Community Corner
Queens Landlord Named Worst In City + $368M Contract To Upgrade G Line
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Queens.
Good morning, Queens! 🧊
- 👎 Queens landlord Jonathan Santana topped the list as the worst landlord in the city as per Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' annual report.
- 🚂 The MTA will likely approve a $368 million contract to install a new wireless signaling system on the G line.
- 🏠 Queens elected officials rallied alongside tenants and people experiencing homelessness for the Our Homes, Our Power legislative package -- a set of five bills that will help ensure housing security in New York.
🌞 Sun, 🌤 some clouds. High: 40 Low: 33.
Here are the top stories today in Queens:
1. The city's Public Advocate Jumaane Williams released his 4th annual report of the worst landlords across the five boroughs Tuesday with Queens landlord Jonathan Santana at the very top of the list. Inclusion on Williams' list is determined by the number of "widespread, unchecked, repeated violations that have led to horrific conditions at their properties." Santana averaged 2,980 open violations across his 15 buildings in Manhattan and Queens, and also manages the official worst-run building in the entire city — a 37-unit building in Middle Village, Queens that holds a total of 505 violations. Santana owns two other Queens buildings that made the list, including one other in Middle Village and another in Jamaica. Of the 626 buildings included in the report, 30 are located in Queens.
2. At their board meeting on Wednesday, the MTA is likely to approve a $368 million contract to install a new wireless signaling system on the G line, which will run the length of the train's route from Court Square in Queens to Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The G will join the L and 7 trains as the only lines in the city equipped with the modern communications-based train control (CBTC) signal system that enables the MTA to run trains closer and more frequently. The CBTC system is replacing the Great Depression-era analog signals currently in use. The MTA is also in the process of installing CBTC on portions of other train lines, including the A/C in lower Manhattan, and the E/F/M/R in the easternmost stretches of the Queens Boulevard line, and on the F in southern Brooklyn.
3. Queens elected officials rallied alongside tenants and people experiencing homelessness for the Our Homes, Our Power legislative package that will help ensure housing security in New York. The set of five bills covers eviction protections, housing access vouchers, establishing rent guidelines and social housing developments and protects tenants' buildings from being sold without their input. "Constituent after constituent has called my office to report regular harassment from their landlords," said Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. "And all this at a time when 1 in 10 public school students in NYC are experiencing homelessness, enough to nearly fill Yankee Stadium twice over. It is past time for us in Albany to stop sitting on our hands. This next session, we must pass Good Cause and fully fund [the] Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) — anything less and we are simply pouring fuel on the fire that is the housing crisis."
4. Two Queens men working with Russian hackers were indicted for rigging the electronic taxi dispatch system at John F. Kennedy International Airport, allowing taxi drivers in a holding lot to jump the cab line for a $10 fee. Drivers often wait for hours in the airport holding lot to pick up rides. "As alleged in the indictment, these two defendants — with the help of Russian hackers — took the Port Authority for a ride," said Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement. "For years, the defendants' hacking kept honest cab drivers from being able to pick up fares at JFK in the order in which they arrived. Now, thanks to this Office's teamwork with the Port Authority, these defendants are facing serious criminal charges for their alleged cybercrimes." Between September 2019 to September 2021, the two men used their unauthorized access to enable as many as 1,000 fraudulently expedited taxi trips a day. They were charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and now face maximum sentences of 10 years behind bars
5. The Astoria Food Pantry, which distributes bags of fresh produce, bread, and canned food to 460 people each week, is being forced to cut their food budget in half due to a dropoff in donations, organizers announced on Instagram last week. Now, the organization's weekly Monday and Saturday giveaways will occur just every other week. The Astoria pantry launched as a small pop-up in March 2020, and has since evolved into a major volunteer-run effort, keeping thousands of Astorians well-fed since the depths of the pandemic. Catie Fireman, one of the food pantry's organizers, told Patch that the decline in monetary donations was more likely due to the fact that "our donor base is feeling financially squeezed as well," rather than a lack of interest.
🗞 Hungry for more news? 🍽 Snack on these headlines:
- Second Asylum Seeker Dies By Suicide In NYC Shelter (Patch)
- Shelter Widow Threatened With Eviction After Partner's Suicide, She Says (NBC New York)
- Calls grow for Congressman-elect George Santos to resign after allegedly lying about his background (CBS New York)
- A foodie's heaven: Hot new restaurants are taking over the 'World's Borough'(Queens Courier)
- Gay New York Councilman's Home Targeted by Anti-LGTBQ Mob (VICE)
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🗓 To Do Today in Queens:
- Volunteer at 9 Million Reasons / Evangel Food Pantry (8:45 a.m.)
- YWCA of Queens Food Pantry (10 a.m.)
- Facets of Fitness (1 p.m.)
- Police Commissioner's Toy Giveaway (3 p.m.)
- Amaze Light Festival (4 p.m.)
- The New York Winter Lantern Festival – Illuminate the Farm (5 p.m.)
- Creatine Crashing Comedy Open Mic (5:30 p.m.)
- Queens Solstice Music & Dance Soiree (6 p.m.)
- Family Craft Night (6 p.m.)
🗣 Queens Chatter:
- 🕎 A beautiful Chanukah ceremony in Queens: "One of the greatest honors I have as Borough President is lighting our Borough Hall menorah every #Chanukah, alongside so many of our Jewish leaders and families. Thank you to everyone who came to be a part of tonight's ceremony. May your holiday be filled with good health, happiness, joy and family." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
- 🏳️🌈 NYC Council stands in deep solidarity with queer communities everywhere: "The Council's LGBTQIA+ members have been repeatedly under attack this year, facing an onslaught of bigoted, homophobic vitriol. But we are not backing down & are standing strongly together and in deep solidarity with queer communities everywhere." (Council Member Tiffany Cabán via Twitter)
- 🚜 Laughing all the way to Queens Farm: "O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way! Our tractor-drawn hayride is decked out for the holidays with a cheery wreath, bows, and bells. Hop on a hay bale and enjoy the brisk air as you take in 47 scenic acres of historic farmland. Stop by the Farm Store when you arrive for tickets and departure schedule (weather-permitting)! https://www.queensfarm.org/hayrides/" (The Queens County Farm Museum via Facebook)
- ☮️ The crucial task of ensuring that asylum seekers are safe and treated with dignity: "On the second day of @NYCCouncil's oversight hearing examining the City's response and delivery of services to asylum seekers, we heard crucial testimony from New Yorkers that will help us ensure that migrants remain safe and are treated with dignity." (Speaker Adrienne Adams via Twitter)
- 💙 Shout out to Jelani Cobb, my fellow Queens native and the Dean of Columbia Journalism School: ""As an adult, an author, and the Dean of a journalism school, I know everything I did and everything I've been able to do has flowed from the moment I received my first library card. That's why I feel an immense debt of gratitude to Queens Public Library." Read More of this special holiday letter from Jelani Cobb: https://www.queenslibrary.org/abo.../news-media/blog/2789..." (Queens Public Library via Facebook)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Wednesday! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with another update.
— Emma Radu Fighera
About me: Emma Radu Fighera is a reporter born and raised in Queens, New York. She studied Literature and Studio Art at Hamilton College, where she helped run the only daily publication on campus, The Daily Bull newsletter. This past spring she earned her M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com
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