MANH Lawmakers on the Move, Dec. 16, 2020

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Stringer Calls on SEC to Investigate Tyson Foods

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer (Photo credit: Thomas Good, CC BY-SA 4.0)
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer

Last Monday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate Tyson Foods, Inc. for lying to its investors about its worker health and safety protections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to SEC Acting Directors Shelley Parratt and Marc P. Berger, Stringer alleged that Tyson Foods is “flagrantly misrepresenting” its poor pandemic response via its annual disclosures.

“There is human cost to Tyson’s failures – preventable deaths, hospitalizations and sick workers,” wrote Stringer. “These failures have material impacts on its business operations that carry serious risks for shareholders. I am calling on the SEC to immediately open an investigation into Tyson’s misleading and dubious claims that they are adhering to OSHA and CDC safety guidelines, because shareowners need a full and transparent accounting into Tyson’s workplace safety and the risks to both workers and investors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”


James Wins More Than $1 Million in Rent Credits for Harassed Tenants

Attorney General Letitia James (Photo credit: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)
Attorney General Letitia James

Last Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced an agreement with the private equity firm Madison Realty Capital that secures over $1 million in rent credits for harassed tenants, and establishes housing for 10 homeless families.

The agreement came after James discovered that the company has abetted tenant harassment, conducted by the landlord Raphael Toledano. With Madison’s backing, Toledano harassed countless tenants by conducting illegal construction practices and withholding essential services, such as utilities and repairs.

“Today’s agreement stands up for all the tenants harassed and pushed out of their homes by a fraudulent landlord and the lender that financed his unlawful operation,” said James. “Madison Realty Capital aided one of our city’s worst landlords in his unlawful scheme, but we’re holding the company to account and delivering real relief to the many victims through rent credits and housing placement. My office will continue to stand up for tenants who rely on affordable, rent-stabilized housing by stopping dishonest landlords and their unscrupulous financiers dead in their tracks.”


Rosenthal, Treyger to Host Hearing on NYC’s Pandemic Childcare Program

Council Member Helen Rosenthal (Photo: Emil Cohen/ NYC Council)
Council Member Helen Rosenthal

Today, the Committees on Women & Gender Equity and Education – chaired by Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal (D-Central Park, Lincoln Square) and Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn), respectively – will be holding an oversight hearing on New York’s childcare initiative for public school and pre-school students during the pandemic.

A central concern of the City Council is that the de Blasio Administration is not providing enough childcare slots to accommodate NYC families. The hearing will examine the efficacy of the City’s “Learning Bridges” and “Learning Labs” programs, and the state of the City’s childcare programming in general.

The hearing will take place today at 10 a.m.