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What’s Inside
Dear Neighbors & Friends, I am pleased to announce my appointment as Chair of the Assembly’s Mental Health Committee. Mental health is fundamental to New Yorkers' overall health and well-being. As we continue to recover from the trauma inflicted by the pandemic, the mental health of our families continues to worsen. More people are disconnected than ever before. We must strive for a society that embraces connection, support, and understanding. I’m laser-focused on advocating for evidence-based programs and policies that help New Yorkers thrive. It’s budget time in Albany. The Governor proposed her Executive budget in January and then the legislature held a series of budget hearings to hear from and question the state agencies and organizations that would be impacted. Then both the Assembly and Senate propose their one-house budget resolutions which reflect our priorities. Right now, we are in the negotiation stage of the budget where we have to work out a final agreed-upon budget to vote on. As you may be aware, the Governor has most of the authority in the state budget process, as determined by the Court of Appeals in Silver v. Pataki, wherein the Court upheld strong Executive power in the budget process. The legislature may constitutionally say yes or no. The third option is to negotiate changes to the Governor’s budget that the Assembly, the Senate and the Governor can agree on. The final budget must be passed by April 1st. I am a member of the Ways and Means Committee, so I attend most every budget hearing, including transportation, health and mental health, education and higher education, environmental conservation, economic development, taxes, labor and social services. At the budget hearings, I had the opportunity to ask questions about the reauthorization of the Gowanus Superfund, air monitoring along the BQE, foundation aid in schools, the number of therapeutic beds (which are used for those with chronic health problems as well as those with serious mental illness) in our new borough-based jails, and more. I focused on the urgent need for equitable access to comprehensive mental health services and asked questions about delays in reimbursement for outpatient behavioral health services, increased funding for residential programs, and the need for more mental health support for students struggling after the pandemic. I also asked the NYS Department of Public Service why National Grid is allowed to pass the Gowanus Superfund cleanup costs to customers. This isn’t equitable and it sets a bad example. National Grid customers shouldn't have to foot the bill for pollution they didn’t cause. You can watch videos from these budget hearings here. Other happenings in Albany. An enormous number of visitors come to the state Capitol every day. I meet with students from Brooklyn who highlight the need for a quality education for every kid. I recently met with Dr. Sharon McLennon Wier, Executive Director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled (CIDNY), about support to ensure responsive, culturally competent services so that everyone has the resources to live independently with dignity. Yesterday, I participated in a climate rally with constituents from 350Brooklyn, one of our local environmental groups. I am still awestruck by the commitment of every day New Yorkers to make our state a better place for everyone. Sincerely
Jo Anne Simon PS: If you would like to receive more regular, bi-weekly email alerts, please respond to this email or fill out this brief form.
Community Meeting: Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Thurs. 3/20, 6-7:30PM. Please join me for a community event on the City’s proposed Brooklyn Marine Terminal transformation project. The NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) will present their proposal, followed by an audience Q&A. This event is targeted to the Columbia Street Waterfront community, but anyone may attend. I hope that you will attend and share your questions, ideas, vision, or concerns. Please RSVP here. The event will take place tonight, Thursday, March 20, from 6-7:30 PM at 125 Summit St. I am holding this event in partnership with Council Member Shahana Hanif, Congressman Dan Goldman, & Senator Andrew Gounardes. What is going on at the BMT? You may have heard that the NYCEDC took control of the BMT from the Port Authority of NY/NJ last year to modernize the maritime facility and create a mixed-use community asset. The BMT is a critical part of our Brooklyn waterfront, and decisions about its future must prioritize the working waterfront, climate change, and the community. NYCEDC is currently conducting a rapid community engagement process to plan for the future of the site. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in the process thus far. The current pace of the revisioning process is concerning, leaving what I believe is too little time for meaningful community engagement. We need to take the time to get this right—not rush into decisions that could have long-term consequences for our working waterfront, our neighborhoods, and our city as a whole. If you would like to learn more, Cobble Hill Association has compiled a summary of the site and project along with resources and instructions on how to get more involved with the redesign, which you can view here. They just released the results of the community survey on this topic, linked here. NYCEDC is hosting its next workshop on March 24, 6-8 PM. They will present community engagement findings, proposed planning scenarios, the project’s public benefits, and Q&A. Register here.
Impacts from the Federal Administration. New Yorkers are rightly worried about impacts from federal budget cuts to various services and agencies, the infringement on civil liberties, and the flagrant disregard for the law of the land. Here in New York, I am advocating for a package of bills that will protect New York immigrants, including the New York for All Act. I am also supporting several revenue raising measures that could help fill the gap in anticipated federal cuts to New York programs. This includes eliminating $350M in tax subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, raising corporate taxes on the most profitable corporations in New York, implementing a capital gains tax, and taxing billionaires’ wealth. As reproductive rights remain under attack at the federal level, I am committed to shoring up our protections here in New York. It was alarming to see Louisiana indict a New York doctor for prescribing a patient medication abortion pills. We passed the Shield Law last year to protect New York doctors from this very situation, and I am pleased that both the Attorney General and Governor have promised to protect this doctor and uphold the law. Additionally, the Governor signed our bill into law that will allow providers of medication abortion to print their medical practice's name on the pharmacy label rather than their own name. This adds another layer of protection for providers. The Assembly also passed a bill that I co-sponsor that would prevent personal health materials from being accessed by third parties and sold. Currently, these bad actors can see private information, such as location data from visits to reproductive health centers or domestic violence shelters and details from health apps like period trackers, without a person’s knowledge. This bill would allow New Yorkers to reclaim and retain control of their data and prohibit online services from sharing personal data without affirmative consent. It has also passed in the Senate and now awaits the Governor’s signature. Like many of you, I am appalled by the actions taken to arrest lawful permanent resident (a/k/a a “green card” holder) Mahmoud Khalil and take him away from his wife, a citizen who is 8 months pregnant, and his community. The US Constitution guarantees Khalil's 1st & 5th Amendment rights—free speech and due process—whether or not one agrees with his views. He has not been charged with any crime. His detainment is meant to be chilling. First, Mahmoud "disappeared." Another graduate student has been detained. Who’s next? This un-American act by the federal administration must be resisted. Standing up for the Trans Community. Recently, NYU Langone chose to cancel appointments for young people who had been scheduled to receive health care. Other local hospitals removed language from their websites about the LGBTQ affirming care that they provide. This was in response to the president’s abhorrent and discriminatory executive order. However, this is an outrageous violation of New York law and I want to thank NYS Attorney General Tish James who reminded healthcare providers of their duty to follow New York State law. We must not give into Trump’s shameful agenda in advance. I will continue to call out discrimination in all forms and protect my trans and LGBTQ+ constituents and neighbors. We have also organized local events to connect the community with each other and with organizations committed to these issues, and have more events planned (see below). Civic Engagement Resources. Hundreds of community members turned out to discuss how we organize during this unprecedented time. Thanks to speakers from New York Civil Liberties Union, The New York Immigration Coalition, and Alliance for Quality Education of New York for reminding us that the most important thing we can do is to not comply in advance. The new administration is flooding us with insidious executive orders and other nonsense, and we cannot let them distract us from protecting our most vulnerable communities. Reach out to my office for resources from this town hall on reproductive health, immigration, and education and connect with the groups below who joined our event to table:
Carroll Street Bridge Update. The Carroll St Bridge has been closed for some time now due to safety and stability concerns, so I'm pleased to share that NYC DOT announced that the long-awaited design of the Carroll Street bridge has been finalized. Construction will start in April 2025 and the bridge is set to reopen in early 2026. To learn more about the design, visit this EPA site. Carroll Garden Library Construction Update. My office learned that the Carroll Gardens Library renovations are taking longer than expected, forcing the library to remain closed to the public. The necessary remediation is more extensive than originally thought. I know this library is essential to the community, and I shared a proposal to the Brooklyn Public Library alongside my elected official colleagues and Community Board 6 that would allow the Carroll Gardens Library to utilize space at 250 Baltic for community programming and additional mobile book days. This space, home to Community Board 6, is city owned and underutilized. The library seems keen to take us up on this idea so the community can continue receiving services from our incredible librarians. More to come. Hall Street Shelter Closure. The city will close down the 47 Hall St shelter in Clinton Hill by June of this year. This shelter, run by Health+Hospitals, has housed over 3,000 migrants. The Adams administration has not shared details on their decompression strategy for this site, but my office will work with our elected official colleagues and city and state agencies to ensure the residents continue to receive the care and resources they need. The owners of this site, RxR, have plans to redevelop the site and have begun the city’s ULURP process. They will share their plans, which include building housing, retail, and maker spaces, with Community Board 2’s Land Use committee this month. Concrete Facility Update. I am disappointed by the Mayor's and NYCDOT's response to the collective advocacy work that local electeds and community members have done to get the Concrete Recycling Facility on the Columbia waterfront shut down and moved to an appropriate non-residential location. For over a year, the site's impacts on quality of life and health have burdened the community and cannot continue. With the community's support, we have hosted rallies, written letters to NYCDOT and the Mayor, and met with the Deputy Mayor of Operations and NYC DOT Commissioner, demanding they shut down and move the facility. Unfortunately, NYCDOT declined to consider closing the facility, citing concerns over delays to city projects. NYCDOT is working to find a new location for the site, though they have not provided a timeline for the move. I toured the site recently, along with the local elected offices, where we learned about the mitigation efforts that NYCDOT has taken. They are setting up a new sprinkler system, which they will place on a timer. This sprinkler system will be operational by mid-April. Until then, they will have staff on-site seven days a week to make sure that the piles remain wet. They have relocated the concrete aggregate pile to a different three-sided walled-off area. They are regularly driving over the piles to make the material as compact as possible. They are also in the process of building a roof-like structure over this three-sided area to also help contain the pile. The site was shut down for the winter, though the crushers were intermittently turned on for testing and maintenance. The site will reopen on March 24th. I remain committed to shutting this facility down and moving it to an appropriate industrial location. I have urged NYCDOT to improve its direct communication with the community about site operations. Please continue to contact my office and send your complaints to NYCDOT.
Transit Updates. The MTA is seeking community input on which subway stations to prioritize for accessibility improvements. The proposed Capital Plan identified an initial 30 stations, and the MTA plans to make an additional 30 stations accessible. Share your feedback to help shape a more accessible transit system. Submit your input here. Furman Street. Through early April, only one lane of traffic will be available on Furman Street under the Triple Cantilever. NYCDOT is evaluating existing BQE conditions by closing one lane between Joralemon and Old Fulton Street on weekdays between 9 am and 4 pm. Congestion Pricing is now in Effect. Congestion pricing has been in effect for over a month now, and we are already seeing positive changes in commute time! MTA buses are arriving faster, saving commuters significant time they would otherwise spend in traffic. There have been travel time improvements ranging from 10% to 30% on average at river crossings into Manhattan. If you would like to look at the data yourself, the MTA has made this information available online. Last month, the President rescinded federal approval of congestion pricing. The MTA then filed a federal lawsuit to keep the program running. The Governor said that congestion pricing is here to stay. I stand with Governor Hochul and the MTA in support of the program. I have supported congestion pricing for over 20 years and will continue to fight to keep this necessary program. Atlantic Yards Update. Brooklyn was promised extensive affordable housing at Atlantic Yards, yet we’re still waiting on 40% of those units. Delays have consequences, and fines are fast accruing. I asked NYS Empire State Development (ESD) about collecting liquidated damages if no developer is approved before the 5/31/25 deadline. You may see my interaction with the ESD commissioner here. I'm pleased that ESD anticipates transferring the rights to build over the railyard when a viable developer is presented. I encourage the lender to present a qualified developer to ESD very soon so the long-promised affordable housing can finally be built. We can’t afford more delays. Gowanus Tank Progress. As part of the Gowanus Canal Superfund cleanup, NYC DEP is constructing a giant underground tank that will capture and store 8 million gallons of combined sewage that would otherwise spill into the canal during heavy rainfall. This has been a long and delayed process, so I was very glad to learn that they are 95% complete with the second phase of construction of the tank. They anticipate the tank site excavation to be completed by May. If you want to keep up to date on this project, please subscribe here to receive their weekly newsletters. Immigration Resources
Rooted in Pride. To celebrate Pride Month, Arts Gowanus is once again partnering with Brooklyn Pride and The Old Stone House & Washington Park to present an outdoor art exhibit featuring works by Brooklyn-based Queer artists. They are currently accepting submissions for Rooted in Pride. Accepted artworks will be printed on vinyl banners and displayed on the fence surrounding The Old Stone House and Washington Park from June 1 – August 31, 2025. Submissions are due April 30th, 2025. Click here for more information and to apply! Light the Way BK Bystander Intervention Training, 3/23. This event will take place at Camp Friendship Brooklyn (339 8th St), from 2-4pm. Following our Civic Engagement Forum in February, my office is thrilled to co-sponsor Council Member Shahana Hanif’s Bystander Intervention Training led by Right to Be. At this event you will be able to learn the 5D's, which are different methods you can use to support someone who’s being harassed in public spaces. This training will involve a presentation and an active component, please wear comfortable shoes. Registration is required. Reserve your spot here.
Youth Know Your Rights Workshop, 4/1. Join The Circle Keepers, Boerum Hill For International Studies, BHS, Council Member Shahana Hanif and District 39 Youth Leadership Council for a youth-led "Know Your Rights" workshop. This will take place on April 1, from 4-6pm, at the John Jay Campus Auditorium (237 7th Ave). Learn how to help defend, protect and document ICE interactions in your homes, neighborhoods and schools. This training is open for all D39 middle and high school students who want to learn hands-on skills to become upstanders and leaders in their communities. RSVP here.
Community Events & News:
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