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 **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
November 18, 2009
Contact: Matt Mittenthal
212.669.4691
Public Advocate Gotbaum Releases 2009 “Green” Annual Report
Final Annual Report Reflects on Gotbaum’s Two-Term Tenure
MANHATTAN – Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today released her office’s 2009 annual report. In order to cope with a 40% budget cut sustained this year, the Office decided not to print and mail copies of the report. Instead, the annual report will be eco-friendly, available online and distributed through e-mail. Printed copies will be available to those without internet access upon request.
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said, “Improving access to city services has been the unifying theme of my tenure. During my two terms in office, my ombudsman unit alone has fielded calls from more than 90,000 New Yorkers, solving problems and advocating for some of the city's most vulnerable -- its immigrants, its working poor, its special ed students, its women in need. I've introduced or co-sponsored more than 300 bills before the City Council. And my policy staff has conducted studies and investigations that led to lasting change. Over the last eight years, the Office of the Public Advocate helped improve the lives of New Yorkers. We identified needs. We offered solutions. And we got results.”
Highlights of this year’s accomplishments include:
- In September 2008, the Commission on School Governance, convened by Public Advocate Gotbaum, presented its Final Report; and in 2009, the Commission’s recommendations were used by the State Legislature as a blueprint for its new school governance law.
- Public Advocate Gotbaum introduced a bill that requires city chain pharmacies to provide language assistance and translation services for non-English speakers. The Language Access in Pharmacies Act – which Mayor Bloomberg signed into law on September 3rd, 2009 – also mandates that signage be posted to inform individuals of these services.
- The Office of the Public Advocate produced and distributed a comprehensive Guide to Public Benefits for Immigrants in New York City. This free guide, the first of its kind to specifically examine immigration status as part of benefit eligibility, is available online in six languages: English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Korean and Bengali.
- Public Advocate Gotbaum and Mayor Bloomberg released the results of the largest municipal services survey ever conducted in the United States in December, 2008. The survey, spearheaded by the Mayor, Public Advocate, and the Fund for the City of New York, asked 100,000 New Yorkers their opinions of city services in order to improve service delivery.
- After pressure from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and Councilmember Eric Gioia, Costco announced that it would begin accepting food stamps at its New York City stores. With an increasing number of New Yorkers receiving and applying for food stamps, Gotbaum argued that, by changing its policy, Costco could improve its image and expand its customer base while providing a great service to struggling families.
- In April 2008, Public Advocate Gotbaum visited a stretch of filthy standing water in the South Bronx – termed the ‘Bronx Swamp’ by local residents – to call on the city to take responsibility for its cleanup. With the detection of West Nile Virus by the City Department of Health (DOH), Gotbaum argued that the situation required immediate action. Soon after, the Mayor’s office announced it would initiate a swift cleanup.
To view the Annual Report, please visit:
http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/pages/documents/AnnualReport2009.pdf
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