Author: katyusca
NYC Launches Phase II of Paid Sick Leave Public Education & Outreach Campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2014
NEW YORK CITY LAUNCHES SECOND PHASE OF ITS PAID SICK LEAVE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CAMPAIGN
Department of Consumer Affairs Expands Outreach Efforts and Rolls out Advertising Campaign to Alert New Yorkers that Covered Employees can Begin Using Accrued Leave on July 30
NEW YORK —Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Julie Menin today officially launched the second phase of the City’s paid sick leave public education and outreach campaign to help employees and employers understand their responsibilities and rights. Under the law, certain employers now must provide sick leave so employees can care for themselves or a family member. These employers must allow covered employees to begin using accrued leave on July 30, 2014.
Read the full press release: Paid Sick Leave Phase 2 Campaign Launch
Grand Opening Event of the Ventanilla de Asesoría Financiera at the Consulate General of Mexico
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2014
DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF MEXICO IN NEW YORK CUT THE RIBBON ON THE VENTANILLA DE ASESORÍA FINANCIERA TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL COUNSELING SERVICES TO MEXICAN NEW YORKERS
Financial Counseling Window Opening Kicks Off the Consulate’s Financial Education Week
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) First Deputy Commissioner Alba Pico, Ambassador and Consul General of Mexico Sandra Fuentes-Berain, and President of the Mexican National Agency for the Protection and Defense of the Users of Financial Services Mario Di Costanzo today cut the ribbon on the first Ventanilla de Asesoría Financiera (Financial Counseling Window) at the Mexican Consulate of New York and kicked off the Consulate’s Financial Education Week. The Ventanilla will offer one-on-one financial counseling to Mexican New Yorkers, provide access to a broad network of services at the Consulate, and help Mexican nationals and families living in New York City achieve greater financial security. The program is made possible through generous support from Citi Community Development in partnership with the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and counseling services are provided by Ariva and Qualitas of Life Foundation.
Read the full press release: Mexican Consulate Ventanilla Launch
DCA Announces Home Improvement Contractor as Top Complaint for 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2014
DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS (DCA) ANNOUNCES HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS ARE THE TOP COMPLAINT FOR 2013
DCA Mediates More Than 3,750 Consumer Complaints and Secures More Than $5.8 Million in Restitution for New Yorkers in the Past Year
The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) today announced home improvement contractors were the agency’s top complaint in 2013. DCA received more than 530 complaints about home improvement contractors and secured almost $3.45 million in restitution for consumers. DCA made the announcement at a press conference with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau and other Federal and State agencies and organizations in order to alert New York consumers to the top consumer complaints of the past year and to educate them on how to avoid becoming victims of these and other scams in 2014.
Read the full press release: Top Complaints_HIC
NYC Makes it Easier for NYers to File Taxes for Free
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2014
THE CITY MAKES IT EASIER FOR NEW YORKERS TO FILE TAXES FOR FREE WITH MORE SITES THAN EVER BEFORE AND VIRTUAL SITES WHERE FILERS CAN DROP OFF TAX DOCUMENTS AND PICK UP COMPLETED RETURNS LATER
Department of Consumer Affairs Kicks Off the City’s Annual Tax Campaign and Urges Any New Yorker Who Made $58,000 or Less to File for Free
Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) today launched New York City’s 12th Annual Tax Credit Campaign. The tax season has begun and the IRS is now accepting 2013 returns. This year, the City has more free ways to file a return than ever before with the expansion of the Virtual VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program. Fast, easy and convenient, Virtual VITA sites are coordinated by the Food Bank For New York City and taxes are completed by IRS-trained preparers. They allow filers to drop off their tax documents and return later to review and file the completed return. Across the five boroughs, there are 100 free sites, both virtual and traditional and eligible New Yorkers also have the option to file for free online at nyc.gov/taxprep. The SaveUSA program is also offered at select VITA sites for its seventh year. SaveUSA is unique savings program for tax filers that offers a 50 percent match if they deposit at least $200 of their tax refund into a SaveUSA account and maintain the deposit for one year.
Read the full press release: Tax Season 2014 Launch
NYT on the Jerry Delakas Case
On a Changing East Village Street, a Source of Continuity Fights for His Job
By Colin Moynihan | New York Times
…
[Jerry Delakas] ran the stand for 26 years without ever obtaining the required license, and in December the city closed the cramped, cluttered stand.
Mr Delakas began running the newsstand in 1987, paying weekly fees of $75 and up to the license holders, first Stella Schwartz and later her sister, Katherine Ashley. Although Mr. Delakas said that he saw nothing wrong with the arrangement and never tried to hide it, officials at the Department of Consumer Affairs said it violated the city administrative code, which states that newsstands may be operated only by those with licenses and that licenses are not transferable without approval. When Ms. Ashley died in 2006, her will bequeathed the newsstand license to Mr. Delakas, but rules at the time allowed transfers only to family members, officials said. So the department instead turned the license over to Ms. Ashley’s husband, Sheldon Ashley, who allowed Mr. Delakas to continue running the newsstand.
After Mr. Ashley died in 2010, Mr. Delakas applied for a license to run the stand. City officials declined his request and a judge upheld their decision, noting that Mr. Delakas had engaged in a ‘fraudulent arrangement’ with the Ashleys. In December, the city padlocked the stand, saying it had been operating illegally.
“Four separate courts have rejected Mr. Delaka’s claim that he is entitled to this newsstand,’ Katyusca Abreu, a spokeswoman for the Department of Consumer Affairs, wrote in an email, adding that the agency “will now be able to offer the newsstand to licensed operators who have been displaced” from other areas.
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Click here to read the full article.
Delayed Reaction
I spent the past two weeks submerged in a country that I’d forgotten. Dominican Republic. Yes, it was great. Yes, it was hot. No, I didn’t go to the beach. And I came back with tanned arms and a pale face. Hmm…
But I did have one too many realizations. So I’m just going to speak of my trip as one of self-discovery. With that said, the most meaningful thing that happened — coming to terms with my passion — writing.
The last time I thought I was a good writer was….almost ten years ago. Freshman year at Cornell. That was, of course, until my first freshman writing seminar. My professor made it very clear that my writing was pretty mediocre.
Since my years at Cornell, I’ve only mainly focused on my professional writing, which often times gets edited by everyone and their mother.
But alas, here I am again. Delayed reaction. I think I’m a pretty decent writer. Actually, no, I think I’m a great writer. And that’s why I’m here. And that’s why I plan to focus on it more.
katyusca.com 