Open this email to see the community events I attended, a recap from city hall, helpful resources, and more.     Dear Neighbor, I hope you had a great Black History Month! In this email you will find updates on what I have worked on during the month of February. This includes a recap of community tours and visits, news from City Hall, district office events, relevant resources, articles, and more! Please do not hesitate to reach out to the office with any questions or concerns. In Community, Amanda Farías Council Member, District 18 Community Recap On Your Block and In Your Corner I presented Jacobi Medical Center’s Stand Up to Violence (SUV) team with a check for $25,000 from my office! SUV has already reduced gun violence in the 43rd precinct by 59% over the last 5 years. I am very grateful to have a partner like SUV in our backyard and I am even prouder to get to help this program continue to do the critical work that they do everyday.   Making Black History Highlight: I honored Thrasher’s Skater of the Year and Soundview native, Tyshawn Jones for Black History Month. At just 24 years old, Jones is already one of the most accomplished and celebrated skaters in New York City and around the world, and that all started right here in Soundview. He not only makes us proud by skating, he also owns the restaurant Taste So Good in the neighborhood! I joined our incredible students at PS 182 to watch a performance together by our great partners, Inside Broadway! They performed Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies for the students, which was a great way to learn about the history of Harlem and jazz music. I funded Inside Broadway through my discretionary budget to do this great work in our schools and I am looking forward to another year of great programs like this.   We opened up the new health care facility - Essen Health Care in Castle Hill to serve our community with quality care! They are right on Castle Hill Avenue and provide urgent care, primary care, gynecology, and more. I am happy to welcome them to the neighborhood and that my neighbors will have a healthcare clinic close enough to walk to! I was happy to join Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Assembly Member Karines Reyes for a School Safety Roundtable at Stevenson High School to discuss ongoing violence in our communities and how it is impacting our students during school. I am proud to have such amazing partners in our local schools to combat violence and support our young people.   My office partnered with Assembly Member Karines Reyes, State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and the FDNY to host a Fire Safety class in Castle Hill. The education and outreach like this has to continue to keep our community safe. I was happy to join the United Bronx Bangladeshi Community for a Mother Language Day celebration! It was great to see how excited people were to learn about the resolution I passed to recognize Mother Language Day and I even got a mini lesson in Bangla. Bangla is the native language of many of my neighbors in Parkchester, and as an Afro-Latina the need to celebrate and protect one’s cultural history deeply resonates with me. I am so lucky to represent a vibrant Bangladeshi community and I look forward to continuing to work together.   This Valentine's Day I showed some love to our local street vendors! As our City’s smallest businesses, street vendors are critical to strengthening our economy. That’s why I am proud to support the Street Vendor Project. Thank you for stopping by my district office and bringing the best of our vendors to share with all of us. My office joined the New York Junior Tennis League to cheer on PS 100 students and all our CD18 tennis stars! It was great to see so many students take advantage of the opportunity to participate in their first tennis tournament at no cost to them or their families. Congratulations to all the students for their great games!   Happy 100th Birthday to Winston Murray! Originally from Jamaica, Mr. Murray is a veteran, a father, a hard worker, and a proud Bronxite. I am so happy to have been able to meet him today and congratulate him on his incredible achievement. Local Meetings   I sat down with members of ASAAL to discuss where we are on our projects, how to keep enhancing community outreach, and how our local office services are helping neighbors. Thanks for coming to my office! I met with team Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice to discuss how to continue our partnership to best serve CD18. Thank you to David, Norma, Infinitae, Siddhartha, and Henry for coming by my District office! Looking forward to continuing to build together.   My office joined the Monroe Houses and the Castle Hill Houses communities for both of their tenant association meetings this month. This is how my office and I keep our finger on the pulse, showing up to the local meetings where I can speak to residents. I joined PSA 8 for their monthly Community Council meeting to hear updates from them on the work they are doing in our communities. I also shared news from our office about partnerships, investments, and upcoming events.   It was great to be at Soundview Houses for their Tenant Association meeting. We were able to discuss Participatory Budgeting, issues going on at the NYCHA campus, and how my office can continue to partner with local organizations to support Soundview residents. Thank you to Bronx Community Board 9 for having me at your latest Seniors Connected Meeting. I got to chat about the investments I have made for our aging community to have more programming, create and sustain affordable housing, and ensure students at all our public schools have after school programs!   It was great to join our Lafayette Estates community with Assembly Member Kenny Burgos to discuss local issues and what the City and State government can do to help that. While I currently do not represent this section of Soundview yet, it will be in CD18 with redistricting. That is why it is important that we get to know each other before then. Thanks for having my office and I at your tenant meeting.   Community Upgrades   I was driving around the district to check on our local infrastructure a few nights ago and now we’ve got some new signals on Fteley Ave and Watson Ave thanks to our Bronx Borough Commissioner Keith Kalb and the DOT Team! It’s always great to know you can send over requests and the DOT is always responsive to my office and I. And who doesn’t love brand new traffic signals?! 🚦   The BX22 northbound stop on Castle Hill Avenue at Cross Bronx Service Road has been restored! The Bronx Bus Redesign has helped make our buses more efficient, but it is critical that we keep our bus stops that help seniors, young families, and students get where they need to go. This stop is the closest to our newly restored Mechler Hall Senior Center and right next door to the Castle Hill BID. I am happy to see this stop back in CD18! City Hall Recap   I celebrated Dominican Independence Day at the City Council with my colleagues and the Dominican community from across NYC. 🇩🇴 Congratulations to the amazing honorees, Eddie Cuesta, Joselinne Minaya, and Wendy Poveda for all you do for the City everyday. It was great to celebrate our Dominican heritage together and share in the joy of the amazing performances. Our Dominican community is growing and I’m excited to be in this Council with colleagues who are showing the very best of our community in NYC - Thank you to Council Member's De La Rosa, Abreu, Feliz, Marte & Sanchez! The New York City Council’s Women's Caucus wore red for National Wear Red Day to bring greater attention to heart disease as a leading cause of death for women in America. I am glad to have been able to support Council Member Rita Joseph and thank her for her leadership.   I joined Rider’s Alliance to rally for Six Minute Service and call on Governor Hochul to allocate $300 million for more frequent off-peak service in her revised budget next week. With recent data from the State Comptroller we know that ridership in the North and East Bronx exceeded 2019 levels, funding more frequent transit is a matter of equity and access to opportunity for communities like mine and throughout CD18. That is why I am very proud to have introduced Resolution 460 in the City Council which calls on our Governor to finally fix the MTA!   I also attended several committee hearings, voted for, and introduced exciting legislation. You can watch all past City Council hearings at [link removed] or check out my Instagram and Facebook for my highlights. At this month's Stated meetings I passed 12 bills and introduced 7 on several issues including Mother Language day, affordable housing, bike safety, Diwali, co-naming new city streets, and more! Highlights include: Resolution 474: Recognizing February 21 as Mother Language Day in the City of New York to honor the importance of the Bangla language and to promote the acceptance of linguistic and cultural diversity in our communities. Introduction 897: A Local Law to name 129 thoroughfares and public places, including Glynn Mario Halsey Way and Sahan Erguder Way. Introduction 926: A Local Law to require the department of transportation to conduct an annual study on bicycle activity. I co-chaired a hearing on the expansion of the Film Industry in NYC with the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Technology. We held this hearing to ensure that our City agencies are working to make city, state, and federal incentives available to the many film and production teams, but also that the sector’s main purpose is for local benefit. While I applaud our partners at EDC, MOME, and the media and entertainment sector in driving more production here, my colleagues and I are focused on the community first and how we increase local hires. I attended the Committee on Sanitation hearing to provide oversight and discuss several of the Council’s bills to reevaluate our commercial waste zones. I joined Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers at the Transportation Committee hearing on our City’s Street Safety infrastructure. At this hearing we discussed my bill, Reso 441, to support the State’s call to set a five mile per hour speed limit on streets participating in the Open Streets program. I am the proud sponsor of this resolution because the Bronx continues to be disproportionately affected by traffic fatalities. I attended the Committee on Consumer & Worker Protection to discuss the use of facial recognition in New York City Businesses. I was able to ask questions on how we best inform the public on their rights and the disparities that exist between Black and Brown people, the risk of data usage, and other items when it comes to facial recognition and biometric technology. I joined the Committees on Transportation, Aging, and Mental Health to discuss the access-a-ride program with the MTA. I asked questions around how their contractors and brokers manage their drivers, how the MTA handles complaints, and how they evaluate their vendors. Upcoming Events Community Resources Waste Setout Times Will Change on April 1, 2023 As of April 1, 2023, the City of New York is taking steps to reduce the piles of bags on the curb by changing the waste setout times. New rules for setting out trash, recycling, and curbside composting go into effect on April 1, 2023. Find more information here. Need to File a Complaint with my Office? Check my website at council.nyc.gov/district-18/ and click the “Get Assistance” button and fill out the form. Apply for Neighborhood Advisory Board Membership Application Neighborhood Advisory Boards (NABs) provide residents of low-income communities with an opportunity to help the Department of Youth and Community Development identify funding priorities. NAB members are responsible for helping to identify the needs of their local communities. DYCD takes their findings into consideration when allocating federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding. To learn more and apply to be on your Neighborhood Advisory Board, click here. Homeowners- Save Money on Your Water Bill: The amnesty program, authorized by the New York City Water Board, will only run for 90 days, from Jan. 30, 2023 to April 30, 2023. To receive amnesty and confirm eligibility, or for more information, customers should visit DEP’s water amnesty website or call (718) 595-7000. 4 NYCHA Campuses in CD18 are Eligible for Free Broadband The Mayor’s Big Apple Connect Program with Altice is currently connecting Bronxites to broadband for free at Sonia Sotomayor Houses, Soundview Houses, Glebe Houses, and Monroe Houses. If you are currently living in one of these NYCHA developments make sure to take advantage of this opportunity! For installation of a new account or conversion of an existing Optimum account residents should call 866.580.1410 (Monday – Saturday, 10am – 7pm ET), confirm their address at a participating NYCHA property, and then schedule an installation. Residents can also visit a nearby Optimum Store and speak with a representative. Council Member Farías in the News City and State: Black Power 100 BronxNet: BronxTalk | The New Majority NYC | February 20th, 2023 Bronx Times: Column: Celebrating Women’s History Month News12: Bangladeshi community celebrates Mother Language Day Pix 11: Pro skateboarder from the Bronx gets recognition at home Contact The Office at 718-792-1140 or [email protected]   NYC Council District 18 | 778 Castle Hill Avenue, Bronx, NY 10473 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!