SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Senator Diane Savino. Source: Thomas Good via Wikimedia Commons

State Senator Diane Savino, who recently put forward a bill to legalize medical marijuana, is placing heavy pressure on the reluctant Governor Andrew Cuomo to support the bill, according to a report by Capital New York.

Cuomo expressed concerns over the bill during an interview on “The Capital Pressroom” with Susan Arbetter. Despite polls that show a majority of voters in favor of the proposed legislation, Cuomo again expressed fears that such a law would be abused and might spur further recreational use of the drug, though he admitted that his views on the issue were “evolving.”

In an interview, Savino refused to wait for Cuomo’s long brewing evolution on the matter. The state senator urged the governor to reconsider his stance in light of the overwhelming support the public has for the bill both in state and nationally.

“Medical marijuana polls off the charts … in every demographic, every age group,” Capital New York reported Savino saying. “If you look at it purely from the political perspective, we will be close to 20 or 22 states that have adopted a medical marijuana statue [by 2016.]“

Savino also argued that safeguards to regulate and protect against abuse of the drug are heavily coded into the proposed law.

According to Savino, Cuomo is “concerned that we’re going to have a scenario like we have in California. That’s a reason to give him a lot of concern.”

Savino said that under California’s medical marijuana program is “everybody can be certified as a patient,” which Cuomo wouldn’t want to be the case in New York.

The state senator is hoping to meet with governor to address all his concerns and is open to making changes that meet his approval. In New Jersey, for example, access to medical marijuana is extremely regulated and restricted, with two-thirds of patients facing long waits to receive their medicine. Savino isn’t looking into making medical marijuana’s potential availability in New York as stringent.

“You don’t want to make it so difficult that people can’t get access to it.”

Source: Dank Depot via Flickr

Support for the legalization of marijuana is at an all-time high (no pun intended). According to a report in the Huffington Post, for the first time ever a majority of Americans, 52 percent, support the legalization of marijuana. A whopping 72 percent believe that the cost of federal enforcement is simply not worth it.

Led by State Senator Diane Savino, medical marijuana, which is legal in 18 states, is coming to a vote in the New York State Senate, and Savino believes it could pass despite the reservations of Senate Republicans and Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

“Everyone knows this bill will likely pass the New York State Assembly fairly easily,” the Daily News reported Savino saying at a press conference. “The Senate has always been the stumbling block.”

Governor Cuomo is not yet ready to lend his full support to the measure, saying that he doesn’t support the bill “at this time.” He has lent support to decriminalize the possession of marijuana and if polls continue to trend towards the liberalization of marijuana laws there is likely to be greater traction on the issue in the near future.

Senator Diane Savino Source: Thomas Good via Wikimedia Commons

Earlier in the month we reported on State Senator Diane Savino’s plan to introduce a bill that would legalize medical marijuana and, yesterday, Savino, along with Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, made good on her promise, according to a report by the New York Daily News.

With medical marijuana programs being legal in 18 states, Savino thinks it’s time for New Yorkers to decide if legalizing medical pot is right for their state.

“We felt it was important to get the bill in so we could start the discussion,” Savino told the Daily News.

Savino is hoping  a vote on the measure will happen before the end of the legislature’s session in June, though passage of the bill will not be easy.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has gone on record opposing the legislation, expressing fears that the law would be abused.

Attempts to pass the bill in the conservative-leaning Senate have also failed in the past, though it’s unclear how the leadership agreement between the GOP and the more liberal Independent Democratic Caucus may affect a vote.

And they’re off!

The race for the 48th District of the City Council, currently occupied by term-limited Councilman Michael Nelson, officially kicked off yesterday as 45th Assembly District Leader Ari Kagan became the first candidate to officially throw his hat in the ring.

But it wasn’t without drama. The event was delayed as a protester heckled the candidate for approximately 10 minutes at the start of the event, calling him a “foot soldier for the KGB.”

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Source: Dank Depot via Flickr

In the 1980s, New York was one of the first states in the nation to legalize medical marijuana, running the program for nearly a decade before it was shut down. State Senator Diane Savino, of Staten Island and Coney Island, plans to introduce a bill to make medical marijuana accessible again for glaucoma and cancer patients, according to a report by Medical Jane.

Sensing a shift in the national mood towards relaxing marijuana laws (its basically been decriminalized in Washington and Colorado) Savino hopes to introduce the bill next week. It’s at least the third year in a row that she has proposed such legislation, as you can see here and here.

Its passage relies on the Governor Cuomo’s willingness to buck traditional convention:

In order for this bill to get passed, it will take the convincing of New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo. The Governor has announced that while he does not favor the idea of a medical marijuana program, he is open to the idea of it. The legal director for the New York branch of NORML said that Cuomo’s disinclination has nothing to do with the science behind medicinal marijuana. “This is purely political… Nobody wants to be the drug governor,” he goes on to say.

Newly sworn-in Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, representing a broad swath of Brooklyn’s southern coastline walloped by Superstorm Sandy, is hosting a Post Sandy Town Hall Meeting, according to a last-minute press release his office sent out.

The release states:

Too many New Yorkers are still struggling to recover and get back to normal after Superstorm Sandy. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) will be hosting his first town hall meeting and will be joined by local elected officials and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the American Red Cross, the Rapid Repairs Program, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) and other government agencies to address concerns and provide up-to-date information on Post-Sandy relief.

Jeffries will be joined by State Senator Diane Savino, Assemblyman Alex Brook-Krasny, Councilman Domenic Recchia and representatives from FEMA, the American Red Cross, Rapid Repairs Program, SBA, NYS Department of Financial Services (DFS) and other government agencies.

The event will be at 7 p.m. at Coney Island Gospel Assembly, 2828 Neptune Avenue (between West 28th Street and West 29th Street).

Watch the video above to see Jeffries urging his colleagues in the House to pass Sandy relief legislation.

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz celebrating during an election night party at the Turkish Cultural Center of Brooklyn. (Photo: Erica Sherman)

By now, the whole world knows that the American people chose to send Barack Obama back to the White House for another four years. But how did your local elected fare on election day? In short, Southern Brooklyn will see little if any change, with all incumbents but one returning for another term. Here’s the roundup.

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

This week Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced he’d support a casino in Coney Island. Wednesday, Marty Markowitz began a coalition backing gambling in Coney Island, according to the Daily News.

“Back in January when I called for casino gambling, at that moment I was like playing blackjack and asking the dealer to hit on 20, but now the idea of casino gambling is coming up aces,” said Markowitz.

Markowitz believes a casino would bring jobs and revenues to the area, but other politicians haven’t been so quick to back the idea because of moral reasons.

State Senator Dov Hikind is opposed to legalized gambling, citing the impact it may have on people in the community.

“I’m deeply concerned about the repercussions in our community. It shouldn’t just be about raising money,” said Hikind.

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz has voiced similar concerns, but said he would support a casino as long as money is set aside for compulsive gambling treatment programs.

“I support the principle of casino gambling to provide additional revenues to New York State,” said Cymbrowitz.

In order for a bill to be passed to legalize gambling in the city, the state legislature must pass a constitutional amendment to approve the casinos, and then it must be approved by voters.

Coney Island will also have to compete with other locations such as Willets Point in Queens and the Catskills.

Local State Senator Diane Savino backs the casino, but cautioned that legal gambling in New York City is still a long way from becoming a reality.

“The earliest gambling could come to the boardwalk would be Januray, 2014..I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

Image courtesy of the Southern Brooklyn Democrats

The Southern Brooklyn Democrats group will be hosting a meet and greet with local pols Senator Diane Savino and Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz.

Another guest speaker who may be in attendance is from the Transit Workers Union.

The meeting will be held on Monday, July 2 at 7 p.m. at 1706 Sheepshead Bay Road.

The group plans on discussing upcoming events and initiatives that pertain to the community.

Residents are encouraged to come and ask the politicians questions about policies and plans.

Approximately 200 people gathered together at the Holocaust Memorial Park on Emmons Avenue and Shore Boulevard in honor of the 27th Annual Holocaust Memorial Gathering this past Sunday, honoring and preserving the memories of those who perished in the Holocaust.

The audience was filled with people of all ages. There were leaders and members of Russian Holocaust Survivors group, and the Veterans group. According to Inna Stavitsky, president of the Holocaust Memorial Committee, many young individuals were present as well, as the theme of the afternoon was “The Generations After: Passing the Torch.”

Various elected officials attended, including Senators David Storobin and Diane Savino, as well as Assemblymembers Steven Cymbrowitz, Helene Weinstein and Alec Brook-Krasny.

A candle lighting ceremony and musical performances were held in memory of the millions of people murdered by the Nazis.

The event also featured several speakers, among them, Joseph Spitz, the Israeli Consulate Director of Academic Affairs, Lev Katzin, the publisher of two Russian language newspapers, and David Widawsky, the founder of the March of the Living.

Check out the photo gallery from Sheepshead Bites’ photographer Joe Comperiati.