American taxpayers spend $7 billion every year on public assistance for fast food workers because the fast food giants refuse to pay their workers enough to survive. New York State alone spends a whopping $700 million – the most of any state in the union. It’s time for mega-profitable companies like McDonald’s to raise wages so their people can pay rent and feed their families. I call on the New York wage board to support a $15 wage for fast food workers – and end taxpayer giveaways to fast food companies.

All fast-food workers deserve $15 an hour. I call on the New York Wage Board to raise fast-food wages in New York state to $15 today so fast-food workers can pay their rent and feed their families.

All fast-food workers deserve $15 an hour. I call on the New York Wage Board to raise fast-food wages in New York state to $15 today so fast-food workers can pay their rent and feed their families.

I support the New England Fishery Management Council's (NEFMC) decision to explicitly account for Atlantic herring's unique role as a forage fish in the ecosystem when setting catch limits. Herring is a valuable public resource. I commend the Council for recognizing this as an ecosystem issue and engaging your ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) experts. Although the NEFMC initiated Amendment 8, it is not simply a New England issue. During annual migrations, Atlantic herring journey as far south as North Carolina and as far north as Nova Scotia. Herring have always been an important part of the marine food web throughout their range, but they have become even more important with the decline of other forage species, such as river herring, shad, mackerel, and menhaden. Recent scientific research supports leaving enough forage fish like herring in the ocean to support not only their own population, but also viable populations of other species that depend upon them. Many herring predators are depleted, and keeping enough herring in the ocean will improve the chances of recovery for cod, tuna, whales, and seabirds. I urge the NEFMC to consider alternatives for Amendment 8 that are based on this latest scientific guidance for managing forage fish. Herring predators have tremendous economic as well as ecological value, contributing to the economy through commercial and recreational fishing for tuna, cod, and striped bass, as well as whale and seabird watching. The NEFMC should consider, and quantify to the best of its ability, this economic value, and recognize that it is dependent on abundant Atlantic herring during particular times of the year and in specific places in the ocean. Many predators are migratory--following prey and finding suitable habitat for mating, nesting, and growing. Amendment 8 should include alternatives that explicitly aim to keep Atlantic herring present in sufficient quantities when and where they are needed most by predators. Amendment 8 should also include options that curtail fishing incrementally as the Atlantic herring population declines, and that stop all fishing for herring below a minimum population level. Thank you again for embarking on a long-term, ecological harvest policy for the Atlantic herring fishery. This is a significant step toward developing EBFM, which is a stated goal of both the NEFMC and of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service. I look forward to seeing the draft of the amendment with a full range of alternatives when the Council releases it for public comment.

I request New York City move up their Spring Break to this week due to the Coronavirus emergency.

We are outraged by your disdain and lack of care for incarcerated people. We will not tolerate the exploitation of prison labor for state products and goods, and demand you center the wellness and safety of all New Yorkers during the COVID-19 outbreak. We ask that you prioritize the following policies that are within your power to implement: 1. Use clemency power to immediately release incarcerated New Yorkers who are particularly vulnerable to the Coronavirus, including older people, pregnant women, people with serious illnesses, and compromised immune systems. The best methods for preventing the spread of disease inside a prison involve releasing people to the care of their families before an outbreak inside happens. 2. Put an end to forced labor in prisons & institute a living wage for incarcerated workers. New York State has a law that requires all incarcerated people work--it's not optional. And worse, the labor is severely underpaid at as low as 16 cents/hour. It's modern-day slavery and it must end.  3. Stop rollbacks on bail reform and keep jail populations low. The conditions inside jails guarantee the spread of disease once contaminated. Needlessly increasing the number of people cycling in and out of jails will undoubtedly exacerbate the spread of Coronavirus.

Homeless people, including children, are endangered in NYC- coronoravirus epicenter, as there is no opportunity for social distancing, and not enough supplies, for sanitizing.. Open up empty hotels / motels for homeless population

Requests you sign a petition for schools and universities to concentrate on education for racism reduction.Revise and revamp educational material on race, prejudice, and privilege.

Just weeks after the height of the devastating omicron surge which infected millions and stretched hospital capacities to their limits, New Jersey (and other states) have moved to end school mask mandates in March. This is incredibly irresponsible and puts so many at unnecessary risk for unchecked transmission within their schools. School mask mandates protect entire school communities—from the littlest kids who can't yet get vaccinated for COVID to the chronically ill and medically fragile students, teachers, and family members who are at the highest risk if the spread of COVID continues. New Jersey is close to New York City which means unchecked spread of COVID in the city will travel rapidly to surrounding areas. At the peak of the omicron surge, Essex County in New Jersey (the most urban state in the country), had one of the worst daily case counts in the country, topping more than 500 cases a day per 100,000 residents. Newark (a majority Black and Latinx city that has a long history of economic devastation, structural racism, and a lack of medical services), has a student vaccination rate of 18%, an explosive combination that especially puts school communities at risk.

The intersection of New York State County Route 23 And Five Mile Woods Road is very dangerous. Drivers turning out of Five Mile Woods Road on either side could definitely benefit from a traffic light put in place there. Route 23 is on the list for being one of the most dangerous mountain roads in New York State. Having a traffic light at that intersection would help to elevate the safety of drivers traveling in any direction on that roadway.