Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Gabriela Mendoza Announces her candidacy for Suffolk County Register of Deeds' To face off against incumbent Stephen Murphy
Statement from the Mendoza Campaign 9/17:
"Today, after much encouragement, motivation and support from my family and friends I am excited to announce that I, Gabriela Mendoza, am running for the office of Register of Deeds for Suffolk County.
I will be facing the incumbent, Stephen Murphy, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts election being held on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018.
I have been in the Boston area for almost 25 years and have come to feel that Boston is home. I live and work here: I have established a law practice, moved my family across the U.S. and I bought a home in Boston I have been fortunate and am grateful; because of those feelings, I become involved with community groups and organizations as a way of giving.
I see the position of Register of Deeds as another way for me to give back to my community: to be an active advocate for the citizens of Suffolk County by providing information and educational resources involving real estate and home ownership, while ensuring the recording and preservation of real estate records in a reliable and professional manner.
I will be meeting and seeing as many Suffolk County residents from now until the election on November 6th.
If time prevents me from meeting you, I am asking for your support and your vote!"
Gabriela Mendoza grew up in southern California. She attended Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, where she studied political science and philosophy. After graduating from Mount Saint Mary’s in 1994, Gabriela moved to Boston to attend Suffolk University Law School. Gabriela was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1997 and the New Hampshire Bar in 1999. Gabriela owns a house in Boston and has two rescue dogs.
I will be facing the incumbent, Stephen Murphy, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts election being held on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018.
I have been in the Boston area for almost 25 years and have come to feel that Boston is home. I live and work here: I have established a law practice, moved my family across the U.S. and I bought a home in Boston I have been fortunate and am grateful; because of those feelings, I become involved with community groups and organizations as a way of giving.
I see the position of Register of Deeds as another way for me to give back to my community: to be an active advocate for the citizens of Suffolk County by providing information and educational resources involving real estate and home ownership, while ensuring the recording and preservation of real estate records in a reliable and professional manner.
I will be meeting and seeing as many Suffolk County residents from now until the election on November 6th.
If time prevents me from meeting you, I am asking for your support and your vote!"
Gabriela Mendoza grew up in southern California. She attended Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles, where she studied political science and philosophy. After graduating from Mount Saint Mary’s in 1994, Gabriela moved to Boston to attend Suffolk University Law School. Gabriela was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1997 and the New Hampshire Bar in 1999. Gabriela owns a house in Boston and has two rescue dogs.
News: Mayor Walsh Announces New Affordable Housing Fund Round
Includes first large scale CPA awards and $16 million in other funding that support the City's housing goals
(BOSTON - Wednesday, September 19, 2018) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that the City of Boston has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for affordable housing projects seeking City of Boston financial support. This affordable housing funding round will include over $16 million in city affordable housing funds, and in addition, will include the first large scale awards of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for affordable housing development projects.
While the exact amount of CPA funding for housing will be determined by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), total awards from all sources in this funding round will likely exceed $25 million, making it one of the largest affordable housing funding rounds in City of Boston history.
"Addressing rising housing costs is critical for preserving the diversity and character that makes Boston a place where all residents can thrive," said Mayor Walsh. "Voters in Boston made their support for affordable housing creation clear when they passed the Community Preservation Act in 2016. My administration has put affordability at the top of our agenda, establishing a comprehensive plan, and committing more than $115 million to housing. With these new funds in this funding round, we will further accelerate our work to lift up every neighborhood and provide all residents and their families with accessible and affordable housing options."
Based on the goals outlined in Mayor Walsh's housing strategy, Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 and the Imagine Boston 2030 Planning Process, the City of Boston has established priority criteria which proposals must meet, including:
Funds will be awarded from three sources: the first, of approximately $8 million, consists of funds administered by the Department of Neighborhood Development, including funds from the Federal HOME Investment Partnerships and Community Development Block Grant programs, the City's Housing Boston 2030 Fund, and the Inclusionary Development Policy Fund. Up to $3 million of this funding is earmarked to support housing that serves households 55 years or older.
The second source utilizes funds from the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT). NHT disburses funds collected through the City's Linkage policy, which extracts affordable housing funds from developers of large commercial projects.
The third source is CPA funds, which are collected through the one percent property tax surcharge approved by Boston voters in 2016 to help strengthen Boston neighborhoods through strategic investment in affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space. The addition of CPA funds to this funding package aligns the City's housing resources towards full implementation of Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 plan. Applications are currently available for the next round of CPA funds.
About Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030
By the year 2030, Boston will reach more than 700,000 residents, a number the City has not seen since the 1950s. Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 is Mayor Walsh's Administration's comprehensive housing plan to create 53,000 new units of housing for a variety of income levels. Since the policy was enacted in 2014, Boston has permitted more than 27,000 units of housing, completing nearly 18,000 of them as of the end of the second quarter in 2018. More than 11,000 of those permitted units are income-restricted, and more than 2,000 of these are reserved for Bostonians earning low and extremely low wages.
Although these results show strong progress toward the goals established by the Mayor's Advisory Housing Task Force, Boston's population is increasing more rapidly than the population models used in to establish plan targets had estimated.
Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 was created not as a static policy piece to be enacted, but as a living document meant to be reassessed and reframed as necessary. In the Spring of 2018, Mayor Walsh reconvened the Housing Task Force to assess progress and reevaluate the goals of the policy through this new population filter. Other factors under consideration include the Mayors Regional Housing Compact Policy and the effects on Boston and its neighbors, as well as the evaluation of lessons learned over the past four years. An update to Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 is expected in the fall of 2018.
About Imagine Boston 2030
Imagine Boston 2030 is building on Housing a Changing City by identifying areas where continued growth can occur and where additional growth beyond the 53,000-unit target can take place. This growth will create a release valve for existing neighborhoods that are seeing pressure on housing prices. Other initiatives include: working to increase the overall housing supply, deploying tools to support the preservation of affordable housing citywide, putting forth an anti-displacement package that will create and preserve affordable housing, and preventing eviction, link housing and transportation and supporting home ownership. For more information included in the plan, please visit imagine.boston.gov.
Source: Mayor's Press Office (9/19/2018)
(BOSTON - Wednesday, September 19, 2018) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that the City of Boston has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for affordable housing projects seeking City of Boston financial support. This affordable housing funding round will include over $16 million in city affordable housing funds, and in addition, will include the first large scale awards of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for affordable housing development projects.
While the exact amount of CPA funding for housing will be determined by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), total awards from all sources in this funding round will likely exceed $25 million, making it one of the largest affordable housing funding rounds in City of Boston history.
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| File Photograph: EastBoston.com |
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| File Photograph: EastBoston.com |
"Addressing rising housing costs is critical for preserving the diversity and character that makes Boston a place where all residents can thrive," said Mayor Walsh. "Voters in Boston made their support for affordable housing creation clear when they passed the Community Preservation Act in 2016. My administration has put affordability at the top of our agenda, establishing a comprehensive plan, and committing more than $115 million to housing. With these new funds in this funding round, we will further accelerate our work to lift up every neighborhood and provide all residents and their families with accessible and affordable housing options."
Based on the goals outlined in Mayor Walsh's housing strategy, Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 and the Imagine Boston 2030 Planning Process, the City of Boston has established priority criteria which proposals must meet, including:
- Affordable housing developments targeting a mix of incomes: from units for homeless households to units targeted and restricted to incomes representative of Boston's workforce;
- Affordable housing developments that serve the disabled community, vulnerable or special needs populations, older Bostonians, veterans, artists, and/or aging out youth;
- Acquisition of unrestricted housing developments in order to stabilize residents' tenancies, and provide long term affordability for a mix of incomes; or
- Affordable housing developments that utilize City-owned land;
- Affordable housing developments that have reduced the cost to build and use public funding most efficiently;
- Developments that are at risk of losing their affordability within five years.
- Projects creating new affordable units in high-cost neighborhoods where most of the IDP and NHT funds are generated.
Funds will be awarded from three sources: the first, of approximately $8 million, consists of funds administered by the Department of Neighborhood Development, including funds from the Federal HOME Investment Partnerships and Community Development Block Grant programs, the City's Housing Boston 2030 Fund, and the Inclusionary Development Policy Fund. Up to $3 million of this funding is earmarked to support housing that serves households 55 years or older.
The second source utilizes funds from the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT). NHT disburses funds collected through the City's Linkage policy, which extracts affordable housing funds from developers of large commercial projects.
The third source is CPA funds, which are collected through the one percent property tax surcharge approved by Boston voters in 2016 to help strengthen Boston neighborhoods through strategic investment in affordable housing, historic preservation, and open space. The addition of CPA funds to this funding package aligns the City's housing resources towards full implementation of Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 plan. Applications are currently available for the next round of CPA funds.
About Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030
By the year 2030, Boston will reach more than 700,000 residents, a number the City has not seen since the 1950s. Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030 is Mayor Walsh's Administration's comprehensive housing plan to create 53,000 new units of housing for a variety of income levels. Since the policy was enacted in 2014, Boston has permitted more than 27,000 units of housing, completing nearly 18,000 of them as of the end of the second quarter in 2018. More than 11,000 of those permitted units are income-restricted, and more than 2,000 of these are reserved for Bostonians earning low and extremely low wages.
Although these results show strong progress toward the goals established by the Mayor's Advisory Housing Task Force, Boston's population is increasing more rapidly than the population models used in to establish plan targets had estimated.
Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 was created not as a static policy piece to be enacted, but as a living document meant to be reassessed and reframed as necessary. In the Spring of 2018, Mayor Walsh reconvened the Housing Task Force to assess progress and reevaluate the goals of the policy through this new population filter. Other factors under consideration include the Mayors Regional Housing Compact Policy and the effects on Boston and its neighbors, as well as the evaluation of lessons learned over the past four years. An update to Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030 is expected in the fall of 2018.
About Imagine Boston 2030
Imagine Boston 2030 is building on Housing a Changing City by identifying areas where continued growth can occur and where additional growth beyond the 53,000-unit target can take place. This growth will create a release valve for existing neighborhoods that are seeing pressure on housing prices. Other initiatives include: working to increase the overall housing supply, deploying tools to support the preservation of affordable housing citywide, putting forth an anti-displacement package that will create and preserve affordable housing, and preventing eviction, link housing and transportation and supporting home ownership. For more information included in the plan, please visit imagine.boston.gov.
Source: Mayor's Press Office (9/19/2018)
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Monday, September 17, 2018
Mayor Walsh kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month with City Hall Lighting
(BOSTON - Monday, September 17, 2018) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh tonight will join residents to illuminate City Hall in orange and mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Bostonians whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. The event will start at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall Plaza.
"Boston is home to a strong, proud Latino population that has made major contributions in every neighborhood and every aspect of our city life," said Mayor Walsh. "Celebrating Heritage Months is part of our commitment to making sure Boston remains a city of opportunity for everyone, and I'm proud to celebrate our incredible Latino community during this special month and all year long."
Bostonians are encouraged to join the month-long celebration by attending events throughout the City. On Thursday, September 20, from 12 to 2 p.m., the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services will be hosting Salsa on the Lawn at City Hall Plaza to celebrate with music, food, and entertainment. Residents are also encouraged to attend the Mayor's Latino Coffee Hour on Saturday, September 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. in East Boston's Central Square.
"Events like the 'Latino Coffee Hour' and 'Salsa on the Lawn' are a great way for residents to meet and interact with each other as well as celebrate the Hispanic culture and appreciate what Hispanics have contributed to Boston and the United States," said Jerome Smith, Chief of Civic Engagement. "We encourage all residents of Boston to come and enjoy all the different programming we are creating in honor of this month."
This year, the Latinx Employee Resource Group (ERG), a network of employees within the City of Boston, are spearheading events during the month. The group is building on its mission to promote the diversity and professional development of its members.
"I am very proud of the work we have done to bring Employee Resource Groups to the City of Boston," said Danielson Tavares, Chief Diversity Officer. "The Latinx ERG is a great example of how the ERGs will play a critical role in the development of our workforce."
Community organizations are invited to submit their events in commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month here.
Source: Mayor's Press Office 9/17/18.
"Boston is home to a strong, proud Latino population that has made major contributions in every neighborhood and every aspect of our city life," said Mayor Walsh. "Celebrating Heritage Months is part of our commitment to making sure Boston remains a city of opportunity for everyone, and I'm proud to celebrate our incredible Latino community during this special month and all year long."
Bostonians are encouraged to join the month-long celebration by attending events throughout the City. On Thursday, September 20, from 12 to 2 p.m., the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services will be hosting Salsa on the Lawn at City Hall Plaza to celebrate with music, food, and entertainment. Residents are also encouraged to attend the Mayor's Latino Coffee Hour on Saturday, September 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. in East Boston's Central Square.
"Events like the 'Latino Coffee Hour' and 'Salsa on the Lawn' are a great way for residents to meet and interact with each other as well as celebrate the Hispanic culture and appreciate what Hispanics have contributed to Boston and the United States," said Jerome Smith, Chief of Civic Engagement. "We encourage all residents of Boston to come and enjoy all the different programming we are creating in honor of this month."
This year, the Latinx Employee Resource Group (ERG), a network of employees within the City of Boston, are spearheading events during the month. The group is building on its mission to promote the diversity and professional development of its members.
"I am very proud of the work we have done to bring Employee Resource Groups to the City of Boston," said Danielson Tavares, Chief Diversity Officer. "The Latinx ERG is a great example of how the ERGs will play a critical role in the development of our workforce."
Community organizations are invited to submit their events in commemoration of National Hispanic Heritage Month here.
Source: Mayor's Press Office 9/17/18.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Rollins wins race for Suffolk County DA race
Statement from the Rollins Campaign, September 4, 2018 10 p.m.
BOSTON – Today Rachael Rollins won the election for Suffolk County District Attorney. Rollins will be the first female-candidate of color to hold the position in the history of the Commonwealth.
Rollins stated, “I am honored and humbled. But I also need to say – for all of us – that this is earned. As a 47-year old Black Woman, I have earned this. We have earned this. This is the time for us to claim our power and make good on our promises to make true criminal justice reform for the people in Suffolk County. Reform that is progressive – that decriminalizes poverty, substance use disorder, and mental illness. This is the time to create a system that puts fairness and equity first – as a model for the Commonwealth and the nation.”
To learn more about Rollins or to get involved in the campaign for the general election in November, please visit: www.rollins4da.com.
BOSTON – Today Rachael Rollins won the election for Suffolk County District Attorney. Rollins will be the first female-candidate of color to hold the position in the history of the Commonwealth.
Rollins stated, “I am honored and humbled. But I also need to say – for all of us – that this is earned. As a 47-year old Black Woman, I have earned this. We have earned this. This is the time for us to claim our power and make good on our promises to make true criminal justice reform for the people in Suffolk County. Reform that is progressive – that decriminalizes poverty, substance use disorder, and mental illness. This is the time to create a system that puts fairness and equity first – as a model for the Commonwealth and the nation.”
To learn more about Rollins or to get involved in the campaign for the general election in November, please visit: www.rollins4da.com.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Suggested read of the day: Cicero and His Influence by John C. Rolfe, 1923
A very good read and a wonderful introduction. Professor Rolfe was enthralled with his subject, the great Cicero.
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