Dear John,

It's a spooky time for our families all around, with a presidential election looming amid a deadly pandemic, a Supreme Court now poised to impose minority rule and steal away health care and civil rights, colder weather starting to push us back indoors ... and a full moon falling on Halloween.

But even in a pandemic, our community can help make something better out of this spooky season.

Commit to a safe, socially distanced Halloween this year. Sadly, the Park Slope Halloween parade is cancelled. I think this will be the first one that I’ve missed in at least a decade (even if my kids stopped going long ago). But there are so many pandemic-appropriate ways to celebrate whether you are a kid, or an adult who likes to think you are one sometimes.

Both the City and the State have issued guidance for safe Halloween activities this year (because of course they have to have different ones). The bottom lines are – keep your distance, don’t trick-or-treat inside apartment buildings, no indoor parties, don’t pass candy from hand to hand, and wear a mask. Alternative celebrations like virtual costume contests, pumpkin-carving, decorating, watching scary movies are all good options. Or try visiting the Dia de los Muertos Altar at Greenwood Cemetery (10 am - 4 pm every day through Nov. 1), joining Transportation Alternatives for an inter-boo-rough Hallowheel bike ride, or taking part in this awesome Pumpkin Hunt across our district and beyond. And of course, good old-fashioned, door-to-door trick-or-treating usually involves a mask, staying outside, and keeping your distance from strangers (just put the candy in a bowl this year).

Vote safely and securely, if you haven’t already. It’s been inspiring to see so many of you showing up to vote early at the Park Slope Armory, Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn Museum, Kings Theatre, and more. The lines have been too long (we need far more early voting sites, machines, and poll workers, and also a fundamental restructuring of the NYC Board of Elections, whose spooky structure is frighteningly prone to corruption and inefficiency). But I’m sure glad we have early voting in this pandemic. Remaining early voting hours are Tues 12-8, Wed 12-8, Thurs 10-6, Fri 7-3, Sat 10-4, Sun 10-4 (find your early voting site here). Today is the last day to request an absentee ballot electronically or by e-mail if you have not already. You can return absentee ballots to any early voting site, or any election day poll site, or make sure they are postmarked by Election Day. And polls will be open on Tuesday, November 3rd, 6 AM to 9 PM, if old habits die hard. Wear a mask, and keep your social distance. The best chance we have to save our democracy from ghosts, ghouls, and monsters is to vote.

Speaking of the season, October marks the first month of the heat season in NYC. As of October 1 (through May 31) landlords in NYC are obligated to ensure that temperatures do not fall below 68 degrees during the day time and 62 at night inside residential units. It has been relatively warm – perhaps too warm – this fall, but colder weather is here and winter is coming soon. If you are a tenant facing heating issues, you can file a complaint by calling 311, visiting 311 online, or using the 311 mobile app. If you are a landlord or property owner having trouble affording heat in your home, assistance is available. Reach out to the Home Energy Assistance Program at 1-800-692-0557 or online here.

Outdoor dining remains open, even as temperatures fall. The pandemic is keeping many of us outdoors for socially-distanced socializing this fall and winter. The City Council passed legislation allowing for the use of heaters for outdoor dining, and the City has issued detailed guidance. Electric heaters are allowed on sidewalks and roadways, following DOB guidelines. Gas heaters are only allowed on sidewalks, and are forbidden for roadway dining. Hopefully the addition of some heat can keep us outside longer. If Norway can do it, I think we can.

Together, we can keep each other safe from ghouls and goblins of many kinds.

Brad

Updates and Resources

Latest Virus Data: In NYC, there were 425 new cases identified yesterday. We have lost 23,969 people in NYC from the virus, including sadly 2 in the last few days, and 263,694 total cases have been identified in the city since the start of the pandemic. The citywide 7-day rolling average of positive test rates is 1.3%. There is now a COVID look up site to check the hotspot rules at a specific address.
Opt-in to In-Person Learning: Yesterday the Mayor announced that families whose students are learning remotely will only be able to opt back in to in-person learning once this year, between November 2-15, via the online portal here. This is a change from the previous commitment to allowing families to opt in to blended learning on a quarterly basis. It’s extremely frustrating to have the rules changed yet again, and now to have to make a big decision without enough time or information. I’ve been visiting schools across the district and remain so grateful to the principals, teachers, and school staff for how hard they are working for all our kids, blended and remote, in this impossible time.
School Openings and Closures: Over 100 of the schools that had been closed due to the Governor and Mayor’s actions to curb COVID clusters reopened this week for blended learning students. You can look up your school on this map from the DOE.
DOE Townhall Tonight: The Department of Education is hosting a telephone townhall this evening at 6:30, dial 1-800-280-9461 to listen and ask questions.
No Failing: The DOE announced a new grading policy this week – students receive “needs improvement” or “course in progress” rather than failing grades this year.
Vote: Today is the last day to request an absentee ballot, but at this point, if you can, I recommend going to vote early. Look up your early poll site and double check the hours here. You can also mail in your absentee ballot, drop it off at a poll site, or at the county board of elections office.
Participatory Budgeting: Submit your ideas for how to help our neighborhoods recover and rebuild from this crisis.
Tell DOT where new CitiBike stations are needed: The DOT is taking suggestions about where new CitiBike stations should be placed in South Slope, Windsor Terrace and Sunset Park. Take a look at the map and submit ideas here.