Espinal Gas Station Signage Law Gets Signed
Mayor Bill de Blasio, yesterday, signed into law a Bushwick/Cypress Hills City Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.-sponsored bill, which will require gas stations to put up signage clearly differentiating the prices for purchases made in cash, credit, or debit.
Currently gas station may have signs that paying for gas with a credit card, for example, will cost more, but they often don’t have signage explaining how much more.
“New Yorkers who drive should not be met with a different price at the pump than gas station road signs advertise to street traffic. Motor fuel is a necessity to many and the price of this item, like any, should to be transparent,” said Espinal.
“This gas station signage bill is a common sense piece of legislation that protects the consumer from misleading advertisements. As Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, I work carefully to enact smart regulations striking a balance between businesses and consumer protection. I firmly believe this bill accomplishes both and will benefit gas stations and drivers alike,” he added.
Lander Introduces Capital Projects Tracker
Park Slope City Council Member Brad Lander, one of the pioneers in participatory budgeting, announced his district now has a Capital Projects Tracker, an online map and database that allows constituents to see the status of every project he’s funded since first taking office in 2010.
“Our interactive map shows the latest information about City Capital projects (infrastructure investments in things like transportation, parks, libraries, and schools) that I have allocated funding to, both through Participatory Budgeting NYC and through other discretionary funds. You can see which projects are complete, the current status of projects that are still in progress, and other useful information including the year of funding, project costs, and images and videos about each project,” wrote Lander in his newsletter.
Lander said the next step is too have a map and database for all capital projects across the city.
“Not only so NYC residents can keep track, but so we can learn from patterns like contractors who don’t complete projects on time, or areas of consistent cost overruns. So I’m developing legislation that would require the City to report online about the progress of all its projects,” he said.
De Blasio Signs Animal Fire Safety Laws
Mayor de Blasio, yesterday, signed into law a measure that would mandate installation of automatic sprinkler systems at all animal services facilities.
Under the measure, animal services facilities include animal hospitals, kennels, vet clinics, and pet shops. Facilities that are already under 24-hour supervision and have smoke alarms or automatic smoke detection systems are exempt from this law.
“Sadly, in recent years, fires have taken the lives of animals trapped in facilities without proper fire prevention equipment. This legislation will prevent future tragedies – using every tool possible to protect animals and ensure they are treated fairly and compassionately,” said de Blasio.
Adams, Espinal to Turn Borough Hall Teal
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Bushwick City Council Member Rafael Espinal, who lost his mother to ovarian cancer, will show their support to Tell Every Amazing Lady About Ovarian Cancer (T.E.A.L.) and all of those affected by ovarian cancer by announcing that Brooklyn Borough Hall will be lit the color teal from 11 a.m. today through Saturday, September 12.
This will be the third year Brooklyn Borough Hall will be illuminated to spread awareness of the disease, the 5th leading cause of cancer-related death amongst women and the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers, as part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Adams and Espinal will make this announcement in the rotunda of Brooklyn Borough Hall during an expo of cancer organizations offering resources, support, and information to Brooklynites. They will be joined by local elected officials and T.E.A.L. CEO Pamela Esposito-Emery, who will discuss her organization’s activities for the month of September.
