John,

When it rains, it pours! For the second year in a row, we’re going to be giving away FREE rain barrels. Sign up here for your free rain barrel, and be sure to pick yours up on Sunday 7/30, between 9-11 AM. Please note, only the first 50 RSVPs will receive a rain barrel.
We have a new Constituent Services Director! We’ll be introducing Matt more formally in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, if you need to make an appointment, you can do so on Tuesday and Thursday by sending him an email at [email protected].

Budget Wins

Despite my disappointment with the final budget, I am deeply proud of many of the important victories myself, and my progressive colleagues, were able to win in this budget. While this Mayor insisted on slashing nearly every City agency, we were able to secure real, tangible victories. Over the next two weeks, I’m going to take some time to outline all the wins I’m proud of, and I know you all can celebrate as well. Our fight for a just budget continues, but for now, we should appreciate what we were able to achieve.

Despite the Mayor’s best efforts, we were able to avoid cuts to our treasured cultural institutions and libraries.
We nearly doubled the investment in high-quality childcare for our undocumented neighbors, securing $16 million for Promise NYC.
We won $850,000 for our City’s Abortion Access Fund to cover abortion and abortion-related costs, for low-income individuals seeking reproductive healthcare in New York City.
- Alongside the Women’s Caucus, we also secured a $200,000 investment for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York to continue serving people in need of essential healthcare.
Alongside Speaker Adams, I helped secure over $6 million to fund the Shirley Chisholm Welcome Center and a new Skate Garden in our very own Prospect Park.
In our capital budget, I negotiated for over $300,000 in essential technology upgrades for public schools across District 39.
I was also proud to help win over $120,000, split between Mixteca and the Carroll Gardens Association, for workforce development services expansion.

Constituent Win

While most of my team has been laser-focused these past few weeks on winning a just budget, we have several constituent services staff in the district continuing to help our community. Just this past week, our Kensington Liaison Ali was able to see the end of a very long case for one of our constituents, Aftabuddin. Aftabuddin originally came to one of our CUNY Citizenship Now! events at PS 230, looking to apply for American citizenship. Ali actually helped him with the first steps in this long process, assisting him with filling out his naturalization form! A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to see the final steps in this case when Aftabuddin became an American citizen. This work is only possible through the hard work and dedication of our constituent staff and the lawyers at CUNY Citizenship Now! I’m so proud to be able to offer this critical service to our immigrant neighbors and do so in a diverse array of languages spoken by our constituents.

A picture of Ali and a constituent holding a flyer in a classroom.

Ali and Aftabuddin!

Community Bulletin

The Parks Department has informed us that as of 7/10, portions of both Carroll Park and Boerum Park will be closed for Green Infrastructure projects. The large asphalt areas of both parks will be closed for the entirety of the summer.
July is Disability Pride Month! As a disabled New Yorker, I’m proud to offer my support to Disability Unite’s local pride month events here in Brooklyn. Please join my office and dozens of disabled New Yorkers to celebrate Disability Pride on Tuesday, 7/11 from 12-1:30 PM at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Join our friends at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum on 7/13 from 3-4 PM for The Smack-Dab in the Middle of the Day Show, a puppet talk show where kids can meet wacky characters, sing catchy songs, and learn fun academic strategies, all while building key social-emotional skills!
Join our office, fellow community members, greenway users, and Brooklynites at Brooklyn Greenway Initiative’s City of Water Day Stewardship Event at the Van Voorhees Playground on Saturday, 7/15 at 10 AM. Help clean the greenspace on adjacent berms, weed, aerate, and remove litter from young street tree beds!
Who’s up for some Roller Derby? Gotham Roller Derby is our City’s only flat-track roller derby league for women, girls (cisgender, transgender, and intersex), and gender non-conforming participants! Check out their game schedule this summer, or if you’re interested, sign up for one of their basic training sessions to learn how to skate and play! There’s also an option for young people in their junior league.
Heads up! National Grid has started work on Court Street between Garnett and West 9th. Keep a look out for reduced parking and access to the sidewalk in this area while crews work to install a new gas main.
During these uncertain economic times, many families in our community are struggling. If you, or someone you know, is dealing with food insecurity, you can check out this free resource to find free food options in our City.
While MPX is no longer a public health crisis, the threat of infection still exists for several key groups in our City. Check out this video to learn more!
Are you caring for a loved one over the age of 60? Heights and Hills offer support groups where family caregivers can connect, learn from each other, and give and receive support. All groups meet over the phone or Zoom, with both evening and daytime groups available. To see an up-to-date listing of current support groups, visit their support group page.
The Department of Environmental Remediation (DER) is working on another Gowanus site. Sign up for their email updates here to get a copy of their draft plan.

In Solidarity,

Shahana