Friday, May 8, 2015
Bronx Week 2015 Business Day Breakfast
Please Note --
This is by Invitation only --
Please call Angie Teran -- 718-590-5623
or e-mail ateran@boedc.org
to register for this event.
DISTRICT 12’S ‘OPERATION CLEANER STREETS’ TAKES PLACE TUESDAY, MAY 12, AT LEARNING TREE CULTURAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Youngsters and residents of the Northeast Bronx will join NYC Council Member Andy King on Tuesday, May 12th, for Operation Cleaner Streets, a program headed up by Council Member King, which strives to encourage community residents in the 12th District to pick up trash in front of their homes, bus stops and subway stations and heavily trafficked streets.
Council Member King and students from the Learning Tree Cultural Preparatory School will be cleaning in the area of Magenta Street and Capuchin Way, Bronx, from 10a.m. to Noon.
In the past, Operation Cleaner Street has tackled business corridors along Gun Hill Road, White Plains Road, Boston Road, East 233rd Street and Dyre Avenue.
WHAT: OPERATIONS CLEANER STREETS
WHEN: TUESDAY May 12, 10 a.m. to Noon
WHO: COUNCIL MEMBER ANDY KING, STUDENTS AND STAFF AT LEARNING TREE CULTURAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
WHERE: MAGENTA STREET & CAPUCHIN WAY WAY
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Centenarian Celebration By Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Today Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by over 40 Bronx Centenarians came together for a party to celebrate their golden years. They included Bronxites as old as 107, and 105 year old Joe Binder the Centenarian Comic who told a few of his favorite jokes.
The master of Ceremony was Dr. Bob Lee of WBLS Radio fame. BP Diaz was introduced by his lovely Youthful Deputy BP Aurela Greene, who admitted that she had just celebrated her 80th birthday. BP Diaz (the baby in the room) admitted that he had recently celebrated his 42nd birthday. The rest of the story will be told by the photos below.
Before the event began Master of Ceremony Dr. Bob Lee, BP Diaz, and Deputy BP Greene go over the final details
Right - The BP's favorite Joke teller 105 year old Joe Binder told a few jokes.
Above and Below - The P.S. 72 Ballroom Dancers provided some entertainment as the event continued.
Above - 107 year old Charlotte Lockartt poses with B Diaz and Councilman Andy King as her grand daughter stands beside her.
Below - Councilman King reads from a city council proclamation to Ms. Lockartt.
Below - BP Diaz congratulates Mr. Ladimer, and says that next year will be the big 100 for Irving.
It must be noted that there was a moment of silence for Deceased Bronx Centenarians Miriam Henson, Claude Jeffreys, and Rose Goggin who passed away since last years Centenarian Celebration.
To A Man Who Stands for Principle
What You Should Know
By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz
32nd Senatorial District
You should know that this past Wednesday, April 29, 2015, I was invited by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to join other Senate colleagues for a breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, New York. Along with Governor Andrew Cuomo, his Chief of Staff, Joe Percoco, his Counsel Alfonso Davis, and his Budget Director Mary Beth Labate, there were Senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Liz Krueger, Marcos Serrano, Gustavo Rivera, Adriano Espaillat, Brad Holyman, and Daniel Squadron.
It is important for you to know that I took the opportunity to have Governor Cuomo sign for me a copy of his book titled “All Things Possible” which he gladly agreed by inscribing the following: “To a man who stands for principle.”
You should also know that this book "All Things Possible" is important to me personally because in it Governor Cuomo made reference to my name several times.
Chapter 10 of his book, titled "33" is devoted to the fight and the struggle that took place in order to get 33 Senators to vote in favor of same-sex marriage. In Chapter 10, the Governor gave me the honor of mentioning me by name on pages 382, 389, 400 and 402.
On page 382 the Governor mentioned me by name by stating: "We needed thirty-two votes. We knew that one Democrat, Ruben Diaz, a senator from the Bronx, was a no-go. A Pentecostal minister, he could not be moved to change his mind. That meant we had to lock in the remaining twenty-nine Democrats and sway three Republicans. Difficult? Yes."
On page 389, recounting his wheeling and dealing with Republican Leader Senator Dean Skelos, the Governor wrote: "In June, Majority Leader Skelos made a clever move that transferred all of the pressure from his team to ours. A skillful tactician, he announced that he wouldn't let the bill go to the floor unless we had all the Democrats with us except Ruben Diaz, the Pentecostal minister who we both knew was unshakable."
You should know that as the chapter continues, the Governor explains all of the roadblocks and troubles he had to bypass, and the negotiations he went through to get the same-sex marriage bill approved. He wrote about the chaos that ensued on the night of the vote, and how they prevented me and stopped me from speaking on the bill. On pages 399-400, he mentioned an important negotiation he had with Senator John Sampson:
"Republicans had asked for one concession. "We don't want long speeches," Skelos told us. They didn't want political rhetoric to inflame the already nervous senators. The Senate Minority Leader, a Democrat, John Sampson, who represented parts of Brooklyn including Crown Heights and East Flatbush, assured us he will keep the Democrats' comments to a minimum. The plan was: Get the legislation on the floor. Do a rolling voice vote. Go home.
... Sampson had previewed with both Skelos and Steve that the only speech from one of their members will be from Senator Diaz, the sole opponent on the Democrats’ side, who would speak for two minutes. Diaz, used to speeches from the pulpit, led with, "God, not Albany, has settled the definition of marriage a long time ago." And he kept going. When Lieutenant Governor Bob Duffy cut him off he said, "Senator, Senator, I know you want to go on but we have twenty-three people who want to speak on the bill."
Twenty-three people? The proceedings ground to a halt as Diaz and his allies complained that he had been cut off, and the Republicans approached Steve and Myland warning them that is exactly what was not supposed to happen."
The Governor continues explaining on page 402 how he managed to get things under control - and after the vote was taken and the gay marriage legislation was approved - how he decided to come to the Senate Floor to thank the senators. He stated that when he got to the Senate Floor: "Almost all of the Republicans and Ruben Diaz, who'd voted against marriage equality were all gone."
On my behalf, I am honored that the Governor not only mentioned me by name in his book to let the whole world know about my principled stand against his gay marriage legislation, now I am even more honored that he signed my copy by stating “To A Man Who Stands for Principle.”
This is Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Statement from State Senator Gustavo Rivera on the Motion to Remove Senator Skelos
"It is disgraceful that Senate Republicans have chosen to put politics in front of the responsibility they have to New Yokers by blatantly disregarding the rules and procedures of the Senate to maintain Dean Skelos in power. The motion put forth today by the Senate Democratic Conference was intended to remove Mr. Skelos from his position in an effort to avoid delaying or obstructing the business of governing any further.
Earlier this year, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver did the right thing and relinquished his leadership position after being indicted. In June 2008, then Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno also did the right thing and stepped down after being indicted. Their examples should be a lesson to Senator Skelos: while everyone is innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law, our great legislative body cannot function properly under these clouds of suspicion. For the good of the New York State Senate and the people we all represent, Senator Skelos should follow the lead of his predecessor and Speaker Silver and relinquish his seat as Senate Majority leader immediately. If not, the Senate Republican Conference has an obligation to replace him.
We simply cannot continue to allow our government to be disrupted by scandals"
Editors Note:
We must remind State Senator Rivera about the charges that were levied against Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, State Senator Gustavo Rivera, and then Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Carl Heastie of Election fraud in the 2013 Special Election for the 86th Assembly District that somehow disappeared.
We are reminded of former 86th Assemblyman Nelson Castro who also had election fraud charges levied him by an opponent, and who was allowed to win the primary and then go on to win two more primaries and general elections as he was a cooperating witness for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Bronx DA Johnson admitted to me that maybe the Castro event was the wrong thing to do.
Can you hear me State Senator Gustavo Rivera.
One never knows in politics, does one?
Bill de Blasio will propose sweeping changes to rent laws to protect tenants
Shades of Jimmy McMillan -
Mayor de Blasio is after some rent that’s too damn high.
De Blasio will propose Tuesday the most sweeping expansion of tenant protections in decades for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments.
“Rent is the No. 1 expense for New Yorkers,” de Blasio said as he unveiled exclusively to the Daily News key reforms he wants the state Legislature to enact before existing rent regulations expire June 15.
Look for a fierce battle over the next six weeks between housing advocates and the real estate industry over the mayor’s proposal.
“Unless we change the status quo, tens of thousands of hardworking families will be pushed out of their homes,” de Blasio said.
Among the key changes he wants:
* An end to a law that allows landlords to charge a tenant market rates once a rent-regulated unit passes a monthly threshold — currently set at $2,500. De Blasio is urging no threshold, in an effort to assure the city’s stock of affordable apartments remains permanently regulated.
* No more vacancy bonus. That’s a separate rule that allows landlords to automatically hike a unit’s rent by 20% each time a tenant moves out.
* Tough new restrictions on rent surcharges by landlords. Under current law, an owner can tack on monthly charges to recoup from tenants costs of major improvements to a building or individual apartment. But those surcharges become a permanent part of the base rent. De Blasio wants them temporary — spread out over 10 years — with rents resetting to original levels after that.
The real estate industry is bound to see it as a declaration of war.
“The current rent regulations have worked well in terms of injecting needed capital for landlords to improve buildings,” said Frank Ricci, director of government relations for the Rent Stabilization Association.
De Blasio points, however, to the huge number of units — 257,000 — that were released from rent control over the past 20 years, including 35,000 lost just since 2011. Many of those were in largely minority neighborhoods that have become increasingly gentrified.
One activist describes the toll in two fast-changing neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.
“Five years ago, people would have laughed at a $2,500 rent in Bushwick,” said Javier Valdes of the immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York. “But they aren’t laughing any more. The displacement of old residents in Bushwick and Jackson Heights is astronomical.”
Up in Albany, Senate Republicans managed for years to block stronger rent laws. But the ground could be shifting, now that Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos has joined the Democrats’ former Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, in the lineup of political leaders busted by the feds on charges of extorting a major landlord for money in exchange for pro-landlord legislation.
Now we’re learning why Albany couldn’t hear the cries of the tenants.
Assemblyman Dinowitz To Hold Second Town Hall Meeting on Tenant Protection Laws
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz announced that he will be holding a town hall meeting on Thursday, May 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center to discuss and hear feedback on New York’s tenant protection laws, which are due to expire in June. This is the second in a series of town halls Assemblyman Dinowitz is holding this spring to engage and inform the community about these important laws. Assemblyman Dinowitz will be joined by Teresa Colon, his Director of Constituent Services and housing expert.
Assemblyman Dinowitz said, “Tens of thousands of Northwest Bronx residents, and millions of people across the city, depend on our state’s tenant protection laws to shield them from massive rent increases and ensure their right to a lease renewal. Tenant protection laws must be at the center of any efforts to ensure that New Yorkers of all income levels can afford to live in New York City, and renewing and strengthening these laws is my top priority this legislative session. My town hall meeting on April 15th was a resounding success, drawing many residents from the Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, and Riverdale communities. I invite all members of the community to attend my event on May 14 to learn more about this important issue.”
The town hall meeting will take place at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 Dekalb Avenue and East Gunhill Road. The tenant protection laws, due to expire on June 15th, regulate over a million rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments in the City and many more across the state, protecting millions of residents from large rent increases and guaranteeing their right to a lease renewal. Even under current regulations, landlords are authorized to raise rents by large amounts through a variety of means. Assemblyman Dinowitz authored an op-ed earlier this year describing these existing loopholes in greater detail. The op-ed can be read here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/
MAYOR DE BLASIO CALLS FOR STRONGER RENT LAWS
De Blasio: End vacancy decontrol, eliminate vacancy bonus, make improvement rent increases temporary instead of permanent
Affordable housing for more than two million New Yorkers at stake as rent laws come up for renewal on June 15
Mayor Bill de Blasio today called for stronger rent laws that will stem the loss of affordable apartments to deregulation. More than 35,000 affordable apartments have left rent regulation since it was last extended in 2011, putting enormous pressure on working families and pushing longtime tenants out of fast-gentrifying neighborhoods. Mayor de Blasio called for a slate of reforms to protect rent-stabilized apartments, including ending vacancy decontrol, eliminating the vacancy bonus and making improvement surcharges temporary.
“This is a vital priority for New York City. Our working families and our neighborhoods are depending on stronger rent laws. Rent is the number one expense for New Yorkers. Unless we change the status quo, tens of thousands of hardworking families will be pushed out of their homes. This has to be a city for everyone. It cannot just be a city of luxury apartments out of everyday New Yorkers’ reach,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Preserving and strengthening New York’s rent laws is one of the Assembly Majority’s top priorities this year. We need to keep rents affordable and make sure that people are able to remain in their homes free of harassment so that our neighborhoods can grow and thrive. These are the same principles that Mayor de Blasio is fighting for and I am pleased to work with him in our effort to make New York’s rent laws as strong as possible,” said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
New York City’s rent-stabilized apartments provide affordable homes for more than 1.4 million low-income tenants, and more than 700,000 moderate- and middle-income New Yorkers. Together, they make up the bedrock of New York City’s diverse neighborhoods. But this vital housing reservoir is fast drying up, as bad actors force tenants from their homes and a hot real estate market puts more and more pressure on rents. If nothing is done to strengthen rent laws before they expire on June 15, tens of thousands more apartments will be converted to market rents in the years ahead and entire neighborhoods could be rendered unaffordable.
The City’s proposed rent regulation reforms work together as a two-pronged strategy that stems the loss of units through the elimination of Vacancy Decontrol, and helps to keep the rents of those units affordable by ending the Vacancy Allowance and making the Individual Apartment Improvement and Major Capital Improvement increases temporary and not a permanent addition to tenants’ rent.
Reforms to Protect Rent-Stabilized Housing:
· End High-Rent Vacancy Decontrol: The City is calling for the elimination of vacancy decontrol. Currently, a vacant apartment with a rent of $2,500 per month may be deregulated.
· End the Vacancy Allowance: The City is calling for eliminating the 20 percent increase in monthly rent when tenants vacate an apartment. This allowance has created strong incentives for bad actors to pressure tenants out of their homes in the hopes of faster-rising rents.
· Make Individual Apartment Improvement (IAI) and Major Capital Improvement (MCI) Increases Temporary: The City is calling for the current permanent rent increases for building-wide or individual apartments to be made temporary. Costs from increased services or improvements to individual apartments would be spread over 10 years, while building-wide or system improvements could be spread over 7 years. Long-term rent would be unaffected, and would reset after the fixed period.
The de Blasio administration is also ramping up protections for rent stabilized tenants, including free legal representation for tenants in up to 15 neighborhoods and is launching a new Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force with State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to combat illegal practices that push tenants out of their apartments.
“Rent regulation is one of the City’s most important affordable housing programs and one of the best tools we have for fighting income inequality. It’s crucial that we stand with tenants by strengthening rent laws, and that state lawmakers do their part to stop the loss of affordable housing. We must all work together to protect working families from tenant harassment and strengthen the middle class,” said Public Advocate Letitia James.
“Mayor de Blasio has once again reaffirmed his commitment to renters in New York. As a Member of the Assembly, it is important to have as much support as possible as we will soon be debating these important issues. Ensuring that New Yorkers have access to an affordable place to live is a priority for me during this year’s legislative session and it is important to have the Mayor as an ally in this fight,” said Assembly Member Luis R. Sepulveda.