SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND PUSH AMTRAK & MTA TO DO THE DEAL ASAP TO CREATE NEW & NEEDED METRO NORTH LINE FOR EAST BRONX & WESTCHESTER COMMUTERS;

PENN ACCESS PLAN WOULD REDUCE TRAVEL TIMES, CREATE ONE-SEAT RIDE TO PENN STATION & WEST SIDE OF MANHATTAN, BOOST ECONOMY & CREATE VITAL SYSTEM RESILIENCY & HELP SUPPORT JOB GROWTH

Brand New Service With Four Bronx Stations Would Create One-Seat Train Ride For East, South Bronx & Westchester to Penn Station, And Aid Reverse Commuters, Too; Reduced Travel Time, Access To Major Job Market & Overall Convenience Will Help Drive Transportation Relief For Countless NY Commuters 

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand Want Amtrak & MTA To Get On Same Page ASAP, Sign A Formal Agreement 

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand: Don’t Block The Tracks! Do The Deal Now To Get New Metro North Line for Bronx and Westchester Commuters Out of the Train Yard  

  U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released a public letter to Amtrak and the MTA today pushing the two agencies to quickly advance efforts to create a new Metro North service to connect East, South Bronx and Westchester directly to Penn Station. The new Penn Access plan would establish four new stations and a new route featuring one-seat rides to Manhattan’s West Side. The senators said the new line would also reduce travel time, boost economic growth, help workers and reverse commuters and create resiliency within the existing commuter system. The senators’ letter makes the case for getting the project going, without delay, to provide increased Metro-North access for the people of East and South Bronx and parts of Westchester.

Their letter, which appears below, also urges Amtrak and MTA to continue their ongoing work with the East Side Access program and on the badly damaged East River Tunnels, through which this new line would travel.

November 2, 2018

Richard H. Anderson

President and Chief Executive Officer

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)

1 Massachusetts Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Joseph L. Lhota

Chairman

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

2 Broadway

New York, NY 10004

Dear Mr. Anderson and Mr. Lhota:

We write to express support for increased Metro-North access for the people of East and South Bronx and urge your agencies to continue to accelerate your work together to develop a reasonable timeline for launching this new commuter service with all due speed. It is critical, of course, that this new service not be designed or implemented in a way that diminishes any existing mass transit, regional or intercity rail service. As you know, MTA’s plans for starting new Metro-North commuter rail service and four new proposed stations on Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line – at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-op City – would create a one-seat train ride for East and South Bronx and parts of Westchester which will substantially reduce travel time, link communities to job markets, enhance economic development and offer vital system resiliency. It is the history of New York, and especially the Bronx, that transit development is linked to job and community development, and expanding Metro-North to the East and South Bronx will increase service to areas that lack adequate mass transportation connections into Manhattan as well as into Westchester and Connecticut. We believe expanding mass transit options can spark job growth and will reduce commute times and benefit the whole region.

Given the interdependencies of Amtrak’s and MTA’s ongoing work with the East Side Access program and the East River Tunnel repairs, as well as the enormous complexity of operations at Penn Station, it is imperative your entities work together to develop an acceptable design, realistic schedule, appropriate cost-sharing and feasible work plan that allows for the completion of ongoing projects – as well as the necessary construction activities to support the introduction of this rail service serving the East and South Bronx as soon as possible. We expect MTA and Amtrak to work together in good faith and consistent with federal law to forge an agreement for all necessary infrastructure to implement this vital service, including the stations and necessary track and Pelham Bay Bridge work.

We have seen – and hundreds of thousands of New York commuters have directly experienced – what can happen when the transit agencies in charge of this infrastructure cannot or do not stay on top of needed investments and repairs. Superstorm Sandy badly damaged the tunnels serving Penn Station, including the East River Tunnels, with approximately 14 million gallons of floodwaters. It is of utmost urgency to the commuters of Long Island, and beyond, that the East River Tunnels be repaired and upgraded – as has already occurred on a number of vital vehicle and mass transit tunnels. According to Amtrak reports, corrosive damage from the storm continue to impact the East River Tunnels and will likely lead to an increase in delays and equipment breakdowns, with these problems growing worse as time goes on if repairs are not made as soon as possible. This is why we fought so hard to pass the original $64 billion Sandy relief Bill, and later fought to prevent certain transit money from this legislation from being spent in projects outside of New York – so that, instead, these funds could be spent to repair the East River Tunnels. As we understand it, the timeline for the East River Tunnel repairs is dependent on the completion of the East Side Access program and both projects must be completed, in conjunction with the construction of infrastructure and capacity elements identified under the Penn Access Project, in order for the new East Bronx service launch to be successful.

As mentioned, after considerable effort, we secured $432 million in Sandy relief funds that can be used by the MTA for the vital repairs to the East River Tunnels and these funds specifically seek to supplement funds that Amtrak has received from insurance settlements for this work. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released these funds to the MTA at our urging. It is our expectation that the MTA will make the full financial commitment needed to advance the East River Tunnel Repairs and work with Amtrak to develop a schedule for this work and related operations that permits it to advance quickly.

We cannot overstate the importance of each of these projects and the need to advance them quickly. Given the hundreds of thousands of commuters who depend on this link, and its central relationship to the health of the regional economy, failure is not an option. While we are sensitive to the wide variety of other issues facing both Amtrak and the MTA, the completion of all aspects of the East Side Access program, the repairs to the East River Tunnels, the launch of a new East Bronx service, and the continued management of the complex operations at Penn Station all require tight, constant and professional coordination between your agencies. We continue to ask you articulate a clear plan for the commencement and completion of these projects; that you reach agreement on the necessary commercial and access terms for use of Amtrak’s property, set ambitious deadlines to get the work done; and share these plans with the riding public. We are confident that, working together, you can create a reasonable timeline and work plan that provides the necessary investments, repairs, and benefits New York commuter deserve.

We appreciate your attention to this issue, should you need further information please do not hesitate to contact our offices.

     Sincerely,

     Charles E. Schumer

     United States Senator

     Kirsten Gillibrand

     United States Senator

A.G. Underwood Announces Election Day Hotline To Protect Voter Access During Tuesday's General Election

Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call 800-771-7755 or Email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Between 6AM and 9PM on Election Day

Attorney General’s Hotline Troubleshoots Range of Election Day Issues

 Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced her office’s Election Day Hotline, which is available to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at the polls during the general election on Tuesday, November 6^th. The Attorney General urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the office’s hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Tuesday. The hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General’s Civil Right’s Bureau.

“All eligible New York voters should be able to freely exercise their right to vote,” said Attorney General Underwood. “If any New Yorker encounters barriers to voting or other problems at their poll sites, please contact my office immediately.”

Voters registered in New York City can click here to find their poll site. Voters registered in New York outside New York City can click here to find their poll site.

The Attorney General’s office has operated the voter access hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, the office fielded hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. Last year, the Attorney General’s office sued and secured a consent decree with the New York City Board of Elections regarding voter registration purges.

The Election Day hotline is part of the office’s ongoing effort to reduce barriers to voting. To avoid any potential conflict of interest, inquiries regarding any campaign for Attorney General will be referred to the local Board of Elections or an independent voter helpline.

Attorney General Underwood reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.

The office will receive and respond to election-related complaints relating to any of the statutes that the office enforces. 

FEMALE INMATE SENTENCED TO 6 ½ TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF FELLOW INMATE AND ASSAULTS ON INMATES AND CORRECTION OFFICERS ON RIKERS ISLAND

  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a female inmate on Rikers Island has been sentenced to six and a half to eight years in prison with eight years post- release supervision after pleading guilty to sexually abusing one inmate and assaulting two inmates and six NYC Department of Correction Officers on Rikers Island. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “This defendant sexually brutalized a cellmate in view of a surveillance camera, beat another inmate, and caused a third inmate to break a wrist. She also attacked six Correction Officers. Now she will be incarcerated in state prison for committing so much violence in jail.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Alexandria James, 24, was sentenced today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio to six and a half to eight years in prison and eight years post-release supervision. She must register as a sex offender and she voluntarily waived her right to appeal. James pleaded guilty on October 5, 2018 to third-degree Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Attempted Assault in the second degree for attacks on female inmates, and to Attempted Assault in the Second Degree for assaults on officers.

 The defendant, while housed in a segregated cell with another inmate in the Rose M. Singer Center, subjected the inmate to two days of assaults, culminating in penetrating her while wearing a makeshift phallic device. The cell was under video observation and all the incidents were recorded.

 The defendant beat an inmate and tore hair out of her head after gaining access to a locked area where the inmate was working. Also, the defendant, believing an inmate had tried to have her removed from the housing area, pushed the inmate and she fell and broke her wrist. That inmate sent a letter to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, which led the Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau to begin an investigation.

 The defendant shoved, kicked, hit or choked six Correction Officers in separate incidents.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Investigator Scott Frank of DOC Correction Intelligence Bureau, Detective Investigators Timothy Gernon and Monisara Brahm of the Bronx DA’s Squad and Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Davis for their assistance in this case.

Unsafe Sanitation: Comptroller Stringer Releases New Report on Commercial Waste Removal

Among the city’s largest commercial waste haulers, two-thirds of safety inspections resulted in at least one violation over the last two years

27% of private commercial waste vehicles have received at least one red light camera violation and the vehicles have an average age of 9 years, far greater than the age of municipal waste trucks

Comptroller Stringer continues his support for a zoned collection system that prioritizes safety on our streets and the well-being of workers

  Comptroller Stringer released a concerning new report, Unsafe Sanitation: An Analysis of the Commercial Waste Industry’s Safety Record. The analysis examines safety inspection and traffic records relating to the commercial garbage industry. The report shows how aging truck fleets, failed vehicle inspections, and traffic violations among 273 commercial waste haulers compromise public safety.

“There must be a comprehensive and transformative solution to fix the commercial waste industry. Commercial garbage trucks are overrunning our communities, choking the air with smog and endangering our families,” said Comptroller Stringer. “We need a zoned system that prioritizes higher safety and wage standards for workers and will hold commercial waste companies accountable to those standards.”

Key findings from the report include:

• Despite their heavy workload and demanding yearly mileage, the average commercial waste truck is more than nine years old. In contrast, the average vehicle age of garbage trucks owned by the City’s Department of Sanitation is 5.9 years. Among common “rear end loader” trucks, which are typically used for curbside trash collection, 82 are 20 years or older and 11 rear end loaders are 30 years or older.
• Among the city’s top 20 commercial waste haulers, two-thirds of random, roadside safety inspections resulted in at least one violation in the last two years and 20 percent of inspections produced five or more violations. These violations are not cosmetic – the most commonly issued violation related to defects in a truck’s brakes.
• A shocking 27 percent of commercial waste vehicles have been issued at least one red light camera violation and 14 percent have received at least one school speed zone camera violation since 2007.
• In the last two years, the top 20 licensed commercial waste haulers in New York City reported 73 serious crashes, including five fatalities.

Comptroller Stringer has long supported the implementation of a zoned system for commercial waste disposal. Research shows that a zoned system could reduce vehicle miles traveled by 49 to 68 percent and cut emissions by 42 percent to 64 percent – drastically reducing the noxious pollution pumped out by sanitation trucks. Additionally, strong safety standards and better labor protections could reduce accidents.

To read the full report, click here.

A CELEBRATION OF ESMERALDA SANTIAGO AND THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF HER AWARD-WINNING BOOK WHEN I WAS PUERTO RICAN

  As part of Puerto Rican Heritage Month Hostos Community College and the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture present an event honoring the life and work of award-winning author Esmeralda Santiago and the 25th Anniversary of her ground-breaking book When I Was Puerto Rican.

The celebration takes place on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 with a 6:00 p.m. reception at the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos followed by a 7:00 p.m. multi-media presentation at the Hostos Repertory Theater. All the activities are free to the public, but tickets are required for admission. For information call the Hostos Center at 718-518-4455. The Lit Bar bookstore will handle book sales of her work and participating authors.

The multi-media presentation will include readings of her work by other writers and luminaries  including Sofia Quintero (Show and Prove, Efrain’s Secret); legendary godmother of Nuyorican poetry Sandra María Esteves; poet Caridad de la Luz/La Bruja; former Bronx Borough President and CUNY trustee, Fernando Ferrer with his wife and former pubic school principal Aramina Ferrer; and testimonials from long-time friend Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, journalist Mireya Navarro, and agent Molly Friedrich. The evening will include video clips, a short performance by Indian dancer Srinidhi Raghavan and Bomba dancer Miltieri Tucker, and a musical performance by Ms. Santiago’s son, Lucas Cantor.

Esmeralda Santiago is the renowned author of the memoirs When I Was Puerto Rican, Almost a Woman (which she adapted into a Peabody Award–winning film for PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre), and The Turkish Lover; the novels América’s Dream and Conquistadora; and a children’s book, A Doll for Navidades. Her writing career evolved from her work as a producer/writer of documentary and educational films. Her essays and opinion pieces have appeared in national newspapers including The New York Times, and The Boston Globe, and on mass market magazines like House & Garden,Metropolitan Home, and Good Housekeeping, among other publications, and on NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. 

Upon publication of her first book, When I was Puerto Rican, Ms. Santiago was hailed as "a welcome new voice, full of passion and authority," by the Washington Post. Her first novel, America's Dream, has been published in six languages, and was an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild. "Thrilling and page turning, the fabulous story of América Gonzalez is laid out masterfully," according to the Chicago Tribune. Her second memoir, Almost a Woman, received numerous "Best of Year" mentions, in addition to an Alex Award from the American Library Association. With Joie Davidow, Ms. Santiago is co-editor of the anthologies, Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories and Las Mamis: Favorite Latino Authors Remember their Mothers both published by Knopf.  In addition to her literary endeavors, Ms. Santiago is a spokesperson on behalf of public libraries. She has designed and developed community-based programs for adolescents, and was a founder of a shelter for battered women and their children. She serves on the boards of organizations devoted to the arts and to literature, and speaks vehemently about the need to encourage and support the artistic development of young people.

This event, presented by Hostos Community College during its 50^th Anniversary year, is in partnership with the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture.

The Repertory Theater at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture is located at 450 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Tickets are free, and can be picked up by visiting the Hostos Center box office, by calling (718) 518-4455 or online atwww.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts. Hostos Community College can be reached by the IRT 2, 4, 5, Bx1, Bx19 to East 149^th Street and the Grand Concourse.

About the Hostos the Center for the Arts & Culture

The mission of the Hostos Center is to address the cultural needs of its surrounding inner-city communities while affirming the cultural heritages of its audiences, especially Latino and African-Americans. Since its inception in 1982, the Center has been an important agent for this affirmation, serving as venue for performances, festivals, residencies and commissions featuring a who’s-who of Latino artists.

100 PERCENT ELECTION PREDICTIONS

100 PERCENT

BY ROBERT PRESS

Election Day Predictions

  There should be no election day surprises here in the Bronx as the Bronx election day was held in September. The only surprises will be how big do certain candidates win on election day. The usual victory for Democrats has been 90 percent or better, but that was in the past. We have seen a Republican break the 30 percent margin last year, and even the long established Democrat are barely breaking 80 percent now.  

  We hope that this year we have made a difference in our September primary work in dethroning long established leaders who lost contact with their constituents. Our work with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the 14th Congressional District, and John Perez in the 87th Assembly District are proof of what was done. While John Perez is now the District Leader from the 87th A.D. bigger things are on the way.

  In the 34th State Senate district the new State Senator Alessandra Biaggi was not a surprise to us. we predicted a 52 - 48 percent victory for her, and again we were right on the numbers. State Senator Biaggi won by 53.5 - 46.5 percent. 

  On election Day there will be three ballot proposals, and with the Blue Wave all three may just pass. Coming up in the new year will be the special election to fill the vacant NYC Public Advocate who has been elected to the position of New York State Attorney General. A few names have announced already, and several more names should be added to the list of candidates. It is to early to predict a winner there, but by mid March we should know who the new Public Advocate is. Once the seat becomes vacant City Council Speaker Corey Johnson becomes not only the Speaker of the council, but also the Public Advocate until the new Public Advocate is sworn in. We would not be surprised to see Speaker Johnson's name in the special election. 

  Don't forget to vote on election day.

Bronx Veterans Day Parade

  Saturdays Bronx Veterans Day Parade began at the Crotona Park Mall at East 175th Street and Crotona Parkway, marching up Crotona Parkway to East 180th. The parade turned right onto East 180th Street to the West Farms Old Soldiers Cemetery (East 180th Street and Bryant Avenue) where a memorial service was held. The parade then continued to Bronx River Park (East 180th Street and Boston Road) for enjoyment of the day. The parade Grand Marshal was former U.S. Army Sergeant John Perez, who was dedicating the parade to Private Emmanuel Mensha who gave his life here in a Bronx fire while saving thirteen other lives. 

Above - Members of the armed forces congratulate Sergeant John Perez on being chosen the Grand Marshal for the 2018 Bronx Veterans Day Parade.

Below - The Bronx Veterans Day Parade was given a police escort along the parade route.

Above - Parade Grand Marshal Sergeant John Perez marched carrying a large photo of Private Emmanuel Menza. Local business owners are behind Sergeant Perez.

Below - Part of the large contingent of marchers in the 2018 Bronx Veterans Day Parade up Crotona Parkway.

Above - Another group marching were the NABVETS.

Below - Video buff Assemblyman Jose Rivera marched with Grand Marshal Sergeant John Perez while doing an interview as the parade was nearing the West Farms Old Soldier Cemetery.

Above - The Theodore Roosevelt High School ROTC were part of the parade as they near the West Farms Old Soldier Cemetery on East 180th Street.

Below - Grand Marshal Sergeant John Perez and others wait for everyone to enter the cemetery and assemble. 

Above - Grand Marshal Sergeant John Perez waits to speak as those who marched in the parade are called to attention. 

Below - After the ceremony in the West Farms Old Soldier Cemetery the parade moved to Bronx River Park to celebrate. 

News From Councilman Mark Gjonaj

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