South Bronx

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's Wars

Posted by Azriel Relph
The NYOFCo plant on the shore of the East River.
The NYOFCo plant on the shore of the East River.

This week, Jose E. Serrano declared victory in a long-and-hard fought war just days after declaring that another war was a lost cause.

Serrano supported Dennis Kucinich’s resolution for withdrawal from the nine year-old war in Afghanistan in the House on Wednesday.  The resolution failed in a 356 to 65 vote.

By Friday, Serrano declared victory in a 18 year-old battle against an odorous fertilizer plant in the South Bronx.

On Wednesday, the Department of Environmental Protection announced that it would terminate its contract with The New York Organic Fertilizer Company (NYOFCo).

NYOFCo started operating on the Hunts Point waterfront in 1992.  Sewage from throughout the city is brought on barges to the plant, where human refuse is turned into fertilizer pellets. Recycling our worst bits of waste into products that can be sold and used to grow crops seems like a great program. But locals think the whole operation stinks.

The red-and-white-striped smokestack of the plant looms over the southern part of the neighborhood as if a giant Cat in the Hat had left behind his signature headwear. At one of the neighborhood’s few green spaces, the new Baretto Point Park, children play in the shadow of the plant.  But it’s been more than an eyesore.  The plant emits a noxious odor, that one resident described as smelling like “old garbage, burned rubber and pestilence” to The Hunts Point Express. The smells have driven residents indoors, leaving the park empty on days when the wind doesn’t blow odors away.  People have repeatedly reported getting sick from the smells.

Community groups rallied together to fight the plant for years, and Serrano has been a big supporter of their cause, speaking against renewing the plant’s permits. Resident’s sued NYOFCo in 2008, and in 2009 the state also sued the company.  Until now the biggest victories were a state smell inspector and promises of tougher regulations on the odors.

The long hard fight has produced positive outcomes beyond the goal of shutting the plant down, according to Serrano.

“The remarkable thing about the years-long fight against NYOFCo is that it became the tool that our community used to organize itself,” said Serrano in a press release Friday. “The coalitions that formed in this campaign have gone on to fight on behalf of other pressing environmental causes – of which there are far too many in our borough – and have won many of those fights.”

Serrano wrapped up his remarks with more language of a triumphant warrior: “I look forward to more victories like this one, but today’s is particularly sweet.”

So Serrano knows that a long arduous fight can be won, and is worth the wait.  Yet, his remarks on Afghanistan make it seem like he has lost his faith in the fighting spirit.

“Nine years later, I believe that Congress has the duty to reevaluate America’s involvement in a war that seems to have bogged down with very few signs of success,” said Serrano when he addressed the House floor Wednesday.

“We seem unable to eradicate the Taliban enemy—they scatter before our troops into lawless regions, and then return once our troops leave,” he continued. “This is a costly war without an end in sight.”

Serrano initially supported the war, but says that the goals have changed, and that victory is not in sight.

But what if he had adopted the same attitude halfway through the fight against the foul smelling plant?  The persistence of Serrano and residents made the South Bronx a better place for children to grow up.  Similar persistence may or may not eventually make Afghanistan a better place for children to grow up as well – and thus make the entire world safer.

The measure was certain to fail, and any Congressman’s decision to support it was clearly more political than practical. However Serrano and residents of his embattled district, should know not to give up when the going gets tough.

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 Bails Out Bronx Beaver

Posted by Azriel Relph

Wall Street got $700 billion.   Detroit got $17 billion.  In December a little part of the Bronx got its own bailout, thanks to José E. Serrano.

The recession has hit the animal kingdom hard; last year Governor Paterson cut more than half of state aid to zoos, from $9 million to $4 million.  The Bronx Zoo even launched a campaign with videos featuring animals getting laid off.

Bronx Park and the 265-acre zoo within it, stand out from the dense housing and rundown industrial zones in the 16th Congressional District, like an emerald in a pile of coal.

The Bronx River – which creates the Eastern boundary of Serrano’s district – feeds from the East River near the Rikers Island jail, up past the scrap metal yards of Hunts Point, under the Bruckner and Cross Bronx Expressways, until it reaches the 110 year-old zoo.  A recent effort aimed at cleaning the polluted river – led by the Bronx River Alliance – has been successful thanks to Serrano’s skill at bringing money into his district. Three years ago biologists from the zoo discovered that a beaver had returned to the river after a 200-year absence, (the critters were once so abundant that they are a part of the city’s flag).  The biologists saw fit to name the beaver José, after their representative in Congress.

So it should be no surprise that Serrano used his earmarking skills to get $1 million in federal funds for the Wildlife Conservation Society, who runs the zoo.  The funds came in December in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill – H.R. 3288 – and are to be used for restoration on the Bronx River.

But Serrano probably didn’t just secure the funds out of a feeling of kinship towards his dam-building namesake.  There are other incentives.

First of all, the zoo really is a huge job provider in his district.  Unlike places like the Hunts Point Food Market, where most of the business owners and workers live in other areas, many of the zoo’s employees live in the Bronx.   The Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium have a combined staff of 990 full-time and 600 part-time employees according to the Wildlife Conservation Society .  New York State Senator José M. Serrano, (son of the Congressman), says that 38% of the zoo’s full-time staff, and 80% of its part-time staff live in the Bronx.

So that is $1 million for jobs at one of the few places that attracts visitors to the Bronx, (the other being Yankee Stadium).  The jobs will go towards restoration of a river whose health is tied to the reputation of the human José and the life of the rodent José.  Out of work residents, tourists, environmentalists and beavers all made happy.  Seems like an easy move for Serrano.

Secondly, it probably doesn’t hurt that his son, the State Senator, is also Chair of the Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee – and has been vocal for funding for the zoo.

So maybe big José was lending little José a hand to boost his political clout in the Borough.  Or perhaps he was helping furry José increase his property value in the river.  Or maybe he was just trying to get a little money into the poorest Congressional District in the country.

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.

As Democrats Scramble, Serrano is Still Sitting Pretty

Posted by Azriel Relph

By Azriel James Relph

If there is one Democrat who doesn’t have to worry about adjusting to the shifting political tides right now, it’s Jose E. Serrano.

The election of Republican Scott Brown to the late Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat last month was a big wakeup call for the Democratic Party. The loss of their filibuster-proof senate majority, forced most Democrats to reevaluate their own job security. Many – including President Obama – have embraced a more populist stance to curb waning public support. But for Congressman Serrano, no shift – and no fear – seems necessary.

Since 1992, Serrano has embraced the kind of populism – like criticizing the bailout of Wall Street – that his colleagues are now scrambling towards. His seat in the House of Representatives is one of the least likely to fall from Democrat’s hands.

Serrano was the only New York congressman to vote against the $700 billion 2008 Mortgage-backed Securities Buyout – aka the bank bailout, (It is worth noting the irony that Serrano himself used to be a banker). “I was speaking for the people in the Bronx and people across the nation who are stuck without any help from our government,” he said. “I was speaking against bailing out the very people who caused this mess. I was speaking for fairness in our economic policies.”

The US Chamber of Commerce gives Serrano a 26 percent rating – indicating that he has an anti-business voting record. Some Democrats probably wish they had a similar rating these days.

Serrano’s populism is not the kind that will appeal to the rising Tea Party movement, as he is unlikely to rail against deficit spending. In 2009, he got more than $14 million in earmarks for special projects. His 16th Congressional District, made up of South Bronx neighborhoods, is the poorest in the United States.  $9 million of those federal funds went there, something Serrano does not downplay.

It is also one of the most solidly Democratic districts. President Obama got 95 percent of the 16th’s vote in 2008 – his highest in the country. Al Gore got the same treatment in 2000, as did Bill Clinton in 1996. No Republican bothered to run against Serrano in 1994, and no Democrat has ever opposed him in a primary.

President Obama ramped up his criticism of Wall Street after the Massachusetts loss. He has proposed new regulations on risky investments, and in his State of the Union Address last month he proposed fees for the largest banks. In response to the address, Serrano said, “President Obama had just the right message tonight, one of hope, resolve, and clarity of purpose.”

Last July Serrano voted to allow shareholders to vote on executive pay. Of course, a month earlier he voted to give himself a pay raise.
It looks like populism pays.