Governor Cuomo on the FY 2020 Budget: We Got it Done!

   "This is probably the broadest, most sweeping state plan that we have done. There are a number of national firsts and it really grapples with the tough issues that have been facing this state for a long time. And we've done a lot of good work in this state, a lot of good work that has informed the nation and I think this budget is probably the strongest progressive statement that we've made and actually addresses many of the difficult, difficult issues that we are facing today."

The FY 2020 Budget Fights Back Against Washington's Assault on the Middle Class - Makes the Property Tax Cap Permanent, Limits Spending to 2% and Cuts Taxes for the Middle Class

Supports Reform of the MTA with Long-Term Revenue Streams Including Central Business District Tolling

Funds Capital Projects to Begin in FY 2020 as Part of the Governor's Unprecedented $150 Billion Investment to Support Infrastructure Projects Across the State

Increases School Aid by Over $1 Billion, Bringing Total School Aid to $27.9 Billion, and Promotes Education Equity by Prioritizing Funding for Poorer Schools

Enacts Key Criminal Justice Reform by Eliminating Cash Bail, Restoring Speedy Trials and Transforming the Discovery Process

Strengthens Women's Agenda Initiatives by Improving Access to IVF and Egg-Freezing Services, Instituting a Rape Shield for Sex Trafficking Victims and Investing in Initiatives to Combat Maternal Mortality

Codifies Affordable Care Act Provisions, Including the State's Health Insurance Marketplace, Into State Law

Statement from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Raising the Minimum Sales Age for Tobacco from 18 to 21

  "This year I proposed raising the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21 to help stamp out teen smoking and protect New Yorkers. The lifelong health effects of tobacco cannot be overstated and in New York we are committed to doing everything in our power to keep tobacco products out of the hands of young people. I commend the Assembly and now the Senate, including Senator Diane Savino and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, for joining us in this effort, and I look forward to signing this lifesaving legislation."

DOI ISSUES FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT ON CALENDAR YEAR 2018 INVESTIGATIONS BY ITS OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT

  The Department of Investigation’s (“DOI”) Office of the Inspector General for the New York City Police Department (“OIG-NYPD”) today released its Fifth Annual Report on investigations and recommendations made in Calendar Year 2018 to the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”). In addition, the Report updates the status of recommendations made previously that have not been fully adopted by NYPD. The City Charter requires an annual report be produced each year on or before April 1. In 2018, DOI issued three reports containing 42 recommendations to improve NYPD policies, procedures, and accountability. To date, NYPD has accepted, partially implemented, or implemented more than half, or 55 percent, of these 42 recommendations. In total, approximately 74 percent of DOI’s 145 recommendations, spanning 13 investigative reports issued since 2015, have been accepted, partially implemented, or implemented by NYPD. 

 A copy of the Report is attached to this release and can be found at the following link: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doi/newsroom/public-reports.page 

 DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said, “In 2018, DOI’s Inspector General for the NYPD released three significant reports focusing on NYPD’s Special Victims Division, the use of force by officers, and ways that NYPD can make better use of litigation data. By shining a light on NYPD’s progress towards implementing these recommendations, as well as those of prior years’ reports, this annual report enhances police accountability in New York City.” 

 Inspector General Philip K. Eure said, “Tracking NYPD’s implementation of our recommendations is vital to sustaining reform. Going forward, we will continue to build upon our mission to increase public safety, protect civil rights, and increase the public’s confidence in the police force by conducting investigations and making recommendations aimed at improving NYPD.” 

 The findings and recommendations of Calendar Year 2018 were published in the following reports: 

• An Investigation of NYPD’s New Force Reporting System: After OIG-NYPD’s initial 2015 Report on NYPD use of force, NYPD overhauled its force reporting system. OIG-NYPD investigated this new force-reporting system and found both successes as well as room for improvement. The Report revealed that while NYPD has made notable improvements in certain aspects of use-of-force reporting, officers are still not properly documenting all reportable use-of-force incidents, including an under-reporting of force incidents in arrest reports. The Report recommended changes to NYPD’s policies and infrastructure for collecting force data, and called on NYPD to make public more data about force incidents. 

• An Investigation of NYPD’s Special Victims Division—Adult Sex Crimes: OIG-NYPD conducted a comprehensive investigation of the NYPD’s Special Victims Division, with a particular focus on the adult sex crime units in each of the five boroughs. OIG-NYPD’s investigation found that all five of the adult sex crime units were deeply understaffed. While the Report found that the professionals of SVD are dedicated and hard-working, the investigation concluded that the Department needed to do more to bring in and retain experienced detectives at SVD. The Report also highlighted the critical need for adequate training of new SVD recruits. .  

• Ongoing Examination of Litigation Data Involving NYPD: In 2017, the New York City Council passed legislation (Local Law No. 166 of 2017) requiring OIG-NYPD to collect, evaluate, and report on information concerning improper police conduct through the analysis of claims and lawsuits filed against NYPD. For this Report, OIG-NYPD conducted its own analysis of claims and lawsuits filed against officers in six NYPD precincts to illustrate the types of patterns and trends NYPD could be studying if its systems were more robust. For example, the data from the six precincts showed upward and downward spikes in specific types of claims (e.g., use of force and false arrests). By interpreting this data, NYPD can furnish precinct commanders with useful guidance that could lead to improvements in training, supervisory controls, and other operations. OIG-NYPD’s Report also documented NYPD’s current efforts to review and analyze litigation data, including how such information could inform NYPD’s early intervention system for at-risk officers.

 This Annual Report also provides updates on the 103 recommendations issued across ten reports from 2015 through 2017. Those reports can be found here.

 A chart breaking out NYPD’s implementation status for all 145 recommendations can be found on page two in the Report. OIG-NYPD will continue to monitor the implementation status of these recommendations and issue follow-up reports as necessary.

NYPD Announces 60-Day Update on Disciplinary System Reforms

Improvements to Disciplinary System Include Stronger Penalties for Domestic Violence

Commissioner James P. O'Neill today announced an update to reforms of the NYPD disciplinary system. In June 2018, Commissioner O'Neill convened an Independent Panel comprised of former Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Jo White, U.S. Attorney Robert Capers, and former federal judge Barbara Jones. The panel performed an autonomous, exhaustive review of NYPD discipline policies and made recommendations to improve it. On February 1, Commissioner O'Neill accepted the panel's 13 recommendations and pledged to implement five of the recommendations within 60 days. He also appointed an Implementation Group comprised of NYPD executives and chaired by First Deputy Commissioner Benjamin B. Tucker to lead this critical work.

The five short-term recommendations include:

• Recommendation #1: Support amendments to 50-a
• Recommendation #2: Guard against expansion of the scope of 50-a
• Recommendation #3: Enhance public reporting in line with other agencies
• Recommendation #4: Publish trial room calendars
• Recommendation #6: Enhance variance reporting when penalty differs from recommendation

"Sixty days out from the panel's report, the NYPD continues to make significant progress in all areas. It's vital that we keep making our way forward, while always balancing it with the privacy and the safety of our police officers. All of this is an important step toward even greater transparency, and it is a crucial way to continue building trust and strengthening relationships across the city,” said Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill.

In addition to the five recommendations that the Commissioner pledged to implement within 60-days, starting April 1st, the Department is adopting the recommendations from the Commission to Combat Police Corruption and the Independent Panel for discipline regarding domestic violence, which includes stronger penalties for offenders. Now, the first time, presumptive penalties have been established for members of service found guilty by the department of committing an act of physical domestic violence.

The strengthened domestic violence penalties include:

• Addition of the presumptive penalty of dismissal probation for first-time offenders, in which violators lose civil service rights and now have one year to demonstrate commitment to rehabilitation by attending counseling, submitting to monthly evaluations, and following all department policies, or face outright dismissal.
• The presumptive penalty for second-time offenders and/or members of service that have been legally convicted of a domestic violence crime is now termination.
• Increase in potential penalty days that an offender can receive for acts of domestic violence based on the aggravating circumstances, like the presence of children during the incident.

The NYPD takes every instance of alleged domestic violence seriously, and the adoption of these recommendations will guide the Police Commissioner, who, as endorsed by the Panel, retains final disciplinary decision-making.

The domestic violence policy is currently being finalized, and will be made public when it is complete.

Below is a status update of the recommendations:

#	Recommendation	Update
1	The Department should support amendments to 50-a to increase transparency and enhance accountability.	NYPD leadership has voiced unequivocal support for 50-a reform in a number of forums. Read an op-ed from the Police Commissioner here. The Department will continue to engage members of the legislature in Albany.
2	The NYPD must guard against unwarranted expansion of the scope of 50-a.	For FOIL requests since March, the Legal Bureau no longer asserts 50-a as a basis for non-disclosure of body-camera footage, arrest reports, and other routine police reports completed in connection with an arrest.
3	The NYPD should also enhance its public reporting in line with that of other agencies.	NYPD newly created and published 2016 and 2017 reports as of April 1. These reports include never-before-published aggregate discipline information, within the limitations of 50-a. The 2018 report will be posted in May 2019 and on an annual basis thereafter.
4	Publish trial room calendars.	As of March 4th, the Trial Room Calendar is posted online the first Monday of every month.
5	The Department should appoint a Civilian Liaison.	The Department is establishing the Civilian Liaison position and will appoint by Fall 2019.
6	The Police Commissioner should enhance the documentation of variances from disciplinary recommendations.	Beginning in mid-March, enhanced variance memoranda are now prepared for any discipline decision that deviates from DAO, DCT, or CCRB recommendation.
7	The NYPD should adopt protocols to insulate decision makers from external pressures and minimize the appearance of inappropriate influence over the disciplinary process.	NYPD is developing a protocol and recusal policy and is on track to publish this new policy publically and train relevant members of service by Fall 2019.
8	The Department should study and consider adopting a disciplinary matrix.	The Department should study and consider adopting a disciplinary matrix
9	The Department should take measures to expedite disciplinary adjudications.	The NYPD is increasing personnel to handle case-load and identified fast-tracks for lower-level offenses, saving as much as three months in those cases.
10	The Department should strengthen enforcement of false statement disciplinary policies.	New false statement enforcement policy will be in place by Summer 2019.
11	The Department should adopt presumptive penalties in domestic violence cases as recommended by CCPC.	The NYPD is adopting presumptive penalties for physical acts of domestic violence as of April 1st, 2019 and is launching new mandatory training and an employee awareness campaign for all members of service in May 2019.
12	The Department should upgrade and integrate its Case Management System.	The NYPD is developing technology solutions to ensure the successful implementation of all recommendations and efficient cross-sharing with other internal divisions.
13	Identify an external organization to audit the NYPD's reformed disciplinary system.	NYPD is reviewing models for an independent audit of discipline process, and will establish a proposal by the end of summer.

---

The NYPD Implementation Group members include:

• John K. Donohue, Chief of Strategic Initiatives
• Vincent D. Grippo, Deputy Commissioner for Management and Budget
• Rosemarie Maldonado, Deputy Commissioner Trials
• Matthew Pontillo, Assistant Chief and Commanding Officer in the Office of the First Deputy Commissioner
• Ann Prunty, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Legal Matters
• Joseph Reznick, Deputy Commissioner Internal Affairs
• Jessica Tisch, Deputy Commissioner Information Technology
• Cecil Wade, Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer in the Office of the Police Commissioner
• Ashley Waters, Counsel to the Police Commissioner

Attorney General James And Coalition Files Brief In Census Case Challenging Trump Administration's Attempt To Add Citizenship Question To The 2020 Census

  Attorney General Letitia James, leading a coalition of 18 states, 16 local governments, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors filed a merits brief in the United States Supreme Court in the case challenging the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census. Attorney General James released the following statement: 

“The federal government is legally required to perform an accurate count of the people in this country every ten years. The thoroughness and accuracy of this count is paramount: it determines the allocation of Congressional seats and federal funding for localities and municipalities. Any deviation in this count – especially one that affects some states and localities more than others – would have far-reaching and long-last implications for states, communities, and our ability to best support Americans. The federal government’s attempt to add a question about citizenship to this Census is antithetical to its basic responsibility to protect and serve our country – this question would incite widespread fear in immigrant communities and greatly impair the accuracy of the Census. Simply put, we cannot afford for anyone to be left out. We look forward to presenting our position to the Supreme Court.” 

In January 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, ruled in favor of the New York Attorney General’s Office in a lawsuit to block the Trump Administration from demanding citizenship information in the 2020 Census. The United States Supreme Court will be hearing the case in April 2019. The initial lawsuit was filed in April 2018. New York is leading a coalition of 18 states, 16 local governments, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in this case. The multistate and local government suit was consolidated with a case brought by multiple non-profit groups. 

Van Naes Neighborhood Alliance Meeting April 1, 2019

   The April Monthly Meeting of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance was held Monday night with Guest Speaker Deputy Chief Inspector Chuck Holzinger talking about fire safety in your home. Pictured above (L - R) are VNNA Treasurer John Messenger, VNNA President Bernadette Ferrara, Deputy Chief Inspector Chuck Holzinger, VNNA Senior Advisor Bob Nolan, VNNA Secretary Marion Manfredi, and VNNA Vice-President Sharlene Jackson-Mendez.

  Deputy Chief Inspector Holzinger spoke about changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every year, and that new alarms are hitting the market where when the alarm goes off a person will not be able to just take out the battery to turn off the alarm, but the alarm will be sealed and have a battery life of ten years.

  He spoke about buying new hair dryers and irons every few years, because the filament wears out and can become a fire hazard. Electric extension should not be overloaded especially in the hot weather months when the electricity level drops as demand increases. A surge in power when the demand drops can be a cause of fire if these extension cords are not able to handle the surge of electricity. He warned about cheap wire strip plug in electric extenders, and said make sure that what you buy has the UL tag for safety. 

  Representatives of local elected officials gave community reports, and the NCO officers went over a few calls in the area that were handled by the 49th Precinct including a mentally disturbed person police had to take care of. 

  The next VNNA meeting will be on Monday May 6th with Postal branch managers from 10460, 61, and 62 in attendance to answer questions about local mail service. Friday May 10th is the Annual VNNA Dinner for more information call Bernadette Farrara at 917-498-5786 or Marie Santillana at 646-305-4913 for more information. 

  Monday May 27th the Annual Memorial Day Parade and services begin at noon in front of the Van Nest Memorial at White Plains Road and Van Nest Avenue. 

One Book One Bronx on Soundcloud

One Book One Bronx returns on Tuesday, April 2, 6:30pm. We'll discuss Chapters 17-22 of Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. We hope to see everyone back at BronxArtSpace, 305 E. 140th St. at 6:30pm. This is the final discussion of Freshwater Click here for details.

On Tuesday, April 16, 6:30pm, One Book One Bronx will start Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker. 

In her debut short story collection, Camille Acker 

In her debut short story collection, Camille Acker unleashes the irony and tragic comedy of respectability onto a wide-ranging cast of characters, all of whom call Washington, DC, home. A “woke” millennial tries to fight gentrification, only to learn she’s part of the problem; a grade school teacher dreams of a better DC, only to take out her frustrations on her students; and a young piano player wins a competition, only to learn the prize is worthless. Click here to RSVP

From our friends at Kweli Journal  Kweli Color of Children's Literature Conference  Join Kweli on April 6 for an incredible day with top editors, agents, authors & illustrators in the children's/YA publishing world. This annual spring conference is an excellent opportunity for IPOC writers & illustrators to learn, get inspired and network with others in the industry. The conference will be held at 365 Fifth Avenue @ 34th St., New York, NY. Click here to register.

Literary Freedom Project is a Bronx-based 501c3 tax-exempt nonprofit arts organization that seeks to restore the importance of social and cultural identity through reading. Towards this goal, LFP publishes Mosaic Literary Magazine; develops literature-based lesson plans and workshops; and presents One Book One Bronx and Mosaic iterary Conference.

New Podcast! One Book One Bronx on Soundcloud Can't make it to the Bronx? Listen to discussions and get inspired by the conversation. Each week, we'll present a new podcast to reach a broader audience and increase our mission to build engagement around books and culture. Click here and start listening.

One Book One Bronx in the News Thank you, News12 for covering one of our meetings. It was a full house, and the Literary Freedom Project's Executive Director Ron Kavanaugh got a chance to say a few coherent words. Click here to watch. ©1998 - 2019 Literary Freedom Project | 557 Grand Concourse PMB 143, Bronx, NY 10454

The Negligenace of the School Construction Authority

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.

Bronx County, New York

  You should know that there is nothing more important for our future than our children. You hear politicians, families, and every day people talk about how much they love the children in their communities and how we must offer them every resource possible as they grow up.

Our schools are run by the Department of Education, but whenever a school must undergo construction they deal with the School Construction Authority (SCA). The School Construction Authority is not as well-known as the Department of Education, and until my time here at the City Council I wasn’t much aware of their existence either.

You should also know that the School Construction Authority single handedly limits and prevents the environment our children learn in from being safe and structurally sound.

PS 36 is a school in my district located in a 100 year old building with many facets of it falling apart. The Principal graciously requested my assistance in funding some of the much needed projects in the school, to which I was honored to do so.

You should know that I allocated $800,000 last year to help replace the beaten down auditorium seats at PS 36. That’s right, $800,000. It’s an astronomical figure, but it is the amount estimated by the School Construction Authority. My dear reader, you should know that a construction project headed by the School Construction Authority costs more per square foot than a high rise luxury apartment in Manhattan.

While the amount is something to awe at, I want to draw the attention on the timeline the Principal, families and children must wait for a project like this to complete. It has been nearly one year since I allocated those $800,000 and there has not been so much as a design update offered to the Principal. This project cannot stall any longer.

My dear reader, these chairs are in absolute dire need of removal. They are all loose, many broken, and some just completely missing. Many children have literally fallen due to a seat breaking from underneath them. When do we step in and decide to move swiftly? When a child is seriously injured? When a teacher or parent falls and sues the City for millions? I have proposed the solution, but the School Construction Authority is dragging their feet.

You should know this is not atypical. I have spoken to my colleagues in government and many other school principals and they all shared their frustrations about the School Construction Authority with me. Three, four, even five years are some of the time estimates I have heard for projects sometimes as simple as chairs in an auditorium. We simply cannot accept this as the norm, there must be change within the School Construction Authority and their process for school construction.

So Mr. Mayor Bill de Blasio & City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, the ball is in your court, if we really love the children as much as we say.

I implore any of you to pay a visit to PS 36 in the Bronx and see for yourself the conditions poor students must endure as a result of the School Construction Authority’s sky high pricing and negligent operations.

This is Councilman Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.