Wednesday, March 6, 2013

LIU STATEMENT ON CITY HALL'S TAXI FLIP-FLOP


             City Comptroller John C. Liu said the following about Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky’s flip-flop on wheelchair-accessible cabs:
“City Hall spent months resisting our calls to make the entire taxi fleet wheelchair accessible and insisting that the flawed, non-wheelchair accessible Taxi of Tomorrow was the only choice for the fleet. Now, after we rejected the Taxi of Tomorrow contract, City Hall has apparently changed its mind. Hooray! If another hearing is what it takes to get the Bloomberg Administration to do the right thing for New Yorkers, let’s go.”
Background:

In December 2012, Comptroller Liu rejected the contract for the flawed, non-wheelchair accessible Taxi of Tomorrow: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-12-134.shtm

In May 2012, Comptroller Liu requested that Mayor Bloomberg and the TLC amend the proposed Taxi of Tomorrow design to require it be wheelchair accessible before sending any agreement for registration. Comptroller Liu’s May 2, 2012 letter to the Mayor is here: http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2012_releases/pr12-05-047.shtm


Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov for the latest news, events and initiatives.
Follow Comptroller Liu on 
Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message
 text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
 
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on 
YouTube.


We're one step closer to a $9 minimum wage in New York State!


Greetings,
I'm proud to say that the New York State Assembly has passed the minimum wage bill, which will be effective January 2014. This life-altering bill, beginning in January 2015, will also be indexed to inflation, that essentially means that the minimum wage will increase as the price of goods and services increases from year to year. 

It is now up to my colleagues in the Senate to help make this a reality! I am confident that this will happen, and will cherish the day when Governor Cuomo signs this needed piece of legislation into law.

Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda-87th District
1973 Westchester Ave
Phone: (718) 931-2620
Bronx, NY 10462
 
 

Save Our Schools Press Release


CARLOS SIERRA HOLDS “SAVE OUR SCHOOLS” MEETING

    One week before the Panel for Educational Policy votes on the closure of P. S. 64 and other schools across New York City, Carlos Sierra and other community advocates gathered at Latino Pastoral Action Center (LPAC) Monday evening to voice their concerns towards what lies ahead for students in the affected schools. For Sierra, the fight is personal. “I attended Taft High School (in which one of the small schools, Jonathan Levin High School, also faces closure) and eventually dropped out due to the lack of resources,” Sierra said. “Although I made it to college, it took me three extra years to graduate because of all of the remedial classes I had to take [in reading, writing and math].” Sierra adds that he does not want students at P. S. 64, a school that has been graded “D” over the last two years, to suffer a similar fate.
    Carmen Rojas, an advocate who helped save P. S. 132 in Washington Heights from a similar fate, told organizers how to get attention from the decision-makers. “After emergency meetings like this one, we must set up a defense committee, who will frequently outreach the chancellor and the media,” Rojas said in Spanish. “But before all of this can happen, we must first mobilize titirimundati (the whole world) – the parents.”
    At the meeting, Sierra announced two events in which parents would be able to voice their concerns to the powers that be. The first is a mayoral forum featuring the candidates for the 2013 mayoral election. It will take place this Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m., at La Resurrection Church, located on East 158th Street and Elton Avenue in the Bronx. The second is the Panel for Educational Policy's vote on the school closures, which will take place in a public hearing on Monday, March 11, at Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, beginning at 6 p.m.
    For the March 11 hearing, Sierra will be meeting anyone willing to join him in voicing his/her mind to the panel at Wendy's, at West 170th Street and Jerome Avenue, at 3:30 p.m.

Panel for Educational Policy Vote on School Closures
Monday March 11 at 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Meet Carlos Sierra at Wendy's on Jerome Av and West 170th Street at 3:30 p.m.
For More Information, Please Contact the Sierra HELPLINE at (347)-913-6050

Our Children, Our Future. Join Our Efforts
Sierra 2013: Family – Community – Progress


REGISTER NOW FOR BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ'S HEALTH & WELLNESS SUMMIT


Bronx Borough President is urging concerned individuals from the Bronx and across the City to register for his upcoming Health & Wellness Summit, to be held at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus on Saturday, April 6, 2013, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“We see this event as a major first step towards a comprehensive health and wellness agenda for not just the Bronx but the entire City, and I urge everyone with an interest in these important topics to sign up for a day of thought-provoking discussion on the health of our City,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Individuals may register to attend the summit at Borough President Diaz’s website, http://bronxboropres.nyc.gov/health/health-summit.html. Up to 30 breakout sessions will be held as part of the summit, and can be registered for at the website, as well.  Spanish language breakouts and translators will also be available.

The summit’s keynote address will be given by Dr. Max Gomez, award-winning health correspondent for CBS.

One of TV’s most respected medical journalists, Dr. Max Gomez has produced award-winning health and science segments for network stations in New York and Philadelphia.

Dr. Max has reported for Dateline, Today Show and 48 Hours. Over almost three decades, he’s earned nine Emmy Awards, three NY State Broadcaster’s Association awards and UPI’s “Best Documentary” award.

In addition to NYC’s 'Excellence in Time of Crisis' for his September 11 coverage, Dr. Max has been singled out nationally for special award recognition by the Leukemia Society and The National Marfan Foundation.  He was also named the American Health Foundation's “Man of the Year.”

A noted moderator and speaker, Dr. Max is the regular moderator for Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s Cancer Smart public education series. He was also the moderator for a three day, international conference on adult stem cells hosted by and held at the Vatican.

Dr. Max also trains physicians nationally in public speaking and presentation, speaking to groups as diverse as the National Cancer Institute and the College of American Pathologists.




Bronx Borough President's Irish Heritage Event Celebration



Bronx Seal - Irish Heritage Background 
Irish Heritage Month Celebration

 
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Invites you to join him at the


4292 Katonah Avenue, Bronx
Thursday, March 21, 2013 
5:30 p.m.
Mistress of Ceremony 
Magee Hickey
Reporter, PIX11 News

2013 Honorees
James McQuade
Owner, Schuyler Hill Funeral Parlor

Noreen Lydon O'Donoghue
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
G.P.J. O'Donoghue Contracting Corp.

Frank O'Hara
Vice President, Cactus Holdings Inc.  


Please call 718-590-3989 to confirm your
attendance or e-mail smalave@bronxbp.nyc.gov
In Partnership With
 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Wildlife Conservation Society job openings




Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda 87 A.D. "Wants You to Know"
That the Wildlife Conservation Society is recruiting people for the following positions.
 
2013 Seasonal Program Recruitment Schedule and Process
Department
Recruitment Begins:
Restaurant
February
Merchandise
February
Admissions & Guest Relations
February
Maintenance
February
Ride Operations
February
Group Sales
February
Catering & Events
February
Special Animal Exhibits
April
Security
May
Guest Programming/Marketing
June
 
 
2013 Recruitment Process
 
Online Application – To be considered for seasonal employment opportunities at the Wildlife Conservation Society, interested candidates must apply online. Visit us at: www.wcs.org/careers/seasonal

Pre-screen – Candidates who pass online pre-screen are included in the pool of candidates’ eligible to receive an invitation to interview.

Invitation to Interview – All invitations to interview are sent via email. Invitations to interview are generally scheduled two weeks prior to an anticipated start date.
 
Interview with Manager – Candidates interview with a hiring manager.  At the conclusion of the interview, the hiring manager informs Human Resources of those candidates they have selected to extend offer of employment.   For cash handling positions, candidates are required to take and pass a math assessment before being allowed to interview with a hiring manager.
 
Background Check- All potential candidates for employment who are 18 year of age and older, must successfully pass a background check before they are allowed to begin employment.
 
Orientation – Employees attend an orientation session where they are introduced to the organization and what is expected of them as an employee of the Wildlife Conservation Society.  
 
Training – All employees receive training within their respective departments.  They meet with management and team leads to learn hands-on their roles within the operation.
 
Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda-87th District
1973 Westchester Ave
Phone: (718) 931-2620
Bronx, NY 10462


March Volunteer Projects with New York Cares


  
NEW YORK CARES COMMUNITY CALENDAR
MARCH, 2013 – THE BRONX

New York Cares, the city’s leading volunteer organization, offers great ways for Bronx residents to get involved in their community through rewarding, conveniently scheduled projects.

March Volunteer Project Highlights – The Bronx
Becoming a New York Cares volunteer is easy. Simply attend a one-time orientation at the Mott Haven Library in the evening on Tuesday, March 19th or any other Bronx location. You can then choose from approximately 1,500 projects citywide each month.  To register for an orientation in your area, please visit www.newyorkcares.org or call 212-228-5000.

Upcoming Bronx project highlights:

·         Dance Classes with BronxWorks' Jackson Avenue Family Residence Get moving this Thursday evening as you learn new dance steps and combinations with the children of this transitional housing facility in Fordham. No dance experience necessary.
·         Assist The City Harvest Mobile Market Fight hunger in low-income communities, where nutritious food is often expensive or inaccessible, by delivering fresh produce to public housing residents in Melrose on Wednesday or Saturday mornings.
·         Fun with Data at Ariva Ensure that thousands of underprivileged New Yorkers get necessary services by working with a team of volunteers to transfer data from Food Stamps surveys to an online database on Wednesday evenings in Highbridge.
·         Homework Help at PS 107 X Provide essential academic support to elementary school students in Soundview through homework help and educational games on Saturday mornings.

About New York Cares:
New York Cares is New York City’s largest volunteer organization.  Founded in 1987, New York Cares runs volunteer programs for 1,300 nonprofits, public schools, and city agencies citywide.  New York Cares volunteers help children learn to read, prepare meals for homeless and housebound people, help low income students get into college, revitalize public parks and schools, and much more.  Last year, New York Cares volunteers helped 400,000 New Yorkers in need.  For more information about New York Cares, the public should visit newyorkcares.org or call 212-228-5000.
 
 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Thompson Endorses Cohen For Council


  Former City Comptroller Bill Thompson became the third major Democratic candidate for mayor who has endorsed Andrew Cohen for the soon to vacant term limited city council seat of Councilman G. Oliver Koppell. The endorsement came in the North Riverdale section of the district in outside of PS 81.  Thompson & Cohen then walked to the Riverdale Neighborhood House to chat with Mr. Dan Eudence the Director of RNN. 

  In speaking with Mr. Eudence the two candidates learned of the many programs offered by RNN and the fragile funding streams that the youth center gets. RNN is made up of different parcels of adjoining  properties that were donated to the organization to form its current size and shape. 

Left - Former Comptroller & mayoral candidate with City Council candidate Andrew Cohen.
Right - Cohen shows off the art of using your hands that he learned from Public Advocate Bill De Blasio when DeBlasio endorsed Cohen.


Left - Candidate for mayor Bill Thompson meets an old friend of  council candidate Andrew Cohen, Mr. Dan Eudence the director of the Riverdale Neighborhood House. 
Right - After a brief tour of RHH the trio check out some of the outside yard space and new construction behind them at RNN.
Candidate for the 11th City Council seat Andrew Cohen thanks Former City Comptroller and candidate for mayor Bill Thompson for his endorsement, as they leave the Riverdale Neighborhood House.