Saturday, June 19, 2021

Is Early Voting Working?

 

This is the second year of Early Voting in New York, with figures coming in from the Board of Elections showing that the cost may outweigh the need for it. BOE daily tallies of the number of voters is cumulative.

Day 1 - Bronx - 2,247. Day 2 - Bronx - 3,919.

Day 3 - Bronx - 5,175. Day 4 - Bronx - 7,591. 

Day 5 - Bronx - 9,848. Day 6 - Bronx - 12,241.

Day 7 - Bronx - 14,493.

Only Saturday and Sunday remain for Early Voting, Monday is an off day to prepare for Tuesday Primary Day for Democrats and Republicans. 

When you vote you will receive two pieces of paper one has on its front the citywide elections for Mayor, Public Advocate, and City Comptroller. You must turn the paper over to vote for Borough President and City Council. In the first page all these races come under Rank Choice Voting, where you can rank up to five different choices by your preference 1 - 5, but you can still vote for only one candidate by filling in the #1 circle next to that candidate. The second piece of paper contains the judicial delegates on it. for those on the West side of the Bronx there will be five judge candidates of which you may select up to two only. This sheet which contains the judicial delegates and judge candidates on the West Side of the Bronx is not Rank Choice Voting, hence the separate piece of paper. 

Now to the action outside the poll sites. 

Day one outside Bronx Science High school.


Day two at Bronx Science we ran into Judge candidate Jessica Flores and her crew who posed for this photo.


We caught up with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz at In-Tech. 


We also caught these workers outside In-Tech. 


The place to be was the Monroe College poll site where 14th City Council candidate Perina Sanchez just happen to have her campaign office on the next block. She is 2nd from the right.


This was what you saw as you went to vote at Monroe College candidate after candidate set up like street vendors.


Candidates signs everywhere, and tents set up across the street, and along the side of Monroe College below.


Monroe College on Jerome Avenue for early voting has people coming from the 11th, 14th, and 15th Council Districts to vote.

Governor Cuomo Announces Mass Vaccination Sites to Begin Downscaling

 

State to Continue to Focus on Communities with Low Vaccination Rates
 
Following Major Milestones with 70% of Adult New Yorkers Receiving First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine, State Will Shift Resources to Communities Where Vaccination Rate Is Below State Average


 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that given the statewide progress on vaccinations and the achievement of milestones that allowed the State to lift COVID-19 restrictions, certain State-run mass vaccination sites will begin to downscale and shift their resources for localized vaccination efforts. Over the course of weeks and months, a number of sites will downscale based on demand, proximity to other vaccination sites, and other locally focused efforts. The transition reflects the State's plan to focus resources on areas where zip code data shows the vaccination rate is lower than the statewide average. 

"Our network of mass vaccination sites administered the biggest throughput of vaccinations in a short period of time, and thanks to their success we hit the milestones we needed to hit to get back to life as we know it," Governor Cuomo said. "Our statewide progress has been remarkable, but we still need to get more shots into people's arms, particularly in areas that are still lagging on vaccinations. We have to go where the need is greatest, and so many of our mass sites will gradually start downscaling so that we can use our resources to target communities where vaccination rates are still low."

Starting Monday, June 21, the first phase of downscaling will begin with the closing of the mass sites in Corning, Oneonta, Potsdam and York College.

Earlier this month, the Governor announced a series of pop-up vaccination sites will open in areas with lower vaccination rates, building on the State's commitment to make the vaccine accessible in all communities across the state. New York State is expanding this program and will open additional sites in the coming weeks.

New Yorkers are encouraged to continue to utilize the Am I Eligible tool to make appointments and check on the availability of vaccine at State-run mass vaccination sites.  All open sites continue to offer walk-in vaccinations for all eligible individuals.

The COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard is available to update New Yorkers on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and includes vaccination data by zip code. The New York State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most up-to-date metrics in the state's vaccination effort.

New Yorkers who suspect fraud in the vaccine distribution process can now call 833-VAX-SCAM (833-829-7226) toll-free or email the state Department of Health at STOPVAXFRAUD@health.ny.gov. Hotline staff will route complaints to the appropriate investigative agencies to ensure New Yorkers are not being taken advantage of as the State works to vaccinate the entire eligible population.

MAYOR DE BLASIO DELIVERS REMARKS AT THE RACIAL JUSTICE COMMISSION’S VIRTUAL JUNETEENTH EVENT

 

Jennifer Jones Austin: We wouldn't be in this moment right now talking about racial justice and racial equity – and not just talking about it but seeking to do something about it in a meaningful way, but for Mayor Bill de Blasio. And so, he's here with us and I'm going to ask him to share a few words with all of us at this moment – or, as many words as he'd like.

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: There you go, thank you. No, I'm going to keep it – I'm going to keep it brief and, hopefully, very, very pertinent. First of all, thank you, Dr. Scott. I appreciate everything you've done. I appreciate the passion with which you spoke. And we have got to – I think this is what this moment is all about – feel the history fully, deeply to get us inspired to a higher level of action. It's not enough – I don't think anyone here in this gathering wants to talk about history in abstraction or in a mournful manner without a sense of purpose and transcendence. I think that’s the whole idea of the Racial Justice Commission, is to be a transcendent force, to look at the very laws, the very foundation of our city, our charter, our constitution – and then everything else we do, our policies, our laws across the City of New York, our institutions – and question them in a noble, and positive, and productive, and pointed way, in the sense that we will make change in the here and now; to question what is the legacy of the racism that we've all lived with for generations and how it plays out right now in our city, in our institutions, in our government, and to change it.

 

And to me, as we went through last year, which was a revelatory year, it became clearer and clearer that we should shine the light inward on the City of New York. And I think with the right people – and the right people are those gathered in this commission – fearlessly looking at what is wrong and needs to be fixed, and then how to fix it – and name it and present the specific, tangible ways to make change.

 

Jennifer, thank you, you've been leading this commission with a tremendous sense of purpose and energy as with everything you do. And to all the commission members, it’s going to be a lot of work. I know you took on – I talked to all of you before you accepted the assignment, you all understood you were doing something unprecedented for the history of – in the history of this city, you were doing something unprecedented – actually, in this nation. You know, we have all heard powerful discourse about Juneteenth, powerful discourse about reparations, about Tulsa, so many things that are coming to the fore, but I don't know any place else in the country that has formalized a commission of leaders to say now we are going to name the very specific institutional racism that must be stopped right now, the practices, laws that are wrong and can be fixed here and now, and then the actions that will change them. What you're doing, to me, is sacred and it is going to set a pattern for this city, this state, and this nation. I don't need to patriotically tell you that when New York City does something, the rest of the country watches, the rest of the world, watches – that's something we're all proud of as New Yorkers. I can tell you that in this year 2021, this year that must be about rebirth and recovery, and a sense of profound change that you have an opportunity to imprint on this city a path forward, and then that will be a shot heard around the world, because what you do will become a template. I think people will ask themselves in every city in America, in every county and every state, even to the national level, where is our equivalent commission? Where is our process? Where is our pathway of change?

 

I want to especially thank you today that, as you thought about Juneteenth, you thought about some of the greats of the movement here in this city, in this state. And I see Hazel Dukes, and I see, I think, Una Clarke is with us. I see Reverend Daughtry, Reverend Scott, people who have made a life's work of creating change – and so many others, I'm not seeing everyone on the screen and – forgive me, but I know you're out there. Others, you have made a life's work of fostering change and who had to do it, bluntly, in much more difficult conditions than what we're experiencing now and now's not a walk in the park. But the folks who did this work 20, and 30, and 40, and 50 years ago opened up many, many doors for what we need to do now. But I call upon all of us now to walk through the door and reset the equation and go farther.

 

In that vein, Jennifer and I talked earlier today about the need to codify, the need to take the changes that we've been making and make them permanent, and then look beyond the changes we've made to the others that need to be made and make them permanent and not allow the backsliding. The history is filled the backsliding. Juneteenth could be – in addition to its noble and positive elements that we honor, it could be a painful lesson in backsliding too. People told me they were emancipated only to be in a different way put through a system of oppression, losing what they had, having the rights stripped away. Juneteenth, I don't think I have to say to anyone here, is a beautiful yet bittersweet holiday. And I think in that vein, the notion that this commission is a commission of justice, it's a commission to ensure that there isn't greatness and progress that slips from us, but that we codify it in a way that no one can assail and no one can undermine. I think we can do that in this city, especially in this moment in history, but it will take really good minds and good hearts putting together the ideas for change.

 

Now, even in the creation of this commission, ideas started to flow. And I want to thank a number of you I know care deeply, especially special shout out to Darrick Hamilton for promoting so deeply the baby bonds idea. And our Task Force on Racial Inclusion and Equity, look at that and a number of other ideas, what we could do here and now with City investment in our Juneteenth. The task force – and I want to thank Deputy Mayor Phil Thompson, because he's a part of both these crucial elements of the equation – the task force, leaders of color in the administration, who are working on, right now, changes, complementing the work of this commission that's going to work on the permanent, big, strategic, and structural changes for the City.

 

The task force looked at the options of what we could do to honor Juneteenth and came back with three ideas. We announced them yesterday – a recovery task force based at Medgar Evers College, our one of historically Black college – a recovery corps of young people who are going to get opportunities, paid opportunities to make an impact on the community in the recovery and to learn and grow as leaders and professionals in the process; an initiative to provide four-year CUNY scholarships for thousands of young African-American students, so they can create an opportunity to get through CUNY and succeed and have the resources and the support all the way through; and then, most powerfully, the opportunity for a scholarship fund – excuse me – scholarship accounts for individual children. And this idea, we decided to go big and go fast. You know, popularly known as baby bombs, we said, we need to start right now in this year of revelation and change, 2021. Starting in September 2021, every New York City public school student who goes into kindergarten will get a savings account open for them – every single one. We're going to have a process of building those up with contributions from foundations, nonprofits, business, community, and local communities to build that into a powerful force. Those accounts will grow rapidly so that those young people will know by the time that they leave high school, they have a direct, clear pathway to college and to the creation of generational wealth, which is the crying need in this equation. The economic justice part of this equation is the crying need and what I really hope that everyone will focus on, on Juneteenth.

 

So, I have said enough. I just want to thank everyone. I don't think any of the folks who have been around for a while will mind if I call them the elders, the folks who have really fought the struggle and created this opportunity for all of us, thank you. The members of the commission, who are taking on a historic task, and you are up to it and then some to create profound change. And everyone is going to participate – because one thing you know, if you ask New Yorkers, do you have an opinion on how we make change? The answer will be, yes, every single time. You will not lack for strong views and good ideas. But, in the course, of this year, I think you're going to really profoundly changed the course of New York City history. And I want to thank you, and I can't think of a better thing to think about, and talk about, and do to celebrate Juneteenth than the work of this commission. So, thank you, everyone.


Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

 

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity is 0.39% -- Record Low for 3 Consecutive Weeks, Has Declined for 74 Consecutive Days

78,837 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

9 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

Vaccination Data by Zip Code Now Live on Dashboard


 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combatting COVID-19.

"While New Yorkers have done a tremendous job fighting COVID and we are returning to normalcy, it's important to remember we are still not yet out of the woods," Governor Cuomo said. "Now is the time to do what you can to keep yourself and your community safe. There are no more excuses -- if you have yet to get your COVID-19 vaccine, take advantage of one of the numerous incentive programs out there and get your shot today."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

·         Test Results Reported - 110,387
·         Total Positive - 370
·         Percent Positive - 0.34%
·         7-Day Average Percent Positive - 0.39%
·         Patient Hospitalization - 548 (-32)
·         Patients Newly Admitted - -161
·         Patients in ICU - 143 (-6)
·         Patients in ICU with Intubation - 79 (-7)
·         Total Discharges - 184,065 (+82)
·         Deaths - 9
·         Total Deaths - 42,905

·         Total vaccine doses administered - 20,451,032
·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 78,837
·         Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 539,446
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 68.1%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 61.4%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 70.6%
·         Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 62.6%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 56.4%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 50.4%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 58.5%
·         Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 51.4%

Friday, June 18, 2021

DEC ENCOURAGES NEW YORKERS TO HELP AVOID CONFLICTS WITH BLACK BEARS

 

Feed Pets Indoors, Secure Garbage, and Take Down Birdfeeders to Reduce Potential for Human-Bear Interactions

 State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today encouraged New Yorkers to take a few simple precautions to avoid conflicts with bears. 

“DEC is receiving reports of bears roaming neighborhoods in several parts of upstate New York,” Commissioner Seggos said. “We are encouraging New Yorkers to help reduce the potential for negative interactions with bears by removing the things bears find attractive like pet food and trash.”   

Summer is a busy time for bears. Young bears disperse from family groups, breeding bears search for mates, and all bears forage for food to gain the fat needed for winter. With this increased activity comes a greater potential for human-bear conflicts, when bears find food near people. 

New Yorkers living in bear country, which includes much of upstate New York, are asked to take a few simple steps this summer to protect their communities and bears from harm:

  • Secure garbage indoors or a locked outbuilding until the morning of pickup;
  • Remove birdfeeders;
  • Clean grease from grills; and
  • Secure livestock food and don’t feed pets outdoors. 

For more information, please visit DEC's webpage on reducing human-bear conflicts.

Bronx Progressives Invites You to Our Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering!


Join Fellow Progressives for our Bronx Progressives Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering!


Greetings Bronx Progressives Members!

Hope you and your loved ones are starting off your summer in good spirits, and are looking forward to a landscape of possibilities of summer fun and relaxation, as we experience a city fully reemerging into a new normal. 

With less than five days to go for the primary elections on June 22, I hope you're making the time to plan out your vote (whether that is voting early, by Absentee, or on Election Day), and using wisely Ranked Choice Voting to vote on the most progressive candidates to lead our city and communities.  

In the spirit of summer upon us and our city emerging into a citywide reopening, the Working Group at Bronx Progressives decided to do something different for our June general meeting. Something we haven't done as a group in a very long time since we went into a lockdown. 

Join us on Sunday, June 27 at 3pm to our In-person Welcome Summer-City Reopens-Social Gathering.

Come join us for some delicious food and beverages, fun and games, music, a safe space to reflect on the elections, our work and what comes next after the New York Health Act and Public Power. We will be visited by two special guests. So come join us to learn who they are! Stay tuned for updates. 

Bronx Progressives Welcome-Summer-City-Reopens-Social- Gathering!

RSVP HERE (So we can accommodate enough food)

Date: Sunday, June 27
Time: 3pm
Location: 2080 Barnes Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462 (Use service entrance at south end of building) Gate will be left open to allow guests to access space behind the building.

Transportation:
2 Train to Pelham Parkway



Governor Cuomo Announces Reopening of New York State Capitol

 

Empire State Plaza Complex Including the Capitol, Legislative Office Building to Reopen to the Public June 18

Free Tours of Capitol and Empire State Plaza Return

Tour Restrictions Lifted as 70% of Adult New Yorkers Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

Tour Reservations Available Online Here


 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that with 70 percent of New Yorkers aged 18 or older having received the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination series, the Empire State Plaza Complex, which includes the New York State Capitol and the Legislative Office Building, will reopen to the public tomorrow, June 18. Additionally, tours of the Capitol resume on Monday, June 21, and the popular outdoor tours of the Empire State Plaza will start up again on Wednesday, July 7. Unvaccinated individuals will continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance.

"New Yorkers have worked hard against the COVID virus and as a result, landmarks and attractions across the state are reopening to visitors. We are thrilled to welcome New Yorkers and guests from afar back to our beautiful State Capitol and the amazing Empire State Plaza," Governor Cuomo said. "The Capitol is filled with extraordinary history anyone can appreciate. While it was necessary to close its doors during the pandemic, it is time to welcome people back to its grand halls."

Free Capitol Tours

  • When: Monday through Friday
  • Times: 10 a.m. & noon
  • Location: Information Desk in Capitol's State Street lobby
  • Reservations: Space is limited, and reservations are recommended but not required for groups of fewer than 10 people - reserve online hereFor groups of 10 or more, call 518-474-2418 to make arrangements
  • Unvaccinated Visitors to the Capitol are required to wear a mask during indoor Tours

Sitting atop Albany's State Street hill, the New York State Capitol has served as the seat of government for New York since the 1880s. The building is a marvel of late 19th century architectural grandeur, built by hand of solid masonry over a period of 32 years. Highlights of the 45-minute tours can include the legislative chambers, Hall of Governors, Governor's Reception Room, Hall of New York, historic staircases, and carvings.

Free Outdoor Empire State Plaza Tours

  • When: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
  • Time:  2 p.m.
  • Location: Outside at the main entrance to The Egg Center for the Performing Arts on the Empire State Plaza.
  • Reservations: Space is limited to 25 people per tour, and reservations are required - reserve online here or by calling 518-474-2418

The 45-minute tours feature highlights of the world-class, 98-acre complex where state government, unique architecture, and modern art share the same space. No two tours are the same, and highlights can include The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, the Plaza's main platform, Capitol, Robert Abrams Building for Law and Justice, Cultural Education Center, Corning Tower, Legislative Office Building, and agency buildings, as well as the memorials that honor those who have dedicated or given their lives in service to others. Those taking the tour will also learn about the Empire State Plaza Art Collection, which is known as the largest publicly owned modern art collection in the country housed outside of a museum.


Attorney General James Ends Discriminatory Housing Practices Against Jewish Community in Orange County

 

Orange County and Town of Chester Mandated to Comply with Fair Housing Act
Following Concerted Efforts to Stop Jewish Community from Moving to Chester

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has reached agreements with Orange County and the Town of Chester to end their use of discriminatory housing practices that were designed to prevent members of the Jewish community from moving to Chester, New York. The agreements mandate that the county and the town comply with the Fair Housing Act and take preventative measures to ensure equitable housing practices moving forward.

“The discriminatory and illegal actions perpetrated by Orange County and the Town of Chester are blatantly antisemitic, and go against the diversity, inclusivity, and tolerance that New York prides itself on,” said Attorney General James. “Every New Yorker deserves equal opportunities in housing, regardless of gender, race, nationality, or their faith. Today and every day, I stand with all communities against hate and discrimination, which will not be tolerated in New York state.”

In May 2020, Attorney General James intervened in lawsuit filed by the developers of the “The Greens at Chester,” alleging that the town and county engaged in a concerted and systematic effort to prevent Hasidic Jewish families from moving to Chester by blocking the construction of a housing development. The original lawsuit, filed in July 2019, outlined countless discriminatory and unnecessary actions that Chester and Orange County took to stop the homes from being built in order to prevent Jewish families from purchasing and occupying them — gross violations of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act dictates that it is unlawful for anyone to refuse to sell or rent a dwelling based on an individual's religion, race, sex, national origin, or familial status, among other protected classes.

In October 2017, the developers of The Greens purchased a 117-acre property in the Town of Chester in Orange County, New York, which had been fully approved for residential development under the ownership of the previous developer. Since the purchase of the property in 2017, officials from the town repeatedly sought to block development of the site and openly expressed discriminatory intent to block the development at public town meetings — explicitly referencing their desire to keep Hasidic families out of the community. 

Additionally, the town placed multiple obstacles in the way of the developers in an attempt to thwart construction — all in violation of a settlement agreement, reached in 2010, regarding the zoning and construction of the land. They passed a law to restrict the size of the houses that could be built in an attempt to make them uninhabitable for families. The town also advanced proposals to levy extra taxes on the development; to limit the hours that construction could occur on the site; and to require the developer to provide the personal information of its managing partners to local officials. 

The town also imposed costly and unnecessary requirements that the developer had to comply with before construction could commence, including mandating that a new sewer waste line be rerouted and requesting the main road be moved by 10 feet. After the developer complied with each of these unnecessary requests, the town still denied all building permit applications, even though the developer clearly satisfied the requirements necessary to be granted the permits. A separate agreement between the developers, Orange County, and the Town of Chester has resulted in the construction of The Greens moving forward.

The agreements announced today mandate that Orange County and the Town of Chester must enact numerous policies to uphold fair housing regulations, including:

  • Full compliance of the Fair Housing Act;
  • Adopting outreach measures that disseminate information about fair housing to communities;
  • Administering fair housing trainings to county and town employees working in housing or planning;
  • Appointing a fair housing compliance officer; and
  • Documenting and reporting of all housing discrimination complaints to the Office of the Attorney General.