MAYOR DE BLASIO APPOINTS OMAR KHAN AS DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR’S PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT UNIT AND SENIOR ADVISOR

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today appointed Omar Khan as Director of the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit (PEU) and Senior Advisor. In his role as Director of PEU, Khan will lead PEU’s efforts to proactively engage New Yorkers in need of a broad range of City services, from healthcare to housing, making them more accessible for everyone. As Senior Advisor, Khan will advise City Hall and City agencies on policies and practices that will make even more of the City’s services accessible to New Yorkers. He also will support the City’s 2020 Census outreach efforts.

Omar Khan brings years of experience leading public engagement programs, building coalitions and serving as a senior official in federal government. As the Director of PEU, Khan will work collaboratively with agency commissioners and senior staff across City Hall to increase civic participation and access to important City services. Khan’s official start date is April 8, 2019.

“Omar Khan holds years of experience conducting public outreach and striking government partnerships to improve people’s lives and to increase fairness across a number of communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re lucky to have him lead the Public Engagement Unit as we continue to do unprecedented outreach to ensure that New Yorkers are getting the healthcare coverage they deserve and the tenant protections that keep them in the city they call home. I look forward to working with Omar to further our commitment to create a fairer city for all New Yorkers.”

“Omar has led teams across the nation to make a significant difference in the lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Phillip Thompson. “We are thrilled to welcome him to the Public Engagement Unit so we can continue to improve our engagement strategies around data, organizing techniques and grassroots campaigns to affirmatively bring government assistance at the doors of New Yorkers who need it most.”

“I am honored and excited to lead this group of dedicated outreach specialists in our fight to address inequality and make New York City more accessible to everyone who calls this great city their home,” said Omar Khan, Director of the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit. “I look forward to building on Mayor de Blasio’s unique philosophy of proactively reaching vulnerable New Yorkers to ensure no one is left behind and make this the fairest city in the country.”

About Omar Khan

Omar Khan is an experienced government and civic leader, having previously served in several senior positions in the Obama Administration, including as the Director of Public Engagement at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Khan most recently worked at Mercury Public Affairs as a Senior Vice President in the New York City Office, where he provided counsel for clients in public affairs, advocacy, policy and political campaigns. Prior to joining Mercury, he held several senior roles in the Obama Administration. As the Assistant Trade Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs he led stakeholder and public engagement, and managed outreach to non-governmental organizations and state and local governments to address inequality in employment opportunities and promote job creation. He also served as the Director of Public Engagement at the Environmental Protection Agency and as the Director of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations for President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Task Force. In this role, Khan built strategic partnerships with state and local governments affected by Hurricane Sandy to develop policy recommendations that were implemented and continue to guide the rebuilding efforts.

In addition to his work in government, Khan has significant experience working on political campaigns, where he championed expanding voting rights and more inclusive and representative elections. He has worked in various local, state, and national elections, including as the National Associate Political Director in President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and as campaign manager for Charlie Crist’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.

About the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit

The Public Engagement Unit was created by Mayor de Blasio in 2015 to proactively engage New Yorkers and provide them with individualized assistance in accessing key City services. PEU uses innovative tools, outreach methods and case-management strategies, in addition to multilingual and multimedia advertising campaigns, to help individual New Yorkers understand what services may be available to them and streamline their enrollment process. To date, PEU has reached hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers through targeted outreach and by working collaboratively with other government agencies, community organizations and elected officials.

PEU’s work centers around five teams:

•    The Tenant Support Unit, which knocks doors and partners with community groups to inform tenants in targeted zip codes of their housing rights, identify housing-related issues and connect them with a range of resources, including HRA’s anti-eviction legal assistance and HPD’s home repairs program;

•    The Rent Freeze team, which goes door to door, makes phone calls and holds community events to enroll senior citizens and people with disabilities in the Department of Finance’s rent freeze and homeowner tax exemption programs;

•    The Universal Access to Counsel team, which partners with HRA’s Office of Civil Justice and community-based legal services providers to connect New Yorkers facing eviction in housing court or NYCHA proceedings to free legal assistance;

•    The Home Support Unit, which partners with DHS and community-based organizations to identify and facilitate the rental of affordable, long-term housing to New Yorkers who receive rental subsidies and are transitioning out of shelter; and

•    GetCoveredNYC, which provides free in-person health insurance enrollment assistance and promotes access to primary and preventive care.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. - Greek American Heritage Month Celebration

PUBLIC ADVOCATE WILLIAMS - STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF MARIJUANA JUSTICE RESOLUTIONS

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement today after the City Council approved two resolutions, of which he was the prime sponsor, focused on Marijuana Justice Reform. They include  Res. 0641, which would expunge the records of all city misdemeanor marijuana convictions, and Res. 0296, which adds the unlawful possession of marijuana and criminal procession of marijuana in NYCHA facilities to the 4th and 5th degrees to its list of overlooked offenses.

"New York lags far behind states across the country in enacting a marijuana justice platform, but the passage of today's resolutions in the City Council sent a clear message that the time for Albany to act is now. For far too long our city has witnessed how disciplinary actions and criminal penalties for marijuana possession disproportionately affect low income communities and communities of more color.  My resolutions passed today demand that we right those wrongs by expunging records of those whose lives have been ruined by a conviction and protecting against NYCHA residents losing their homes because of marijuana usage. It is time to stop treating marijuana with inordinate hysteria and apply common sense to our laws.

"I would also like to thank all of those who are now vocally advocating for this cause I've long championed, and I urge Albany to act."

Speaker Johnson and Public Advocate Williams Release Results of Bus and Subway Rider Surveys

  City Council Speaker Corey Johnson joined newly elected Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to share the results of two transit rider surveys Speaker Johnson conducted as Acting Public Advocate. The results – available online here – revealed firsthand insights on the types of frustrations New Yorkers face when navigating our subways and buses. Speaker Johnson and Public Advocate Williams vowed to keep fighting for better transportation options for all five boroughs.

“It’s no secret that I’ve had a lot to say about the City’s mass transit system recently, but I think it is vital that the voices of the riders never get left out of conversations on how to solve our mass transit crisis,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “New Yorkers who ride the subways and buses every day know better than most that something needs to change, and I hope their answers to these surveys add to the chorus of voices around our City and throughout our state calling for big ideas and serious solutions to get our trains back on track and our buses moving again. I will never stop fighting to make it easier to get around our City and I will always do so with the concerns of subway and bus riders in mind.”

“The survey results reinforce what many of us experience everyday— the MTA is broken and New Yorkers are ready to see significant improvements,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “I’d like to thank Speaker Johnson who conducted a five borough transit tour during his time as acting Public Advocate to gather these results, and urge the state to make the capital investments needed to get New Yorkers where we need to go on time.”

In January and February, City Council Speaker and Acting Public Advocate Corey Johnson initiated a unique exercise to hear from transit riders about their commutes by conducting two citywide transit surveys. The first focused on subways and the second survey on buses. These surveys, which were available in six different languages, were conducted throughout the City’s train stations and bus stops. The Speaker and Acting Public Advocate and his staff focused on a different borough each day.

Over 10,000 people took part in the subway survey and over 6,000 took part in the bus survey.

The mass transit system has been a growing source of frustration for New Yorkers, many of whom rely on subways and buses as their primary means of transportation. 

Interesting takeaways included:

55% of subway survey respondents saying they experience subway delays a few times a week and 27% saying they experience delays every day;

The delays are lasting significant amounts of time, with 47% of subway survey respondents saying the delays they experience are approximately 10-20 minutes long and 11% saying their delays are approximately 20-45 minutes long;

The greatest concerns for bus riders were infrequent service, lack of reliability, and multiple buses arriving at once (bunching);

Only 6% of bus riders are very satisfied.

The full results of both surveys can be found online here.

FOLLOWING THRIVE NYC HEARING, WILLIAMS CALLS FOR FUTHER ACTION TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today sent the following letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Commissioner James P. O'Neill after the New York City Council's Committee on Finance held a hearing focused on ThriveNYC. March 26, 2019 To Mayor Bill de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Commissioner James P. O'Neill, As you may know, mental health issues and access to adequate care and resources are of paramount importance to me, both personally and in my capacity as Public Advocate. I know that you share this commitment, and I have been glad to see investments made toward improving these services- in healthcare, in law enforcement, and in community outreach. However, as has been discussed in reporting and in public hearings over the last several days, there are a number of areas where I believe more clarity and greater prioritization are required. With regards to ThriveNYC, it is clear that the intentions of the program, and its breadth, are positive. I do believe though, as was made clear in the hearing today, there are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues regarding the focus of the various programs and their metrics. In the hearing, it was stated that all of Thrive is focused on serious mental illness. I believe that we have to do a better job of separating out providing services for acute mental illness and general mental health- both are extremely important to address, and I do believe Thrive can and is addressing both, but they cannot be conflated. To do so is harmful to both the issues and the ability to collect meaningful metrics on the program. It was also left unresolved when the final report would be made available regarding the recommendations of the Crisis Prevention and Response Task Force. After the administration denied for so long the need for such a task force, I was glad to see it convened and to weigh in with my own experiences and prescriptions, but it is time for results to be finalized so that policy can be built around those recommendations. Both the creation and the discussions of the task force relate directly to police interactions, and this is an area where the city has profoundly failed many people experiencing mental health crises. It was recently reported that despite the administration's promise to provide all officers with crisis intervention training in 2015, in the years since only about a third of active officers have received this training. The overwhelming majority of officers still lack this critically important and sometimes life-saving training. I was glad to see the administration commit to further and faster training for 16,000 officers, but I believe that not a single officer in the field should go without this training. We are all in agreement that crisis intervention training is invaluable, so we must correct this deficit as quickly as possible. Police officers are real people, with real, difficult jobs. Yet as a city, we often seem to ask officer to have  have superhuman abilities. They are real people, with real, difficult jobs. Yet as a city, we often seem to ask officers to have superhuman abilities, we give them too much to do. I firmly believe that not every emergency calls for a police response, and that we should be developing alternatives that allow officers to focus with greater intention on specific responsibilities. At the same time, as long as our city calls upon the police force to respond to mental health crises, we must at a bare minimum give them the tools to do so safely and effectively- for both the officer and the individual in distress. Mental health is a crucial concern for New York City and the individuals within it who face a broad spectrum of issues with a varying degree of severity. What unites them all is the need for a robust, wholistic response that removes stigma and fear in favor of understanding and treatment. I look forward to moving with resolve toward this common goal and the solutions that enable it. Sincerely,   Jumaane D. Williams Public Advocate for the City of New York

VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE–MONTHLY MEETING–MONDAY APRIL 1, 2019–7:00PM

New York Hispanic Clergy Organization's 2019 Annual Banquet

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Councilman, Rubén Díaz Sr.

District 18 Bronx County, New York

You should know that the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization will celebrate its 31st Annual Banquet on Saturday, April 13, 2019, at Maestro’s Caterers, located at 1703 Bronxdale Avenue in Bronx County from 1:00pm to 4:00 pm

You should also know that more than 800 people including ministers, dignitaries, community leaders, and other guests will gather to recognize the work of five members of the clergy who have distinguished themselves for their commitment, dedication, and service to their community.

This year The New York Hispanic Clergy Organization’s will recognize the outstanding work and commitment of: Bishop Dario Reyes, Sister Doris Rivera, Rev. Dr. Israel Suarez, Rev. Nidia Peña, and Sister Nilka Agosto.

Ladies and gentlemen, these recognition will be presented to these five individuals for their work on behalf of their community and humanitarian services to their neighbors in times of need:

For more information, please contact Silvia Soriano at 718-924-7318.

I am Council Member Rev. Ruben Diaz and this is what you should know.