Vacca and Palma Sponsor Blizzard Bill

It's hard to think about snow right now, with the weather outside hitting a sunny 73 and the Mister Softee trucks finally making their rounds through the neighborhood, but try to remember that post-Christmas blizzard that dumped two feet of snow on the city, leaving a string of stranded MTA buses--and perturbed residents--in its unplowed wake.

To avoid another snow fiasco like that one, Bronx City Council Members James Vacca and Annabel Palma sponsored a bill, passed last week, that requires the Department of Sanitation to prepare and publish snow-removal plans each winter for all five boroughs.

"Last December’s blizzard revealed how woefully unprepared the City was to deal with these kinds of major storms," Palma said in a press release.

The required plans must include a list of primary, secondary and tertiary streets (the terms the Sanitation Department used to classify blocks in order of plowing-importance) to be published online, along with criteria for each ranking.

"During the December blizzard, we heard a lot of talk about tertiary streets and how they were the lowest priority for snowplows. Well, tertiary streets are where taxpayers like you and I live, and many of us didn’t see plows until days after the blizzard was over," Vacca said.

"That’s unacceptable. This bill will put the City’s feet to the fire so that they are forced not only to have a plan but also to explain why they chose to have the plan they chose to have."

During this winter's blizzard, some outer borough streets and neighborhoods went unplowed and snowed-in for several days, to the frustration of those who lived there.

The new law also requires the Sanitation Department to provide detailed plans for removing snow from bus stops, an inventory of snow management equipment and personnel by community district, and contact information for personnel that residents and elected officials can call on.

Bronx News Roundup, June 3

Another great day in the BX, another day of news! Enjoy!

According to authorities, toxicology tests show that the officer who killed himself, another officer and injured four women, in a car crash last month on the Bronx River Parkway, had an alcohol level twice the legal limit. NY Times has the story here.

The sudden oil spill into the Bronx River yesterday, came from a 12-story apartment complex in White Plains. The leak spanned three to four miles. According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Conservation, some wildlife has been affected.

Four men have been charged with running a $5.7 million medicaid scam. With a clinic in the Bronx, next to the Bronx VA, they allegedly bribed homeless medicaid recipients to come to their office for unnecessary dental treatments.

Co-op City residents are getting fed up with all the garbage that continues to pile up as 100 of maintenance workers continue to strike against the management company and the new contract they have offered.

A failed robbery attempt in a home in the Van Nest section of the Bronx led to the shooting of two adults and a 14-year-old boy. All were taken to Jacobi Medical Center and are in stable condition.

The Child Sex Abuse Bill gets denied for the fifth year in the New York Legislature. The bill is asking for victims to be allowed to file lawsuits against predators well after the stature of limitations has expired.

Mayor Bloomberg takes another shot at making elections non-partisan. Legal experts argued in a rowdy meeting last night at Lehman College over whether nonpartisan elections would hide candidates' beliefs from voters.

Serrano Looks to Reform Member Item Spending

A bill unveiled today by Sen. Jose M. Serrano—whose district includes Melrose, Mott Haven, Morris Heights and Highbridge—aims to change the way member item funds are distributed, according to a press release. The bill, which is a joint effort between Serrano and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef of Ossining, would make it easier for taxpayers to see how their lawmakers are spending public funds.

“This bill indicates a very common sense approach to this issue by adding additional layers of scrutiny and transparency to a process that, for too long, has been shrouded in mystery,” Serrano said in a statement.

Member items are public funds doled out to legislators that they can spend on local activities, usually through community groups and nonprofits. Over the past few years, a disturbing number of Bronx lawmakers have gotten into trouble for allegedly misusing them. Councilman Larry Seabrook, Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo, State Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. and former State Sen. Efrain Gonzalez have all made headlines for their alleged mishandling of taxpayer dollars.

Assembly Members Hope to Block Espada's Housing Bill

Here's a little update on Sen. Espada's controversial rent freeze bill, which we covered a few weeks ago:

City Hall News reported earlier this week that some members of the Assembly's Housing Committee are looking to squash the legislation, which tenant-advocates say is a pro-landlord bill in disguise.

The bill, introduced Feb. 17, proposed to freeze the rents of low-income New Yorkers but would simultaneously allow landlords who illegally deregulated apartments while receiving tax breaks to pay those breaks back--while keeping their apartments at market rate rents.

According to the article, some Assembly members have vowed to block the legislation, calling it "preposterous." In the meantime, landlords and real estate companies are pushing to move the legislation forward. More details here. 

Espada's New Bill Would Expel for Misdemeanors

A bill introduced yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. would require the automatic expulsion of any state lawmakers convicted of certain misdemeanor charges, according to a press release from the senator.

Details of the bill were unveiled just a day before the State Senate was set to debate on whether or not to remove Senator Hiram Monserrate from office after his misdemeanor assault conviction last fall. Monserrate, a democrat from Queens, was convicted after an altercation with girlfriend Karla Giraldo in 2008.

Espada’s bill would apply to future cases and would not stand to affect Monerrate, whose future in the senate is still up in the air at this time.