Dear John,

Today was a dark day: New York recorded our highest increase yet of deaths due to the coronavirus, the total now surpassing the number of people who died on 9/11. And the numbers are still rising.

As we end our third week largely isolated in our homes, we’ve taken further steps to promote the physical distancing that will help flatten the COVID-19 curve, prevent our hospitals from being completely overwhelmed, and save lives. Playgrounds are (finally) closed, and both the city and federal government are recommending that we wear masks when we’re out in public (homemade and creative ones are great).

I’ve started wearing a mask when I go out to the grocery stores. But I have to admit: I really miss smiling at people and having them smile back (crinkled eyes just aren’t the same). In so many ways, large & small, this crisis is straining the bonds that hold us together.

It’s on us to do all we can to strengthen those bonds. So before our roundup of updates, I thought I’d share a few of the things our team did this week, together with many of you, to help build the connections we’ll need in the long weeks ahead.

From our office:

Freelancers, artists, and gig-workers lack many basic worker protections and access to a robust social safety net, leaving them particularly vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Wednesday night we held a zoom webinar (watched by over 3,000 people) to provide information and resources to help NYC-based freelancers and artists navigate these uncertain times. On our website you can find a recording of that call, and an extensive set of resources, and FAQ.
Parents and kids are now through two weeks of “distance learning,” and we know that even with all the effort from our teachers, it puts a real strain on families. So we held calls in English and Spanish (attended by over 200) to focus not only on how it’s going and what can be done to improve it, but especially on how to focus on the social and emotional health of all of us. As District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop noted, what our kids will remember years from now is not the Treaty of Ghent (or other content they got from the distance learning), but how well we showed up for each other, made our kids feel safe and supportive, and helped them build resiliency and understanding. The English-language recording is here (resources here), and Spanish-language recording is here (translated resources coming soon).
Nurses and doctors in our overrun hospitals have been speaking out about equipment shortages and increasingly dire workplace conditions — but sadly they have been risking their jobs to do so as several of the big hospital networks have announced gag orders. So today, along with four of my Council colleagues and a number of unions, I announced plans to introduce a bill that would give whistleblower protections to healthcare workers in NYC. At a time when the very lives of hospital workers are on the line, it is unconscionable that they would be fired for ringing the alarm bell about health and safety issues.
Over the past two weeks, our 100 “wellness callers” have made over 300 calls to home-bound seniors in the community who were on Heights & Hills waiting list for case management. Nearly 80% of those we talked to said they’d appreciate being called again. Nearly 20% had an immediate need (like food or medicine), so Heights & Hills staff followed up within 24 hours. And 50% said, when asked, that they’d like to hear a joke (sadly, we did not record whether they thought it was a good one). The need to combat social isolation is palpable right now. We’re still at work on a plan to scale these calls up much broader, in which case we’ll need a lot more volunteers. We’ll keep you posted.

New York City

Grab and Go Meals Expanding for All New Yorkers: In this time of historic high unemployment, more New Yorkers are experiencing food insecurity for the first time. So the City will be expanding “grab and go” meals for all New Yorkers. No one will be turned away. Anyone who shows up will be able pick up three meals. The hours are 7:30 - 11:30 am for families and children, 11:30 - 1:30 for adults. Find locations here, or text “NYCFOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877.
New Mask Guidance: With new studies that show pre-symptomatic people may be infectious, the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is now advising New Yorkers to wear face coverings when outside and near people to prevent spreading COVID to others. To help conserve PPE for healthcare workers, people are encouraged to use a scarf or bandana, or to make their own -- and of course to continue to maintain a social distance of 6 feet from other people.

New York State

New York State budget: This week the State Legislature adopted New York State’s FY2021 budget. New York faces a very real budget crisis, and hard cuts have to be made. But I believe strongly that Governor Cuomo's insistence (and the legislature's acquiescence) on cuts targeting health care & education, with zero shared sacrifice by the wealthiest, and several pieces on unrelated, regressive public policy is just the wrong approach. The “budget bills” rolled back bail reform (which was clearly wrong even before our jails became a humanitarian nightmare), sneakily undermined third parties, and gave the governor unprecedented power to make future budget cuts without legislative approval. Thanks to our local legislators Jo Anne Simon, Bobby Carroll, and Zellnor Myrie for voting no in protest.

The budget does address some very real needs, including $4 billion in emergency appropriations to directly address the crisis, increased unemployment and child care funding. It bans polystyrene food packaging and polystyrene packaging peanuts (though not until January 2022) And it expands paid sick leave to workers across New York State (although still not to gig-workers, so we’ll have to keep working to do that first here in New York City; sign our petition if you have not already).

Even with some tax increases on millionaires & billionaires, really painful cuts would have been necessary. But modestly increased taxes on fortunes over $5m or incomes over $1m could have provided funding for emergency food, for health care, for better school technology. I wrote in Gotham Gazette about one idea that I hope the governor will still consider: Build on the regional partnership that he established with New Jersey and Connecticut to respond to the public health crisis, and use it to confront the economic crisis, by closing the “carried interest” loophole for private equity and hedge fund managers. We are going to need smart and compassionate approaches, and more fairly-shared sacrifice, to make it through the looming recession.

Federal

Lenders began processing applications for the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll starting today. The federal stimulus package set aside $350 billion for small business loans. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. More details about this program are here.

Next Meetings:

Monday, April 6 from 5-7 PM: Quaran-Teens Call. Register here.

This meeting is an open forum for Brooklyn youth to check-in, vent, and share COVID-19 reflections. Organizers hope to incorporate civic engagement opportunities and creative activities down the road. Hosted by PB Youth Committee Leaders Anastasia, Jess, Max, Sadie.

Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 PM: Community Check In with Community Board 6 and Elected Officials. Register here.

Each one of the people we lose leaves behind friends and family who are hurting. The mother of our friend and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Arlene Stringer-Cuevas, a real trailblazer who was the first woman to represent Washington Heights in the City Council, died today. The crisis has now taken loved ones from many of us.

This is a hard time for everyone. Be generous with yourself and with your friends and family.

And if you walk by me on the sidewalks of Park Slope, keeping a six-foot distance, please know that under my mask, and sometimes through tears, I’m smiling at you.

Brad