Winner of Vol. 72, No. 30
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, September 2, 2021
Making redistricting a little less partisan? n While a new independent commission is tasked with work, legislature has final say By ETHAN STARK-MILLER estarkmiller@riverdalepress.com
Schools at ready It’s no secret the decision to fully reopen public schools wasn’t very popular, but city leaders say they are now fully prepared. Section B
power to and ultima It’s tha $1.00 Campaign political p “It wa Dodell sa ment. But the legisl course rig But a new independent redistrictingstate sena commission in New York aims to drawcratic Par districts in a less-partisan manner thanto maintai the state lawmakers, who have controlledthe Demo the process for decades. The commission This i was created by a 2014 state constitutionalhow distr amendment, which voters approved in afactors, ac statewide ballot referendum. New York “The fi sion come Commissioning ing to be a the commission develop a Eight of the 10 members are appointednecessary by the state legislature. Democratic andboth Repu Republican party leaders in each chamber The co appoint the eight commissioners who thendrafts of collectively choose two more membershold at le with no affiliation to either party. Thosethose dra two commissioners are Brooklyn attorney and Conservative Party officer Ross Brady, and Fordham University political science professor Ivelisse Cuevas-Molina — the only commissioner from the Bronx. But how independent is this new commission? Redistricting maps proposed by the body must first be approved by the state legislature and then signed into law by the governor. Lawmakers retain the REDISTRICTING, page A4
It happens once every decade, and has major implications for how our country is run. That is, of course, the U.S. Census. But just as impactful is something that comes right after: When all 50 states redraw their congressional and state legislative districts. Including New York. And perhaps the biggest headline here is that New York will lose one of its 27 congressional seats. That means a map drawn out to re-create 26 congressional, 63 state senate, and 150 Assembly districts to be used for elections beginning next year, and continuing through 2030. For this corner of the Bronx, that could mean changes to the districts currently represented by U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera,
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
The districts represented by U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz may change shape in next year’s redistricting. It all takes place ahead of 2022’s election season. While the state legislature still has final say on how districts will be redrawn, the process has been handed over to a new independent redistricting commission. and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz — all, at least for now, who expect to seek re-election next year. The goal of redistricting is to provide equal representation to each electoral district based on population and demographic
information. But it’s usually viewed as a highly political process, where the party controlling the state legislature redraws districts to benefit its own candidates — a process known as partisan gerrymandering.
The (unnecessary) waiting game
FACES of EVICTION Happy new year Jews get ready to usher 5782 in. But how will observances this year be different from what many had to go through last summer? Page A3
Father arrives Our Lady of Angels church welcomes a new priest with some deep Bronx and Marble Hill roots. Page A7
n Renters struggling to pay rent during the pandemic have help. The problem? It just hasn’t arrived quite yet for many By JOSEPH DE LA CRUZ jdelacruz@riverdalepress.com
Like many since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Veronica Cruz has been dealt a bad hand. First, the EMS technician had her hours slashed by the New York Fire Department. Still she found a way to pay her rent, thanks in part to a second job she held. But when that went away, Cruz found herself buried in past-due notices. While some could wait for better days, others — like those she had to pay in order to keep her home — were far more pressing. “At this point I didn’t know what to do,” Cruz said. “I just knew I had to focus on not losing my place. Now I have to see how I’m going to fill that void.” But even life as an EMS tech is far from glamorous — or lucrative. Cruz depended on overtime to keep her head above water. That’s something the single mom lost ‘At this point completely with the cut in her normal hours. I didn’t know “It’s not like I didn’t try to keep up with the rent,” what to do. Cruz said. “I’ve been trying I just knew I to keep up with it.” Cruz found some relief had to focus with a small loan, but it’s that carries a high interon not losing one est rate, meaning the more she catches up, the deeper my place.’ underwater she goes. Even VERONICA CRUZ worse, Cruz couldn’t get payment deferred, meanEMS technician ing she’s already paying the loan back, leaving her little left to not only cover the $1,900 she needs for rent on her two-bedroom apartment, but the rest of her bills as well. Cruz is lucky when it comes to landlords, however. Knowing her struggles, he suggested Cruz apply for emergency rental assistance through the state — a program she admits knowing nothing about at the time. The program was part of the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed into law last March by President Joe Biden. It adds $22 billion to a program that already allocated $25 billion at the height of the pandemic last year, including $2.5 billion for New York. But getting the money from Washington to renters like WAITING GAME, page A4
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Veronica Cruz stands in the doorway of her mother’s Bronx apartment. Cruz — like many other families — is waiting to hear whether she’s eligible for federal rental assistance dollars she applied for months ago. The state has $2.6 billion to distribute, but little has so far made it renters in need.
Could eviction moratorium return? n Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to call lawmakers back to Albany for a session to revive the COVID-era law By JOSEPH DE LA CRUZ jdelacruz@riverdalepress.com
Time’s up! The eviction moratorium has expired. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s federal eviction moratorium, it’s now up to states like New York to help keep tenants financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic in their homes. But the state’s own eviction moratorium expired
last week. And it’s going to take an act of a governor — one like Kathy Hochul — to put a new moratorium into place. Hochul is expected to call lawmakers back to Albany for a special session as early as Wednesday, according to published reports, with the single goal of keeping people in their homes. Reports suggest as many as a half-million people are in jeopardy of being evicted because they couldn’t pay all their rent during the public health crisis — many exposed to the possibility of ending up homeless. If that happens, an already strained homelessness program in New York City could indeed be overwhelmed. That is, unless federal dollars allocated under an emergency rental assistance program can finally MORATORIUM, page A4
You see leaves of three? Then please leave it be! n Poison ivy is a real pain to deal with, and might create an unscratchable itch By SOPHIA ROMANO Special to The Riverdale Press
Even with September arriving, there appears to be just a small respite from the heat of summer. Yet even as those hot days start to cool, wooded areas are teeming with life, and the trails of Van Cortlandt Park are no exception. While warmth meant an increase in gorgeous greenery and sunlight to shine
through the leaves, it also brings out the pesky side of nature. Poison ivy and ticks, in particular. It’s not that poison ivy is a non-issue in the colder months as ticks go dormant. In fact, poison ivy plants are said to be extremely beneficial for the ecosystem, producing life-sustaining berries when few other plants will. But how many people are there really hiking in the cold weather with large patches of exposed skin? Then again, how many people are wearing long clothes to hike in summer months? The sun warrants exposed skin for simple reasons of homeostasis. And this is where many are at risk for a rash. Vannie’s trails POISON IVY, page A4
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN
Van Cortlandt Park is known for some of its gorgeous greenery, but be careful — not everything visitors see is safe to be around. After spring, some plants like poison ivy find ways to really blend in with its neighbors.