Reynoso Slams Airbnb, Greedy Landlords
Bushwick/Willaimsburg City Council Member Antonio Reynoso yesterday lauded city officials for raiding an illegal Airbnb hotel at 210 Cook Street in East Williamsburg.
The Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement raided the loft building last week and busted some of its residents for running an 8-unit illegal hotel out of a loft, according to the Daily News and the Department of Buildings.
The Daily News further reported that the rooms were advertised on the websites Airbnb and Kayak for less than $35 a night (a current loft rental listing at 210 Cook goes for $2,999 a month).
“After fighting to increase funding for the Office of Special Enforcement, I’m glad to see them actively working to stop Airbnb’s illegal hotels in my district. Not only was the 8-room Airbnb ‘hotel’ they raided in Williamsburg illegal, but the loft space it was located in was illegally converted as well,” said Reynoso.
“We cannot let Airbnb and greedy landlords looking to make a quick buck skirt the multiple dwelling and loft laws of New York and put tenant’s and tourist’s lives at risk in the process. We must keep fighting to combat Airbnb in New York City and to stop these illegal conversions from taking homes and work spaces from hardworking New Yorkers.”
Harris, Treyger, Kagan Lobby For Russian Interpreters At The Polls
Assemblymember Pamela Harris (Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights), City Councilmember Mark Treyger (Coney Island, Bensonhurst), Democratic District Leader Ari Kagan (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) and more than 50 Russian-speaking community activists attended the recent City Council Committee on Government Operations meeting in support of a Harris bill in Albany that would bring Russian-speaking interpreters at polling places during elections.
“It’s no surprise that a community like Brighton Beach is called ‘Little Odessa.’ It’s built by the outstanding residents who’ve made it their home,” said Harris. “These are my neighbors – we’ve seen them open shops, restaurants and schools, among many contributions that fuel our economy and bring in jobs. It’s our duty to ensure that their voices are not left out of the voting process because of language barriers.”
Treyger, who introduced a City COuncil resolution in support of the Albany Measure, noted at the hearing that currently interpreters are provided for Bengali and Korean speakers, which number fewer than the growing Russian population.
“We won’t take ‘no’ for an answer – we will push until the voices of our devoted neighbors are heard loud and clear and services are provided to them, just as they are for other language speakers. I’m proud to have the support of Assemblymember Harris on an issue that means so much to our community,” said Treyger.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the Board of Elections, was also present at the hearing and took no position on the issue. However, he did confirm that the board would be ready to fulfill the request if passed by the state Legislature.
“As an immigrant and Russian-speaker myself, I understand that while families like mine don’t need translators at poll sites, our elderly population struggle with language barriers,” said Kagan.” “These are the immigrants who are our WWII veterans and the Holocaust survivors who settled here to offer their children better lives – these are the residents who need translators the most.”
According to the US Census American Community Survey, almost half (49.1%) of New Yorkers speak a language other than English, with Russian being the third most spoken choice of language behind Spanish and Chinese.
Golden Bill Toughens Penalties Against Illegal Drug Dealers
Bay Ridge State Sen. Marty Golden saw a bill (S994) he sponsored that would increase the penalties for the sale of controlled substances if it occurs on park grounds or playgrounds pass the senate.
Current laws penalize persons who sell controlled substances on the grounds of day care centers and
educational facilities, but not park grounds or playgrounds.
“Parks and playgrounds should be about swings, slides, and fields, not drugs. This legislation will better protect our children from drug dealers especially in places where they are supposed to be safe. Stricter laws are on the books to reduce the presence of drugs in school zones, and today, the Senate has approved this bill that would similarly guard parks and playgrounds. We must advance these laws, in the wake of the prescription drug and heroin crisis throughout our city and state, to keep drugs away from our children,” said Golden.
Golden’s measure was one of two the senate passed to help tackle the rise in drug abuse among youth by increasing penalties for the sale of drugs to anyone under 14 years of age and for the sale of illegal drugs in parks or at playgrounds.
Long Island Sen. Jack M. Martins’ bill (S208) creating the crime of criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child in the first degree, making the sale of a controlled substance by an adult to a minor under the age of 14 a Class A-II felony also passed the senate.
Both measures now move to the assembly.
Gentile and Golden Decry Animal Cruelty in Bay Ridge
Bay Ridge City Councilman Vincent Gentile and Bay Ridge Senator Marty Golden yesterday decried the recent spate of bird, dog and cat poisonings occurring in Bay Ridge.
Please watch and share the video of a suspect: http://goo.gl/p5tQ55.
“I am disturbed by the report of premeditated animal deaths in Bay Ridge. The incidents have occurred between 88th Street and 93rd Street from Ridge Avenue to 4th Avenue during late-night hours. The perpetrator(s) have been poisoning and killing animals by pouring what seems to be anti-freeze onto the ground and into bird feeders. Other instances have included mixing shards of glass with cat and dog food,” said Gentile.
Gentile said if any residents recognize the perpetrator in the video or have witnessed these heinous acts do not hesitate to contact the 68th Precinct (Brooklyn) and my office at 718.748.5200.
Golden said he joins the many Bay Ridge residents who are horrified and angered that this criminal action against animals is happening on the streets of the neighborhood.
“This community will not tolerate the systematic killing of animals and the person responsible for the inhumane poisoning of birds, squirrels, cats and dogs must be stopped and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Golden.
Golden also encouraged anyone noticing suspicious activity, or evidence of animal poisoning, to contact the 68th Precinct or my office at (718) 238-6044.
Both lawmakers also commended local resident Brian Baglioni and his citizens group for spreading awareness about these horrific incidents.
Greenfield Leads Rally For F Express Service In Brooklyn
Councilman David G. Greenfield (Borough Park, Midwood) along with a broad coalition of business, labor, and transit advocates, will hold a press conference today to call for renewed F Express service in Brooklyn.
“Taxpayers in my district deserve fair and equitable access to transportation,” Greenfield said. “I receive regular calls from constituents who want the F express to be restored. At Wednesday’s hearing, I intend to ask NYCT and MTA officials why we’ve been kept waiting for thirty years, and what they intend to do to restore transit equity to Brooklyn.”
Among those expected to attend the press conference will be Councilmember Mark Treyger, as well as representatives from Transport Workers Union Local 100, the Building and Construction Trades Council, the Riders Alliance, Transportation Alternatives, the Straphangers Campaign, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Together, they will present the case for restoring F express service to Brooklyn.
Greenfield noted that the MTA has still not released a long-promised study on the feasibility of restoring F express service, and said that no one at the agency has offered any adequate excuse for the delay. “I want to know where this study is. At a bare minimum, my constituents have a right to transparency,” he said.
Greenfield noted that despite an agreement between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo to provide $26.1 billion for MTA capital programs, many important projects in Brooklyn remain unaddressed.
The press conference is slated for 10 a.m. on the steps of City Hall. IT will take place immediately prior to the transportation committee’s preliminary budget hearing.
Eugene Holds Free Legal Clinic For Immigrants
Flatbush City Council Member Mathieu Eugene today will hold a free legal services event for new immigrants interested or having issues involving the naturalization and citizenship process.
The clinic is slated for between 10-a.m. and 4 p.m. tomorrow, March 3 at the Brooklyn Public Library Flatbush Branch, 22 Linden Blvd. between Bedford and Flatbush avenues. People interested in attending the clinic are encouraged to call Eugene’s office for an appointment at (718) 287-8762.
