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January 10, 2020 | Vol. 7, Number 52 | www.ryecityreview.com
Paulin proposes changes to Bail Reform Legislation
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County awarded $100K grant for climate action plan Westchester County, along with five of its villages, one town and two cities have been awarded a $100,000 grant to administer a collaborative working group to complete individual government operations greenhouse gas inventories and climate action plans that will outline emissions reduction targets, strategies and projects. “Westchester County, and the municipalities that comprise it, take very seriously the impact climate change has on our present and future,” County Executive George Latimer said. “This grant will allows us to work together to find real solutions and serve as a model for other governments who aim to create a similar robust climate response plan.” Westchester County Climate Action Planning Institute is a 16-month-long inter-municipal program where nine municipalities will participate in a collaborative working group to complete
individual local government operations GHG emissions inventories, GHGI, and climate action plans, CAP, that will outline GHG emissions reduction targets, strategies and projects. As lead applicant and project participant, Westchester County’s project team will include municipal staff and appointed members from its Climate Smart Communities Task Force. “My office, and our Task Force, are charged with finding ways to make Westchester more energy efficient as we move away from fossil fuels,” said Peter McCartt, director of Energy & Sustainability. “This funding will give us an even greater opportunity to do just that while forging even greater deeper partnerships with our local municipalities by having a replicable model plan for all.” The county is being joined by five villages, one town, and two
cities; all who want to develop successful climate change mitigation strategies and build community resilience. Each partner municipality will contribute a similar team. Along with the county, the other participants are: • Village of Hastings-on-Hudson • Village of Irvington • Town and village of Ossining • City of Peekskill • Village of Tarrytown • Village of Pelham • City of White Plains. “Participation in this grant is a great opportunity to collaborate with neighboring municipalities and the County to leverage resources towards the goals of identifying greenhouse gas emissions and developing a climate action plan,” White Plains Mayor Tom Roach said. “These two deliverables will direct future environmental initiatives.”
On CAPI Westchester’s completion, the county and partner municipalities will present their GHGIs and CAPs at a final working group meeting and to their respective environmental committees and elected officials. As primary programmatic implementation partner, the Hudson Valley Regional Council will guide participants in the development of their GHGIs and CAPs. Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Nicola Armacost said: “Hastings-on-Hudson is deeply committed to addressing climate change and this collaborative initiative led by the County will help us make headway on developing a much needed climate action plan and undertaking a climate vulnerability assessment,” Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Nicola Armacost said. “We owe it our children and future generations to start making the necessary changes now.” (Submitted)
with attempted assault as a hate crime. Just one day later, the defendant was arrested as the result of a similar unprovoked attack on another woman and again she was released. The judge did not have the discretion to detain the defendant on bail. It wasn’t until a third arrest, just days later, that the serial attacker was remanded pending a psychiatric evaluation. “With this amendment, we have the opportunity to adjust the critical bail reforms that were enacted last year,” Paulin said. “Bail reform needed to happen in the interest of justice and equal treatment of accused individuals but we must balance those objectives against the safety and security of our residents. During this time of widespread and increased attacks against the Jewish community, we must do all we can to make all New Yorkers feel safe and protected.“The good intentions of the pre-trial reforms that were passed in last year’s budget unfortunately have come with some unintended consequences that need to be addressed immediately. I am particularly concerned that judges have lost the ability to impose bail on violent and potentially violent perpetrators of hate crimes and domestic violence. These types of crimes carry a high incidence of recurrence and escalation in severity. We cannot have a situation where the judiciary is handcuffed and the victims of crimes are left vulnerable and afraid.” (Submitted)
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New York State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has proposed legislation that aims to restore judicial discretion to judges in relation to requiring bail for criminal defendants who may pose a threat to public safety. The 2019-2020 New York State Budget included sweeping changes to the way defendants are remanded following their arrest and before their criminal trial begins. Under these reforms, courts now must release defendants on their own recognizance pending trial unless the court makes a determination that the defendant poses a flight risk to avoid prosecution. However, the court may not consider the dangerousness that a defendant poses to the crime victim or the community. On Friday, Jan. 3, Paulin filed legislation in the state Assembly to amend subdivision 1 of section 510.10 of the criminal procedure law to allow a court to make an individualized determination regarding the dangerousness of a particular defendant. Corresponding legislation has been proposed in the state Senate. In addition to the recent mass shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City and a stabbing incident at a Rabbi’s home in Monsey, Paulin pointed to an attack in Brooklyn where a 30 year old woman physically attacked three Jewish women while shouting anti-semitic epithets. As a result of the new bail reforms, the attacker was released after being charged
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