Liu, Braunstein Announce New Bill For Co-Op Owners
State Sen. John Liu (D-College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Douglaston-Little Neck, parts of Hollis, Bellerose) and Assemblymember Ed Braunstein (D-Auburndale, Bay Terrace, Bayside, Bayside Hills, Broadway-Flushing, Douglaston, Floral Park, Glen Oaks, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Whitestone) , along with other elected officials and community leaders today will announce their support for the Co-op Clarification Bill (S6770 / A8718).
The measure was introduced following passage of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, a historic piece of legislation meant to extend protections for renters in traditional landlord-tenant relationships.
At the time, tenant-shareholders sought to make clear that provisions of new housing reforms did not apply to their unique form of homeownership. Some provisions meant to restore equity in landlord-tenant relationships stood in conflict with proprietary leases and increased the costs of cooperative management.
Thus this bill adds clarifying language and exempts these homeowner shareholder-tenants from those provisions that would have a negative impact to their homeownership.
The announcement is slated for 12:30 p.m., today, Nov. 7 14-11 212th Street in Bayside.
Meng Launches Holiday Card Drive For Veterans
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) announced yesterday that she will once again sponsor her holiday card drive for Queens veterans.
For the second year in a row, Meng will collect cards from members of the public and local elementary schools, then personally deliver them during the holiday season to veterans at the VA St. Albans Community Living Center in Queens.
Last year, Meng handed out dozens of holiday cards when she visited the facility in mid-December.
“As we prepare to mark Veterans Day next week, we are again reminded of the sacrifices that our veterans have made to protect and defend our freedom,” said Meng. “The holiday season is a very important time of year. Providing these special cards to the brave men and women who served our nation is an outstanding way to recognize their service, and make sure they know that we have not forgotten about them during the holidays. I look forward seeing and distributing all the cards that we receive this year.”
Holiday cards can be standard cards or cards made from scratch. They can be dropped off or mailed by December 2 to 40-13 159th Street, Suite C in Flushing.
Schumer Presses Trump On Passage Of Background Check Legislation
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) yesterday sent a letter to President Trump urging him to call upon Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to take up House-passed, bipartisan, commonsense background checks legislation that passed the House 250 days ago this week.
The letter comes as press reports indicate that Trump has shelved his plans to address the gun violence crisis because of political concerns.
“Unfortunately, there are indications you have reversed your support for passing gun violence prevention legislation. Sadly, it has been reported that this is because of concerns about your re-election and a desire to appease special interests like the NRA [National Rifle Association],” the lawmakers wrote.
“And, noting this reversal, Leader McConnell has, once again, followed your example, and refused to bring commonsense, bipartisan, life-saving legislation passed by the House to the Floor,” they added.
Koo To Host Small Business Forum On Sidewalk Obstructions
City Council Member Peter Koo (D-Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows, Whitestone), in partnership with the Mayor’s Neighborhood Support Team (NST) and eight city agencies today will host a forum for Flushing small businesses to address sidewalk obstructions in downtown Flushing caused by street vending and stoop line stands.
Over the last week, Koo and the NST participated in an educational march operation in downtown Flushing with the agencies and the 109 Police Precinct to invite business owners with stoop line stands and street vendors to the forum. Translation will be available in Chinese, Spanish, and Korean.
Forum topics will include:
- Sidewalk and street obstruction laws
- Stoop line stand license regulation and compliance
- How to apply for small business permits and licenses
The forum is slated for 2 p.m., today, Nov. 7 at the Flushing Library, Auditorium, 41-17 Main Street in Flushing.
