Jeffrey Wice, Adjunct Professor and Senior Fellow.

According to a new report released on December 22, 2020 by Election Data Services, Inc. (EDS), New York State could lose up to two congressional districts after the official state population totals are announced in January.

Image credit: New York City Council.

The bills provide extended compliance deadlines and information for tenants and property owners. This month, the City Council passed several bills concerning public housing and buildings. The bills touch a variety of issues, from providing NYCHA residents with information about the Mold Ombudsperson, to the Department of Buildings establishing interim certificates of occupancy, and an extension of deadlines for compliance with local laws regarding carbon monoxide detectors and gas system inspections to accommodate the pandemic.

Temporary sidewalk in front of 30 Metcalfe Street. Image Credit: Google Maps

Plumbing subcontractor completed work at construction site, but did not permanently restore sidewalks. Quality Plumbing, Inc. worked as a subcontractor at four construction sites on Staten Island. The four sites were located at 30 Metcalfe Street, 24-26 Windom Avenue, 65 Todt Hill Road, and 23 Highmount Road. For each address, Quality obtained a street opening permit from the Department of Transportation to perform excavation and plumbing work. Quality completed its plumbing work before the general contractor completed the construction work. Quality repaired the roadway when it completed its work, but left the sidewalk in a temporary state. Between August and October 2019, the DOT served six summonses charging permit violations on Quality for failing to repair the excavated sidewalk before its permit expired.

Image credit: New York City Council.

The program follows the concept of the Open Restaurants program. On December 10, 2020, the City Council passed two bills designed to provide arts and cultural institutions across the city with more access to public spaces in response to the damage to the City’s cultural sector because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Vials of the COVID-19 vaccine are beginning to be distributed to hospitals across the city. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The Vaccine Equity Plan focuses on 27 of the neighborhoods hit hardest by COVID-19. On December 11, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine command center and outlined the City’s Vaccine Equity Plan. The City expects to receive 465,000 doses of the vaccine by the start of January, and has currently delivered 42,900 doses. Initial vaccine doses are first being distributed to health care professionals and nursing homes, and then to other healthcare personnel. 

Vaccine Command Center

The Vaccine Command Center will be located at 253 Broadway and is a joint initiative between the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Health + Hospitals, the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, the Mayor’s Office, and other agencies. The Command Center will be led by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog and Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi. 

The Command Center will provide rapid response and real-time troubleshooting to hospitals, urgent care centers, private pharmacies, and other vaccine distribution sites. The Command Center will also track metrics on vaccine coverage. Test & Trace Corps and Department of Health outreach teams will be deployed from the Center and coordinate with elected officials and community leaders for vaccine drives.

A Vaccine Command Center website was launched on December 21st to track the City’s progress in administering vaccine doses. As of December 21st, 18,105 doses of the vaccine have been administered of the 42,900 doses currently distributed for healthcare workers and nursing homes. By already distributing 42 percent of the currently delivered vaccine doses, New York City has outpaced the national vaccine administration rate of 19 percent. 

Vaccine Equity Plan

Created with the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity, the Vaccine Equity Plan will ensure equitable vaccine distribution across 27 neighborhoods that were hardest hit by COVID-19. The City will use NYCHA space to vaccinate priority groups, and will work with NYCHA residents, community partners and faith leaders to share trustworthy information about the vaccine. 

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will host virtual conversations with residents of the 27 hardest hit neighborhoods to share information about the vaccine and to address questions or concerns. Community partners can access a training model to allow them to lead webinars and community conversations about the vaccine plan. 

The Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity will create a subcommittee on vaccine distribution and work with over 200 community organizations to increase outreach. Deputy Mayor Hartzog will also serve as a Co-Chair on the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity as she is responsible for the City’s COVID-19 response and necessary social services. 

Mayor de Blasio stated, “A vaccine must be distributed equally to be effective. COVID-19 has exposed our city’s most painful disparities, and we are addressing those inequities head-on and making a vaccine available for all New Yorkers.” 

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)

Image Credit: NYC Public Design Commission.

Butler has been serving the Public Design Commission in various roles for 15 years. On December 16, 2020, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Keri Butler as the Acting Executive Director of the Public Design Commission (PDC). The Public Design Commission serves as the City’s design review agency. The Commission oversees the design of permanent structures, landscape architecture and art proposed on City-owned property, and considers the appropriateness of the design, the materials used, how the space can be maintained and how a design best serves the public. Butler will be taking over for Justin Garrett Moore, who had been the Executive Director of the Commission for the past five years.