Friday, December 18, 2020

Governor Cuomo Announces Impaired Driving Crackdown During Holiday Season

 

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Enforcement Campaign to Run Through January 1 

More than 159,000 Vehicle and Traffic Law Violation Tickets Issued During Last Year's Enforcement Campaign, Including 5,677 Arrests For DWI

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that state and local law enforcement agencies throughout New York will be stepping up patrols to crack down on impaired driving during the holiday travel season. The enforcement campaign will run through Friday, January 1. This crackdown is part of the national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" initiative designed to reduce alcohol and drug-related traffic crashes. It is sponsored by STOP-DWI with funding from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

"New York has zero tolerance for impaired driving," Governor Cuomo said. "Motorists who drive under the influence not only put themselves at risk, but endanger the lives of everyone else. Be safe and smart this holiday season, whether you're on the road or not. If you must travel, drive sober or have a plan in place to get where you're going safely."

During the 2019 enforcement campaign, law enforcement throughout the state arrested 5,677 people for impaired driving. In total, 159,133 tickets were issued for vehicle and traffic law violations. Full breakdown here:

Violation 

Number of Tickets 

Impaired Driving 

5,677 

Distracted Driving 

6,118 

Move Over Law 

1,014 

Other Violations 

113,637 

Seatbelt 

3,602 

Speeding 

29,085 

Grand Total 

159,133 

NYS STOP-DWI Foundation Chairman Reginald Crowley said, "Every year, too many lives are ruined by impaired driving. Make sure you have a safe ride home."DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder said, "The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee is proud to support these initiatives that help get impaired drivers off New York's roads. I thank our law enforcement and STOP-DWI officials for their work in making holiday travel safer for everyone. It's simple, have a plan to get home safely."

State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said, "As we celebrate the holiday season, we want to remind motorists to celebrate safely. If plans include alcohol, please plan ahead for a safe ride home. Driving impaired is a choice that can have serious, and sometimes deadly, consequences. The public's safety is our top priority. As always, our Troopers will be highly visible and will have zero tolerance for impaired, reckless and distracted drivers."

NYS Association of Chiefs of Police President Chief Patrick D. Phelan said,"I encourage all of our association members to actively participate in this critically important statewide high visibility enforcement campaign. We share a unified goal in partnership with local, county and state law enforcement personnel to detect and remove impaired drivers from our roadways and to make them as safe as possible during this holiday season." 

A major component of New York's efforts to combat impaired driving is the STOP-DWI program. STOP-DWI stands for "Special Traffic Options Program for Driving While Intoxicated." The state's STOP-DWI program is the nation's first self-sustaining impaired driving program. The program's efforts are funded from fines paid by convicted impaired drivers. Importantly, the program's coordinators are comprised of diverse professional backgrounds, including law enforcement and non-law enforcement. 

The STOP-DWI program was created to empower counties to coordinate local efforts to reduce alcohol and other drug-related traffic crashes. All 62 counties have opted to participate. Some examples of programs funded by STOP-DWI are: specially trained police units dedicated to DWI enforcement, hiring of special prosecutors and probation officers to handle the caseload, monitoring ignition interlock devices, supporting rehabilitation services, and developing public information and education campaigns tailored to communities within their respective regions. To learn more, visit http://www.stopdwi.org/.

In addition to STOP-DWI, the GTSC supports training for Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). DREs are specially trained officers utilized by law enforcement when a driver appears to be impaired, but police have ruled out alcohol as the cause or sole cause of impairment. A DRE receives extensive training that has been approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The training allows officers to observe and document signs and indicators of impairment within each of seven drug categories including illicit and prescription drugs.

For more information about GTSC, visit https://trafficsafety.ny.gov/, or follow the GTSC conversation at Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov, or follow the DMV conversation online at FacebookTwitter and Instagram

MAYOR DE BLASIO HOLDS MEDIA AVAILABILITY - FOR SOME REPORTERS

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:

This was Day 33 that we were not called on to ask Mayor Bill de Blasio a question. 

All we want to know is it appears that two week after election day the COVID-19 indicators started to jump up, because people were crowded on lines outside and inside poll sites, with a many as fifty or more voters inside certain poll sites not socially distanced.

Then with the stoppage of Indoor dining we can not understand how the 12th City Council Special Election can go on, especially since the mayor says there will be anther shutdown right after the December 22nd Special Election, an right before the Christmas holiday/New Years Eve celebration in Times Square.

 Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. Well, the worst of the storm is passed and there's actually some sun peeking through the clouds this morning. So, that's a really good sign. We're going to talk about the storm in just a moment, but first I want to talk about yesterday – so meaningful, so powerful, so emotional – being at Elmhurst Hospital, the place that was the epicenter within the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, the place that was hit hardest all in New York City. 10 months ago, Elmhurst Hospital, going through hell, but what strong people there at Elmhurst, what good people, the health care heroes who saw us through. How amazing to be there yesterday as the first health care workers in our public hospitals got their vaccine. Talk about an amazing turnaround that the vaccine, being given to the very same people who saved lives by the thousands 10 months ago. Two health care workers were the first to be vaccinated in all of our public hospitals, Veronica Delgado, who is a lead physician assistant in the emergency department, and, William Kelly, service aid in the environmental services department. They both were wonderful and they both spoke from the heart about how important it was for their fellow health care workers and all New Yorkers to get the vaccine. And William said something that just brought it all together. He said, I hope everybody takes the shot so we can all get back together. Think about that. That's the simplest most powerful explanation of why we need the vaccine, so we can all get back together. I want everyone to be thinking about that in the weeks and months ahead, about getting that vaccine and helping others, encouraging others to do it. It means we can turn the page and start to do the things we love and get back together with our family and friends the way we've missed so much. So, the approach we're going to take on this vaccine is really to amplify voices like Williams, folks in every neighborhood. We had some of our colleagues from the clergy on yesterday. You're going to be hearing from clergy. You're going to hear from elected officials, community leaders, and every-day New Yorkers talk about why the vaccine is important, why it's safe, why it's easy, why it's effective. We need to get the word out.  

Now, we have just started in the last few days the vaccine effort. It's going to ramp up much more every single day, but here's the up-to-date number of people vaccinated in New York City – 5,200; new since yesterday morning, 3,565. These numbers are going to grow rapidly with each day as the approach to the vaccine gets refined more each day and more and more people are brought into play. So, again, first few days is going to be a slow and steady ramp-up, then you're going to see a takeoff. And, now, we have, so far, in New York City 42,900 doses have arrived. So, we have plenty of supply. We're going to be getting that out all over the city.  

 

Now, at the same time, we’ve got to get people good information. Just as important as where the vaccine is, is making sure people understand it, they trust it, they get answers to their questions. We fight back misinformation. There's a lot of misinformation out there, we have to overcome that and we have to remind people of a situation we're living with. The virus keeps causing us a challenge. The rate of infection keeps going up in the city, hospitalizations keep going up. We've got a serious issue here. That's why we need the vaccine to fight the virus. But, in the meantime, we need everyone to do what you know how to do, the masks, the social distancing, no travel, no big gatherings, keep gathering small. These are the things we're going to need to do to keep fighting this virus. And a lot of people have said to me these last few days, we don't want to see another pause, we don't want to see another shutdown – nor do I, but if you don't want to see those things, do something about it. Cancel travel plans, keep the gathering small, wear the mask, do all the things that help us fight the virus so we can try and avoid some of those measures that none of us want to see.  

 

Okay, let me go back to the storm. We were certainly braced for a major storm and already we know that the amount of we saw in the last 24 hours was the most we've seen since January 2016. So, it's really been years since we've had this kind of challenge. And we saw up to almost 11 inches in the Bronx, so far. Most of the rest of the city, somewhere in the five-to-eight inch range. So, serious amount of snow, but certainly our Sanitation Department can handle it. They have handled a whole lot worse than this, and they've done it brilliantly. I have the honor of being at the Sanitation Garage on the Lower East Side yesterday, talking to the good men and women who do this work. I want to shout them out again – thank you to all the Sanitation workers. You are heroes. You don't get enough credit. I want to keep giving you credit. You go out there as many hours as it takes, you clear the way, and, because of you, this morning, vaccine shipments are moving around New York City and people are getting the things they need. Food shipments are moving, the things people need the most. Folks are able to get to work because of you. So, thank you, to everyone at the Sanitation Department. Snow, as I said, tapering off now – just a little bit left. It'll end altogether around 1:00 PM. Lot of winds still, but we can handle it. And those plowing operations continue all over the city. So, this is a reminder, please help the Sanitation Department, help the good men and women doing this work, get out of the way to the plows. The best thing you can do, don't be out on the streets, don't drive until we get through the plowing today. Tomorrow's going to be a much better day. Help out our good friends at Sanitation by giving them the freedom to do their job. Stay off the streets to the maximum extent possible today.  

 

Now, alternate side parking update – it’ll be suspended through Saturday, December 19th to help continue the snow removal. And let's talk about schools as well today. Schools closed today, we announced that early afternoon yesterday. It's a remote learning day. Obviously, a new reality for our kids. Look, our kids need the chance to keep learning. They've been through so much this year. They have lost ground in terms of their learning. We need to help them. We have the ability to keep learning, going into today, because of remote learning. So, all kids have the opportunity to do that. There'll be a chance after school, obviously, kids love being out in the snow, so they can go out and have a great time – some sledding, maybe some snowball fights, whatever they can do after school. But I want to make sure everyone knows, tomorrow school we'll be back in session in-person. We are good to go for tomorrow. Friday, school will be back in session in-person.  

 

Okay. Let's turn that outdoor dining. A lot of concern about making sure that the mom and pop restaurants out there and all the people who work in the dining industry had their jobs tonight, and so many people rooting for them. Here's the update – it's going to take a couple of different stages to get the final answer today. What we can say with assurance is that in Manhattan, right now – Manhattan did pretty well in this storm. In Manhattan, we're going to have outdoor dining up and running tonight. And, obviously, that's where a lot of the restaurants and jobs are. So, we can tell you right now through the great efforts of Sanitation Department, we'll have outdoor dining up and running in Manhattan tonight. For the other four boroughs, we're going to have an update by about one o'clock today. And it could be different by borough – obviously, different boroughs had different amount of snowfall, different conditions, different realities. We're going to speak to that later on today, after Sanitation has a chance to do some more assessment and come back with the latest updates. So, we will keep the public posted and we'll keep our colleagues in the restaurant industry posted as we get that information over the next few hours. 

 

Okay. With that, to give you further updates, I’m going to first turn to our Emergency Management Commissioner. And she and her team have done a great job dealing with all the issues around the storm, as they do with every major weather event and every challenge this city faces. My pleasure to introduce Commissioner Deanne Criswell. 

 

Commissioner Deanne Criswell, Office of Emergency Management: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I think you've covered a lot of it, but I'll just reiterate a couple of really important points. The bulk of this storm has moved through the city, but there still is a winter weather – a winter storm warning in place until 1:00 PM. We didn't get as much snow as we thought we were going to get, but we did get a wet, heavy snow. And so, that's making for some pretty messy conditions out there. And so, with that, I want to encourage everybody, you know, as you're going out and you're shoveling today, really take care of yourself, make sure you're staying hydrated and take breaks in between shoveling because it is to be a little bit draining for you because it is a heavy snow. One of the positive things about this as we did not have as many power outages or downed trees that we thought we might have because of the wet snow and the wind. And so, because it was not as much, we didn't have the significant outages. And so, that was a really good piece of the storm.  

 

It is going to remain breezy today, though. As the snow starts to fade away by 1:00 PM, you're going to see winds go through the evening. And as the snow melts a little bit, the weather isn't going to get much warmer. And with that wind, you're just going to see it turn back into freezing conditions later tonight. And so, I want to just caution all New Yorkers, please take care, please stay off the roads if you don't have to be on them. And if you're out walking around as these conditions may turn icy again later this evening, please take extra caution. And, as always, please look out for your neighbors, take care of one another and stay safe. 

 

Mayor: Thank you very much, Commissioner. And thanks to you and your team for a great job. And now, also with tremendous thanks, turning to our acting Sanitation Commissioner and everyone at Sanitation – I just – I love what these guys do. I'm so proud of their effort and they're doing it again right now out there, getting the city back on the feet in record time – amazing work they do. My pleasure to introduce Sanitation Commissioner Ed Grayson. 

 

Acting Sanitation Commissioner Ed Grayson, Department of Sanitation: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As the Mayor said, and as Deanne went over, we have definitely had a major storm event. We saw some depths that we haven't seen in a few years. And, more importantly, the makeup of the composition of the storm with some sleet mixing in this makes it for a difficult plow storm. However, throughout the overnight and continuing today, we have basically plowed every street in the city. We're continuing with salting operations and we will continue with plowing operations to get our streets safe and clear for everyone. Mother nature, however, is not being very kind on the backend of this storm. So, while we're seeing some clearing, we're going to have really cold temps. So, what we want to make sure everybody's doing is heeding the warnings. If you can stay off the road, please do that. We will be continuing our plowing and salting operations continually throughout the rest of the day into tonight. 

 

Looking ahead, as the Mayor said, we will be giving some guidance later on for the remainder of the decisions on outdoor dining structures. The outdoor dining structures did well structurally for the most part from our frontline reviews, from what we saw, and our operators did well navigating around them. So, that means that the messaging worked and we can't thank the restaurant owners and small businesses enough for doing their part. And we'd like to thank all the residents who did their part by not parking near them and giving us the room we needed. We ask that to continue.  

 

Our goal today and for the remainder of the day is to continue widening streets and salting, and we look to do that. Tonight, for those who are enjoying some outdoor dining after the final decisions are made. All I can say is this, it might not be a night to wear your good shoes, only because it's going be a lot of slush out there, because our job is to continue throwing salt out. We have to do that because of the rate of the cold weather coming and beyond this storm. Also looking ahead, I'd like to let everybody know that tomorrow we will be employing emergency laborers. So, the shift will be 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We're going to do that Friday and Saturday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We've pre-registered over 500 laborers. Consider this the first notification, although you will be formally notified to come down. And, for anybody else interested, you can go to nyc.gov/notify to find out more information. We will certainly take all the help we can get because we're about to move into a manual operation, starting tomorrow to get some of these catch basins and crosswalks and hydrants cleared to make sure that we're all healthy and safe in the wake of this event. 

 

Once we finished clearing everything, we'll we're going to be out there, as I said, all night, for the remainder into tomorrow. We'll talk about where we're going to be on refuse and recycling. We will continue to be delayed. The snow response will take all of our efforts for a while and we hope to update shortly on where we'll be. So, that is our update for the storm. We've done a great job. The men and women continue to do a great job and we'll be out there for the rest of the day. Thank you, sir. 

 

Mayor: I want to say our Sanitation Commissioner is doing a lot for us here, he’s doing a great job and also telling us not to wear our fancy shoes tonight. I thank you, that is very good guidance. That's news you can use, everybody. A couple other things – so, obviously, it’s be cold the next few days. Code Blue is in effect, that means making sure that any homeless folks who need shelter, we go out and quickly give them assistance. If you see anyone in need a call 3-1-1. Obviously, if it’s urgent, call 9-1-1 right away. And, most importantly, everyone, look, you heard the warning from Commissioner Criswell, be careful about shoveling, don't overdo it. If you've got someone who needs help in your neighborhood shoveling, if there's a senior that maybe you can chip in with or get someone to help them out, that's really great. Look out for your neighbors. Look out for someone that has any special need. New Yorkers do an amazing job looking out for each other. It's going to be cold. You know, we're going to be dealing with the snow and removal of the snow the next few days, let's be there for each other, as always.  

 

And that's a segue to what it means to be there for each other – well, New Yorkers do it all the time, but our colleagues in Washington are not doing such a great job. There's a discussion going on right now on the stimulus. And this a new stimulus proposal simply falls short. It's just not going to do enough to help New York City in New York State. We are not going to recover without help. We didn't create the coronavirus. The federal government has an obligation to New York. We were the epicenter of this crisis – they have an obligation to help us. They simply haven't helped us enough.  

 

So, what do we see right now in Washington? Endless discussion that now is leaving out all state and local aid. That means the City government, State government will not be able to get back on our feet and serve our people. It's just doesn't make any sense. If you sideline local aid, you sideline the recovery. There won't be a recovery. So, right now, I don't know what – how on earth these discussions are leaving out local aid. I don't find this package acceptable. It's not going to get us where we need to go. What is in the package that at least I can say is a step in the right direction, direct payments to every-day New Yorkers, every-day Americans – of course we know we need that. That is one of the things that has sustained us to the degree we have been able to keep going. We also need to see, obviously, school funding. Keeping schools going has been a huge challenge, keeping them safe and healthy. We need school funding. We need transit funding – the MTA is in dire shape. We need to keep it going, that's urgent. And FEMA aid – this is the most obvious of all. We bore the brunt. We put out a huge amount of money to keep people safe, keep them healthy, keep them fed, keep a roof over their head. We have done extraordinary things in this city. Federal government should reimburse for those direct COVID-related resource – direct COVID-related costs. When you think about things that came from the coronavirus, not something that this city ever could have been prepared for, those are federal obligations. So, FEMA reimbursement should be at 100 percent to make us whole, help us back on our feet. That's something that's still could get done here that would be crucial for New York and so many other places to have borne the brunt. So, really, really unhappy with what I see, but if they are going to do a deal, at least get it right on the things that they're talking about now and help us keep going. But we're going to need a much bigger stimulus than this. We're going to need local and state aid as part of it, if we're serious about helping people and getting back on our feet. 

 

Okay, let me go to our indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19 – today's report, 174 patients. We want to be under 200 – today, we are. It's been a tough in some of the last few days, but at least that's a little bit better number for today. But the number that's not good, hospitalization rate per 100,000 – today's number is 3.06. We want to be under two, so that is not a good sign. New cases – this number keeps just getting bigger and bigger – probable cases and confirmed cases go to 2,739. We want to be under 550. We’ve got a long way to go and everyone needs to be a part of turning it around. And then, percentage of New York City residents testing positive on the seven-day rolling average – today’s report, six percent. Again, that's an unacceptable number. We need to get under five and keep going down for there. So, six percent is not acceptable. We’ve got a lot of work to do.  


Thursday, December 17, 2020

PROPERTY RESOURCES CORPORATION AND CAMBER PROPERTY GROUP OPEN THE TIFFANY STREET APARTMENTS

 New 100% Affordable South Bronx Development Includes 34 Units for the Formerly Homeless

 Property Resources Corporation and Camber Property Group announced today the official opening of the Tiffany Street Apartments, located at 975 Tiffany Street in the South Bronx.

 

The 100 percent affordable, 161-unit building includes a wide variety of unit types for varied family sizes from studios to three-bedroom apartments. 

 

The building is a mixed-income community with apartments affordable to residents earning a wide spectrum of incomes between 27 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) up to 80 percent AMI. Over 20 percent of the building or 34 units have been set-aside for formerly homeless individuals and families. The lottery for the Tiffany Street Apartments opened in early July through NYC Housing Connect and received over 60,000 applications.

 

“The sheer number of applications received for Tiffany Street Apartments evidences the critical need for this type of mixed-income housing now,” said Rick Gropper, Principal and Co-Founder of Camber Property Group. “As our city grapples with COVID-19, it is incumbent on us to create housing for all New Yorkers - especially the formerly homeless - who need our assistance to begin to break the cycle of poverty.”

 

“PRC has proudly provided affordable housing to our community in the Bronx for fifty years, and the need for housing has never been more crucial,” said Ben Linde, Principal, Property Resources Corporation. “We are extremely grateful, amid these unprecedented circumstances, to offer 161 neighborhood families a safe, comfortable place to call home at Tiffany Street Apartments.”

 

“What families need in this moment are safe, secure and affordable homes. These 161 affordable homes are paired with outdoor space and are in close proximity to community assets,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “I want to thank our partners Property Resources Corporation and Camber Property Group for creating a project that is 100% affordable and providing 34 homes for formerly homeless New Yorkers.”

 

“Tiffany Street Apartments will provide housing stability to 161 individuals and families, including 34 formerly homeless New Yorkers,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin.  “At a time when affordable housing is more important than ever, I commend all our partners for their ongoing efforts to drive forward critical developments like this to completion.”

 

“Access to truly affordable housing has and will continue to be the leading issue of our time,' stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca, 17th Council District, The Bronx. “As COVID exacerbates this demand, the opening of the 161-unit, 100 percent affordable Tiffany Street Apartments will provide Bronxites of all walks of life with the housing opportunities they need most. From units for formerly homeless individuals and families, to units at the deepest affordability, to units for working families, Tiffany Street Apartments is an example of smart development. I applaud the teams at Property Resources Corporation and Camber Property Group for their continued commitment to building affordable housing in the South Bronx, and thank administrative partners HDC and HPD for their assistance in making this project a reality.”

 

The Tiffany Street Apartments are a joint venture between Property Resources Corp. and Camber Property Group, the third such collaboration between the two companies in the South Bronx. The partnership also developed 1000 Fox Street, an eight-story, 120 unit affordable project, and 960 Simpson Street, a six-story, 80-unit building. 

 

The $60 million project was funded through a combination of $40 million in tax-exempt bonds and subsidy from HPD and HDC and $15 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity. Chase Community Development Banking provided the construction period credit enhancement and Regions Affordable Housing provided the tax credit equity on behalf of JPMorgan Capital Corporation. 

 

Amenities available to residents at the Tiffany Street Apartments include an on-site resident manager, fitness center, community gathering space, outdoor recreational space, bike storage and laundry room. The building is located a near both the Simpson Street and Intervale Avenue 2/5 subway stations and a short distance from the Southern Boulevard Business Improvement District, one of the most vibrant retail districts in The Bronx.

 

More information on the Camber Property Group can be found at the company’s website, www.camberpg.com.


MAYOR DE BLASIO APPLAUDS MAJOR STEP FORWARD FOR BROADBAND ACCESS

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today released the following statement on the passage of the Information Services Resolution:

 

“Today, New York City took another major step forward in bridging the digital divide. With this resolution, we are able to bring in new companies to offer more competitive and affordable broadband options to New Yorkers. As the COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear, New Yorkers deserve access to affordable, high speed internet and I thank Chairs Moya and Salamanca for their partnership on this important issue.”


More Photos From the Food Giveaway by Senator Biaggi Using the Community Board 10 office as a Backdrop For City Council Candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch

 


Above- You can see State Senator Alessandria Biaggi's sign in the Community Board 10 window with City Council candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch next to the CB 10 District Manager Matthew Cruz who donated three times to candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch's failed 2017 City Council campaign before being appointed the District Manager of CB 10. Both are standing behind the people who are filling bag with fresh produce.

Below - The cameraman arrives to film only City Council candidate Marjorie Velazquez Lynch, who has moved to the table to be filmed handing out bags of food in front of CB 10 where she is a member of. 




Above - Another man holds a sound boom so while the cameraman films there will be audio of Marjorie Velazquez Lynch talking to this woman in front of the CB 10 office. 
Below - The cameraman is blocking this person who is trying to leave with their bag of fresh produce.




Above - It is time for the cameraman to get a close up of the candidate. 
Below - Bring in the sound boom as the candidate is speaking.




Above - The candidate is talking to the District Manager of CB 10. Since the sound boom is taken away I wonder what they were saying?
Below - I was able to get close enough to hear and take this photo. The cameraman is just over the left shoulder of the candidate. Notice the red light is on as he filming. 





So where was Senator Biaggi during all the filming, down the block introducing herself to the people on line.

LOOK OUT BRONX COMMUNITY BOARDS 10 and 11 - CB 10 Chair Marjorie Velazquez Lynch Will be Advocating For Increasing Housing Density in Affluent Neighborhoods According to a Politico Article

 

Group pushing for more housing backs a slate of Council candidates

The “Yes In My Backyard” group Open New York, which advocates for increasing housing density in affluent neighborhoods, is endorsing eight Council Candidates

Among the candidates receiving endorsements are Legal Aid Society employee Juan Ardila, who is running against Robert Holden in Queens, and community board chair Marjorie Velázquez, who is pursuing a second challenge against Mark Gjonaj in the Bronx. Both challengers have also won the endorsement of the left-leaning Working Families Party, whose member organization New York Communities for Change led the opposition to City Hall’s current housing plans.

Look out Fieldston and RiverdaleOpen New York will also back Shaun Abreu and Sara Lind in Manhattan, and Jessica Haller, John Sanchez, Althea Stevens and Pierina Sanchez in the Bronx.

A questionnaire circulated by Open New York asked candidates if they would consider going against the Council’s member deference practice — specifically, whether they would vote in favor of mixed-income housing developments in an affluent neighborhood if a local member was opposed. Berkovitz said he would have liked to see Johnson “take [the practice] on more directly.”

The group also asked if candidates would support legislation encouraging the creation of accessory dwelling units and the conversion of hotels into permanent housing, if they would pledge not to support a downzoning in their districts and if they would support eliminating single-family zoning citywide.

The full Politico article that can be found here,

https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2020/12/17/group-pushing-for-more-housing-backs-a-slate-of-council-candidates-1347663?mc_cid=fd0b9ec203&mc_eid=abeb56f41b

Comptroller Stringer, NYC Funds and APG Call on Amazon to Publicly Disclose Worker Health and Safety Protections Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Shareowner proposal calls on key independent Board Committee to fulfill its responsibility to oversee, and release details on, Amazon management’s efforts to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Proposal, which follows the Committee’s failure to respond to a similar request from the major shareholders last May, will be subject to a shareholder vote at Amazon’s 2021 annual meeting if Amazon’s independent directors again fail to respond

New data shows Amazon may have understated the impact of its practices on worker health and safety, some warehouses were COVID-19 hotspots, and the front-line employee turnover rate was double the industry average

 New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, on behalf of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers Retirement System of the City of New York and New York City Board of Education Retirement System (the “Systems”), and the Dutch pension asset manager APG announced a new shareholder proposal calling on the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee (“Committee”) of the Amazon Board of Directors to release a public report on the company’s efforts to protect workers’ health and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal follows a concerning report from the Center for Investigative Reporting in 2020 that found some Amazon warehouses were COVID-19 hotspots and the turnover rate for frontline employees being double the industry average. These issues have arisen amid a year in which consumers have increasingly relied upon online orders and convenient delivery options for their day-to-day needs – exacerbating questions about the long-term sustainability of a business model that is high speed and high stress for its employees and delivery personnel at the expense of their health and safety.

“There is a massive disconnect between what Amazon management says it’s doing to keep workers safe and what those workers are reporting. If Amazon is going to invest in worker health and safety measures, they need to demonstrate with hard data that those measures are keeping workers healthy and safe,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “With the rapid growth of online retail, companies like Amazon must strengthen their workforce practices to protect their workers and avoid any potential legal, regulatory and reputational risks. Shareholders have a right to transparency concerning Amazon’s business practices, especially how the company protects its workforce from COVID-19. Amazon’s workers and shareholders deserve an independent, scientifically-driven approach that serves as a model for the entire e-commerce and retail industries.”

“We welcome Amazon’s disclosure of infection rates as a step toward increased transparency. Though it can be seen as a signal of their commitment to follow through on planned COVID response initiatives, what really matters is the impact. As a long-term, responsible investor in Amazon, APG wants to understand how effective these billion-dollar initiatives have been. Is it working? Are its employees actually safe?” said APG’s Anna Pot, Head of Responsible Investments Americas. “By providing meaningful insight into the outcomes of their efforts to stop the spread of COVID, Amazon could demonstrate responsible business practices and set the standard for other companies. We want them to be accountable for doing their part to protect their workers and the communities they serve.”

Even before the pandemic, long-term investors expressed concerns about the sustainability of Amazon’s business model, which emphasized productivity, notwithstanding reports about its negative effects on worker health and safety. A 2019 report by the Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed Amazon’s OSHA reporting from 22 fulfillment centers and found extremely high injury rates – more than twice the national warehouse rate. In addition, research in the New England Journal of Medicine indicated that COVID-19 can remain on cardboard for up to 24 hours, thus raising questions about the risks if a sick driver were to deliver packages to multiple residences.

In October 2020, Amazon did ultimately acknowledge that 19,816 U.S. employees had tested positive, but argued that this rate was below rates in many states. The report provided limited insight into the effectiveness of Amazon’s COVID response. Independent scientists criticized it for not disclosing overall trends and for comparing infection rates for workers to the general population, which has proportionately more vulnerable and unemployed individuals. The report also failed to identify hotspots, trends by job or facility category, or to discuss rates for delivery driver contractors.

The New York City Pension Funds and APG have $6.3 billion invested in Amazon on a combined basis. Read the proposal here.

In addition to Comptroller Stringer, the participating New York City Retirement Systems’ trustees are:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Representative, John Adler (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Borough Presidents: Gale Brewer (Manhattan), Donovan Richards (Queens), Eric Adams (Brooklyn), James Oddo (Staten Island), and Ruben Diaz, Jr. (Bronx); Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Tony Utano, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Appointee, John Adler; Chancellor’s Representative, Lindsey Oates, New York City Department of Education; Natalie Green Giles; and Debra Penny (Chair), Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza; Mayoral: Isaac Carmignami, Natalie Green Giles, Eric C. Henry Vanessa Leung, Gary Linnen, Lori Podvesker, Shannon Waite, Michael Kraft (Manhattan BP), Debrorah Dillingham (Queens BP), April Chapman (Brooklyn BP), Geneal Chacon (Bronx BP) and Peter Calandrella (Staten Island BP); Thomas C. Sheppard, Kathy Park Price, Natalie Green Giles, Russell Buckley, Chris Attianese, Shaun D. Francois; and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.

About APG 

APG is the largest pension provider in the Netherlands; its approximately 3,000 employees provide executive consultancy, asset management, pension administration, pension communication and employer services. APG performs these services on behalf of (pension) funds and employers in the sectors of education, government, construction, cleaning and window cleaning, housing associations, energy and utility companies, sheltered employment organizations, and medical specialists. APG manages approximately €564 billion (December 2020) in pension assets for the pension funds in these sectors. APG works for approximately 22,000 employers, providing the pension for one in five families in the Netherlands (about 4.7 million participants). APG has offices in Heerlen, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. More information: www.apg.nl/en

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic - DECEMBER 16, 2020

 

6,097 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide

1,098 Patients in the ICU; 611 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 6.21%

95 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

"New Yorkers can stop a shutdown, New Yorkers can save lives. It just depends on what we do and what we need to do is manage the hospitals, administer the vaccine and slow the spread," Governor Cuomo said. "While we have been working with hospital systems to expand capacity, the first of the vaccine arrived and New York's goal is to have the best vaccine program in the United States. It's the most ambitious governmental operation that has been undertaken, period. We have been planning for the vaccine, now we're implementing that plan and we're ensuring New Yorkers can access the vaccine free of charge. New Yorkers always set the bar high and with what we went through in the spring, I want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to be the first state to kill this beast - so please, wear a mask, wash your hands and continue to socially distance." 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

  • Test Results Reported - 160,947
  • New Cases - 9,998
  • Percent Positive - 6.21 %
  • Patient Hospitalization - 6,097 (+115)
  • Patients Newly Admitted - 823
  • Hospital Counties - 55
  • Number ICU - 1,098 (+33)
  • Number ICU with Intubation - 611 (+31)
  • Total Discharges - 92,735 (+599)
  • Deaths - 95
  • Total Deaths - 28,100