Results tagged “paterson”

Something crazy happened in Albany this week: The Assembly passed a bill, then the Senate passed their version of the bill, and then Governor David Paterson signed it into law—all in two days! Yesterday New York instituted the nation's toughest drunk driving law, making it a felony to drive intoxicated with a passenger 15 years old or under. The bill, "Leandra's Law," was named for the 11-year-old New York girl killed in a DWI crash on the West Side Highway last month. At the signing yesterday, Leandra's father Lenny Rosado vowed to take his crusade to Washington and pass the law on the federal level:

From here on, those that think it’s OK to drink and drive - with children in the car or not - will pay the price...This is not going to be where I stop. I'm going to go out there to as many people as I can and educate them about this terrible disease we have out there...and hopefully we can take it all the way up straight to the White House.

Gov. Paterson has called for the Legislature to return to Albany on Nov. 10 to deal with the state's woeful budget situation. And he means business, saying yesterday, "They'll come back and we'll stay there until we get it done." When the Daily News asked Paterson's spokeswoman if he'd resort to calling weekend and holiday sessions a la during the coup, she said: "The governor expects the Legislature to return to Albany for a special session to address the current year deficit." No word on whether or not he set the Nov. 10 date in case of a game 7.

[UPDATE BELOW] Governor David A. Paterson's facial hair is no more. Days after meeting with President Obama (amid rumors that Obama requested him to leave the governor's race), Paterson has bared all on his face, losing his celebrated mustache before New Yorkers really got a chance to get to know it. The dramatic change was revealed when the governor arrived this morning for a meeting with state leaders.

The Daily News claims that Bill Clinton joined Barack Obama in a "presidential pile-on," joining the "push against Paterson," somehow suggesting that the embattled governor should just give in now. Clinton said on the Today Show that Paterson "is not in good shape right now."

Oh snap! Earlier today Paterson explained his friction with the Obama administration as partially the fault of the White House's own frustrations: "they haven't exactly been able to govern in the first year of their administration in the way that other administrations have, where you would have, theoretically, a period in which the new administration is allowed to pass the needed pieces of legislation." Them's fighting words!

Score one for Paterson! The state's highest court just sided with him on his appointment of Richard Ravitch as Lieutenant Govenor. Read the Times piece for a full brief on the 4-3 decision, considered a "stunning reversal" - all the lower courts had held against Paterson.

The statements and actions of President Obama and Governor Paterson in the past few days have made it clear that the de facto Democratic Party leader has given the patriarchal blessing to Andrew Cuomo. Obama began his speech yesterday in Troy thus: "We have special guests here that I want to acknowledge. First of all, a wonderful man, the governor of the great state of New York, David Paterson. Next, your shy and retiring attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, is in the house. Andy is doing great work that has to be done."

At the African-American Day parade in Harlem yesterday, Governor David Paterson informed reporters that he remained a candidate for governor, despite opposition to his candidacy from within his own party: "I am running for governor right now. I have no idea about any, in other words, I am a candidate for governor." Is this defiance or leaving himself some wiggle room?

The story of the stand-up comedian being sued for defamation by her Jewish mother-in-law continues to be gobbled up by media outlets across the nation. Both comic Sunda Croonquist and her lawyer husband Mark Zafrin say they were blindsided by Rose Zafrin's suit. The husband whose firm will represent Croonquist told the Post his reaction to the suit was, "What — are you trying to us? My wife's from Paterson!" The black comedienne, whose observational jokes about differences in ethnic customs suddenly became too much for her mother-in-law, says she keeps a kosher house and converted to Judaism (for her marriage, not her career). When asked about the lawsuit by Entertainment Tonight, she said, "I felt sick to my stomach I was sickened. ... I thought maybe a phone call would suffice." She also mentioned to the TV show that she had shows here at Stand-Up NY and Comix this weekend. If this ends up in Judge Judy or Cristina's Court, we think we know who the special guest star will be to mend the parted sea between the two. Croonquist recently revealed that she was inspired her to grab a mic for the first time after being encouraged at a party...by none other than Jackie Mason.

A coalition of bottled water companies—including Nestle Waters, which owns Poland Spring, and Keeper Springs, a smaller company owned by environmental advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—filed a lawsuit yesterday to challenge a new state law that would require bottled water companies to charge a 5 cent deposit fee. The complaint argues that the law violates the Constitution’s equal protection clause because it exempts drinks with sugar added, such as competitors like Glacéau, makers of Vitamin Water. Lawyers also say the deposit would violate the Constitution’s interstate commerce protections the law because it could be interpreted as prohibiting companies from selling the New York-labeled bottles in other states.

It wasn't tax problems, it wasn't because Governor Paterson wasn't going to pick her, it wasn't because of the indignity of the process—it was for the children. That's how a new book about Ted Kennedy spins Caroline Kennedy's abrupt withdrawal from her push to win Hillary Clinton's senate seat. A Vanity Fair excerpt from Edward Klein's forthcoming book Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died cites an unidentified family adviser's account of Caroline's oldest daughter (pictured) pleading with her, "Mom, you are above this." And her other children "told her that if she was getting this worked up just getting the job, they didn't want to see what she would be like in the trenches of a political campaign or a fight in Washington." The intervention reportedly "jerked Caroline back to reality," and the family friend insists that "after that conversation, she wouldn't have taken the job if Paterson had come begging on his hands and knees." The book, which examines the internecine power struggles currently roiling the Kennedy clan, also suggests that Caroline was only trying to please her ailing uncle Ted, who was pressing her to become a senator "almost like a last wish."

The State Senate has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by their former official photographer, who says Governor Paterson fired him because of his race, back when Paterson was Senate Minority Leader in 2003. In his civil rights lawsuit, Joseph Maioriello of Schenectady said John McPadden, then Paterson's chief of staff, explained he was being fired because some senators wanted to replace him with "a minority photographer, a black photographer." Maioriello, who had been a Senate employee for 26 years before he was fired, said McPadden also told him, "You got to remember who Sen. Paterson is. Sen. Paterson is black." In a sworn deposition, Paterson denied the allegations, claiming he didn't see well enough to have fired Maioriello because of his race. Paterson would have been required to testify had the case finally gone to trial, and one source "close to the lawsuit" tells the Post that the size of the settlement—$300,000—suggests "that the state wouldn't have made out very well if it had gone to trial. If nothing wrong happened, why is the state paying out this kind of money?" Shhh... It's late Friday afternoon—by Monday it'll be like this never happened.

State Liquor Authority Chairman Daniel Boyle has been replaced by an Assistant Attorney General from Buffalo named Dennis Rosen, Governor Paterson's office announced late yesterday. Paterson's press release did not explain the reasons for replacing Boyle, a former Syracuse police chief with a reputation as a straight shooter, but the casual observer might assume it has something to do with the scandal engulfing the SLA's Harlem office, where employees are accused of soliciting bribes to expedite the license application process. But Boyle's dismissal likely has its roots in last fall's very public tangle with an aide to Governor Paterson, former State Senator Carl Andrews. You'll recall that Boyle accused Andrews of trying to "intimidate" him into voting to renew the liquor license for the felonious Cipriani family. The other two SLA Commissioners were able to overrule Boyle to approve the license (and were coincidentally given some nice state-owned cars around the same time), but Boyle went to the Post, and Andrews was forced to step down in the subsequent uproar. Now, it seems, it's payback time.

The NY Times reports that three watchdog groups are urging the NY State ethics panel to investigate leaks that came as Caroline Kennedy's Senate bid unraveled. Per a letter, the groups say "the commission needs to determine whether the Paterson administration violated state laws by leaking confidential information about Ms. Kennedy as part of a political strategy aimed at deflecting blame for her withdrawal." After Kennedy decided not to seek Hillary Clinton's vacated Senate seat, sources from Governor Paterson's office offered a myriad of reasons why Paterson never going to choose her anyway; one told the Post that "the governor 'had no intention' of picking Caroline Kennedy for New York's vacant senate seat - because she was 'mired' in an issue over taxes, her nanny and possibly her marriage." Paterson even admitted the leaks were from his staff, but claimed not to know who made them. The watchdog groups think a probe would help "[clear] the executive chamber from a lingering ethical taint or [vindicate] the public’s interest by restoring integrity to the appointment process.”

Have some Kleenex handy; grotesque demagogue Rush Limbaugh announced this week that he's turning his back on New York City because of "ridiculous" income tax increases on those who make over $500,000. Though Limbaugh's presence in New York is minimal—he only uses his Fifth Avenue penthouse to take refuge from hurricanes in Florida—the news of his withdrawal came as a relief to many New Yorkers, including Governor Paterson. Asked about Limbaugh's decision this morning, Paterson told reporters, "If I knew that would be the result, I would’ve thought about the taxes earlier."

You know, if those "loony" liberals succeed in repealing the Rockefeller-era drug laws, New York State's going to become a crime-infested hellhole, where "crackheads, dopers and drug gangs will rule the streets." At least that's how the Daily News sees it in today's editorial, a demagogic rant that's almost surely plagiarized from an Archie Bunker monologue. In the editorial board's eyes, the deal reached by Paterson and state lawmakers to let judges send first-time drug offenders to treatment instead of prison amounts to a "Drug Dealer Protection Act" that "all but decriminalizes the possession and sale of narcotics in New York State." Yeah, what's next Paterson, the Helping Homicidal Robots Bill?

State Senate Republicans are voicing outrage today following Governor Paterson's morning press conference announcing an agreement among Democrats to repeal most of the Rockefeller-era drug laws. Republican State Senator Martin Golden, whose district stretches from Bay Ridge to Gerritsen Beach, tells the Times Union the reform will "coddle the criminals and put them back on the streets." Others derided the repeal's treatment programs as a "Get out of Jail Free Card." And Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos is threatening to keep his members out of the chamber unless Republicans get "a sufficient amount of time" to study the bill.

Governor Paterson's office says negotiations with state lawmakers on a bill to reform the Rockefeller-era drug laws are "nearing a successful completion and reflect the governor's core principle to focus on treatment rather than punishment." Yesterday's progress came on the same day that hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside Paterson's midtown office to demand the laws' full repeal. Drug law reform has been on Paterson's agenda for many years; as a State Senator in 2002 he was arrested outside the very same building, during a protest when Pataki was governor.

'Eek, don't raise taxes on the rich!' Bloomberg and other plutocrats warn, or else they'll defiantly tie their sweaters around their necks and move somewhere else, where the lower orders have a better appreciation for trickle-down economics. But according to a pretty thorough article in today's Times, there's actually scant evidence that an income tax hike on the wealthy will engender a Park Avenue strewn with tumbleweed. In fact, after 9/11, the state and the city imposed a temporary surcharge on incomes of more than $100,000, and a comptroller study suggests it had little impact on those who make over $250K.

Thousands of teachers, health care workers, labor unions, and community groups held rallies across New York State yesterday to protest Governor Paterson's budget proposal, which would slash approximately $2.5 billion in education funding, $3.2 billion in health care, and cut billions from programs for senior services, disability services, housing assistance and crisis intervention programs. In downtown Manhattan, rally organizers say some 50,000 people assembled around City Hall, and the crowds forced the NYPD to reduce Broadway to one lane and close side streets.

As the tax credit funds dry up, and productions begin to flee New York City, those in the entertainment industry gathered at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens last night to hold a news conference and ask politicians to expand the program. The NY Times reminds us that it "offers studios tax credits from the city and state for up to 35 percent of the production costs," but as previously reported, the $690 million meant to last another four years is already gone.

Atlantic Yards opponents have expressed considerable outrage over developer Bruce Ratner's attempt to get a taste of the federal stimulus package for his embattled stadium, office, and residential project in Brooklyn. Last week it came to light that former Senator Alfonse D’Amato’s lobbying firm, Park Strategies, was working behind the scenes to secure a cut of the stimulus for Ratner. But they can forget about getting any of the loot earmarked for the MTA; a transit official tells the Post that the stalled development is "not on any of our lists [of projects]." However, Ratner is still lobbying for some of the stimulus money outside of the MTA's purview; there's some $3.9 billion for "infrastructure and energy assistance" which will soon be at Governor Paterson's disposal. A spokeswoman for the governor says they're "examining whether the project warrants stimulus funds," and notes that "there's a lot of competition."

Sometimes its best to let the tabloids do what they do best—shower us with groan-worthy old man puns. Today the Post reports that Governor Paterson's proposed 4% tax on internet porn downloads is "rubbing the porn industry the wrong way." Not to be outdone, the Daily News, in an article titled, "Tax Proposal Awaits Climax in Albany," promises "this is the best tax you ever had." The Post even gets a quote from porn star Shawna Lenee, who opines, "We've had an adult industry in this country for decades, and now they want to tax us because of a deficit. That's not at all fair."

Health care concerns have been getting some flak for blitzing the airwaves with TV ads protesting Governor Paterson's proposed health care cuts. Most notably, the ads feature a blind man, Juan Petri, asking Paterson, "Why are you doing this to me?" which some felt was a low blow to the blind governor. Yesterday, the Post put Pietri on its front page (headline: DIM WITS) and, today, has an interview with the Bronx resident. Pietri, who voted for the Spitzer-Paterson ticket, said, "I didn't do anything wrong. I did the ads because I'm blind and they're cutting my services...I got nothing against him - just the cuts he's going to make." The Post followed up by speaking to some blind New Yorkers to ask them what they thought of the ads—one said, "Blind people shouldn't talk smack about our blind governor."

Since January 1st, the state's unemployment fund has been borrowing roughly $90 million a week from the federal unemployment trust fund, and the deficit has already reached $212 million. M. Patricia Smith, the state's labor commissioner, tells the Times, "I think we went insolvent about two hours into 2009. We're seeing 50 percent more claimants each week than a year ago." Soup is good food! The article goes into infuriating detail about how New York has the lowest unemployment benefits in the region, and the deficit is caused not just from the spike in joblessness, but because the state has not increased the payroll tax that covers the unemployment fund in nearly a decade. With Democrats finally controlling the Legislature, there is some hope that the state might finally upgrade the system to cover the downsized masses, but in the meantime, the Fed's charging 4.64% interest, and New York's debt to Uncle Sam is expected to exceed $2.5 billion by the end of 2010.

Yesterday there was word of Bronx Zoo funding going the way of the dodo, as Gov. Paterson’s budget proposal promises to eliminate it in two years. The Daily News reports that the cutbacks would also effect "museums across the state — including the New York Botanical Garden and Wave Hill in the Bronx." The Brooklyn Eagle has more today on cutbacks that will hit the borough, where the only good news is that the Prospect Park Zoo won't be effected. The paper reports that with the proposal the BBG's in-house exhibits and educational programs would suffer, and the institute's president said, "We can understand a reasonable reduction, but a 55 percent cut, followed by the elimination of the fund itself, is too much." All in all 76 zoos, botanic gardens and aquariums are on the funding chopping block—and the main problem here is, of course, that “animals don’t stop eating and don’t stop needing care."

State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has taken to YouTube to educate New Yorkers on the virtues of Governor Paterson's proposed "obesity tax," which would add an 18-percent tax on non-diet soda and other sugary drinks containing less than 70 percent real fruit juice. Sure, the video's no Ottomoman-Humping Gangbang, but we are in a recession, so we'll excuse the lackluster production values.

As part of his desperate effort to close an estimated $15 billion budget deficit this year and next, Governor Paterson is proposing, among other things, a tax on roughly 15% of non-diet soft drinks, the Daily News reports. On Tuesday Paterson will officially announce his $121 billion budget, which emphasizes broad cuts in education and Medicaid. "I expect it to be an unmitigated disaster for health care institutions in New York," Kenneth Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, tells the Times. The obesity tax would raise some $404 million a year, but the state shouldn't expect any revenue boost from teens like Amaury Garcia, 16, who works at a flower shop in Penn Station. She tells the News the tax would simply drive her to abstinence: "I don't like to buy Diet Coke. I'll just not buy any sodas if it goes up."

A 26-year-old mother of two in Paterson died early Saturday morning after being struck by an SUV in a hit-and-run following a fight. Natalie Mestre had come outside her apartment around 2 a.m. to check on the altercation involving a group of women taking place out front. There she and five of the other women were hit by the Mercury Mountaineer being driven by Keema Green. Green has been arrested and charged with causing death by motor vehicle while driving with a suspended license. Those charges may be upped to manslaughter following an investigation. There's no word on what caused the skirmish that took place, but police say that Mestre was just a bystander.

The Con Edison training and conference facility in Long Island City, Queens has joined a small but growing family of buildings with green roofs, which absorb heat, reduce the need for air conditioning, and help improve air quality. According to the Sun, Con Edison projects that the green roof will save the building up to 30% in energy costs. There are now 21,000 plants atop the three-story facility, including 15 varieties of sedum, a shrub like plant typically found in desert climates which can absorb rainwater and is resistant to pests.