Moya Reviews Land Use Applications
City Councilmember Francisco Moya (D-East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona in Queens, including Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Lefrak City and LaGuardia Airport), Chair of the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, and the rest of the subcommittee are holding a virtual hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing will go over multiple land use applications, many of which are in Queens. For more information on the land use applications being considered, see the agenda.
The remote hearing will take place on Tuesday, February 23 at 9:45 a.m. in Virtual Room 1.
Meng Calls for Increase in COVID-19 Vaccines in District
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park) on Monday called for more vaccination sites to be placed in her congressional district in West, Central and Northeast Queens following the recent New York State pop-up COVID-19 vaccination site at Korean Community Services (KCS) in Bayside.
“I continue to be extremely concerned about the lack of COVID-19 vaccination sites in my congressional district,” said Meng. “The pop-up site at KCS on February 11th and 12th was a good first step but more sites and permanent vaccination locations are urgently needed to ensure that the vaccine is available to all of my constituents. There are many venues here in the sixth congressional district that can accommodate additional sites, and I am continuing to work with the governor and mayor to push for more vaccination spots.”
“My district was the epicenter of the pandemic when the coronavirus outbreak began last year, and the crisis has had a major impact on my constituents,” Meng added. “In addition, my district is home to one of the largest senior populations in the area. Many of these seniors live in transportation deserts and are unable to travel via public transportation or find another method of transit to visit a vaccination site many miles away. Everybody in New York and across the nation deserves easy access to the vaccine, and that includes those who I represent. The availability of the vaccine must be immediately improved in my congressional district.”
Mayor Releases 10-Year Food Policy Plan
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy (MOFP) announced Monday the release of the City’s first ever 10-Year Food Policy Plan, “Food Forward NYC,” a comprehensive framework for a more racially and economically equitable, sustainable and healthy food system for all New Yorkers that addresses the profound social, economic, health, and environmental challenges currently facing our city.
“When COVID-19 hit, I made a promise to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry due to the pandemic,” said de Blasio. “We quickly mobilized to create GetFoodNYC and have distributed more than 200 million meals to New Yorkers. This 10-Year Food Policy Plan builds on top of this emergency effort and centers racial and economic justice in our food system in the long term.”
Food Forward NYC is organized around five overarching goals:
1. All New Yorkers have multiple ways to access healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food.
2. New York City’s food economy drives economic opportunity and provides good jobs.
3. The supply chains that feed New York City are modern, efficient, and resilient.
4. New York City’s food is produced, distributed, and disposed of sustainably.
5. Support the systems and knowledge to implement the 10-year food policy plan.
The full report is available here.
