Jackson, Niou to Help Present New Report Showing Increase in Billionaires’ Wealth
Americans for Tax Fairness and Health Care for America will release a new report at a telephone press conference today, showing a sharp increase in New York billionaires’ wealth since the pandemic began.
The report tracks the wealth of New York’s richest between Mar. 18 (the beginning of the State’s lockdown) and June 17. It comes on the heels of a national report showing that the wealth of the U.S.’s billionaires grew by 20 percent over the past few months.
State Senator Robert Jackson (D-Washington Heights, Fort George, Inwood) and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (D-Financial District, Chinatown) will be two of the speakers participating in the conference.
The event will take place today at 11 a.m. To participate, call 1-929-205-6099.
Brewer to Tour Hair Salons in Inwood as Part of Phase 2
Today, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) will be touring hair salons that have reopened during the City’s reopening Phase 2.
Brewer will be joined by New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce CEO Quenia Abreu. Together, they will speak to women-owned salons, asking them how they have prepared for Phase 2 and what the public can do to support them.
The event will take place today at 12:30 p.m., beginning at Belkis Beauty Salon, 4876 Broadway.
Johnson, Dromm, Gibson Announce Agreement on FY2021 Budget
Yesterday, Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) and Councilmembers Daneil Dromm (D-Queens) and Vanessa Gibson (D-Bronx) announced an agreement on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget.
The Council prioritized equity for low-income communities of color when negotiating the budget. As a result, it includes $837 million in cuts to the NYPD and $700 million in funding for programs and initiatives that were excluded from the previous year’s budget, such as the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP).
“The Council came into this year’s budget negotiations laser-focused on preserving the social safety net while grappling with unprecedented revenue shortfalls,” said Johnson. “We are proud of the work we did to save the types of programs and initiatives we need to rebuild post-COVID, including the Summer Youth Employment Program, community food pantries, domestic violence programs, money that will go directly into school budgets, senior services, and alternatives to incarceration. We also heard the calls for reimagining the NYPD, and pushed for and won spending reductions to the Department. That work is not over, and while we have made progress, we are also vowing to keep fighting for fundamental changes to how we approach safety in schools, mental health and homelessness.”
De Blasio Expands Antibody Testing for New Yorkers
Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that free antibody testing is now available at several NYC Health + Hospitals Gotham Community Health Centers.
Antibody tests will be available by appointment until Friday, July 24, and testing will be free for all City residents over 18. The City will also be conducting another antibody survey at community testing sites in each borough, in partnership with BioReference labs.
“So many New Yorkers are wondering whether they’ve had the virus, or if they’ve exposed their own families,” said de Blasio. “While antibody tests are not a fix-all solution, they will give our communities the knowledge they need to help us safely reopen our city.”
