These next few months are going to be busier than you would expect as the Council seeks to pass a flurry of legislation and the Mayor seeks to push through rezonings.
The Blood Center's 334-foot Commercial Tower proposal is coming to a final hearing at the Council, where we need you to come out to save JREC, save St. Catherine's Park, and save the neighborhood. I hope to see you at the final hearing on October 20th when we take back City Hall.
During Climate Week, the City Council passed my legislation to direct $20 billion in city spending toward combating climate change. We also heard legislation I authored to combat illegal short term rentals so residents no longer have to compete with tourists for housing. Speaking of housing, I've proposed making those temporary pressurized walls you see everywhere legal, so you can legally add a wall to give a roommate or your child a room.
With Early Voting and Absentee Ballots, voting starts in October, and you won't want to miss your chance to pick our next Mayor, City Council Member, or vote on how to amend our State Constitution.
Fun in our neighborhood parks continues in October with bouncy houses for Family Days at John Jay Park, St. Catherine’s Park, and Samuel Seabury, as well as music at Andrew Haswell Green Park and Ruppert Park. Please join us for First Friday "Policy in the Park" edition this Friday the 1st.
Regards,
Ben Kallos
Council Member
Testify at Final Blood Center Hearing
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Thank you to the hundreds of people who have come out to hearings at the Community Board and City Planning. This is the final hearing before the City Council and we need you to come out to testify.
Wednesday, October 20th at 10AM
Zoning Subcommittee Hearing on Blood Center
City Hall Chambers
You will be able to register ahead of the hearing to testify at Council.NYC.gov/land-use
If you are able to attend in person, please do. There may be a remote option, but coming in person shows how much you care. While the hearing will begin at 10AM, it may go on for hours. Each person is entitled to testify for 2 minutes, though you may submit longer testimony in writing (please bring additional copies). Groups may testify together taking each of their 2 minutes to complete their join testimony. Please bring something to keep you busy like a laptop (we have free Wi-Fi) or a good book.
While the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted 8-2 to approve the New York Blood Center proposal to build a 334-foot commercial tower and leave both JREC and St. Catherine's Park in permanent shadow, the project must now come to the City Council, where we have an opportunity to stop it. We need you now more than ever to save JREC, save the Park, and save the neighborhood. Please come testify on Wednesday, October 20th. Please email me to let me know you'll be there at BKallos@BenKallos.com.
Vote on the State Constitution and Municipal Offices
The General Election Ballot has everything from Mayor to City Council as well as 5 questions on whether to amend the State Constitution. This is NOT an election you want to miss!
Absentee Voting
Anyone can vote absentee thanks to an Executive Order that allows anyone to select "Temporary Illness" in order to avoid potential exposure to Covid-19. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 18th. Thanks to a law I wrote, you can request your ballot online and even track it at NYCabsentee.com.
Early Voting
Early voting starts Saturday, October 23rd and continues through Sunday, October 31st.
Saturday, October 23, 2021, 8 AM to 5 PM
Sunday, October 24, 2021, 8 AM to 5 PM
Monday, October 25, 2021, 7 AM to 4 PM
Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 10 AM to 8 PM
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 10 AM to 8 PM
Thursday, October 28, 2021, 10 AM to 8 PM
Friday, October 29, 2021, 7 AM to 4 PM
Saturday, October 30, 2021, 8 AM to 5 PM
Sunday, October 31, 2021, 8 AM to 4 PM
Election Day
Polls are open on Tuesday, November 2nd, from 6AM to 9AM.
You can hand in your absentee ballot without waiting in line, or vote in person if you are not confident that your absentee ballot was received, or even if you change your mind.
You can check your voter registration status at Vote.NYC. We've added additional early voting sites since the last election so find yours now at FindMyPollSite.Vote.nyc
This year, voters are also being asked to consider five state Constitutional Amendments as they go to the polls. If they pass they will be part of the state's governing document.
Ballot Proposal #1: Amending the Apportionment and Redistricting Process
Ballot Proposal #2: Right to Clean Air and Water
Ballot Proposal #3: Eliminating Ten-Day Advance Voter Registration
Ballot Proposal #4: No-Excuse Absentee Voting
Ballot Proposal #5: Expanding the New York City Civil Court Jurisdiction
In the News
- “UES Lawmaker Hosting First In-Person Forum Since Pandemic”
Upper East Side Patch, 08/31/21 - “Upper East Side 'can tipper' picked up for psychiatric observation: police”
Daily News 09/1/21 - “NYC Considers Surveillance Law That Would Fine Drivers With Loud Cars”
Gizmodo, 09/2/21 - “Spending over $42K per kid, NYC Department of Education has no excuse for re-opening chaos” The New York Post, 09/12/2021
- “New UES Electric Vehicle Chargers Constantly Blocked By Gas Cars”
Upper East Side Patch, 09/15/21 - “Elected officials warn New York City not ready for effects of climate change after Hurricane Ida triggers flash floods” Bronx Times, 09/23/21
Announcements
- New Affordable Housing Opportunity 111 Varick Street Apartments - 39 units for households of 1 - 5 persons at income levels beginning at $48,343 all the way up to $167,570. The application deadline is November 23, 2021. Apply at Housingconnect.nyc.gov
At City Hall
Short Term Rental Registration Gets a Hearing
New Yorkers should not be competing with tourists for housing. That’s why I authored legislation to make illegal short-term rentals a thing of the past in our City, which the City Council heard in September. This legislation asks hosts to register their homes with the city before listing them on sites like Airbnb and requires platforms to verify the registration is valid prior to a reservation. Prior to the hearing, I rallied in support of the bill in front of City Hall where we heard from groups like The Coalition Against Illegal Hotels and from elected officials like Assembly Member Richard Gottfried. For more information on the proposed legislation and the hearing, read coverage in amNY and Crain’s New York.
Legalizing Flex Walls
In September, I introduced legislation to legalize so-called "flex apartments," where temporary pressurized walls are used. As New York City continues to deal with an affordable housing crisis, we know there are hundreds of thousands of apartments, especially in Manhattan, with illegal flex walls. For decades now, New Yorkers have resorted to putting up “temporary” walls to illegally subdivide apartments in order to offer children privacy or add roommates to cover skyrocketing rents. My legislation would make these ubiquitous temporary walls legal, as long as the tenant or owner installing them submits simple drawings to the Department of Buildings.
Currently, if you want to add a wall legally, you have to hire architects and the costs for permits add up to thousands. As a result, most people create these apartments illegally, with no oversight from the Department of Buildings or Fire Department. My legislation would add transparency and give first responders an idea of what an apartment with a temporary wall may look like prior to entering. For more information, read the release at BenKallos.com/Releases.
$20 Billion in Spending to Save the Environment
As we celebrated Climate Week, it was time to action to save our planet. New York was the largest city on the planet to declare a climate emergency, in a resolution that I authored and the City Council passed 2 years ago. Now the City will have to use every dollar we spend to save our planet. When you say “Show Me the Money,” I am talking about 20 billion dollars, that’s billion with a "B." This Climate Week, the New York City Council modernized the Environmentally Purchasing Program from 2005 and ten years ago in 2011. I haven’t even seen cassette tapes or mini-discs for sale in years, and we took them off the list of environmentally preferred goods. Answering machines too; we can use voice mail instead. We banned the purchase of halogen lamps, in favor of LEDs like every household in America. We added furniture, and a big piece for the fashion capital of the world (take that Paris), textiles.
We adopted tough standards to save our planet:
- Adopting EPEAT Standards on Electronics
- Eliminate Reliance on Virgin Materials
- Adding Improved Outdoor Air Quality
- Reduce the Negative Effects and Generate Positive Effects for Environment
The law will consider the social costs associated with the production of textiles, including the nature of labor conditions along the supply chain, whether such textiles are recycled or organic in whole or in part and the ethical sourcing and supply chain for textiles.
For more information on the new law visit BenKallos.com/Releases.
Open Contracting
New York City spends $20 billion on contracts for City goods and services every year. However, most of the details around the solicitation, awarding, and spending on those contracts are hidden behind a set of byzantine systems that impede competition in public procurement. In late September, I introduced legislation that would create one searchable database where anyone can find all the aggregated data around procurement. This proposal promotes transparency, streamlines the procurement process, and works to increase competitiveness. As Chair of the Committee on Contracts, I am extremely well versed in how contracts are awarded and how hard it is to find information using the tools that currently exist like the City Record, PASSport System, Checkbook, and the City’s Open Data Portal. The way things work now, only people in the know, with government experience, can find the information. This creates a system ripe for corruption. For more information, visit BenKallos.com/Releases.
Events
First Friday In-Person Politics in the Park Edition
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First Friday, October 1, 8am–10am
Ruppert Park
1741 2nd Ave
RSVP
First Friday remains one of my favorite parts of my job representing you as your Council Member. Join me next month for the first time since the pandemic in-person at a new location, Ruppert Park starting at 8 am on Friday, October 1st for a conversation with friends and neighbors. If rain is forecast for the morning we will host over Zoom.
You must RSVP to participate.
Please submit questions with RSVP or by email to Questions@benkallos.com
RSVP now at BenKallos.com/events
Family Fun Day at John Jay Park
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Family Fun Day at John Jay Park
Saturday, October 2, 1pm - 4pm
John Jay Park
RSVP
Join me and NYC Parks for a fun afternoon of crafts, games, and more. Come ready to have a great time! Contact (212) 360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information regarding accessibility. For more information or to RSVP, visit BenKallos.com/Events
Family Fall Day at St. Catherine's Park
Family Fun Day at St. Catherine's Park
Saturday, October 16, 1pm - 4pm
St. Catherine’s Park
1245 1st Ave
RSVP
Join me and NYC Parks for a fun afternoon of crafts, games, and more. Come ready to have a great time! Contact (212) 360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information regarding accessibility. For more information or to RSVP, visit BenKallos.com/Events
Jazz Concert at Andrew Haswell Green Park
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Jazz Concert at Andrew Haswell Green Park
Thursday October 14, 3pm to 4:30 pm
Andrew Haswell Green Park
60th Street & FDR Drive
RSVP
Join me and NYC Parks for a fun afternoon of free live jazz music. Come ready to have a great time! Contact (212) 360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information regarding accessibility. For more information or to RSVP, visit BenKallos.com/Events
Family Fall Day at Samuel Seabury Playground
Family Fall Day at Samuel Seabury Playground
Saturday, October 23, 1pm to 4pm
Samuel Seabury Playground
Lexington Ave. & East 96th Street
RSVP
Join me and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for a Day of fun games, arts and crafts, and even obstacle courses and dance classes. Contact (212) 360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information regarding accessibility. For more information or to RSVP, visit BenKallos.com/Events
Concert at Ruppert Park
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Join me and NYC Parks for a fun afternoon of free live jazz music. Come ready to have a great time! Contact (212) 360-1430 or accessibility@parks.nyc.gov for more information regarding accessibility. For more information or to RSVP, visit BenKallos.com/Events
Music at Ruppert Park
Friday, October 29, 3pm to 4:30 pm
Ruppert Park
91st Street Second Avenue
RSVP
Fresh Food Box
Fresh Food Box
Thursdays, 3:30pm - 6:30pm
93rd St & 2nd Ave
RSVP
Through the partnership with my office, GrowNYC’s Fresh Food Box program has been providing affordable, healthy food since 2016. We are happy to announce that Fresh Food Box has returned to District 5 for the 2021 season from now through December 21st, every Thursday from 3:30pm to 6:30pm outside of my district office!
To purchase a Fresh Food Box, complete the registration form, then come to the site in person to sign up and pay for the Box at least one week before you’d like to pick it up. For more information, or if you have any questions, visit grownyc.org/foodbox/district5
Request Your Free Turkey
Thanksgiving is just weeks away. As in past years, in collaboration with New York Common Pantry, I will be delivering free turkeys to residents in my district living in New York City Housing Authority developments ahead of Thanksgiving 2021. Last year we gave out over 200 turkeys, which were paid for by funds allocated by my office. Families residing at Stanley Isaacs, Holmes Towers, Lexington Houses, and Robbins Plaza received the turkeys.
If you live in a NYCHA development in Council District 5 and want a turkey this year, call my office next at 212-860-1950 to get on the list. You can also get additional food by joining the New York Common Pantry at nycommonpantry.org.
Out and About
Sutton Tango
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It was a real joy seeing Upper East Side residents come together on Friday afternoons for Tango in the park. The beautiful new Sutton Place Park was the perfect setting for this series, which we put together along with the Parks Department and Strictly Tango NYC.
Movie Nights
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This month we had beautiful weather for movies in the parks, featuring Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (pre-movie sabre battles included!), Frozen, and In the Heights.