NYC Council looks at creating a good food purchasing program
City Council Members Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), Amanda Farías (D-Bronx) and Julie Won (D-Queens) will hold a joint committee meeting today to look at legislation creating a food purchasing program.
This bill would create a “good food” purchasing program and advisory board to establish standards and goals for the purchase of food products in public institutions that meet sourcing, production, and quality guidelines.
The advisory board would include the commissioners of agencies that execute food procurement contracts, seven members appointed by the mayor and seven members appointed by the city council speaker with knowledge of the good food purchasing program value categories.
The advisory board would conduct baseline assessments of each agency’s food procurement processes, then develop and submit a five-year plan with one-year, three-year and five-year benchmarks. The board would also evaluate contract bids that are submitted in response to food procurement contract requests for proposal, and each agency may consider the board’s assessments.
Finally, the board would submit annual progress reports on the implementation of the good food purchasing program with recommendations, post the report on the website of the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy and hold a public hearing about its findings.
The public meeting on the legislation is slated for 1 p.m., today, June 27 at the City Council Chambers of City Hall in lower Manhattan. Livestream.
Meng to bring FCC Head to Queens for roundtable discussion
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) today will host Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a visit to Queens for a roundtable discussion to highlight the success of NYC schools and libraries recently receiving federal funding to increase internet access for students, particularly the many children who lacked an internet connection at home, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Meng helped create the program that provides this money, known as the Emergency Connectivity Fund, and she helped secure more than $7.1 billion for it. The funding has paid for Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, internet service and internet-enabled devices, and many libraries throughout New York continue to offer this free internet service.
The roundtable conversation will also underscore the need for continued federal funding to ensure that students stay connected and don’t lose their online access, particularly with the new school year just a few months away.
The discussion is slated for 2:30 p.m., today, June 27 at P.S. 154Q, 75-02 162nd Street in Flushing, Queens.
Central Brooklyn electeds protest mismanagement at Flatbush Gardens
Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn) and City Council Member Farah Louis (D-Brooklyn) today will join community leaders and residents of Flatbush Gardens to rally and protest against the poor living conditions endured by thousands of tenants.
For months, residents have filed complaints against the property management company for their continuous property neglect, leaving thousands of residents to live in unsanitary and unsafe living conditions. The complex is operated by Clipper Equity,
The rally is slated for 10 a.m., today, June 27 on the corner of Foster Avenue and New York Avenue at 3301 Foster Avenue in Brooklyn.
