Adams Joins Sunset Park Seniors To Discuss Coronavirus
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today will join public health officials, community leaders, and elected officials in Sunset Park to highlight steps members of the public can take to protect themselves and their loved ones from the coronavirus, the deadly illness emanating out of China.
Adams and other participants will amplify best practices and public awareness about how to access the most up-to-date information on the topic, and offer up recommendations and guidance provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The health update is slated for 2 p.m., today, Jan. 29 at the Chinese-American Planning Council, 4101 8th Avenue, 4th Floor in Sunset Park.
Cornegy to Chair Joint Oversight Hearing on MWBE Contracting
City Council Members Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) and Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan) today will chair an oversight hearing to examine City MWBE [Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises] programs, policies, and initiatives and to consider legislative options for fostering a more nurturing environment for establishing and growing MWBEs in the city.
The hearing will focus on what the city is doing or has done successfully, and identify room for improvement. It is the committee’s intention to move forward with a package of policy proposals, informed by the hearing.
Testimony is expected from Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs, Wendy Garcia, Chief Diversity Officer, Office of New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, NYC Department of Small Business Services, as well as from elected officials, senior leadership of key city agencies, entrepreneurs, advocates, scholars, and the general public.
The public hearing is slated for 10 a.m., today, Jan. 29 in the city council chambers at City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Brannan Endorses Bernie Sanders for President
City Council Member Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) yesterday endorsed U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) for president.
As a Council Member, Brannan works to ensure that the government creates opportunities for working and middle-class families. Brannan and Sanders have both called for a shift in political priorities, away from the wealthy and the well-connected to a focus on the needs of working people.
“I’m endorsing my fellow Brooklynite, Bernie Sanders because he has fought for the little guy his entire career,” said Brannan. “I represent a working middle-class district in Brooklyn, made up of families that have been here for generations and families that just got here yesterday. Across the board, my constituents need a president who is committed to building a country that works for all of us, not just the wealthy and the well-connected. Bernie has built a movement that has united working people across racial, class, and political divides and that is precisely the kind of leadership our country needs in a president right now.”
Schumer, Congressional Dems Write Amicus Brief to Protect Immigrant Children
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D_NY) and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) along with 113 of their Congressional colleagues submitted an Amicus Brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Ninth Circut in the case of Flores v Barr.
The brief urges the court to reject the Trump administration’s latest attempt to gut the Flores Settlement Agreement, which provides vital, long-standing protections for immigrant children. Flores is key to ensuring there are minimum health and safety requirements for the custody of these children.
The Members wrote: “Congress enacted [the Homeland Security Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008] to ensure the safety and well-being of migrant children and to set forth specific procedures for the screening, processing, and custody of those children. The regulations, by contrast, deprive children of access to those statutory protections and do not comport with the text and history of those statutes, or with Congress’s plan in passing them.”
Lander’s Office to Hold Participatory Budgeting Youth Committee Meeting
City Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Gowanus) next week is inviting the youth in his district to attend a participatory budgeting meeting.
Participatory budgeting is a way for all members of a community to choose how their taxpayer money is spent. Anyone can propose a project — a community garden, bus timers, an upgraded public space — and anyone can vote. As long you live in this district, and are 11 and older, you are eligible to cast a vote when it comes time to select projects.
At the meeting, the discussion will center on the outreach plan for the PB vote week in late March. There will be tons of ways to get involved at local schools and in the district.
The PB Youth Committee General Meeting is slated for 5-7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 3 at Lander’s District Office, 456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor in Park Slope. For more info email pbyouthcommittee@gmail.com or visit the website, here.
