Senator Addabbo’s Mobile Office Coming To New Kew Gardens Hills Library
State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Rockaway, Ozone Park, Middle Village) will be at the newly re-opened Kew Gardens Hills branch of the Queens Library on Thursday, October 26, as a part of his series of mobile office hours.
Residents will have the chance to meet with Addabbo in the neighborhood at the renovated library at 71-34 Main St. He will be there from 5:30pm to 7pm.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Kew Gardens Hills library, as this will be my first Mobile Office hours there since its re-opening,” said Addabbo. “Sometimes local residents are unable to visit my offices during regular working hours, so I’ve simply decided to bring the services of my Senate offices to them at a time that is more convenient for them.”
For more information about Addabbo’s mobile office hours and where to find him, you can contact his office at (718) 738-1111.
City Councilmember Lancman’s New Fare Evasion Bill Gets Committee Consideration
City Councilmember Rory Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Jamaica) has received formal consideration from the Public Safety Committee for his bill, Intro.1664, which would require the NYPD to release data on fare evasion each quarter.
The data will include the number of arrests made, the race and gender of those arrested, and the station where the crime occurred.
So far in 2017, the NYPD has stopped over 30,000 people for jumping turnstiles. Three-quarters of those stopped were issued a summons. During the same period, 8,625 people were arrested for “theft of services,” a misdemeanor offense. Ninety percent of those arrested were either black or Hispanic. The racial disparity, according to Lancman, mirrors figures from the past three years.
“What we know is that the Mayor’s insistence on using arrests and criminal prosecution for fare evasion, all while a civil alternative is readily available, has disproportionately impacted brown and black New Yorkers,” said Lancman. “However, what we do not know is how the NYPD is focusing its fare evasion enforcement and which precincts are spending most time and resources chasing after fare beaters. My legislation would provide the public with readily available data needed to fully evaluate the city’s fare evasion enforcement practices, and highlight the critical need for change. I am pleased the Public Safety Committee is considering my bill today, and look forward to working with my colleagues to pass it into law.”
Constantinides Bill Signed Into Law By De Blasio
Intro. 1292, a bill sponsored by Councilmember Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, Jackson Heights, Woodside) was signed into law yesterday by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who signed 11 other bills during a mass signing event.
Constantinides’ bill requires the Procurement Policy Board (PPB) to make rules to help the development of agency programs to take electronic procurement vouchers.
This, Constantinides says, will make city government run smoother and more efficiently.
“We must look at all the ways our city can eliminate waste as we work to become greener. The paper we generate from vendors’ invoices, receipts, and other vouchers is wasteful and unnecessary,” said Constantinides. “INT. 1292 requires that all agencies accept these documents electronically which will waste less paper, streamline businesses interactions, and save trees. I thank Mayor de Blasio, Contracts Committee Chair Helen Rosenthal, and my Council colleagues for their support on this legislation.”
