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June 2, 2023

I joined Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie & Assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, along with colleagues, government partners, Teamsters Local 202, & Hunts Point Produce Market, to announce that we have secured $130 million to invest in crucial economic infrastructure! #BronxRenaissance

Hunts Point spans 1 million square feet, with more than 30 merchants doing business across four platforms. Thousands of varieties of fruits and vegetables arrive at the market daily, traveling to us by truck, plane, boat, rail, and trailer, sourced from local farms and international importers alike. Every year, more than 210 million packages of produce pass through the market, thanks to some of the most streamlined logistics in the business. Their stock is handled carefully to ensure the highest degree of food safety.

Soon after produce reaches their merchants, it goes to wholesalers, retailers, independent grocers, restaurateurs, and more, across the five boroughs and beyond. Thank you for all that you do to help serve our community!

I attended a Zoom meeting hosted by the Bronx Community Board 8 Health & Hospital Committee to discuss the proposed men's homeless shelter at 6001 Broadway. I spoke about how this money would be better spent building affordable housing rather than a homeless shelter in this area.

Updates have been sparse, to say the least, from the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) about their plans to open a 130-bed shelter for single adult men at 6661 Broadway. However, although DHS has yet to be communicative about its plan, a contract was recently submitted to the public city database, which indicates that DHS is moving forward with a $390 million contract to a group called Westhab, Inc.

This development is alarming for two reasons:

1) The previous contract discussed for the since-withdrawn provider, AAPCI Inc., was $195 million through 2055 — $160 million less than the submitted contract for Westhab Inc., which would run through 2055.

2) Westhab Inc. was recently cited in a New York Post article highlighting a potential conflict of interest because the head of DHS is the sister of a Vice President of Westhab. I am not making any accusations, and this could be easily explained by family members having similar interests. However, it is of the utmost importance that the public has confidence that multi-hundred million dollar contracts are being given out based on merit.

So, I have written to Mayor Adams to request that DHS restart the public engagement process with the new proposed contract. After all, the contract with AAPCI was only withdrawn after this same public engagement process brought to light significant concerns about conflicts of interest and organizational flaws. This letter was jointly sent with Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Bronx Community Board 8 Chair Laura Spalter and can be viewed here.

My colleagues and I wrote a Letter to CUNY Chancellor Felix V. Matos Rodriguez regarding the recent law school commencement speaker's hateful remarks:

Dear Chancellor Matos Rodriguez:

"We are appalled that CUNY and its Law School permitted a graduate to deliver a crude, rash, and hate-filled speech at a May 12 commencement event.

"The speech presented a lengthy compendium of anti-American, anti-Israeli, and anti-law enforcement grievances. It painted America as a colonial imperialistic nation imprisoning innocent people.

"American Jews are acutely aware of the propagation of Jew hatred. We are well aware that the speaker's anti-Zionisy tirades are, as noted by the famed French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, simply "a new dressing for the old passion of anti-semitism. If you are anti-Zionist, that means you wish for a huge disaster for the Jewish people."

"The remarks in question were grotesquely inappropriate and were designed to demand and antagonize Americans and Jews.

"This conduct did not occur in a vacuum. It was enabled by CUNY refusing to take meaningful action when the Law School Government Association and the law school faculty endorsed the BDS movement against Israel, setting the stage for the hate filled diatribe.

"We demand that the Chancellor, the CUNY Board of Trustees, and the Dean of the Law School issue a strong denunciation and a clear repudiation of this hateful speech.

"We demand that CUNY establish a Jewish advisory council that includes students to create a written policy to address a problem that has been permitted to metastasize for far too long. Left unaddressed, this appeal to ancient prejudice will continue to worsen.

"Let us recognize that hatred of Jews is racism and it is both Un-American and anti-American.

"We demand this matter be given your most urgent attention."

Join Congressman Adriano Espalliat, State Senator Robert Jackson, Councilman Eric Dinowitz, and me for Free Paper Shredding Sunday, June 11th. It will be held from 10AM to 1PM in front of my office (3107 Kingsbridge Avenue). For more info, contact Assemblyman Dinowitz's office at 718-796-5345 or [email protected]

In this week's Albany Update, I talk about how we have helped constituents in the district, the speed limit in NYC, anti-vaxxers, political divisiveness, and more.

I am proud to announce that this week the Assembly passed two of my bills that will support the people in our district if Governor Hochul signs them into law.

• (A.1731) passed the Assembly, which would restrict insurance companies from demanding unnecessary and intrusive information when a customer submits a theft claim. When an insurance company receives a claim, it can request useful information when investigating and processing it. However, some insurance companies will use whatever method they can to delay or deny a claim, including continually asking for information that has nothing to do with the claim, including personal, financial, and tax information that has nothing to do with it. For example, statements in the county and state where a customer registered to vote over the last five years should have no bearing on a standard theft claim. My legislation will prohibit insurance companies from demanding this and other unnecessary information from a customer who files a theft claim unless there are exceptional articulable circumstances that directly relate to the facts of the theft.

• Currently, only physicians, osteopaths, and dentists can serve or file an affirmation under the pains and penalties of perjury in lieu of an affidavit in civil judicial proceedings. (A.6065), would permit licensed healthcare practitioners authorized to practice in the state with the same opportunity. This bill includes people who serve in various roles, such as athletic trainers, social workers, pharmacists, and those who perform veterinary medicine and animal health technology. The practical application of this would be to allow a broader spectrum of practitioners' medical reports to be submitted via affirmation rather than requiring their appearance in court, thereby making the process more seamless and efficient.

New York Post, May 28, 2023 — NY State Bill would grant lifetime pension to kids of slain NYPD cop Mitosis Familia

The Riverdale Press, May 28, 2023 — Pols want alternate-side parking rule to clean streets

Albany Times Union, May 29, 2023 — Legislature should pass genetic testing protections for insured

Crains NY, May 30, 2023 — Manhattan College sells a 400-bed dorm to an affordable housing developer

CBS New York, May 30, 2023 — Slain NYPD Det. Miosotis Familia's children hope bill to close loophole denying them access to her pension finally passes

Ballotpedia, May 31, 2023 — Election Legislation Roundup: New York State Assembly

Dominican Today, June 1, 2023 — New York would grant a lifetime pension to the children of the Dominican police officer murdered in 2017

Entitlement to free legal services could be given to your business. You must be a business in NYC and meet the income eligibility requirement of the service provider to participate. Visit nyc.gov/commlease to fill out the Commercial Lease Assistance Form, and a participating legal services provider will contact you in 3 business days.

Free Summer Meals Starts June 28

Breakfast and lunch will continue beyond the instructional school year. Our Summer Meals Program is available to anyone ages 18 and under throughout New York City. Designated public schools, community pool centers, parks, and food trucks will be open for service. No registration, documentation, or ID is necessary to receive a complimentary breakfast or lunch meal.

Additional information will be available as we approach the start date, so please bookmark this page for future reference. 

Open Locations and Important Service Dates

All dates, times, locations, and menus are subject to change. 

• View our current open locations: Summer 311 Report
• Wednesday, June 28, 2023 – Friday, September 1, 2023
• Select locations open Wednesday, June 28 (Eid al-Adha)
• Citywide locations will open Thursday, June 29, 2023
• There is no service Tuesday, July 4, 2023 (4th of July)

Sammy's Law (A.4655): Relates to establishing speed limits in cities with populations over one million people by easing restrictions so cities can develop speed limits below twenty-five miles per hour (legislation to give New York City the ability to lower its own speed limits and reduce traffic fatalities). Sammy’s Law is named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old boy killed by a speeding driver in Brooklyn in 2013, just a few blocks from his home. Since his tragic and preventable death, more than 2,222 people, including 96 children, have been killed in traffic accidents in New York City.

Last week I asked, "Which ice cream flavor is your favorite?"

Here are the results:

Vanilla — 23%

Chocolate — 25%

Strawberry — 6%

Peanut Butter Cup — 7%

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — 7%

Mint Chocolate Chip — 19%

Other/No Opinion. — 13%

» Free Poetry Workshops — The Bronx Historical Society, June 3rd

• Will be held on June 3rd-4th from 12pm to 2pm at Edgar Allen Poe Cottage in Poe Park (2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10458)

• Hosted by Mariposa Fernandez and featuring the author of the Last of the Po'ricans y Otros Afro-Artifacts Not4Profit

• Register here: Get Tickets

» MTA News — MTA Launches Online Portal for Public Comment on Fare and Toll Change, June 3rd

• Agency Details Proposed Fare and Toll Adjustments for Public Comment

•Agency to Host Four Hybrid Public Hearings on Proposed Fare Changes Beginning Thursday, June 22

• Customers Can Provide Comments In-Person, Online, by Mail, Phone, or Virtually Via Zoom

• Registration to Speak at Any Scheduled Hearing and Online Comment Portal to Open Saturday, June 3

• Link / Phone Number:(646) 252-6777

» Rose Garden Weekend — New York Botanical Garden, June 3rd-4th

• Will be held on June 3rd-4th from 12pm to 3pm at New York Botanical Garden (2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458)

• Kick off June by experiencing the radiance of roses in full bloom. With over 500 varieties, you don't want to miss seeing the roses at peak color!

• Register for tickets here:

Get Tickets

» Riverdale Pride — Second Annual Riverdale Pride, June 4th

• Will be held on June 4th from 11am to 2pm at the Riverdale Neighborhood House (5521 Mosholu Avenue).

• Learn more at riverdalepride.org or scan:

» NYS Department of Transportation — Closures of Southbound Henry Hudson Parkway and Crosswalk on W 232nd St, June 5th

• Closures of the southbound Henry Hudson Parkway Right lane between 239th Street and 232nd Street and the entrance ramp from the southbound henry hudson parkway west service road at 237th Street is going to occur on or Monday, June 5th, through Friday, June 16th from 10am and continuing through approximately 3:30pm each day

• Closure of the crosswalk on the south side of W 232nd Street in the Bronx is going to occur on or about Monday, June 5th, and continue through approximately September 2024

• For more information, contact NYSDOT Community Liaison at [email protected] or (917) 885-1008

» Ladies Who Lunch Book Club — Meeting on the first Wednesday of every month (except holidays and summer), June 7th

• Will be held on Wednesday, June 7th, from 1pm to 3pm at 505BX, 505 West 236th, Bronx, NY.

• The book being discussed at his week's meeting is "The Personal Librarian" written by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

• Admission is free but space is limited so registration is strongly encouraged. A limited number of books are available on request

• Email [email protected] to register and request a book

» Riverdale Main Streets Alliance — 2nd Annual Riverdale Block Party, June 11th

• Will be held on Sunday, June 11th from 12pm to 5pm at 259th and Riverdale Avenue.

• Events include face painting, salsa dancing, family fun, live music, Zumba, vendors, a doggie parade and more!

• For more information visit RMSA.

» Bronx Arts Ensemble — Community Day and Conservatory Grand Opening, June 11th

• Will be held on Sunday, June 11th, from 12:30pm to 6pm at The College of Mount Saint Vincent Conservatory (6301 Riverdale Ave, Bronx, 10471).

• Events include several concerts, an African drumming workshop, a dance workshop, and more!

• For more information, visit Bronx Arts Ensemble.

» KRVC — Make Music New York Featuring Allen Gogarty, June 21st

• Will be held on Wednesday, June 21st, from 7pm to 9pm at Ewen Park (Riverdale Ave & W 231st Street, Bronx, NY).

• Bring chairs, blankets, and a picnic

• For more information, visit KRVC

» NYC Department of Buildings — Community Engagement Projects, June 24th

• Will be held on Saturday, June 21st, from 10am to 3pm at Northeast Bronx YMCA (1250 E 229th Street, Bronx, NY).

• Offering small construction consultation on small businesses and family homes, construction, and building maintenance regulations, resolving open violations, and resolving stop work orders.

• For more information, scan the QR code below

» KRVC — Music in the Park Featuring the Morrisania Band Project, June 25th

• Will be held on Sunday, June 25th, from 5pm to 7pm at Vand Cortlandt House Museum Lawn (6036 Broadway Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY).

• BYOB, bring chairs, blankets, and a picnic

• For more information, visit KRVC

» KRVC — CD-React, June 28th

• Will be held on Wednesday, June 28th, starting at 6:30pm at 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy, Bronx, NY.

• Join experts from Columbia University Irving Medical Center/ New York Presbyterian to learn hands-only CPR, AED use and other life saving skills

• All participants receive Free CPR Anytime Training Kit (all ages) to practice/teach others and a certificate of cooperation

• Use the QR code below for more information

» NYC Department of Environmental Protection - Change in Water Supply

• DEP is preparing for a multi-month shutdown of the Delaware Aqueduct later this year

• DEP has started slowly introducing water from the Croton system into the city's supply of tap water

• Residents may detect a slightly different taste in water sourced from different reservoirs due to different mineral contents

• All water used in New York's tap water system are highly tested (2,000 times per day)

• Any concerns about tap water quality should be reported to 311 so DEP can investigate

• For more information about the city's tap water and sources, visit: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/current-water-distribution.page

• For more information about the Delaware Aqueduct repairs, visit here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/news/21-006/600-feet-below-hudson-river-final-concrete-lining-completed-1-billion-water-tunnel#/0

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz

3107 Kingsbridge Avenue

Bronx, New York 10463

Phone: 718-796-5345 | E-Mail: [email protected]