Governor Paterson and Attorney General Cuomo are absolutely correct in pointing out the lack of diversity among the candidates recommended to succeed Chief Judge Judith Kaye, who after 25 years of public service is retiring from our State’s highest court.

As an elected official serving one of the most diverse states in our country, I find it extremely disconcerting that the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination was unable to recommend at least one qualified woman or Hispanic candidate to lead New York’s Court of Appeals.

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In spite of months of efforts on the part of the New York City Council and environmental advocates, the “Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Act” State legislation that undermines and preempts the City Council’s stronger plastic bag recycling legislation has made its way unchanged to Governor Paterson desk.

The following is a statement from Council Speaker Christine C.

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BROOKLYN – Speaker Christine C. Quinn, together with Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Shaun Donovan, Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Erik Martin-Dilan, Council Members Letitia James, Gale Brewer and Diana Reyna and Make the Road New York Executive Director Andrew Friedman, today toured a building on Gates Avenue in Brooklyn that was rehabilitated after being selected for the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP), a program that was enacted by the passage of the Safe Housing Act.

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Council Funding of EBT Machines shows huge gains at the City’s Greenmarkets

CITY HALL – Speaker Christine C. Quinn, together with Council Member Miguel Martinez, Marcel Van Ooyen, Executive Director of the Council on the Environment of NYC, Ben Thomases, New York City’s Food Policy Coordinator and Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, today released a report highlighting the tremendous success of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) stations, scanners that allow New Yorkers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables with food stamps at Greenmarkets throughout the City.

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Also votes to preserve Manhattan’s Lower East Side, while creating a new stock of affordable housing

City Hall, November 19, 2008 – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the members of the New York City Council will vote on three pieces of legislation. The bills will:
• Allow motorists to park at a broken meters or muni-meters up to the maximum time permitted in the parking meter zone;

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City Hall – Council Member Michael C. Nelson today called on Governor Paterson and the State Legislature to reinstate the “Commuter Tax”, a modest charge on non-residents who work in New York City and benefit from city services. If the tax was reinstated, it would generate approximately $500 million in revenue for the City. Such a funding stream would be critical in light of the City’s current financial situation, which threatens core services such as police and fire protection, education, and senior centers.

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City Hall, November 18, 2008 – In a joint Civil Rights and Women’s Issues Committee meeting, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Women’s Issues Committee Chair Helen Sears held a hearing on legislation to protect women’s access to reproductive health care facilities. The Clinic Access Bill strengthens safeguards for women who are faced with harassment and other hostile acts as they enter and exit local reproductive health care clinics.

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CITY HALL – Speaker Quinn today announced two developments following the Mayor’s financial Plan released on Nov 5th: the schedule for a series of public hearings and the release of the Council’s economic and revenue forecast.

The severity and speed of the unraveling of the financial sector and its impact on the real economy was unanticipated only four months ago when the FY 2009 budget was adopted.

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