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HIGH HOPES WHO'S GONNA SCORE THE BIGGEST HIT?

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February 3, 2020

IN DEFENSE OF CPS CASEWORKERS By Daniel C. Levler, President, Suffolk County Association of Municipal Employees

As Suffolk County and our entire state continue to grapple with the tragic death of an innocent young boy, Thomas Valva, it’s understandable for a collective sense of outrage to permeate within our public discourse. No one shares that outrage more than the men and women in Suffolk County who oversee 8,000-10,000 cases each year involving our most vulnerable population, Child Protective Services Caseworkers. Suffolk AME is focused on achieving sensible solutions to systemic problems that have existed for years. We are doing this at every level of government. Appropriate staffing levels and manageable caseloads are essential but not a perfect fix. Suffolk AME has worked vigorously over the past two years to secure funding in Suffolk County’s budget, which raised our staffing levels, while also providing that each CPS Caseworker’s caseload is within an average caseload of 15 cases each. On state-wide level, CPS Caseworkers should be granted with additional authority under the Public Officers’ Law that would give them access to sealed court records, enable them to serve as a liaison between law enforcement agencies and the judicial system without limitations, streamline the process to initiate court proceedings, and have an enhanced official presence identified by the public as a position of authority. I have already begun having these conversations with policymakers in Albany and with our representatives at the County level and will continue to make this case at legislative hearings. Now is the time to listen to the needs of the boots on the ground and implement much-needed changes without delay. We need a joint effort to improve our Family Support Services system, our Judicial System, and our Legal System, to empower the caseworkers, rather than scapegoating them for systemwide failures. This current system seems to place blame on CPS workers in low paying positions who work within the laws, policies, and procedures

they are given, and this system needs reform. It is a sad commentary about our society that we only hear about our CPS workers when a tragedy occurs, instead of the thousands of cases when our caseworkers have worked diligently, under difficult and dangerous circumstances, to prevent a tragedy like this from happening in the first place. It takes a courageous person to sign up for the job of a CPS caseworker, while often being over-worked and always mindful of the dangerous environments they can encounter on any given day. In Suffolk County, our over 100 CPS Caseworkers are responsible for the health and safety of vulnerable children, tasked with the responsibilities of investigating reports of alleged abuse and neglect. They perform vital services with specific skill sets that others don’t possess. They have to have a working knowledge of the school system, the court system, the legal system, as well as with social services. They also have to be wellversed with mental health issues, treatments, and medications. Not all cases allocated to CPS Caseworkers are the same as the complications involved in this case. Suffolk County Caseworkers might receive a case with five kids, three of them with different fathers. The mother may have completely different courtordered mandates with each father, who potentially could have different mandates from each other, or in many cases, be an absentee father. It’s the CPS Caseworker’s job to provide references to those who are located, while also looking for the missing parent. All while this is being performed, CPS Caseworkers are working with the children, ensuring all of their needs are met. This is extremely difficult with young children, who, due to their age or disability, can’t vocalize their needs. The trauma felt by them, if separation from their parents is warranted, is painful and often endured by the caseworkers placed in between the children they must protect and the

children’s inherent need to be with their parents. Sometimes parents are willing participants in the separation process and do so with limited harassment of CPS Caseworkers; other times, they are more confrontational, and it takes police to assist. CPS Caseworkers take all cases in their care with full attention and professionalism, but no case is “routine.” In this most tragic case, the uniqueness of the parties’ backgrounds appears to have contributed to the circumventing of law, investigations, and the judicial system. In this instance, all of society loses. Sadly, the Thomas Valva tragedy has ignited a dangerous social media outcry where far too many voices are laying blame and, in some instances, even threatening the CPS Caseworkers involved in this case. This vitriol comes as no surprise, but it must stop now. The reality is this young child’s fate was sealed the moment the judicial system granted the father full custody of the child. Authorities have accused no one else of any wrongdoing, and to assassinate the characters of our members involved in this case is reckless and utterly irresponsible. I urge lawmakers, our communities, and the public that instead of looking to enact knee-jerk legislation intended to provide short term solutions to longstanding problems, join our efforts to improve our Family Services System and support our CPS Caseworkers. Let’s make New York a role model for the nation and let’s start by putting the needs of our most vulnerable population first.

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

EDITOR’S NOTE

CELESTE SLOMAN; SEDMI/SHUTTERSTOCK

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

LAST SPRING, STATE SEN. DIANE SAVINO said that failing to legalize recreational marijuana in that year’s state budget would delay the measure for years. In Albany, plugging a policy proposal into the state’s spending plan – and keeping it in there – can be an effective way to bypass legislative foes. Most lawmakers vote for the budget, warts and all, but stand-alone bills are easier to block. And that’s what happened – recreational marijuana wasn’t in the final budget, and it fell short at the end of the legislative session in June. This year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is doubling down on recreational marijuana, which he says should pass as part of the budget. Lawmakers are expressing optimism, pointing to compromises and revisions that have already been made. Some legislators are coming around on the issue. Yet as Savino warned, 2020 is an election year – a time when politicians are leery of putting their names on legislation that local voters might not like. In this week’s magazine, we take a closer look at the marijuana proposals put forth by the governor and the state Legislature, including who stands to benefit – from the industry players lobbying for legalization in New York to the minority communities that have been hit hardest by the enforcement of the state’s existing drug laws.

CONTENTS

CLASH OVER CANNABIS … 8 Legalization will hinge on how to spend the profits. MARIJUANA AND SOCIAL JUSTICE … 10 Can legalized pot help heal communities?

THE BUSINESS OF WEED … 12

Who’s spending the most on lobbying for marijuana?

OTHER STATES ON POT … 16

New York and its neighbors are syncing up their strategies.

BROOKLYN BIDs … 18 Can the borough’s business improvement districts avoid encouraging gentrification?

WINNERS & LOSERS … 38

Who was up and who was down last week

CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

Adams, who would have been his main competitors. But Diaz said he had been considering dropping out for some time and was already winding down his fundraising efforts. He had a unique impediment compared with the other candidates: his socially conservative father, City Councilman Rubén Díaz Sr. The elder Díaz has consistently made news for homophobic or other inflammatory remarks and has been censured by the City Council.

RUBEN DIAZ JR. BOWS OUT

The race for New York City mayor is still well over a year away, but that doesn’t mean it’s not too soon for some big shake-ups. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who until now had been one of the

four expected frontrunners, announced that he is dropping out of the race. Recent fundraising numbers had shown that Diaz was falling way behind City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, city Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn Borough President Eric

“I tried it, it didn’t end well, I won’t be back.” – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, on whether he would go to the Staten Island Zoo for Groundhog Day, referencing the time in 2014 when he dropped Staten Island Chuck, who died a week later, via the Daily News

WESTERN NEW YORK GOP PLACES ITS HOPES IN CHRIS JACOBS

The Republican county leaders of New York’s 27th Congressional District have named state Sen. Chris Jacobs as the GOP candidate in the special election to replace former Rep. Chris Collins. He also received the backing of

TAXIS DOOMED BY UBER AND LYFT As New York City lawmakers prepare a plan to save taxi medallion owners from devastating debt, the Daily News analyzed how the rise of ride-hailing giants like Uber and Lyft have coincided with the downfall of the yellow cab industry. On its Thursday cover, the Daily News put that story in vivid perspective, showing a taxi medallion as roadkill – crushed by Uber and Lyft.

the Independence Party, although the Conservative Party decided not to endorse in this election. Jacobs will face Democrat Nate McMurray on Election Day, which is expected to take place in April. But this doesn’t mean that everything will be smooth sailing for Jacobs. Whether or not he defeats McMurray in the special election, he’s still likely to face a contentious primary in June. Several other Republicans had been vying for Collins’ seat – including fellow state Sen. Robert Ortt – who have either stated that they’ll run against Jacobs, or have left the door open to a challenge.

LAWMAKERS LIVID OVER CUOMO’S MEDICAID PLAN

“If the city’s safe, the mayor shouldn’t have a security detail with him. He should be walking the street by himself.” – Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, explaining why he would carry a gun if elected New York City mayor in 2021, via the Daily News

State legislators grilled state health officials over Cuomo’s proposal to reduce Medicaid spending. New York faces a $6.1 billion budget deficit, of which $4 billion comes from Medicaid costs, so Cuomo has proposed a new Medicaid Redesign Team to find $2.5 billion in savings. He assembled a similar commission to find savings during his first term to help address the $10 billion deficit he faced his first year in office. Lawmakers lambasted the proposal, saying at a budget hearing that they did not like entrusting the task to an outside panel and bemoaned its timeline; the commission won’t

LEV RADIN, A KATZ, MARINA YESINA, MARIA SBYTOVA/SHUTTERSTOCK

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

COMMENTARY deliver its report until shortly before the budget is due.

TAXI TASK FORCE PROPOSES RECOMMENDATIONS

The Taxi Medallion Task Force, formed after an investigation by The New York Times revealed predatory lending practices and inaction by the city left thousands of cab drivers drowning in debt, has released its proposals to aid struggling medallion owners. One big recommendation is for the city go to “mission-driven” investors and others in the private sector to create a fund to bail out taxi drivers, rather than using taxpayer money to do so. It also had proposals to make yellow cabs more competitive with companies like Lyft and Uber by creating a yellow cab ride-hailing app and

THE

WEEK AHEAD

permitting them to use surge pricing during peak hours.

PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT COMMISSION DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL

A judge ruled against the Cuomo administration, declaring that a commission on prosecutorial misconduct the governor established last year is unconstitutional. The 11-person panel would have investigated potential unethical behavior by prosecutors in the state and imposed appropriate punishment. It also would have been the first commission of its kind in the nation. But the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York strongly opposed the creation of the commission and sued to block it.

TUESDAY 2/4 State lawmakers are holding a budget hearing on higher education, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Hearing Room B of the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

Andy Byford couldn’t have stopped political interference Immediately after Politico broke the news of New York City Transit Authority President Andy Byford’s impending resignation, elected officials began lamenting the loss and newspaper editorials and opinion pieces started predicting dire days ahead for an already-beleaguered transit system. But disappointed transit riders and MTA employees should know that Byford’s departure may change less than they fear, because he might not have been able to fix much of what ails the sclerotic transit authority, which is hampered by political interference. It’s unclear whether or not Byford’s vision and enthusiastic support for signature projects such as bus network redesigns, increased disability access or signal modernization were ever going to be enough to get them over the finish line. Despite the technical nature of these projects, politics has wormed its way into the process and slowed things down. Since the MTA relies on subsidies from federal, state and local governments, it is always susceptible to the will of the politicians who allocate these funds. It’s possible that new leadership will abandon or modify many of these politically polarizing projects in order to appease angry bus riders who may lose a bus stop in a redesign or legislators who would rather spend state money on something other than modern signals for the subway, but that was also possible if Byford had stayed. This is how it happens. As the MTA and New York City Department of Transportation have rolled

WEDNESDAY 2/5 State lawmakers are holding a budget hearing on housing issues at 1 p.m. in Hearing Room B of the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

out Select Bus Service, drivers and small-business owners along proposed corridors have routinely objected to the installation of protected bus lanes that reduce the number of lanes for cars and on-street parking spaces in order to speed buses along without fighting through congestion and double-parked cars. In 2018, the initial plan for the B82 Select Bus Service proposed taking 169 parking spaces along Kings Highway in Brooklyn. After community pushback, the bus lane was scaled down from 28 blocks to only 9 blocks, which meant that fewer than half as many parking spaces were eliminated. Again, rather than allowing the technocrats to do their jobs and improve the travel of more than 25,000 daily riders, local elected officials interfered and prevented the MTA from carrying out a technical change designed to benefit the greatest number of people. Byford explained that his decision to leave the agency stemmed from reorganization plans that will strip him of the authority to carry out much of his Fast Forward plan, which focuses on modernizing and upgrading everything from bus networks to warehouse software management systems to new subway cars. Rather than accept a diminution of his responsibilities that would have given him fewer opportunities to transform the MTA, he fought back by making his resignation a public matter and forcing elected officials and New Yorkers to choose a side in the debate over whose vision should lead the MTA: the technocrats or the politicians.

THURSDAY 2/6 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio delivers his annual State of the City address at 1:30 p.m. at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side.

– Eric Goldwyn

INSIDE DOPE

De Blasio’s State of the City last year was seen as a kickoff for his presidential campaign. Will he adopt a more local focus, as he looks ahead to his last two years in office?

Hydro-Québec: Low-Carbon Energy

Fossil fuel group pays to bash renewables Today saw the release by the Independent Power Producers of New York (IPPNY) and Sierra Club of yet another Energyzt “analysis” on Hydro-Québec’s energy. It’s not the first time this consultant has been hired by the fossil fuel industry to discredit a clean energy generator. But maybe in this case IPPNY’s consultant should have asked Hydro-Québec for the right figures because they’ve gotten a lot of things wrong. Here are a few of the most outrageous tidbits: 1. First, the very ironic statement “CHPE will not result in reduced global emissions.” Irony #1 because it comes from the fossil fuel industry, which is creating these carbon emissions in the first place. Irony #2 because they’re talking about North America’s largest generator of clean, renewable energy, providing 100% low-carbon power to its markets. The truth: Hydro-Québec’s exports displace dirty fossil fuel generation, close to 8 million metric tons in 2018 alone – that’s like taking 2 million cars off the roads. 2. The report claims HQ doesn’t have enough energy to supply the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line. False. In the coming years, Hydro-Québec can count on more than 40 million megawatt hours of energy, each year, available for sales to adjacent markets. Had Energyzt bothered to check, they would have seen that fact in our press release from November 1, 2019. We were early movers in the clean energy transition, adding more than 5,000 MW to our generation fleet in the last 15 years – that’s more than twice the capacity of the Indian Point nuclear station that will cease operations in 2021. We’re fully committed to decarbonizing, in Québec and through our exports. 3. The IPPNY-sponsored report claims that Hydro-Québec customers and neighboring markets might have to switch to fossil fuel if the company sells too much clean electricity to New York. False! (And a little preposterous…). Here’s why: • Along with California, Québec is a member of the Western Climate Initiative – a cap and trade system for carbon emissions. Penalties apply if we use or import fossil fuel energy. • Ontario has committed to reducing its emissions in line with Canada’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. • New Brunswick is actively looking to reduce its carbon footprint, not increase it. That Atlantic province recently signed a supply contract with Hydro-Québec to import more of our clean hydro. CHPE would deliver clean energy where New York needs it most: downstate, where, after Indian Point closes, 95% of electricity will come from fossil fuel. Our hydropower has a carbon footprint that’s 50 times better than gas generators – and it emits no local air pollutants such as NOx that spew out of dirty fuel smokestacks and cause respiratory disease. We hope IPPNY didn’t pay Energyzt too much for this so-called analysis. There’s a limit to flawed and biased reports, and in the race against the climate emergency, it’s shamefully irresponsible. Without clean energy projects like CHPE, how long is it going to take to get significant carbon reductions? The future of the energy sector is clean and renewable, and the fossil fuel generators are just going to have to get used to that fact.

Serge Abergel, Hydro-Québec

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

A Q&A with Westchester district attorney candidate

The idea that we were keeping people in jail pretrial because they couldn’t afford to pay – we were in the Dark Ages.

MIMI ROCAH FROM TV TO DA? Westchester District Attorney Anthony Scarpino is running for his second term. Why are you challenging him in the Democratic primary? It’s not about what he’s doing wrong. I just think there’s so much more we can do with the district attorney’s office, both to help us make Westchester safer, but also to make the system as a whole more fair, both for victims and for people who potentially get charged or become part of the system.

How do you feel about the state’s new law limiting the use of bail? The most important thing to say about the new bail law is it was absolutely necessary. The idea that we were keeping people in jail pretrial because they couldn’t afford to pay money is – we were in the Dark Ages. Obviously, like any other kind of change, it’s going to take a lot of getting used to. It’s going to take a lot of leadership, implementing and figuring out what we need to fine tune. And I think there are going to be some changes that we

need to make. But we had to take this first step and it should be celebrated. Should New York allow judges to consider a defendant’s dangerousness in regard to whether they should be detained pretrial? Again, in the federal system that I came from, that was a possibility. I think we should at least consider it. It’s too soon to decide what changes we can make until we see how this plays out.

On the same day of the election for DA, there’s going to be an election in Westchester to replace the retiring Rep. Nita Lowey. Have you endorsed a candidate? No. I think it’s amazing that so many different people who are frankly excellent in so many different ways are stepping up. And I’m glad to see it, but I don’t plan to particularly endorse any one candidate. You’ve gotten a lot of flak from Bernie Sanders supporters after saying on MSNBC in July that he “makes your

skin crawl.” Did you just mean politically, or was that personally? That was probably the one time on TV as a legal commentator I was asked my personal view on two candidates – Sanders compared to (Elizabeth) Warren. I wish I’d said it differently. I think I was expressing a sentiment that I personally felt and that some other women out there had felt about the way Hillary Clinton was treated and during that (2016) campaign and some other things he’s done. But while we’re all entitled to our personal views, I definitely could have said it in a better way.

How medical cannabis brought me hope BY FAITHANNE MANDEL, MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT

There are many people, like me, who live with specific symptoms or diseases, and medical cannabis has brought a level of hope back into our lives. For myself, it brought hope at a time when there had been none. There was nothing left to treat my challenging progressive symptoms, nor was there any cure. Imagine a world where your disease brings horrific, unimaginable and constant pain, like a blowtorch on your body, with muscle weakness and spasms so severe that you don’t know how you will make it through your day. Imagine each breath becoming more difficult from those spasms, causing you to become so weak that you pray you have another breath to take. Now imagine something that is natural and can address all those symptoms. Although it may not cure you, it improves your quality of life that it’s hard to describe in words. Medical cannabis in all its forms - vaporization, pills, tinctures, chewables, ground flower - has not in any way cured me, nor does it take all my symptoms away, but the relief it provides is life-altering. Shouldn’t any person who suffers, whether the symptoms are short-term, chronic, terminal, physical or psychological, be offered life-altering relief?

MIMI ROCAH FOR DA

Although I’m not able to practice my profession as an RN anymore, I had worked in hospice for most of my career. I had seen suffering in all its forms, and I wish medical cannabis had been available for the many patients I had treated. Many people believe that medical cannabis is used only to treat pain, but that’s a misconception. Medical cannabis treats a scope of symptoms and would have brought them a better quality of life in their last days, with a different level of alertness which is always comforting for the patient as well as family and friends.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s support has been instrumental ever since 2014, when he signed the Compassionate Care Act legalizing medical cannabis in New York. Since then, he has supported the expansion of the program to include more qualifying conditions such as PTSD, chronic pain and opioid replacement. Cannabis may offer its patients a natural and non-addictive alternative that hasn’t been offered in the past. With his support and expansion of the New York medical cannabis plan, we need to address medical cannabis in all its forms. I’m hoping that Gov. Cuomo will expand the plan to add natural unprocessed flower. Inhaling cannabis works faster than other methods, and speed of onset is essential for patients with severe pain. I would prefer flower because, for me, the variety in strains are very important for managing my pain and other symptoms. The plant comes in many strains, each strain supporting a specific symptom to manage, which is extremely important to myself and patients who suffer from more than one ailment. Understanding the strain that works best for you is key to using cannabis with confidence. Cannabis, in its natural form, is also inherently cheaper to produce than processed methods. We need to bring down prices for patients for New York’s plan to succeed in the face of illicit competition. Expanding New York’s cannabis plan to include controlled whole-flower as well as other forms would benefit everyone: customers, entrepreneurs and patients, including terminally ill hospice patients. What medical cannabis gives you is quality of life, in whatever quality of life you can have at that time.

Please free the flower! It’s the natural thing to do.

CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

clash over cannabis The

Legalizing recreational marijuana may once again come down to how to spend tax revenues. by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S

OV. ANDREW CUOMO unveiled his new Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act as part of his state budget proposal on Jan. 21. There are a few notable changes from the version he proposed last year, although much of it remained the same. And one of the major impediments remains the same as well: Cuomo and the state Legislature have different ideas about how to spend the proceeds from taxing pot. State Sen. Liz Krueger and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes substantially revised their legislation over the course of the previous session to bring it closer to the framework that Cuomo had proposed – even adding an option for counties to prohibit marijuana sales – in the hope of getting it passed. The bill never came up for a vote, thanks to a handful of suburban lawmakers. Now, Krueger, Peoples-Stokes and Cuomo want to try again, but the question of what to do with the tax revenues from recreational pot – which was a flashpoint last year – hasn’t been resolved. After last year’s budget passed without marijuana legalization included, the two state legislators introduced new versions of their bills to that closely mirrored Cuomo’s preferred regulatory framework, including an Office of Cannabis Management, a cannabis advisory board and a similar tax structure as the governor’s bill, including an 18% sales tax. Many legalization advocates and progressive lawmakers want a portion of that money to be explicitly earmarked for black and Latino communities that have been harmed by the disproportionate enforcement of marijuana laws.

Since 2017, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act proposed by Krueger and Peoples-Stokes would have required a substantial minority of the tax money to be reinvested in low-income, minority and other affected communities. When Cuomo made his first proposal in last year’s budget, it included no specific dollar amounts or percentages set aside for that use. He included broad guidelines, such as administrative costs of the recreational marijuana program and investing in public health and safety, but otherwise left the answer to the revenue question open-ended. End-of-session negotiations led to minor concessions when it came to revenues. Krueger and Peoples-Stokes added an annual $1 million allocation to police across

the state to improve drug detection methods and increase road safety. The rest of the (very specific) allocations remained the same, including dollar amounts for research and a percentage for public health education and drug abuse treatment. Cuomo, for the most part, is sticking to his guns. He appeared to relent slightly, including updated language in the new version of his Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act that specifies tax revenues could be used for the proposed social equity plan. Otherwise, uses for tax revenues remained very broad. In a statement provided to City & State, Norman Birenbaum, state director of cannabis programs, said the governor “contemplates funding communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, … (but) allows for spending decisions to be made on an annual basis” by not adding specific earmarks. Marijuana legalization advocates aren’t happy about Cuomo’s continued refusal to make substantial changes to his revenue disbursement plan. Kassandra Frederique, managing director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at the Drug Policy Alliance, said

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City & State New York

in a statement that while she is happy that the governor is recommitting to marijuana legalization with a social equity plan, she’s “disappointed” that he has not committed money to community reinvestment. “Without this necessary component, the governor’s proposal will not truly right the wrongs done to communities of color by disproportionate enforcement of marijuana,” she said. Krueger told City & State that she expects the revenue issue to once again

drive the debate during budget season. “I do think that’s going to be the big fight. I think that’s the big difference between where the Assembly and the Senate are together,” Krueger said. “I think on many of the other things, we have blended together and resolved our issues.” Even so, Krueger said that after seeing the governor’s proposal, she and Peoples-Stokes intend to introduce a new version of their own bill soon. She pre-

viously told City & State that they were working on this version last year, but decided to hold off until they could assess the governor’s new proposal. Krueger said it will serve as the legislative starting point for budget negotiations, but that it could pass as stand-alone legislation thanks to additions made for legislators on the fence. “I have colleagues who last year were like, ‘I don’t know, I’m not sure I could support this. Could you do this?’” Krueger said. “And I made it do this and they’re like, ‘Now you can have my support.’” State Sen. Pete Harckham is one such lawmaker who on Jan. 23 announced his conditional support for legalizing recreational marijuana thanks to amendments in the soon-to-be-introduced version of the bill. He specifically cited a new commitment to use 25% of the total marijuana tax revenues for drug treatment, prevention and education. Although the revenue question is the biggest outstanding question, there are still a number of differences between Cuomo’s proposal and the state Legislature’s. Notably, the governor seeks to impose more stringent criminal penalties for possessing, selling and growing marijuana illegally. He would also permit someone to carry only up to 1 ounce of weed or 5 grams of concentrated herb, like in an oil, whereas the Legislature’s bill would permit up to 3 ounces and 24 grams, respectively. Cuomo also added a new, paid Cannabis Control Board to which he would appoint the members that would help run the Office of Cannabis Management. He removed from his original proposal an unpaid advisory board, which Krueger and Peoples-Stokes included in their legislation. The change shifts several of the powers originally prescribed to the executive director, such as coming up with rules and regulations, to the Cannabis Control Board instead. Michael Sisitzky, lead policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said that, broadly, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act in the Legislature is more focused on social equity than the governor’s proposal. He noted a couple relatively minor differences between the two, including the Legislature’s directive that judges consider potential immigration consequences when adjudicating marijuana-related cases under a new legal framework. Sisitzky also said Cuomo’s proposal does not make any mention of child welfare and ensuring that parents are not unfairly penalized for using or possessing marijuana after legalization. “There is more work that needs to be done in terms of making sure that the equity plans are ready to go Day One, that we’re considering the full universe of consequences people have suffered as the result of prohibition and criminalization,” Sisitzky said.

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Joints for j 10

CityAndStateNY.com

S NEW YORK moves closer to legalizing recreational marijuana, social justice advocates are fighting to make sure that minority communities where people have been disproportionately incarcerated over the drug would be able to benefit from a newly legal industry. Activists are hoping to include “social equity” provisions in recreational pot legislation. Such provisions would lower barriers to enter the marijuana industry for those who have been harmed by marijuana criminalization, reinvest in affected communities and expunge the criminal records of those convicted of marijuana-related crimes while releasing those currently serving time in prison. However, there is no one program or set of policies that activists can point to as the ideal social equity model, which has left many states trying different systems to see what works. And New York is no different, as it hashes out the broad strokes of its own plan. With the state poised to legalize marijuana with a strong focus on equity from the outset, the Empire State has the opportunity to become a nation-leading example for other states to follow. Although marijuana arrests have decreased in recent years, black and Latino men are still getting arrested and ticketed at much higher rates – at least eight times the rate in New York City – than their white counterparts. Meanwhile, white and black communities use marijuana at about the same rates. And it’s not just in the city – research has shown that counties across the state have similar racial disparities in marijuana arrests. These disparities drove the state to enact legislation late in the 2019 session to further decriminalize marijuana possession and expunge past convictions as a sort of stopgap measure, since full recreational marijuana legalization failed to pass. Minority Cannabis Business Association President Jason Ortiz, a Connecticut organizer and leader among marijuana social justice activists, said that people who have been hurt by marijuana criminalization

February 3, 2020

Protesters urge lawmakers to pass social equity measures with recreational marijuana legalization at the state Capitol in Albany last year.

can benefit under a new legal framework. This means that people who have been arrested, or had a family member arrested, for marijuana-related crimes ideally would be at the front of the line to get licenses or jobs in a legal marijuana market under a social equity program, Ortiz said. But other criteria for who would qualify as a “social equity applicant” can vary depending on who you talk to or what state you’re in. For example, some activists want social equity applicants to include those who have never been arrested, but were previously part of the illicit market. Some states include criteria like poverty level and geography when vetting people applying for licenses as part of a social equity program. Gov. Andrew Cuomo defined a social equity applicant a little more narrow-

ly in his 2021 budget proposal, where he laid out his plan for legalizing recreational marijuana. He added to Ortiz’s definition to require that the person also be a member of a community determined to be disproportionately impacted by marijuana criminalization and earn less than 80% of the area median income. The proposal includes language stating that these social equity applicants, as well as minority- and women-owned businesses, and low-income farmers, would receive prioritization over other license applicants. The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, introduced by state Sen. Liz Krueger and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, offers similar guidelines as part of the proposed social and economic equity plan in the bill. These considerations were notably not

justice

HANS PENNINK/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

February 3, 2020

a part of the state’s medical marijuana program, which was almost entirely dominated by large, multistate pot companies largely run by white men from outside the state. Only one company, New York-based Etain Health, qualifies as a minorityor women-owned business under state law. These massive companies will likely benefit from their existing footholds in New York when attempting to enter the recreational market. Advocates want a detailed social justice plan to be put in place before licenses are issued and businesses open. Jessica Gonzalez, general counsel for Minorities for Medical Marijuana, said this is essential to any social equity program because prioritizing social equity applicants means little if they don’t have the resources to apply for a license. She pointed to Illinois, where despite having a social equity program, there were few low-income or minority applicants during the first round of licensing. It opened too quickly, benefiting established companies and rich entrepreneurs who knew how to navigate the complicated process. “Even the timelines can be prohibitive,” Gonzalez said. Providing low- or no-interest loans is an important part to getting social equity and other disadvantaged business owners up to speed, but so are legal services to navigate a complicated application process, training programs for potential entrepreneurs and incubator programs to continue assistance after a license has been granted. “Some

City & State New York

Can legalizing marijuana help New York communities heal? by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S

states have said, ‘We’re going to give out grants, we’re going to give out loans,’” Gonzalez said. “You cannot give out money to folks who have never had money. So you have to give them a fighting chance.” In New York, both major proposals from the governor and the Legislature include a mandate that the state create a social and economic equity plan with guidelines that appear to include many of the components that advocates want, such as loans, business training, incentives for large companies to incorporate social justice into their business plans, and, to varying degrees, reinvestment of tax money into communities that have been hurt by marijuana criminal enforcement. However, neither contain a specific timeline for when the program would be implemented or how quickly license applications would be accepted after the bill becomes law. According to advocates, New York could potentially be a leader among states with legal recreational marijuana, as it would be one of the first to not just have a statewide equity program, but to include it from the outset of legalization. Few states have statewide social equity programs; Massachusetts became the first in 2018, two years after a statewide referendum legalizing pot in 2016. Illinois followed suit last year when it included social equity provisions in its legalization legislation that was signed by the governor. While New York has solid guidelines in its proposals, it would still be up to the proposed Office of Cannabis Management – which would be created at the same time as legalization – to determine the details of and implement a social and economic equity plan. So in some ways, the state would still follow the proud tradition of other states trying to figure out the finer points of how equity should work after legalization. According to advocates, no one has quite gotten it right yet. Every experiment has been a learning experience for the rest of the country. The only program so far where equity applicants have actually opened businesses is in Oakland, California, years after the program was established. Illinois dedicated what activists consider unprecedented financial resources to fund its equity initiatives. That state also included a controversial provision that

would encourage larger businesses to hire social equity employees – if the company proves it hired such employees, it would be considered a social equity applicant itself and gain the benefits that come with the designation. In Illinois, that means bonus points in a grading system to determine who receives a license. Massachusetts, the first with a statewide equity program, took a novel approach by mandating all on-site consumption and delivery licenses be awarded to social equity applicants. Boston implemented its own program that established a 1-to-1 ratio of social equity and nonsocial equity licenses issued at all levels of the distribution chain. However, the relative successes of these programs still need to be determined, as there is little centralized data collection and many of these programs are still too new for their impacts to be understood. Imani Dawson, executive director of the Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium and Expo, said that the Krueger and Peoples-Stokes bill, known as the MRTA, could be groundbreaking and set a precedent for other states to follow. “Because it is centered on marijuana justice and really creating an equitable industry for everyone, for me, it is sort of the standard,” Dawson said. “And my hope is that the governor will adopt the MRTA as the standard.” And though the governor’s proposal shares many similarities with the MRTA when it comes to social and economic equity, the bills differ on how to use tax revenue collected from marijuana sales. The MRTA sets aside a significant portion of that money for community reinvestment in its social equity program, including grants to support job placement, adult education and housing initiatives. Cuomo’s proposal contains no specific earmarks, but includes language that some money will be used for community reinvestment grants. That disparity will likely fuel debate in the coming months, and was a large part of why marijuana legalization failed to pass last year. But if the governor and the state Legislature can agree on a compromise – and that’s a big if, since neither side seems inclined to budge – New York can be in Cuomo’s favorite position: a national leader on progressive policy.

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CityAndStateNY.com

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Marijuana companies are rolling the dice by spending big on lobbying amid a slumping pot market. by Z A C H W I L L I A M S

HINK BIG MIGHT HAVE been co-founded by CJ Wallace – son of the legendary rapper Christopher Wallace, known as The Notorious B.I.G. – but the company looks like a typical player in the ongoing efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in New York. It has spent thousands of dollars lobbying state lawmakers in recent months. And like other advocates, CJ Wallace couches his Los Angeles-based marijuana company in social justice terms. “Just every other brand that’s out there, if they don’t have a criminal justice angle, they’re doing a huge disservice to everybody,” Wallace told Esquire last year. “Everybody has, or should have, a responsibility to speak on that and do as much as they can to correct those wrongs.” The company’s message of social justice has been embraced in proposals by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers as all sides work on a legislative framework for legalization. “Think BIG believes that cannabis can be used as a tool to unlock creativity, curiosity and help build communities across New York,” said Fred Polsinelli, a lobbyist for the company. “It’s our hope that this message resonates with elected officials who are responsible for the development of a sustainable program.” But the recreational marijuana market may not seem as lucrative today as it did a year ago, when state leaders failed to reach a

consensus on legalization. The share prices of marijuana companies were hammered during the second half of last year, many states with legal markets like California have seen tax revenues fall short of projections and the capital markets for funding marijuana production have dried up. However, companies like Think BIG are still spending big money to sway Cuomo and state lawmakers as they aim to strike a deal before the April 1 state budget deadline. While there are some differences in the proposals from legislators and the governor over how future tax revenues would be used, both have included provisions that would give disadvantaged groups preferential treatment in entering the marijuana business – an approach supported by some of the companies spending the most money on lobbying. “Both my bill and the governor’s proposal recognize that any new regulatory model needs to prioritize market access to businesses from communities disproportionately impacted by the drug war, and smaller distressed family farmers, rather than some of the larger players in the cannabis business,” said Sen. Liz Krueger, who is leading the Legislature’s legalization efforts with Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. Lawmakers also want some future tax revenues devoted to helping people from the communities hit hardest by the war on drugs access capital to start marijuana businesses. Such provisions would hurt bigger companies that do not qualify for preferential

consideration – and these companies are making their voices heard, according to Krueger. “It is true that larger players are trying to shape the final legislation,” she said. This includes trying to persuade lawmakers to allow a company to control the entire production cycle of recreational marijuana from seed to sale – otherwise known as vertical integration – that Krueger said she opposes. “Mechanisms such as technical and financial support for equity applicants and limits on vertical integration can create economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities and small businesses,” she added. Companies are spending substantial amounts of money to get the ear of the governor and lawmakers, according to lobbying records. It remains unclear whether the companies paying lobbyists are focusing on legalization as a whole, or backing specific legislative provisions. Think BIG, for example, began paying $3,500 per month for lobbying in November, according to disclosures filed with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Colorado-based Viola Extracts is spending $7,500 a month, though it remains unclear whether the company is looking to get into the recreational or medical marijuana market in New York. Both companies are led by people of color – Think BIG by Wallace and Viola by former NBA player Al Harrington, who have both supported the social

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equity component of legalization in media reports. A representative for Viola did not respond to a request for comment. The views of other company leaders are less clear. Brian Bairos – a white, Massachusetts-based CEO of dispensary company Giving Tree Health Center – spent $5,000 per month on lobbying in the second half of 2019. He did not respond to a request for comment. Two Canadian companies have also spent thousands of dollars on lobbyists in recent months. Canopy Growth Corp. inked a lobbying deal with Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies in March 2019 for $7,500 per month through the end of 2020. Acreage Holdings – which Canopy secured the right to buy for $3.4 billion at the end of last year – paid $15,000 per month to Brooklyn-based 99 Solutions and $10,000 per month to Greenberg Traurig to represent the company on “marijuana issues.” Acreage is a member of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, a trade group of medical marijuana companies. “We look forward to working with the governor, the Legislature, and

all stakeholders to pass a law that creates an inclusive, diverse, and competitive industry that will reinvest in communities impacted by marijuana prohibition, protect medical marijuana patients, and provide responsible access to safe adult-use products,” according to a statement by the association. It remains to be seen whether these lobbying efforts will pay off in the long run. Though lawmakers and the governor have expressed optimism on reaching a deal this year, they might not be able to find a consensus on tax revenues. Considering that 16% of New York City residents reported using marijuana in 2015-16, there is undoubtedly a lot of money in legalizing weed. But it might not be as much as some entrepreneurs are hoping for and as much as the state is projecting. The governor’s office estimated the state could receive $300 million in tax revenue annually once a legalized market gets up and running. A 2018 report by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli projected that the state would take in nearly $436 million in tax revenue every year.

Tax revenues and sales in other states that have legalized marijuana, like California, have underperformed expectations. Canopy Growth’s stock has dropped from about $50 per share to under $25 in the past year, reflecting the wider dip in the market. “The industry is not doing so great,” said Josh Weinstein, the founder of CannaGather, which promotes networking among people interested in starting a legal marijuana business. This dip in business prospects though has a silver lining for advocates because it allows them to refocus on some of the core goals of legalization. Ensuring social equity is woven into a legalization bill backed by activists and some parts of the business community. Advocates are also battling what Weinstein called a popular misconception that has undermined legalization efforts to some degree. “One of the biggest challenges for cannabis legalization is not: Can these companies sort of expand the number of people that consume,” he said. “It’s really much more so like: Can we shift the illicit market to the legal market?”

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Pot’s big lobbying spenders by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S MedMen is one of the biggest marijuana companies in the country and holds a medical marijuana license in New York through its purchase of Bloomfield Industries in 2017. MedMen recently almost acquired PharmaCann. It operates in seven states. According to lobbying filings, MedMen was in part advocating for social equity in marijuana legalization.

COLUMBIA CARE

CRESCO LABS

$218,000 LOBBYISTS: Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates; The Roffe Group P.C. HEADQUARTERS: New York City Columbia Care is one of the largest marijuana companies in the country and holds a medical marijuana license in the state. It operates in 10 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

$120,000 LOBBYIST: Statewide Public Affairs HEADQUARTERS: Chicago Cresco Labs is a major national marijuana company that has a medical marijuana license in New York via its subsidiary Valley Agriceuticals LLC. The company operates in 11 states.

PHARMACANN

CURALEAF

ACREAGE HOLDINGS

THE PEOPLE’S DISPENSARY

$199,992 LOBBYISTS: Mercury; PharmaCann HEADQUARTERS: Chicago PharmaCann is a major medical marijuana company that holds a medical license in New York and operates in six states. It was almost purchased by MedMen last year for $682 million. $180,000 LOBBYISTS: Greenberg Traurig; 99 Solutions LLC HEADQUARTERS: New York City Acreage Holdings is arguably the biggest marijuana company in the United States and holds a medical marijuana license in New York through its purchase of NYCanna. It operates in 20 states. The right to buy the company was recently acquired by Canadian pot company Canopy Growth Corp. for $3.4 billion, contingent on the federal legalization of marijuana.

MEDMEN ENTERPRISES

$120,140 LOBBYISTS: Dickinson & Avella; MedMen Enterprises HEADQUARTERS: Los Angeles

$120,000 LOBBYIST: Cordo & Co. HEADQUARTERS: Wakefield, Massachusetts Curaleaf is one of the largest multistate marijuana companies in the U.S., and it has a medical marijuana license in New York. It currently operates in 12 states.

$100,000 LOBBYIST: Mercury HEADQUARTERS: Oakland, California The People’s Dispensary is much smaller compared with the other companies on this list, with two locations

in Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon. The company says it was created to help serve women, minorities and formerly incarcerated people.

GREAT LAKES MEDICINALS

$100,000 LOBBYIST: Ostroff Associates HEADQUARTERS: Rochester, New York This startup applied for a medical marijuana license in 2015, but didn’t obtain one. It still has no dispensaries or growing operations in New York. The company focused its lobbying efforts on medical marijuana.

ETAIN HEALTH

$90,000 LOBBYIST: Bolton-St. Johns HEADQUARTERS: Chestertown, New York Etain is a New York-based company that does not have a presence in other states. It’s the state’s only pot business founded and run by women. It has focused at least some of its lobbying efforts on MWBE benefits for marijuana companies and other related tax incentives.

VIREO HEALTH INTERNATIONAL

$90,342 LOBBYISTS: Bolton-St. Johns, Gramercy Communications HEADQUARTERS: Minneapolis Vireo Health is a large multistate medical marijuana company that has a medical marijuana license in New York. Its

headquarters is in Minnesota and it operates in 10 states.

CANOPY GROWTH CORP.

$75,000 LOBBYIST: Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies HEADQUARTERS: Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada Canopy Growth is one of the biggest marijuana companies in the world, but does not have a presence in New York. If the U.S. legalizes pot at the federal level, Canopy Growth will officially purchase Acreage Holdings.

GIVING TREE HEALTH CENTER (VIA CEO BRIAN BAIROS)

$30,000 LOBBYIST: Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron HEADQUARTERS: West Bridgewater, Massachusetts Giving Tree Health Center proposed a growing, processing and retail space in Massachusetts last year, and made news for wanting to open a drive-thru dispensary. CEO Brian Bairos also runs Colorado Ave. LLC, which is a marijuana company that is licensed in Rhode Island.

VIOLA EXTRACTS

$15,000 LOBBYIST: Dickinson & Avella HEADQUARTERS: Denver, Colorado Viola Extracts was founded by former NBA player Al Harrington. It currently operates in four states and has plans to expand into Arizona and Nevada this year.

THINK BIG

$3,500 LOBBYIST: Polsinelli Public Affairs HEADQUARTERS: Los Angeles Think BIG was founded by CJ Wallace, the son of slain rapper Biggie Smalls. The company supports criminal justice reform efforts, including fighting mass incarceration and the disproportionate enforcement of marijuana crimes in communities of color.

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Major marijuana players have been spending big to influence pot policy in New York. Most are multistate companies that already have a foothold in the Empire State through medical marijuana, and would likely have a leg up in the recreational market under the current proposals. Here’s how much money some of the highest-spending companies have dished out on lobbying since January 2019.

An advocacy campaign including City & State First Read provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in New York government and politics.

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Buds without borders

New York and its neighbors want to make sure they’re all on the same page. by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S

F OR WHEN New York legalizes recreational marijuana, Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants the state to vibe with its neighbors. Cuomo co-hosted a summit in October with the governors of New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania to talk about coordinating recreational marijuana legalization so that the region could have relatively cohesive marijuana policies and prices. The meeting included officials and lawmakers from all four states as well as from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The summit was closed to the press, but Cuomo said it went well. He released a set of about 30 core principles the governors of each state agreed to follow. Most were generally vague – like coming up with “law enforcement strategies for (an) illicit market” and “identifying best practices” for market regulation – but some of the bullet points mentioned instituting similar tax rates from state to state, implementing social justice initiatives and prioritizing small and minority-owned businesses. The principles were really meant to be broad guidelines, not rules. The states won’t be introducing the same legislation, and there’s no guarantee what will actually get passed. It’s also unclear how Massachusetts plays into this regional lovefest, since it already has legal pot.

NEW YORK Recreational: Not yet legal

Decriminalization: Possession of small amounts decriminalized in 1977; further decriminalization of possession in 2019, with new provisions to expunge records for some marijuana-related offenses Medical marijuana: Program established in 2014

NEW JERSEY Recreational: Not yet legal

Decriminalization: No statewide decriminalization, but limited provisions to expunge records for some marijuana-related offenses established in 2019 Medical marijuana: Program established in 2010

THE GARDEN STATE has tried to pass marijuana legalization through legislation since Gov. Phil Murphy took office in 2018, but every effort has gone up in smoke. In December, legislators approved a ballot referendum that would amend the state constitution to legalize the use of pot for anyone over the age of 21, but it does not include any provisions for marijuana cultivation or specifics about possession. The new

market would be overseen by an existing Cannabis Regulatory Commission created for the medical marijuana industry and would be subject to the state sales tax. If approved in November, the state would still need to do the hard work of figuring out the bulk of the regulatory framework. New Jersey did, however, approve a bill that would help expunge low-level marijuana offenses, much like New York did after its legalization push failed. But unlike New York, it did not decriminalize pot, nor did it set up an automatic expungement system – instead, New Jersey residents need to apply to have their record expunged.

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City & State New York

CONNECTICUT Recreational: Not yet legal

Decriminalization: Possession of small amounts decriminalized in 2011 Medical marijuana: Program established in 2012 GOV. NED LAMONT campaigned on legalizing pot in his 2018 election and pushed for legislation in 2019. Notably, the legislation included key social justice provisions, such as investing tax revenue into communities disproportionately affected by marijuana enforcement and expunging criminal records. Unlike New York and New Jersey, Connecticut did not pass smaller bills to decriminalize possession or implement

provisions to expunge minor marijuana offenses. The state tried a different strategy: lawmakers split up various aspects of legalization, such as expungement and regulatory frameworks, so they could be considered separately, with a plan to merge the legislation into one bill once they passed their respective committees. That didn’t work out in the end. And like its neighbors, the General Assembly in Connecticut just couldn’t reach a consensus.

PENNSYLVANIA Recreational: Not yet legal

Decriminalization: No statewide decriminalization Medical marijuana: Program established in 2016 LIKE IN NEW YORK, Pennsylvania’s governor only came out in support of legalizing recreational marijuana recently. So his state is starting from perhaps the cleanest slate in 2020. Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill that some advocates said would be “the gold standard” for legalization bills. It includes provisions to expunge criminal records, allows for people to grow weed at home and has various

social justice components to help minority business owners and those living in communities affected by past marijuana enforcement. But Pennsylvania likely faces even steeper odds than its neighbors: Its General Assembly is dominated by Republicans. This could mean that legalization proponents may need to be willing to compromise on parts of the bill in order to get Republican support.

MASSACHUSETTS Recreational: Legalized through ballot referendum in 2016

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Decriminalization: Possession of small amounts decriminalized in 2008 Medical marijuana: Program established in 2012 RIGHT NOW, Massachusetts is one of the leaders in the Northeast in terms of recreational marijuana, since it is so far only the second state in the region to legalize it. Since legalization occurred through a ballot initiative rather than legislation, which is the route most of its neighbors are attempting now, it meant that the regulatory framework was decided after the fact, including attempts

at social justice provisions. The state doesn’t have a provision for the automatic expungement of past marijuana offenses and is still ramping up its equity programs for marijuana businesses to get more revenue in the hands of communities most affected by marijuana enforcement. But it offers potential guidelines in terms of other regulations, such as being allowed to grow up to six plants at home and being permitted to carry 1 ounce of weed and have up to 10 ounces at home.

CityAndStateNY.com

Kids play at Domino Park at the old sugar factory in Brooklyn, where businesses are struggling to boost commerce without pushing out longtime residents.

A BALAN ACT IN BROO February 3, 2020

February 3, 2020

OKLYN

BROOKLYN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS WANT TO GROW THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS – WITHOUT SPURRING GENTRIFICATION. by GABE PONCE DE LEÓN

HOUGH ITS DAY as a major manufacturing hub may be long gone, Brooklyn has reinvented itself over the past couple decades. Industrial parks and warehouses have been repurposed, and neighborhoods have been rezoned. Not only has the borough succeeded in reversing decades of economic decline, but in the years since the Great Recession, Brooklyn’s growth has outpaced the rest of the city. Between 2009 and 2018, the borough’s rate of private sector employment growth (46%) more than doubled that of Manhattan, according to an April 2019 report by the state comptroller’s office. A June 2019 study by the Center for an Urban Future found that employment growth in Brooklyn’s tech sector was also more than double that of Manhattan – and nationwide only San Francisco has produced more new startups since 2008. Many of the new tech jobs have flowed to Downtown Brooklyn, which has simultaneously seen more than 14,000 housing units built since a 2004 rezoning, according to the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, an economic development organization. “We do see Downtown Brooklyn as emblematic of the nation’s move to cities,” said Regina Myer, the organization’s president, who oversaw the area’s rezoning when she was the director of the New York City Department of City Planning’s Brooklyn office. The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership manages three of

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Brooklyn’s 23 business improvement districts, or BIDs, which have been working to strengthen retail corridors throughout borough during this period of economic revival. BIDs form when a majority of property owners and merchants in a proposed district agree to a self-imposed tax on commercial real estate in order to fund services beyond what the city provides – from supplemental street cleaning and private security to marketing and capital projects. For all the glamorous new growth in creative industries, regular mom and pop shops still form the backbone of many Brooklyn neighborhoods, and the borough’s metamorphosis comes with challenges in addition to economic opportunities. “There was a time when landlords may have been happy to have just about anybody who would pay the rent, and now there are extreme rent pressures for commercial businesses in the district,” said Phillip Kellogg, executive director of the Fulton Area Business Alliance. Although the majority of a BID’s board must, by law, be comprised of property owners – who stand to profit from lofty rents – many BID leaders view persistent rent hikes with concern. “My understanding is that the commercial rents have come down 10%-15% over the past year and, as an organization that worries (us) about the overall health of the commercial strip, I’m certainly not upset about that,” said Mark Caserta, executive director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. “We’re starting to see some new business come and take over some of the vacant spaces, and some people trying ideas that they may not have been able to try a year or so ago.” The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, for its part, collects lease data on its commercial corridor, which can be used to help property owners and tenants find common ground. “We actually know within a block the averages of what is happening,” said Chad Purkey, the organization’s executive director. “If we are talking to a property owner and a business owner who is looking to renegotiate a lease or sign a lease, we can provide them with accurate information about what is sustainable to charge so they can make wise decisions for both of their operations.” But rent is not the only cost of business rising in the borough. The regulatory burden on small businesses, BID leaders said, has also increased in recent years, due in part to new government mandates like the minimum wage increase and paid sick leave law. “These are policies that have merit, but is there not some way that government can help the small-business owner when PUBLISHER’S SECTION

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Despite fears, an NYU Furman Center study found that BIDs don’t necessarily lead to gentrification.

their costs are increasing so rapidly?” Kellogg asked. Across the city, recent revitalization campaigns have come at a social and cultural cost, displacing low-income residents and local businesses, which can have a major impact on the social fabric of a neighborhood. This has led, in some instances, to pushback against the formation and/or expansion of BIDs. A 2017 effort to expand an existing BID in Jackson Heights, Queens, was met with opposition from store owners who feared it would lead to gentrification. The impact that BIDs have on local rents, however, is not cut and dried. There are gentrified areas that don’t have a BID as well as BIDs that exist in areas of the city that haven’t experienced gentrification. A 2007 New York University Furman Center study found no causal relationship between BIDs and substantial increases in property values outside of a handful of Manhattan districts with high concentrations of office buildings.

“We didn’t actually find that the BIDs in Brooklyn and, for the most part, these smaller, more retail-focused BIDs had much of an impact on property values either way,” according to Ingrid Gould Ellen, one of the study’s co-authors. Yet if a BID is effective in its mission of cleaning up and promoting a commercial area, it can contribute to making a neighborhood more attractive, which could play a role, plausibly, in rents going up. “At the margin, could a BID potentially accelerate gentrification (and/or) magnify it? Possibly,” she said. “But there are a lot more fundamental causal factors driving what we’re seeing.” Given the current rise in costs, many BID leaders have redoubled their efforts to help small businesses become more resilient and adaptable in the face of accelerated economic trends. BIDs can help small-business owners navigate regulatory issues, tap into city resources and provide marketing as well as market research

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so they can adapt their business model to the times. “When you’re a guy running a 99-cent store, and you’re primarily Chinese-speaking, and you only have a few employees and are finding out about anti-harassment and commercial waste zone reform and changes to paid sick leave and all these regulations that are coming down the pike, it’s really hard to keep up,” said David Estrada, executive director of the Sunset Park Business Improvement District. “So I see the role of the BID as being a translator and an ambassador between stuff that is happening at the city level and stuff that never really crosses the threshold of these small shops where people are just hustling to stay open.” Brooklyn has long been a gateway for immigrants – well before it became a choice destination among the cool set. Changing demographics, of course, is accompanied by changing consumer demands, and some BID leaders are trying to help the mom and

City & State New York

pop businesses in their districts adapt. “We’re trying to avoid the legacy issues with many of these small businesses, where they are so comfortable selling the same product year in, year out,” said Kenneth Mbonu, executive director of the Flatbush Nostrand Junction Business Improvement District. At the same time neighborhood demographics are changing, so too is the national retail landscape, with brick-and-mortar store owners facing fierce competition online. As part of a broader effort to encourage businesses to embrace social media and new technologies, Mbonu has been connecting store owners in his district to local tech companies that are looking to beta test new products. Mbonu has also enlisted local artists and designers to help stores improve their visual appeal, which has the potential to not only enhance foot traffic but also bring attention to their “cultural significance” within the community. “At the end of the day, the communi-

ty understands the challenges many of these businesses are going through and is ready to pay a little more of a premium because it wants the businesses to be able to stay in the neighborhood in order to avoid vacancies that can lead to all these depressing issues,” he said. By helping businesses capitalize on new opportunities and persevere through challenging times, some BID leaders see themselves as agents of preservation in a time of sweeping change. Still, there are those who express concern that BIDs may play a role in activating market forces that could ultimately prove too potent for many small businesses to withstand. “In the beginning, small businesses can benefit (from the formation of a BID), but in the last phase – which is the lasting impact – it would be really hard for the small business to keep up with the fast-paced changes that are happening in a place,” said Bakry Elmedni, an assistant professor at the LIU Brooklyn School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences. In addition to whatever support BIDs can offer small businesses, Elmedni believes the city has to explore supplemental policy tools – such as tenant protection and affordable housing initiatives – in order to ensure the long-term diversity of its neighborhoods. Amanda Zenteno, executive director of the Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District, is aware of the economic and social change edging its way toward her district. And while she hopes to take advantage and attract new consumers to her commercial corridor, like other BID leaders she has become increasingly concerned with preserving the small-town vibe, local flavor and cultural diversity that originally made Brooklyn such a popular destination. In addition to the more traditional BID services, Zenteno has updated her portfolio with initiatives designed to foster a sense of community, such as public events, cultural programming and translation services. “People shop because they love a store, and they get upset when something leaves,” Zenteno said. “So we are now better understanding how the community interacts with commercial corridors and the stores that make this its own place.”

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THE BROOKLYN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS

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T STARTED IN MANHATTAN during the “bad old days” of the early 1980s: Businesses banding together to change their neighborhoods for the better. Through a self-imposed tax, commercial property owners in an area would fund services to clean up their neighborhoods and make them safer for customers. The gamble worked, and business improvement districts are one of the initiatives credited with turning the city around. Before long, BIDs spread to Brooklyn and the other outer boroughs. These days, there are almost two dozen in Brooklyn alone, where they are trying to balance what’s best for businesses with the needs of their longtime neighbors who fear the threat of gentrification. In the following pages, meet the BIDs that are building a more bustling Brooklyn.

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City & State New York

Pedestrians cross at 86th Street and Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge during the holiday season.

86TH STREET BAY RIDGE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: Patrick Condren, executive director; Steve Petros, president BUDGET: $290,000 KEY PROJECTS: Sanitation, holiday lighting, streetscape installation and maintenance FOUNDED: October 2001

A Q&A WITH THE 86TH STREET BAY RIDGE BID What accomplishments

are you most proud of? Increased shopping in the district. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? The 86th Street Bay Ridge BID’s focus remains on sanitation and communication with property owners and merchants. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? The 86th Street Bay Ridge BID is not involved in legislative or policy issues.

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February 3, 2020

improved the streetscape by adding tree guards to eligible tree pits, planting flowers in those tree pits, successfully advocating for additional tree plantings and expeditiously removing graffiti.

LEADER: Sara Nordmann, executive director BUDGET: $410,000 KEY PROJECTS: Horticulture program, faces of Atlantic Avenue holiday marketing program, coordinating special events,

BAY RIDGE FIFTH AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT LEADER: Amanda Zenteno, executive director BUDGET: $569,000 KEY PROJECTS: We focus on making Fifth Avenue a vibrant and healthy commercial corridor with seven days of supplemental sanitation services, security, avenue beautification, special events and merchant support. FOUNDED: June 2006

holiday lights, litter pickup, graffiti removal, advocacy on behalf of small businesses FOUNDED: 2011

A Q&A WITH THE ATLANTIC AVENUE BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What accomplishments are

merchant support. We work with individual businesses to design websites and set up social media accounts as well as provide specially designed marketing materials, all free of charge. We have had a great deal of success with our community events by rebranding Fifth Avenue and focusing on including cultural programming

A Q&A WITH THE BAY RIDGE FIFTH AVENUE BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? As the commercial landscape changes and it becomes more difficult to draw a new customer base, the BID is addressing that challenge with a focus on direct PUBLISHER’S SECTION

The BID hosts the Bay Ridge Fifth Avenue Street Festival. This summer will be the festival’s 26th year.

you most proud of? One challenge we’re currently facing is the issue of businesses on Atlantic Avenue being sued for noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, sometimes by unscrupulous lawyers looking for a quick cash settlement. I’m most proud of the way we’ve been able to consistently keep our corridor clean and inviting. We’ve vastly

for all ages, which resulted in increased attendance and merchant participation. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? While we maintain our sanitation, safety and avenue beautification programs, we now have a more selected focus on community building. Fifth Avenue is the most diverse area

within Bay Ridge, home to the largest Arabic speaking population in New York City. We enlarged our focus to ensure all stakeholders are represented with cultural programming, translation services and support that is individualized and specific to merchants and residents’ needs. Our work aims to be inclusive and culturally representative of all those who call Fifth Avenue home.

ATLANTIC AVENUE BID; BAY RIDGE FIFTH AVENUE BID

ATLANTIC AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? The multiyear discussion on the city’s proposed borough-based jails plan to replace Rikers Island was one that we were heavily focused on and involved in because the Brooklyn Detention Complex is located within the BID’s boundaries. Now that the conversation has largely been settled, we are monitoring the progression of the Small Business Jobs Survival Act in (the) City Council, which could affect the rate of new business openings on Atlantic Avenue if passed. We’re also involved in the discussions on the reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and the proposed Brooklyn-Queens Connector project.

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

BED-STUY GATEWAY BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT LEADER: Medina Sadiq, executive director BUDGET: $740,000 KEY PROJECTS: Supplemental sanitation, public safety, marketing and merchant services FOUNDED: March 2009

A Q&A WITH THE BEDSTUY GATEWAY BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Current challenges include balancing gentrification and merging new business and older businesses to achieve a blended business environment. What accomplishments are you most proud of? In the past 10 years, the BID has played a major role in making Bed-Stuy a destination, thereby attracting new businesses and tremendous real estate investment. In the past couple of years, the BID

Medina Sadiq leads the BedStuy Gateway BID. Its biggest challenge is balancing old and new businesses.

has done a tremendous job of sweeping the streets, managing trash and illegal dumping, as well as extermination and rat mitigation in Marcy Plaza. The BID is much cleaner than it has ever been before. With the creation of a new deputy

director position, the BID has been able to dedicate itself to supporting new businesses to develop into long-term successful ventures. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that

you’re currently focused on? We’re seeking funding to develop a community-based crime reduction plan. We’re also working with the Department of Sanitation to develop better procedures for the collection ... of local trash.

BED-STUY GATEWAY BID; VALERIY EYDLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

BRIGHTON BEACH BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: Yelena Makhnin, executive director; Seth Rubinstein, president ASSESSMENT: $220,000 FOUNDED: January 1987 RESPONSES: Declined to answer

Russian stores dot Brighton Beach Avenue. The BID has been supporting businesses in the area for over 30 years.

26 CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

CHURCH AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: Lauren Elvers Collins, executive director; Handel Edwards, board chair ASSESSMENT: $203,000 KEY PROJECTS: Sidewalk sales weekends, supplemental sanitation, holiday lights, annual street fair and the production of a wall calendar highlighting local businesses FOUNDED: 1984

What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Our challenges include keeping the BID as clean as possible, a reason why we increased our assessment a few years ago to add quarterly overnight graffiti removal. We are pleased with our decade of advocacy for the installation of new sidewalks throughout

Am Thai is just one of the restaurants featured in the Church Avenue Street Fair.

the Church Avenue BID and our follow-up with the city to ensure that businesses were aware of which blocks were slated for construction throughout the yearlong project. Next on our wish list: push for a long-overdue renovation and upgrade of the high-traffic Church

Avenue B/Q subway station. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? We are focused on policies that impact the business owner-employee relationship, those that guide the complexities of commercial leases and

launched this year; the design and construction of Willoughby Square Park; and the Brooklyn-Queens Connector.

A Q&A WITH THE DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership is invested in making Downtown Brooklyn pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP

MANAGES: MetroTech Business Improvement District (founded January 1992), Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn Business Improvement District (founded June 2007), and Fulton Mall Improvement Association PUBLISHER’S SECTION

(founded June 1976) LEADER: Regina Myer, president BUDGET: $11.8 million KEY PROJECTS: Creating a unified vision for long-term improvements to Downtown Brooklyn’s public spaces; Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding; Brooklyn’s first shared street was

What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Creating a cohesive, planned public realm that keeps pace with the investment that has been made in the area. We’re very, very focused on making Downtown Brooklyn beautiful as well as pedestrian- and bike-friendly. While reconstruction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway has the potential to bring vast improvements, the repercussions of traffic diversions during construction could cause a decade of headaches. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

working with the Department of Transportation to explore improved ways to implement transportation policies in neighborhoods. We are also looking for ways to improve the census count in Flatbush – a historically undercounted community – so our community receives the dollars it needs.

The construction and opening of Betty Carter Park this summer. Securing $10 million in state funding for key Downtown Brooklyn projects – based on our Brooklyn Strand plan. Our ongoing work with organizations of the Brooklyn Cultural District, and our commitment to securing public art for the area. Moving the needle on the overdue creation of Willoughby Square Park and playing a key role in the creation of a truly mixed-use neighborhood. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? As the neighborhood has gone through unprecedented growth and transformed from a location for government back offices into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has adapted to the new landscape to go above and beyond customary BID functions.

CHURCH AVENUE BID; LAZYLLAMA/SHUTTERSTOCK

A Q&A WITH THE CHURCH AVENUE BID

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

The BID has helped develop Dumbo into one of the most recognizable and sought-after areas of the city.

DUMBO IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADER: Alexandria Sica, executive director BUDGET: $1.3 million KEY PROJECTS: Reconstruction of Dumbo’s Belgian block streets, the Dumbo Archway, and growing Dumbo and Brooklyn’s tech scene. FOUNDED: December 2005

EAST BROOKLYN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

KRISTI BLOKHIN; EAST BROOKLYN BID

LEADERS: Sherry Roberts, executive director; Bill Wilkins, BID manager BUDGET: $142,500 KEY PROJECTS: Brush removal; contracting opportunities; customer service and quality control; employee assistance and training; financial assistance; graffiti removal; marketing services; ombudsman services; pest control; real estate assistance; sanitation services; tax incentives FOUNDED: July 1985

A Q&A WITH THE EAST BROOKLYN BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What accomplishments are you most proud of? One of the larger issues the East Brooklyn BID has been facing is illegal dumping. Accomplishments that the East

A Q&A WITH THE DUMBO IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT What accomplishments are you most proud of? Dumbo 2.0 has arrived: We now have a fully built-out waterfront, bustling tourist scene, an office space market that keeps bringing in top compa-

Brooklyn BID is proud of is partnering with the event Industry & Art. The East Brooklyn BID annually hosts a trip for National Manufacturing Day with students from the Trey Whitfield School. Last year, the students were joined by Councilman Rafael Espinal. They spent the day touring companies located in the East Brooklyn BID and were introduced to the world of manufacturing.

nies like Rent the Runway, and a growing residential population. Right now, we’re tackling infrastructure. Our streets and water and sewer are being modernized through a $100 million city reconstruction project. How has the focus of your organization evolved

over the years? The Dumbo Improvement District started off as an advocacy organization, with a bit of sanitation work on the side. Today, we’re still very much focused on advocating for the final pieces of Dumbo’s revitalization like the subway and park upgrades, but we’re also really focused on keeping the neighborhood true to its creative roots and community-focused. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? We’re working on the renewal of the Relocation and Employment Assistance Program. Also, the vending situation in Dumbo can be intense. We’d like the NYPD to have more powerful tools to punish the trucks who park in crosswalks, and we want to work with the city and state to direct vendors to areas of the neighborhood that make the most sense.

Bill Wilkins manages the East Brooklyn BID, which advocates for industrial and manufacturing businesses.

How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? From birth to present, we advocate for industrial and manufacturing businesses. We are the voice for

light industrial manufacturing in New York City. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on?

A legislative issue that we focused on was the special permit that requires developers to convert industrial zone property into storage facilities or transient hotels.

28 CityAndStateNY.com

LEADERS: Lauren Elvers Collins, executive director; Ezra Ashkenazi, board chairman BUDGET: $386,000 KEY PROJECTS: Sidewalk

sales; supplemental sanitation seven days per week; holiday lights, including new gateway welcome lighting in the main colors of the Haitian flag; annual street fair; upcoming safer streets securi-

ty initiative; and the annual Thanksgiving luncheon. FOUNDED: July 1988

A Q&A WITH THE FLATBUSH AVENUE BID

The Flatbush Avenue BID has been working to add more sitdown restaurants around the Kings Theatre.

FLATBUSH NOSTRAND JUNCTION BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

Kenneth Mbonu leads the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID, which works with small businesses on creative sustainability strategies.

A Q&A WITH THE FLATBUSH NOSTRAND JUNCTION BID

What accomplishments are you most proud of? The application of art and design to enhance economic value with small businesses. Keeping our commercial vacancy rate at a low 3%. The Acquisition International’s business excellence glob-

LEADERS: Kenneth Mbonu, executive director; Kevin Johnson, board chairman BUDGET: $300,000 KEY PROJECTS: A summer market initiative with artists selling products made strictly from recycled and salvaged materials; a creative coalition that facilitates connections between local businesses and artists; a fellowship where artists work with businesses to upgrade their storefronts and window displays; the installation of a public pedestrian plaza, Hillel Plaza FOUNDED: May 2006

What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Managing the growing homeless population crisis. PUBLISHER’S SECTION

What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What accomplishments are you most proud of? We continually address sanitation issues, and recently have been working with the local precinct to help gather the information they need to remove graffiti quickly when it occurs. We’re looking for ways to deal with illegal dumping, which is an ongoing problem. Commercial vacancies are an issue throughout

al award winner as “Best Socio-Economic Community Development Program 2018.” How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? Our focus has evolved primarily to working with small

the city, and we are looking into more effective ways to share vacancy listings with realtors and prospective businesses. We’re proud of our recent visual enhancements, specifically our Distinction art competition, which gathered submissions from local artists interpreting their view of what makes Flatbush unique. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? As the way people shop changes and regulations on small business continue, we have been modifying our focus to increased digital marketing to reach more shoppers as well as helping more of our businesses get an online presence. We are working to increase the number of sit-down restaurants on this bustling section of Flatbush Avenue, especially in the blocks surrounding the majestic Kings Theatre, and also to accommodate current retail shoppers and the influx of residents moving into new residential buildings.

businesses on various creative sustainability strategies. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? We support the Small Business Jobs Survival Act proposal.

LEONARD ZHUKOVSKY/SHUTTERSTOCK; FLATBUSH NOSTRAND JUNCTION BID

FLATBUSH AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

The Fulton Area Business Alliance recently completed two pedestrian plazas, such as this one at Fowler Square.

FULTON AREA BUSINESS ALLIANCE

LEADER: Phillip Kellogg, executive director BUDGET: $638,082 KEY PROJECTS: Creating four new public spaces, including two recently completed pedestrian plazas – Fowler Square and Putnam Triangle – plus various pedestrian safety improvements. FOUNDED: December 2008

A Q&A WITH THE FULTON AREA BUSINESS ALLIANCE GRAHAM AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

FULTON AREA BID; DANIELCGOLD/SHUTTERSTOCK

LEADERS: Betty M. Cooney, executive director; Katherine Gold, president ASSESSMENT: $250,000 KEY PROJECTS: Seven day a week sanitation program and graffiti removal; annual fiesta; independent farmers market; Holiday Santa bus and holiday lights and banners; ADA educational support; community mural projects FOUNDED: July 1987

A Q&A WITH THE GRAHAM AVENUE BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? In an area that is experiencing rapid gentrification, the BID tries to maintain the Hispanic heritage of the community while welcoming new residents. Growth is important to any retail district, but we work to support our smaller busi-

currently facing in your district? Rent pressures are significant, especially for our longtime businesses.

investment of resources. The area’s increasing population and foot traffic means maintenance and public-space management will be a priority.

What challenges are you

How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? The transformation of Fulton Street’s public spaces and the community processes they went through, plus working with city agencies to get them designed and constructed, has been a significant

Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? The Fulton Area Business Alliance works in partnership with its colleagues in BIDs across the city on issues of mutual concern, including unfunded mandates that increase the cost of being in business.

nesses by incorporating the old and established mom and pop businesses with the larger national The Graham chains. We Avenue BID strive to find is working the right to maintain mix of retail the Hispanic heritage of the businesses community that can be amid rapid supported by gentrification. our changing demographics and the proliferation of internet shoppers. Rising commercial property taxes have impacted on our smaller businesses as leases continue to rise. We work to support the interests of our property owners and seek to find solutions to help retain our smaller businesses.

Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? Legislatively, we are working to make our district buildings ADA compliant. This not only serves the physically handicapped, but also our large senior population. We want

all shoppers to comfortably access our services. We have always been and continue to be a welcoming retail district for all. The Graham Avenue BID ... has been and continues to be a friendly and accommodating place for families to shop and call home.

What accomplishments are you most proud of? The Fulton Area Business Alliance has secured $9.2 million in funding in the form of grants, sponsorships and in-kind support over the past 10 years for initiatives that will benefit the entire community for decades to come, including new pedestrian plazas at Fowler Square and Putnam Triangle.

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February 3, 2020

GRAND STREET BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

A Q&A WITH THE GRAND STREET BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Our district is located in an area of Williamsburg

The Grand Street BID added murals in the district, including “Olor a Azucenas el Perfum del Barrio” by Don Rimx.

that has historically been a cultural melting pot. We have long-standing Puerto Rican and Italian communities, one of the city’s first public housing projects, and now have an influx of new residents who are reshaping the neighborhood’s demands from the commercial corridor. This means that our mostly service-oriented businesses have had to adapt to attract the neighborhood’s diverse and growing residential population. The BID is working

The Kings Highway BID prides itself on the district’s “almost suburban atmosphere.”

What accomplishments are you most proud of? Over the past year, we’ve increased our focus on telling

Grand Street’s stories. We believe that our community has remained special and unique and wanted to tap into that character by using our communications to create more personal connections between the businesses and residents. We have already seen some of these digital connections we’re creating lead to in-person connections between business owners and new customers, and we are seeing deeper sense of community.

KINGS HIGHWAY BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

A Q&A WITH THE KINGS HIGHWAY BID

to help break down some of the perceived barriers we hear about in the community by sharing the stories and histories of our legacy businesses with newcomers, and creating opportunities for longtime residents to engage with newer businesses through our events and promotions.

LEADERS: Phil Nuzzo, executive director; Malcolm Newman, president BUDGET: $350,000 KEY PROJECTS: Sanitation, social media promotion, graffiti removal and holiday lighting FOUNDED: January 1990

What challenges are you currently facing in your district? Parking, diminished foot traffic due to online shopping, side street big-box stores. What accomplishments are you most proud of? Extended parking hours; stopped limited bus service lanes; beautiful, clean, almost suburban atmosphere; innovative social media promotions. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? From infrastructure and day-to-day focus (extending parking hours, peddler control, graffiti control, stopping bus lanes and loss of parking) to more promotion of the district (social media, in-house commercial videos, Google advertising).

PUBLISHER’S SECTION

GRAND STREET BID; LEON BIJELIC/SHUTTERSTOCK

LEADER: Erin Piscopink, executive director BUDGET: $315,000 KEY PROJECTS: Over the last year, we’ve added several public art murals throughout the district. We’re especially proud to have commissioned a work called “Olor a Azucenas el Perfum del Barrio” on one of our larger building facades. We connected with a Puerto Rican artist with ties to our neighborhood to create a work that honors both the small-business owners of Grand Street as well as the Puerto Rican heritage of this community. FOUNDED: July 1985

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? When I came on board about four years ago, we took a deep dive into how we were promoting the businesses in the district. A quick and comprehensive plan to better market the merchants was put in place and continues to be reviewed and updated frequently.

The Montague Street BID is concerned about the impact of the upcoming renovation of the BQE.

MONTAGUE STREET BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: Kate Chura, executive director; Greg Markman, board president BUDGET: $230,000 KEY PROJECTS: Renovation of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to include a foot bridge to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

MYRTLE AVENUE BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP

RBLFMR/SHUTTERSTOCK; MYRTLE AVENUE BID

LEADER: Chad Purkey, executive director BUDGET: $924,000 KEY PROJECTS: Managing the Myrtle Avenue Plaza, monthly food pantry, youth employment and entrepreneur mentorship program, and initiatives to support residents in local shelters. FOUNDED: April 2005

A Q&A WITH THE MYRTLE AVENUE BROOKLYN PARTNERSHIP What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What accomplishments are you most proud of? We are proud of our organization’s comprehensive approach to community development, effectively serving property owners, business owners and residents from across our neighborhood’s broad economic spectrum.

FOUNDED: January 1998

Expressway) will be incredibly disruptive to the district. The initial design by (the Department of Transportation) would have destroyed key landmarks in the area that brings thousands of visitors who dine, shop and experience all that the merchants on Montague Street and the surrounding area have to offer.

A Q&A WITH THE MONTAGUE STREET BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? The upcoming renovation of the (Brooklyn-Queens

Specific accomplishments include: our custom tree guard program, which has installed 100 pieces of functional public art; our storefront improvement program, which has assisted $3.2 million in property investment; our cultural programming that inclusively celebrates our neighborhood’s history, including our annual Black Artstory Month series.

Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? (We’re) working feverishly to help enact changes that will allow merchants and property owners a cost-effective solution to become more compliant (with the Americans with Disabilities Act) in both their physical space as well as virtual presence. Commercial vacancy is a major issue throughout New York City. We are hoping a Brooklynwide vacancy study will launch in 2020.

A Black Artstory Month mural by Steven Mosley decorates the window of Peck’s on Myrtle Avenue.

How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? At the onset, our work focused on reducing the (commercial) vacancy rate – above 25% in 1999 – which required creating an inviting district, (including) removing graffiti,

investing in storefront improvements, installing street trees, and diversifying the district’s retail mix on Myrtle (Avenue). Over the years, after largely successfully tackling those challenges, we’ve been

able to expand our services beyond these core commercial district services and focus on long-term capital projects, hosting free community events and serving residents with a variety of programs.

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February 3, 2020

NORTH FLATBUSH BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

A Q&A WITH THE NORTH FLATBUSH BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? The implementation of new (New York City Department of Sanitation) policies for commercial and residential waste, and educating community members as to

The North Flatbush BID is undergoing a streetscape initiative, including green street plaza expansions.

appropriate practices. Retail vacancies and the shift in consumer buying habits. How to support merchant members in the uncertain times on retail; forces of regulation, space needs, rents, and (the) cost of doing business (and) finding the right business plan. What accomplishments

are you most proud of? Last year, we were able to successfully eliminate the Clear Curbs pilot program that was burdensome to the district due to eliminating street parking for six hours of the day Monday through Friday. How has the focus of your organization evolved

and greening, special events to promote Fifth Avenue, holiday lights, and direct merchant support and advocacy on a daily basis. FOUNDED: June 2008

A Q&A WITH THE PARK SLOPE FIFTH AVENUE BID

PARK SLOPE FIFTH AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT LEADERS: Mark Caserta, executive director; Joanna PUBLISHER’S SECTION

What challenges are you currently Businesses in the facing in your Park Slope Fifth district? Avenue BID are We work hard concerned with higher rents and every day rising property to walk our taxes. district and talk to our merchants about their chalTallantire, deputy director; lenges and needs. We are Erika Clark, board president very concerned about the BUDGET: $575,000 combined effects of higher KEY PROJECTS: Cleaning

over the years? In the beginning, we were focused on “survival” and safety issues. We now are able to promote the district as a neighborhood asset – a livable strip with destination and lifestyle-focused businesses. Historically, the district businesses operated from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with goods for the trades.

rents, rising property taxes – which merchants pay a large portion of – difficult city regulations, online competition and increased labor costs. How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? While it’s important to focus on the needs of our district, we have worked to make sure that our efforts support the needs of the larger Park Slope community. We want the BID to be a community asset and a good partner. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? We are concerned about any city policy that will impose another cost on our small businesses without offering financial assistance. Our merchants are stretched to the limit and any additional unfunded mandate could easily put them out of business.

NYC DOT; RBLFMR/SHUTTERSTOCK

LEADERS: James Ellis, executive director; Regina Cahill, president BUDGET: $246,495 KEY PROJECTS: Completing multiyear streetscape initiative that includes green street plaza expansions, pedestrian safety measures, water main upgrades and installation of large-scale tree planters; supporting the installation of public art; and a sanitation education program for residents and businesses. FOUNDED: January 1986

February 3, 2020

City & State New York

One of the challenges facing the Pitkin Avenue BID is a lack of direct we have managed to physaccess to rapid ically transform the district transit. into a safe, clean, commercial

district with new investment in a historic retail district.

PITKIN AVENUE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: Daniel Murphy, executive director; Mark Tanis, board chairman BUDGET: $425,000 KEY PROJECTS: Facade improvement grants, neighborhood events like the Easter and Halloween parades, holiday tree lighting, conversions of the avenue to

NYC DOT; 1000 WORDS/SHUTTERSTOCK

SUNSET PARK BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT

LEADERS: David Estrada, executive director; Delvis Valdes, board chairman ASSESSMENT: $300,000 KEY PROJECTS: Supplemental sanitation, including sweep (and) bag operations for corner waste baskets, and custom graffiti removal; holiday season Fifth Avenue lighting and annual tree lighting ceremony with children’s gift bags and a free old fashioned trolley; National Night Out in partnership with the NYPD 72nd Precinct and an annual fall 15-block street festival. FOUNDED: July 1995

A Q&A WITH THE SUNSET PARK BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What accomplishments are you most proud of? The Fifth Avenue shopping

activated pedestrian plazas, district marketing and local business development. FOUNDED: October 1993

A Q&A WITH THE PITKIN AVENUE BID What challenges are you currently facing in your district? What

accomplishments are you most proud of? We face the same challenges from online retailers as many other neighborhood main streets. We also lack the direct access to rapid transit that is a boon for destination districts in the city. In spite of these challenges and the lingering effects of decades of disinvestment,

corridor between 39th and 64th streets is contending with aging infrastructure. Our lighting fixtures, streets and curbs, signage and sidewalks require frequent maintenance. We also face sanitation challenges like illegal advertisements, construction dumping and Vendors sell fruit household waste in in Brooklyn’s Eighth Avenue street corner basChinatown in kets. In response Sunset Park. to a ticket blitz by the Department and/or policy issues that of Buildings on unlicensed you’re currently focused on? store signs, we helped adImmense rezoning applicavance legislation that placed tions on private properties like a moratorium on new fines, Industry City, together with offered relief to stores with citations and created a mayor- New York Economic Development Corp. investments al task force to review and in city-owned properties on revise store sign regulations. the Sunset Park waterfront, have the potential to adverseAre there any legislative

How has the focus of your organization evolved over the years? The BID was an organization that focused strictly on security and sanitation. These are still fundamental necessities for any public use space. The focus over the past 10 years has been to gain more buy-ins from the local community and build a resilient district utilizing in-place existing resources like historic architecture and human capital. Are there any legislative and/or policy issues that you’re currently focused on? We have received grant funding to put money in the pockets of locally engaged business (and) building owners who invest in improvements to properties.

ly impact microbusinesses. We’re also concerned about initiatives that impact the streetscape like WalkNYC, wayfinding kiosks, LinkNYC Wi-Fi stations and the anticipated arrival of protected bike lanes on Fourth Avenue, Citi Bike docks and dedicated car-sharing parking locations.

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In the Matter of a Custody/Visitation Proceeding VELERIA PHILLIPS O/B/O JUSTIN PHILLIPS, Petitioner, - against ACS-Kings, OLGA NICOLE PHILLIPS, Respondents. ------------------------------------------- x SUMMONS - Docket #: V-19233-19 IN THE NAME OF THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: To: ACS-Kings, Brooklyn, NY, and OLGA NICOLE PHILLIPS, address unknown A petition under Article 6 of the Family Court Act having been filed with this Court YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to appear before this court on February 10, 2020 at 11:30 AM Purpose: Return of Process Part 20,10th floor Presiding: Hon. Erik S. Pitchal Location: 330 Jay Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 to answer the petition and to be dealt with in accordance with the Family Court Act. On your failure to appear as herein directed, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. Dated: Brooklyn, New York Urban Redwood LLC Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSNY 10/31/19. Off. in NY Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 20 W 38th St, 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any lawful activity. 41 W 35 LLC filed w/ SSNY on 11/27/19. Office: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 1270 Broadway, #709, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful.

Notice of Formation of Hermette Productions LLC filed with SSNY on December 6, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 344 West 11th Street, 4W, NY, NY 10014. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of SPOONFUL MANAGEMENT NY, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/27/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Purpose: Employment entity for NY businesses.

COPTS 4 RE, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/19/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 77 Chambers St., 3rd Fl, NY, NY 10007. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. PPaper Design Company LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/21/19. County: NY. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: The LLC, 462 W 58th St., PHC, NY, NY 10019. Purpose: any lawful act. Notice of Qualification of LESAGA HOLDINGS 213 MADISON STREET, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/27/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida on 1/12/17. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Stiphany Law, 80 SW 8 St., Suite 3100, Miami, FL 33130. Florida addr. of LLC: c/o Stiphany Law, 80 SW 8 St., Suite 3100, Miami, FL 33130. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of Florida, Clifton Bldg., 2661 Executive Center Circle, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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February 3, 2020

Notice of Qualification of LESAGA HOLDINGS - 522 W 4 2 STREET, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/9/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Florida on 10/2/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Stiphany Law, 80 SW 8 St., Suite 3100, Miami, FL 33130. Florida addr. of LLC: c/o Stiphany Law, 80 SW 8 St., Suite 3100, Miami, FL 33130. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of Florida, Clifton Bldg., 2661 Executive Center Circle, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of WB HUNTLEY REDEVELOPMENT LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/26/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/04/19. Princ. office of LLC: 1120 Ave. of the Americas, 4th Fl., NY, NY 10036. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Kan & Ted LLC filed Arts. of Org. with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/20/19. County: NY. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Keith Kantrowitz, 845 United Nations Plaza, 42B, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of Catalyst Mental Health Counseling, PLLC filed with SSNY on November, 21 st 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Catalyst Mental Health Counseling, PLLC: 230 W. 72nd St, 4F, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of TAMARISK NASSAU PLACE, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/20/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/18/19. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of PGD Management, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/24/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Drucker Associates, 158 W. 29th St., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of BTWN LLC, filed with SSNY on September 17, 2019. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of Process to LLC: 1060 Ocean Avenue, F6 Brooklyn, NY 11226. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of DCJ PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/10/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Cohen & Cohen, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. The regd. agent of the company upon whom and at which process against the company can be served is Richard N. Cohen, Esq., c/o Cohen & Cohen, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of Anthony Sperduti, LLC. Authority filed with SECY. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/19. Office loc: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 4/11/19. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served & mailed to: 324 Lafayette,St., FL2, NY, NY 10012. Cert. of LLC filed with Secy. of State of DE loc: 401 Federal St, #4, Dover DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Formation of MM Merger Sub, LLC, name changed to: MIDBORO MANAGEMENT, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/19/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 333 7th Ave., 5th Fl., NY, NY 10001, Attn: Michael J. Wolfe. Purpose: any lawful activities. Notice of Formation of Whitney L. Taussig LCSW, PLLC filed with SSNY on December 17, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 225 Lafayette St. Apt 9C New York, NY 10012. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 290-292 LEONARD STREET LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/10/2019. Office loc: Kings County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: High Properties, LLC, 10 East 23rd St., Ste. 700, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

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PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE CERTIFICATEHOLDERS CWALT, INC., ALTERNATIVE LOAN TRUST 2006-9T1 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-9T1, Plaintiff AGAINST PATRICK CARRANO AKA PATRICK CARANO, AKA PATRICK I. CARRANO, KATHLEEN SMITH, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated January 08, 2019 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, on February 06, 2020 at 2:30PM, premises known as 405 GREENWOOD AVENUE, BROOKLYN, NY 11218. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, BLOCK 5273, LOT 46. Approximate amount of judgment $855,774.64 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fil! ed Judgment for Index# 7008/14. GREGORY M. LASPINA, ESQ., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 67321

Notice of Qualification of LINK INDUSTRIAL PROPERTIES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/27/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/06/18. Princ. office of LLC: 233 S. Wacker Dr., Ste. 4700, Chicago, IL 60606. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Ownership & Investment in real property & all related activities. Notice of Qualification of Landmark Studio Group LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/24/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 132 E. Putnam Ave., Cos Cob, CT 06807. LLC formed in DE on 9/16/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity

Notice of Qualification of Great Lakes Services, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/3/20. NYS fict. name: Great Wolf Services, LLC. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 350 N. Orleans St., Ste. 10000B, Chicago, IL 60654. LLC formed in DE on 7/9/04. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of BACK WHEN, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/23/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 382 Central Park West, Apt. 17H, NY, NY 10025. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ACCREDIT LOANS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-QS5, V. CHERYL JOHN; ET. AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated November 18, 2019, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Kings, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST COMPANY AMERICAS, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ACCREDIT LOANS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSETBACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-QS5 is the Plaintiff and CHERYL JOHN; ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the KINGS COUNTY COURTHOUSE 360 ADAMS STREET, ROOM 224, BROOKLYN, NY 11201, on February 20, 2020 at 2:30PM, premises known as 407 HAWTHORNE ST, BROOKLYN, NY 11203: Block 4815, Lot 61: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN, COUNTY OF KINGS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 521360/2016. Lawrence W. Schreier, Esq. - Referee. RAS Boriskin, LLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff, vs. IBEKLIS OLEA, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on January 17, 2019 and an Order Pursuant to CPLR 2004 Extending the Time to Set Sale filed on December 19, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on February 20, 2020 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 339 Wyona Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 3758 and Lot 13. Approximate amount of judgment is $930,919.86 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 508809/2014. Aaron D. Maslow, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff Cash will not be accepted.

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STORAGE NOTICE

Modern Moving Inc. will sell at Public Auction at 3735 Merritt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466 At 6:00 P.M. on February 11th, 2020 for due and unpaid charges by virtue of lien in accordance with the provisions of the law and with due notice given all parties claiming an interest therein, the time specified In each notice for payment of said charges having expired household furniture & effects, pianos, trunks, cases, TV’s, radios, hifi’s, refrigerators, sewing machines, washers, air conditioners, household furniture Of all descriptions and the contents thereof, stored under the following names: -AMELIO, CARMINE -CASTILLO, JESUS -DIAZ, SANDRA -FITZGERALD, JOVAN L -HENRY, DEBORAH -KUKADIA, KAYLASH -PENA, VIVIAN -ROSADO, RICKY -STUART, STEPHEN

-SANCHEZ, SASHA -TAVERA, WALKIRA -TIWONI, HABIB -WILLIAMS, NATHANIEL II -WEBB, SHAMEIK/ MACK, ROSEANNE SA-

SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF KINGS CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff -against- JOHN MORALES, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein and dated September 23, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Courthouse 360 Adams Street, Room 224, Brooklyn, NY on February 27, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of St. John’s Place, distant 265 feet and 4 inches westerly from the northeasterly corner of St. John’s Place and Bedford Avenue; being a plot 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches by 131 feet by 18 feet 8 inches. Block: 1245 Lot: 62 Said premises known as 679 ST. JOHNS PLACE, BROOKLYN, NY Approximate amount of lien $825,816.46 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee or the Mortgagee’s attorney. Index Number 13974/2014. SHMUEL D. TAUB, ESQ., Referee David A. Gallo & Associates LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 99 Powerhouse Road, First Floor, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 File# 7254.1134 {* CITY*} Notice of Formation of TTMH New Rochelle Holdings LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/20. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o Corporate Creations Network Inc., 15 N. Mill St., Nyack, NY 10960. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of NSP Richmond Residential, LLC filed with SSNY on January 10, 2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 58 Bowdoin Street, Staten Island, NY 10314. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

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Notice of Qualification of Nochi Blue LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/6/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 8/25/17. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 5 Franklin Place, #9A, NY, NY 10013, principal business address. DE address of LLC: National Corporate Services, Inc., 203 NE Front St., Ste. 101, Milford, DE 19963. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes Notice of Formation of 42N Partners LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/26/19. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business address: 275 Greenwich St., Apt. 3-O, NY, NY 10007, Attn: Donald H. Nathan. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Notice of Formation of WF Industrial VI LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/10/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 80 8th Ave., Ste. 1602, NY, NY 10011. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. Purpose: any lawful activity. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1321210 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 347 GRAHAM AVE. BROOKLYN, NY 11211. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. MIGHTY DIAMOND RESTAURANT CORP.

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Formation of Jongro BBQ Franchising, LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/5/19. Office loc.: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Choi Kyung Rim, 1270 Broadway, Ste. 1107, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of IDEAANDMAKER LTD filed with SSNY on January 2nd, 2020. Office: 154 Grand Street, NY 10016. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to REGISTERED AGENTS INC. 90 STATE STREET SUITE 700, OFFICE 40, ALBANY, NY 12207 . Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of Dua Maintenance and Construction, LLC filed with SSNY on December 06, 2019. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 2753 Bath Avenue, 3FL, NY, NY 11214. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Name: E M P I R E CSS, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/07/2020. County: Richmond County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 65 Broadway #1400, New York, NY 10006-2503. Purpose: to engage in any and all business for which LLCs may be formed under the New York LLC Law. PARERGON PROJECTS LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 07/16/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 30 E 85th St., 8C, NY, NY 10028. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

February 3, 2020

Notice of Formation of Wherever You Go Pictures, LLC filed with SSNY on December 16, 2019. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 21 Egmont Place, Staten Island, NY 10301. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. SANDRA BURCH, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/14/2020. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 215 E. 95 St. #26G, NY, NY 10128. Reg Agent: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave., Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Notice of Formation of JAMBON BEURRE TOPCO LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/17/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-243. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of GENUINE LEADERS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/14/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/13/20. Princ. office of LLC: 88 Leonard St., #714, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

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Notice of Qual. of S&S BUSHWICK LLC, Authority filed with t h e SSNY on 10/03/2019. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 05/31/2019. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: C/O Park-It Management, 250 West 26th St., 4th Fl, NY, NY 10001. Address required to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Drive, Ste 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert of Formation filed with DE Div. of Corps, 401 Federal St., Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

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Notice of Formation of JIA LEE LLC filed with SSNY on August 5, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 57-59 2ND Ave, Apt. 74, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1325252, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 3001 BROADWAY ASTORIA, NY 11106. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. MONTICELLO FOOD CORP. THE ANNUAL RETURN OF THE STEVEN & BONNIE STERN FOUNDATION, INC for the year ended March 31, 2019 is available at its principal office located at 184 Bradley Place, Apt 303, Palm Beach, FL 33480 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen who requests it within 180 days hereof. Principal Manager of the Foundation is STEVEN E. STERN.

Notice of Auction

Notice of Auction Sale is herein given that Access Self Storage of Long Island City located at 2900 Review Avenue, Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 will take place on WWW. STORAGETREASURES. COM Sale by competitive bidding starting on February 25, 2020 and end on March 6, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. to satisfy unpaid rent and charges on the following accounts:

Notice of Auction Sale is herein given that Citiwide Self Storage located at 45-55 Pearson Street, Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 will take place on WWW.STORAGETREASURES.COM Sale by competitive bidding starting on February 25, 2020 and end on March 06, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. to satisfy unpaid rent and charges on the following accounts:

Contents of rooms generally contain misc. #433-Gabriel Sanchez; 3 garbage bags, 1 cooler, 2 dressers, 1 plastic tote with clothes. #2122-Peter Hargrove; boxes and bags...misc. items#-2403-Avery Bock; Clothing rack filled with clothing, 2 crates of records, 7 plastic containers, 15 boxes, rocking chair, living room chair, lamp, picture frame, 2 tote bags, 1 plastic bag, 1 tool box#3435-Cinema Plus LP; 40+ boxes#4304-Carmen Dionicio; 1 computer desk, 1 office chair, 2 chairs, 20 boxes, full mattress, 1 pillow, toy car and racing track. #6001-Michelle Hill; A queen mattress, 8 boxes, 4 plastic totes, 4 plastic bags, futon mattress, 2 chairs, folding table, 1 kitchen shelving, 1 wooden rack. The contents of each unit will be sold as a lot and all items must be removed from the premises within 72 hours. Owners may redeem their goods by paying all rent and charges due at any time before the sale. All sales are held “with reserve”. Owner reserves the right to cancel sale at any time. Notice of Formation of R/S FULCRUM LLC. Arts. Of Org filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/28/20. Office location: NY County. Sec of State designated LLC agent upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 153 E. 96th St., 1A, NY, NY 10128, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Jessica White #2A17: Boxes & Plastic bins. Andres L Helm #3L24: 10+ Bags, Boxes, Luggage, Shopping cart, Misc. furniture. Stephanie Thompson #4J27: 9 Boxes, Misc. items. Windsor Fleury #5G09: Several Boxes, Fold up table, 1-Movers dolly, 2-Luggage bags, Several storage bins, 1-Rug. Louis Flores #5K08: Roughly 50 boxes, 2-Stools, Mattress, 2-Lamps, Misc. furniture, Roughly 5-bags. Alfredo Villamar #5T08: Several bags/boxes, Shoe boxes, Misc. clothes, 1-Guitar case. Carmelo Mallia #6P51: Boxes, 1-Wooden chair. Carmelo Mallia #6R02: 1-Mirror, 2-Beach chairs, 1-Picture frame. Carmelo Mallia #6R05: Beach chair, Boxes. Carmelo Mallia #6S06: 2-Beach chair, Misc. items. Lisbet Crowley #7q17: Packing materials, 4-Cases of sletzer water, Cooler, 1-Box of cups, Loose packages of cups. The contents of each unit will be sold as a lot and all items must be removed from the premises within 72 hours. Owners may redeem their goods by paying all rent and charges due at any time before the sale. All sales are held “with reserve”. Owner reserves the right to cancel sale at any time.

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PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

Notice of Qualification of NORTHPOINT TECHNOLOGY, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/24/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/15/20. NYS fictitious name: NP TECHNOLOGY, LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o ACA Compliance Group, Attn: Andrea M. McNamara, 8401 Colesville Rd., Ste. 700, Silver Springs, MD 20910. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of PMPGL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/23/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/15/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM Notice of Qualification of On and Offshore Quality Control Specialists, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/18/19. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in TX on 5/2/05. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. TX and principal business address: 111 Congress Ave., Ste. 900, Austin, TX 78701. Cert. of Form. filed with TX Sec. of State, 1019 Brazos St., Austin, TX 78701. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LIVE BY REHAN, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/7/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 550 W. 54th St., Apt. 3D, NY, NY 10019. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Duggan Bertsch, LLC, 303 W. Madison St., Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60606. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of formation of Hospitality GS LLC. Arts of Org. filed with the Secy of State of New York (SSNY) on January 24, 2020. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to One World Trade Center, Suite 47A, NY, NY 10007. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of RAHF IV FC Holdings, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/9/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 551 5th Ave., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10176. LLC formed in DE on 6/22/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

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PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T proposes to collocate antennas (tip heights 125.5’ & 134.5’) on the building at 110 W 14th St, New York, NY (20200035). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-8091202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties 26 CEDAR, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/07/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Larocca Hornik Rosen & Greenberg LLP, 40 Wall Street, 32nd Fl, Attn: P. McPartland, NY, NY 10005. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

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38 CityAndStateNY.com

February 3, 2020

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro

Who was up and who was down last week

LOSERS CHRIS JACOBS The Western New York state senator’s bid to replace the disgraced former Rep. Chris Collins got a big boost this week when local GOP leaders gave him their endorsement in the upcoming special election. It’s not all smooth sailing for Jacobs moving forward – fellow Republicans are still looking to run in the primary for the 2020 general election – but the political winds are definitely blowing in his direction – even though the Conservative Party is refusing to get on board with Jacobs.

OUR PICK

WINNERS

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. isn’t running for mayor anymore, and everyone else is seeing opportunity. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a housing plan. New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a homelessness plan. Former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan is expected to run now. And Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who may be the biggest winner from Diaz’s exit? Well … he said he’d ditch his security detail and carry a gun.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Deputy Editor Eric Holmberg, Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton DIGITAL Digital Marketing Director Maria Cruz Lee, Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Digital Marketing Associate Chris Hogan, Web/ Email Strategist Isabel Beebe

BART SCHWARTZ Who watches the watchdog? New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, that’s who! Stringer refused to approve a $12 million contract with NYCHA’s independent monitor, Bart Schwartz. One federal agency has accused Schwartz’s firm of running up excessive charges, and Schwartz also neglected to mention his ties to Lenora Fulani, a controversial activist who has blasted the mayor’s NYCHA plans. And given how costly fixing NYCHA is, can you blame Stringer for treading carefully?

THE BEST OF THE REST

THE REST OF THE WORST

DARMA DIAZ

THOMAS BRANSKY

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Event Sponsorship Strategist Danielle Koza dkoza@ cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillanGrace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@cityandstateny. com, Senior Account Executive William Thomas EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez, Editorial Research Associate Evan Solomon

Vol. 9 Issue 4 February 3, 2020

HIGH HOPES WHO'S GONNA SCORE THE BIGGEST HIT?

DAVID HOOVLER

Overruled! This DA helped block a state commission on prosecutorial misconduct.

ZARA NASIR

Nasir and other City Council staffers hit a key milestone on the path to unionization.

KEITH POWERS & HELEN ROSENTHAL

After a drawn-out recount, we designated both New York City Council members as the city’s top lawmakers.

Bransky’s homeless services nonprofit operated in the shadows with lots of city cash. Surprise! Now it’s accused of fraud.

DIANA FLORENCE

This Manhattan ADA withheld damaging evidence about a star witness.

CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

February 3, 2020

Cover Alex Law

TIFFANY HARRIS

Amid the bail reform uproar, this accused repeat slapper is now facing 30 years.

JOE MORRISROE

With the deaf struggling to connect, 311 honcho Morrisroe needs a complaint hotline for his complaint hotline.

WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email. Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

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STATE SENATE; GUIDEPOST SOLUTIONS

There’s a new Diaz in town - and the Brooklyn boss is backing her council bid.

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