SENATE GOP GOES FULL #MAGA ARE DMV LINES AND ELECTION PARTIES GONE FOR GOOD?
S ' K R O Y W E N T S E N I F WHAT COULD THE CITY DO WITH AN EXTRA $1 BILLION?
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June 22, 2020
JULY 23, 2020 1:00PM-4:00PM
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June 22, 2020
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EDITOR’S NOTE
JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief
IN THE AFTERMATH of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the ensuing protests against police brutality, a number of reforms have advanced in New York, both in Albany and New York City. State lawmakers acted first, with a legislative package that included a measure making police discipline records public. Never a champion of repealing Section 50-a, the rule that kept those records in the dark, Gov. Andrew Cuomo nonetheless placed himself at the forefront of the effort, rolling out a “Say Their Name” agenda featuring the transparency bill before state lawmakers could vote on it. “He sat on the sidelines and for some reason now tries to act like it is his agenda,” state Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy tweeted. Disingenuous or not, the governor came out ahead politically, especially compared to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Although elected as a progressive who touted his multiracial family on the campaign trail, the mayor has remained on the defensive amid the unrest. Facing demands to defund the NYPD by $1 billion, he was initially resistant before pledging to make cuts of an unspecified amount – reinforcing the impression he’s still siding with the police instead of the protesters. In this week’s magazine, City & State’s Kay Dervishi takes a closer look at the kinds of services taxpayer dollars could be diverted to – if the mayor follows through on funding cuts for the police.
CONTENTS SENATE GOP … 8
The Republicans fall in line behind Trump
DEFUNDING THE POLICE … 10 Where would the money go instead? NEW NORMAL … 14
How COVID-19 could change NYC’s cultural institutions
CELESTE SLOMAN; MARC A. HERMANN/NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT
ELECTION NIGHT … 18 Say so long to the shindig
BUREAUCRACY 2.0 … 20
Can we finally fill out government forms online? Please?
EMERGENCIES … 22 Outreach workers speak with homeless New Yorkers as the subway is closed overnight. Advocates say the NYPD should no longer be involved in such interactions.
How will New York prepare for future pandemics?
WINNERS & LOSERS … 26
Who was up and who was down last week
CityAndStateNY.com
June 22, 2020
POLICE REFORM IN NEW YORK CITY More and more officials are joining the call to cut the New York City Police Department budget and reform the NYPD and other police departments. Leaders in the New York City Council, including Speaker Corey Johnson, announced their commitment to cutting $1 billion in NYPD funding in the upcoming budget. While many members already supported the reduction of police spending, the announcement represents the first time the City
Council took a stance on a specific dollar amount. However, the details on how to hit that number remain vague, and the council will likely be met with a fight from Mayor Bill de Blasio. Gov. Andrew Cuomo also signed an executive order mandating that cities and counties around the state “reinvent” their police departments by April 1, or forfeit state funding. That means state dollars for police, but may also apply to other state support for things like education. However, Cuomo did not offer details on what measures would
be taken to reform the state police, which has grown in headcount and funding since he took office. Meanwhile, New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea disbanded controversial plainclothes anti-crime units, which have been involved in a disproportionate number of shootings. He also indicated support for shifting certain civilian jobs out of the NYPD, like school safety and traffic enforcement. Shea said he would accept some cuts to the police budget given the financial crisis facing the city, but said it must be done “smartly” and in a way that doesn’t impact public safety. De Blasio also announced that the city would create an online database tracking all active investigations into alleged police brutality with officers’ names, post the disciplinary decisions for those
SAY THEIR NAMES The death of George Floyd at the hands of police last month may have sparked nationwide protests against police brutality – leading to landmark proposals to reform policing – but behind Floyd’s story lies centuries of America’s history of racism and violence. That’s the message conveyed in this New Yorker cover, which places within Floyd’s portrait bracing reminders of that history, including a portrait of Eric Garner, who was killed by New York City police.
“(Cuomo) believes #BlackLivesMatter is simply a hashtag … or an annoyance he simply has to outwait or outmaneuver so he can return to his regularly scheduled program.” – New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, after the governor told protesters to stop, because they “won”
“We are not anti-police. We are anti-police brutality. It’s easy to say you don’t want police when you don’t have crime. We don’t live in that fantasy world.” – New York City Council Public Safety Chairman and Queens borough president candidate Donovan Richards, who supports the proposed $1 billion cut to the NYPD but is distancing himself from the “Defund the police” rallying cry
cases and eventually make all disciplinary records available online. It represents a major shift in how the city treats police discipline in the wake of the repeal of 50-a.
MINOR RENT RELIEF FOR NEW YORK TENANTS
The New York City Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents for rentstabilized tenants with one-year leases, while allowing just a 1% increase in the second year for tenants with two-year leases. Tenant advocates viewed the vote as a victory for people struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus crisis. It doesn’t cancel the rent, but at the very least, rent-stabilized tenants won’t have to contend with a rent hike for a year. Although advocates wanted a freeze for both years of two-year leases, landlords wanted the board to approve a 2% hike for one-year leases and a 5% hike for two-year leases. The decision affects about 2 million renters in New York City. At the state level, Cuomo signed into law a controversial rent relief measure that will provide $100 million in rental vouchers to assist struggling tenants. But it only applies to those who are rent-burdened, lost income due to the pandemic and make less than 80% of area median income. Tenant advocates, many of whom want a complete cancellation of
BEN VON KLEMPERER, KEVIN RC WILSON, MASSIMO SALESI/SHUTTERSTOCK; JOHN MCCARTEN/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
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June 22, 2020
rent during the coronavirus crisis, consider the law woefully inadequate and even dangerous, as it relies on landlords to apply for the vouchers, rather than tenants.
FLANAGAN STEPPING DOWN EARLY
Although he had already announced he would not seek reelection, state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan is taking his leave a little sooner than expected. He’s leaving the Legislature on June 28 to accept a private sector job, reportedly with Northwell Health. While it doesn’t impact the upcoming election to replace him, it did move up the timing of the decision by his conference on who will replace him as the GOP leader. In a vote among conference members on Friday, state Sens. Robert Ortt and Patrick Gallivan were considered frontrunners to replace Flanagan, and Ortt was selected. Deputy Minority Leader Joe Griffo had said he wouldn’t seek the position.
THE
WEEK AHEAD
City & State New York
Social distancing enforcement is softer for white yuppies
PLANS FOR PHASE 2 IN NEW YORK CITY
New York City is entering Phase 2 of its reopening on June 22, which means outdoor dining and the return of in-store shopping. After criticism for not releasing plans for the new phase, de Blasio late in the week announced the city was in fact ready to continue reopening, although the governor had been saying as much for days. De Blasio said that parks and playgrounds would reopen as part of Phase 2, a decision that came after a trio of Orthodox Jewish lawmakers from Brooklyn broke into a playground, demanding that children be allowed to play if de Blasio was permitting mass protests. De Blasio also released a plan for outdoor dining, with sidewalk seating running until October, a curb lane seating pilot program that would last until Labor Day and street seating for streets already closed to vehicular traffic.
TUESDAY 6/23 With many Democratic primaries scheduled for the U.S. House, the Assembly, state Senate and even the Queens borough president, this may be New York’s most important election day of the year.
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Social distancing was nonexistent and masks optional as crowds of people gathered in the East Village for drinks outside bars on St. Marks Place earlier this month. Despite the fact that public drinking also remains illegal in New York, two police cars drove by without addressing the scene, the New York Post reported. Police did eventually respond and disperse the crowd, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. No arrests were made and no summonses or fines issued. It’s just another example of a trend many New Yorkers have noticed: While working-class communities of color often experience aggressive enforcement of social distancing regulations and precoronavirus quality of life crimes, the same kinds of gatherings among predominantly white Manhattanites are allowed to flourish – or, at most, let off with a warning. Elected officials have been critical of these scenes, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo pressured local governments from New York City to the Hamptons to do more to enforce the law or else risk going back into lockdown. Of course, most New Yorkers probably don’t want the NYPD to use force or make arrests when breaking up a block party – even if the partiers are rich and white. But this lack of enforcement contrasts with recent news that an NYPD officer in Crown Heights, Brooklyn allegedly shoved a black man into hot coals while trying to break up a barbecue on Memorial Day. That was reminiscent of another social distancing arrest – of a young Latino man, also in the East Village and just blocks from where the yuppie throngs have been spotted – in which an officer kneeled on the arrestee’s neck and, according to a lawsuit filed against the city, stole his money.
INSIDE DOPE
The fat lady will likely not be singing much on election night. Mail ballots are more important than ever this year, and it could take days – if not weeks – to determine a winner in many races.
After weeks of protests against police violence and racism, enforcement of social distancing guidelines seemingly remains separate and unequal. Nearly 80% of summonses and arrests in New York City for violating social distancing rules from March 16 to May 17 were issued to black and brown New Yorkers, according to the NYPD. Complaints made to 311 regarding possible social distancing violations were also more likely to result in summonses and arrests in low-income communities predominantly populated by people of color according to an analysis from the city comptroller’s office. This is despite the fact that data collected from the Legal Aid Society finds that 54% of 311 calls made from March 28 to May 12 related to such complaints came from majority-white neighborhoods. The city has attempted to relax police enforcement of rules about keeping distance or wearing masks, however. Other city workers have been repurposed to serve as “social distancing ambassadors” to ensure compliance. Some have questioned why officials such as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have signed off on allowing protests, where maintaining distance is difficult, but not other gatherings. New York state officially only allows any gatherings of up to 10 people right now. “We’re seeing a social movement growing before our very eyes that’s addressing 400 years of oppressive reality in this country, 400 years of structural racism, and demanding a change … That’s a very, very different reality than people going to a bar or restaurant to pick up a drink,” de Blasio said on June 16. -Kay Dervishi
WEDNESDAY 6/24 & THURSDAY 6/25 New York Nonprofit Media hosts OpCon, a two-day webinar on operations for nonprofits in New York, featuring panels with some of the sector’s top leaders.
SATURDAY 6/28 The end of an era, as former state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan of Long Island officially retires after more than 30 years. His departure cleared the way for an upstater to lead the conference.
COPAGANDA 6
CityAndStateNY.com
June 22, 2020
BY KAY DERVISHI
THE NYPD hasn’t earned much love these past few weeks. Even so, police unions’ recent claims that a Shake Shack employee deliberately spiked officers’ milkshakes with bleach seemed like a stretch – and was quickly disproved by the NYPD’s own investigators. It’s not the first time cops’ accusations have been published without sufficient scrutiny – the New York Post does it all the time. Here are some of the Post’s recent pro-police “copaganda” articles.
THE NEW YORK POST WILL TELL YOU WHATEVER ITS POLICE SOURCES SAY, FACTS NOTWITHSTANDING
CONCRETE “ICE CREAM”
Police officers sounded the alarm: protesters may be stocking up on containers of concrete disguised as chocolate chip ice cream. But photos of those containers publicized by the Post are actually just coffee cups used by construction workers to test the composition of the concrete mix.
THE ROLEX LOOTING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
“Looters swipe $2.4M worth of watches from SoHo Rolex store: police sources,” blared the Post on June 1. But that claim was contradicted by the article, which cites the store’s spokesman as saying no watches had been stolen, as none were even on display. There isn’t even a “Rolex store” at that location – just another watch store authorized to sell them.
“STRATEGICALLY” PLACED BRICKS
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted a video featuring boxes piled on a street corner, captioned, “This is what our cops are up against: Organized looters, strategically placing caches of bricks & rocks at locations throughout NYC.” But City Councilman Mark Treyger, who represents the area, said there hadn’t been any looting there and the likelier explanation is that it’s debris left over from a nearby construction site.
ESSENTIAL OR NOT ESSENTIAL
Essential workers were meant to be exempt from curfews imposed earlier this month, but in practice, that hasn’t been the case. The NYPD shot back in the case of one viral video of a delivery worker getting arrested arguing he wasn’t on the job when police detained him, which the Post published. But the app company confirmed he’d been making deliveries.
THE BARBOT MASK FIASCO
The Post sparked a major controversy with an article asserting that New York City’s Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot told a high-ranking NYPD officer, “I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops,” when the police asked for masks at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the conflict was triggered when a group of cops showed up without warning at an out-of-state warehouse demanding N-95 masks set aside for health care workers.
June 22, 2020
City & State New York
A Q&A with New York City Transportation Commissioner
POLLY TROTTENBERG
JALCARAZ, MARINO BOCELLI, ZCW, TADA IMAGES, LUNX/SHUTTERSTOCK; MTA
How will people be able to commute once New York City and state begin to reopen? We’ve now opened 45 miles of streets for recreation and cycling, including nine miles of temporary bike lanes which we put up in about a week and a half – which for us is a record. The mayor has announced we’re doing 20 miles of bus lanes. And then we’re also working with the council on, as the city gets into Phase 2, opening up streets and sidewalk space for restaurants. And I think the mayor will have more to say on that, but I hope people will be pleased. I think it’s going to be a very nimble and user-friendly approach that we’ll do.
Are there any technologies that are being developed at the New York City level to help respond to the coronavirus crisis? When the pandemic hit, I discovered the two parts of my agency that were most on the front lines. One would be very intuitive, which is the Staten Island Ferry, which is a small piece of New York City’s own transit system. The second piece was the people who go out and collect the money and service our parking meters. It turns out they were on the front lines as well. And I think what we’re striving to do with the MTA is just how do we make these systems
much more contactless? I have a massive crew of people who go out every morning to collect all these coins from these parking meters. It’s a very kind of anachronistic system and now we’re looking to very much advanced technologies that can make that much more cashless. We have a pay by cell system. We made some improvements to it a couple months ago to try and make it more user friendly and affordable. CDC guidance has encouraged people to drive alone. How would you respond to that? There were a lot of us who were very critical of what the CDC was proposing.
It’s not going to be a solution to have everybody take to their cars. Our city streets could never handle it. It seemed to go against everything we’re trying to do in urban transportation. Our city, if we’re going to come back to our full strength, we’re going to need to rely on our mass transit systems. Back when we were working on 14th Street busway and all the things around the L train enclosure, a statistic I used to give is the L train, that one line out of many subway lines carries more people in the morning rush hour between 8 and 9 a.m. than the six East River bridge crossings. That is how efficient our subway system is. It’s not going to be a solution to have everybody take to their cars. Our city streets
could never handle it. And I think you’re hearing the discussion today about things we want to do for people who are looking for alternatives, particularly improving bus service and potentially building out much more bike lanes very quickly. We have continued to work with Lyft, who has been a great partner. We’ve been expanding the Citi Bike system up into the rest of Manhattan, into the South Bronx, looking to do infill stations in Manhattan and expanding membership, including giving a lot of one-year complimentary memberships to health care workers and frontline workers.
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June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020
City & State New York
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FULL#MAGA Without John Flanagan, the state Senate GOP lets its Trump flag fly
WANGKUN JIA, FADZIEL NOR/SHUTTERSTOCK WANGKUN JIA, FADZIEL NOR/SHUTTERSTOCK
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by Z A C H W I L L I A M S
NTIL JUNE 19, Long Islanders had dominated the leadership of the state Senate Republican conference for more than a decade – a history that underscores just how much the party’s power depended on holding key swing districts in the New York City suburbs. But that era of Long Island dominance was on borrowed time ever since Democrats seized control of the chamber in 2018, leaving just a handful of downstate Republicans in a diminished 22-member conference. The official transfer of power from downstate to upstate appeared to be complete last Friday, when Republican state Sen. Patrick Gallivan withdrew himself from the running and senators selected Robert Ortt as the new minority leader to replace John Flanagan. The longtime Long Island legislator announced June 16 that he would vacate his position on June 28, reportedly to take a position at Northwell Health. A total of 10 GOP senators have announced in the past year that they would not run for reelection. By electing an upstater to lead the conference, GOP senators are also signaling that they will move in a much more pro-Trump direction as the moderating influence of downstate legislators wanes in the conference. Even before he announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t be seeking reelection, Flanagan’s leadership position was far from secure. He presided over an embattled GOP conference that lost its majority on his watch and then had to overcome a surprisingly strong leadership challenge by then-state Sen. Cathy Young of Western New York. “Flanagan is well respected for his ability to cross Republican lines,” Democratic consultant Evan Stavisky said before the official leadership change. “It seems like most of the major candidates who are running for leader represent districts that are far more pro-Trump than anything else.”
This turn would have arguably happened no matter who the GOP chose to become the first upstate Senate leader since Hudson Valley lawmaker Joe Bruno was ousted in 2008. Gallivan, a former state trooper, was crediting Trump for fostering an “awakening” against political elites before the 2016 election. When Ortt, a former soldier, launched his unsuccessful bid to replace Rep. Chris Collins last year, the state senator described himself as a “battle-tested patriot” for the MAGA cause. By contrast, Flanagan only endorsed Trump after he became the Republic an Party’s presidential nominee in 2016, and at times distanced himself from the White House. Like other Republicans across the country, Ortt, Gallivan and other members of their conference are defining their political struggles as a fight against big-city liberals. “Our upstate community needs to counter the current One-Party-Rule of New York, which has successfully funneled state government’s power, attention and resources directly into the five boroughs,” state Sen. Fred Akshar, who supported Gallivan for minority leader, said in a statement on June 16. The president has a 71% approval rating among state Republicans, a number that reflects how popular he still is with state Senate Republicans’ constituents despite the hit Trump has taken in recent months. Defining everything happening in Albany as the work of downstate Democrats undermining upstate residents is well in line with the president’s brand of politics. What that means for the party’s political fortunes in New York remains to be seen. “It won’t be about John Flanagan,” Bruce Gyory, an adjunct professor of political science at the University at Albany, said when asked how the legacy of Long Island leadership will define the New York GOP. “It will be about how the Republican Party in New York deals with the Trump brand.”
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Lawmakers have proposed a huge cut to the NYPD’s budget. But it won’t mean much unless the money is reinvested. by K A Y D E R V I S H I
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EFUND THE POLICE” has become a top-line slogan for some protesters and advocates speaking out against police brutality and institutional racism. Most aren’t just calling for police department budgets to be cut, but for that funding to be diverted to other social services. The New York City Council has so far proposed about $1 billion in cuts to the NYPD budget. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has also agreed to reduce the NYPD’s budget to fund youth initiatives and social services, but he has so far been mum on how much of it he’d like to see cut and where that money would specifically go. But a number of police reform activists have had their share of suggestions for city officials about where that funding should be diverted. Given the deep fiscal crisis the city’s budget is facing, there are plenty of programs that could use the funding. Here are three efforts that currently rely on police involvement that some advocates say could use a funding boost – and could be done without law enforcement. MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE Calls to change how law enforcement responds to mental health calls to 911 became more pressing after NYPD officers fatally shot Saheed Vassell, a black man with a mental health disorder, in 2018 after mistakenly believing he was carrying a gun. New York City has already expanded some mental health initiatives that rely less on police involvement. Any New Yorker can go on the NYC Well website to request a mobile crisis team to respond to crises. These teams are made up of social workers and people who have experienced challenges with mental health or substance use disorders, known as peers. The city also uses Health Engagement Assessment Teams composed of mental health professionals and peers to respond to non-emergency requests for help from city agencies and 311. This could look like a city agency such as the Department of Homeless Services reaching out for a team to contact a specific individual they work with who may need mental health support. But the responsiveness of mobile crisis teams has been hampered by slow response times – previously averaging 17 hours – which the
WHERE TO SPEN June 22, 2020
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June 22, 2020
City & State New York
Advocates argue police are not equipped to handle many duties they currently perform, such as responding to mental health calls or homeless outreach.
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officials say will significantly improve as a result of its plan to hire more teams. Advocates say current initiatives are too limited because they are less responsive and are only focused on non-emergency calls, leaving most mental health responses in the hands of police who received almost 180,000 mental health-related calls in 2018. Correct Crisis Intervention Today - NYC, a coalition of mental health advocates, used to endorse additional training for police officers to ensure sensitivity when they respond to mental health crises. But the coalition has shifted its agenda after it found that 17 New Yorkers with mental health problems were killed or critically injured by city police officers since that training went into effect in 2015. “As good as the training was, we realized 40 hours of training is not going to change the culture of the NYPD,” said Carla Rabinowitz, project coordinator for the coalition and advocacy coordinator at Community Access, a nonprofit that offers supportive housing and social services to people with mental health concerns. What the coalition has since proposed is a $16.5 million five-year pilot program to establish 24/7 mental health crisis response teams in the two police precincts that see the greatest number of mental health-related calls. It’s modeled after the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets program created in Eugene, Oregon, in which mobile crisis teams respond to about 20% of calls to 911. Under the proposed pilot, teams made up of one peer – who has been trained as a crisis counselor – and one EMT would be able to respond to all relevant mental health calls with the same speed as police officers. Only under extreme circumstances – in which a person is threatening to cause “serious bodily harm” to themself or another person or is wielding a weapon to “credibly threaten” serious harm – would teams be allowed to contact police for support. And if the program in Oregon is any indicator, the need for police may be rare. Less than 1% of the 24,000 calls they responded to in 2019 resulted in mobile crisis teams calling for police backup. Several groups including JustLeadershipUSA, the Mental Health Project at the Urban Justice Center and Brooklyn Defender Services have also outlined plans for additional avenues for mental health support. Their recommendations include creating more “crisis respite centers” where people in mental health crisis can go for services and expanding the city’s mobile mental health treatment efforts.
BILLION
SCHOOL SAFETY The NYPD’s presence in New York City schools dates back to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration. Now some edu-
CityAndStateNY.com
cators and advocates are pushing to expel them. Policing in schools has long been criticized for disproportionately targeting black and Latino students and engaging in needlessly punitive or aggressive behavior. Close to 90% of the approximately 900 summonses NYPD officers issued to students targeted black or Latino youth, according to a 2018 report from the New York Civil Liberties Union. Plenty has been done to reduce the involvement of the approximately 5,100 school safety officers in the city, including one measure the city implemented last year to discourage officers from making arrests for low-level offenses and to emphasize the role of social workers. But now some people are calling for them to be out of the education system altogether. De Blasio has come out against removing police officers from city schools, which may make the move difficult to implement. He has also been reluctant to take initiatives evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of shifting responsibility for school safety from the NYPD to the Department of Education. Hundreds of Education Department employees recently endorsed such a proposal, which would allow the department to oversee its own officers who would be retrained in “de-escalation, mediation, and restorative practices.” But for advocates like Maria Bautista, the campaigns director at the Alliance for Quality Education, removing police officers will go a long way in making black and Latino students feel safer. Instead, she said additional funding should be pivoted toward mental health services, social workers and counselors in underfunded schools. Redirected police funding could also reverse some of the mayor’s proposed cuts to education. The Department of Education is facing a 3% cut to its budget – amounting to $827 million – compared with $23.8 million initially proposed in cuts to the NYPD, which is less than 1% of the police department’s budget. HOMELESS OUTREACH AND SUPPORT Destroying homeless encampments. Pulling homeless people off of subway trains. Arrests. Much of what Peter Malvan has seen police do during his nearly nine years in homelessness is at best failing to offer help to homeless New Yorkers – or, at worst, antagonizing and harassing them. “That’s a waste of a lot of money,” said Malvan, a leader with the Safety Net Activists, an advocacy group for low-income New Yorkers. Police involvement in homeless outreach has been heavily scrutinized this past year, particularly as it relates to the subway system. De Blasio implemented a Subway Diversion project that allows
June May
homeless people violating transit rules, such as taking up more than one seat, to avoid civil summonses by accepting a referral to a shelter or other services. But advocates for the homeless say in practice it encourages officers to stop and harass homeless people who have violated subway rules more often than they otherwise would. They also criticized the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s decision to hire an additional 500 transit police officers last December, in part because of subway homelessness. Concerns have only amplified since the subway stations have started to close overnight, in part to push out homeless riders sleeping on trains. Police officers and homeless outreach workers are meant to encourage homeless people being booted off trains to be transported to a shelter or hospital, but few of them are accepting offers to stay in shelters. But in some ways police officers and activists may actually be aligned on redirecting law enforcement’s role in helping New York City’s homeless population. “The NYPD’s current Subway Diversion program is not really helping the homeless, because there is not enough long-term investment in the mental health treatment and other assistance they need,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said in a statement in January. “People living on the subway are being temporarily cleared away, offered minimal services and returning the next day.” Activists have called for prioritizing longer-term housing needs. Jacquelyn Simone, a policy analyst with Coalition for the Homeless – which hasn’t been active in calls to defund the police – said investing more in affordable housing would be vital. About 40% of the city Department of Housing Preservation’s capital funds for affordable and supportive housing projects would be cut under de Blasio’s proposed budget from April, which Simone said should be reversed. Malvan also called for funding to be allocated toward allowing unsheltered homeless New Yorkers to access single hotel rooms for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, a proposal the City Council and mayor have been staunchly divided on. Homeless outreach is also already being done by nonprofits throughout the city, who can better build relationships with homeless New Yorkers to connect them with needed services without criminalizing behavior, advocates say. This approach isn’t altogether perfect in practice either. For example, an audit from the state comptroller’s office dinged Bowery Residents’ Committee, the nonprofit contracted to do outreach in the city’s transit system, for failing to make sufficient contact with homeless people.
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THE REFORMS IN STORE FOR THE NYPD What’s poised to change for the police – and whether it will make a difference
THE TIMES ARE a-changin’, and long-stalled reforms to policing in New York City are suddenly sailing through one after the other. In light of the many NYPD reforms that have been floated in the weeks since the recent protests against police brutality began, here are some of the recent citywide changes that have either been announced or proposed by de Blasio, the City Council or even the NYPD brass themselves. (For statewide reforms, check out this list.)
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THE POST ACT The POST Act would require the NYPD to submit information about the surveillance technology it uses, open it up to public comment, and have the police commissioner submit a surveillance impact and use policy report to the City Council. Essentially, it would shed light on the tech the NYPD uses. “Finally, after the POST Act (passes), we will have a requirement that the NYPD tell us what systems they’re purchasing so they can’t use them for years without any public pushback the way they have in the past,” Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told City & State. Cahn mentioned examples of NYPD surveillance tools including facial recognition – a technology that has been shown to have racial bias in identifying faces. But Cahn – who has been one of the leading advocates for the POST Act since 2017 – notes that the bill wouldn’t necessarily change anything about the way the police
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The movies without popcorn. The Met without tours. Broadway without plays. How the coronavirus could change NYC’s cultural institutions. by A M A N D A L U Z H EN N I NG SA NTI AG O
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N MARCH 12, Broadway shows were halted when Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned large gatherings of more than 500 people in an effort to contain the coronavirus. Now it’s possible that New York City’s famed theaters could remain closed until 2021. In May, NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism arm, said it had created The Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery, which is dedicated to reviving the city’s many tourist attractions. “From Broadway houses to independent theaters, from marquee attractions to small businesses and restaurants, our beloved five boroughs tell a story unlike any other place in the world,” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, a member of the coalition, said in a press release announcing its formation. “Together, we will create a next act for our city. After this intermission, we will be ready to welcome the world back with open arms, so people can fall in love with New York over and over again.” While the coalition helps the city’s major attractions get back up and running, it is clear that New Yorkers are eager to leave their homes and enjoy the city. “I don’t think it’s tenable for humans to shelter in place indefinitely or for long swathes of time,” Dustin Duncan, an associate professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told City & State. “I don’t think that’s possible.” Duncan said lawmakers can help New Yorkers assess the risk of leaving their homes and doing different types of activities, which will enable them to make better
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decisions for themselves and others. Leaders can do this by clearly communicating the spectrum of risks attached to dining outdoors, going to the beach or attending an exercise class, for example. Some New York City politicians, including Comptroller Scott Stringer, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Councilman Mark Levine, have already been advocating for better health policies that allow city residents to
safely enjoy themselves outside while social distancing. “I think it’s important that the media, public health researchers, experts and scientists … communicate to the public that COVID-19 still isn’t gone, and that it’s important that we recognize that but also be as safe as possible while we’re living our life,” Duncan said. Research suggests that the coronavirus is hard to contract or transmit while out-
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OPPER side, making outdoor gatherings the safest way to interact with others. Being outside can also have serious benefits for individuals who have become affected by depression or anxiety since the state shut down. “There are other kinds of consequences of COVID-19 that we need to consider,” Duncan said. “And we know that exercise can be conducive to reducing depression, anxiety and other mental health burdens.”
Experts say indoor activities increase the risk of COVID-19. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, below, hopes to reopen this summer with reduced capacity.
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On the contrary, indoor activities, especially large events like weddings, can easily be tied to the transmission of the coronavirus. Safety precautions adopted while the state was shut down, such as wearing a mask, keeping a 6-foot distance from others and being vigilant about hand-washing, should still be followed, according to Duncan. “It’s important for us to remember that the risk of COVID-19 remains active but it is significantly decreased when we’re outside, and especially when we’re 6 feet away, and especially when we’re wearing a mask,” he said. Navigating the city’s museums and other cultural attractions could remain risky for the foreseeable future. However, Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is hoping to reopen in August with reduced capacity to give visitors enough room to safely walk around. The museum also said it will not be conducting group tours, talks, concerts or any other events for the remainder of the year. It has been speculated that Broadway theaters won’t reopen until 2021, but they are technically allowed to resume operations as soon as the city enters the fourth phase of reopening. Movie theaters are also allowed to reopen in the fourth phase, but drive-in movie theaters have been allowed to operate statewide since May 15. Once movie theaters open again, audience members will need to sit far apart from each other, the National Association of Theatre Owners told TimeOut New York in May. Theaters will also need to develop protocols to disinfect the seats after each showing. Lawyers are trying to assess what kind of liability theaters may face if someone were to contract the virus inside. It’s still unclear what kind of rules or restrictions may be made concerning eating snacks from a concession stand, since masks will probably be required. The National Association of Theatre Owners has also been lobbying to have theaters included in the third phase of reopening instead of the fourth phase. “The major difference between Broadway theaters and movie theaters are the size of our auditoriums,” Robert Sunshine, executive director of the National Association of Theatre Owners of New York State, told Deadline. “Movie theaters should be in Phase 3. There’s no way you can compare movie theaters with big concert halls, sporting arenas or Broadway theatres. Movie theaters should be in the same category as restaurants, and classified as food-service establishments.”
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GOODBYE TO ALL THIS? Even after the pandemic is over, your old routine might remain a thing of the past.
IF YOU THOUGHT a global pandemic – unprecedented in scale in recent history, claiming 118,000 lives and counting in the U.S. – would cause Americans to make permanent behavioral changes for the good of public health, we have some bad news for you. As it turns out, some Americans, New Yorkers included, can only go so long wearing a face mask in public, keeping their distance from friends or foregoing a pedicure. As each region in New York moves further into the various stages of reopening – keeping a watchful eye on states that have reopened only to see coronavirus cases spike – it seems clear that while some activities, like going to the pool, eating at a restaurant or getting a haircut, are coming back with significant modifications, others, like going to a live concert or movie theater, will be remain verboten for the foreseeable future. Here are some routine activities that public health experts say may go away for good – or at least until an effective vaccine is widely available. HANDSHAKES For all the condescending advice young people receive about how to make a good impression with a firm handshake, you’d think more people would be sad to see an end to the gesture. But
unlike some of the other activities that might change drastically because of the coronavirus, some public health experts think the handshake is one that could actually go extinct. “I’ve got no problem with the handshake going away,” Barron Lerner, a professor of medicine at New York University Langone Health, told City & State. “Shaking hands is an easy thing to say, ‘You know what, we’ve just realized that in a world where there’s viruses and transmission, we should just develop other gestures.’” It remains to be seen whether New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Corey Johnson will be able to settle on the next fiscal budget without the customary “budget handshake” agreement. Perhaps a “budget head nod”? INSTEAD … An elbow bump, or better yet, a head nod could become the norm. COFFEE CULTURE Curbside pickups and drive-thru windows – for those outside of New York City – may be popular options under social distancing, but it could be a while before you can wander into a coffee shop to spend a couple hours reading, working or hanging out. “I think one thing that will change is lounging spaces, where anyone can come in,” said Dustin Duncan, an associate professor of
epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “I think the Starbucks coffee culture is effectively dead for a long time.” INSTEAD … Freelance workers who used to cozy up in the corner of a coffee shop may choose to rent private space at a shared work space like WeWork – assuming they can afford to do so. SWIPING RIGHT If handshakes are to be a thing of the past, just how soon will it be before New Yorkers can hit the dating scene? Call it what you want – blind dating, internet dating or checking the “apps” – but meeting up with a stranger for drinks at an intimate bar is one activity that epidemiologists are worried about. The New York City health department recently released guidelines for safe sex during the coronavirus; the bummer for singles is that it warns against close contact with anyone outside your household. INSTEAD … Physical contact with new acquaintances may be off-limits, but
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that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with video-conference dates. CAREFREE TRAVEL It may be summer, but anybody with plans to travel in the next few months either had to change them or take drastic precautions. In some places, air travel – done only when absolutely necessary – has been accompanied by temperature checks, no-contact check-ins and other measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus. But it’s not just air travel that could change – at least in the medium-term. “I probably won’t travel by train or plane for the
rest of this year (at least),” Melody Goodman, associate dean for research at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, wrote in an email. And while car trips might be preferable to trains or buses, road warriors might want to limit their breaks at rest stops, too. INSTEAD … If you’re taking a trip, arm yourself with a face mask, hand sanitizer and a detailed plan to limit potential exposure wherever possible. GOING TO WORK SICK New Yorkers who once worked in offices have
spent three months getting accustomed to working from home, and some predict more flexible work schedules will be normalized even after social distancing restrictions end. But after observing the devastating effects of a virus spreading quickly in indoor spaces, it’s possible one distinctly American behavior – toughing out a day at work, even while sick – could also change in the long term. It may be too optimistic to hope that expanded sick leave policies will be available to all workers in the post-pandemic future, and may be even less likely for low-wage or gig work. But if the coronavi-
Phase 2 of reopening may be launching in New York City, with socially distanced outdoor dining, but the days of casually hanging out with your five best friends on a big coffee shop sofa won’t be returning any time soon.
rus is any teacher, some may think twice before coming to work – or asking employees to do so – with the sniff les. INSTEAD … If you’re sick and you have the option to work from home, do it. Or better yet, take a real sick day off, if you can. - Annie McDonough
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June 22, 2020
PARTY
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June 22, 2020
City & State New York
Is this the end of the big election night bash?
by Z A C H W I L L I A M S
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LECTION NIGHT WATCH PARTIES usually have a few key components. You need a big screen TV, plenty of signs and as many loud supporters as you can cram into a neighborhood bar or convention center. They are all there to serve one overriding purpose: making the candidate look good while allowing folks to have as much fun as possible. The right optics can even transform a political nobody into a star by the end of the night – especially if it’s a winning candidate. In a normal election cycle, campaign staff might spend weeks getting the details right for election night, according to longtime Democratic operative Darren Rigger. “It was always factored into the GOTV budget,” he said. “You would set aside some money for a venue, food and drink. The size was always tricky based on if you were going to win or not.” But that is all over now, and campaigns for the June 23 primaries are going to have to figure out plans on the go. The coronavirus pandemic means there are practical and political restraints on hosting traditional election night events. Zoom appears to be the only option for many campaigns, and hardly a substitute for what could have been in the before times. “It can feel really disconnected when you’re each in your home,” said Christina Gonzalez, who is working on Jessica González-Rojas’ primary campaign against Democratic Assemblyman Michael DenDekker in Queens. “How sad it’ll be to not get together that night to celebrate (and) let off steam and dance to Bad Bunny together.” It’s hard to make plans when bars and restaurants are closed to parties and in-person gatherings are limited to less than 10 people statewide. A campaign could theoretically hold an event in some outside venue like a park or a big backyard while donning full PPE and keeping social distancing space. However, the logistics of finding the right space, getting people there and paying for everything along the way are inherently tricky, according to campaign insiders. Plus, there are political risks inherent to staging an event where people could spread the coronavirus. What candidates want to be known for hosting an event where a bunch of people contracted a deadly pathogen? It also comes off as more than a little tone deaf to hold a political event at a time when the COVID-19 death toll is still rising. An ill-conceived election night party invitation could even hurt a candidate’s chances to win, if it makes a campaign look like it’s playing fast and loose with public health guidelines. Plus, there might not be anything to celebrate on election night itself. Early voting and the expansion of mail balloting this time around has injected uncertainty into the electoral process. The coronavirus also poses a danger to poll workers and local election boards, which could further delay results. Remember the 2019 Democratic primary for Queens County district attorney? If one race could take weeks to figure out, what’s going to happen with dozens of competitive races across the state? That is why campaigns are taking a cautious approach on June 23. “I highly doubt any events will be held in person,” said Democratic political consultant Jake Dilemani. But that doesn’t mean that campaigns have to just hold a boring Zoom meeting with no flair at all. Cameron Koffman, a Democrat challenging Assemblyman Dan Quart in Manhattan, is one of several candidates looking to spice things up, for however long the vote counting takes, by having supporters order from the same restaurant on election night – which will offer a discount for anyone using the coupon code “Cameron,” according to campaign spokesman Martin Rather. “All of Cameron’s supporters will then all ‘eat together’ on election night,” Rather said. “We’re ironing out the final details now, but I can tell you this – I’ve asked for the deal to be valid through June 30.”
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BUREAUCRACY A
2.0 Why were we still waiting in lines to fill out forms by hand? The pandemic is forcing governments into the 21st century. by R E B E C C A C . L E W I S
S HUNDREDS OF thousands of New Yorkers filed for unemployment benefits in late March and early April, the state Department of Labor’s website was melting down. Many users experienced website crashes or other errors that prevented them from completing their applications. The state’s unemployment website was optimized for a version of Internet Explorer that was released in 1999, putting a spotlight on the outdated technology used by government agencies. The sudden influx of new applicants overwhelmed the old system. With New Yorkers stuck at home during the coronavirus crisis, technology has become more prominent than ever in daily life. The same is true for government, which is attempting to adapt to social distancing rules that prevent traditional in-person services. In some instances, those transitions have been relatively smooth and could have lasting benefits after the pandemic ends. But by and large, it may take a while for the government to be fully pushed into the 21st century. In response to the problems with the Department of Labor’s website, the state added new servers to accommodate the increased traffic and partnered with Google to redesign the website and application portal to make them more user-friendly. But the De-
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partment of Labor is far from the only government agency running on decades-old technology, if they have web options at all. Some government functions have migrated online in ways they never have before. Notably, an executive order from Gov. Andrew Cuomo now permits couples to apply for marriage licenses online and get married remotely. Previously, someone had to apply in person and needed a clerk or other person capable of performing weddings to be physically present at the ceremony. One lucky couple even got remotely married by NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan on live TV. The change may seem like a simple one, but similar government functions have not made the digital shift. Theresa Pardo, director of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany, said the problem lies in part with the fact that so many government documents require a physical signature as verification of identity, rather than allowing for electronic signatures and digital copies to be the documents of record. And for that to happen, governments would need new levels of encryption to ensure that any digital official documents remain secure. “It’s possible to change them, but those are decisions that have to be made from a policy perspective first and then executed by technology professionals,” Pardo said. “All it takes is political will and the investments in public service technology.”
City & State New York
But given the state’s financial crisis, those investments are not guaranteed. As Pardo pointed out, digitizing government processes is not just a matter of thinking something is a good idea – the technology must be in place to make it feasible. When New York City began offering digital applications for marriage licenses, the City Clerk’s Office partnered with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications to create an online portal. It relied on third-party video conferencing technology to replicate the in-person meeting between couples and allowed them to upload identifying documentation rather than presenting it in person. Even this relatively minor update necessitated coordination to make it possible, although the relative simplicity made it possible to complete in a short time. Another part of the problem is the procurement process for new technologies and services that are required to bring systems into the 21st century. Emil Skandul, founder of the tech firm Capitol Foundry, said that while he doesn’t expect the immediate budgetary problems to be reflected in tech projects, he pointed out that those projects generally take years to complete, at which point a new technology could be outdated. “We have a procurement model where specs are drawn up a year before the project initiates,” Skandul said. “And then
“I SEE A FUTURE WHERE THE DMV BARELY EXISTS. THAT PORTAL NEEDS TO BE REDESIGNED TO THINK OF, WHAT DOES A DIGITAL DMV LOOK LIKE?” – Emil Skandul, founder of Capitol Foundry it takes one year to determine who’s going to get that contract, and then it takes another two years to complete the contract.” Smaller improvements are still possible though, as in the case of marriage licenses, where there was a political will to allow weddings to continue. The change did not require a lengthy procurement process or a complete redesign of available technologies.
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In certain cases, going remote was something of a necessity, as it has been with court appearances and public meetings like town halls and community board meetings. Those were carried out with minimal hiccups. In those cases, the switch was relatively simple. Government did not need to adopt new or updated systems. It just had to use existing video conferencing technology. “Sometimes there are positive unexpected consequences of bad situations,” Pardo said. “And the transition – or the acceptance – of virtual meetings for citizen engagement and the most formal sense of the word public meetings might be one of those unexpected positive consequences of a very bad public health situation.” Still, the state has a long way to go for anyone hoping that the coronavirus crisis would lead to a reimagining of complicated government bureaucracy. Skandul said that while the current public health crisis may help propel tech advancements as remote work has increasingly become normalized through necessity, it doesn’t mean even seemingly simple processes will move online quickly. Skandul used the state Department of Motor Vehicles as an example. The DMV is the quintessential example of bureaucratic tedium that eats up entire days of waiting in long lines for simple matters. And its offices had been closed since the state shut down in late March. Certain services returned June 1 through mail or secure drop box locations. Right now, the DMV says more than 60 simple transactions can be done online, including license renewal and paying fines. Skandul said it’s evidence that services that people traditionally believed could only be done in person can be done online. “Truthfully I see a future where the DMV barely exists,” Skandul said. “That portal needs to be redesigned to think of, what does a digital DMV look like?” Ideally, Skandul said the state could one day look like Estonia, a country that Pardo mentioned as well. “I can be a citizen of Estonia and never go to Estonia,” Pardo said. The country has a single integrated governmental web portal that saves a person’s information and shares it across every agency so someone can access all services easily in one spot. “It allows them to do everything from voting to their taxes,” Skandul said. But right now, that’s not happening in New York. For the foreseeable future, as the pandemic has forced many to rethink remote work, New Yorkers will likely still have to rely on snail mail or in-person appearances to access a wide array of government services. But that doesn’t mean that small advancements like online marriage licenses and adopting virtual public meetings don’t offer a glimmer of hope for a more tech-friendly bureaucracy in the future.
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June 15, 2020
A DEPARTMENT OF PANDEMICS What’s next for disaster preparation in New York? by K A Y D E R V I S H I
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ATASTROPHES OFTEN SPUR change in government. The 9/11 attacks led to the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and an expanded investment in local police departments to combat terrorism, especially the NYPD. Superstorm Sandy’s destructive impact pushed New York City to dedicate billions of dollars to new climate resiliency projects in order to prepare for other natural disasters. Unlike terrorist attacks and natural disasters, the coronavirus pandemic has hit the entire country and will continue to do so until a vaccine is developed. This is especially true in New York, which has seen the worst outbreak thus far. Such a far-reaching health crisis will likely end up changing the way the state and localities prepare for emergencies in the future. “The pandemic is going to fundamentally change responsibilities in a lot of different areas,” said Robert Griffin, dean of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany. “Chiefly among them is that both businesses and government agencies
are going to have to have a much more robust program for both planning and response to a whole set of disasters.” Whether that means the creation of new government agencies in state and local government dedicated to pandemics – as some have speculated could happen on the federal level – or other smaller-scale changes is still up in the air. Some operational changes are naturally already happening as the state and New York City have had to quickly adjust to the coronavirus outbreak. Under normal circumstances, for example, it would’ve been difficult to imagine the city would appoint a “director of isolation.” To figure out the best strategies, policymakers will need to examine what worked this time – and what didn’t. Disasters are often followed by reports that outline the successes and failures of the government’s response. This could serve as a valuable tool for informing future approaches – but it can often go awry. “Too often with the after-action reports, they are sanitized by the time they get to a place where they’re dis-
tributed and they’re not as candid as they need to be,” said David Abramson, a professor at the New York University School of Global Public Health. They often can be politicized or treated as fodder for lawsuits, Griffin said, noting they’ve become “punitive rather than educational.” But if elected officials in New York commit to honestly reviewing their work, they can learn best practices for future emergencies – and that need for reflection may become more pressing given that health officials are anticipating additional coronavirus outbreaks in the near future. Many lessons have already emerged. Building greater hospital capacity would be vital to ensuring New York hospitals don’t become overwhelmed by new cases again, health and disaster relief experts said. And though the state largely followed its previously established pandemic response plan, experts are recommending that future social distancing measures should be implemented faster, given what happened during the initial coronavirus outbreak. If lockdown measures had been implemented just one week earlier, about
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14,700 fewer people would’ve died in New York City as of early May, according to research from Columbia University. Improved data sharing and other longterm investments for health care systems are also recommended by health experts. “It’s tempting to think about that capacity we’re building now as just a temporary thing we need now, and eventually we may not need it once we get over the hump of the pandemic,” said Glen Mays, an expert in health systems at the Colorado School of Public Health. But the expansion of contact tracing, for example, and other public health resources could be helpful for the future, he said, allowing “a robust public health system capability on an ongoing basis to detect and even prevent future health threats going forward.” Responsiveness to pandemics relies on more than just the public health system. Widespread outbreaks at nursing homes, fueled by a lack of personal protective equipment, understaffing and a state directive that mandated long-term care facilities accept recovering coronavirus patients from hospitals, highlight the
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need to prepare plans for other institutions, Griffin said. A more collaborative approach, involving different government agencies, may be key to doing that. “One of the areas of vulnerability that have really been exposed is the limited ability of our sectors to best align and collaborate across traditional sectors of medical care, public health and social services broadly defined,” Mays said, noting that local and state governments are particularly well-suited to facilitating that collaboration. New structures such as task forces or interagency councils may be a good idea, Mays said. Griffin also recommended that preparedness professionals should be more involved in the administrations of governors and mayors. “We’re seeing that across the country that they can’t be sort of a secondary thought,” Griffin said. “They have to be part of the inner circle.” Experience from previous disasters points to mixed results regarding how radically government improves vulnerabilities. Major crises like the 9/11 terrorist attacks have led to oversight committees in Congress that produce major policy changes,
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and congressional leaders have floated the creation of a similar commission to respond to the coronavirus crisis. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to establish a new coronavirus oversight committee, but their effort may be hampered by Republicans who fear embarrassing President Donald Trump. But changes or improvements that officials implement now may falter years later. For example, public health funding at a federal level was boosted in the aftermath of 9/11, but took a hit during the 2008 financial crisis and hasn’t fully recovered since. That trend is partially driven by competing demands for government funding that don’t dissipate in the aftermath of a disaster, which could be a particularly difficult issue for lawmakers today who are contending with shrinking budgets and massive economic needs among their constituents. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, said the cycle of disaster response often repeats itself: “I have no doubt we’re going to make similar mistakes again.”
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Notice of Formation of SHLUF LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY D e p t . of State on 5/5/20. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 888 7th Ave., 4th Fl., NY, NY 10106, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes. Notice of Formation of Halo Architecture PLLC filed with SSNY on 02/04/2020. Office: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to address:2744 Hylan Blvd Suite #155 Staten Island, NY 10306. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of Numeracy I, LLC filed with SSNY on May 5, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 12 E 97th St., 3L, New York, NY. 10029. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Matine Group, LLC filed with SSNY on February 21, 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: 8 Melba Street, Staten Island, NY 10314. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of Trade Signal’s, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Sec. of State of NY on 5/20/20. Office Location: Richmond County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and mail process to: c/o the LLC, 4218 Amboy Rd. SI, NY 10308. Purpose: any lawful purpose. Notice of Formation of Yumin 11106, LLC filed with SSNY on March 11, 2020. Office: Kings County, NY. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to LLC: 2042 W 8th St Brooklyn, NY, 11223. Purpose: any lawful act or activity
Notice of Formation of Prime Innovations Professional Development, LLC with SSNY on 05/04/2020. Office location: Bronx County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: ANNE S. BURGUNDER 555 KAPPOCK ST 1T BRONX, NY 10463. Purpose: any lawful act of activity. Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: 159 KANE ST., LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on April 27, 2020. Office Location: Kings County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 175 Van Dyke Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231. Purpose: to engage in any and all business for which LLCs may be formed under the New York LLC law. Exploring The Wonder Years LLC. Filed with SSNY on 05/26/20. Office: BX County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to LLC: 1368 Metropolitan Ave #8G, BX, NY 10462. Purpose: any lawful act. Notice of Formation of Angelic Tresses By Chelly LLC filed with SSNY on April 28, 2020. Office: Kings County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 200 E39th Street 2FL., Brooklyn NY 11203. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of SAFDEYE CITADEL PARTNERS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/28/20. 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 12207-2543. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
Notice of Qualification of Sandys Consulting and Coaching LLC. LLC appl for auth filed with Secy of State (SSNY) on 1/29/2020. Office Location: NY County. LLC formed in New Jersey on 7/5/2019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jay Sandys, 15 Plymouth Ave Maplewood, NJ 07040 NJ address for LLC 15 Plymouth Avenue Maplewood NJ 07040. Purpose: any lawful activity Notice of qualification of Kabia & Santos LLP for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/08/20. Office location: NY County. LLP formed in New Jersey (NJ) on 01/05/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Regus, 77 Water St., 7th and 8th Fl, New York, NY 10005. NJ addr. of LLP: c/o Regus, 221 River St, 9th Fl, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of NJ, Dpt. of Treasury, Div. of Revenue and Enterprise Services., P.O. Box 628, Trenton, NJ 08625-0628. Purpose: Any lawful activity Notice of Formation of Malone Services, LLC dba Purely Clean Services filed with SSNY on May 15, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 31 Parcot Ave. New Rochelle, NY. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of Formation of 37 Saw Mill LLC . Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/8/2020. Office Location 205 S. Riverside Ave, Croton on Hudson NY 10520 (Westchester County). SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 205 S. Riverside Ave, Croton on Hudson NY 10520. Purpose: any lawful activity.
PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com
June 22, 2020
Notice of Formation of Too High Records, LLC filed with SSNY on March 26, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 24 Monument Walk, Apt 2B, Brooklyn, NY 11205. Purpose: any lawful act or activity. Notice of formation of Gabby Produce LLC, a domestic LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on February 12, 2020. Office: Bronx County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 4316 Boyd Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1329018 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 1050 44TH DRIVE LIC , NY 11101 QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. ARELO LLC ZNK, LLC Art. of Org filed with the SSNY on 4/17/20. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 47 E 30th St., Apt. 5, New York, NY 10016. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1322195, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 7526 37TH AVE JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. TIBETAN JAPANESE RESTAURANT NY LLC
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1323670, FOR LIQUOR, CIDER, WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, CIDER, WINE & BEER AT RETAIL AT A BAR/RESTAURANT ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 360 BEDFORD AVE. BROOKLYN, NY 112495514. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. NOLA BROOKLYN DBA PROPAGANDA NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1323026, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 96-30 QUEENS BLVD. REGO PARK, NY 11374. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.
Notice of Formation 98th Ave Realty LLC Arts of Org filed by the Department of State of New York on: 03/04/2020 Office loc: Kings County Purpose: Any and all lawful activities SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: c/o Chaim Schweid 1440 55th Street Brooklyn, NY 11219 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1329098, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 412 DOUGLASS ST. BROOKLYN, NY 11217. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.
Notice of Formation of Bridge Rockaway L.P. Certificate filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/27/20. Duration: 04/24/2180. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Bridge Rockaway, L.P. c/o The Bridge, Inc., 290 Lenox Ave., 3rd Fl., NY, NY 10027. Name/ address of each genl. ptr. available from SSNY. Purpose: any lawful activities.
THE BEER GARAGE LLC
CHEBURECK INC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1328481, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 92-01 ROOSEVELT AVE. FLUSHING, NY 11372. QUEENS COUNTY, FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION. VEYTAS BAKERY CAFÉ II CORP NY Secy of State (SSNY) on 4/14/2020. Office location: Westchester County. SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 23 Chase Ave White Plains NY 10606. Notice of Formation of J.S.Cambareri, LLC. Arts of Org. filed with Purpose: any lawful activity.
LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM
BRINDICATE CAPITAL, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/09/2010. 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, P.O. Box 131, Bronx, NY 10453-0131. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Notice of Formation of JOB Special, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/18/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: the Company, 163 W. 74th St., NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful activities. Notice of Formation of BENLAB Realty, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/18/19. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: the Company, 163 W. 74th St., NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any lawful activities.
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June 22, 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
CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton
LOSERS
DIGITAL Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Web/Email Strategist Isabel Beebe
JOE STRASBURG Wherever there are tenant advocates celebrating a victory, there are landlords – and their representatives like the Rent Stabilization Association’s Strasburg – mourning a loss. The latest development on this front is a rent freeze in New York City. The only concession the supposedly apolitical Rent Guidelines Board gave landlords of stabilized units was a 1% increase in the second year of a two-year lease. It’s a cold comfort for the landlords hoping for a revenue bump.
THE BEST OF THE REST
THE REST OF THE WORST
MARTÍN BATALLA VIDAL
RUBÉN DÍAZ SR.
The Mexican American Queensite was one of the plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals case that will prevent President Donald Trump from axing the program.
TINA LUONGO
Repealing 50-a was a major win for police reform activists, but in New York, the public records law process is filled with months of delays, disappearing documents and endless headaches. Tina Luongo at The Legal Aid Society pushed New York City to just publish the police disciplinary records online.
Planned Parenthood and other groups are on the attack, a political action committee is alleging he took illegal corporate donations, and that police union endorsement may end up hurting more than it helps. That’s what you should know.
DIANA RICHARDSON
She she positioned herself as a uniter, but Brooklyn boss Rodneyse Bichotte made the unusual decision to omit one incumbent from her slate of endorsements: Assemblywoman Diana Richardson, who’s facing a challenge from ex-IDCer Jesse Hamilton.
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.
ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Vice President, Advertising and Client Relations Danielle Koza dkoza@cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@ cityandstateny.com, Sales Assistant Zimam Alemenew EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez
Vol. 9 Issue 24 June 22, 2020 SENATE GOP GOES FULL #MAGA ARE DMV LINES AND ELECTION PARTIES GONE FOR GOOD?
'S YORK NEW EST FIN WHAT COULD THE CITY DO WITH AN EXTRA $1 BILLION?
CIT YANDSTATENY.COM
@CIT YANDSTATENY
June 22, 2020
Cover photography Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock Cover design Andrew Horton
CITY & STATE NEW YORK (ISSN 2474-4107) is published weekly, 48 times a year except for the four weeks containing New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas by City & State NY, LLC, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to City & State New York, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. General: (212) 268-0442, subscribe@cityandstateny.com Copyright ©2020, City & State NY, LLC
ASSEMBLY; NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL; RENT STABILIZATION ASSOCIATION
SIMCHA EICHENSTEIN, SIMCHA FELDER & KALMAN YEGER “Mr. de Blasio, tear down this gate!” Reagan’s plea to Gorbachev took two years to get action. These three southern Brooklyn politicians got what they wanted in a few days. The assemblyman, state senator and city councilman used heavy-duty tools to break the locks on playgrounds shut down by the coronavirus pandemic – then rode the swings together unmasked. Soon, the mayor relented. Playgrounds would reopen Monday, Phase 2 or no Phase 2.
OUR PICK
OUR PICK
WINNERS
Primary elections are just a few days away, and while there may be an alternative explanation for the baffling uptick in fireworks going off around the city, we’re going to assume New Yorkers are just celebrating Election Day early. Some incumbent lawmakers facing a potential change in occupation might want to consider acquiring some fireworks of their own. Go out not with a whimper, but a bang, right?
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, Associate Copy Editor Holly Pretsky
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH–THURSDAY, JUNE 25TH 1:30PM-4:00PM In what would have been our 6th Annual Nonprofit OpCon, we have adjusted to the world as it is with COVID-19, and are pleased to bring you the first-ever VIRTUAL NONPROFIT OPCON. Over the course of two days, we will bring you the same level of expertise and content focusing on streamlining processes and operations for nonprofits in New York. It’s a new day in the nonprofit industry; join us as we explore these insights and strategies!
PANELS INCLUDE COVID-19 AND THE POTENTIAL ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL IMPACTS ON NONPROFITS HOW NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP AND BOARD MEMBERS CAN RESPOND TO COVID-19 THE INTERSECTION OF TECHNOLOGY AND OFFICE SPACE IN A POST COVID-19 ERA NONPROFIT EFFICIENCY: MANAGING RISK, OVERHEAD AND FAILURE AMID COVID-19 RSVP at NYNMedia.com/Events .For more information on programming and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lissa Blake at lblake@cityandstateny.com
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Just waiting on the word to roll:
NEW YORK'S ARMOR MUSEUM Honoring the Heroes in Your Family
When the all clear sounds and New York’s museums reopen, the Museum of American Armor will be prepared to offer once again the programs, sights, and sounds that have made it a national and international destination. With over 45 operational vehicles that pay tribute to America’s defenders of democracy, and with exhibits and field displays that honor our veterans’ courage, valor and sacrifice, the Museum of American Armor is poised, ready, and eager to welcome you back when Phase Four is proclaimed.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or visit our web site: www.museumofamericanarmor.org Museum of American Armor | 1303 Round Swamp Road | Old Bethpage, New York 11804