Treyger Honors Sarah Kennedy With STreet Co-Naming
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend) this weekend will join local community leaders to honor the legacy of long-time Coney Island resident, Sarah Virginia Kennedy, with a street co-naming ceremony.
Ms. Kennedy worked as a kindergarten teacher aide at P.S. 80 for three years before moving on to serve as a psychology technician at Coney Island Hospital. At the hospital, she became actively engaged as a union member of DC 37.
Ms. Kennedy, who was elected as the first woman Executive Vice President of DC 37, later served as the local chapter chair and was instrumental in fighting for union members to receive fair wages, a safe workplace environment and job security. In a joint effort with the community, she was a steadfast advocate against the closing of Coney Island Hospital by then Mayor Rudy Guiliani and helped prevent said closing.
Kennedy died Nov. 22, 2018. She was 78.
The street co-naming is slated for 11 a.m., this Saturday, Oct. 5 at the corner of West 20th Street and Mermaid Avenue in Coney Island.
Adams Honors KCP Contributor Joe Gonzalez
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today will honor Kings County Politics contributor Joe Gonzalez as one of the latest “Heroes of the Month” encompassing the months of June, July, August, and September.
Gonzalez, who is also a longtime community activist, will get the award for August when he led a water collection drive in the borough to aid residents of Newark, where elevated levels of lead were recently discovered in the city’s drinking water. Also getting awards for August are Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) conductors Eric Boyo and Larry Moreno, who both saved people who had jumped onto the subway tracks in separate incidents,
For June, Adams will honor Bay Ridge Cares, a southern Brooklyn volunteer group that drew attention to the need for senior housing city-wide by helping the daughter of Diana Murolo pack up her late mother’s apartment after her passing. For July, Adams will honor Daphne Youree, who gained Internet fame after she was photographed unclogging sewer grates with a traffic cone during a torrential rainstorm.
For September, Adams will honor Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Captain Frank Stonitsch from Engine Company 10, who, while off duty, rescued a person from drowning off of Pier 6 in Brooklyn.
The awards ceremony is slated for 3 p.m., today, Oct. 3 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Brannan Gets Bill Prohibiting Dyker Heights Street Vending Aired Out
City Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) today will see his proposed legislation that would prohibit street vending on certain streets in Dyker Heights beginning on Thanksgiving Day until New Year’s day get aired out in front of the council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing.
The prohibited streets under the proposed measure are bounded on the east by 10th Avenue, on the south by 86th Street, on the west by 13th Avenue and on the north by 81st Street in the borough of Brooklyn.
City Councilmember Rafael Espinal Jr. (D-Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills) will oversee the meeting as chair of the committee.
The public meeting is slated for 10 a.m., today, Oct. 3 on the 16th Floor Committee Room, 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
Parker Cheers NYC Global Climate award
State Sen. Kevin Parker (D-East Flatbush, Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace) yesterday lauded Mayor Bill de Blasio’s announcement the city received global recognition for nine innovative climate action projects.
The recognition came from the Cities100 report, which showcases bold climate initiatives from 100 of the most forward-thinking projects worldwide. Cities featured demonstrate that they can deliver on the highest goals of the Paris Agreement and drive toward solutions to global warming, even with the lack of federal leadership. New York City had nine projects included in the report, more than any other city in the world.
Additionally, two of these initiatives have been shortlisted for the prestigious C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for exemplary leadership in creating a livable future for the next generation. New York City has won more C40 Awards than any other city over the past six years.
Three of the projects recognized in the Cities100 Report are:
OneNYC: NYC’s long-term strategic plan and Green New Deal to secure the city’s future against the challenges of today and tomorrow, with bold actions to confront climate crisis, achieve equity, and strengthen democracy.
NYC Divestment/Investment: New York City is the first city in the nation to commit to divesting its pension funds from fossil fuels and investing in climate solutions. These bold actions are spurring a larger economic transformation and building global momentum for the divest/invest movement by supporting other cities through collaborative efforts such as the C40 Divest/Invest Forum that New York City launched with the City of London.
Building Mandates: The NYC Building Emissions Mandate (Local Law 97) is a first-of-its-kind and the strongest city policy in the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. The law requires large existing buildings to cut their carbon emissions beginning in 2024 or face steep penalties, bringing large buildings to near-zero emissions by 2050. The law is applicable to 50,000 buildings and will eliminate 6 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the equivalent of taking 1.3 million cars off the road each year.
“As the Chair of the Energy and Telecommunications Committee, I am proud to learn New York City is receiving global recognition for our efforts to address climate change and combat global warming. The Mayor’s office multi-pronged approach has proven to be effective, and I look forward to continuing to support the city’s efforts as we work towards achieving our clean energy goals as a state,” said Parker.
Gillibrand Continues Push For National Family Paid Leave Act
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) yesterday said a recent Data For Progress study shows broad bipartisan support for her Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act, or FAMILY Act.
The measure would create a universal, gender-neutral, national paid family and medical leave program, ensuring that workers can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave for a pregnancy, the birth or adoption of a child, recovery from a serious illness, or to care for a seriously ill family member.
“The study today from Data For Progress proves what we already knew – paid leave is a bipartisan issue and workers across the country overwhelmingly support national paid leave. This new report shows Americans specifically want the FAMILY Act that I have been championing for years – not paid leave in name only that uses social security benefits or only applies to new parents,” said Gillibrand.
“Every worker will have a family emergency or welcome a new baby into the family and need to take time off. Right now, our system leaves those workers out to dry causing them to lose wages when they need to take time off to care for a loved one. We should never have to make someone choose between a paycheck and their family. The FAMILY Act would solve this problem by making paid leave affordable and accessible to every worker, ensuring the support they need. With the support of voters on both sides of the aisle, it is time we bring the FAMILY Act up for a vote,” she added.
The proposed legislation would be funded through payroll contributions from employers and employees of two-tenths of 1% each (two cents per $10 in wages), or about $4 a week total, split between employers and employees.
DA Gonzalez Announces Court Diversion Plan With Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez yesterday announced Project Reset, a diversion program that holds people accountable for minor crimes without prosecuting them, through a first-of-its-kind arts-based educational course at the Brooklyn Museum.
Conducted in partnership with the Center for Court Innovation (CCI), the Brooklyn Museum, The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services, Project Reset allows those charged with certain misdemeanors who receive a desk appearance ticket (DAT) to resolve their cases by completing a diversionary course without ever having to set foot in court.
“Project Reset aligns with my commitment to reduce our reliance on convictions and incarceration while still holding offenders accountable. This program addresses the conduct of those who commit misdemeanor offenses and confronts the consequences of their actions in a more meaningful way than traditional court sanctions. I am especially proud that we have partnered with the Brooklyn Museum because involving our local communities and Brooklyn’s incredible cultural institutions as partners in justice is one of my goals as we strive to strengthen fairness and trust,” said Gonzalez.
“This partnership helps harness the transformative power of art as a response to low-level crimes. With the forthcoming expansion of DAT arrests under the new criminal justice reform law taking effect next year, this program will help us handle misdemeanors more efficiently and equitably while reducing the footprint of the criminal justice system,” he added.
Myrie Hosts Know Your Rights Forum
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, and Sunset Park today will host a Know Your Rights Forum addressing what to do when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) do raids against undocumented or thought to be undocumented immigrants.
The forum will present information on planning & temporary guardianship in case of deportation, benefits, & more.
The forum is slated for 6 p.m., today, Oct. 3 at The Brooklyn Public Library, 22 Linden Blvd in East Flatbush.
Maimonides Holds Annual Flag-Raising for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The Maimonides Breast Center tomorrow will recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a flag-raising ceremony and speaking program.
The program will begin with welcoming remarks from Maimonides President and CEO Kenneth D. Gibbs, followed by an overview of the Breast Center’s services and achievements from Maimonides Chair of Surgery and Director of the Breast Center Dr. Patrick Borgen, and Chief of Breast Imaging Dr. Christina Giuliano.
The event is slated for 9:30 a.m., tomorrow, Oct. 4 outside the hospital’s Eisenstadt Administration Building, 4802 Tenth Avenue on the Sunset Park/Borough Park border.
