for his upcoming mayoral run.

Below - A candidate also has to take photos, especially with union members like these from Local 28 of the Sheet Metal Workers Union.

As the event wound down, it was all smiles for Assemblyman Marcos Crespo as he carries his young daughter Graciela up on his shoulders.

Santa Visits Pelham Parkway Vision Center

  The line of children stretched down the block outside the Pelham Parkway Vision Center to see Santa on Saturday Afternoon. Pelham Parkway Vision Center owner Michael Orloff and the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association gave out presents and books from Montefiore Hospital to children who waited to see Santa. 

Above - Pasley and Jason hold up their gifts from Santa. 

Below - (L-R) Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association President Edith Blitzer, Vision Center Owner Michael Orloff, PPNA Vice-President Steven Glosser, Santa, Montefiore Hospital Vice- President  of Community Relations Mariela Salazar, PPNA member Andrea Siegal, PPNA Secretary Louis Lutnick.

Mark Gjonaj Community Breakfast and Meet Santa

  It was an early breakfast for Santa Saturday at the Pines Restaurant on Bronxdale Avenue with City Councilman Mark Gjonaj and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto. Over 100 children and their parents received a hearty healthy breakfast, and then the children got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. 

Above - Councilman Gjonaj and Santa are with Dora, Jeta, and Atdhe.

Below - Unik Isufi and his mother Qendresa are with Santa.

Above - Joe and Darien Pinto stand with one of Santa's helpers Police Officer Batista-Fernandez.

Below - The room at the Pines Restaurant where the event was held. Most children were at one of the many different things to do.

Throggs Neck Houses Tenant Leader Ms. Nichole Johnson with a few of the children from the TN Houses who enjoyed the face painter and balloon artist before seeing Santa.

SENATOR RIVERA ON FEDERAL COURT RULING DECLARING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT UNCONSTITUTIONAL

"Friday night's federal court ruling is further proof that Republicans will stop at nothing to dismantle President Obama's signature health care law, which could strip 23 million Americans of the health coverage they so desperately need. 

Legal scholars have already stated that the rationale behind this ruling is inherently flawed and would most likely be rejected by higher courts. However, as the incoming Chair of the New York State Senate's Health Committee, one thing is clear to me - we cannot stand idly by while federal authorities continue to attack the healthcare of millions of New Yorkers. We have a responsibility to defend them and, as the results of the midterm elections made abundantly clear, New Yorkers have demanded we do. 

That is why I am convinced that we need the New York Health Act more than ever. This bill seeks to provide better coverage for all and drastically reduce the financial burden that the current system places on families and individuals. I am committed to continue engaging with all key stakeholders and work towards making it a reality. New Yorkers deserve no less."

UpBeat NYC Winter Concert Monday December 18th

Don't miss out on our 2018 Winter Concert this Monday!

When: Monday, December 17th at 5:30 pm Where: Lincoln Hospital Auditorium  234 E 149th St, Bronx, NY 10454 (entrance on Morris Ave.) The UpBeat NYC Advanced String Ensemble, Wind & Percussion Ensemble and the Latin-Jazz Ensemble will perform works by Ellington, Mingus, Bernstein, Handel, Vivaldi and more! Come show these amazing young musicians some love and brighten your spirits with a wonderful evening full of music and community. Join the Facebook Event here! Can't make it to the concert but still want to show your support?  You can donate to our Winter Fundraiser here! And please share far and wide! Consider Supporting our Winter Fundraiser! Your support will help us to continue providing free music classes to underserved children and youth! Any amount helps! Please donate during this season of giving to share the gift of music with a young person in the South Bronx. Su apoyo nos ayudará a seguir proporcionando clases de música gratis a niños y jóvenes desatendidos! Cualquier cantidad ayuda! Por favor, donen durante esta temporada de dar para compartir el regalo de la música con una joven en el sur del Bronx. Support Here

Can you help us support the amazing students of UpBeat NYC?  Contribute online here, or by sending a check to: UpBeat NYC, Inc. 287 East 139th Street, Floor 2 Bronx, NY 10454

UpBeat NYC's free community programs are made possible by generous contributions from individual donors and the following sponsors:  New York State Council on the Arts  NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Catalog For Giving  Pinkerton Foundation Frank and Ruth E. Caruso Foundation Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation D'Addario Foundation Wellmet Philanthropies Yankees Stadium Community Benefits Fund Citgo Corporation Please consider joining our team of supporters to continue UpBeat's work enriching and uplifting the lives of South Bronx children and youth through music! THANK YOU! Donate Now! UpBeat NYC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions to UpBeat NYC are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO ON NYCHA AND THE U.S. ATTORNEY’S JOINT STATUS REPORT

  “This filing is another step on the road to fixing NYCHA. We are in the middle of productive conversations with Secretary Carson and the U.S. Attorney to improve the quality of life for the 400,000 New Yorkers who call NYCHA home. We all agree that the best outcome relies upon the City and federal government working together, and we look forward to continuing these discussions.

“This has been a week of real reform in our efforts to turn NYCHA around after decades of neglect. We have secured a new labor agreement to bring seven-day custodial services to NYCHA for the first time in 50 years. We released a detailed plan to renovate tens of thousands of apartments, and we are putting new management fixes in place to hold NYCHA more accountable to its residents. This is positive momentum, and we all need to work together to ensure it continues.”

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ ISSUES NEW REPORT: ‘THE PREFERENTIAL RENT CRISIS IN NEW YORK CITY’

  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued a report, titled “The Preferential Rent Crisis in New York City.”

The new report examines the scope of the preferential rent issue in the five boroughs and features profiles of four neighborhoods with high numbers of preferential rent tenants: Jamaica, Bay Ridge, Fordham and Washington Heights. Borough President Diaz also puts forward new policy proposals to address both tenant and landlord concerns surrounding the issue.

“New York State must reform its rent laws, and that includes strengthening tenant protections and closing the preferential rent loophole,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “In the coming year we can protect tenants from dramatic increases in their rents while also providing landlords with compensation for a loss of potential revenue through a comprehensive reform of our current housing laws surrounding preferential rents.”

In his report Borough President Diaz recommends that the New York State Legislature pass legislation ending the preferential rent loophole in the coming year. Additionally, the borough president calls for the creation of a new tax credit for landlords to offset the loss of potential revenue represented by the difference between the preferential and legal rents as well as more stringent punishments for landlords who harass tenants to create vacancies.

Preferential rents are defined as rents that have been granted by a landlord that are below the legal registered rent for a rent stabilized unit as registered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and regulated by the New York City Rent Guidelines Board. Under current laws, were landlords to raise preferential rents to the legal rents en masse, it could put hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk of eviction and displacement.

Borough President Diaz’s report shows that more than 260,000 apartments across the five boroughs currently have a preferential rent. This is seven percent of all residential dwellings in the city, and 29 percent of all rent stabilized units in the five boroughs.

Borough President Diaz’s report estimates that a new tax credit for landlords would cost roughly $93.5 million per year to implement but would save billions in potential costs created by displacement, such as building new affordable units or housing families in shelters.

“Addressing the affordable housing crisis requires us to not only build new units, but to keep families in their existing homes and neighborhoods,” said Borough President Diaz. “Eliminating the preferential rent loophole in conjunction with new tax breaks for landlords will help our city prevent displacement and keep our neighborhoods intact.”

The full report can be read at https://on.nyc.gov/2Qwz5PH.

MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS FIVE BOARD MEMBERS TO NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of five members to NYC Health + Hospitals’ Board of Directors. Effective January 1, 2019, José A. Pagán, Sally B. Hernandez-Pinero, Anita Kawatra, Feniosky Peña-Mora, and Freda J. Wang will join the board. Pagán will serve as Chair. The new board members bring expertise from both the private and public sectors, including health policy and delivery, community development, engineering, health communications, and municipal finance and infrastructure. Board members are responsible for overseeing the strategic goals of the public health care system toward its continued transformation and growth, an agenda spearheaded by NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz, under the leadership of the New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio.

The NYC Health + Hospitals Board of Directors is charged with governance and oversight of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation. NYC Health + Hospitals serves more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs.

“NYC Health + Hospitals is a critical component of our city’s public health safety net system,” said Mayor de Blasio. “I welcome the expertise and experience these new members will bring to Health + Hospitals’ Board of Directors as we work toward strengthening and transforming our public health care system.”

“Today is an exciting moment for NYC Health + Hospitals. This new board will help accelerate the transformation plan we’ve launched to be a 21st century healthcare delivery system,” saidDeputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Herminia Palacio. “The skills and experiences of incoming board members will serve the healthcare delivery system well. I look forward to working with them, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to the outgoing board members for having served with dedication.” 

“We look forward to the addition of the five newly appointed board members, who will bring their own fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to the oversight of our cherished public health system,” said Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals. “At the same time, it’s an honor to publicly the members who will complete their service to the board in December. They have each given so generously of their time and expertise over many years in support of our health system’s mission to serve all.”

Following the appointment of the board members in January, the NYC Health + Hospitals board will consist of 16 members. The full board will include: Dr. Mitchell Katz, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals; Dr. Herminia Palacio, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services; Dr. Oxiris Barbot, Acting Health Commissioner; Steven Banks, Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration; Dr. Gary S. Belkin, Executive Deputy Commissioner of Health-Mental Hygiene at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Helen Arteaga Landaverde; Josephine Bolus; Dr. Vincent Calamia; Gordon J. Campbell; Barbara A. Lowe; and Robert F. Nolan.

“Joining the board of NYC Health + Hospitals is an incredible honor, particularly because I’ve dedicated my career to helping people get better access to health care,” said José Pagán. “I would like to extend my gratitude to Mayor de Blasio for this appointment, and I look forward to working with my fellow board members to improve New York City’s public healthcare system.”

“I am grateful that Mayor de Blasio has asked me to support his efforts to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to quality health care,” said Sally Hernandez-Piñero. “As the largest public provider of health care in the nation, it is critically important that we continue to elevate NYC Health + Hospitals’ ability to fulfill its mission.”

“As a native New Yorker who has spent much of my professional life working to advance global health in areas of unmet medical need, it is an honor to be serving the nation’s largest public health care system here at home,” said Anita Kawatra. “I thank Mayor Bill de Blasio for this appointment and for his leadership in health and human services, and I look forward to working with fellow board members to advance the mission of NYC Health + Hospitals.”

“NYC Health + Hospitals serves an incredibly important role in our city, and I am honored to contribute any way I can to the mission of the organization,” said Feniosky Peña-Mora. “I would like to thank Mayor de Blasio for his trust and look forward to working with both current and incoming board members in advancing the transformational goals of this venerable institution.”

“It’s an honor to join an organization that strives to improve the lives of New Yorkers every day,” said Freda Wang. “I would like to thank Mayor de Blasio for this appointment and look forward to bringing my experience and skills to the board and help ensure NYC Health + Hospitals continues on its path towards its ongoing transformation.”