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What's Inside:
- Town Hall: Federal Impacts on NY, Sat. June 7
- Celebrate Pride
- Register to Vote in June Primary
- Atlantic Yards Breaks Housing Promises
- 580 Deaths in NYC from Heat - How my HEAT Bill would Help
- BMT Meetings
- HEAP Cooling Help is Here
- BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! June 13
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Please join us for a town hall this Saturday, June 7th as we review federal policies and budget cuts and how they impact the State and City. The event will take place at 11am at MS 51 Auditorium, 350 5th Avenue in Park Slope. Please RSVP here.
We will be joined by a panel of experts and advocates, including the NYC Comptroller's office, Advocates for Children, and more. After the panel discussion, there will be an audience Q&A. I am co-sponsoring this Light the Way BK event with main sponsor Council Member Shahana Hanif, along with Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Robert Carroll.
In Albany, I am working with my colleagues to monitor the federal cuts coming out of Washington, DC and how they will impact New York. The federal administration has proposed devastatingly cruel and massive cuts in benefit programs, such as SNAP and Medicaid. An estimated 1 million New Yorkers are in danger of losing their health insurance if the budget bill that was passed by the House of Representatives passes the Senate and is enacted. Cuts education will impact our schools’ ability to provide a free and appropriate education to our schoolchildren, among other educational programs and services.
The losses are likely to be great and many are as yet unknown. We are working to protect New Yorkers from these actions and will be vigilant in analyzing what may yet come down the pike.
Sincerely,
Jo Anne Simon
Happy Pride!   It's more important than ever to support the LGBTQ+ community that has given so much to our city & nation. I'll keep fighting the federal administration's efforts to roll back hard-won civil rights & to undermine the dignity of LGBTQ+ people.
Please join me at the best Pride celebration right here in Brooklyn! The event starts with a Street Festival, an Entertainment Stage and Family Fun Zone on Saturday, June 14 at 11AM in Park Slope. Then, the Twilight Parade kicks off at on Fifth Ave in Park Slope. See the full line-up of Brooklyn Pride events here on June 14th and throughout the month.
Love is love!
Register by June 14th to Vote in the June Primary. The deadline to register for the June 24 primary election is June 14. Remember, only members of political parties are eligible to vote in primary elections. This is also the first day of Early Voting in New York City.
You can register online with a NYS ID, via the mail, or in person at our local election office: 345 Adams Street, 4th Fl, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-797-8800. Register to vote here.
Organ Donation Save Lives: You can also register to donate your organs and tissues on your voter registration form! For more information on organ donation, visit the NY State Donate Life Registry’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Atlantic's Yards: Broken Promises. It's 22 years later and about 40% of the promised housing has not been built at Atlantic Yards. I am beyond dismayed that the Empire State Development (ESD), which oversees the project, is letting the Atlantic Yards developer off the hook for failing to deliver affordable housing by the May 31, 2025 deadline. ESD is not collecting over $1.7M per month in penalties that the developer was to pay if they missed the affordable housing deadline, effective June 1, 2025. The state can’t waive the penalties without consent from the community groups involved in the process for the past 11 years - we have a signed settlement agreement.
Our communities deserve accountability and housing, not broken promises. ESD's refusal to enforce its own 2014 agreement undermines public trust and delays desperately needed affordable housing. Read more about Atlantic Yards broken promises.
You can stay up to date on this project through the watchdog blog by local journalist Norman Oder, linked here.
580 Deaths in NYC from Heat - How my HEAT Bill would Help. 580 people in New York City a year die prematurely from extreme heat — and it's only getting hotter. New Yorkers need cooling options not only for comfort but very often for health and survival reasons, but they can't afford rising energy bills. 30% of New Yorkers are “energy insecure” — meaning they are unable to meet their energy needs. NYC Comptroller Brad Lander's new report drives home the need for affordable energy — and identifies my NY HEAT Act as one of two solutions!
According to the report, New Yorkers are suffering due to rising energy costs, hotter temperatures from climate change, and funding cuts to federal energy assistance by the Trump administration. Read more on the report here.
My NY HEAT Act allows the state to explore new modern, more affordable ways of heating and cooling our homes. Right now, the state law hampers innovative non-gas options by our statute's obligation to serve gas - essentially a gas mandate. So the utility companies pour godless amounts of money into fixing old, leaky fossil fuel pipes - and then pass this exorbitant cost along to YOU in your energy bills. We are paying for old outdated methods that are expensive and bad for the environment and our health. This bill is not a gas ban, but rather allows us to utilize other options when those options are feasible and less expensive. I've been working tirelessly on this bill this session and will do so until the very last minute of session.
Brooklyn Marine Terminal (BMT) Meetings. Last year, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) took control of the BMT from the Port Authority of NY/NJ to modernize the maritime facility and create a mixed-use community asset. NYCEDC has scheduled a BMT Task Force vote for the final vision plan in mid-June.
Earlier this month, I was in conversation with the City Club, where we unpacked the planning process that will be used to push this project forward. You can watch a recording of the conversation here.
There are upcoming meetings on the BMT that you can join to learn more and make your voice heard:
- On June 9, NYC EDC will be hosting a workshop both in person and online from 6pm - 8pm.
- There will be additional chances to learn about the project throughout next week; schedule linked here.
- On June 12, the NYC Council Committee on Economic Development Hearing “Oversight: BMT Development” will take place at 1pm. You can watch the hearing live here, and you can submit public comments here.
HEAP Cooling Assistance Benefit is Open. If you are eligible, you may receive one Cooling Assistance benefit per applicant household for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner or a fan to help your home stay cool. In circumstances where an air conditioner cannot be safely installed, a fan will be provided. Only one air conditioner or fan, not to exceed $800 with installation for a window, portable air conditioner, or fan and not to exceed $1,000 for an existing wall sleeve unit, will be provided per applicant household. No additional HEAP cash benefits are available. You can see if you are eligible and apply for the benefit here.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Free Opening Night at the Prospect Bark Bandshell on Fri. June 13. Celebrate the rich musical traditions of Haiti with three powerhouse singer-songwriters. Mélissa Laveaux fuses folk, blues, jazz, and Brazilian tropicália with Haitian rhythms spanning two centuries. Nathalie ‘TALIE’ Cerin’s warm vocals and acoustic sound draw on Haitian folk and soul. Opener Riva Nyri Précil mixes traditional Haitian music with R&B, soul, jazz, and African influences. More info here.
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