Bill Signings, Toy Drives, BQE, LICH & More

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What's Inside:
* Message from Jo Anne
* Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse
* Nourish our Neighbors this Holiday
* Holiday Toy Drives
* Assisting Homeless People
* New Elevators coming to Gowanus Houses
* LICH/NYU Updates
* DOT’s BQE Central Meetings, 12/13 & 12/15
* Traffic Changes on Bond Street
* MTA Funding & Updates
* Illegally Covering up License Plates
* Reduced Class Size
* Increases in COVID, Flu & RSV
* Community Events

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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I’m thrilled that the Governor just signed into law my bill to strengthen the public's protections during the closure of assisted living residences. This bill ensures that what happened at One Prospect Park will not happen again. In 2013, the owner of One Prospect Park, an assisted living facility, received a permanent license to operate. He promptly decided to sell it for twice what he had purchased it for, and sent notices of eviction to 125 seniors who resided there - many of whom were over 90 years old. This was devastating and despite the community’s rallying and six stalwart residents suing to remain, eventually all of the residents were displaced. I’m glad that this bill strengthens protections for those in assisted living residences.

The Governor also signed my bill (A8453A) that requires state contractors and vendors to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Web accessibility issues are not just a barrier for our state's disabled community, but many of our state's senior citizens are also greatly impacted by websites that are not user-friendly. This will assist our state with the goal of ensuring that websites are as user-friendly as possible.

Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed several bills that established task forces including Assemblymember Bobby Carroll’s bill to create a dyslexia task force. There is so much more we should be doing to identify and help kids who are dyslexic and to improve literacy rates for students in New York State. I'm very disappointed. However, our dyslexia coalition is growing stronger every year and we will keep fighting to ensure students and adults get the interventions and services they need.

Lastly, I’d like to thank our constituents whose generosity ensured that our neighbors had food vouchers for their holiday meal -- and thank you to Gowanus Mutual Aid for spearheading this effort with us. I also want to extend a sincere thank you to Wegman’s grocery store who generously came through for us at the last minute when we received a request for food from one of the local supportive housing units. I am also grateful to Heights and Hills, with its partners Grace Church and Camp Friendship, for their gracious generosity and service to those in need of a hot Thanksgiving meal.

Sincerely,
Jo Anne Simon
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Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse Act: Look Back Period. One of the things we learned while passing the Child Victims Act a few years ago was the shocking number of adults who suffered from sexual violence and abuse but had not known enough about their rights to pursue them legally in a timely manner. This included numerous instances of physicians who preyed on their patients. In response, the legislature passed the Adult Survivors Act which provides for a one year window to file suit regardless of when the assault occurred. That one year window is now open and closes on November 24, 2023. We encourage anyone who might be protected by this law to look into their newly reinstated right to pursue a civil action for damages: www.safehorizon.org/adult-survivors-act
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Help Nourish our Neighbors this Holiday. The holidays are upon us. If you are able to give, please consider supporting those experiencing food insecurity in our district. We are again partnering with the volunteers at Gowanus Mutual Aid (GMA), who will be distributing holiday food vouchers to residents to use at a local grocery store. Your donation of any amount can help spread love and nutrition as widely as possible. To be able to give is a gift. Thank you so much. You can help GMA here ([link removed]) . Again, thank you so much to those of you who donated to our Thanksgiving efforts!
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Toy Drives. We are thrilled to partner with Camp Friendship in Park Slope to help deliver holiday cheer and toys to our community. We are accepting toy donations in our office at 341 Smith St from now until Friday, December 16. Drop them off between 9:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday (call or email if you need to arrange a drop-off after 5pm). Toys should be new and unwrapped for ages 0-18. Toys will also be distributed to the Warren Street Houses for kids 8-13 years old.

You can also drop off toys directly at Camp Friendship, 339 8th St, or buy directly off of Camp Friendship’s wish lists at Amazon ([link removed]) and Target ([link removed]) . Toys will be distributed to the community on Saturday, December 17.
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Assisting Homeless People who have Mental Health Issues. Mayor Adams just announced a new strategy for addressing the needs of homeless New Yorkers with serious mental illness. This is a complicated issue and becomes even more so when people with mental health issues come into contact with law enforcement and the criminal justice system when what they need is a mental health professional. Last session, I passed my bill A.10239 ([link removed]) which would address this issue in a constructive way so that people who need a competent psych evaluation can get it and that conditions of release be based on their needs as assessed by professionals with the necessary training and expertise. Senator Zellnor Myrie and I will be looking to pass this bill in both houses next session to ensure that we better connect people to treatment if they appear to be mentally ill.

You can read more about the Mayor’s initiative and my remarks on his plan here ([link removed]) .
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Gowanus Houses & NYCHA to get New Elevators. I’m so glad that hundreds of NYCHA elevators will be replaced with funds provided by those of us in the state legislature. I am particularly pleased that the desperately needed replacement elevators at Gowanus Houses will be installed. These upgrades will bring safety and reliability to elevator service and can’t happen quickly enough. I’m thankful to my colleagues, the tenant association, Governor Hochul, DASNY and NYCHA for working together on this much-needed initiative.

NYCHA received $300 million in state capital funding for upgrades to 335 elevators that are being replaced as part of large-scale modernization work that will improve elevator service for nearly 34,000 residents at 20 developments across the city. Over $23 million of this funding is going toward replacing 26 elevators in the Gowanus Houses.
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LICH/NYU Updates & New Developer. A new developer, Madison Realty Group (MRG), recently acquired the former LICH sites at 350 Hicks Street and 91 Pacific Street from the original developer, Fortis. MRG will begin construction on 350 Hicks Street in Q1 of 2023 and work on 91 Pacific Street in Q3 of 2023. There will be no changes to the height of the buildings, but there may be changes to the exterior design. Fortis had not been communicative with the community, was behind on the project, and their promises to upgrade and maintain the playgrounds had gone unfulfilled. In a sign of progress, MRG representatives recently attended the Cobble Hill Association’s annual meeting and the recent LICH community task force meetings. I am very pleased that MRG took on the responsibility for performing much-needed maintenance of the two Henry Street playgrounds and the adjacent sitting park, and they will soon conduct critical repairs to Tot Playground.

Fortis continues to own and have responsibility for remediation at other sites, including noise mitigation at the infamous “whistling” building located at 347 Henry Street.

NYU Langone Health’s new ambulatory care facility is scheduled to open in early spring of 2023; more services, including cardiology, gastroenterology and orthopedics will be offered. Once the new emergency department (ED) is opened, the current ED on Amity Street will remain open for 30 days before closing, so there will be no lapse in access to emergency services.
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DOT’s BQE Central Meetings, 12/13 & 12/15. Your voices and input are necessary in the BQE visioning process. The next meetings for BQE Central are on Dec. 13 and Dec.15 from 6:30-8:30pm (info here ([link removed]) ) when the DOT will present their initial community-driven concepts and gather your feedback on those concepts, so please provide feedback to DOT ([link removed]) if you have not done so already. To access the DOT presentations and summaries of the BQE Central meetings, click here ([link removed]) . Workshops for BQE North & South will resume in 2023 ([link removed]) .

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Traffic Changes on Bond Street. The street safety issues, congestion, and rampant double parking on Schermerhorn Street between Smith Street and Third Avenue was the stuff of community nightmares for years. After much advocacy from the community and Council Member Restler, City DOT revised the street plan in October and changed that stretch of the street to become one-way eastbound for cars in order to fit a two-way bike lane. One unintended issue from the new plan was congestion due to the fact that every block between Smith and Flatbush goes southbound. Thanks to advocacy from the community and local elected officials, DOT plans to convert Bond Street between Schermerhorn and Livingston Streets to one-way northbound traffic. DOT will also be installing delineators to protect the southbound bike lane on Bond Street. Implementation will begin December 10th. We expect this change, along with a better delineated bike lane on Bond, to reduce congestion and improve safety.
May be an image of text that says 'What's Happening Here? One-Way Conversion Protected Bike Lane Bond St., Schermerhorn St. to Livingston St. Safety and Mobility Improvements Improve Mobility Better Circulation DOT will implement safety and mobility improvements on Bond between Schermerhorn St. and Livingston St.: Convert Bond St. between Schermerhorn St. and Livingston St. to one-way northbound Install quick-kurb to protect southbound bike lane on Bond St. Implementation will occur on Saturday, December 10, 2022 Fulton Livingston St Schermerhorn State St Atlantic Ave St ond Hoyt Existing Direction New Direction additional information about project, contact DOT Brooklyn Borough 646.892.1350 visit website: updates, Old Direction Building Safer'
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MTA Updates & Funding Needs

Borough Hall Station Accessibility. MTA announced that the 2, 3, 4, & 5 lines at the Borough Hall Station will be made fully accessible, along with investments necessary to address state-of-good-repair needs and renew the station. (Currently, the 2 & 3 train platforms are accessible.) A new elevator to bring customers from street level to the 4 and 5 train mezzanine, as well as two others between the mezzanine level and the northbound and southbound 4 and 5 train platforms, will be added. In addition, station floors, walls, roof, and ventilator structures will all be repaired. As soon as specific timing is available for this work, we’ll alert you.

Infusing the MTA with Necessary Funding. I recently signed on to a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul requesting that she include sufficient new funding in the next budget for mass transit across the state. Especially important is resolving the MTA’s fiscal cliff (read the NYS Comptroller’s recent report on this topic ([link removed]) ), phasing in six-minute or better service on our subways and many bus lines, and adding significant frequency to commuter trains. It’s imperative that we do everything we can to stabilize our state’s transit system while also seeding ridership growth. This strategic investment in New York’s infrastructure will lead to a better future for all residents while helping address social equity and climate resilience. We all need and deserve a safer and more efficient transit system.

Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan - Public Comments Invited. Last week, I joined the MTA as they released the Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan. The bus network redesign is an opportunity to upgrade to a modern, more reliable and quicker system. Buses are a main accessible source of transit for people with disabilities, so it’s important that we get this right. I’m encouraging the public to review the draft plan and participate in the engagement process so that the MTA can fulfill its goal of a better bus network for Brooklyn. You can access the draft plan here ([link removed]) .

Beginning in January 2023, the MTA will host public events and workshops to gather additional input from customers and Brooklyn residents. Many constituents have expressed their desire to see the B71 route restored, or a similar route established. Now’s your chance to make your voice heard. Register for your community’s virtual workshop here ([link removed]) ; the Thursday 1/12/23 meeting covers most of Community District 2; Community District 6 on Thursday 1/26/23, and Community District 8 on Thursday 2/2/23.
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Illegally Covering up License Plates: Last week, I joined advocates and colleagues calling attention ([link removed]) to the absurd arrest and 5 hour detention of Adam White after he removed a piece of plastic that had been illegally obscuring a driver's license plate. I’ve signed on to S9496 Gounardes /A10650 Epstein which allows the City to create a program for bystander reporting of stolen, false or fraudulent license plates (similar to our ability to report idling vehicles) to prevent this from happening. People use a piece of tape or plastic or other item to cover part of their license plates to avoid tickets, toll fees, or responsibility in an accident and this is plain wrong, illegal and dangerous.
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Reduced Class Size is Now the Law. The Governor signed our bill to lower class size in New York City schools. This means that beginning in September 2023, public school class sizes will be capped at 20-25 students depending on grade level. The class size reductions will be phased in gradually over 5 years, and fully implemented by 2028. In the aftermath of Covid, many schools have reduced enrollment with a corresponding reduction in class size. Teachers and parents report that the children in these reduced size classes are doing much better - which is consistent with the research. The research shows that outcomes are better for all students.
As the lead sponsor of the original class size bill, I was proud to support this effort. I believe this to be a critically important reform, one that will have a positive impact on students' learning, particularly those who experience difficulty with reading. This has been an incredibly challenging time for our kids, teachers and parents so we must provide the tools and resources for the next generation of leaders to thrive.

I have advocated for the NYC Schools to begin a process to plan for implementing the law in the very near future. As far as we can tell, that process hasn’t begun. Along with advocates and colleagues, I’ll continue to call attention to this issue, because implementation is key.
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Covid, Flu & RSV. Covid cases are on the rise again after the Thanksgiving holiday, and flu and RSV rates are also extremely high. Getting your Covid booster and getting the flu shot are more important now than ever. In order to protect yourself and your community, we urge you to get boosted and get the flu shot. Call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692) or go to vaccinefinder.nyc.gov ([link removed]) .

While there is no vaccine for RSV, you can still take measures to stop the spread. If you have any symptoms–runny nose, cough, scratchy throat, fever–it’s recommended you stay home until symptoms have subsided. The CDC also urges people to mask indoors in public settings.
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Community Events:
* First Ever Borough Hall Holiday Market. The market ([link removed]) is now open daily from 11am-8pm and features over 50 Brooklyn-based vendors.
* Carroll Gardens Library Book Sale on Saturday, December 10 from 10am-4pm. Come shop for bargains and enjoy free hot apple cider, courtesy of the Friends of the Carroll Gardens Library. There will be one adult raffle and one kids’ raffle. All proceeds support library programming and services.
* 76th Precinct Community Council Meeting, Wed. Dec. 7th at 7:30pm. You may join the 76th police precinct for their virtual monthly Community Council meeting on December 7, 2022, at 7:30pm (718-834-3211). Join here over Zoom ([link removed]) .
Meeting ID: . Passcode: 76Pct*CC

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