Serrano

Serrano to Meeks: The Party’s Over, Sort Of

Posted by Katie Honan

Politicians are the worst, aren’t they?

They steal money from innocent constituents and from Hurricane victims; they make shady deals with other politicians; they have sexual relations with interns; they lead the country into illegal wars; they throw tickle slumber parties; they curse.

All they do is steal, and lie, and cheat, and sometimes they don’t even show up to throw the first pitch at the inaugural game for the Little League season.  They never answer back phone calls complaining about the Q21 bus or the litter problem on the Queens Boulevard dog park. And they only march in the Memorial Day parade during election years!

Who will save us from these evil, evil men and women driving around in government-owned cars, parking in special parking spots, and complaining about working a full week? Who can we trust down in Washington DC or up in Albany??

Super Serrano!

SerranoHero

This week, New York State Senator Jose Serrano and Assemblywoman Sandra Galef proposed new legislation that will “create detailed criteria on how member items are awarded and what qualifications need to be met.”

Before submitting an application for a member item, the group who would be receiving the funds would have to meet clearance standards set up by the attorney general. State agencies would also have to monitor how the money is being spent–something that isn’t currently being done. This, they hope, will detract politicians from directing money to friends, family members, or people who do construction on their new homes.  They’re taking the lead of former Mayor Ed Koch, who has vowed to clean up Albany.

And if the legislation passes, it’s sure to piss off Greg Meeks, who, if the stories are true, has practically made a second income off of money he directed towards himself. And while the proposals are meant to clean up Albany’s act, national offices may follow suit in order to restore some dignity to politics (if that’s possible).

In any case, since Serrano’s papa is a colleague of Meeks’, it must make for awkward train rides from NY to DC–if Congresspeople travel together in packs, as I imagine they do.  I also imagine them all eating together at one table in the Congressional lunchroom, all the downstate New York Congresspeople at the “dirty liberal” table, eating bagels and lox.  The New York guys must be used to criticism from those from other states–but from someone on the inside?  And from the Bronx, no less?  Will Greg Meeks tell Jose to sit somewhere else?  Will he have to keep the three or four representatives from Rhode Island entertained?

Serrano Puts the Uninsured In Front of the Undocumented

Posted by Azriel Relph

José E Serrano changed his stance and voted in favor of the Health Care reform bill last week, in what appears to be a win for his constituents, and perhaps the Congressman himself.

Serrano initially opposed the bill because of language that would prevent undocumented immigrants from getting coverage.  On Thursday, along with the rest of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, he announced his new position, and on Sunday he helped pass the bill.  With an immigration bill on the horizon, Serrano has another opportunity to help the undocumented.  With a constituency in extremely poor health, he might not have gotten another chance to help the uninsured.

Serrano explained why he changed his mind:  “I can vote for this bill with this provision in it for two reasons,” he said in a press release. “First, without victory on this bill, immigration reform will not move forward. Secondly, when we do immigration reform, people who were excluded from health reform will become documented and later citizens, and therefore will no longer be excluded.”

Estimating how many undocumented immigrants live in any area poses obvious challenges, (a problem the 2010 Census is supposed to ease), but the number is assumed to be extremely high in Serrano’s district.  At first glance, it might seem sensible for Serrano to de-prioritize these residents since they cannot vote.  But voters do not live in vacuums; an undocumented resident is likely the parent, sibling, employee, friend or neighbor of a voter.  And it is probably not hard for Serrano – who was born in Puerto Rico – to imagine how different his life might have been if he had been born a hundred miles away in the Dominican Republic.

But the decision to put off the fight for undocumented immigrants does make sense when looking at the health of the South Bronx.  Asthma is one of the biggest health problems in an area known for high traffic and heavy industry.  The levels lead the nation, with one in four elementary school students afflicted. Few residents do not have a preexisting condition of some kind.  The community boards are constantly asking for more and expanded health care centers – but the money is hard to find.  According to Serrano’s website, over 86,000 uninsured South Bronx residents would get coverage thanks to the bill.  The 65,000 people in the area on Medicaid would see improved coverage.  Thousands of small businesses, (the kind with 50 or fewer employees), would get tax breaks to offer employees coverage.  Millions of dollars would go to over 70 community health centers.

Serrano explained that his yes vote was for the health of his constituents.  “I have fought long and hard to ensure that they are able to lead healthy lives—whether it is working to clean the air that they breath or fighting for parks and open space for people to exercise and relax or even pushing for healthier food options. But voting in favor of this health reform bill is the biggest step we can take to ensure that Bronx residents live healthier lives.”

As much as it made sense for him to fight for coverage for the undocumented, ultimately it made even more sense for Serrano to vote for the bill.  His constituents needed the help, and will likely reward him for it with their continued support.  With health care finally taken care of, immigration reform should come up on the agenda soon, and Serrano will have another chance to help the undocumented.

Serrano Goes Postal

Posted by Azriel Relph

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays this Congressman from getting funding for his favorite causes.

In December, Jose E. Serrano introduced a bill to the House that would benefit both civil servants and the environment – two camps he’s been known to fight for.  If passed, HR 4399, the American Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Act, (or “e-Drive” bill), would provide up to $2 billion to create a fleet of over 20,000 electric vehicles for the U.S. Postal Service Fleet.

The bill would fund about 14,000 vehicles that use different types of electric and hybrid technologies in an initial phase.  The second phase would produce an additional 10,000 of the type of vehicle that proves to be the most cost and energy efficient.  Part of the bill includes a “Vehicle to Grid” plan, where excess power in the grid during off-peak times could be stored in the batteries of idle vehicles. When energy demand rises, it could be put back into the grid and purchased by energy wholesalers – allowing the Postal Service to make money off of the trucks.

The U.S. Postal Service announced last week that it was on track to lose $238 billion over the next decade, due to a decrease in usage.  It is even considering eliminating its Saturday service to makeup for the shortfall.  There are over 200,000 postal delivery trucks on the road right now, getting about ten miles per gallon, and most are due for replacement.  There are currently 30 electric vehicles delivering the mail in the Bronx.

As chairman of the House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee, Serrano oversees the funding of the Postal Service.

A spokesperson for Serrano said this was currently his most important project.  This should come as no surprise.

Serrano is well known as an environmental advocate. In the heavily polluted 16th Congressional District in the South Bronx, he has helped fund the cleanup of the Bronx River for several years – where beavers and fish are starting to replace old tires and rusted shopping carts.  In the late 1990’s he filed a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency over the air quality in the area, where heavy traffic and heavy industry just happen to share space with some of the nation’s highest asthma rates.  On national issues he is just as green, and his voting record in the House for 2009 earned him a 100% rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

Perhaps less well known is Serrano’s commitment to the U.S. Postal Service.  In 2007, he fought and won against a proposal to shut down the Bronx Postal Distribution Center and have its services consolidated with the Manhattan center.  Last year, he fought against the closing of seven Bronx post offices.  He has also fought against the reduction of service from six to five days.  In 2008 he even sponsored a commemorative stamp for one of his favorite crooners, The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra.

Why all the love for the Cliff Clavins of America?  A look at Serrano’s top campaign contributions for 2009-2010 gives a few hints.  The National Rural Letter Carriers Association gave $3,500 in the eleventh spot, the American Postal Workers Union gave $4000 in seventh, and tied in second place were the National Association of Postmasters and the National Association of Letter Carriers at $5,000 each.  His number one contribution however, was $11,000 from accounting, consulting and financial services firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.  And what does Deloitte do? One project is consulting the Postal Service on “green” initiatives.

If you have questions about the e-Drive bill, you can contact Congressman Serrano through his website.  Although he’d probably prefer it if you mailed him a letter.

Serrano Has a Hard Time Taking Wall Street Whining Seriously

Posted by Azriel Relph

Jose Serrano still believes the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists should take place in New York City.

Most of his fellow New York Democrats have backed away from supporting a trial in the city.  Serrano himself seemed to be cooling to the idea a couple of weeks ago, but said last week that Downtown New York was as good a place as any other to have the trials.

He told the Daily News that his colleagues might be coddling to big business downtown:

“We were all on board with it, and all of a sudden, I think, that the boys of Wall Street began to say, ‘We don’t want that in our neighborhood,’ he said. “Is it truly a concern about safety . . . or is it just coddling corporate America?”

And:

“Well, we’re gonna have a traffic jam,” Serrano needled. “Hello. This is New York. This is new?”

Never one to coddle to Wall Street, perhaps the release of two recent reports, reminding him of the great divide between downtown and his own district, inspired Serrano to keep the issue up.

Earlier in the month, a Gallup survey revealed that more than 36% of residents in New York’s 16th Congressional District could not afford to feed themselves or their families during the last year.  This makes Serrano’s district officially the hungriest in the nation.

Last week, another Gallup survey came out, ranking the relative health and happiness of Americans by congressional district.  Take a guess where Serrano’s district ranked.  It should come as no surprise that the poorest district in the nation ranked as the unhealthiest and the saddest.  The Las Vegas area turned out to be the angriest, but the South Bronx was right behind it in the number two spot.

In the poorest, hungriest, saddest and unhealthiest area of the country, it is probably difficult to take complaints about high costs and traffic jams from your wealthy neighbors seriously.