John Liu's campaign Tweets that he has gotten the endorsement of the Village Independent Democrats tonight. That is the second progressive club in Manhattan that has endorsed John Liu this week (the first being Three Parks Independent Democrats.

Other endorsements so far from Village Independent Democrats:

City Council 1st District- Jenifer Rajkumar
City Council 2nd District- Rosie Mendez
City Council 3rd District- Corey Johnson
Manhattan District Attorney- Cyrus Vance, Jr.
New York City Comptroller- Scott Stringer

Village Independent Democrats describes themselves:

V.I.D. was founded in 1957 and is one of the oldest Reform Democratic Clubs in the City and the first one in the Village. It plays a significant role in shaping a progressive agenda for the Village, the City and the State
through helping to elect public and party officials who are committed to change, and by public testimony, lobbying, political action, and working with community groups and Community Boards...

Village Independent Democrats general membership meetings occur at 7:30 pm on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Check our calendar and postings for location and agenda.

Three Parks Independent Democrats on the Upper West Side has started their endorsements. There are at least two candidates we agree on.

Mayor: John Liu
Public Advocate: Letitia James
Comptroller: Scott Stringer
Manhattan BP: Gale Brewer
Manhattan DA: Cyrus Vance
District Leaders: Bob Botfeld and Cynthia Doty

The Three Parks Independent Democrats describe themselves:

Three Parks Independent Democrats has been an active participant in Upper West Side politics for more than 35 years. The Club works to elect Democratic candidates who demonstrate ability, integrity, and progressive convictions and to maintain and improve the quality of life in our neighborhood and beyond.

Our major issues currently include fighting to ban fracking in New York State, close the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, and preserve and strengthen Social Security.

In addition, Three Parks supports a moratorium on charter school expansion in New York City and opposes the co-location of any charter schools within District 3. We also participate in the Sweatshop Free Campaign on behalf of low-wage workers in restaurants and other businesses.

Three Parks meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 8:00 p.m. at the Youth Hostel, 103rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue. If you are a registered Democrat and live or work on the Upper West Side, then you should join Three Parks Independent Democrats. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting.

Earlier this month I highlighted City Council candidate Yetta Kurland's efforts to protect NYC hospitals from the epidemic of closures as well as her endorsement for City Council from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC). You can read their endorsement here.

Yetta Kurland has picked up another endorsement for City Council, this time from the Amalgamated Transit Union. From their press release:

New York, NY – Civil rights attorney and radio show host Yetta Kurland announced yet another labor endorsement today, this time by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International.

ATU’s Local 1181 is currently on strike in New York City demanding better conditions for their workers.

“I am honored that at a time when the members of Amalgamated Transit Union are busy fighting for their members on the frontlines, that they would take time to support me in my run for City Council. It shows the level of commitment these workers have to making this City a better place for all working New Yorkers.” said Yetta Kurland.

International ATU President Larry Hanley said “We are proud to endorse Yetta Kurland. Yetta has been there for us on the picket line, and she will be a voice for us in City Hall. Just as she courageously stands up for working men and women, we at the Amalgamated Transit Union proudly stand behind her in her candidacy for City Council.”

Kurland has already received early endorsements from TWU Local 100, CWA Local 1180, DC 37, Local 372, the NYS Machinists District 15 along with several elected officials and clubs including the Women’s Democratic Club of NYC.

Yetta strikes me as the kind of activist that this city lacks in its government. The City Council is one of the tamest (and lamest) I have seen in any city, seldom standing up to anything the mayor does. I think Yetta would make things at least somewhat more interesting. Some background from her website:  read more »

Looks like Daily Gotham is up again. And this seems like a good test post.

I remember Yetta Kurland from the fight to keep St. Vincent's Hospital (which happens to be the hospital where Jacob was born) open. And let's remember that closing of St. Vincent's coupled with the closing of NYU's Tisch Hospital, Bellevue Hospital and the VA hospital meant that emergency room coverage was critically low in Manhattan for some time after Sandy. In fact the NYU Medical Center's emergency room remains down today, though I believe their Urgent Care center is now open.

Sadly few people have been championing keeping hospitals open. The dynamic is a complex one. Hospitals almost all run at a loss. This is not because of mismanagement usually but because the cost of care in emergency rooms and ICUs is so hugely expensive that it tends to lose money at a huge rate...in order to save lives. The more people who don't have health insurance, the more people who have to depend on emergency rooms for basic care...and the more money it costs the hospitals. Reduce the number of uninsured people and spread emergency visits over more hospitals and the burden on each hospital is reduced. But leave lots of uninsured and close hospitals and each remaining hospital gets an even higher burden on their emergency rooms...driving them deeper into a financial hole.

Closing St. Vincent's just increased the burden on every other hospital. Of course Healthcare reform is a key way to improve the financial strength of our hospitals, but closing hospitals really isn't. Yetta Kurland gets that.

Yetta is running for City Council again in Manhattan (for the seat Christine Quinn is vacating) and hospitals is one of her main issues. And this morning the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has endorsed her. From their press release:

40 blocks. That's the distance from the lower tip of Manhattan to the nearest trauma-treating hospital. In a city like New York , that distance could mean the difference between life and death.

That's one of the top issues Yetta Kurland, proud progressive, has been leading the charge on. She fought the closure of St. Vincent's Hospital and has been working hard to ensure that Lower Manhattan has the medical facilities it needs, especially with so many hospitals closed due to Sandy damage.

Now, Yetta Kurland is campaigning for New York City Council in your area, as a next step in serving the community. We are proud to endorse Yetta, the bold progressive in the race.

Yetta doesn't just talk the talk. She organizes for progressive change. Recently, she's helped lead local efforts to coordinate volunteers and relief efforts for Sandy victims. This Saturday, she's asking her team to take a break from campaigning and instead join her in the National Day of Service in the Rockaways.

Can you join Yetta this Saturday(January 19, 9:00am - 5:00pm) while she helps Sandy victims clean up and rebuild their community? Click to see details and RSVP.

We were proud to work with Yetta as we organized a New York event for Elizabeth Warren. Yetta Kurland is from the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party, and we see Yetta as a rising progressive star who will do big things for New York .

Whether or not you can make it on Saturday, you should still take time to learn about Yetta's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for her campaign or join her email list and Like Yetta on Facebook for up-to-date campaign news!
Thanks for being a bold progressive.

-- Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Kayla Wingbermuehle, and the PCCC team

You can check out her website here.  read more »

This comes from the Downtown Independent Democrats. I encourage everyone in the vicinity to take part in the discussion.

Community Board 2 has changed locations of future meetings on NYU’s expansion plan in order to handle the crowds.
The new locations are listed below. INCLUDING TONIGHT'S [Jan 10] MEETING AT 6:30.

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All meetings begin at 6:30 pm.
TUES JAN 10 TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION
Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Father Demo Hall, 25 Carmine Street (Carmine and Bleecker Sts) [NOTE: now passed]

THUR JAN 12 PARKS
Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Father Demo Hall, 25 Carmine Street
TUES JAN 17 SOCIAL SERVICES & EDUCATION (new school)
Judson Church, 55 Washington Square South, upstairs
WED JAN 18 ENVIRONMENT (including Construction Effects)
Our Lady of Pompeii Church, Father Demo Hall, 25 Carmine Street
******

We, the people, are making our voices very clear on NYU’s megalomania.
Overcapacity crowds showed up at last week’s Town Hall and again at last night’s Community Board 2 zoning meeting.

See: Tensions High at NYU Expansion Meeting  read more »