Political Arena

Klein wants to thwart game’s potential threat

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State Sen. Jeff Klein is pushing for new legislation that would protect children who play the popular augmented reality game Pokemon Go from searching for the game’s fictional creatures near real-life sex offenders’ homes. 

The call came after a joint investigative report by the offices of state senators Klein and Diane Savino found that Pokemon, which randomly appear in real-world locations, regularly showed up in front of the homes of level-two and level-three sex offenders, and within one block of convicted pedophiles’ homes.

“While children believe they are out to catch a pokémon, what might really be lurking could be a predator instead of a Pikachu,” Mr. Klein said in a statement on the state Senate website. “We want our children to have safe fun, but it makes no sense at all to give dangerous sexual predators a virtual road map to where our children congregate.”

Mr. Klein has said in late July he wants to introduce legislation that would prohibit high-level sex offenders from playing any augmented reality games, and would require game developers to keep all game activity at least 100 feet away from high-level sex offenders’ home.

“We must update our law that already prohibits high-level predators from using social media and we must make sure that gamers scrub these addresses from this game and future ones,” Mr. Klein said. 

 

New labor division tries to end worker abuse

The City Council has passed a bill, co-sponsored by Councilman Andrew Cohen, that would create a department for keeping statistics on people who work in home- and child-care industries in an effort to prevent worker abuse. 

The new department, called the Division of Paid Care, would be part of the Office of Labor Standards, under the bill passed by the City Council on Aug. 16. 

“The creation of a division of paid care with a coordinator and an advocate in the Office of Labor Standards will empower paid care workers against the risk of exploitation and abuse,” Mr. Cohen said in a statement on Aug. 16. “The individuals who care for our most vulnerable populations are often the most hard-working, under-paid and compassionate members in our society.”

The Office of Labor Standards was established in January and has since become known for enforcing paid sick leave and worker transit laws. The new division would also give the office a role in educating and enforcing the rights of home-care workers.

“The services they provide are vital, even so far as to take care of another’s basic needs when he or she is unable to,” Mr. Cohen said. “This division will protect the ones who look out for our children and home-bound loved ones from being taken advantage of themselves.” 

 

Espaillat calls voters with pitch for Alcantara 

State Sen. Adriano Espaillat has been calling voters in his soon-to-be-former district, encouraging them to vote for Marisol Alcantara to replace him.

Mr. Espaillat, who won the Democratic nomination for New York’s 13th Congressional District on June 28, first endorsed Ms. Alcantara on July 19, but began calling constituents to leave a message that called for supporters to “make history” by voting her in.

“As your new congressman I need a partner in the state Senate and I am confident in Marisol Alcantara,” Mr. Espaillat said in an automated message. “Let’s continue the progressive progress we’ve made by electing Marisol Alcantara to the New York state Senate.”

Mr. Espaillat has worked with the senate hopeful before. He honored in her in 2015 with a “Women of Distinction” award for her work with labor unions and as Democratic District Leader in West Harlem.

Jeff Klein, Pokemon Go, Andrew Cohen, Division of Paid Care, Adriano Espaillat, Marisol Alcantara

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