No deal in Kosta Diamantis’ change of plea hearing for second corruption case

Former Assemblywoman Darling drops out of race for Congress

Judge approves bond for Cheshire teenager detained by ICE

Sen. Blumenthal urges Trump administration to crack down on war-related profiteering

Power & Politics: Exclusive one-on-one interview with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright

Obama meets Mamdani at Bronx child care center before reading to preschoolers

newyork

News 12 Staff

Lost Pier, a polluted shoreline and a community fighting for change. East 132nd Street in the South Bronx is finally getting the attention advocates have pushed for. Welcome back to Power and Politics. I'm Heather Fordham. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited the neighborhood, and we spoke with her about her meeting with community groups who are pushing to transform a neglected stretch of waterfront in Port Morris and the issues at the forefront of the district she serves. So Congresswoman, welcome to the South Bronx. Welcome back. Can you first walk us through what it was like to secure this funding for this specific project at East 132nd Street? I mean, it's so thrilling, uh, I think as a, as a member of Congress to be able to steer federal funds in support and to back up the community champions that have been fighting for a vision for the South Bronx for so many decades. So it's really such an honor to. Support the South, uh, South Bronx Unite and so many other community organizers and leaders here to actually make their vision a reality. And what was the process like for you to make that case, uh, to get federal dollars for this project? What qualified this project to be? It really does take a lot of diplomacy across the aisle and to make the case and to say, hey, you know, with everything that's going on, this really is important to these folks, and I think there was a, a lot of. Recognition that this is not just a place to beautify, but it's a place to invest. It's a place to create jobs, and it's a place where we can really, you know, do some great energy and environmental work. When you're in Manhattan, other areas, Brooklyn, you can easily get to, you know, the East River Walkway, the West Side Highway, but here in the Bronx, there's not really any place to do that. Uh, we heard from the Waterfront Alliance who said about 50% of children here in the South Bronx have never even. Into the waterfront, I mean that's a pretty staggering statistic. So could you talk to the importance of being able to provide these opportunities for children who are particularly in underserved and low income communities? Yeah, and you know, as we know in the South Bronx we have one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the country, and you would never know that we are a borough of so much waterfront of so much green space because our communities have been cut off from it. There's no reason the Bronx shouldn't have the beautiful. Waterfront access and infrastructure and dignity that any other borough has and so it really takes a lot of us as leaders coming together and saying we're just not going to accept this. And now if you were explaining this project to someone on let's say TikTok, younger constituents, what would you tell them about the importance of why a project like this needs federal funding? Well, I'd say look around, right? All this land that you see, you know, you see all of these fences that are kind of breaking down, this is all public land. This is. Not private land that was neglected. This belongs to us and so we can choose to make it bad or we can choose to make it great and we're gonna choose to make it great because right now the space isn't being used for much else and that's a much better use of of our public lands and how will people in the community still be able to be stewards of what this project looks like and and make sure that they're having access instead of big corporations coming in and trying to put their touch on it? Well, this project is 100%. percent led by community leaders. I wish I could say as a member of Congress that it's all me, but it's not. My job is to put those resources and power in the hands of the people who are doing the work and because it's, you know, it's made by us and for us, and so there's no other uh actors, there's no other corporations out here that are part of this process. This is being steered by the people. We've beautified, um, the Hunts Point, uh, area, you know, there's, we now have a floating pool out there. And then that's going to connect and come right down here. We've got Soundview and now we've got um down here as well. We're going to link all of this green space together and we really envision a future where people can bike, walk, picnic along the entire waterfront of the Bronx, and people have been pushing for that city island ferry as well. That's right. I'm, I'm on it. I want to ask you, how are you working with the new administration and Mayor Mamdani, as well as new leaders that. In office, you know, his deputy mayor of Economic Justice Julie Sue, as well as the new DEC commissioner to prioritize projects and issues here in the South Bronx. Well, you know, Mayor Mamdani just celebrated his 1st 100 days, and I think it's gone off to a fantastic start. We're off to a bang. He just announced the new opening of La Marqueta, our first city-owned grocery spot, um, and I anticipate many more to come, and it's been really fantastic. Working with the administration, Julie Sue, of course, came from the federal government at the Department of Labor, and it's been fantastic to be able to work with so many like-minded partners. We're able to go so much further, so much faster because everyone's on the same page. Are there any other projects that you're looking to secure federal dollars for here in the Bronx? Yes, well, you know, out here in the Bronx, there's a lot. We actually just worked. Uh, we actually just funded a slew of community project funds. We're doing some re-entry work for folks that are leaving Rikers jail to rehabilitate them, get them some economic opportunities so that we don't see recidivism and recommitment of crime. We've done, um, some really great other environmental interviews, educational work. We're getting opening more libraries and schools across the Bronx, so I am so proud that our borough has such a. Amazing community leaders that they can just take the ball and run with it and we believe in them and I know outside of this project here I'm sure there is a lot of issues top of mind for your constituents, but anything that you're laser focused on working and, uh, you know, setting a goalpost of achieving this year? Yeah, well, you know, we're, um, I'm doing a lot of work. One is trying to fight a deep fake AI pornography that's unconsensual. I'm excited to have built coalitions and we even have some bipartisan Republican support on that, so knock on wood, we'll be able to get that done before the end of the year and pass that, um, and you know, uh, we wanna make sure that we're, we continue to fight for our immigrant New Yorkers, our small businesses, uh, women's rights, and more, and I know it's early, but any chance we see you going for that presidential run in 2028? Well, I think it all depends on community support, right? Um, whether it's on the presidential level, whether it's in any other level, or whether I stay here as your congresswoman, I, I, I serve at the pleasure of the people of New York's 14th Congressional District. More power in politics and Mayor Mamdani, what he's up to this week. That's coming up next here on Power and Politics. Stay with us.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/aad06ce1-1640-4d95-a6d7-8d74f9481e0d/aad06ce1-1640-4d95-a6d7-8d74f9481e0d.transcribe

New York City is getting into the grocery business. Mayor Donny made good on a campaign promise announcing the opening of the first city-run grocery store in East Harlem. The stores will offer subsidized staples like eggs and bread. The plan is to open one store in each borough by the end of his first term in 2029. The project has a $770 million budget with $30 million going towards El Marta on Park Avenue in East Harlem, but some small business owners worry it could hurt local bodegas. The mayor says the stores will be in neighborhoods seeing the highest rates of food insecurity and reliance on food assistance. The tax the rich proposal taking a new turn. Governor Hoch will reversing course, now pushing for a tax on the ultra wealthy. The governor is floating a proposal that would tax people with a second home here in New York City extra if it's worth $5 million or more. The mayor says this idea came from his administration's influence in order to close the city's multi-billion dollar budget gap. At a tax summit, Mayor Mamdani echoing his sentiment that it's time for millionaires to pay their fair share. The super wealthy who can purchase properties and use them to store their wealth to benefit from New York City's real estate market, but not have to pay back into that same city that generates so much of that wealth in the way that they should. Tax the rich was a motto shout. Since day one of Mamdani's campaign, Governor Hochel never wavering in her stance against the idea of a 2% tax hike on New Yorkers who earn a million dollars or more and top corporations who do business in the city. Instead, she's proposed an extra surcharge on secondary homes in the city that are worth $5 million or more. Those who benefit from the city without living in a full-time capacity should contribute to the costs that it takes to run the city. Hochel says the exact surcharge is still being ironed out, but it is estimated to generate $500 million yearly that would go towards closing the city's $5.4 billion budget gap. It would not apply to homeowners who live or rent out their properties full time, but instead target luxury high-rise developers, many owned by wealthy foreign investors that partially sit vacant. They're part of our skyline. But those people are not part of our city. City Council Speaker Julie Mennon, who has been at odds with the mayor on how to close the budget gap, says she supports this additional tax. The Real Estate Board of New York slammed the idea, saying it will weaken the city's economy without addressing its fiscal problems in the first place. The governor says this proposal will be in the state's budget that's now several weeks late for all on power and politics and what the mayor is up to, you can visit our website news12ve.com. Thanks for joining us on this episode. We'll see you next week. I'm Heather Fordham.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/eee19845-7366-48ff-b657-de10ca8343df/eee19845-7366-48ff-b657-de10ca8343df.transcribe

Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Sorin and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez join the show this week.

More Stories

More from News 12

Power & Politics: Exclusive one-on-one interview with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright

Power & Politics: One-on-one with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright; Mejia wins special election to fill Gov. Sherrill's former Congressional seat

Power & Politics: One-on-one with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright; CT State Treasurer Erick Russell on his run for re-election

Power & Politics: A possible break on utility bill taxes and surcharges, the latest impact of rising oil prices

Power & Politics: Mayor Mamdani's first 100 days

Power & Politics: Special election for house seat; Gov. Sherrill signs nuclear bill; FIFA World Cup transportation plans

Ad Choices

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

Privacy Manager