Diana Ayala Hosts Seminar for Small Business Owners
City Councilwoman Diana Ayala (D-East Harlem, Mott Haven) will be hosting a workshop for small business owners next week, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD).
The workshop will have representatives from the MOPD answer questions about commercial leases and accessibility compliance laws, among other issues. One-on-one consultations will also be offered at the event.
The event is slated for Monday, Jan. 28, at the East Harlem Neighborhood Health Action Center at 158 East 115th St.
Hoylman, Rosenthal Seek to Strengthen Child Victims Act
State Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal are co-sponsoring a legislative bill that will make it easier to prosecute child abuse cases.
The bill, if passed, will raise the maximum age at which a child sexual abuse victim can file a civil lawsuit to 55 – a massive difference from the current 23.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal, released last week, included a similar provision that would raise the maximum age to 50. Hoylman and Rosenthal, however, want the age limit to be raised even further, since it’s common for child abuse victims to not feel the effects of their trauma until later in life.
Ydanis Rodriguez Remains Steadfast on SBJSA
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) got on Twitter yesterday to clarify his stance on the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA).
The bill would grant commercial tenants the right to a lease renewal, and allow them to contest rent hikes that they deem to be too high. It would apply to all commercial tenants in the city.
Rodriguez, one of the bill’s sponsors, released a series of tweets yesterday clarifying that his position on the bill hasn’t changed, but that he is willing to accept some changes to the bill’s text as long as they don’t contradict its spirit.
“I welcome changes to the bill if the changes make the bill better and offer a better solution to stop the closings of small businesses,” said Rodriguez. “My bill is a tenant’s right bill and I will not make any changes to the bill that takes away any rights of the commercial tenants. The bill was written to level the playing field when a store’s lease expired.”
Carlina Rivera to Host Manhattan’s First Pop-Up Court
City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) will be joining the NYC Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) to host the first Neighborhood Pop-Up Court in Manhattan.
The Neighborhood Pop-Up Court, which debuted late last year, is a hearing that allows those in attendance to contest certain summonses and meet one-on-one with an OATH Hearing Officer to make their case.
“New Yorkers deserve a level playing field when contesting City-issued summonses, and by bringing OATH courts into our neighborhoods we are significantly decreasing that barrier,” said Rivera. “I want to thank OATH for bringing this vital and ground-breaking program to District 2, and I will continue to work to ensure that our justice system really works for everyone.”
The event will take place today, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Carlina Rivera’s district office at 209 East 3rd St.
