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December 2016 Monthly Update
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A Message from Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell
Dear Neighbor,
Happy holidays! I hope that this season brings good fortune, health, and love to you and your families.
With the cold months ahead of New York City it is important to remember that tenants have the right to essential services. This is true for all tenants, regardless of the type of lease you hold. Heat and hot water are among the most important essential services. The law requires that hot water be maintained at 120 degrees throughout the year and twenty-four hours a day. Beginning on October 1st, landlords are required to heat their buildings at no less than 68 degrees during the day (from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.) if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees. In the night time hours, (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) apartments must be 55 degrees or warmer if the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees. If services are not maintained, my office staff are available to assist you.
I am pleased to announce that my office will be hosting a reception to culminate the showcasing of Sara Bennett's "Life After Life in Prison" Photo Exhibit, in conjunction with our annual holiday toy drive. "Life After Life in Prison," a photography series by Sara Bennett detailing the lives of formerly incarcerated women, will be available for a final viewing and reception in my community office on Monday, December 12, 2016 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This photo series sheds light on the lives of formerly incarcerated women -- people who are often overlooked in the criminal justice system. Along with viewing the photographs, you will also have the chance to speak with the women and learn about their stories.
In anticipation of the holiday season, my office will also be hosting a toy drive in partnership with Angel Tree to collect toys for children with incarcerated parents. If you would like to donate, please bring unwrapped toys to the reception on December 12th. If you are unable to attend the reception, you may drop off your donation any day beforehand during office hours. For more information regarding the photo exhibit and toy drive, please skip to the events section of this publication.
Finally, toward the end of this month I will be preparing to return to Albany for the 2017-2018 Legislative Session. I will begin my eighth term, and am looking forward to continuing my advocacy on behalf of criminal justice reform, improved educational policy, and our community. As always, I remain fully committed to being your progressive, loud, voice for New York State.
Should you need assistance or information, my Community Office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM. Feel free to call my office at (212) 866-3970 or email me at odonnelld@nyassembly.gov. I also encourage you to follow my official New York State Assembly Twitter & Facebook accounts to get exclusive insight into the work I'm doing in my district and for all New Yorkers by visiting twitter.com/dannyodonnellny and facebook.com/dannyodonnellny.
Very truly yours,
Daniel O'Donnell
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Assembly Member O'Donnell News Features
In case you missed it, check out these news features of Assembly Member O'Donnell in November 2016.
- School Transportation News covers the N.Y Bus Contractor's Association's award to Assembly Member O'Donnell as a legislator of the year.
- The Times Union covers AG Schneiderman and Education Commisioner Elia's letter to school districts providing resources to comply with the Dignity For All Students Act (legislation championed by Assembly Member O'Donnell.)
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Assembly Member O'Donnell's Office Hosts
"Life After Life in Prison" Photo Exhibit
When: Monday, December 12, 2016
Where: 245 West 104th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue
In January 2016, Assembly Member O'Donnell hosted a photo exhibit titled "Life After Life in Prison" by photographer Sara Bennett in Albany's Legislative Office Building. The exhibit featured photos of women who are formerly incarcerated and captured the wide diversity of formerly incarcerated women and the struggles and joys they face after completing life sentences. Assembly Member O'Donnell sought to raise awareness among his colleagues in Albany about these challenges and move them to make legislative changes so that reintegration into society is easier. Now, Bennett's photo exhibit
"Life After Life in Prison" is in our community!
Assembly Member O'Donnell is pleased to announce that his Community Office is currently serving as a gallery space to showcase Bennett's work until December 12, 2016.
On Monday, December 12, 2016 we will culminate our showcasing of the exhibit with a reception from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
For more information and visiting opportunities, contact our office at 212-866-3970.
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Assembly Member O'Donnell's Toy Drive
When: Now through December 12, 2016
Where: 245 West 104th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue
Assembly Member O'Donnell is happy to announce that unused and unwrapped toys donated to his office between now and December 12, 2016 will be donated to Angel Tree Christmas. Founded in 1982 by an ex-prisoner who witnessed firsthand the strained relationship between incarcerated people and their children, Angel Tree has grown to become the largest national outreach specifically for the children of the incarcerated. Angel Tree volunteers will wrap your holiday gifts on behalf of incarcerated parents and deliver it to their children.
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The 28th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive
The 28th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive kicked off mid-November with
125,000 coat requests from the community left to fulfill. They're relying on us to keep tens of thousands of New Yorkers warm throughout the coldest months of the year. Here are three ways to help immediately, courtesy of New York Cares:
1. Text COAT to 41444
Don't have a coat to donate this year? New York Cares has a whole new way to give in case you've already cleaned out your closets or can't make it to a drop-off location. Simply text COAT to 41444. Just $20 buys a new coat for a neighbor in need.
You can gather your friends, family, colleagues, or neighbors and run a coat drive of your own. In fact, it's one of the most powerful ways to bring in more coats for those who most need them.
Have a couple of coats to donate? New York Cares has drop-off sites open to the public all over the city - any NYPD police precinct, which are open 24 hours a day, most library branches, and many more. Just type your zipcode into the site to locate a collection point near you, or contact Assembly Member O'Donnell's Community Office at 212-866-3970for help finding a drop off location near you.
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Community Office seeks Winter/Spring Interns & Semester Fellow
Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell's New York City community office is seeking Winter/Spring Interns & a Semester Fellow. Students interested in public service will have the opportunity to get real-life experience in an active, fast-paced, New York City government office. The program offers interns the chance to engage in legislative research, offer administrative support, and help with constituent services. Successful candidates are personable and have strong research and writing skills. We aim to create an experience that is tailored to individual interests while exposing students to the dynamic day-to-day work of elected officials. Spanish-speaking a plus. To learn more about Assembly Member O'Donnell, please visit his Assembly webpage.
Responsibilities:
Constituent services, conducting policy and legislative research, drafting correspondence, outreach, and press materials, special events planning assistance, and office management tasks. The Semester fellow should complete one individualized research or policy project (to be determined in conjunction with the Internship Coordinator)*
Qualifications:
Strong research, writing and analytical skills, excellent interpersonal skills and attention to detail, proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Google Drive, interest in public and community service, highly organized, proactive, and able to multi-task. Bilingual (Spanish) preferred.
How To Apply:
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Ice-Skating Rinks Re-Open
New York City's favorite winter activity returns for another year! Rinks in Central Park, Bryant Park and across the city have re-opened for the winter season.
The ice skating rinks listed below offer a safe way to celebrate the cold weather. Please call rinks before your visit to confirm hours, as outdoor skating rink schedules can change due to weather conditions. Feel free to visit the NYC Parks website for more information.
| Name | Location | Phone | Accessibility |
| Lasker Rink at Central Park | Entrance just south of park entrance at 110th Street and Lenox Avenue | 917-492-3856 | Yes |
| The Rink at Bryant Park | Between 40th and 42nd Street | 212-661-6640 | Yes |
| Wollman Rink at Central Park | Central Park at 63rd Street | 212-439-6900 | No |
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Donate your old cellphones at Assembly Member O'Donnell's Office
Throughout the month of December, stop by Assembly Member O'Donnell's office to donate your old cellphones to Secure the Call, which seeks to provide those in need a direct line to help in case of an emergency.
Secure the Call collects cellphones and wipes them clean of any service, numbers, and address books, and then gives them to their coalition partners who distribute them for free to the community. Secure the Call's coalition partners include police and sheriffs offices, battered women's shelters, domestic violence support groups, senior citizen centers and any other organization that demonstrates a need for emergency 911-only phones.
*Secure the Call will only accept cellphones that are in working condition and that are accompanied by their functioning chargers.*
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Beware of Telephone Scams & Robo Callers
WARNING! Assembly Member O'Donnell has seen an increase in the amount of telephone scams reported to his office. Telephone scams may be in the form of pre-recorded messages ("robo-calls") or a live caller. Unfortunately, scammers tend to target older adults and seniors. Please review these common telephone scams:
Utilities Scam:
In this scam, the caller typically poses as a representative of the consumer's actual local utility, stating that immediate payment is required so that the consumer's heating service is not disconnected. The scammers are known to spoof utility company telephone numbers so the caller ID makes it appear to be a call from the utility company. These scammers often use automated interactive voice response calling systems that mimic legitimate providers' calls. After consumers follow instructions via interactive prompts, they are connected to a live "customer service representative" who asks for the access code for a credit, debit, or gift card. This information allows the scammer to cash out the card or sell it to a third party.
If consumers receive a call warning them of a balance they do not believe they owe their utility, they should hang up, independently look up their utility company's phone number on a recent statement or legitimate website, and call that number to verify the legitimacy of the call.
IRS scam:
Scammers will allege to be an IRS agent or the police, demanding payment for overdue taxes. The caller may claim that if you do not pay, you will be arrested. Please note: The IRS will never contact you by telephone. If the IRS attempts to contact you, they will do it via postal mail.
Lottery scam:
Scammers will allege that you have won a lottery, either within or outside of the United States. The scammer will often use an official sounding name, such as that of a government representative, or say they are from "Washington DC." They will ask that you pay upfront fees, taxes or interest, in order to collect the winnings. If you do not remember entering a lottery, do not divulge any personal information.
PC Cleaner scam:
Scammers will claim that your personal computer is sending them a message that it has a virus or is being hacked. Often, the scammers purport to be from Microsoft or an official sounding technology company. They will offer to fix the problem for a fee. If your computer indeed has a virus or is being hacked, it will not send any type of notification. Often, the services that they are offering actually cost much less than the quoted price.
Never give out any personal information, including your name, age, address, social security number, credit card or banking information over the phone to an unknown caller.
If you believe you are the victim of a scam or have been approached by a scammer, you may file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
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Tour of Congregation Ohab Zedek with the Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group
The Bloomingdale Neighborhood History Group has organized a tour of Congregation Ohab Zedek (118 West 95th Street) for Thursday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Paul Wachtel will lead the tour and discuss both the history of the congregation, which was originally founded on the Lower East Side in 1873, and the architecture of its present home, built in 1927 when the congregation moved to the Upper West Side.
Free and all are welcome.
For information call 212-666-9774
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The Bloomingdale School of Music's Free December Events
On Friday, December 2nd join Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street) at 7:00pm for a concert entitled "Music for the Movies." Violinist Naho Parrini and pianist Marc Peloquin perform music written for the movies, including a silent movie score by Saint-Saens and music from 'Fiddler on the Roof'. Free and open to the public. Call 212-663-6021 ext. 0 for more info.
On Friday, December 9th join Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street) at 7:00pm for a guitar recital by BSM faculty member Jose Maldonado.Maldonado will present a program of music spanning centuries and continents, including rarely heard works from Spain and France as well as "Three Danzas of Puerto Rico" by Egúrbida. Free and open to the public. Call 212-663-6021 ext. 0 for more info.
On Friday, December 16th join Bloomingdale School of Music (323 West 108th Street) at 7:00pm for a concert entitled "Imaginative World." Three diverse composers for the piano come together for this program: Prokofiev, Debussy, and Schumann. All three share in common an imaginative musical language and style. Free and open to the public. Call 212-663-6021 ext. 0 for more info.
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ASSEMBLY MEMBER O'DONNELL'S UPCOMING
FREE LEGAL CLINIC
For constituents who need help with legal issues but are unable to come to Assembly Member O'Donnell's Community Office during the workday, Assembly Member O'Donnell hosts a monthly evening opportunity for constituents to consult with a volunteer attorney.
Call Joyce Goodman at (212) 866-3970 to make an appointment.
** Thursday, December 22nd**
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NEED A LARGE PRINT COPY OF THE MONTHLY UPDATE? CALL OR VISIT ASSEMBLY MEMBER O'DONNELL'S DISTRICT OFFICE FOR ONE!
If you are visually impaired or feel that you read better in large print, please do not hesitate to request a large print copy of Assembly Member O'Donnell's monthly update. Please call or stop by the Assembly Member's Community Office to request a copy.
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ATENCION // ATTENTION
La oficina comunitaria del AsambleÃsta Daniel O'Donnell tiene empleados que hablan español para asistir al público, tiempo completo, de lunes a viernes desde 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM. La oficina de la comunidad está localizada en el 245 West 104th St., cercana a la calle Broadway. También se puede contactar la oficina en horario de trabajo al (212) 866-3970.
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Assembly Member O'Donnell's community office has full-time Spanish-speaking staff available to assist you, Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The office is located at 245 West 104th Street, just off Broadway. You can also call (212) 866-3970
during business hours.
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