City Councilman Daniel Dromm (c.) holds a rally with residents demanding the supermarket Trade Fair, on 75th Street and 37th Avenue, in Jackson Heights get rid of its enclosure on the sidewalk and clean up its recycling. Photo courtesy Dromm

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Jackson Heights residents are demanding that the Trade Fair, at 75th Street and 37th Avenue, take down its sidewalk enclosure and make changes to its practices, but the grocery chain denies it is doing anything illegal.

“To me it’s outrageous to think that people can build on the sidewalk and get away with it,” Dromm said.

Trade Fair is an Astoria-based grocery chain with 11 locations in Jackson Heights, Astoria, Woodside, East Elmhurst, Long Island City, Forest Hills and Richmond Hill.

The councilman and various residents held a rally against the 75th Street and 37th Avenue Trade Fair Jan. 17. Dromm said the store had received a partial vacate order in August 2011 for a plastic enclosure it had extended onto the city sidewalk. When it failed to comply, the store received a city Environmental Control Board violation.

“Trade Fair runs a good store, but they can’t keep straight what’s theirs and what belongs to the public,” said Tom Lowenhaupt, a 75th Street resident, in a statement. “They have a take, take, take policy when it comes to the areas adjacent to their stores.”

Martin Jacobson, a certified public accountant representing Trade Fair?, said the company was told by the city the enclosure was fine since it installed a sprinkler system and had places of egress, and that the company planned to defend itself before the city next month.

Dromm said despite this, he still believed Trade Fair was not operating legally in erecting the enclosure. He said it was unfair that an Italian restaurant nearby pays thousands of dollars a year to set up a sidewalk café but Trade Fair allegedly set up an illegal enclosure and does not pay fees.

“You can’t just take over the city sidewalk for your own benefit or your own profit,” Dromm said.

The councilman also complained that Trade Fair had bins with broken bottles near the recycling area and had filled in a tree pit with cement. Dromm said when he had complained to the owner of Trade Fair, the store had only removed part of the cement from the pit.

Jacobson said the store has a maintenance worker who cleans the glass and that the store filled in the pit because it caused problems for delivery workers.

Dromm and the other Jackson Heights residents’ rally earned the sympathy of neighboring Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), who said in a statement she had similar problems with the Trade Fair in her district.

“Its history of poor sanitation, parking violations, idling delivery trucks and general disregard for the quality of life of its neighbors is unacceptable,” Ferreras said of the chain.

Some residents have threatened to boycott the store. Dromm said he was not calling for a boycott, but wanted Trade Fair to work better with the community.

“I shop in Trade Fair, but we want them to comply with the law,” he said.

Jacobson said Trade Fair is an asset to the community. He said the store hires from the community and stocks products that adhere to the community’s ethnic composition.

“Trade Fair, as I pointed out, is a very, very responsible company,” he said.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (pictured) was near the top of his class, according to the Urban Justice Center's Human Rights Report Card, whereas Councilman Peter Vallone's score indicated he could use some tutoring.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) is going to have to make some room on his fridge.

The chairman of the Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations had the best record of the Queens delegation on human rights issues last year, according to the Urban Justice Center’s 2011 Human Rights Report Card.

The report card identified 72 bills introduced over the past year that focused on housing, voting, disability and workers’ rights as well as issues concerning criminal and juvenile justice, health and government accountability.

Each Council member was graded on his or her votes and sponsorship of these bills as well as their response to a questionnaire.

Van Bramer voted in favor of eight bills, sponsored 52 — including two he was the primary sponsor of — and returned his questionnaire, all of which earned him an “A-.”

He fared particularly well when it came to housing rights and government accountability.

On the other end of the spectrum, Councilman Peter Vallone’s (D-Astoria) score of 12 earned him a grade of “D+,” the lowest in the borough.

Vallone was the primary sponsor of two human rights bills and sponsored three others. He voted in favor of four bills and did not respond to the questionnaire.

The councilman criticized the methodology of the report, calling into question the voting records of other Council members who scored higher than he did.

“Apparently, supporting brutal and repressive dictators gets you an ‘A’ from this supposed human rights group. I’m proud to be at the bottom of any list Charles Barron is at the top of,” he said.

Councilman Barron (D-Brooklyn), who praised the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, earned an “A” on the report card.

Council members James Sanders (D-Laurelton) and Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) both received a “B-” and Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) got a grade of “B.”

Receiving a grade of “C” were Council members Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans).

Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing), Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) each scored slightly lower: a “C-.”

Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) got a “D+” and Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica), who took office last November, did not receive a grade.

While the report assigned each Council member a grade, its primary criticism was of the political power of the speaker and the Council’s failure to challenge that power.

Of the 72 bills introduced, only eight were brought to a vote, and the report implied this was because Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) did not support them.

Quinn’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The report cited two rules that allow the Council to advance the process of legislation that does not have the speaker’s support.

“There are no clear reasons for the Council’s reticence in taking advantage of these two rules. However, based [on] reports that the speaker readily wields political power internally, and on conversations with advocates, we speculate that failure to do so is linked with the desire of most Council members to maintain a relatively friendly relationship with the speaker,” the report read.

“However, given its impact on human rights in New York City, business as usual is not sufficient to protect our human rights. Council members should act — individually and as a collective — to challenge the status quo even in the face of political reprisals,” it continued.

District Leader Martha Taylor (l.-r. front row), Assemblywoman Grace Meng, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz through their support behind Assemblyman David Weprin's (c.) Congressional campaign last week. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Many female elected officials at the city, state and federal levels endorsed state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) last Thursday at a news conference in front of Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, saying the Democratic candidate for the sprawling congressional district is a tireless advocate for women’s rights.

“Some of the most impassioned speeches supporting women and children have come from David Weprin,” said Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria).

Joined by his family — wife Ronni Weprin and daughters Stephanie Weprin and Lori Friedman — Weprin picked up the official support of electeds from Queens and beyond in his campaign to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner two months ago amid a sexting scandal.

Most said they supported Weprin over Republican candidate Bob Turner because of Weprin’s support for abortion rights and access to birth control.

“I will be a strong advocate for the women of the 9th Congressional District as well as our state, city and country,” Weprin said.

Britta Vander Linden, a spokeswoman for Turner’s campaign, said in a statement responding to the endorsements that district women would vote for Turner due to his platform to cut waste, lower taxes and improve the economy. She said the ability of American women to manage their families’ household budgets has been made impossible by “career politicians like Mr. Weprin.”

“Jobs and young people are fleeing New York because of the taxes and debt these politicians have piled on us,” Linden said. “These are the pocketbook issues women in Queens and Brooklyn care about.”

Those who endorsed Weprin included Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), Simotas, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilwomen Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), Diana Reyna (D-Ridgewood), Julissa Ferreras (D-Jackson Heights) and Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan).

Weprin said he was “a little speechless and a little overwhelmed” by the endorsements.

Koslowitz said the members of Congress who have represented the Forest Hills district, from Weiner going back to as far as former Rep. Joseph Addabbo Sr.,? who began his career in the House of Representatives in 1961, have been pro-women’s rights.

“Every one of them helped women. They believed in women,” Koslowitz said.

Others said they were supporting Weprin for his other policy positions. Maloney praised Weprin’s work as chairman of the Finance Committee when he was in the Council and said his financial aptitude would be a boon in Congress.

“I wish he was the chair of the Finance Committee in Congress,” Maloney said.

Ferreras said she hoped the multitude of endorsements by women politicians would encourage women voters to vote for Weprin.

“Every time we send a Republican to Congress, we lose rights as women, we lose rights as families,” Ferreras said.

Turner has received high-profile endorsements from former Mayor Ed Koch and Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park).

Elmcor Youth & Activities, which hosts recreational activities for children such as this 2009 karate tournament, received one of the largest grants from City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras in her discretionary funding. Photo by Christina Santucci

The recipient of the largest single grant from City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras’ (D-East Elmhurst) discretionary funds is not located in her district, but the councilwoman said those funds will help those she represents.

Ferreras, whose district includes East Elmhurst and parts of Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights, gave $35,000 to the Research Foundation of the City University of New York, which is in Manhattan. CUNY’s grant request asked for ?funds to provide free immigration legal services to New Yorkers, and Ferreras said CUNY provides these services in her district office.

“They come in and provide an incredible service,” the councilwoman said.

Ferreras, who sits on the Council Finance Committee and was part of the negotiating team, received around $261,000 in discretionary funds this year. Much of her funds went to nonprofits in her district aimed at helping the young and old, with special emphasis on Hispanic, Pacific-Asian and LGBT populations.

Some of her recipients include the Dominico-American Society of Queens, which received $45,000 in three grants; Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities, which received a collective $27,857, the Institute for the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Elderly Inc., which received $25,000; and the Library Action Committee of Corona-East Elmhurst, which received $20,000.

She also gave $15,000 to local nonprofits Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York and $15,000 to Queens Community House, which operates one of its programs for LGBT youth in Jackson Heights.

But she gave other funds to organizations that she said would give the best services to her constituents. She earmarked $21,000 for the city Sanitation Department for additional baskets and additional services on Roosevelt Avenue from 82nd to 104th streets, saying the amount of garbage was “unbearable.”

“Do they provide a citywide service? Absolutely. Are they going to do this on Roosevelt Avenue? Yes,” Ferreras said.

Some funds also went to work that supplement Ferreras’ position as head of the Women’s Issues Committee. She mentioned in particular Hollaback Inc., a citywide organization that provides victims of street harassment information to properly report the crime. Ferreras said she met this group during a hearing she held on street harassment.

“The response was amazing and Hollaback really helped bring some tools to empower women,” the councilwoman said.

Ferreras said that while this was a tough budget year, she believed the process was transparent and praised the work of Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).

“I felt that it was very fair and everyone had an opportunity to express what they needed to express,” Ferreras said.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (l.) and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio (r.) speak to PS 16 PTA president Maria Quiroz at a signature drive at the school against teacher layoffs. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) visited Corona’s PS 19 last week and collected about 100 signatures from parents and students within an hour imploring Mayor Michael Bloomberg not to fire 4,100 teachers from city schools.

He then took his call for action to the borough streets last Thursday.

“The issue here is to get parents engaged and make sure parents’ voices are heard,” de Blasio said.

The May 24 visit was part of a campaign de Blasio has been waging to prevent Bloomberg from laying off 4,100 teachers as proposed in his city budget. Wylie Norvell, a spokesman for de Blasio, said the public advocate has been collecting signatures, testimony and videos of parents who do not want teachers laid off.

As part of the campaign, de Blasio has also been going to schools throughout the city, and Norvell said last week he planned to visit one in each of the five boroughs. PS 19, at 98-02 Roosevelt Ave. in Corona, one of the most crowded schools in the city, was where de Blasio decided to appear in Queens.

The public advocate said the layoffs would create an “unprecedented danger” to the city school system and would constitute the largest number of teachers lost at one time since the 1970s.

“We’re going to make a bad situation worse in those schools that are overcrowded,” de Blasio said.

Ferreras, who went to PS 19 as a child, said she remembers the school bursting at the seams as a student there. She said that as the school is now, special education is taught in the hallways and lunch periods begin at 10:30 a.m.

“This is not a new issue. The problem is that we haven’t applied new solutions,” Ferreras said.

Yoselin Genao, Ferreras’ chief of staff, said PS 19 has the capacity for 1,305 students but there are 2,012 students currently enrolled.

“In the average class there’s 30 students,” said Maria Quiroz, president of the PTA who has two children at the school. “Where would all these students go?”

Eddie Paez, a fifth-grade student at the school who lives the Corona, said he signed the petition to help his teachers.

“They teach us a lot and they show us how to improve in life and what to do,” Eddie said.

De Blasio and state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) gathered more signatures and support with a series of rallies in Queens last Thursday. The public advocate’s supporters met at the Parsons Boulevard-Archer Avenue subway station, PS 40 and PS 30 in Jamaica, the Queens Plaza subway station and the Roosevelt Avenue subway station to voice their disdain against the city.

“That is 4,100 less teachers that our children will have to educate them, 4,100 less teachers our children can go to for help and guidance and 4,100 less teachers to make our schools tolerant, safe and productive,” Huntley said in a statement.

At the PS 19 drive, Ferreras said now that Dennis Walcott has become city schools chancellor, the lines of communication have been better. She said previous Schools Chancellor Cathie Black never returned her calls, but Ferreras was one of the first electeds to meet with Walcott.

“For me personally, it’s been day and night,” she said.

But the public advocate said Walcott needs to demonstrate that policy has changed among the administration.

“He has to show people there’s a change in direction at the Department of Education,” de Blasio said.

Visit parentsforteachers.com for the petition.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (c.) visited the East Elmhurst Library, one of five libraries to which he gave $10,000 each for buying books. Queens Library officials and children from PS 127 were present for his visit. Photo by Rebecca Henely

In the midst of a prominent campaign by the Queens Public Library for private donations so the institution can buy new books, representatives of the system recognized one of their largest donors Friday.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) visited the East Elmhurst Library, at 95-06 Astoria Blvd., where he announced he had donated $50,000 to the Queens Library system through member items so the libraries within his district could buy books.

The money was distributed evenly between the five libraries in Peralta’s district: the East Elmhurst Library, the Jackson Heights Library at 35-51 81st St., the Corona Library at 38-17 104th St., the LeFrak City Library at 98-30 57th Ave. and the Langston Hughes Library at 100-01 Northern Blvd. in Corona.

“I wanted to make sure books are purchased,” Peralta said.

At a ceremony that included a saxophone performance and was attended by the Friends of the East Elmhurst Library as well as by about 30 fifth- and eighth-grade students from East Elmhurst’s PS 127, the East Elmhurst Library’s Community Library Manager Johnnie Dent and Queens Library Chief Executive Officer Tom Galante thanked Peralta for his donation.

Galante said the library had done well with raising money through its Buy-A-Book Drive, but Peralta’s grant was the largest and a boon at a time when the library has had to cut 70 percent of its book budget.

“That’s a huge improvement on what’s available for people to read and borrow,” Galante said of Peralta’s grant.

Peralta said he was glad to be helpful to the library in a time of economic crisis. To the students in the audience, Peralta shared the story of when he got his first library card from the Corona Library when he was a boy. He said he was very excited about it and he treated the card like gold, would often show it to his relatives and tell people what books he took out with the library card.

“I want people to have that feeling about coming to the library,” Peralta said.

The Queens Library also opened two 24-hour, seven-days-a-week self-service return kiosks at branches in western Queens this week, one at the Corona Library and the other at the branch at 40-20 Broadway in Long Island City.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) gave $200,000 to the library for the kiosks and Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) gave $250,000.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (c.) held a hearing to combat the high rate of attempted suicides among Latina teens. The meeting was attended by numerous other Queens council members, including Councilman Dan Halloran (second from l.). Photo courtesy William Alatriste

Latina teenagers need mental and emotional care that is sensitive to their cultural needs and involves their families, health care professionals said at a City Council committee hearing aimed at how to prevent the high rate of suicide in this segment of society.

“These young women feel isolated, powerless and stuck in-between two cultures,” Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) said.

The hearing was held Monday by the Council’s Women’s Issues Committee, of which Ferreras is the chairwoman. Ferreras said 11 percent of Latina teenagers attempt suicide in the United States, referencing a Youth Risk Behavioral Survey by the federal Center for Disease Control.

Lily Tom, of the city Department of Health, said that while the teen years were a time of heightened mental health problems, intergenerational conflict was often a source of suicide and self-harm. She said the department had tried to reach out to? teens and latina teens through school programs and through the Internet, as well as through its Lifenet information and referral hotline, which is available in English, Spanish and Chinese. She said the department was piloting additional programs and trying to do outreach through family information centers to bring family dynamics into care.

“We also want to increase the cultural competence of the staff and department as well,” Tom said.

Dr. Rosa Gil, creator and director of the nonprofit group Communilife, which recently launched an anti-suicide initiative for young girls called “Life Is Precious” in the Bronx, said cultural competence was important and Latina teens need clinical mental health care that incorporates their cultural values and norms. She also recommended family therapy and research into developing critical strategies for reaching Latina teens.

Gil said a public education campaign must be launched so these young women know about services available to them. She also said parents need to watch their children’s moods, especially any sudden changes such as in sleeping or eating.

“There are patterns of behaviors that parents need to notice,” she said.

Roberto Lewis-Fernandez, the director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute’s Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, said churches and community organizations should reach out to Latina teens. He also suggested trying to identify and help young Latinas at risk who come into the health system through the emergency room or social services.

“Often these young women are seen somewhere in the system but are often lost,” Lewis-Fernandez said.

A young woman from Mexico who testified and asked to be identified only as “Miss D” said her depression and former history of cutting for self-mutilation? had their roots in her feeling like an outsider when she came to the city at the age of 7.

“I used to think about killing myself all the time,” she said.

Miss D said she received help when her mother found out about her problem and took her to the hospital.

Ferreras thanked Miss D for her testimony.

“As a Latina, I’m very proud of you and know that you have a very bright future,” Ferreras said.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (c.), joined by Assemblyman Francisco Moya, Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, members of the Guardian Angels , parents and children, announces legislation that would put peddlers of "chica chica cards" behind bars. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

Stroll down Roosevelt Avenue from 69th to 112th streets and it is impossible not to notice the men distributing small cards with scantily clad and sometimes naked women on them with a phone number to call for “delivery.”

But state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and state Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) have teamed up to help police and the Queens district attorney’s office to prosecute the peddlers.

“What we see here is small, baseball-size cards, sex cards, chica chica cards,” Peralta said Sunday outside PS 19 in Corona, where he announced a bill that would fine the sex card distributors $1,000 and put them in jail for up to a year.

The cards are known as “chica chica cards” because the men who hand them out promise “chicas, chicas,” or “girls, girls.”

Peralta said the current law governing distribution of lewd materials is too vague to prosecute people who hand out the sex cards, but his legislation specifically adds the sex cards to the law so they can be arrested.

Peralta said the cards, handed out overnight, are picked up the next morning by children who go to school near Roosevelt Avenue.

“These cards are being picked up, they’re being traded like baseball cards,” the senator said.

Corona resident Duberki Bacheco, who spoke at the news conference and has a young daughter, called the cards “disgusting.”

“On [Sunday] morning I picked up three cards,” she said, including one of a nude woman.

Peralta said his bill, which is also sponsored by Moya in the Assembly, “will take criminals off the streets.”

He conceded the bill will not eradicate prostitution along the avenue, but eliminating the cards from the streets is “one of the many battles that we have to face on Roosevelt Avenue.”

“The idea here is to get the city and state government to get involved,” Peralta said.

He said the Guardian Angels will be patrolling Roosevelt Avenue in the next few weeks to help the NYPD in cracking down on the sex cards.

Moya, who picked up one of the cards in front of his house on the morning of the Sunday news conference, said the fact that children see the cards on their way to school is “simply unacceptable.”

“We want to keep our streets clear of pornography peddlers,” he said. “We need to make sure that we stop this problem.”

City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) said she used to attend PS 19 and never had to worry about stumbling upon the cards like kids today do.

“As a woman, as a resident of this community … I say that it’s absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,” she said.

Ferreras said she would introduce a resolution in the Council to denounce the cards.

“It’s time that we take our Roosevelt Avenue back because it belongs to all of us and certainly not these people,” she said.

Besides going after the sex card peddlers, Ferreras said the legislation would also help the district attorney’s office find out “who’s behind this,” referring to ?prostitution.

Ferreras noted that most of the girls featured on the cards are immigrant women who most likely are abused and forced to sell their bodies.

“This is a whole conversation that’s very real in Corona and that conversation is sex trafficking,” she said.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (c.) honored Bill Thompson (second from r.) and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall (r.) at his Black History Month event. Photo by Rebecca Henely

In celebration of Black History Month, state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) bestowed honors upon three black New Yorkers for what they have done for the city, Queens and East Elmhurst.

More than 130 people crowded into the meeting room of the Langston Hughes Library, at 100-01 Northern Blvd. in Corona, last Thursday as Peralta presented former city Comptroller Bill Thompson with a Special Recognition Award, Borough President Helen Marshall with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Lynda McDougald, president of the East Elmhurst and Corona Civic Association, with the Community Activist Award.

Peralta said he plans to make this Black History celebration an annual one. As the first Dominican American elected to the Senate, Peralta pointed out that African Americans and the civil rights movement paved the way for Latinos.

“I’m very grateful for what they’ve done,” Peralta said.

The honorees spoke on the lessons of black history, particularly the discrimination they experienced growing up decades ago in New York City, and linked the struggles of old to the struggles of today. As the keynote speaker at the event, Thompson encouraged those in the audience to talk to their children about black history and said he learned a lot about black history from listening to what his father remembered.

“Over the years, the things that I’ve heard from him give me a greater appreciation of where I’m at,” Thompson said.

Peralta also said he believed Thompson would win the 2013 race as the city’s next mayor.

Marshall spoke of her experience growing up as the child of Guyanese immigrants with a Southern stepmother and of her work as the first director of the Langston Hughes Library. She said every award she receives is special to her.

“I love what I do and just doing it is an award for me,” she said.

McDougald, whose career in civic activism began when she went with her mother to a sit-in at age 13, said she wanted the young people of today to find civic engagement.

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything,” McDougald said.

Many of the elected officials who came to the event thanked those honored and other black Americans for their accomplishments and what the civil rights movement had done for their own minority groups. City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) commended President Barack Obama and East Elmhurst-born U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder for their recent conclusion that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), who is black and Latina, also praised those were honored.

“I want to thank you not only for the doors that you opened but that you held open so we could walk through,” Ferreras said.

Legislators and advocates are calling for a state law that requires all chain pharmacies, such as this CVS in Astoria, to provide translation services to be expanded statewide. Photo by Rebecca Henely

New York City legislators and advocates are calling on the state to implement a law so all chain-store pharmacies across the state will need to provide language services to help consumers understand their medications. The state law would be modeled on a city law passed in 2009 that took effect in June.

“Taking prescription medications shouldn’t be a game of Russian roulette for seniors, non-English speakers or anyone else,” said state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) in a statement. “I am committed to doing all I can, working with my colleagues in the Legislature, to make medication instructions and prescription labels understandable to all consumers.”

The initiative has been supported by Peralta, state Assemblyman Richard Gottfried (D-Manhattan), City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), the immigrant advocacy program Make the Road New York and the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, which has taken on Make the Road as a client.

Nisha Agarwal, director of the Health Justice Program, said her program and Make the Road have been working on this issue since 2007. After previous collaboration on various health-care issues, the organizations decided to work on this issue based on a New York Academy of Medicine study that found while 88 percent of pharmacists saw individuals with limited proficiency in English daily and almost 80 percent had the capacity to translate labels, only about 39 percent translated labels daily and almost 23 percent did not translate labels.

“The pharmacist couldn’t explain to them how to take their medicine in a language they would understand,” Agarwal said.

She said the Health Justice Program and Make the Road New York pushed for state passage of city law 859-A, which required all pharmacy chains — defined as those with four locations or more — to provide free translations of all labels and post a notification of a customer’s right to a free translation service. Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed the bill in September 2009.

Agarwal said this is most often done by printing labels in the top seven most-common languages,? which are determined by the Department of City Planning through the American Community Survey every two years, and employing an interpreter for all languages, often through a phone service. She said this law was only applied to chains as many independent stores were already sufficient at providing translation services.

“It was more the really more corporate pharmacies that were not attuned to the neighborhoods they were in,” Agarwal said.

After the city law was implemented in June 2010, Agarwal said the program and Make the Road conducted a survey. They found translation services had improved in the city, but 50 percent of pharmacies statewide could not provide translated labels for prescriptions and 30 percent could not provide interpretation services for medication counseling.

Agarwal said she hopes state regulation will fill in the gaps. A bill was introduced into the state Legislature last summer and will be reintroduced in the upcoming legislative session. She said immigrant organizations and health-care providers have supported the bill.

“People that we’ve talked to have been really thrilled that this is happening,” Agarwal said

Protesters yell on behalf of Steven Castro, a former aide who filed suit against Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras this week, during a street renaming organized by Ferreras in July.

A former aide to City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) filed a lawsuit against her Monday alleging that he was underpaid and suffered discrimination because he was disabled during the time he worked for her.

“When the City Council discriminates, it’s unforgivable,” said Linda Cronin, attorney for Steven Castro, who is with the law firm of Cronin & Byczek in Lake Success, L.I.

Castro, who has cerebral palsy, filed suit in Brooklyn federal court against Ferreras, her deputy chief of staff Joselin Genao, the city of New York, Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) and the Council for $500,000 plus interest.

In the 30-page complaint, Castro alleges that during his employment with Ferreras from Sept. 7, 2009, until February 2010, he worked 40 hours a week or more but was not paid at all. He contends that when he complained to Ferreras in February, she reduced his work hours in retaliation and eventually only paid him a stipend of $3,425 for six months of work.

The suit says he was “constructively discharged” March 17, 2010.

Castro furthermore alleges reasonable accommodations were not made for his disability. Even though he had applied for a job he had allegedly been told was only desk work, he says he was made to carry heavy boxes. Castro also alleges Genao was hostile to him.

Cronin called the alleged discrimination “extremely sad.”

“They ran on a Democratic platform of perpetuating civil rights,” Cronin said.

In a statement, Ferreras did not respond directly to the claims, saying she had not been served a copy of the complaint.

“I can say, however, that I did not discriminate or retaliate against him for any reason and I am confident that his claims will ultimately be rejected by the court,” Ferreras said in the statement.

Castro’s claims have caused controversy for Ferreras in the past. At a late July street renaming in Corona, picketers showed up at the event and protested Ferreras’ alleged treatment of Castro.

Hiram Monserrate campaigns for himself at 37th Avenue during Primary Day in September.

Former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate surrendered this week to federal prosecutors on charges he misused city funds meant for a failed nonprofit in Corona to finance his own political campaigns, the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan said.

Monserrate, who was expelled from his Albany seat in February after receiving a misdemeanor conviction for assaulting his girlfriend, allegedly used more than $100,000 he allocated as a city councilman to the Corona-based Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment Inc. for his Senate campaign, according to a two-count indictment unsealed in federal court in Manhattan Tuesday.

The indictment charges Monserrate with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one substantive mail fraud count.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara also charged Monserrate with using workers from LIBRE to collect signatures to help Monserrate get on the ballot in 2006 as well as to canvass voters during his bid for the Council in 2005.

“As we move into the heart of the political season, today’s indictment of Hiram Monserrate should serve as a reminder,” Bharara said. “No campaign should ever be funded by fraud. Moreover, worthy nonprofits are supposed to have access to public money because they are meant to be a resource for communities, not a piggy bank for politicians. Public officials who act like they are above the law may get away with it for a while, but eventually we will find you and we will prosecute you.”

Joseph Tacopina, Monserrate’s attorney, said the former lawmaker intended to plead not guilty to the charges.

“He will fight the charges,” Tacopina said.

LIBRE ran English classes, immigration assistance, job placement programs and health education services. It shut down in 2008 after auditors from the city Department of Youth and Community Development began investigating it. Monserrate “played an important role in selecting LIBRE’s staff and the members of its board of directors,” from about 2005-07, according to the indictment.

Monserrate allocated $300,000 in Council discretionary funds to LIBRE, about $109,000 of which he allegedly used to finance his failed Senate campaign in 2006, Bharara said.

Monserrate in 2006 ran against then-Sen. John Sabini, a fellow Democrat, but lost by about 200 votes for the seat representing the 13th District, which covers East Elmhurst are surrounding areas.? In 2008, he ran unopposed.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Monserrate represented the 21st Council District, now represented by Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst). Ferreras was listed in a 2005 tax return as LIBRE’s chairwoman. ?Ferreras has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

“I am aware of the indictments against Hiram Monserrate,” Ferreras said in a statement. “I have been cooperating with the authorities from the very beginning. Given the fact that this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment any further.”

According to the indictment, LIBRE used the discretionary funds allocated by Monserrate to conduct a voter registration drive in the 13th Senate District in August 2006. At Monserrate’s direction, LIBRE created a database containing the names and contact information of the individuals in the voter drive and provided this information to Monserrate’s Senate campaign office, the court papers said.

Bharara said LIBRE also used discretionary funds to pay workers to gather signatures of registered voters on petitions to help Monserrate get on the ballot in 2006.

LIBRE also helped Monserrate when he ran for re-election for the Council in 2005, according to the indictment. Monserrate paid LIBRE workers about $5,000 to canvass residents of the Council district, it said.

“An indictment of a former elected official should be a rare and remarkable moment,” city Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn told a news conference at federal court in Manhattan Tuesday. “In fact, this is the third time in little more than a year that DOI and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York have announced that a former or current city councilman has been charged with defrauding the taxpayers by abusing the discretionary funds.”

Martha Flores-Vazquez, a Democratic district leader in Flushing and a friend and supporter of Monserrate, said she did not believe the charges.

“At the end of the day, who’s behind this will come to light and I don’t think that will be Hiram,” she said. “I don’t know him the way that they’re depicting him.”

Additional reporting was contributed by Philip Newman and Connor Adams Sheets.

Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (front) has accused her former boss, ousted state Sen. Hiram Monserrte (rear) of threatening and harassing her. The two appeared along with numerous other elected officials at an Ecuadorian heritage celebration earlier this summer. File photo/Christina Santucci

A spokesman from the office of City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) said her tires have been slashed and she has received vulgar notes — harassment which her office alleges is from Hiram Monserrate, her former boss when he held her seat.

“It’s kind of a desperate time for him and he’s trying to get elected,” said Seth Barron, a spokesman for Ferreras, “and essentially he’s a bully.”

Mike Nieves, campaign manager for Monserrate, who was running for the state Assembly, denied any harassment.

“We have nothing to do with that,” Nieves said. “And quite frankly it’s an abuse of city resources to protect someone who has no need of protection.”

Monserrate was ousted from his state Senate seat in February after receiving a misdemeanor conviction for assault against his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, with whom he later reconciled. Before becoming a senator, Monserrate was a member of the Council and Ferreras worked as his chief of staff and campaign manager.

Barron said for at least last three weeks Ferreras and her office have been harassed. He said Ferreras’ tires have been slashed and vulgar notes have been left on her car. The office also has received a number of calls from people who immediately hung up and dog feces have been left outside the office, Barron said.

Barron said the chief of security for the Council has changed the locks at Ferreras’ office, and there has been a police presence monitoring Ferreras’ house and office as well as watching out for the councilwoman when she attends events.

“We’ve just monitored who comes in and out,” Barron said of security at the office. “We’ve been careful.”

The office believes Monserrate or people working for Monserrate are behind the threats because of an incident July 31 when Monserrate showed up uninvited to a street renaming in Corona presided over by Ferreras, Barron said.

“Hiram Monserrate and his people came and were very aggressive,” Barron said.

Nathan Smith, campaign spokesman for the primary campaign of Monserrate’s Democratic opponent, Francisco Moya, condemned the harassment.

“This is not a one-time incident — it clearly reflects a pattern of behavior that endangers all women who come into contact with him, even as strong an advocate for women’s safety as Councilwoman Ferreras,” Smith said. “Yet Hiram Monserrate continues to refuse to accept responsibility for his actions.”

Nieves said Ferreras should know from her time working for Monserrate that he does not threaten the opposition.

“It’s not our style. She knows better than that,” Nieves said.

Councilman Daniel Dromm is escorted into a police van after being arrested for civil disobedience. Photo by William Alatriste

Corona and Elmhurst-based immigration reform advocates, including City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-Elmhurst) and Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), were arrested last week during a civil disobedience protest outside the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service building in Manhattan.

Outraged by the ongoing controversy surrounding the state of Arizona’s immigration law, the protesters were among several reform groups across the city calling on President Barack Obama and Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill before the end of the year, which the president has vowed to do in the past.

Ferreras and members of Make the Road New York, the city’s largest immigrant-based community organization, vowed June 2 not to eat anything for three days to “express their solidarity with the suffering of Latinos in Arizona,” who they said are being persecuted by that state’s government.

“I’m the daughter of immigrants. My father came to this country undocumented,” Ferreras said, discussing her three-day fast and her arrest the day before. “I’m hoping I’m doing this for someone else’s children and that President Obama is paying attention, realizing this is something important to our entire country.”

Make the Road New York members spoke about their protest during a June 2 news conference in Battery Park.

Deputy Director Javier Valdez said the organization’s three-day fast was set up to give undocumented immigrants a way to protest against the Arizona immigration law, which allows state and local law enforcement to arrest and detain illegals and ask for proof of citizenship when they have reasonable suspicion someone is in the United States without papers.

Valdez said many illegal immigrants wanted to participate in the civil disobedience effort the day before, but feared if they were arrested, they would be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has a policy of deporting undocumented people detained for committing a crime.

“We wanted to elevate the issue of immigration and escalate the pressure on President Obama to take action, but it was important for us to do this in a way for undocumented immigrants to participate,” he said.

June 2 marked the third week in a row activists had gathered outside the USCIS building in Manhattan seeking arrest, a protest tactic dating back even before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s.

It was the first civil disobedience protest for Ferreras, who said she had never been arrested before.

“I was nervous about the arrest. I wasn’t nervous about the decision,” she said.

The activists hosted a press conference prior to the protest, expressing their solidarity with Latinos in Arizona and their frustration with inaction by the president and Congress.

“This is something that’s part of a larger effort with the New York Immigration Coalition, organizations and churches,” Ferreras said. “If there is no reform, more states like Arizona will start making up their own laws. We need a federal mandate to be able to help combat them and to be sure legislation like that passed in Arizona is not passed anywhere else in this country, This is about racial profiling. This is about fear tactics.”

After the press conference, the activists walked into a nearby street, deliberately impeding traffic while singing “We Shall Overcome,” Ferreras said.

“An officer comes forward with a bull horn and yells, ‘You are obstructing traffic! Please stop obstructing traffic!’” she said. “They came and handcuffed us and put us in a wagon. We went to the precinct and were booked.”

After about 2 1/2 hours, the protesters were freed, but Ferreras said she still must go to court in July.

“Clearly the process I went through yesterday is miniscule next to the struggle and the fear an immigrant goes through in Arizona because of the law that was passed,” she said.

Corona resident Deborah Wyatt carries a sign during a march against domestic violence organized by Assemblyman Jose Peralta to announce his call for a legislative task force on the subject. Photo by Christina Santucci

In the wake of a shocking family murder in Corona, state Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) announced he will seek to establish a task force on domestic violence.

He was joined Saturday on a march to the 115th Precinct station house by about two dozen supporters, including local clergy and City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst).

Otto Herrarte was arrested Nov. 21 on suspicion of murder after his wife, Edna, and his 14-year-old son, Daniel, were found with their throats slashed in their Corona apartment. When he was arrested, Herrarte allegedly told police that a man inside him named Roberto had committed the murders, the Queens district attorney’s office said.

“She wanted to protect her children, she wanted to protect her [immigration] status,” Peralta said, calling the case “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Peralta cited statistics from the Queens district attorney’s office that indicated domestic violence incidents were up 18 percent this year. The Rev. Marvin Bentley of the Antioch Baptist Church in Corona said a nationwide survey found 40 percent of female parishioners had been involved in abusive relationships at some point in their lives.

Ferreras also evoked the case of Maria De Los Santos, a Woodhaven woman whose bones were found in a suitcase in Forest Park. The dead woman’s family suspects her husband of killing her. Police have not made an arrest in the two-year-old case.

“Every time I think of domestic violence, I think of that,” she said. But she also criticized MTV’s show “Jersey Shore” for posting footage online of a woman being punched by a man at a bar.

Peralta also invoked the misdemeanor assault conviction of state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) for prompting the march. Peralta will challenge Monserrate, who was acquitted of felony assault in the injury of his girlfriend following a December 2008 fight, in the 2010 Democratic primary.

The task force would research domestic violence and discuss new legislation to help crack down on abusers. Peralta said state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) has suggested they discuss the task force when the new legislative session begins in Albany.

The Rev. Patrick Young of the First Baptist Church in East Elmhurst called domestic violence “a quiet problem.”

“We ought to be the voices of speaking up and speaking out for those who are not able to speak up and speak out for themselves,” he said.

East Elmhurst resident Roxie Pringle said she was in an emotionally abusive relationship for 10 years and said education programs for men are crucial to ending the problem.

“You don’t need to physically leave a scar to actually cause abuse,” she said. “By the grace of God I was able to step out on my own, but a lot of women depend on that man and they stay and take that abuse.”

Ferreras, the incumbent who won the seat in a special election in February after her former boss Hiram Monserrate ascended to the state Senate, had 65.9 percent of the vote compared with Giraldo’s 34.1 percent, according to city Board of Election figures. She had no known Republican opponents.

A total of 3,767 people voted in the election, according to the board — a little more than half the number that turned out for the race for Councilwoman Helen Sears’ (D-Jackson Heights) seat next door in the 25th District.

The councilwoman also faced off against Giraldo in the February race.

She did not return a call seeking comment by press time Tuesday night.

Giraldo said he was disappointed by the number of voters at the polls.

“I think we worked hard,” Giraldo said. “We gave it 110 percent. … I think the turnout was very low and we weren’t able to persuade the people to vote for me. Today I am glad this is over. This is a long race and a difficult one.”

Ferreras, 32, grew up in Corona, the daughter of Dominican immigrants. She got her start in community involvement when she joined then-City Councilwoman Helen Marshall’s Youth Council at age 15.

Ferreras soon became president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons’ Youth Council and after high school she took a job as director of PS 19’s Beacon School, an after-school program funded by the city’s Department for Youth and Community Development.

She ventured into politics six years later when then-Assemblyman Ivan Lafayette recommended her as a delegate for the 2000 Democratic National Convention. A year later while working on Hillary Clinton’s successful U.S. Senate campaign, she met Monserrate, who was making his first bid for the Council.

Ferreras spent four years as Monserrate’s chief of staff before leaving to head the New York chapter of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials. During this time she was also named the chairwoman of the Latino Initiative for Better Resources and Empowerment, a Monserrate-funded nonprofit that later had trouble accounting for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ferreras said the position was ceremonial and she had nothing to do with LIBRE’s finances.

The CLC said it would endorse candidates in the Ulrich’s race and the other six disputed Council races in Queens after its candidate screening process, which will take place July 8. Jack Ahern, president of the 1.3 million member CLC, issued this statement regarding endorsements:

Today’s early endorsements recognize the strong support and positions taken for working people by these City Council Members.  Each has shown a keen awareness and understanding of the issues, needs and concerns of working men and women, and have voting records that support  the health, safety and well-being of workers in our city.

The candidates endorse by the CLC are listed below:

District 21   –    Julissa Ferreras
District 22   –    Peter Vallone Jr.
District 24   -    James Gennaro
District 25   -    Helen Sears
District 27   -    Leroy Comrie
District 28   –    Tom White
District 30   –    Elizabeth Crowley
District 31   –    James Sanders

The endorsements could be important for Jung, who has already won the support of the union-backed Working Families Party in his bid to replace City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing).  District 20 is one of the most ethnically diverse Council districts in the city and acquiring support from several demographic groups will likely be a key to winning the Democratic nomination.

Ferreras, who is running for re-election in the neighboring District 21, released this statement:

“I know S.J. will be a strong and effective partner for Queens on the City Council, because he’s already spent years as a non-profit leader and small businessman here. He knows what needs to be done to put people to work, help families find homes they can afford, and make responsible investments for the future, and he has the experience to get the job done.”

Peralta had similar sentiments:

“S.J. Jung’s knowledge and experience come from working directly with middle-class and immigrant communities in Queens. As the Council member for one of the most diverse City Council districts in New York, I know S.J. will effectively represent all of his constituents with integrity and commitment.”

Borough President Helen Marshall (l. to r.), the Rev. Al Sharpton, City Councilwoman Helen Sears and Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras speak to reporters at LeFrak City Monday after a meeting to discuss state Sen. Hiram Monserrate. Photo by Jeremy Walsh

State Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst) may be one of the pointmen in a movement that ousts Democrats from power in the Senate, but the Rev. Al Sharpton and city leaders were loath to bring the hammer down on his head at a news conference at LeFrak City Wednesday morning.

Speaking in front of the Silver Spoon Diner on Junction Boulevard, Sharpton, Borough President Helen Marshall, City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) and Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) all called for legislators in Albany to resolve the dispute between the two parties in order to complete legislative business before the session concludes at the end of this month.

But despite some worries that Monserrate’s move against Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans), the first black to hold the position in Albany, would damage the relationship between black and Latino leaders, Sharpton and company had no sharp words for the rogue Democrat.

“The people will suffer if the legislative session does not proceed,” Sharpton said, noting he had spoken with both Monserrate and Smith about resolving the rift. “If they don’t, we intend to bring a large number of people to Albany Monday.”

Sharpton declined to discuss any of the details of his conversations with the two feuding senators.

“The state must help us,” Marshall said, referring to stimulus funding the city must receive from Albany. “This is a crucial time for us.”

Ferreras, Monserrate’s former chief of staff and his successor in the Council, spoke publicly about the situation for the first time at the conference, noting she was not a supporter of her old boss’ new coalition.

“Our community is saying we elected a Democrat and we need a Democratic majority in Albany,” she said, noting she has spoken to Monserrate about the issue. “He has very real concerns and has a great deal of faith in his choice. I think now it’s about getting friends and people to convince him otherwise.”

Ferreras also refuted the notion that the bonds between black, Latino and white leaders in her district were strained.

“Our coalition has not died,” she said. “We stand here united.”

Incumbent City Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) carried the endorsement of the Queens Democratic Party, but her Democratic opponent, Daniel Dromm, won the backing from the Working Families Party.

Working Families also backed Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio over Republican incumbent Eric Ulrich (R-Rockaway Beach).

The party also endorsed:

• Flushing community activist S.J. Jung to succeed Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing)
• Inumbent Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst)
• State Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck) to succeed his brother, Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Hollis)
• Incumbent Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows)
• Jimmy Van Bramer, director of government and community affairs for the Queens Public Library, in the race for Councilman Eric Gioia’s (D-Sunnyside) seat
• Incumbent Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans)
• Community Board 6 Vice Chairwoman Lynn Schulman to succeed Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills)
• Incumbent Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village)
• Incumbent Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton)

Schulman called the endorsement “very exciting.”

“The Working Families Party has an excellent track record when it comes to field operations and getting campaigns moving in the right direction,” she said.

“We believe that these candidates will put the working families of the city first, ahead of big-money interests or their own political gain,” Working Families Executive Director Dan Cantor said in a statement.