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星期一, 7月 31, 2017
胡桃山音樂營音樂會系列陸續有來
PARKING LOT MANAGEMENT CONTRACTOR TO PAY $5.6 MILLION FOR ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO REMIT MILLIONS IN PARKING REVENUES TO MBTA
PARKING LOT MANAGEMENT CONTRACTOR TO PAY $5.6 MILLION FOR ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO REMIT MILLIONS IN PARKING REVENUES TO MBTA
LAZ Parking to Pay $1.1 Million to the State and $4.5 Million to the MBTA
BOSTON – A firm hired by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to operate and manage parking lots in Greater Boston will pay $5.6 million to settle allegations that it failed to detect and deter theft of millions of dollars of cash revenue belonging to the MBTA, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.
According to the Assurance of Discontinuance, filed today in Suffolk Superior Court, LAZ Parking Limited, LLC has agreed to pay $1.1 million to the Commonwealth to resolve allegations by the AG’s Office that its failure to implement contractually-required revenue controls and auditing tools at 13 MBTA parking lots resulted in the submission of false claims and records and caused significant revenue losses in violation of the Massachusetts False Claims Act and Consumer Protection Act. LAZ has also agreed to pay the MBTA an additional $4.5 million to settle a May 2017 lawsuit filed by the MBTA claiming LAZ breached its contract.
“LAZ employees skimmed millions of dollars in cash from MBTA parking facilities, robbing the public of funds we need to invest in transportation,” said AG Healey. “Through this settlement, we’re recovering millions of dollars for the state and forcing the company to change its bidding practices.”
“The MBTA is pleased to have reached a resolution that makes the MBTA whole for the losses it sustained,” said MassDOT/MBTA General Counsel John Englander. “The MBTA is appreciative of the Attorney General working with us in our efforts to ensure that our private partners are held to their contractual obligations.”
The AG’s Office alleges that LAZ submitted false daily revenue reports and monthly audits and falsely certified monthly invoices to the MBTA due to its failure to properly track or audit revenue collection and usage at the 13 attended lots.
LAZ’s contract with the MBTA was terminated on March 31, 2017 and a new vendor took over.
Today’s settlement also requires LAZ to conduct pre-bid analyses of the feasibility and cost of compliance with key bid requirements, including revenue and auditing requirements, and to affirmatively correct any statements made in connection with a public bid or contract which it learns are untrue.
The MBTA fully cooperated with the AG’s investigation into LAZ Parking.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Cassandra Arriaza, Jeffrey Walker and Division Chief Gillian Feiner with assistance from Paralegal Megan Lima, all of AG Healey’s False Claims Division and Kevin McCarthy, Chief of AG Healey’s Civil Investigations Division.
Jimmy Gomez on Los Angeles reaching deal to host the 2028 Olympics
Statement by Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D – Los Angeles) on Los Angeles reaching deal to host the 2028 Olympics
Los Angeles, CA - “I’d like to congratulate Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the 2024 LA Olympics Committee on their successful effort to bring back the Summer Games to the City of Angels. Mayor Garcetti’s vision of a modern games in a modern city has captivated the residents of not only Los Angeles, but the entire region. Growing up in nearby Riverside, I still remember the thrill of the competition and the athletes who inspired us in 1984, and I look forward to seeing what this excitement will do for our city as we prepare for 2028. Los Angeles is truly an international city. From Little Armenia to Koreatown, Chinatown to Little Ethiopia, the spirit of diversity is woven into the very fabric of L.A. Welcoming people from every corner of the world with open arms is who we are as Angelenos, and we are proud to continue doing so when we host this historic event once again.”
加州税务委员会主席马世云鼓励华裔青少年勇于推销自己
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加州税务委员会主席马世云鼓励华裔青少年勇于推销自己
正在竞逐2018年加州财务长的马世云（Fiona Ma），应美国华人领袖孵化器（Future Chinese Leaders of America）邀请，2017年7月29日在加州尔湾与南加州华裔青少年分享从政经历，鼓励华人尤其是女性参政议政。
马世云首先谈起自己的成长过程，“学过钢琴的举手？参加过运动队的举手？哈哈，我的童年和你们中的大多数一样！”一下子拉近了与同学们的距离。出生于纽约的马世云，祖父曾任民国时期云南省昆明市的首任市长，四个学位在身的父亲则是不折不扣的学霸。笃信学业上的出类拔萃是子女成功的保障，父亲深以自己女儿的数学头脑为傲，并亲自为她选定了一条稳妥的职业发展道路-会计专业。
拿到硕士学位后，马世云如愿加入安永会计师事务所，之后辞职开办了自己的会计师事务所。然而，顺风顺水的职业发展，并不能满足马世云的心愿，她的梦想是从事公共服务领域的工作，帮助周围生活的人们，并为社会带来改变。
36岁的时候，马世云义无反顾地了开启了自己的政治生涯，从旧金山市监理会委员，到连续三届当选加州众议员，到加州民主党党鞭，到加州众议院执行议长，到当选现任加州税务委员会主席，现又投入参选加州财务长。
这位致力于推动男女平等、儿童保护、税务公平、小企业发展、公立教育和医疗保健提高等方方面面工作，曾经的州众议院多数党领袖，担任此职务的首位亚裔女性，像平易近人的朋友一样，详细地给青年朋友们一一介绍她的每一项职责，与前后两位州长--施瓦辛格和布朗州长一起工作的轶事，说到兴奋处手舞足蹈，极富感染力。“爱女心切的父亲曾极力反对我投身公职，但他为我选定的会计专业，让我在加州税务委员会如鱼得水，为我竞选加州财长做好了准备，瞧，父母的话还是一定要听滴”。
马世云坦言，民选官员的生活并不是大家看到的那么光鲜：付出的时间精力是超负荷的，收入却远不及私营部门；个人生活是得不到保障的，选战激烈时有如生活在鱼缸中；严格要求自己是必须的，一言一行都要经得起考验；恶言恶语是要坦然面对的，看看川普你就知道了；生活是要保低调简朴的，绝不适合想要开法拉利炫富的人。
聚少离多的生活，甚至让她付出了婚姻破裂的代价。因此她忠告有志于从政的青年学子，与各种人打交道乐此不疲的性格，帮助别人的巨大热情，家人的支持和理解，是在这条路上能够走远的基本条件。不仅如此，亚裔特别是女性，还有更多的实际困难甚至是心理障碍需要克服，为什么这么说呢？因为亚裔习惯于埋头努力工作，水到渠成后自然获得提升，但从政是一个不同的过程，推销自己，告诉陌生人你是最优秀的，才能来得到大家的认可，这需要亚裔走出自己的舒适区。对于女性候选人来说，有必要提前把家庭安排妥当，其次不能优柔寡断，机会窗口转瞬即逝，犹豫中竞选对手可能已经得到背书或在筹款中占得先机。但Fiona鼓励华人女性参政议政，因为帮助别人，让社区变得更好，得到的心理满足是任何其他行业不可比拟的。
去年当选的尔湾市议员Melissa Fox，也参加了美国华人领袖孵化器的这次活动。她现身说法力证马世云所言不虚：儿子过生日时，Melissa问他喜欢去哪里，今天可以满足他的要求，儿子却说只想吃妈妈在家里做的饭。 原本喜欢烹饪的女律师，担任公职后工作忙碌，对家庭亏欠良多，所幸有家人的理解和支持，可以让她全心全意地为尔湾社区服务。
去年当选的尔湾市议员Melissa Fox，也参加了美国华人领袖孵化器的这次活动。她现身说法力证马世云所言不虚：儿子过生日时，Melissa问他喜欢去哪里，今天可以满足他的要求，儿子却说只想吃妈妈在家里做的饭。 原本喜欢烹饪的女律师，担任公职后工作忙碌，对家庭亏欠良多，所幸有家人的理解和支持，可以让她全心全意地为尔湾社区服务。
精彩的演讲结束后，很多青少年留下来与马世云和Melissa Fox继续交流，原本一个小时的活动，足足进行了两个小时。
全美中华青年联合会 www.aacyf.org
AG HEALEY JOINS COALITION OPPOSING ELIMINATION OF LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
AG HEALEY JOINS COALITION OPPOSING ELIMINATION OF LOW-INCOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
35 Attorneys General and State Consumer Advocates Urge Congress to Expand Funding for Millions of Vulnerable Residents
BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today joined a coalition of 35 attorneys general and state consumer advocate agencies in urging members of Congress to preserve and expand funding for critical low-income energy assistance programs for residents in Massachusetts and across the country.
In a letter sent to Congress today, the attorneys general and advocates conveyed the importance of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) to their states and expressed opposition to the proposed elimination or reduction of their funding within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Community Services budget.
“Each year, tens of thousands of Massachusetts families struggle to make ends meet and come up with the money to pay their energy bills,” said AG Healey. “We simply cannot allow Congress to slash funding for these critical programs that allow some of our most vulnerable residents to stay warm in the cold winter months.”
During the 2015–2016 winter, nearly 165,000 customers in Massachusetts received approximately $150 million in LIHEAP benefits. Annual distributions of LIHEAP funds specifically prioritize seniors and families with small children. Seventy percent of recipient households have at least one member who is elderly or disabled, or have a child under the age of six. The attorneys general and advocates argue that without this vital assistance, many of these families would be faced with the impossible choice of opting between heating and cooling their homes, and paying for other necessities, such as food and medications.
“Since 1981, LIHEAP has helped millions of vulnerable residents retain essential utility service, thereby protecting public health and safety, reducing homelessness and ensuring the stability of utility revenues. In Fiscal Year 2017 alone, it is expected that about 6.1 million households nationwide will receive heating and cooling assistance through LIHEAP,” the letter states.
Likewise, WAP has served 7 million households over its 40-year lifespan. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that WAP has helped low-income households reduce their total energy expenditures by 23 percent per year, allowing participating households to allocate scarce resources for other necessities. WAP has helped develop an energy efficiency industry for low-income housing that includes workers and companies that assist low-income families increase their energy efficiency through low-cost measures. According to the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, an average of $4,500 in allowable energy efficiency measures is available for eligible Massachusetts households.
In their letter, the attorneys general and advocates note that anticipated funding for Fiscal Year 2017 does not come close to meeting the extraordinary need for either of these funds. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, only 19 percent of eligible households are expected to be served. Since 2010, congressional funding for LIHEAP has fallen by more than a third. This decrease in funding has resulted in more than one million fewer eligible households receiving critical energy assistance. The attorneys general urge Congress to restore and increase LIHEAP funding, so that fewer families are “left out in the cold.”
The coalition who sent today’s letter was led by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and consisted of attorneys general and consumer advocate agencies from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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