Assemblymember Jon Rivera

10/05/2023

Always look forward to WNY Construction Career Days each year! Students not only learn about the importance of the trades, but are also introduced to the vast opportunities for advancement within these industries.

Workers in the skilled trades are in high demand, and the construction industry in particular is facing a severe shortage. Education and outreach are ways that we can bridge that gap and train a new generation of tradespeople.

Thanks to International Union of Operating Engineers Local 17 for hosting!

10/04/2023

I want to thank NY Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez for joining me earlier at The Richardson Hotel Buffalo for a roundtable discussion on how New York State can better support Hispanic communities. We examined what resources need to exist in our region, how organizations can better collaborate to advocate for them, and how we can utilize those resources to strengthen our neighborhoods.

We were privileged to hear from a number of local leaders in Western New York’s Latino community, and I know that their voices will lead to a more robust future for all of us!

10/03/2023

Oct. 1-7 is Banned Books Week, and today, libraries across the country are facing an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. The American Library Association documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. And most of the titles targeted for censorship were by or about LGBTQIA+ persons and Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

I’m proud to stand with libraries everywhere, promoting “banned” books and encouraging our youth to read material that is under threat of being censored. I look forward to participating in the Children’s Banned Book readout at the Hamburg Public Library this Saturday!

09/29/2023

As much as we miss Café Godot, I am elated to welcome Bflo Pizza Bistro into the same space at 388 Porter Ave.

Owners Chris and Samantha Flynn converted a pandemic hobby into a business, and the result is a hybrid between Detroit-style and Sicilian pizza in 8x10 cast iron pans. It's a delicious addition to our West Side community!

09/26/2023

Big thanks to all of our partners and participants at this past weekend’s Small Business Workshop, hosted by myself and Sean M. Ryan.

We had some great discussions with local entrepreneurs around legal considerations that every small business owner should be acquainted with, including taxation intricacies and employment law.

Thank you to Buffalo State - Small Business Development Center for hosting us, and to Small Business Legal Clinic of Buffalo and Western New York Law Center for partnering!

09/25/2023

I’m proud, honored and humbled to be included in City and State NY’s Upstate Power 100, as well as their Latino 100 for 2023.

Lists like these are never the goal in and of themselves when you head into the office as an elected official, but it’s wonderful to be recognized for work that I believe will push our region and our state forward. And, as the only Latino in the NYS Assembly north of the New York City area, being included in each of these lists is a wonderful reminder of the responsibility inherent in this job.

Congrats to all those listed!

Upstate Power 100: https://tinyurl.com/bd43yrku

Latino 100: https://tinyurl.com/44ebt9ay

09/22/2023

I am elated to have the Crane Branch Library back open on Elmwood Ave. after a three-phase reconstruction project started in 2021!

For nearly seven decades, this library has provided the historic Elmwood neighborhood with a communal gathering space and a place to read, learn and exchange ideas. The now-completed renovations, which include a new elevator and a second floor meeting space, will significantly upgrade the location and make the library fully accessible for those with disabilities.

Don’t miss out on the book sale happening now on the second floor — just $1 for a bag!

09/22/2023

Two great events in Hamburg last night!

FAIR (Fair Apportionment of Infrastructure Revenue) held their Annual Clambake at Hamburg Brewing Company, while the Town of Hamburg Department of Youth, Recreation & Senior Services held a Hispanic Heritage Month event sponsored by the Hamburg Coalition for Equity and Inclusion - HCEI.

Not only did it feature great food and crafts, but also a history and demonstration of Latin dance. I was also able to check out the finished product of a new shuffleboard court at the Hamburg Senior Center which I was able to secure funding for.

09/21/2023

📢 Calling All Entrepreneurs and Business Owners! 📢

You're invited to an event tailored to current and aspiring business owners. Gain invaluable insights into the realm of business law and access FREE legal advice crafted to address your unique entrepreneurial needs.

I'm proud to be sponsoring this event alongside NYS Senator Sean M. Ryan, the Western New York Law Center's Small Business Legal Clinic of Buffalo, and the Buffalo State - Small Business Development Center.

🗓️ Date: September 23rd, 2023 🕒 Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

📍 Location: Buffalo State College- Jacqueline Vito LoRusso Alumni & Visitor Center- 667 Grant Street Buffalo, NY 14213

📚 Insightful Presentation: Delve deep into crucial legal considerations that every entrepreneur should be acquainted with. Esteemed speakers from the Western New York Law Center’s Small Business Legal Clinic will explore a spectrum of topics suitable for business owners at all stages.

🤝 Interactive Q&A: Engage with our accomplished presenters during a 50-minute Q&A session from 10-11 am. Address your pressing queries and attain clarity on pivotal legal facets impacting your business.

💼 Personalized Legal Clinic: Stay for the following hour (11-12 pm) for a personal legal consultation tailored to your business. Whether you're contemplating business formation, contracts, taxation intricacies, employment law, or other legal matters, the proficient experts from the WNY Law Center are poised to assist.

📝 Registration: While registration is recommended, it's not obligatory.

09/20/2023

I'm proud to stand with UAW Region 9 and their ongoing efforts to secure a better, fairer contract!

These workers don’t only deserve a wage increase, but an end to the two-tiered wage system, an increase to benefits for retirees and return of a defined pension, and the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustment raises.

Not one of these workers wants to strike, but I look forward to joining them on the picket line if a deal cannot be reached.

09/18/2023

The Buffalo News' editorial board is right. Projects receiving subsidies with taxpayer dollars need to be subject to more scrutiny when they're not meeting agreed-upon benchmarks.

Clawback provisions were created for a reason, and we need to utilize them more often if we're to create a successful, sustainable business environment in our community.

Uniland got tax breaks for its Amherst Hampton Inn because it claimed it was a tourist destination. Now it says it mainly serves the University at Buffalo.

09/16/2023

Without words! The first annual Party in the Park! A Free Community Resource Fair was immensely successful. The West Side is my home and the place I grew up. To see Massachusetts Ave. Park filled with people and families is a reminder of why I ran for office in the first place.

Today was about more than just connecting residents with organizations and agencies that can provide them with resources -- it was about creating the kind of community that will benefit all Buffalonians for generations to come.

Thank you so much to Community Canvases, David A. Rivera, Niagara District Council Member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo, and all of our partner organizations and every single person who came out today and connected with us!

09/16/2023

Our Party in the Park! A Free Community Resource Fair is just getting started! We'll be here until 3 p.m. with activities, food and entertainment. Come and connect with local organizations and learn more about collective efforts to improve our community!

09/15/2023

The Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute will embody the kind of values and resiliency that my Hispanic community lives every day.

Once this space is open, I know it will be alive with the stories Hispanic Western New Yorkers share, and the ones they will create. Securing $5.4 million in state funding to ensure this project became a reality is a major point of pride for me as the only Latino majority member of the Legislature north of New York City.

I know once these doors are open, it will be a welcoming, inclusive, modern place for us all to explore our shared heritage.

09/15/2023

Buffalo is leading the renewal of the labor movement in America. Plain and simple. And our brothers and sisters at UAW Region 9 deserve our support as they fight for a fair contract, which would include cost of living adjustments to keep up with inflation and company profits, an end to the unfair tiered system, and job security as automakers transition to electric vehicle production. Record profits mean record contracts. I hope everyone at the table can come to a fair agreement by midnight tonight - but if not, the UAW members in WNY can count on me to stand with them in solidarity. ✊🏼

09/14/2023

On Tuesday, I announced a state investment in our newest Buffalonians. I secured $30,000, awarded to Jewish Family Services of Western New to serve as seed funding for a pilot training program to be offered in conjunction with Buffalo Laborers Local 210. The training program will connect to new Americans and refugees with the union to learn the construction trades. It will improve their access to careers with a stable, middle class income, and the quality of life all Americans deserve. Thank you to my colleague in state government Senator Nathalia Fernandez, Molly Carr, PhD, CEO of JFS, and representatives from the labor community for sharing this exciting news alongside me!

09/13/2023

Mark your calendars this Saturday for our Party in the Park - a free community resource fair bringing together over 30 organizations ready to connect you to their services and programs.

We will also have backpacks and school supplies, weatherization kits, lead testing kits, food, music, activities and crafts.

No registration necessary, but children must be present to claim a backpack. Join us as we kickoff the 2023-2024 school year and enjoy the last days of summer with friends and neighbors!

Special shoutout to our co-hosts and sponsors: Community Canvases' WNY Trash Mob, David A. Rivera, Niagara District Council Member, La Nova Wings for pizza, The Teacher's Desk for backpacks, and The Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo for opening their Butler-Mitchell Clubhouse to us and making this event possible!

09/13/2023

Thanks to leaders in Congress like Rep. Brian Higgins, many WNY families can save $30 on their monthly internet bill! The Affordable Connectivity Program gives eligible families $30 off their internet bill and $100 off purchasing a connected device! Learn more and apply at getinternet.gov.

09/11/2023

Sept. 11 will forever be a day of solemnity and quiet reflection for all Americans. The wounds opened on that day 22 years ago will never be fully healed, though it is my hope that the families of the tragedy's victims can find solace. May we continue to work toward a global peace and understanding that prevents innocent lives from being needlessly taken.

09/09/2023

This morning I joined Mayor Iafallo & Lackawanna NY - City Government for a puck drop at the newly refurbished hockey park at the Bethlehem Park Playground. Kids of all ages have a new & improved place to practice their hockey skills, make friends, and enjoy the outdoors. I supported this great space with a grant from my office. Reinvesting resources from Albany back into the community is the best part of the job! 🏒

09/09/2023

The Buffalo Jewish Federation is hosting a cleanup of Unity Island Park tomorrow from 2 to 3 p.m., as part of “Reverse Tashlich,” a unique world-wide event inspired by Repair the Sea, an organization dedicated to appreciating the wonders of water through a Jewish lens.

Tashlich, a ritual which occurs during the High Holiday season, is a way to symbolically cast away our sins into the water to begin the New Year with a fresh start. Reverse Tashlich reinterprets the mindset behind this and instead, removes pollution from the world's waterways.

09/08/2023

Today is a great day for Buffalo Public Schools, not just because it is the first day of an exciting new school year but it’s a day in which the state decided to collectively say “we believe in you and we support you!”

This morning. I joined Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Senator Tim Kennedy as they announced a $10 million award of funds to Say Yes Buffalo, an organization which is changing the trajectory of our youngest scholars one by one. Say Yes programming has not only improved school attendance, enhanced career pathways, and increased the high school graduation and post-secondary education rates, but their work also lays the foundation for current students to reinvest back into the city as they become adults through increased lifetime earnings and contributions to the economy. It’s a win-win for everyone, and I am eager to see what they accomplish next!

09/06/2023

Join Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper tomorrow from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for their September Sweep!

You can make an immediate impact by volunteering to help cleanup Scajaquada Creek and helping to prevent over 600 pounds of litter from entering the waterway.

For more info, visit: https://tinyurl.com/285ev7ej

09/04/2023

The labor and union movement in this country has facilitated countless milestones and achievements for generations of American workers, while improving the lives of millions in the process. We still have work to do, and we'll do it in solidarity with workers and laborers everywhere.

Happy Labor Day!

09/02/2023

Did you know that since the Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival began in 2002, attendees have eaten nearly 6 million wings?

That number will is about to go higher this weekend, as the 2023 National Chicken Wing Festival kicks off this weekend at Highmark Stadium. What better way to celebrate Labor Day weekend than with a plate filled with drums and flats?

For a list of vendors and more info, visit https://buffalowing.com/

08/31/2023

The crayon drive ends today! Thanks to all the families, teachers, and kids who dropped off their spare/broken crayons to be turned into new crayons for low income families! I’m shipping these out soon, but if you still have some to donate, give my team a call and we’ll make a plan to include them.

08/28/2023

The Isaías González-Soto Branch Library is once again open to the public after receiving a much needed facelift.

This library branch provides some crucial services and resources to this pocket of the West Side, and we're elated to have their doors open again!

08/26/2023

Without words! I want to thank every single person who came out to our backpack giveaway this morning in Lackawanna.

We donated more than 250 backpacks today, each filled with school supplies, to youth in Lackawanna as we get ready to kick off a new school year.

It wouldn't have been a party without Bella Pizza, so we gave out a few slices as well 😁.

08/23/2023

My office's Crayon Drive in support of the National Crayon Recycle Program is one small way to help get essential school supplies into classrooms before the start of the new school year.

Most crayons end up in landfills. They're made of paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product, that is not biodegradable, and in the U.S. alone, more than 60 million crayons are discarded each year.

Thank you to Jeff Russo WKBW for covering this story!

With the back-to-school season right around the corner, there is a new drive surrounding a staple item on many shopping lists, crayons.

08/17/2023

I'm very proud to have secured over $200,000 in state grant funding for municipal recreation facilities within the City of Lackawanna’s First Ward, which will fund major upgrades at Lehigh Soccer Field, as well as the construction of a new street hockey court at Bethlehem Park Playground.

Thank you to Assemblyman Patrick B. Burke, the Lackawanna NY - City Government and Mayor Iafallo, Councilmember Amira H Muflahi, and County Legislator April Baskin for joining me today!

08/17/2023

Two days away!

We've been loving the playlist suggestions so far. Keep them coming!

08/14/2023

Buffalo’s Puerto Rican Day Parade is coming up this weekend, and we’re spending all week celebrating Hispanic heritage through our rich musical catalogue.

Help us fill out our playlist! What are your some of your favorites?

08/10/2023

Congrats to Neighborhood Health Center on its latest expansion on Niagara St.!

The two-story addition at the corner of Niagara and Carolina streets nearly doubles the size of the old building where the organization has been serving the West Side community for more than a decade. It will grow the clinic's dental suite and add space for care coordinators and community health workers.

The importance of primary care cannot be overstressed, and Neighborhood Health Center has done a tremendous job improving health outcomes throughout our city.

12/28/2022

Thank you 211 Western New York for compiling this storm resource guide that includes hotlines, closures, grocery stores/food pantries, transportation options, volunteer opportunities, mental health resources, and more.

211 WNY is your free and confidential link to health and human services. Every day, across Western New York, people just like you are looking for help. 211 WNY is here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Developmental Disabilities. Domestic Abuse. Health and Wellness. Housing. Legal Services. Mental Heal...

12/26/2022

As we begin recovery efforts and assess the damage that this unprecedented storm has caused, know that there are public warming shelters available to all throughout Erie County. In NYS Assembly District 149:

Buffalo
- Holy Cross, 412 Niagara St.
- D’Youville University, 320 Porter Ave. – Call 716-838-8246 and someone from security will come and meet you in front of the building.

Hamburg
- Hamburg Senior Community Center, 4540 Southwestern Boulevard in the Town of Hamburg.

Lackawanna
- Lackawanna Senior Center, 230 Martin Road
- Willie Cotton Center, 52 Gates Ave.
- Fire Station No. 1, 55 Ridge Road

12/25/2022

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday season under these trying circumstances! This year, more than ever, we can spend today with an extra bit of gratitude and humility, knowing that to be safe and warm is a gift in and of itself.

Emergency workers are working tirelessly to get help to those in need. If you are in a non-life threatening but serious situation, please call Erie County's Critical Assistance Line at 716-858-SNOW (7669).

12/22/2022

Folks, the projections for this storm are ominous and potentially life-threatening.

Below are links that include tips to help you and your loved ones, including winter preparation help from the Red Cross and a helpful guide of what to do during a power outage.

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/winter-storm.html

https://www.ready.gov/power-outages?fbclid=IwAR2PIDCJYsbvliAOISEUS0GKxkYBtyRgT9YCrMIAmF52sAg3OODA-27cT3k

The storm that has been called a "once-in-a-generation event" now includes a blizzard warning from Friday to Sunday.

12/21/2022

I had the opportunity recently to tour the new Mathematics and Science Complex at SUNY Buffalo State College, and of course it included a stop at the incredible Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium.

The planetarium is hosting a wonderful series of holiday programming for the entire family to enjoy.

Our show includes modern visuals set to a variety of holiday classic songs plus some of our favorite seasonal selection of celestial images.

12/20/2022

Today we celebrated the new carillon at First Presbyterian Church in Allentown, made possible through a generous donation from Buffalo's O'Neill family.

I am proud to note that the stabilization of the tower was paid for in part by a grant of $328,400 from the NYS State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Thank you to the O'Neills and One Symphony Circle, Inc. for all of your hard work and dedication on this wonderful restoration project!