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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest) is the new chairman of the Committee on the Justice System, which will oversee criminal and civil justice in New York City.

The committee’s jurisdiction includes that of the Committee on Courts and Legal Services, of which Lancman previously was the chairman. It also includes all publicly funded criminal defense and civil legal service organizations, the five district attorneys and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.

Lancman said he plans on building on the accomplishments of the Committee on Courts and Legal Services. As chairman, he tackled ICE enforcement activity in the courts, legal services available to low-wage workers, the process of mayoral judicial appointments, bail reform and the speedy-trial crisis.

“An equitable and efficient justice system is the cornerstone of civil society, and now more than ever New York City’s criminal and civil legal system deserves close scrutiny and serious reform,” the councilman said. “As chair of the Committee on the Justice System, I look forward to working with the mayor, our district attorneys, public defenders and civil legal services providers, and the Office of Court Administration to make our justice system fairer, more transparent, more efficient and more accountable.”

Lancman said there are many issues in the criminal justice system, from all who enter the system, how they’re treated from the moment charges are filed and what opportunities are available when they leave the system. Now that the committee oversees the city’s DA offices and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Lancman said, it will be able to drill down on those issues and effect change.

Lancman said the committee plans first to look closely at the prosecution of marijuana possession. He said the mayor’s office claimed prosecution has remained the same and not gone up, but the councilman pointed out one exception in Jamaica’s 105th Precinct, which he said has the most marijuana possession prosecutions in the city.

“I definitely want to know why the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice and the DAs are still prosecuting a very high number of marijuana possession cases,” he said. “These are not people selling; they are usually people who are stopped and are caught possessing small quantities of marijuana.

“The mayor’s office announced they would prosecute cases as violations instead of misdemeanors, and that makes a huge difference, because violations are not even a crime. There have been a lot of people who agree we spend an awful lot of resources for something that doesn’t warrant it.”

Lancman was also named to the Finance Committee, the Land Use Committee and its Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, which reviews and makes recommendations on modifications to New York City zoning regulations, changes in zoning districts, and resolutions authorizing the city to make franchise agreements.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

In a final ridership review of its 2017 inaugural year, NYC Ferry learned it had served nearly three million passengers across all four routes currently in operation. Based on preliminary projections, the figure was 34 percent higher than expected.

“NYC Ferry has proven to be more popular than we could have hoped, and nearly three million riders agree it’s the best way to get around the city,” city Economic Development Corporation President and CEO James Patchett said. “Now we’re looking forward to launching two more routes in 2018, helping even more riders to good jobs and opportunities.”

In response to the high ridership, and long lines at many landings during much of the summer, NYC Ferry will be adding six new vessels outfitted with bigger engines with a capacity to hold 349 passengers. That should help move passengers on the Rockaway route, which carried 545,000 passengers after launching May 1.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) hailed the growth in popularity but plans to begin a discussion to have the ferry system provide free transfers for riders that can be used on all MTA buses and trains. Currently, passengers pay a $2.75 fare for a one-way ticket on the NYC Ferry, and an additional $2.75 for any MTA bus or train they wish to use.

“As the MTA continues to work on the next generation of the MetroCard, I ask that they take into consideration the growing number of people who use the NYC Ferry,” Addabbo said. “With the number of passengers on the NYC Ferry likely to increase in the coming years, it would be a major benefit for the riders if they could continue their route by using a free transfer onto an MTA-operated bus or train. Joining these parts of our city’s public transportation system will help everyone travel faster.”

NYCEDC Spokeswoman Stephanie Baez responded favorably to Addabbo’s suggestion.

“As the MTA works to implement a new fare system, we’ll continue to discuss opportunities to integrate payment options,” she said.

Additionally, Addabbo plans to contact the NYCEDC about possibly expanding its free ferry bus shuttle service to residents of Broad Channel and Howard Beach.

“Currently, residents of Broad Channel who drive and park their cars before boarding the NYC Ferry in the Rockaways can do it for free, while residents of Howard Beach who wish to do the same are inundated with the toll for crossing the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge,” Addabbo said. “That just adds an additional fare for those people, which isn’t fair. That is why I would like to see the buses that bring people into the Rockaways to get the ferry expanded to Broad Channel and Howard Beach. This would provide these residents with an alternate way of getting to the ferry, and if the MTA transfer plan moves forward, it would be a free transfer from that bus onto the ferry.”

The NYEDC ridership review also showed that 290,000 passengers traveled the Astoria route, which launched Aug. 29.

“I am proud of the success of our expanded NYC Ferry system,” Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) said. “It has brought a vital transit option for residents of the Hallets peninsula and western Astoria while using our city’s greatest resource — our waterways. Since opening the Astoria route, we have seen ferry riders double citywide, which is a testament to the success of this new transportation system. I look forward to continuing to work with NYCEDC as the system grows.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget address admitted that Fiscal Year 2019 would be a complicated one for the state in terms of closing a $4.4 billion deficit with a $168.1 billion spending plan.

But Cuomo made clear his intention to fix the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and establish a dedicated revenue stream by enacting congestion pricing — charging drivers in congested Manhattan neighborhoods.

“In many ways, this is going to be the most challenging budget that we’ve had to do. It intertwines a number of economic and policy and legal issues that makes the situation complicated. It’s not just the budget this year, it’s really an economic transformation plan that we’re talking about.” Cuomo said Tuesday before explaining how the Payroll Mobility Tax, which levies about $1.6 billion per year, could possibly go directly to the MTA as a dedicated revenue stream:

“We would change the law so that the MTA collects the tax itself. It now has a dedicate funding stream, can securitize it, it can get a better credit rating from it, it can finance the installation of the Fix New York City, the Penn Renovation, etc.”

Fix NYC was established by the governor as a panel to deliberate on how to enact congestion pricing at tolls going into Manhattan during peak hours. According to Cuomo, a report from Fix NYC was to be released at the end of the week defining hours, fees and geographic zones for congestion pricing, which will be collected through cashless tolling.

Queens pols have been vocally opposed to congestion pricing on East River bridges since the proposal was announced by Cuomo over the summer, Including Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows).

“I am pleased to hear that the governor did not include tolls on the East River bridge crossings, which have been free since 1911, as part of his 2018 Executive Budget Proposal,” Weprin said. “As I’ve expressed before, tolls impose an unfair burden on the middle class, small businesses, and those who cannot access public transportation. I’d like to ensure that any congestion zone will keep the needs of all New Yorkers, including the many the working New Yorkers who often commute from the outer boroughs and who do not have easily available access to public transportation, in mind.”

On Jan. 4, during the State of the State address, Cuomo said he ordered state agencies to examine options to redevelop the 40-year-old Penn Station to protect against terrorist threats and said he would consider using eminent domain to expedite upgrades.

Riders Alliance Executive Director John Raskin praised Cuomo’s motivation to fix the transit system in his address, but said the state of the city’s subways are still a make-or-break situation for the governor.

“Gov. Cuomo today acknowledged a basic truth: our transit system is in crisis and it’s his responsibility to fix it,” Raskin said. “He is right to say fixing transit must happen this year. He is right that we can’t fix transit without a new long-term revenue source. He is right that congestion pricing is a fair and sustainable way to raise the money we need to modernize the subway.”

The test, Raskin said, will be whether Cuomo has the ability to make his proposal happen. “If the governor passes a true congestion pricing plan that actually fixes the subway,” Raskin said, “he can be the leader who rescues transit for millions of suffering riders. If not, he’s just another politician making promises. Riders are waiting to find out.”

Also in the budget address, Cuomo said the state is still waiting for the city to take responsibility for half the cost to MTA Emergency Action Plan devised by agency chair Joe Lhota to stabilize the subways in the short term until a comprehensive fix can be made.

The state is asking for a 50-50 split with the city on the $835 million plan, which has been a point of contention between Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The budget also proposes a 3 percent increase in school aid and takes aim at the opioid crisis by imposing a 2 percent surcharge per milligram on prescription pills.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Queens Council on the Arts, a nonprofit that supports diverse artists throughout the borough, will award $465,000 to 136 artists and art organizations at the Paper Factory Hotel on Jan. 25 during an event from 6 to 8 p.m. at 37-06 36th St., Long Island City.

“One of the most important aspects of the Queens Arts Fund grant is that it offers validation,” said Lynn Lobell, the grants and resource director for QCA.

The organizations and individuals selected for the grant are chosen by a group of their peers, which comprises fellow artists, art administrators and community members who want a say in what gets funded in their neighborhood, according to Lobell.

“For some of the grantees, they would not be able to create and then present their work if they did not have the funds to pay artists and pay for materials to create.”

The Queens Arts Fund and the support from the QCA allows the individuals and organizations to pursue art and reach a wider audience than they would on their own, according to Lobell.

“Another reason for the importance of this grant is the ability to provide emerging artists and community-based organizations of diverse backgrounds and disciples to provide open and equal access for audiences in all communities of Queens,” Lobell said.

Among the recipients of Queens Arts Fund grants are 56 Queens artists and 67 community organizations.

The artists and organizations work within seven disciplines: visual arts, film, theater, multimedia, literary art, dance and music, according to QCA.

Half of the individual artists work with senior citizens at 28 senior centers across the borough in places like the Holliswood Neighborhood Senior Center, the Corona Neighborhood Senior Center, the Queensbridge-Riis Neighborhood Senior Center, the CCNS Woodhaven Neighborhood Senior Center, the KCS Flushing Neighborhood Senior Center and many more homes for the elderly in Queens.

According to a spokeswoman for the QCA, another purpose of the art fund is to get local artists working on community programs and art projects to help increase the cultural vibrancy of Queens.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A 40-year-old homeless man was found dead Saturday morning in Long Island City.

Police from the 108th Precinct, responding to a 911 call of an unconscious man in the vicinity of 34th Street and Queens Boulevard, discovered Ivan Avilla unresponsive with no apparent signs of trauma, according to the NYPD.

EMS responded and transported Avilla to Elmhurst Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead, police said. The Medical Examiner has yet to determine the cause of death and the investigation was ongoing.

Avilla’s death comes five days after another homeless man was found dead at Thomas P. Noonan playground on Greenpoint Avenue and 43rd Street in Sunnyside.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) was named chairman of the powerful and prestigious Committee on Finance, replacing Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, who did not seek re-election to a third term. The committee has jurisdiction to review and modify the city’s $85 billion budget and oversees fiscal policy, the comptroller’s office, the city’s Banking Commission, and the Department of Finance.

“Being Finance Committee chairperson gives me the opportunity to set priorities for the city using the vast resources that are available to us,” Dromm said. “I intend to use this position to move a progressive budget forward, working closely with Speaker Corey Johnson, who I thank for giving me this opportunity to serve.”

Dromm is also a member of the committees on Aging; Civil and Human Rights; Civil Service and Labor; Education; and Immigration. He is the chairman of the Irish Caucus and a member of the Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Caucus and the Progressive Caucus.

Johnson also reappointed City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) as chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee. The expanded committee now has jurisdiction over the Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability and the Office of Recovery and Resiliency.

“I am excited to continue as chair of the Council’s newly strengthened Environmental Protection Committee,” Constantinides said. “Making our city greener and more environmentally friendly will remain our top priority. Climate change is perhaps one of our planet’s greatest dangers, and I remain committed to implementing policies that will combat its effects.”

Constantinides was also named a member of the Council’s budget negotiating team, which negotiates the city’s budget with the mayor every fiscal year.

“We will work to ensure that our city’s budget provides adequate funding for programs and capital projects in all our neighborhoods,” Constantinides said. “Thank you to Speaker Johnson for this opportunity — I look forward to working with him and my Council colleagues on a productive legislative session.”

He was also appointed to sit on four additional committees: Parks, Transportation, For-Hire Vehicles, and Land Use, as well as the subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) was “thrilled” to be reappointed chairman of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries, the only committee he asked to chair when he was first elected eight years ago.

“I love this committee and am so proud to be the champion of culture, the arts, and public libraries in this city. And it means so much to me that I will serve out all 12 years in the Council chairing this important committee,” Van Bramer said. “I look forward to working with Speaker Johnson and my colleagues to fight for culture, the arts, and public libraries in the City Council term. I am also grateful to serve on the speaker’s leadership team and the budget negotiating team, and I look forward to working with the speaker and my colleagues to fight on behalf of all New Yorkers.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

2018 has already set a record for the most heat complaints in the city.

A study posted by Renthop, a real estate information site, broke down heat complaints by neighborhoods and addresses.

While a majority of the complaints came from addresses in the Bronx and Brooklyn, Queens neighborhoods including Flushing, Laurelton and Hollis saw a significant increase in complaints compared with previous years.

According to the study, in the first week of 2018, one of the coldest in recent memory, New Yorkers made more heat complaints than in any previous year on record. Renthop said that during the bomb cyclone, nearly 30,000 complaints were made, meaning there were about as many cold New Yorkers as there were during the first week of the previous three years combined.

The cold snap brought in 29,386 complaints, 18,567 of them categorized as “unique” (complaints per 1,000 rental units in a neighborhood) compared with the 8,092 complaints, 5,828 of them unique, for the first week of last year.

The NYC heat season begins on Oct. 1 and ends on May 31. During that time, all city landlords are required to provide heat to tenants.

Renthop said some of the key findings from its study were that there was a strong correlation between rent prices and complaints about lack of heat; that besides being the worst first week on record, it also ranked as the most complained-about week of any week over the past three years; and that in terms of unique and duplicated calls, nearly half of the addresses receiving the most unique heat complaints this season ranked high last year as well.

One address in Queens, 89-21 Elmhurst Ave., received 1,298 complaints this heat season in just 50 days. This tops the record the address set last year, when 1,222 complaints were made for the whole heat season. This means that more than 25 complaints per day are being made.

According to Renthop, given some addresses’ continued presence on the list, landlords are not doing enough to ensure residents are warm.

“The same landlords in the same areas still aren’t adequately heating their buildings, and the same Department of Housing isn’t doing enough to make sure these people aren’t cold,” the report said. “One can only imagine how the person or persons at these addresses making hundreds of calls must feel, year after year, cold and seemingly screaming into the wind for help.”

The Queens neighborhoods with the biggest jumps in complaints included Old Astoria, Queensboro Hill and Laurelton.

The report said that according to 311 data, Hollis residents reported 61 complaints so far this heat season compared with 45 total for the entirety of the 2017 heat season, a 34.7 percent increase, and the number will probably continue to rise by the end of heat season in May.

Laurelton has 51.5 complaints this heat season compared with 44.7 in 2016-17, a 15.3 percent increase, while Bayswater in Far Rockaway has 47.5 complaints, an 18 percent increase since 2017. Queensboro Hill in Flushing saw a dramatic increase of heat complaints, jumping 116 percent in complaints from 9.3 during the last heat season to 20.2 this year. Old Astoria heat complaints jumped 90.2 percent, from 11.6 complaints during the 2017 heat season to 22 complaints so far this season.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

New York City is taking on big oil. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week that the city was suing the five largest fossil fuel companies, seeking damages to help protect the city from climate change.

In addition, de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer and other trustees of the city’s $189 billion pension funds announced a goal to divest funds from fossil fuel reserve owners within five years, which would make New York City the first major pension plan to do so.

“New York City is standing up for future generations by becoming the first major U.S. city to divest our pension funds from fossil fuels,” de Blasio said. “At the same time, we’re bringing the fight against climate change straight to the fossil fuel companies that knew about its effects and intentionally misled the public to protect their profits. As climate change continues to worsen, it’s up to the fossil fuel companies whose greed put us in this position to shoulder the cost of making New York safer and more resilient.”

The city’s lawsuit seeks billions in damages from BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell. The mayor cited Hurricane Sandy as evidence, noting that the superstorm “claimed 44 lives and unleashed $19 billion worth of devastation in a matter of hours.”

Stringer said New York City is sending a message to the world that a brighter economy rests on being green.

“It’s complex, it will take time, and there are going to be many steps,” Stringer said. “But we’re breaking new ground, and we are committed to forging a path forward while remaining laser-focused on our role as fiduciaries to the systems and beneficiaries we serve.”

City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria), who was renamed chairman of the Council’s Environmental Protection Committee last week, supported divestment of the city’s pension funds from fossil fuel interests.

“After years of advocacy, this divestment underscores the benefits of renewable energy,” Constantinides said. “As fossil fuel securities have underperformed recently, divestment is a sound economic decision that will make our city greener while saving money. I am also proud that our city is seeking damages from fossil fuel companies to help make us more resilient and sustainable as the effects of climate change make their impact.”

To recover from past harm and prepare for future events, the city is already executing a resiliency program of more than $20 billion to protect New Yorkers and build against rising seas, more powerful storms and hotter temperatures.

“New York City is a global leader in combating climate change, and today’s announcement that the city’s five pension funds will divest an estimated $5 billion in fossil fuel securities marks another major step forward,” U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said. “New York City is sending an important message: To invest in our financial future, we must also invest in the energy of the future.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Express train service on the No. 7 line will be cut back for repairs to take place at the 61st Street-Woodside station for as long as a month in February and March, and Queens commuters may need more time to make it to work.

The express track at the station will need to be replaced along with the support beams beneath it, The Daily News originally reported, and the MTA confirmed riders may be affected from Feb. 17 to March 12.

“We have significant infrastructure work to do along the line, but dates and plans have not been finalized,” an MTA spokesman said. “Many riders will not be impacted, but we will of course accommodate riders as needed.”

The MTA said weekend riders should not be affected, since the No. 7 runs only local on those days, and express service is available only during peak hours. Express service will remain between the Flushing-Main Street and 74th Street-Jackson Heights stations, and the agency said local straphangers can experience better service with more train frequency.

Melissa Orlando, founder of transit advocacy group Access Queens said the repairs may be problematic, but are necessary.

“I’ve been told that it’s safe to run the trains; however, they need to be repaired sooner rather than later,” Orlando said. “So of course, we want the MTA to do what they need to do and ensure safety for the riders and make the repairs. However, having the express train switch over to the local track at 74th Street is going to cause delays for the riders.”

Orlando said that passengers could expect an eight- to 10-minute extension on their commutes and that people traveling from the 74th Street station could expect additional snags from express trains using the local track.

The escalator at the Woodside station has been under repair for more than a month and only recently reopened.

During Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s fiscal-year 2019 budget address on Jan. 16, he said the state agency is getting closer to establishing a dedicated revenue stream to bring the subways and their 19th-century technology into the 21st century.

By dedicating the Payroll Mobility Tax to the MTA, the agency would have a guaranteed $1.6 billion per year. With the Fix NYC panel, put in place by Cuomo to enact congestion pricing for vehicle traffic into Manhattan, releasing a report on how the proposal could be carried out, the MTA could fully fund an overhaul of the system, the governor said.

The No. 7 line was completed in 1917 and still uses the same analog signal system put in place around that time, but installation of a digital system known as communications-based train control, or CBTC, began in early 2017 to safely run an extra two trains per hour.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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Source: Times Ledger