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zaterdag 13 april 2024
WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York City NYC - the city THE CITY - Bronx vending fine blitz, Flaco’s Law, tax liens - Online News Journal Update
Dear New Yorkers,
For days, street vendor Miguel Varela slept in a storage unit where he keeps his merchandise because he could no longer afford a roof over his head after getting ticketed in Parkchester.
On Fordham Road, about three miles away, longtime seller Keba Touré said he’s noticed officers from the Department of Sanitation patrolling the streets more often now than in the years prior — almost daily.
The Bronx is the city’s new hot spot for street vendor ticketing, an analysis of data by THE CITY has found. In the year since the sanitation department took over street vendor enforcement, the borough has experienced an uptick in vending-related civil summonses.
Vendors in The Bronx received 29% more tickets from sanitation than they had in the year prior — even as the number issued citywide decreased by 22%.
No other borough saw an increase: Vendors were slapped with fewer tickets in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens while Staten Island’s number was level.
Friday's Weather Rating: 4/10. A dreary, rainy and ugly start with periods of showers this morning. By afternoon we could see a break in the clouds and warm temperatures — highs in the mid-60s — which will help salvage the day a bit. The vibes are unstable out there today!
Our Other Top Stories
The New York City Council introduced a bill to protect the city’s wildlife yesterday, in part inspired by the death of Flaco the celebrity owl and other animals sickened by eating poisoned rats. “Flaco’s Law” would include changes to how the city mitigates its rat population, including by deploying birth control for the rodents instead of poison. “We can’t poison our way out of this,” said Councilmember Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan), who introduced the bill.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and the City Council are in talks to revive a controversial property tax-collection program. Until being put on pause during the pandemic, the city had long relied on tax liens to collect debt — by placing a payment claim on properties whose owners were delinquent on payments — then selling the liens to investors, who attempted to collect the debt. With talks underway to bring the program back, community advocates are concerned about the risk of people losing their homes because of economic hardship, with some saying the system is predatory.
For the procrastinators among us: If your weekend plans include doing taxes, here’s our guide on where to get tax help for free. Tax Day is Monday!
Reporter’s Notebook
Council Looks to Solidify Water Bottle Ban
City agencies would be barred from purchasing certain single-use plastic water bottles under legislation introduced Thursday in the City Council.
The bill — introduced by Councilmembers Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) and Julie Won (D-Queens) along with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — aims to codify into law a bottle ban instituted via executive order by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in February 2020.
The city historically buys more than 1 million disposable plastic bottles each year, according to the lawmakers, even though the use of water coolers is more efficient and environmentally-friendly, the Council members said.
The bill would prevent agencies from buying any water containers under one gallon, with certain exemptions for health, safety, and emergency situations.
"We must do more about our city's contribution to plastic pollution and protect our environment for future generations," Bottcher said in a statement. “There’s no reason a conference table in a city agency building should have a plastic water bottle in front of every chair.”
— Katie Honan
Things To Do
Here’s what’s going on around the city this week.
Friday, April 12: Spring First Discoveries, with special activities for nature-lovers age 4 and under. Free with admission on Wednesdays and Fridays through June 14, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Saturday, April 13: The 2024 New York Restoration Project Tree Giveaway. Free trees will be available at various times and locations across the five boroughs. Registration required.
Monday, April 15: Written Work: Poetry, Labor, and the Global City, the kickoff event of the New York Public Library’s World Literature Festival — a book party “unpacking the pleasures and pain of working in the city.” Free from 6:30 p.m. online and in-person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
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