Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Mayor de Blasio Report to the City 8-5-2020


  Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. I am going to always talk about the amazing energy and discipline, focus that New Yorkers have brought to the fight against the coronavirus. But I also hear from a lot of New Yorkers that they are worried about where things go in the future. They’re seeing what's happened around the country. Everyone keeps hearing about this danger of a second wave, a resurgence. There's a lot we need to do to keep deepening our progress. New York City right now is being looked at all over the country as an example of an extraordinary comeback in terms of the coronavirus. But there's more we have to do to deepen that progress, and we're going to talk about that in just a minute, but first, of course, Tropical Storm Isaias, what a powerful storm it was, and even though it was only here for a few hours in New York City. As you can see on your screen, I was out in Astoria last night, I saw just one of many, many examples of the destruction that this storm caused.

 

Now, here's the truth. This is turning out to be one of the most serious weather events since Hurricane Sandy – highest winds recorded at Kennedy Airport, over 70 miles per hour. So, extraordinarily powerful storm, very brief, but very intense. We saw a very large number of downed trees around the city, that also in many cases caused horrible damage, and most horribly we lost a New Yorker to a falling tree in Queens, other New Yorker very seriously injured in Brooklyn. We saw a lot of damage to homes and property. Obviously, a lot of power outages caused primarily in the areas where the falling trees knocked down power wires. So, at the peak over 130,000 customers had lost power. That number has improved now, but a lot of work is going to be done today, first to clear streets to secure the situation, make sure there's no danger, and then to keep restoring power. I talked to the president of Con Ed last night, they're doing that work now, but job one is to make sure there's no additional danger to human life, and to make sure that cleanup is done safely and quickly.

 

Overall, as big an event as it was we did see less flooding than expected. That's a very good thing, and our City agencies were out there from the beginning preparing to minimize the damage. I want to thank everyone in Emergency Management, Environmental Protection, Fire Department, Police Department, Parks, Transportation – all these agencies were out there early in the days before, in many cases, and throughout the day yesterday, protecting people. Also want to thank everyone that works at 9-1-1 and 3-1-1. These are City workers who don't get enough credit. They have a really tough job. They got a huge amount of call volume yesterday – to everyone who works at 9-1-1 and 3-1-1, thank you for the crucial work you do for this city, and they managed to keep the system going under extraordinary strain. At one point over a hundred calls per minute, were going into 9-1-1 at the peak. Same with 3-1-1, many more than usual, but extra staffing had been put in place, the system held, even though there were real delays. So, I just want to thank everyone for the intensive effort, and again, we're going to really offer appreciation to our Emergency Management team, Commissioner Criswell and her whole team, who did so much to prepare New Yorkers and inform them. Thank you for all your great work.

 

Now we've talked about the storm and the approach to the storm was a focus on safety preparedness, being ready for any eventuality. That's the same approach that we're taking when it comes to health and during the coronavirus crisis, the whole approach in this city is to throw everything we've got at it – all different City agencies, the people of New York City, most importantly, and this is one of the things we've learned in this crisis, how important the people are, the buy-in of the people and the people that city, all of you have done an amazing job, and here is a fact that is striking. Since June 10th, fully eight weeks ago, New York City has been under three percent for our citywide infection rate the entire time. It's two full months. So that's extraordinary that we've been able to maintain that level. I expect us to maintain that level and in fact, drive it down further.

 

So, starting today, we're going to do something new in New York City. We will have checkpoints at key entry points to the city. Travelers coming in from those states will be given information about the quarantine, they will be reminded that it is required not optional. They'll be reminded that failure to quarantine is a violation of State law, and it comes with serious penalties. In fact, under certain circumstances, the fines can be as high as $10,000. So, this is serious stuff, and it's time for everyone to realize that if we're going to hold at this level of health and safety in this city and get better, we have to deal with the fact that the quarantine must be applied consistently to anyone who's traveled. So, this checkpoint effort is going to be a new, important piece of that. And here to tell you about it, and someone who's doing an outstanding job protecting New Yorkers and to him and all of his team at the Sheriff's Office, extraordinary work. Sheriff Joe Fucito.

 

New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The Sheriff's Office in coordination with other law enforcement agencies will undertake quarantine checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings into New York City. As Sheriff, I understand the absolute serious nature of this pandemic. We need to ensure visitors and New Yorkers returning home are taking the necessary precautions to limit the spread of this disease. The entire team will strive to ensure that the deployment balances the critical public health and welfare needs of the residents of the city with the legal protections, entitled to all people. For further transparency, I wanted to go over the parameters of our actions. The primary purpose of the quarantine checkpoints are to address a legitimate public safety objective. Compliance with the quarantine is our objective and checkpoints are an effective means of ensuring travelers are on notice and can take precautions to protect our beloved city. Our team has developed a uniform procedure that will be applied to all New Yorkers. Procedures are in place to protect New Yorkers rights while limiting intrusions on the privacy of motorists.

 

Mayor: Thank you very much, Sheriff, thanks again to you and your team, and look we've got to do this in a way that really makes clear to people how important this is, but the idea is we don't want to penalize people. We want to educate them. We want to make sure they're following the rules. We want to make sure people who need support, they get support, and this is so important. Most people, of course, haven’t quarantined in their life, and if they're thinking about it, maybe they're wondering, well, how do I go about it? How do I get help? What if I need medicines? In fact, one of the crucial elements of the Test and Trace Corps is having that ability in place to protect people and get them the support they need. So, here to talk to you about how the Test and Trace Corps plays a crucial role in our efforts to quarantine folks traveling in from other places, the Executive Director of Test and Trace, Dr. Ted Long.

 

Executive Director Ted Long, Test and Trace Corps: Thank you, Sir. We've all been working incredibly hard to drive down the new cases of coronavirus in New York City, and we've been very successful. But as we sit here today, a fifth of all new cases of coronavirus are from travelers coming into New York City from other states. We want you to come into New York City, but we need you to safely separate for two weeks, when you arrive to keep New York City safe. In order to help you do that, we're going to give you a call. When we call you, we're going to start with talking about what the mandatory two-week quarantine period is, and then we're going to ask you, how can we help to get you through that two-week period? We're going to offer you things like free food delivery, help with medications, direct connections to doctors by the phone, or even a hotel stay. These are really critical pieces that we want to do to, in order to educate you and to help you get through that period of time.

 

Now, in terms of what you can expect from us when you're buying your plane ticket, when you're arriving in New York City, when you're checking into your hotel, or when you're buying a ticket to come to one of our destinations here, there's going to be an online required link for a traveler form. The reason that form is important is that's how we get the information to be able to reach out to you and call you and ask how we can help. We're also going to be deploying our teams. Tomorrow, we're going to be deploying teams to Penn Station to stop travelers, to ensure that they've completed the travel form. And if they haven't, to walk them through it and to complete it with them right then and there. We at the Test and Trace Corps are working as fast as humanly possible to set up a system to support you to get through that two-week period. We've made more than 86,000 phone calls to travelers coming into New York City from the designated high-risk states. And we've sent more than 20,000 text messages to date. And if we can't get through to you on the phone, we've deployed teams that are now knocking on your door to check in with you and to make sure that you're safe. We know that it's not easy to get through a two-week period of safe separation, but it's incredibly important. And we are going to do everything in our power to help you. Thank you, Sir.

 

Mayor: Thank you very much, Dr. Long. Well, everyone look, the bottom line is we're all in this together. As always, New Yorkers have done an amazing job fighting back this crisis, this disease. But look, here's one more thing you can do. If you yourself traveled to one of those 35 states and come back, quarantine. If you know someone in your life who has gone to one of those states or coming in from one of those states, tell them how important it is to quarantine. If anyone needs help, they can contact the Test and Trace Corps. It’s as simple as calling 3-1-1. There is so much help available, but the one thing we all have to do, including just talking to people in our life and saying this quarantine is serious. This is how we protect ourselves and each other. So, everyone let's get that message across to people in our life. Let's do what we've done already. All of us together, fighting the disease back. And let's do that with the same spirit that's taken us this far. 

 

Now, speaking of how far we've come, looking ahead, important milestone today, 90 days until the election. So, literally I will say it with no fear of contradiction, certainly going to say it for my life, that this is the most important election in our lifetime. And it's crucial that everyone gets involved, that everyone participates. Sometimes people have said, Oh wow, you know, it doesn't make a difference, why should I bother? There's never been a more consequential election. There's never been a more important time to participate. So, everyone register to vote. If you haven't already, register to vote. If someone in your family or your life hasn't registered, tell them to register to vote. And make a plan to vote. Let everyone you know, know that they have the power to make a difference. And this is an unprecedented moment. Let's get everyone involved in deciding the future of our city and our country. 

 

With that we'll turn to our indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, the threshold is 200, today's report, 66 patients. Number two, daily number of people in Health + Hospitals ICUs, threshold 375, today's report 286. And number three, percentage of the people testing positive citywide for COVID-19, threshold 15 percent, today's report two percent. That's the number we've been at for most of these last two months. And it's a very good number. 


NEW YORK CITY LOCKS IN AFFORDABILITY FOR APPROXIMATELY 75,000 NEW YORKERS IN FY 2020


City preserves more affordable housing than ever before
 
More than 50 percent of homes financed serve families earning less than $52,000
 
3,600 New Yorkers received voucher increases to make up for lost income due to COVID-19

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that the City financed 30,023 affordable homes this past fiscal year, including a record 23,520 homes preserved and 6,503 new construction units. FY 2020 also marked a record level of affordable homeownership investment, with 16,223 homeownership units.
 
“New Yorkers will rely on safe, affordable housing more than ever as we continue our fight against COVID-19,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Our efforts to finance and preserve affordable options for low-income New Yorkers will help our most vulnerable neighbors remain stable and healthy in the months to come – and help us emerge from this crisis a fairer, better city.”
 
“The pandemic has made us see even more clearly what housing means for communities, public health and the future of New York City. The city’s recovery depends on our ability to keep people in their homes and stretch our dollars further to build and preserve even more affordable housing in these challenging times. We are committed to that goal, and working hard to target new tools and resources to address the need for stable, deeply affordable housing for the City’s most vulnerable residents,” said Deputy Mayor Vicki Been.
 
“We have achieved record success generating affordable housing in recent years. As we manage the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, HPD is more committed than ever to keeping New Yorkers in safe, secure homes and creating as much affordable housing as possible,” said Louise Carroll, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. “HPD has strong track record of leveraging partnerships and city funds to get the most out of every dollar. Going forward, we aim to lean into that success and invest in the city’s most distressed communities.”
 
“Securing affordable housing opportunities for New Yorkers is more important than ever given the health and economic crisis before us. The more than 165,000 homes financed to date under Housing New York have provided countless New Yorkers with greater stability during these challenging times,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “HDC will continue to work creatively with the Administration and our partners to ensure the ongoing success of the housing plan, while also advocating for the federal resources that are essential to a strong and lasting recovery for our city.
 
With over 165,000 units financed since 2014, the City is more than halfway toward the Mayor's goal of preserving and building 300,000 affordable homes for New Yorkers by 2026. Despite funding challenges, the City is actively identifying the projects that meet the urgency of the post-COVID-19 era and exploring various financing options to continue delivering affordable housing.
 
The City is prioritizing projects that serve seniors, homeless households, and the lowest income individuals and families. HPD has a history of successful partnerships and on average has been able to leverage more than $4 for every $1 of city subsidy. Throughout FY 2021, the agency plans to leverage federal and city resources and key partnerships to advance affordable housing development during this critical time. Projects on track to be financed in the coming months are in partnership with Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises and local non-profit entities and are anticipated to create thousands of jobs. 
 
Notable Projects Financed in FY 2020
Bishop Valero Residence: This project will bring more than 100 deeply affordable homes for seniors including homes for homeless seniors to Astoria, Queens. Developed by Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation on the underused parking lot of an existing HUD-funded affordable senior project, the site will feature a 200-seat capacity community senior center and offer supportive services to residents. Rents for all units in the residence will be subsidized through a federal voucher awarded to development. The tax credit allocation for the senior project was increased to ensure construction began on schedule.
 
Co-op City: Record breaking affordable housing preservation has been driven by the City’s historic investment in Co-op City, the world's largest housing cooperative. More than 15,000 homes in the Bronx development will remain affordable to owners for the next 40 years, thanks to the City’s preservation programs and tax exemptions, to ensure stability and security for families living in 95 buildings throughout the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
 
Beyond Numbers, Easier Access to Housing
This summer, the City launched the new NYC Housing Connect, making finding and applying for affordable homes faster and easier. New Yorkers seeking an affordable home now have a streamlined application process that connects them with more types of affordable housing than ever before, including homeownership opportunities. Other changes that improve access include no longer requiring credit checks, relaxed document requirements for some developments, and quickening the appeals and eligibility review processes.
 
Supporting Section 8 Participants
Since March, HPD has assisted over 3,600 Section 8 participants with emergency money to make up for any lost income due to COVID-19. Other reforms to protect program participants include temporarily suspending terminations, automatically renewing rental vouchers and moving all Section 8 operations online.
 
A complete summary of FY20 numbers available here.

STATEMENT FROM ASSEMBLYMAN JEFFREY DINOWITZ ON CON EDISON RESPONSE TO WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES


Con Edison has neglected to update 22,000 utility consumers in the Bronx without power since August 4 on when they should expect power to be restored.

   On August 4, 2020, damage from Tropical Storm Isaias resulted in the loss of power for over 200,000 Con Edison utility consumers including over 22,000 homes in the Bronx. In the 24 hours following the beginning of these outages, Con Edison has not provided an estimated restoration time for power outages. Con Edison has indicated that they hope to have an update on estimated restoration times by 6pm on August 5.

 

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz issued the following statement in response to the Con Edison response:

 

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said: “I am absolutely furious at yet another atrocious response from Con Edison to power outages in the Bronx. It is unacceptable to leave Bronxites in the dark – both literally and figuratively – about when they should expect to be able to operate essential medical equipment, refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, and more. I can appreciate that there may have been a lot of damage, but much of this destruction could have been prevented had Con Edison buried their aboveground power lines years ago. Instead, they chose to continue putting shareholder profits above the interests of people like us.

 

“As rumors abound that power may not be restored for 7-10 days in some cases, Con Edison’s only response is that people with medical equipment needs should contact the NYPD or try to be admitted to a hospital. This is an absurd contingency plan that fails to acknowledge the reality of our current circumstances. We are still in the midst of a deadly pandemic, and Con Edison wants their utility customers to go into a hospital because they weren’t prepared for a storm everyone saw coming? We have more shootings in New York than we have had in several decades, and Con Edison wants people to call the police because they haven’t come up with their own solution for people with medical needs? This is not a response; it is a deflection and Con Edison needs to take responsibility for their failures.

 

“I am glad that Governor Cuomo has asked the Public Service Commission to investigate Con Edison’s response to these outages along with other utility providers across New York State. It is evident that the energy status quo in New York is broken. Utility consumers need an independent advocate, like 43 other states and the District of Columbia already have, in addition to the Governor’s internal office and state utility regulators. We need to look seriously at shifting to publicly owned power where the people of New York would have greater influence on investments in resilience infrastructure such as buried power lines and grid redundancy. What we have now is unacceptable and people could be injured or worse due to Con Edison’s horrendous response to this storm.”

 

Legislation from Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz to create an independent Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate has been reintroduced in 2020 (A9572) after it was vetoed in 2019 (A1966, Veto No. 259 in 2019).

 

Utility customers can file complaints about their utility provider with the Public Service Commission online (http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/755C4F39A58C924C85257B2F0067FCA5?OpenDocument), by telephone (800-342-3377, Monday-Friday 8:30am to 4pm), or by mail (90 Church Street 4th Floor New York, NY 10007).

 

Con Edison customers can file a claim for spoiled food, medication, or other perishable items using the forms available here: https://www.coned.com/en/services-and-outages/claim-form

 

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES COVID-19 CHECKPOINTS TO ENFORCE NEW YORK STATE QUARANTINE ORDERS


  Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced COVID-19 traveler registration checkpoints at key entry points into New York City to ensure compliance with New York State quarantine requirements and further the containment of COVID-19. Travelers who have visited 35 designated states or territories with high COVID-19 transmission rates are required to complete the New York State Department of Health traveler form and quarantine for a period of 14 days upon entering New York City. The DOF Sheriff’s Office, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, will operate traveler registration checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings into New York City. Starting Thursday, August 6, the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit will begin outreach at Penn Station to educate travelers about New York State home-quarantine orders.  Travelers coming in from these states must complete travel health forms to support contact tracing efforts. The City is also partnering with transportation and tourism companies to direct travelers to complete health forms and educate them about quarantine requirements under state law. The City has also added digital signage at points of entry into the City to increase public awareness of New York State’s registration and quarantine mandates.

 

“New York City is holding the line against COVID-19, and New Yorkers have shown tremendous discipline,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re not going to let our hard work slip away and will continue to do everything we can to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy.”


"The DOF Sheriff’s Office in coordination with other law enforcement agencies will undertake traveler registration checkpoints at major bridge and tunnel crossings into New York City.  As Sheriff, I understand the absolute serious nature of this pandemic as well as this decided course of action.  The entire team will strive to ensure the deployment balances the critical public health and welfare needs of the residents of the city with the legal protections entitled to all people,” said Sheriff Joseph Fucito.

“The progress we're seeing across New York City in reducing transmission of COVID-19 is a collective effort by New Yorkers. We're focused on continuing and building on those efforts by encouraging those who travel to states with a high COVID positivity rate to follow state law and quarantine at home and only leave if its essential,” said NYC Test & Trace Corps Executive Director Dr. Ted Long. “This virus is one that affects all and we want to ensure that we continue on a path to keep all New Yorkers safe through awareness and necessary resources.”


NYC Test & Trace Corps is the City’s comprehensive effort to test, trace, and treat every case of COVID-19. Through a partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals, the Corps allows the City to immediately isolate and care for those who test positive for the virus, and then rapidly track, assess, and quarantine anyone they came into contact with who they may have infected.

 

Non-essential workers subject to the State’s travel quarantine must:

·            Stay at their residence or in a hotel room, leaving only for essential medical appointments or treatment or to obtain food and other essential goods when the delivery of food or other essential goods to their residence or hotel is not feasible;

·            Not invite or allow guests, other than caregivers, into their quarantined residence or hotel room; and

·            Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and seek appropriate medical advice or testing if COVID-19 symptoms arise.

Essential workers subject to the State’s quarantine must:

·            Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and self-quarantine and seek medical advice or testing if they show symptoms of COVID-19; and

·            Limit their activities involving contact with other persons for fourteen (14) days to the purposes that exempted them from the self-quarantine requirement to the extent possible.

·            If staying longer than 36 hours in New York state, seek diagnostic testing for COVID-19 as soon as possible upon arrival (within 24 hours).

Failure to quarantine is a violation of State law, and individuals who fail to quarantine are subject to a $10,000 fine. Individuals who refuse to fill out the New York State Department of Health travel form are subject to a $2,000 fine.

The travel advisory list as of August 5, 2020 includes:

·             Alaska

·             Alabama

·             Arkansas

·             Arizona

·             California

·             Florida

·             Georgia

·             Iowa

·             Idaho

·             Illinois

·             Indiana

·             Kansas

·             Kentucky

·             Louisiana

·             Maryland

·             Minnesota

·             Missouri

·             Mississippi

·             Montana

·             North Carolina

·             North Dakota

·             Nebraska

·             New Mexico 

·             Nevada

·             Ohio

·             Oklahoma

·             Puerto Rico

·             Rhode Island

·             South Carolina

·             Tennessee

·             Texas

·             Utah

·             Virginia

·             Washington

·             Wisconsin

 

Dan Padernacht - It's Back On!




I hope that you and your family have been safe and well during this tumultuous time.

As you know, I am running as a Democratic Candidate for the New York City Council in June 2021. 

In March, I made the decision to suspend campaign activities because I felt it was insensitive to campaign when so many people were facing health and economic crises at home. I focused on family, clients in my law practice and my responsibilities on Bronx Community Board 8.

Now that New York seems to be stabilizing, our campaign is reactivating its efforts.

We believe that an informed electorate is an empowered electorate. With that premise in mind, our campaign's goal is to provide useful information on current issues, seek input from you and present ideas to improve government services and policy implementation.  

Stay Informed. Be Empowered. 

Warm regards, Dan  
 

Got questions?


You can email Dan at votedanp@gmail.com.

Contact Dan

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on Tropical Storm Isaias


Storm Continues to Affect Several Parts of the State with Strong Winds, Heavy Rains and Flash Flooding

870,000 Power Outages Experienced Throughout New York

Approximately 80,000 Electric Customers Have Been Restored

Empty Trailers Temporarily Banned from Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge; Speed Limit Reduced to 35 MPH 

Long Island Rail Road Service Restored on Long Beach and Far Rockaway Branches 

Hudson Line Service Has Resumed On Metro-North with Limited Outbound Service From Grand Central Terminal

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the impacts of Tropical Storm Isaias as the storm continues to move through the state. The storm is continuing on a northern track through the eastern portion of the state and has already caused multiple downed trees, localized flash flooding and caused 870,000 power outages. Approximately 80,000 electric customers have been restored so far, while 869,611 were still without power as of 10:00 p.m. Tuesday. Emergency response personnel from multiple state agencies are currently out in the field assisting local partners with response efforts and the Department of Public Service is working with utility companies to restore service as quickly as possible.

Multiple watches, warnings and advisories for Tropical Storms, Floods, Tornados and High Winds remain in place by National Weather Service and are expected to until later Tuesday evening. New Yorkers can view the complete listing of these notices, as well as access the latest forecasts, by visiting the National Weather Service website here. New Yorkers should also continue monitoring local weather forecasts for the most up-to-date information.

"The State's emergency response personnel are on the ground and fully engaged with our local partners to support any storm-related needs," Governor Cuomo said. "As the storm continues to move out of the state, we will work around the clock to ensure communities are safe, transportation is open and that utilities get the power turned back on."

New York's utilities have approximately 4,500 workers available to engage in damage assessment, response and restoration across New York State. Department of Public Service staff will track the utilities' work throughout the storm event and will ensure the utilities shift the appropriate staffing to the regions anticipated to experience the greatest impact.  In addition, PSEG LI, Con Edison, Orange & Rockland and Central Hudson have secured more than 2,000 additional mutual aid line workers to support their response and restoration efforts due to the expected impacts from Tropical Storm Isaias. 

Electric outages by company are as follows:

CHGE

109,000

CONED

205,335

NGRID

19,077

NYSEG

89,370

ORU

103,889

PSEG-LI

342,681

Current power outage numbers by county are as follows:


Albany

1,814

Bronx

22,848

Columbia

7,182

Delaware

524

Dutchess

26,253

Essex

305

Fulton

326

Kings

13,101

Monroe

259

Montgomery

117

Nassau

142,479

New York

165

Niagara

1,112

Orange

48,416

Oswego

134

Putnam

35,006

Queens

48,583

Rensselaer

2,264

Richmond

26,292

Rockland

60,878

Saratoga

7,206

Schenectady

1,058

Schoharie

436

Suffolk

198,047

Sullivan

11,735

Ulster

4,776

Warren

1,792

Washington

268

Westchester

125,605