Kavanagh To Chair Senate Hearings On Rent Regulation To Address Housing Crisis
State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Brooklyn Waterfront, Lower Manhattan), Chair of the Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee, will host a series of hearings on the affordable housing crisis and legislation to address the issue, announced the New York State Senate on Monday.
The hearings will include testimony from affordable housing experts as well as tenants who have experienced housing insecurity and homelessness. The third hearing is set to be held in Central Brooklyn, which has been called “the epicenter of the housing crisis.”
The announcement comes as state laws that govern rent-regulated apartments are set to expire on June 15. There are currently 2.1 million rental units housing nearly 5.5 million tenants in New York City, with nearly half of those units being subject to rent regulation, according to recent reports.
“Decent affordable housing is one of the most fundamental human needs, and yet our laws to protect New York tenants have been far too weak and riddled with loopholes that not only permit bad behavior, but sometimes incentivize it. The new Senate Majority is committed to renewing and dramatically strengthening these laws for the first time in generations. These hearings will be an important part of that process!” said Kavanagh.
“Amidst the worst housing crisis in generations, the balance of power has skewed in favor of landlords for far too long. It’s time to stand up for tenants and protect housing a right. I applaud Senator Kavanagh for shedding light on the crisis at hand and taking a huge step toward justice for our communities,” said State Senator Zellnor Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn).
The hearing is slated for 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, May 16, at Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Avenue in Crown Heights.
BK Pols Demand Traffic Light At Intersection Involved In Death of 3-Year-Old
Assembly member William Colton (D-Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) alongside City Council member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst), Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and community leaders rallied together over the weekend to demand a traffic light be placed at a busy intersection that recently took the life of a 3-year-old.
On Sunday, the group of electeds stood at the intersection of Benson Avenue and Bay 25th Street in Bath Beach demanding action from the Department of Transportation (DOT) at the dangerous intersection to ensure that a tragic death will not happen to anyone else.
Last Thursday, around 1 p.m., Emur Shavkator, was fatally struck by a commercial van near the intersection. The toddler was with his mother riding a small green scooter on Benson Avenue at around 12:45 p.m. when he was struck by the van as it made a right turn onto Benson.
The toddler was eventually pinned beneath the vehicle, where his mother tried to save him but was later rushed to Coney Island Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to initial reports. The driver, 61-year-old Johnny Gonzalez of Bensonhurst, stayed at the scene where he was later arrested failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. The investigation is ongoing.
“I do not want to hear excuses like it does not meet bureaucratic guidelines and rules and data statistics. We cannot lose another innocent life because the NYC Department of Transportation’s refuses to act. The principles of safe streets design must govern all street, especially when some improvements are made. I demand a traffic light be installed at the intersection of Benson Avenue and Bay 25th Street and I will continue to fight for the safer streets in the community,” said Colton.
Rose To Host Student Roundtable on Gun Violence Prevention at Ft. Hamilton High School
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) a member of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, will hold a roundtable with Fort Hamilton High School students on preventing gun violence today.
Earlier this year, Rose voted to pass the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, a common sense gun violence prevention measure which will save lives. The bill would close the background check loophole and require a background check for every gun sale or transfer, to ensure that individuals already prohibited from gun possession under federal law are not able to obtain firearms. The plan includes some reasonable and explicit exceptions that, for example, allow a person: to give a gun as a gift to a close family member; loan a gun for hunting or target shooting; or provide a gun in the moment of self-defense.
Rose is also supporting legislation to ban the sale, manufacture, or possession of new military-style assault weapons to civilians.
“Thoughts and prayers won’t end the gun violence epidemic in our country or allow our children to go to school without fear. I’m committed to real action and reform to prevent gun violence and am eager to hear from these students who are truly leaders in pushing this issue on ways they think we can make a real difference,” said Rose.
The event is slated for 8:30 a.m., today, May 7, at Ft. Hamilton High School, Principals’ Conference Room #158, 8301 Shore Road in Bay Ridge.
Maimonides To Hold 5th Annual Evening Of Research
Maimonides Media Center will host the 5th Annual Evening of Research this week, with this year’s event featuring studies that deal with eliminating use of opioids in hospital settings
One outstanding project in each of four researcher categories will be featured: Fellows, Residents, Nursing and Performance Improvement. The topics covered include Nerve Blocks, Prostate Cancer, Endotracheal Intubation and Patient Handoffs.
In addition, over 40 poster presentations will be on display, covering a wide array of specialties including: psychiatry, pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, emergency medicine, pharmacy, surgery, cardiology, nursing, internal medicine, orthopedics and critical care. Faculty from all teaching programs will be in attendance.
Many of the presentations and posters deal with a leading imperative for healthcare professionals at Maimonides—the elimination of reliance on opioids to manage pain, an arena in which Maimonides is a national leader.
