Important Notice from Senator Biaggi: Tropical Storm Warning in District 34

Dear Community,

As you may already be aware, Tropical Storm Isaias is making its way up the east coast. I urge you and your family to be prepared, safe, and informed.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tropical Storm Warning, as well as flash flood watches, for the lower Mid-Hudson, New York City, and Long Island regions.

New York City and the lower Mid-Hudson should expect hurricane-like conditions – strong winds and very heavy rainfall – starting tomorrow (Tuesday), August 4th, through at least tomorrow evening. Forecasts are predicting that New Yorkers in these regions could experience wind speeds between 40 and 50 mph, with gusts reaching nearly 70 mph at the peak of the storm. The storm is also expected to bring between two to four inches of rain to New York, with the possibility of up to six inches in areas experiencing the heaviest impact. Localized storm surges of up to two feet are also a possibility along the coastline.

New Yorkers can view the complete listing of National Weather Service notices, as well as access the latest forecasts, by visiting their website here.

New York State has pre-deployed resources to the regions that are expected to experience the greatest impacts. New York City has also announced that it will close all city-run beaches to swimming on Tuesday.

At this time, the American Red Cross in Greater New York has staff members on standby to open 10 shelters across the region, including in New York City and Westchester County. These teams are trained to provide comfort and care to evacuated/displaced residents while taking into account safety protocols necessitated by COVID-19. 

Tips from the Red Cross on How to Be Prepared, Safe, and Informed:

• Monitor the news and follow warnings issued by Emergency Management officials.
• Have supplies on hand at home – i.e. food, water, flashlights, chargers, batteries, medication, cash – in the event that you have to shelter in place and a bag ready to go with some of the same supplies if you have to evacuate. 
• The Red Cross has a free Emergency App available for download with preparedness tips, info on shelter locations, and weather alerts. 

The Red Cross is also seeking new volunteers for their Hurricane Reserve Corps. To sign-up, click here and scroll down to find the “Shelter” or “Health Services” roles. Training for these new volunteers will be conducted online.

Just as you have done throughout the course of this pandemic, be sure to check in with your neighbors and loved ones who may be vulnerable and in need of support during the storm. And as always, you can reach Team Biaggi for assistance by calling 718-822-2049 or emailing biaggi@nysenate.gov.

Stay safe and dry District 34!

With Gratitude,

New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Pelham Parkway Clean Up

  As part of the Monday Morning Clean Up Program instituted by Bronx Borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. members of the community met with Parks Department employees, staffers from Councilman Mark Gjonaj's office, and workers from Wildcat to clean up the Pelham Parkway area from White Plain Road to Muliner Avenue. 

Dozens of bags of assorted trash, plastic containers, and empty bottles were collected by the many volunteers who did a job well done. The parkway looked much cleaner now that the trash that was collected was gone. The hope is that no new trash will be discarded, but only time will tell if another clean up is needed.

Above - Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez is joined by some of her Parks Department employees, and a few of the volunteers.

Below - Members of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association hold their tolls for the clean up of their area.

The volunteers in action, cleaning up Pelham Parkway.

Is the Board of Elections going to Certify Alleged Election Fraud in the 78th and 87th Assembly Districts

  Baring a hurricane that floods the Board of Elections in lower Manhattan below is the agenda for Tuesday's 1:30 PM commissioners meeting to certify the June 23, 2020 Primary Election. What Item #3 is about is a mystery. There are rumors it will involve how to eliminate votes for certain candidates in the 79th and 87th Assembly Districts who were on the ballot while the Board of Elections Appealed a judge's ruling that put those candidates back on. We hope that the BOE also explains how they did not check the residency of one candidate in the 79th Assembly race who did not meet the New York State constitution requirements for residency.

 

BOARD OF ELECTIONS

THE CITY OF NEW YORK 

DRAFT AGENDA 

COMMISSIONERS MEETING 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2020 AT 1:30 P.M.

1. Meeting of the Board of Canvassers in the City of New York to Certify the June 23, 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary Election and the June 23, 2020 Primary Election for Public Offices and Party positions within the City of New York

2. Michael J. Ryan a. Appointment of Commissioners’ Cover Sheet Review Committees for Week #2 – Independent Nominating Petitions for the November 2020 General Election

3. Executive Session 

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES OPEN RESTAURANTS WILL RETURN NEXT SUMMER

Popular program has saved an estimated 80K jobs

  Mayor de Blasio today announced the City’s popular Open Restaurants program, which allows restaurants to serve diners in sidewalks and curb lanes, will return next summer. Over 9,000 restaurants have signed up for the program, which has helped save nearly 80,000 New York City jobs since June.

 

Outdoor dining will return to the city by June 1, 2021 and run through October 31^st. The City will also bring back a popular initiative that combines Open Restaurants with Open Streets. On weekends, restaurants on participating corridors will go farther away from the curb than other Open Restaurants participants, and the rest of the streets will be open to pedestrian traffic.

 

“It’s time to start a new New York City tradition,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “New Yorkers deserve the chance to enjoy their meals outside next summer, and restaurants deserve the chance to continue building their businesses back. I’m proud to expand such a popular program, and I look forward to participating myself next year.”

 

"Open Restaurants has been an overwhelming success, providing a small sense of normalcy for New Yorkers who have endured so much this year, but also providing thousands of jobs across the City and helping restaurants stay in business," said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. "Bringing this program back next year makes perfect sense and allows restaurants more time to plan and continue to find creative ways to serve New Yorkers."

 

"In just two months, Open Restaurants has helped re-imagine our public spaces — bringing New Yorkers together to safely enjoy outdoor dining and helping to rescue a critical industry at the same time,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We are thrilled that the Mayor has announced that this hugely successful team effort will return next year. We look forward to further collaboration with our partner agencies, community groups and restaurateurs who have already worked so hard to put this vision into place.”

 

“We are thrilled to see the expansion of the Open Restaurant Program,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “This has been a tremendous benefit to the restaurant industry during these trying months and the continuation of the program to next summer will allow for increased participation in the future.”

 

The hours of operation for Open Restaurants are Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM, and Sunday 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM. A searchable citywide map of existing Open Restaurants can be found here. For more information on the program, including regulations, guidelines, and the application, click here.

 

Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) Clock to Restart on September 14

CPC meetings will be held remotely for the foreseeable future, with new portal, NYC Engage, for New Yorkers to easily participate

  As the City Planning Commission (CPC) begins remote public meetings today, CPC Chair Marisa Lago announced that the City’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) is set to resume on Monday, Sept. 14.

“As New York works to recover and rebuild from this pandemic, it is more crucial than ever that, together, we get back to the business of creating new affordable housing and good jobs. I think that I speak for the entire Commission in saying that we are excited to return to the important work of helping craft a more equitable, healthier, sustainable and livable city, one that bounces back stronger than ever,” CPC Chair Marisa Lago said.

The ULURP process was suspended by Mayoral Emergency Executive Order on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the CPC began work on land use applications that are not subject to ULURP, on ULURP applications that were already in public review prior to March 16 and on applications that will enter ULURP review in the future.

The portion of the Mayor’s Emergency Executive Order that suspended ULURP will end on Sept. 14, at which point the CPC will again begin advancing new ULURP applications. Not until then will ULURP applications adhere to ULURP time frames for public review.

This staggered restart of the public review process will help ensure that the City's 59 community boards, which must adhere to ULURP's timeline but often do not meet during summer months, are ready to host remote public meetings as soon as the ULURP clock restarts.

Public draft agendas for upcoming CPC meetings will be posted on the Department of City Planning (DCP) website in the days before the meetings take place. Due to the pandemic, CPC meetings will be held remotely for the foreseeable future.

To provide the public with information about upcoming meetings and how anyone can participate online or by phone, the City recently launched a new web portal, NYC Engage. Events will be added to NYC Engage in the coming months from the CPC and other agencies. Additional information on NYC Engage is available at the above link and in this earlier press release.

Department of City Planning

The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.

Bronx Board of Election Part 4 - 'REMAKE'

June 23,2020 was Primary day in New York City. We have entered the month of August 2020 without the official results of the June 23, 2020 primary.

On Monday August 3, 2020 the 'Manual Canvass of the Democratic Party County Committee ED 85/AD 87 of the Bronx is to be done. That appears to be the last race to be counted, as the Board of Elections website says that the other four boroughs have been completed. 

While there are several probable lawsuits the results of the 79th A.D. from member of the Assembly to all party positions are in question. That also goes for the Male District Leader position of the 87th A.D. where names of candidates were put on the ballot as the Board of Elections appealed a judges decision to put those candidates back on the ballot. I was told by BOE spokesperson Valerie Vazquez-Diaz that the ballots had to be printed up before the decision of the appeal by the BOE was handed down. She added that the BOE was not sure that they would win the appeal, so the names of the candidates were placed on the ballots. 

Also in the 79th A.D. the Board of Elections did not do its job to make sure that all the candidates met the residency requirement of five years of residency in the state to run for any assembly position. One candidate Mr. Elvis Santana had only three years of residency in New York State, and should have been knocked off the ballot by the BOE. 

In watching the opening of the Absentee and Affidavit ballots one word came up often, that word being REMAKE. The word remake has two meanings. One as a noun in the film industry is 'one that is remade'. The other as a verb i 'to make anew or a different form. At the Board of Elections the word REMAKE meant that a representative of both parties had to come to the A.D. table where the opening of ballots was going on to take the ballot in question to an area in the back of the room. Then a blank ballot would be taken from the rack of blank ballots that matched the A.D. and E.D. so the BOE workers could fill in the ballot and it could be returned to the counting table.

There were several reason as to why a ballot had to be remade. The ballot was torn in the opening process which would mean it could not go through the ballot scanning machine. Only one of the two ballots was in the envelope, and a blank second ballot had to be made, because the ballot scanning machine registered both paper ballots during the scanning process. The BOE worker found something wrong with the ballot where the vote may not get counted. 

In watching the 79th A.D. ballot opening when remakes were made they appeared to be honest as during the viewing session I was a watcher for one of the candidates, and checked where the marks were on the ballots. I can say there was no pattern of placing marks for only one candidate during the remake process of hundreds of ballots. 

 

Above - The area where all the blank ballots were kept, as you see a BOE worker looking for a certain AD/ED ballot.

Below - The area where the REMAKE ballots were done.

BOE workers returning the remade ballot to the counting table.

  

Newly Appointed Chief of Community Affairs Jeffrey B. Maddrey

Appointed by the police commissioner, and given a mandate to reimagine the critically important Community Affairs Bureau, Chief Jeffrey B. Maddrey has spent his first days listening to what his colleagues and residents of the new neighborhoods he will serve want and need.

He’s visited precinct station houses, held virtual meetings with community and elected leaders, listened at houses of worship and walked the streets over the holiday weekend to hear people’s vision for fair and effective policing in the 21st Century.

Chief Maddrey takes over this bureau at a watershed moment in police-community relations.

Assuming command of Community Affairs culminates the arc of Chief Maddrey’s experiences perfectly, as a child of New York, a product of its schools and as a public servant with three decades of distinction, including extensive grassroots community involvement during his five recent years as borough commander in Brooklyn North. He rose as a leader within the NYPD as the agency rebuked years of aggressive policing tactics that disparately targeted Black and Hispanic New Yorkers. And he has been a leading voice for reinforcing policing’s basic mission of keeping people safe while adopting the kind of sweeping reforms that have been a beacon for the profession, nationally, over the past six-and-a-half years.

“We in the NYPD reaffirm our promise to earn and strengthen the community’s support to help put an end to the crime and violence that victimizes innocent New Yorkers,” said Chief Maddrey. “But mostly, we pledge anew to listen carefully to all voices so that your police become the police you need and desire and want in the pursuit of your productive lives.”

Under Chief Maddrey, the Community Affairs Bureau is being reinvigorated to seek out voices in all of New York City’s neighborhoods.

The answers received will inform the work of the Community Affairs Bureau and the goal of the agency to work with community members in the shared mission of public safety.

Chief Maddrey has a great understanding of the violence that, even in an era of low crime, has afflicted neighborhoods where he has served. Now, he is committed to using all of the resources and tools of the Community Affairs Bureau to help to reduce that kind of violence – working with the Patrol and Detective bureaus and others in the NYPD in that shared mission.

Chief Maddrey joined the New York City Police Department in April 1991, and began his career on patrol in the 110 Precinct. He has also served in the 60, 67, 70, 72, 73, 75 and 77 Precincts, the Brooklyn South Task Force, Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, and Patrol Borough Brooklyn North. He was promoted to Sergeant in February 1998; Lieutenant in March 2001; Captain in May 2003; Deputy Inspector in December 2006; Inspector in November 2008; Deputy Chief in December 2011; and Assistant Chief in March 2015.

Chief Maddrey most recently served as Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn North. He also commanded Housing Borough Brooklyn, the Brooklyn South Task Force, and the 73 and 75 Precincts. He served as Executive Officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, the 60, 70 and 72 Precincts.

Chief Maddrey holds a Master of Science degree in Human Services Leadership from St. Joseph’s College, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology from John Jay College. He is also a 2007 graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University.

Governor Cuomo Announces Highest Number of Tests Ever Conducted in the State

82,737 Tests Conducted Yesterday, 0.91 Percent Were Positive

SLA and State Police Task Force Found New Violations of State Requirements at 41 Establishments

4 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Confirms 753 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 415,767; New Cases in 46 Counties

Governor Cuomo: "Today we hit a record number of tests done on a single day, 82,737. That is the most tests every conducted in a single day in this state. Of those 82,000 tests, .91 positive, 753 tests, great news."

Cuomo: "This state has a task force that's been working. New York State Police and the SLA. Last night there were 41 establishments that were given violations, 2 in the Bronx, 1 in Brooklyn, 5 in Queens, 1 in Staten Island, 3 in Nassau, 2 in Suffolk, 27 in Manhattan. Twenty-seven in Manhattan. We need the NYPD to step up and do enforcement. The SLA did 7 more suspensions yesterday, 3 in Manhattan, 3 in Queens, 1 in Staten Island." 

AUGUST 1st we hit a record number of tests done on a single day, 82,737. That is the most tests every conducted in a single day in this state. Of those 82,000 tests, .91 positive, 753 tests, great news. Four New Yorkers passed away yesterday. They are in our thoughts and prayers but compared to where we were relatively it's great news. 581 New Yorkers hospitalized. That's good news. 147 ICU patients, 72 intubations. That's all great news.

We're in the stage where we are protecting our progress to threats, quarantine, which continues from other states with high infection rates and compliance in New York, especially young people, especially bars and restaurants. Once again local governments have to step up. Some are doing better than others.

This state has a task force that's been working. New York State Police and the SLA. Last night there were 41 establishments that were given violations, 2 in the Bronx, 1 in Brooklyn, 5 in Queens, 1 in Staten Island, 3 in Nassau, 2 in Suffolk, 27 in Manhattan. Twenty-seven in Manhattan. We need the NYPD to step up and do enforcement. The SLA did 7 more suspensions yesterday, 3 in Manhattan, 3 in Queens, 1 in Staten Island.

There was an alarming development in Georgia that we just want to bring to your attention. A sleepaway camp for children - 76 percent of the campers and the staffers at the camp tested positive for COVID. That was about half the camp, less than two weeks after the camp opened. So, we made a decision here about camps, we said there was a great risk, I feel good about that. But we're talking about reopening schools and young people, and the possibility of infection. So, these are real circumstances that have to be considered.

The point I want to make on schools, the school districts were supposed to put in their plans yesterday on alternatives or how they would reopen. We're going to watch the overall infection before we make a decision. We're going to make a decision this week, an initial decision. If at this point, schools should plan on reopening and then we'll watch to see what happens with the infection rate. But one of the big variables here is going to be the parents' comfort level. You know, the discussion basically assumes if the schools opened all the parents will send their children back to school; that is not the case. I am talking to parents all across the state. I'm getting deluged with phone calls from parents who are concerned, and they should be concerned. You hear about the Georgia camp, you get concerned. You hear about the Kawasaki-like syndrome, you get concerned. You hear scientists and health officials who say they don't know the long-term consequences for a child who has antibodies, you get concerned.

So, it's not flicking a switch; it's like all of these decisions, it's more complicated than we often think. You can say, "Okay, school reopens." If the parents are not comfortable, the children will not be sent. You have some school districts in parts of this state that are seeing record numbers of enrollees. Some of the school districts, on the east side of Long Island, are seeing an exponential number of enrollees. Parents are taking this decision very seriously, and the reason we need the school districts to put in their plans is because the parents need to review the plan, understand the plan, and they have to have confidence in the plan. If they don't have confidence in the plan, I don't care what the school district says. They are not sending their kids back. Now, there will be some parents who don't have a choice but to send their child back because they don't have alternative childcare, et cetera, but there are going to be many parents who if they think their child might be subjected to failure they are just not going to do it. That was the point of this pre-opening period. The school district puts in their plan, the parents get to the review it, the parents ask questions, the parents get to provoke the discussion. The parents then feel comfortable. Okay, now you can reopen. This is not a dictatorial decision by the school district. This is a cooperative decision where it is the parents' choice. It is not the school district's choice. It is the parents' choice to send their child. So, this is supposed to be more of a dialogue that we are having now and that is why these plans are important. I am disappointed that New York City didn't have their plan on time because that is one of the main districts where there is a lot of discussion and dialogue, and until there is a plan people are not going to feel that there is an informed dialogue. And to have that whole process, have that discussion, get it done in two weeks is going to be hard, and if parents are not comfortable and confident I am telling you they are not going to send their child. So you will open a school, you will have partial attendance which will serve no one.

My two cents on the plans, the concepts are not enough. I understand the concept of remote learning. We have a lot of experience with the concept of the remote learning and the experience that we went through. Remote learning, if not done well, can be a vehicle of division. Remote learning tends to work better in the wealthier school districts and tends to work less well in the poorer school districts. It tends to work better in wealthier homes and less well in poorer homes. The measures to correct that are vital to any reopening plan, and it is not just understanding the question - it is having a complete answer. I have had a number of conversations with school districts. Yes, we understand remote learning. Yes, we understand the challenges. Yes, but how are you going to meet them specifically? Where is the personnel? Where is the equipment? How are you going to do this?

All through this COVID crisis there are no conceptual discussions anymore. The conceptual discussions would have caused problems all across this country. Conceptually, we understand reopening. We'll have to do testing and tracing. Yeah, but if you didn't actually know how to do testing and tracing and you didn't operationally implement it, now you have Florida and Texas and Arizona, et cetera. If you didn't know how to do an emergency response legislation, then you wound up with this hodge podge approach that some states have now. The devil is in the details and parents are going to want to hear the details.

The second place, besides remote learning, is on testing. How are you going to test the students? How many are you going to test per day? How long will it take to turn around the tests? Where are you going to get that testing capacity? That has to all be in addition to what they are doing today. If a locality today is doing 20,000 tests, okay, how many are you going to do on the first day of school? Oh, we're going to do 10,000 in the schools. Oh, so you will have an additional 10,000 tests in capacity? Yes. How? And if you have an additional 10,000 capacity, why aren't you using it now? What will the turn arounds be on those tests? We know the turnaround times are going up with these national labs.

Those are the vital questions and those are the questions the parents are going to ask. These are very informed parents. I made it my business to inform the people of this state with exhaustive briefings every day. They know the questions. They're going to ask the questions and if we don't have answers for them, then they're going to conclude that we haven't thought through the plan and they're not going to send a child.

Remote learning is more of a policy, societal issue for me. The testing question is going to be the question that every parent asks. So let's ask it today before we get further down the road and find out we don't have the answer. Then it's too late to fix and we lost the confidence of the parents and then we're going to have a real problem. With that, Rob, Melissa, do you have anything else to add?