Senator Julia Salazar - Emergency Response to Tropical Storm Ida/Respuesta de Emergencia a la Tormenta Tropical Ida

 

Dear Neighbor,

    Yesterday, Mayor Bill DeBlasio visited our district, on Knickerbocker Avenue in Bushwick, which was flooded by a torrential downpour that flooded streets and homes all over the city of New York. While I was in Albany voting to pass urgent legislation, our staff joined the mayor, other local elected officials and community members. We were all informed that assistance is available for you, our constituents and neighbors in Brooklyn who have been impacted by this storm. The city is currently working with federal agencies on disaster declarations to bring more Relief Aid.

   Below is a list of resources to meet immediate concerns about Tropical Storm Ida:

First, for any Property Damage please use 311 Online, or call or text 311.

Contact the NYC Comptroller’s Office here to file a claim within 90 days of the incident.

Flooding: 

Street Flooding:

• Contact the Department of Environmental Protections and file a claim through their website here 

Small Businesses:

• Contact the Small Business Services Emergency Response Unit at (212) 618-8810

Fallen Tree:

• For Large Branches or Tree Removal, file a claim through the New York City website here

Power Outage:

• To report loss of power or to file a Con Ed Power Outage Claim, visit their website here
• To report downed power lines and outages to Con Edison, call (800)-752-6633.

Vehicle:

• If you left a disabled vehicle on a highway or NYC street due to the flooding, contact 311 to relocate your vehicle.                            

For any additional questions concerning Tropical Storm Ida, please contact my office by phone at (718)-573-1726 or email us at senatorsalazarsoffice@gmail.com. 

With gratitude,

Senator Julia Salazar, SD18

City Parks Foundation - Tennis Great Daniil Medvedev Q&A With City Parks Foundation Kids

 

CITY PARKS FOUNDATION HOSTS VIDEO Q&A WITH CURRENT WORLD #2 DANIIL MEDVEDEV WITH QUESTIONS FROM LOCAL NYC KIDS ENROLLED IN CITYPARKS LACOSTE TENNIS ACADEMY

The City Parks Foundation was proud to host a Q&A session with current world #2 player Daniil Medvedev who answered questions from the CityParks Lacoste Tennis Academy junior tennis players ahead of the US Open, where he has been enjoying a successful run. Topics in the Q&A included advice for competitive juniors that are hoping to play professional tennis, motivations to make it on a pro tour, specific people who inspired Medvedev to be a great tennis player, preparations for tournaments like the US Open, off-court training routines, and what it's like being a professional tennis player and the current #2 in the world. The Q&A was hosted by City Parks Foundation Director of Sports, Mike Silverman and Keith Kambourian, 2019 USTA Long Island Tennis Professional of the Year & award-winning coach directing the Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy who was just honored at the City Parks Foundation 23rd annual tennis benefit.

The full Q&A session can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y1bb9Rnv9g

CityParks Tennis provides free tennis lessons to children, ages eight to 17, in over 20 parks throughout the five boroughs. The program, one of the largest free municipal tennis programs in the United States, makes tennis instruction freely available to those who want to learn the game in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Lessons for youth are offered at all skill levels. Opportunities include free beginner lessons, tournaments, leagues, excellence programs and special events. CityParks Tennis runs through August 23 and concludes with a fun tournament for beginners held at the Central Park Tennis Center on August 23 and the BNP Paribas Aces Tournament for intermediates held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park on August 19.

For more information and a full list of City Parks Foundation’s 2021 summer sports programs, please visit cityparksfoundation.org/play

Generous private support for CityParks Tennis is provided by The Thompson Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust - The George and Valerie Delacorte Fund, The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation, the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, The Venable Foundation, the USTA Foundation, USTA Eastern, and the Irwin Weiner Charitable Foundation. CityParks Tennis presenting program sponsor is BNP Paribas and supporting program sponsor is Lacoste. Presenting sponsor of the Aces tournament is BNP Paribas and the official apparel sponsor is Lacoste. Lacoste is also the title sponsor of the Lacoste Tennis Academy. Generous private support for CityParks Golf is provided by The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation, the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation, American Seniors Golf Association, and The Venable Foundation. Lacoste and The First Tee are supporting program sponsors.  

About City Parks Foundation

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs — located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City — reach 310,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2021

 

More Than 80% of New Yorkers 18 and Older Have Taken at Least One Vaccine Dose

64,961 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

28 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday 

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

"We are not through this pandemic yet, and vaccinations are the key to keeping our friends, families and neighbors safe so we can rid ourselves of COVID-19 for good," Governor Hochul said. "Millions of New Yorkers have taken the vaccine and it's safe, free and effective. Everyone eligible who hasn't taken the shot yet should do so right away—that's how we move beyond COVID-19 and rebuild our state for a brighter future."

  

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 180,218
• Total Positive - 6,010
• Percent Positive - 3.33%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 3.26%
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,354 (+35)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 330
• Patients in ICU - 524 (+25)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 260 (+5)
• Total Discharges - 193,678 (+288)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 28
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 43,667

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 55,654

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

• Total vaccine doses administered - 23,853,357
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 64,961
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 382,134
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 77.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 70.3%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 80.1%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 72.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 65.4%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 59.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 67.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 60.4%

42 Members of Congress Send Letter to House Leadership Urging Action on Fossil Fuel Polluters in Reconciliation Package

 

42 members of Congress urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip James Clyburn to include an assessment of past greenhouse gas emissions by fossil fuel companies in the reconciliation bill. 

 

In their letter, the supporting members of Congress encouraged leadership to prioritize the addition of the groundbreaking proposal led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen in the Senate and Rep. Bowman in the House, the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act – a piece of legislation that would require the largest climate polluters to pay at least $500 billion into the Polluters Pay Climate Fund based on their respective percentage of global emissions. Co-leading the letter with Rep. Bowman are Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).

 

A large, bipartisan majority of Americans believe fossil fuel companies must be held responsible to address the climate crisis they were mainly responsible for creating. These companies have benefited from a business model that has generated trillions of dollars in profits but also catastrophic levels of greenhouse gas emissions. After engaging in decades of harmful conduct, these companies must begin to pay for the enormous climate costs the nation faces. 

 

“This week, Hurricane Ida devastated lives and homes in my district and across the country. And that was just the latest in a long series of environmental catastrophes including storms, chronic flooding, and extreme heat, which have disproportionately harmed Black and brown communities that have been redlined and marginalized for decades,” said Rep. Bowman. “Climate change is an emergency, and we know exactly who is responsible: the fossil fuel industry. As we finally begin to invest the trillions needed to protect each other, heal our communities, and transform our society for the better, we also need to make sure that those companies start paying for their pollution. I’m proud to be leading dozens of House members in calling for a polluter pays assessment in the reconciliation bill, and working with Sen. Van Hollen, other Senate partners, and grassroots groups to get this over the finish line.” 

 

“One-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the modern era can be directly linked to only twenty fossil fuel companies. From devastating flooding caused by storms like Hurricane Ida to increasingly extreme wildfires and heatwaves, the American people have been left to suffer the consequences of fossil fuel companies fanning the flames of the climate crisis,” said Rep. Nadler. “On behalf of our children and grandchildren, it’s time to put the health and well-being of our families over the fossil fuel industry. By including the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act in the reconciliation bill, Congress can ensure that the costs of federal response to the climate crisis are no longer borne solely by the American people. It’s time for fossil fuel companies–which have never been forced to account for the damaging costs of their greenhouse gas emissions–to pay their fair share and help our nation tackle this crisis head on.”

 

“For years, fossil fuel companies have made trillions in profits while spewing carbon pollution that wreaks havoc on our environment and harms the public health,” said Sen. Van Hollen. “As we saw just this week with the impact of Hurricane Ida, every American is paying the price for climate change – from rising health costs to increasingly expensive climate mitigation efforts for everything from flooding to droughts to sea-level rise. Our idea is simple: those who pollute should pay to help clean up the mess they caused – and those who polluted the most should pay the most. I appreciate the leadership of Rep. Bowman on this issue in the House as well as the support of over 40 of our House colleagues to include this provision in the budget reconciliation process. I’ll be pushing my Senate colleagues to adopt this common-sense plan to help tackle the costs of climate change.”

 

Signing on to the letter are Reps. Jamaal Bowman. Ed.D, Nannette Barragán (D-CA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Cori Bush (D-MO), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), John Larson (D-CT), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Andy Levin (D-MI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Marie Newman (D-IL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Dina Titus (D-NV), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).

 

 

The Bronx Summer Concert Series: Grand Finale Event Join Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr and BronxNet TV as we bid farewell to the summer with a spectacular Bronx Summer Concert Series Grand Finale event featuring the iconic Puerto Rican band El Gran Combo, and Freestyle legend Judy Torres live from Orchard Beach. Other performers include merengue band Oro Sólido, salsa band Johnnie Rodriguez & the Dream Team, top 40's performers Every Thing Covered Band, NYPD musicians La Jara Band, and the American funk band Cameo The Bronx Summer Concert Series is presented by The Bronx Borough President's Office, SOMOS, Humana, Montefiore, and Einstein College of Medicine. Other sponsors for the event are BronxNet TV, The Bronx Terminal Market, BronxCare Health Systems, The Bronx Tourism Council, Ponce Bank, NYC Parks, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, Silver Cup Studios, Liberty Beverages and NYC Waste Management.  Tune in to watch this epic concert on Sunday, September 5th, at 3:15 PM on BX OMNI channels 67 Optimum/2133 FiOS in the Bronx and online at bronxnet.tv!

The Bronx Summer Concert Series: Grand Finale Event

Governor Hochul Secures Emergency Disaster Declaration from President Biden after Tropical Depression Ida Devastates New York

 

Emergency Disaster Declaration For 14 Affected Counties Provides Up to $5 Million in Immediate Federal Funding to Support Response Operations Ahead of Completion of FEMA Damage Assessments 

  

FEMA to Begin Damage Assessments on September 3 and Will Expedite Process at Governor Hochul's Request

State Agency Emergency Response Assets Continue to Assist Localities in Cleanup and Restoration Efforts in Wake of Historic Rainfall and Flooding Event

7,900 Customers Still Without Power

DEC Staff Continue to Monitor for Potential Damage to Wastewater Infrastructure, Respond to Reports of Petroleum Spills and Survey Integrity of Dams and Levees

Closures Persist on U.S. Route 9, State Route 100, and the Saw Mill River Parkway in Westchester County

Service on Metro-North's Hudson Line and New Canaan and Danbury Branches Remain Suspended

Department of Financial Services Mobile Command Center Located in Yonkers, Westchester County, on September 3; DFS Staff on Site at Grinton I. Will Public Library, 1500 Central Park Avenue, Yonkers, NY, 10710

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that President Biden has approved an Emergency Disaster Declaration for New York following the devastation caused by Tropical Depression Ida and its unprecedented, historic rainfall. The counties covered by the declaration include: Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester.

Under an Emergency Declaration, up to $5 million in immediate federal funding is made available to impacted counties to support ongoing response and rescue operations prior to issuance of a traditional Major Disaster Declaration. 

Governor Hochul also announced that at her request, FEMA will work with the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, as well as local partners to begin an expedited damage assessment process, which is required for a Major Disaster Declaration, on September 3.

At Governor Hochul's direction, State agencies' emergency response assets are on the ground helping local partners with cleanup and restoration efforts. 

"As Downstate areas recover from this extreme weather event, I have requested and secured an Emergency Disaster Declaration from the federal government that will help provide localities with funding and relief in the initial restoration efforts. I will continue to urge the federal government to expedite the damage assessment process to provide all the federal resources available to ensure New Yorkers get what they need to recover from this historic storm," Governor Hochul said. "We are committed to providing all the necessary resources for New Yorkers to recover from the historic, devastating flooding, and I have directed all State agencies on the ground to continue to help these impacted areas with cleanup missions."

Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty To Stealing From His Clients And Filing False Tax Returns

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that CARLOS DE LA TORRE pled guilty before United States District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald to one count of mail fraud and two counts of filing false income tax returns in connection with a years-long scheme to steal from the clients of his tax preparation business and defraud the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (“NYSDTF”). 

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As he admitted today, Carlos De La Torre defrauded his tax preparation clients by converting to his own use money the clients had been told they owed the IRS and New York State.  As he further admitted, De La Torre defrauded the IRS and the State by seeking refunds for overpayments of his taxes that were actually the funds he stole from his clients, and by failing to report those stolen funds as income.  Now Carlos De La Torre awaits sentencing for his crimes.”  

According to the allegations in the Complaint, Information, and statements made in court:

DE LA TORRE is a tax preparer and the sole proprietor of a bookkeeping and tax preparation business in New York, New York.  From at least in or about 2014, through at least in or about 2020, DE LA TORRE represented certain small businesses based in New York City and their owners (the “Victims”) in connection with the preparation and filing of their personal and business federal and state tax returns.  During that time period, DE LA TORRE told the Victims how much they allegedly owed in state and federal personal and business taxes, and the Victims gave DE LA TORRE checks in those amounts.

Instead of submitting the Victims’ checks as payments to be applied toward the Victims’ federal and state tax liabilities, DE LA TORRE fraudulently altered the checks and mailed them to the IRS and the NYSDTF as estimated tax payments to be credited against his own personal tax liabilities.  Those payments greatly exceeded DE LA TORRE’s own tax liabilities each year.  At the end of each tax period, DE LA TORRE fraudulently sought and received refunds from the IRS and the NYSDTF for the total amount of the altered checks he submitted to each agency, less any amount DE LA TORRE actually owed in taxes.  Refunds from the IRS and the NYSDTF were wired by the U.S. Treasury and New York State, respectively, directly into DE LA TORRE’s personal bank account.  In total, DE LA TORRE stole more than $466,000 from the Victims through this scheme. 

DE LA TORRE also filed false tax returns with the IRS and NYSDTF in connection with this scheme, by failing to report on his tax returns the money he stole from the Victims.  Had DE LA TORRE reported that income, as he was required to do, his total tax liability each year would have been much greater than it was, and he would not have been entitled to the refunds that he claimed.  As a result, DE LA TORRE defrauded the IRS and NYSDTF of a total of at least $91,663 (including interest). 

DE LA TORRE, 79, of Little Neck, New York, pled guilty to one count of mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and to two counts of subscribing to false individual tax returns, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1), each of which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.  The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.  DE LA TORRE is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Buchwald on December 21, 2021.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of IRS Criminal Investigation and NYSDTF. 

Attorney General James Calls on NYC to Provide Emergency Housing Vouchers to New Yorkers Living in Unregulated Basement Apartments

  New York Attorney General Letitia James today called on the City of New York to provide special emergency housing vouchers to all New Yorkers living in unregulated basement apartments following the deaths and devastation caused by Hurricane Ida:

“We know that New York’s housing crisis has gone too far when tenants have to risk their lives just to have a roof over their heads. Today, I’m calling on the City of New York to provide a special emergency housing voucher to all New Yorkers living in unregulated basement apartments. Extreme rainfall and other severe weather events are now the rule, not the exception, in New York. In the face of that risk, it is our duty to move these New Yorkers out of harm’s way by offering them safer, regulated housing. To prevent these problems in the future, we must also ensure that basement units are safe for human occupancy and regularly inspected. Overcoming the twin threats of climate change and a housing crisis will not be simple, but we must ensure measures are in place to protect our neighbors and prevent a future catastrophe.”