Policy & Community Updates

As New York faces heat wave after heat wave and experiences record-breaking heat, it is even more apparent why we must pass the NY HEAT Act. This bill will reduce our carbon footprint, save millions of vulnerable New Yorkers money by capping their utility bills, and allow New York State to transition away from polluting fossil fuels. A new report suggests that New York's clean energy future is already at risk, given that we are projected to miss our 2030 climate goals by three years.

During the recent heat waves, I attended an event with environmental advocates to urge the Governor and the Assembly to pass the NY HEAT Act. According to the NYC Department of Health, 350 New Yorkers are killed per-maturely each year by heat-related illnesses. The time for half measures is over.

Please stay safe from the heat this summer and see heat-related resources below, like cooling centers and free AC units (apply by the end of today).

Sincerely,

Jo Anne Simon

Heat-Related Resources: Stay safe in this hot weather! If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of heat illness, call 911. Symptoms include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, light headedness, feeling faint, headaches, decreased energy, loss of appetite, and nausea.

NYC has cooling centers across the city at places like libraries, older adult centers, and more. Find your nearest cooling center here or by calling 311. The NYC Parks Department has a map of other places to help you beat the heat, like parks with water features and places with extra tree cover. Governor Hochul recently announced that New York State is waiving pool entry fees for the rest of this summer at swimming pools located at State Parks throughout New York.

In the event you lose power during a heatwave, please follow this link to report the outage. You can also use this link to view outages throughout the city. As an extra precaution, make sure to register any life saving equipment needed in your home with ConEd.

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Cooling Assistance Benefit Closes TODAY July 22 at 5pm. All applications submitted online, or postmarked and received on or before the deadline will be processed. Eligible households receive a cooling benefit of up to $800 for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner. If one cannot be installed safely, a fan will be provided. Applications for the benefit can be submitted in-person, by phone, and through ACCESS HRA. Learn more here.

Know Your Rights: Good Cause Eviction Virtual Workshop Part 2, July 30 at 7:30pm. Thank you to those who attended part 1 of this workshop series organized by Southwest Brooklyn Tenant Union and The Legal Aid Society, which provided an overview of the new Good Cause Eviction laws that provide rental protections. Part 2 will focus on learning how to research your landlord to determine if you are covered under the new law. RSVP for the Zoom link.

New Street Safety Bill: Daylighting. I recently introduced a bill A09985/S09769 to would ensure that New York City is no longer exempt from the state’s daylighting law. Daylighting creates additional space and safe visibility at curbs for pedestrians. This bill would improve street visibility at intersections and enhance pedestrian safety. Community Boards (CBs) across the city have recently passed resolutions in support of universal daylighting. I’m thankful to them for their forward-thinking work, especially our very own CB8 and CB6.

We are seeing far too many preventable fatalities and injuries from crashes at intersections throughout the city. The community is still reeling from the untimely death of a 7-year-old in Prospect Heights after being struck by a driver who was not able to see him at the intersection. Universal daylighting is a simple, effective way to improve street visibility and keep such tragedies from happening to anyone else. Read more about the bill here.

Further, Council Member Lincoln Restler is polling the community as to which intersections would benefit from daylighting, and he will share the list with the Department of Transportation. Please fill out this form to make sure your voice is heard.

Summer Reading Challenge for Youth. I am once again sponsoring a Summer Reading Challenge, held in partnership with NYS Libraries, for elementary and middle school students. The theme for this year’s challenge, “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” celebrates the journeys books can take readers on, whether transporting us to a different world or delving into our history. Children can read on their own or with a partner or caregiver and mark off days on the calendar provided. Once they’ve completed the challenge, they should submit the calendar to my office to receive an Excellence in Reading certificate recognizing their efforts.

Stop by my office at 341 Smith Street or email [email protected] to request a brochure, bookmarks, and a summer reading calendar; available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and other languages upon request.

Urgent Call for Blood Donations, Especially Type O: New York Blood Center has issued an urgent call for blood donations, especially type O+ & O- blood, with the lowest inventory at a one-day supply. With reduced blood shipments to hospitals, we need an immediate community response. Please consider donating. Schedule an appointment.

Gowanus Owls Head CSO Construction: NYC DEP is continuing work to build the 4-million-gallon combined sewer overflow tank at the Salt Lot at Second Avenue and 5th Street in the Industrial Business Zone in Gowanus. The project is a component of the EPA's Superfund program for the Gowanus Canal and is designed to intercept sewage that would otherwise overflow into the canal during rainstorms. Pile driving work began in June and is expected to continue until at least July 22nd. Approved work hours are from 6 AM to 10 PM, Monday through Saturday.

Gowanus Cleanup Updates: PS 372 administration recently held a school meeting in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to go over the results of the soil vapor intrusion testing that had taken place. They found elevated contaminant levels in the school's annex building located at 219 1st Street. These findings warrant mitigation and DOH and DEC are working with the PS 372 administration, the superintendent, and the City DOE to clean the affected area. Similar testing was also conducted at PS 32 and the International School of Brooklyn; DEC has reported that no cleanup is needed at these locations though many community members have requested additional testing.

The testing that was done at these sites was Soil Vapor intrusion testing (SVI). Earlier this year, I hosted a community forum where representatives from the EPA, DEC, and DOH shared insights on the Gowanus cleanup process. You can view the forum recording here; for those who were at the forum and submitted questions to be answered later, here is the document. During the session, DEC underscored the significance of SVI testing, a process conducted during the heating season to ensure no contaminated vapors are infiltrating homes, and to help with remediation when it is necessary. I urge all property owners who have received a testing request from DEC to comply. This step will contribute to a safer and cleaner community, and it's in your best interest to participate.

If you have any specific concerns or questions, I encourage you to contact the agencies directly:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Thomas Mongelli, Remedial Project Manager (212) 637-4256 [email protected]
NYS DEC: Heidi Dudek, P.E., Section Chief, Bureau B, Section D, (518) 402- 0193 [email protected]
NYS DEC, Aaron Fischer, Project Manager – Gowanus Canal Area, Bureau B, Section D, (518) 402-9805, [email protected]
NYS DOH: Scarlett Messier-McLaughlin, P.G., Chief, NYS Regions 2 & 7, (518) 402-7874 [email protected]
NY City Dept.of Environmental Protection (DEP): Valentina Mascaro, 934-216-0209 [email protected]

You can also attend the virtual monthly meetings of the Gowanus Canal Advisory Group to hear from the EPA and various agencies. The next meeting is Tuesday, July 23rd at 6:30pm. Join here.

Disability Pride: July is Disability Awareness Month! Disability Pride is about embracing and honoring the strengths of the disabled community while advocating for more inclusivity and accessibility for our county’s largest minority group. People with disabilities are saying loud and clear, “Nothing about us without us!” Thank you to Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for hosting the Brooklyn Disability Pride event. I had the pleasure of attending and honoring the disability community.

New Changes to School Lockdown Drills: I’m thrilled that the NYS Board of Regents and the NYS Education Department adopted new regulations to reform New York's harmful and ineffective lockdown drills. They included many of the reforms that I had been advocating for, along with Senator Andrew Gounardes and a strong coalition, via the passage of our bill A6665/S6537. However, New York State still MUST reduce the number of mandated drills, which must happen though legislative action.

For far too long, we have put students through an excessive number of mandated school lockdown drills - four per year - for no justifiable reason. In 2016 under the former Senate Majority, the legislature passed a mandate through the budget that schools conduct 4 lockdown drills a year - that's more than 46 other states in the nation. The number of statutorily mandated drills was made up from whole cloth, without any reference or support in the literature. This is why I will continue to push for my bill to reduce the number of mandated lockdown drills in New York schools from four to two, while ceding flexibility back to school districts who can conduct more drills if they so choose.

Given that a large and growing body of evidence suggests that active shooter drills are causing lasting emotional harm to students, teachers, and the larger community, we must right-size the number of lockdown drills required by the state. Further, there is no evidence that the drills prevent gun violence and virtually no evidence showing their efficacy. We are doing more harm than good.

We must take the onus off children to keep themselves safe and instead focus on gun violence prevention policies that are grounded in evidence-based research.

The updated regulations include several significant reforms: they ban active shooter simulations, require advance parental notification of lockdown drills, ensure that students and staff are informed that the simulation is in fact just a drill, and ensure that drills are age-appropriate and trauma-informed.

Care Hero Awards. I was honored to be awarded a Care Hero Award from the Care Forward campaign, alongside outstanding domestic worker employers and community leaders working to increase rights and protections for domestic workers. Care Forward, which is organized by members of the Carroll Gardens Nanny Association and Hand in Hand, launched right in our district in 2021 and aims to raise work standards for domestic workers and employers. Nannies, housekeepers, and home attendants deserve fair work contracts with their employers, and Care Forward aims to provide both employers and workers with the tools necessary to create these contracts. If you would like to learn more about this initiative or have questions about creating a contract, reach out to [email protected].

Transit Updates & BQE Closures:

Proposed traffic calming measures & Reduction in Speed Limits: Since we passed Sammy’s law in the legislature, several streets across the City and Brooklyn are being considered for speed reduction including Prospect Park West, from Grand Army Plaza to Bartel Pritchard Square and Underhill Ave, from Pacific St to Eastern Parkway. NYC DOT will begin publicly notifying community boards on its proposals this summer, with a 60-day comment period before implementation. Read more about the proposed changes here.
G train shutdown: The G train has completed signal upgrades from Court Square to Nassau Avenue. The G train will be shut down between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand until August 12th. The third phase will be the shutdown of Bedford-Nostrand to Church Ave from August 12th to September 2nd. Free shuttle service is available during this time.
Smith and 9th Street Station repair: The MTA will be performing an escalator replacement project at the Smith-9th Street F/G station. This project includes complete replacement of the old escalators with new ones, which will improve their reliability. Phase 1 begins on July 15, 2024 and will last approximately 9 months. During this period, one escalator will be out of service in each bank, with one escalator running in each direction.

Early Morning Single Lane closures in both directions on the BQE continue until July 31st:

Queens-bound BQE – One lane closed until July 31st from Atlantic Avenue to Washington Street & Atlantic Ave. entrance ramp closed Monday to Friday from 12:01 am to 5:00 am, Saturday 1:00 am to 6:00 am, Sunday 1:00 am to 9:00 am.
Staten Island-bound BQE – One lane closed until July 31st from Vine Street entrance ramp to Atlantic Ave. Tuesday to Friday from 1:00 am - 5:00 am, Saturday 1:00 am - 6:00 am, Sunday 1:00 am - 9:00 am.

Overnight Testing of the Hugh Carey (Brooklyn-Battery) Tunnel: Starting Friday July 19th at 11:00pm, one tube of the tunnel will be closed for flood door testing in preparation for potential hurricanes or tropical storms. During the following times, one of the tunnels will be closed. One lane will be open in each direction in the remaining tube:

Monday, July 22 at 9:00 p.m. through Tuesday, July 23 at 5:00 a.m.
Tuesday, July 23 at 9:00 p.m. through Wednesday, July 24 at 5:00 a.m.
Wednesday, July 24 at 9:00 p.m. through Thursday, July 25 at 5:00 a.m.

Manhattan Bridge: NYCDOT will continue the maintenance of Manhattan Bridge with rolling lane closures on the upper and lower roadways from Monday, July 22nd to Friday, July 26th from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. At least one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained at all times.

Brooklyn Bridge: On Tuesday, July 23rd, the NYC DOT will continue to conduct maintenance on the Brooklyn Bridge from midnight to 5:00 a.m. As a result, there will be single-lane, rolling closures in both directions. These closures will be limited to the immediate work zone of approximately 40 feet as the work crew progresses. Only one lane at a time will be closed.

Truck Route Network Redesign - Extended Public Comment Period until July 31. In 2023, the New York City Council passed Local Law 171 requiring NYC DOT to redesign the city truck route network to enhance safety, increase visibility, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the overall freight roadway network. NYC DOT just opened its Truck Route Network Redesign Public Feedback Portal, where you can learn more about the city's truck route network and provide feedback. You have until July 31st to provide feedback, which will help inform NYC DOT on how and where they can look to improve the movement of trucks on city streets.

New Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Program. Each eligible child will get a one time payment of $120 in food benefits. Eligible children will receive Summer EBT food benefits on an EBT card. Families can use their Summer EBT food benefits to buy food like fruits, vegetables, meat, whole grains, and dairy at authorized retail food stores, farmers markets, and anywhere else SNAP is accepted. Most children will be automatically eligible for Summer EBT and do not need to do anything to enroll. However, some children may need to apply. An online application will be available in July. Learn more here.

School Supply Drive: Now thru August 23rd, my office in partnership with Camp Friendship will be collecting school supplies for the upcoming school year. We will be accepting donations Monday through Friday, 10am until 5pm, of new backpacks, pencils, pens, erasers, folders, sharpeners, notebooks, binders, paper, rulers, markers, crayons, scissors, and glue sticks. For additional locations and times check here.
We are also hosting a School Supply Drive in coordination with Gowanus Mutual Aid.

Community Events & News:

Cobble Hill Association (CHA) Summer Swing in Cobble Hill Park, 7/23 from 6-8pm. Join the CHA and the Winter Social for a free live musical performance by Buck and Quarter band, a local string band that plays forgotten gems and favorites.
Dining Out Application due Aug. 3rd: Business owners with outdoor dining please be aware that you need to apply to the outdoor dining program by August 3rd or remove their outdoor dining setup. The application is available in English and Spanish. Learn more by visiting the city's website.
Summer Streets: Join NYC DOT on August 24th from 7am-3pm on Eastern Parkway to enjoy the Summer Streets programming. Summer Streets provides space for healthy recreation and encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation. Learn more here.
Downtown Brooklyn’s Evolution Map: To mark twenty years since Downtown Brooklyn’s rezoning, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has created an interactive StoryMap to showcase Brooklyn’s growth. They have combined Google Streets View and historic images to showcase the progress that has been made. Check out the StoryMap here.
Apply for the BID Formation Grant: Applications are now open for up to $100,000 per neighborhood for community based organizations that are already in the planning, outreach, or legislative phase of the BID formation process. Applications close August 2, 2024 at midnight. Learn more here.

Congrats Rucola, Aita & Terre Pasta for being named by Crain's as having the best pasta dishes in NYC. You’re pasta-tively amazing.