CITY HALL – Continuing efforts to strengthen and improve passenger safety for residents that use livery cabs in New York City, the Council will vote Wednesday on legislation that would make it easier for passengers to know and understand their rights. Council members were also joined by members of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers and the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade representing livery cab drivers and livery cab fleets.
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“NYC’s campaign finance system has been called the gold standard of public financing systems. Late Friday, I was pleased to learn that important new provisions adopted by the Council to limit contributions of those who do business with the city were upheld by the court.
The more we can do to eliminate the perception of pay to play, the more we can restore the public’s trust in government.”
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Last weekend in the Long Island community of Bay Shore, vandals targeted the Long Island GLBT Services Network community center. These cowardly individuals slashed the tires and shattered the windows of the van used to transport teens to and from the Community Center. They also smashed the front door of the facility. The Suffolk County Police Commissioner has classified this criminal mischief as a hate crime.
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For too long, representatives from upstate New York have had too much control over how New York City governs its housing policy. This system has destabilized communities and spurred the loss of hundreds of thousands of units of affordable housing, many of them home to some of our most vulnerable residents. By repealing the Urstadt laws, we can restore home rule and put authority back where it belongs – in the hands of the local legislature.
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We in the Council are committed to working to see New York through this financial crisis, the most significant we have seen in decades. The severe economic conditions we are facing are real. Therefore, Mayor Bloomberg’s proposals will be thoroughly debated and examined by the Council as we fulfill our obligation to balance the budget in a responsible and fair manner.
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Bills will allow multiple agencies to enforce idling rules, reduce allowable idling times around City schools
City Hall, January 28, 2009 – The New York City Council voted on legislation to reduce engine idling in front of schools and authorize additional city agencies to enforce automotive idling restrictions. With some of the highest child asthma rates in the country, these bills aim to reduce harmful pollutants emitted by idling engines on city streets.
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Legislation will require licensing of property consultants and root out bad actors
CITY HALL – Speaker Christine C. Quinn, together with the Executive Director of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Michael Hickey, Anne Fleming of South Brooklyn Legal Services, Ellen Davidson of the Legal Aide Society, Sarah Ludwig, co-director of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, Consumer Affairs Chair Leroy Comrie, Housing and Buildings Chair Erik Martin-Dilan and Council Members Lewis Fidler, James Sanders and Thomas White, today announced legislation that will increase the regulatory requirements for distressed property consultants.
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Thousands to Gather Saturday to Highlight Impact on Families Separated by Immigration System
NEW YORK, NY – Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, joined by Bishop Miguel Alvarez of the Confraternidad de Lideres Counciliares (CONLICO), Rev. Gabriel Salguero of the Latino Leadership Circle and Rev. Raymond Rivera of the Latino Pastoral Action Center announced a large-scale community meeting aimed at drawing attention to families who must live the fear of deportation due to our nation’s broken immigration system.
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Comprehensive annual report will lead to greater oversight on the department’s use of deadly force
CITY HALL – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the New York City Council will vote on legislation that will increase NYPD’s reporting requirements when one of their officers discharges a firearm.
IMPROVED FIREARM DISCHARGE REPORTING
The legislation will require the NYPD to submit an annual report to the Council detailing:
the circumstances surrounding incidents where officers fire their weapons;
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We are pleased by today’s settlement of the Attorney General’s lawsuit requiring Arbitron to overhaul a deeply flawed ratings system that dramatically underreports listenership for ethnic and minority radio stations. The requirement that Arbitron pay for a study to “determine and cure measurable bias” in their ratings system is a particularly heartening aspect of the settlement.
Beginning in 2007, the City Council responded to concerns that Arbitron’s new Portable People Meter system did not adequately account for communities of color and younger listeners, and threatened the survival of ethnic and minority radio stations.
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