Jeffries To Host Emergency Town Hall On Quality of Life Issues In Brownsville, ENY
U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, East New York, Canarsie, Mill Basin, Coney Island, parts of Queens) today will host an emergency town hall meeting on quality of life issues in Brownsville and East New York.
Among the topics Jeffries will discuss include vehicle speeding, illegal dumping of trash and the serious lack of shelter for the homeless community.
The event is slated for 6:30 p.m., today, May 30, at New Hope Family Worship Center, 817 Livonia Avenue in Brownsville.
Rose, Brannan Call For Pedestrian Safety Measure On Belt Parkway
Congressman Max Rose (D-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and Councilmember Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst) today call on the City today to build a long-delayed guardrail on the Belt Parkway between Exits 4 and 5.
The lawmakers want to make the South Brooklyn promenade safer for pedestrians by installing a guard rail along an unprotected stretch of the Belt Parkway that runs parallel to the walkways and cycling paths.
The guard rails are needed along the parkway’s eastbound lanes, between exits four and five — from Bay Eighth Street to Bay Parkway. Guardrails are currently in place to separate the promenade from the thoroughfare along the strip west of Bay Eighth Street, but there are no protections for the part that runs east to Bay Parkway, according to previous reports.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., today, May 30, at the Cycling and Walking Trail across the overpass from Bath Beach Park, Shore Parkway & Bay 14th Street in Bath Beach.
Menchaca To Hold Council Oversight Meeting On BQX
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) will lead the City Council’s Task Force on BQX oversight hearing on the Brooklyn-Queens Connector today.
The hearing comes following the NYC Economic Development Corporation’s (NYC EDC), approval of a contract with a consultant to oversee the environmental review process for the multi-billion dollar streetcar project, according to the NY Daily News.
According to an updated plan, announced last August, the BQX will now run an 11-mile route down from the original 16 miles originally proposed. The route will no longer cover Sunset Park in Brooklyn but will start in Red Hook and end in Astoria, Queens. Sunset Park was left out because of “low projected ridership and high estimated cost of construction,” according to the report.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., today, at City Hall, Council Chambers in Lower Manhattan.
Cumbo Announces Free Legal Housing Advice Events
Majority Leader City Council member Laurie Cumbo (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown Heights) recently announced two upcoming free legal housing assistance events.
The events will give attendees step-by-step information on how to get repairs managed and completed through private landlords and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).
Attendees will also be able to gather legal knowledge and procedures for going to housing court. Brooklyn Defenders, , will be present at the events.
The first event is slated for 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., today, May 30, at Friends of Crown Heights, 671 Prospect Place in Crown Heights.
The second event is slated for 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, June 27, at Grand Army Plaza Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights.
Ortiz Calls For Approval of Driver Licenses For Non-Citizens
Assistant Speaker Assembly member Felix Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) is urging the New York state legislature to take final action on approving legislation to permit drivers licenses for New York’s non-citizen immigrants.
The call comes In light of Colorado’s recent enactment of legislation to expand providing driver’s licenses for non-citizens. Under the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, also known as SB 139, driver’s licenses will be made available to all state residents at ten Department of Motor Vehicles offices by July 2020, according to reports.
The NYS legislation (A.03675/S.01747), Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, sponsored by State Senator Luis Sepúlveda (D-Bronx) and Assembly Member Marcos Crespo (D-Bronx), would improve public safety by promoting greater trust with local authorities and awareness of traffic laws, as well as benefit the economy through an estimated $57 million in combined annual revenue plus lower insurance premiums for all drivers.
Currently, 752,000 undocumented immigrant New Yorkers over the age of 16 are barred from obtaining driver’s licenses due to their immigration status. While more than 70,000 additional residents who currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) are at risk of losing access to their driver’s licenses.
“New York should not fall behind the other states that are taking the progressive lead to provide driver’s licenses to non-citizens. This is the time for the Empire State to demonstrate leadership,” said Ortiz.
Treyger, Reynoso Applaud Passage of Physical Education Package
City Council members Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), Chair of the Committee on Education, and Antonio Reynoso (D-Williamsburg, Greenpoint) this week applauded the City Council’s passage of a series of reporting bills regarding physical education and afterschool athletics in New York City public schools.
The three reporting bills aim to address issues of accountability in how physical education and afterschool athletics, including how programming and funding are distributed throughout our public school system. Of the three bills, two were sponsored by the Brooklyn lawmakers.
Introduction 1298-A, sponsored by Treyger, requires the New York City Department of Education to report on physical education curricula and educator credentials in New York City schools. Only 76% of NYC students received the required amount of physical education. That means more than 214,000 students are still not receiving the amount of physical education that is required by New York State law. The bill would additionally requiring reporting on professional development received by certified physical education instructors.
“Introduction 1298 will help this Council in its oversight role of holding the DOE accountable for providing high-quality instruction for our 1.1 million students. Physical activity is a necessary component of long-term health and wellness, and physical education and athletics should not be luxuries for any of our City’s students,” said Treyger.
Introduction 242-B, sponsored by Reynoso, requires the Department of Education to post required information regarding afterschool athletics on their website, including data with respect to funding for coaches, referees, athletic directors, equipment, uniforms, and transportation. The bill would also require reporting on student demographic information, athletic team requests, and athletic facilities used for after school athletics.
“All students deserve equal access to sports teams and resources; it is unconscionable that this is not the case today in public schools throughout New York City. Black and Latino students are twice as likely as their peers to attend schools that don’t have a sports team. Such staggering statistics offer reason to believe that these disparities are due to systemic issues in how the DOE allocates funding and resources to schools,” said Reynoso.
