331 days left until Mayor Bill de Blasio is term limited out.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
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MAYOR DE BLASIO AND GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCE VACCINATION SITE AT YANKEE STADIUM TO OPEN FRIDAY
Bronx Mega-Site Will Be Reserved for Bronx Residents by Appointment Only, Bolstering State and City’s Commitment to Ensuring Fairness and Equity in Vaccine Distribution Process
15,000 Appointments Available During First Week
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Yankee Stadium will open this week as a mega vaccination site, beginning to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible Bronx residents on Friday, February 5. The site, established through a partnership between New York State, New York City, the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care and the New York National Guard, will help address and mitigate the ongoing impact of COVID-19 in the Bronx, including positivity rates in nearby communities, and promote equitable distribution of the vaccine, including in the borough’s hardest-hit neighborhoods. Bronx residents interested in scheduling appointments should visit Somosvaccinations.com or call 1-833-SomosNY.
“This mega site shows what our grassroots, equity-driven NYC Vaccine for All effort is all about,” Mayor de Blasio said. “Yankee Stadium has always been known for its World Series banners, but now it’ll be recognized as a place where the people of the surrounding community in the Bronx can receive the vaccine doses that they need and deserve. This is about justice and standing up for the neighborhoods that were hardest hit by COVID-19.”
“It’s abundantly clear that Black, Latino and poor communities have been hit the hardest by COVID, and the Bronx is no exception,” Governor Cuomo said. “Our efforts to target vaccinations by locations with higher positivity rates have been working to not only keep the infection rate down, but to help ensure equity in our vaccine distribution process, and opening a mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium – the Bronx’s most iconic landmark - is the perfect solution to helping this borough get vaccinated and defeat COVID once and for all.”
The New York Yankees said, “The New York Yankees recognize the devastating effect COVID-19 has had on our borough, and it is our privilege to have Yankee Stadium as a host site for providing vaccines to Bronx residents. These vaccinations will make an immediate difference in improving the health of our local community — which has been so overwhelmed by this pandemic — and we extend our appreciation to all those involved with bringing this effort to fruition, including Governor Andrew Cuomo, the State of New York, Mayor Bill De Blasio, the City of New York and SOMOS Community Care. We will do whatever is needed to make this a success.”
The vaccination site at Yankee Stadium is a key component of the City’s ongoing work to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, including by making the vaccine as accessible as possible and working to address vaccine hesitancy at the local community level. Last month, to continue expanding the City’s Vaccine for All effort, the City’s Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity (TRIE) updated its analysis of neighborhoods hardest-hit by COVID-19 and which have experienced long histories of racism and inequity, resulting in health and socioeconomic disparities, from 27 to 33 neighborhoods. The City will increase vaccine access and uptake in neighborhoods with significant gaps, through brick-and-mortar actions like this new site as well as expanded community engagement. This includes parts of the South Bronx, and areas around Yankee Stadium. For example, ahead of the Yankee Stadium vaccine site opening on Friday, the City will deploy canvassers to conduct on-the-ground outreach to Bronxites in these communities, providing vaccine facts to neighborhood residents and helping eligible individuals make vaccination appointments.
To achieve the City’s equity goals and reach as many New Yorkers as possible with the vaccine, including and especially Black and Latinx New Yorkers, the City continues to deepen and expand outreach through its agency partners and trusted community voices, including:
- Opening more hubs in more hard-hit neighborhoods as supply allows
- Offering free transportation to vaccination appointments for seniors
- Expanding vaccination clinics at NYCHA developments
- Conducting comprehensive outreach, including knocking on doors, placing direct calls and robocalls, and holding virtual townhalls
- Partnering with local organizations to get the word out about accessible and safe vaccinations in New York City, including community health providers and more, ensuring neighborhood residents can access appointments at vaccination sites near them.
Overall, the City continues to expand its citywide network of vaccine access points open to the eligible public, with 63 percent of public sites already in Task Force neighborhoods. More sites will be opened as supply allows.
Governor Cuomo Announces Five New York Companies to Produce COVID-19 Related Equipment and Supplies to Support In-State Needs
Nearly $2 Million in Incentives Awarded to Manufacturers Across the State Will Provide Faster and More Secure Access to Life-Saving Medical Products and Create New Jobs
New York State Has Announced More Than $20 Million to 36 New York Companies to Manufacture Vital Supplies; Companies to Collectively Create/Retain 3,500 Jobs
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that four additional New York companies and one company that has previously received state support will be awarded nearly $2 million in state support to produce needed supplies to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. These grant funds will help alleviate product shortages due to supply chain issues that could lead to unfair pricing practices. The companies will also increase the State's manufacturing capacity while creating new jobs and market opportunities. To date, New York State has announced more than $20 million in grants to 36 qualifying New York-based companies to retool their business lines and pivot to manufacturing vital supplies for ongoing response and recovery efforts. These 36 companies will collectively create and retain over 3,500 jobs.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious issues in our nation's medical supply chain, and we were forced to compete overseas and pay exorbitant prices for these life-saving products," Governor Cuomo said. "We learned the hard lesson that these resources need to be manufactured here in the U.S., and we are taking steps to build the infrastructure we need here in New York to keep us prepared for future crises while helping local companies create new jobs."
"Our country was ill-prepared for a global pandemic when it arrived early in 2020, and New York State was left to scour the earth in search of personal protective equipment," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "We are proud to support domestic manufacturing of critical medical equipment that will not only save lives and reduce dependency on overseas products, but also retain local jobs and support New York State companies."
In March, Governor Cuomo asked companies with New York-based operations to retool production lines in order to manufacture approved COVID-19 critical supplies, such as ventilators, test kits and PPE. Companies manufactured N95 respirators, surgical masks, gowns and face shields, among other products. On July 30, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced 12 New York companies had received support from the State to produce needed supplies to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to 8 companies announced by Empire State Development on May 15, 2020. On October 23, 2020, Governor Cuomo announced that an additional 8 New York companies had received support to start producing COVID-19 related equipment and supplies. The program was designed to ensure that New York State's health facilities will have access to PPE if and when they need it.
To further promote domestic manufacturing of critical medical supplies and devices and to reduce dependency on overseas products, Governor Cuomo has also proposed the Medical Supplies Act to prioritize buying American-made PPE and medical supplies as part of his 2021 Reimagine | Rebuild | Renew agenda. This new policy will help create and retain local jobs while ensuring the health and dependability of this sector for years to come.
Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, "New York State is home to many of the world's most innovative companies. ESD's support for these businesses not only answers Governor Cuomo's call for New York industries to assist with efforts to fight the coronavirus, but also reflects the investment that is being made to strengthen the State's manufacturing sector to adapt quickly to new market opportunities and continue its record of smart growth as we build back better."
1 Atelier - $500,000 - New York City - 1 Atelier is a maker of handbags in New York City. When the pandemic hit the City in March, the company's CEO decided that she needed to help the medical community get the PPE they needed while at the same time keeping her staff of 60 employed through what they knew would be a hard time. With the assistance of this grant, 1 Atelier shifted to making N95 respirators for the medical community and expects to have its National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health approval early next year. 1 Atelier has committed to producing an initial run of 250,000 N95 respirators.
Aero Healthcare US LLC - $800,000 - Mid-Hudson - Aero Healthcare is a global healthcare supply manufacturer and distributor. The company will expand its existing facility to bottle hand sanitizer and manufacture the plastic bottles and pumps for its containers. The ramp up will include the purchase of machinery and equipment and raw materials. At full production, Aero Healthcare will produce 200,000 units of hand sanitizer per week. This is the first phase of a larger plan to bring the batching and mixing of hand sanitizer to the company's Rockland County facility. The project will include an investment of $2.1 million and 10 new jobs to reach full capacity.
ARX Sciences- $200,000 - Western New York - ARX Sciences was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Western New York. The company designs, develops and manufactures reagents for use in in-vitro diagnostics. ARX also offers a number of biochemicals for use by scientists and clinical researchers. The company successfully applied for a COVID-19 grant in order to begin manufacturing viral transport mediums, or VTMs, and the company will produce 250,000 units, creating 20 new jobs in its manufacturing facility in Western New York.
Borden Manufacturing - $46,000 - New York City - Borden Manufacturing fabricates hospital equipment such as disposable cubicle curtains and medical waste bags. The company is receiving a grant to retool its facility to produce Level 1 disposable hospital gowns and disposable masks. The ramp-up will include the purchase of machinery and equipment, raw materials and the hiring of four new staff. The approximately $166,000 project will allow Borden to produce 365 masks and 3,276 gowns per week at full ramp-up, which is a total of 46,800 units during the first 90-day period. The company plans to continue manufacturing the gowns and masks indefinitely.
Genesis Disposables LLC - Grant: $400,000 - Mohawk Valley - (second grant) - Genesis Disposables has been manufacturing disposable garments and accessories for a diverse customer base for over 30 years at its facility located in Frankfort, NY. The company carries a wide range of raw materials that can be quickly converted into finished goods, enabling it to deliver exceptional turnaround time. Genesis Disposables has reached capacity at its current manufacturing facility and is looking to move into a larger facility and purchase machines and manufacturing equipment to increase production. The project will entail a $6.8 million investment to expand production of Level 1 and Level 2 isolation gowns at 100,000 a month initially, then ramping up to 250,000 a month by the end of 2021, creating 55 jobs in the first year.
AG James Statement on the Preservation of Brooklyn Underground Railroad Site
In response to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s decision to preserve 227 Duffield Street as a historical landmark, New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following statement:
“Brooklyn’s 227 Abolitionist Place, formerly Duffield Street, represents one of the most important ties that New York has to our abolitionist roots — roots that every Black New Yorker is proud of. During this time of national reckoning over the legacy of slavery and continued injustice faced by Black communities, maintaining that piece of history is critical in remembering how far we’ve come, and how far we still must go. Since my time in the City Council, I have fought for the protection of this important site, and now, I am immensely proud that during Black History Month, we can finally say it’s here to stay. This piece of Black New York history will be forever safeguarded so that future generations may know its story.”
Since her time on the New York City Council, Attorney General James has worked to preserve this historic site. In 2007, she passed legislation to rename the block of Duffield Street “Abolitionist Place” and successfully stopped the city from tearing down the structure for new development. In July 2020, she testified before the Landmarks Preservation Commission about the importance of designating the site as a landmark and protecting it for generations to come.
Governor Cuomo Directs Special Counsel for Ratepayer Protection to Lead Inquiry into Feasibility of a Public Takeover of New York American Water Company on Long Island
Special Counsel Will Lead the Department of Public Service's Investigation into the Merits of Municipalizing Troubled Long Island Water Utility and Issue Report by April 1st
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed Rory I. Lancman, Special Counsel for Ratepayer Protection at the New York State Department of Public Service, to commence and lead a municipalization feasibility study regarding Long Island's largest privately-owned water company, New York American Water Company, Inc.
"For far too long, the 120,000 customers of New York American Water on Long Island have been plagued by exorbitantly high rates for water - this simply cannot continue," Governor Cuomo said. "New York is immediately launching an effort to thoroughly study all options to reduce customer costs for this vital necessity and a basic right, including a public takeover. New Yorkers deserve access to clean, safe and affordable water and we are going to pursue every avenue to make that happen."
The Department is currently reviewing the sale of New York American Water to Liberty Utilities Co., another private utility. The Liberty proceeding has triggered strong local interest in reviewing options for potential public takeover of the system. Several municipalities, including Sea Cliff and Massapequa, submitted comments analyzing the feasibility of taking over parts of the New York American Water system. Governor Cuomo included a provision in his utility reform legislation introduced in November that requires the issuance of a study by April 1, 2021 on the feasibility of a public takeover of American Water. Given the importance of the issue in the ongoing proceeding, the Governor directed the Department to begin the study immediately.
Department of Public Service CEO John B. Rhodes said, "Governor Cuomo has taken an active interest in looking for solutions to this pressing problem of high-cost water service for these consumers. One of the greatest consumer benefits of a public takeover is that the utility would become tax-exempt, which would lower costs for consumers. Lowering the cost of service is of prime importance to the Department."
Special Counsel for Ratepayer Protection Rory I. Lancman said, "Governor Cuomo is leaving no option off the table when it comes to protecting ratepayers, and that includes potentially municipalizing all or part of New York American Water Company on Long Island. The results of our analysis will help the Governor, the Commission, legislators, local government officials, and customers make an informed decision on how best to reduce water rates and provide safe and reliable drinking water in the long-term."
The study being conducted by Special Counsel Lancman will include opportunities for public comment and public hearings. The study will be completed by April 1. New York American Water provides residential and non-residential metered and other water services as well as public and private fire protection services in parts of Nassau, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster, Washington and Westchester counties. American Water has about 124,000 customers system-wide, including about 120,000 customers on Long Island.
BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR FATAL SHOOTING IN FORDHAM HEIGHTS
Shooting Was Captured on Surveillance Video
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for a fatal shooting that occurred in Fordham Heights the day after Christmas.
District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly fatally shot the victim over a money dispute. We are working hard to bring justice to victims and this indictment shows wrongdoers will be held accountable at the end of the day. Our focus is on ending gun violence in the Bronx.”
District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Marquis Tanner, 30, of 365 East 184th Street, was arraigned on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter and two counts of seconddegree Criminal Possession of a Weapon before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Michael Gross on January 29, 2021. Remand was continued and the defendant is due back in court on March 29, 2021.
According to the investigation, at approximately 9:00 p.m. on December 26, 2020 at a basketball court at 365 East 183rd Street, the defendant allegedly argued with Alexandria Winchester, 24, and shot the victim once in the neck. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident was captured on surveillance video and the defendant later confessed to the killing, saying he shot the victim over money.
District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Indiana McGowan-Anderson of the 46th Precinct and NYPD Detective Patrick Sullivan of the Bronx Homicide Squad for their assistance in the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
Comptroller Stringer Releases Blueprint for Strengthening Public Safety in New York City
Unveils detailed proposals to transform public safety, protect New Yorkers from violence, and invest in communities
Builds upon the foundation laid out by Comptroller Stringer’s June 2020 analysis of the NYPD budget
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer unveiled a comprehensive blueprint for a new approach to public safety. Stringer’s plan, which builds on his June 2020 analysis of the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, would move responsibilities away from the NYPD, address serious crime and the recent increase in shootings, improve accountability and civilian oversight of the NYPD, and reinvest police dollars into communities.
“To keep all New Yorkers truly safe, we must confront the structural racism that is embedded in our criminal legal system, and we must act decisively and creatively to put a stop to the rise of violence in our city. We must transform the City’s approach to public safety, and this report is a blueprint for that transformation,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer.
In June, Comptroller Stringer detailed ways to achieve recurring savings from the NYPD that could be reinvested in communities. Some but not all of these proposals were adopted by the City Council and the Mayor. This report, developed over the months since the adoption of the City’s budget, takes the June proposals as a baseline and goes far beyond them with a vision for comprehensive reform that moves additional responsibilities away from the NYPD and identifies specific areas for reinvestment in communities.
Comptroller Stringer said, “We have taken a research-driven approach, over many months, to develop this plan – listening to stakeholders and impacted communities across New York City and drawing on real-world examples from other cities that successfully employ innovative strategies to ensure community safety. These recommendations form a bold and achievable roadmap to transform public safety in our city by adopting a public health approach to meet communities’ needs. It’s time to finally turn the page on strategies that are failing New Yorkers, particularly New Yorkers of color – and instead make systemic changes that keep everyone safe.”
The recommendations in Comptroller Stringer’s report are made in five sections. A summary of the report’s sections follows below:
Part 1: Take a multi-agency, public health-focused approach to community safety, transitioning responsibilities away from the NYPD and investing in alternative responses and services.
Homelessness, substance use, mental health issues, disconnected youth – these social service, public health, and education challenges too often fall to the police by default. Moving forward, they must be handled by trained professionals in other agencies and community-based organizations with greater expertise and a broader array of resources. The City must invest in long-term supports – in housing, healthcare, education, addiction, employment services, childcare, and neighborhoods – and no longer take a one-size-fits-all, gun-and-badge-centered approach to creating safety in communities.
The City can reduce negative interactions between police and communities in a number of ways: overhauling first-response for mental health, substance use, homelessness, welfare checks, and other emergency calls; continuing efforts to remove the NYPD from city schools and investing in social work, mental health, and guidance counselors that are directly under the control of the Department of Education (DOE); overhauling our approach to protests and demonstrations and eliminating the Strategic Response Group’s Disorder Control Unit; and removing armed officers from most traffic enforcement. As part of these efforts, the City should fundamentally redesign our 911 and first response system, which is the genesis of so many decisions about how resources are deployed and situations resolved. It is critical that the 911 system is committed to a public health response on a range of calls, including mental health, substance use, and homelessness.
Part 2: Address the near-term spike in crime with proactive strategies and community partners.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions and dislocations — from work, school, sports, social life, and the public sphere — that have contributed to a notable spike in homicides and shootings in New York and cities across America.
The City should more effectively utilize tools at its disposal to prevent the lion’s share of violence that is committed by a relatively small number of individuals. This can be achieved by improving detective work and clearance rates, which have plummeted; a coordinated, problem-solving approach by the NYPD, other city agencies, and community stakeholders to stop violence before it happens, and respond quickly when it does; and investing in community-based violence prevention strategies, including the Cure Violence model, to strengthen existing programming and dramatically expand the number of violence interrupters citywide.
In addition, the City should advance strategies to reduce the flow of guns into the five boroughs, provide comprehensive support services for at-risk youth, and invest in neighborhoods to address conditions that give rise to violence. This includes more targeted and comprehensive support for high-risk individuals and their families, leveraging the resources and expertise of the Department of Youth and Community Development, Department of Education, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York City Housing Authority, Housing Preservation and Development, and nonprofit organizations who best know their communities’ needs.
Part 3: Improve discipline, transparency, and civilian oversight of the NYPD.
The disciplinary process for NYPD officers is notoriously opaque, lengthy, toothless, and grants too much power and authority to the department itself. Given its extraordinary enforcement duties and responsibilities, the NYPD must be held directly accountable to the public they serve and submit to external review on matters of discipline. Moving forward, the authority of the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) should be expanded so that it no longer concedes disciplinary decisions to the police commissioner; a Critical Incident Review Board should be established to provide a systematic, public, and structural review of all major incidents; certification and decertification of officers should be codified so that major offenders are barred from serving in law enforcement; and infractions by police officers like covering badges, obscuring license plates, and parking on sidewalks should no longer be tolerated.
Moreover, accountability cannot just occur at the “back end,” after an infraction takes place or misconduct is alleged. It must also occur at the front end, initiating public review of new rules and regulations, improving transparency and scrutiny of police activities, prescribing a “duty to intervene” among fellow officers, and reforming surveillance, technology, and data practices and programs.
Part 4: End the “War on Drugs,” decriminalize offenses that pose no risk to community safety, and reform parole.
The most immediate way to avoid hostile interactions and prevent undue entanglements in the criminal-legal system is to prevent interactions from happening in the first place. This can be achieved by eliminating criminal penalties and enforcement for a number of offenses that pose no threat to community safety, granting amnesty for open arrest warrants for low-level offenses, and ending incarceration for unpaid court debt, among other strategies. Decarceration should also be advanced by dramatically improving re-entry services and supportive housing, reforming parole, and ending incarceration for technical parole violations.
Part 5: Initiate operational and managerial reform of the NYPD.
While public safety investments are made in other agencies and communities, we cannot ignore the changes needed within the police department itself. The City should dramatically reduce and put real guardrails on NYPD overtime expenditures, capping it by precinct and individual officer and no longer using overtime as a bonus for arrests. It should also pursue commonsense reforms to improve managerial promotion, training, and diversity, elevate the voices of community members and frontline officers, and reduce auto patrol and the NYPD fleet size.
To read Comptroller Stringer’s full 50 page report on strengthening public safety, click here.