Dear John,

One of the heartbreaking parts of this crisis is walking down the street and seeing our favorite neighborhood businesses dark. Already some beloved “mom & pops” around the city have announced they will be closing permanently. So many more fear that they will soon face the same choice.

Yesterday, at our second virtual City Council meeting, we passed 6 pieces of legislation to help small businesses and restaurants weather this devastating storm. We voted to cap the fees that third party delivery companies (like Seamless and GrubHub) charge restaurants. We suspended sidewalk cafe fees, took action to stop harassment of commercial and residential tenants, and protected small business owners from losing everything as a result of personal liability for their commercial leases. I was glad to support all of these measures, which will provide some relief for our neighborhood’s restaurants and small businesses.

But I know it is not nearly enough.

In conversations with small business owners, I heard over and over how difficult it is to get and then use the federal relief programs for small businesses. Earlier this week, Councilmember Keith Powers and I organized a letter, signed by 40 of our council Colleagues, to Congressional leaders urging changes to the federal Paycheck Protection Program to make it easier for small businesses to use the funds to rehire employees. Hundreds of you joined us in support of these simple changes, especially extending the period that the loan can be used so that businesses can make use of this loan to rehire employees when they are able to reopen.

Thanks largely to the leadership of our Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Chair of the House Small Business Committee, I can report some good news: the changes to the PPP program we asked for are included in the House Democrats new stimulus bill proposal that Congress is expected to take up soon.

Back at the local level, I’m advocating strongly to open up streets for restaurants and other retail businesses to use for socially-distanced open-air operation. As summer approaches, this would be a great way to safely begin opening back up our city, enable restaurants and some other businesses to survive, and offer a little bit of happiness in our wounded city. In our Council hearings this week, I was heartened to hear enthusiasm from DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg about this idea.

We are still looking at the hundreds of comments and messages that many of you have sent about other actions to support small businesses. We’ll keep working to find other ways of providing working capital, rent relief, and other creative approaches.

We will hold a small business townhall, co-hosted with Assemblymember Robert Carroll, who is sponsoring legislation in Albany to require insurance companies to make good on small business insurance policies, which would be hugely helpful. We look forward to hearing from you, and we hope to have some new opportunities to share by then.

Tuesday, May 26 from 6-8 PM: Small Business Townhall with Councilmember Lander and Assemblymember Carroll. Register here.

On Wednesday, the City announced a dozen new open streets and new protected bike lanes, including several in our neighborhoods. In District 39, the open streets include 1st Place, 2nd Place, and 4th Place in Carroll Gardens, 4th Street in Park Slope, St. Marks Place in Boerum Hill, E. 7th in Kensington, and 38th Street and Congress Street near Cobble Hill Park. Thank you to DOT, the 5th Avenue BID, and the NYPD 66 & 76th Precincts for getting these streets open to pedestrians. As our families continue to work hard to practice social distancing, this open space will make a real difference.

If you live on these streets and have a car you need to move or park, receive a delivery, or pick someone up for an essential appointment, you can still do so. Please go slowly and take extra caution. And while you know I support this program, if you have feedback on how its working on your block, or any problems that arise, we’re eager to hear from you. The City has committed to open a total of 100 miles to pedestrians, and we will continue working with the administration to ensure that the open streets program is rolled out effectively and equitably across our city.

I’m especially glad to share that protected bike lanes will be extended, including completing the protected bike lane on 4th Avenue between Flatbush and 1st Street, and a new route for cyclists on Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Ocean Avenue. These newly protected lanes are a critical piece of the borough’s bike infrastructure and I hope that the current openings can become permanent.

Hopefully our streets can add some variety and recreation to your days at home, offer smoother, safer commutes for cyclists now and in the future, and provide space to begin bringing back the restaurants and small businesses that make our neighborhoods feel alive in the months ahead.

Brad

In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Virtual Events

City and State Updates

Latest impacts: New York City has lost 20,406 people, both confirmed and presumably from the COVID-19 virus. More than 49,000 people have been hospitalized, and 186,293 cases have been positively identified.
Testing and Tracing: The City Council will hold an oversight hearing tomorrow on the City’s Test and Trace program, which was abruptly moved from the purview of the Health Department to the public hospital system. This article in CityLab gives a lot of insight into what the job of a contact tracer is, what skills are needed, and what the role of technology should be in scaling up this work.
Federal aid to localities: The new HEROES Act bill proposed by House Democrats would give NYC $17 billion in direct aid over two years and provide another $34 billion for New York state. It would also fund benefits for families of first responders, hazard pay for essential workers, expanded food stamps, and other needs.
Small Business Guidance: NYC Department of Small Business Services is hosting free webinars in many languages on resources for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 focused on financial assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration and other private organizations; tax, debt, and utilities relief; marketing and employee support; and regulatory changes. View the full list of webinars and sign up here.
Upstate reopenings: Some limited groups of businesses will be reopening this weekend in 4 upstate regions, including the North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Mohawk Valley. 12 more counties (now a total of 47) are now resuming elective surgeries in hospitals. You can follow how close NYC is to meeting the necessary metrics here.
Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome: New York State Health officials are investigating 102 cases of a rare and dangerous inflammatory syndrome that afflicts children and appears to be connected to the coronavirus. Symptoms include prolonged fever, severe abdominal pain, and bloodshot eyes. More details here.

Upcoming Virtual Events

Tomorrow, May 15 at 1:30 PM: Freelance Isn’t Free Day. On Freelance Union’s Instagram Live.

I’ll be joining the Freelancers Union for their Freelance Isn’t Free Day, celebrating 3 years since the passage of our Freelance Isn’t Free Act which guarantees that employers pay independent contractors in full and on time. We will be talking about how to access rights under the law and other issues facing freelancers.

Tuesday, May 26 from 6-8 PM: Small Business Townhall with Councilmember Lander and Assemblymember Carroll. Register here.

Join me and Assemblymember Robert Carroll to talk about issues facing small businesses and relief opportunities.