Dear John,
- We’ve extended ideas collection for Participatory Budgeting until October 31st! Submit your idea today!
- Save the date: the DEP Flooding Town Hall will be on 11/17 from 6-8 PM. RSVP link to come very soon.
- Before this week’s Stated, I rallied with my Progressive Caucus colleagues in support of our new legislative platform - the Progressive Agenda. Read more about it here.
- A lot happened this week in the Council that impacts our community. Read more below about the legislation that passed and my statement on the 9th Street Rezoning.
Stated Recap
At this week’s Stated, two important legislative packages passed the Council. The first, led by Council Member Tiffany Cabán and myself, was the Survivor Support package, a collection of bills designed to support survivors of domestic violence. This includes a one-stop-shop portal for 24/7 resources for survivors to access, a resolution calling on the state to mandate paid leave for survivors, as well as a survivor support fund to provide real material support to survivors in need. I was thrilled to see this package pass, especially because I have been an advocate for the survivor support fund for years (check out my campaign Twitter thread for more context).
This week, the City also took “rat-itical” action to address the rodent problem in New York City. The “Rat Pack” mitigation plan is a package of four bills, led by our Sanitation Chair, Council Member Sandy Nurse, that will expand our City’s ability to fight back against the rat problem. Among some of the solutions are requiring construction permits to institute rat mitigation efforts as well as ensuring more buildings provide rat-proof trash bins. I’m hopeful our City can move towards a comprehensive containerization program soon, but we’ve taken the first steps in beating back the rat menace!
9th Street
At this Stated, I also voted to approve the rezoning on 9th Street. Through discussion and collaboration with the Borough President, we found a solution to bring affordability to the community while preserving our critical manufacturing spaces. With the recent modifications, I believe this proposed development will balance the complex land use goals of our community and take a comprehensive approach to land use. The approved zoning district, which is two blocks outside of the recently approved Gowanus Rezoning, will transform a current parking lot into housing that includes affordable units, while also addressing the concerns about harmful impacts to the Industrial Business Zone (IBZ). The IBZ is home to almost 300 businesses and over 3,500 jobs for working-class people in Brooklyn. Preserving manufacturing, and industrial space broadly in Gowanus is critical to ensuring working-class New Yorkers have access to good-paying jobs in their community.
As a lifelong District 39 resident, I know well that our community lacks deeply affordable housing, and I know far too many working-class residents have been prohibited from finding a home in our community. This is why it has been a priority of my office to ensure all 56 Points of Agreement in the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan are followed and the promised 3,000 units of affordable housing are brought to this neighborhood. I appreciate all of the community members, elected officials, and advocacy organizations who have voiced their thoughts on this application, and I look forward to continuing to build a comprehensive land use vision for our district together.
The School Tour Continues
This week, I continued on my tour of the 30 schools in District 39 with a stop at PS 130. I talked with principals, students, and teachers about the need for better funding for after-school programs to meet the needs of their diverse student population. I was also happy to see their project to build out more gender-neutral bathrooms is moving along, and I loved learning about their Spanish and Bangla family nights! These evenings are language-accessible spaces for students to bring their families, who in many cases might speak limited English, to receive important resources from local agencies and community partners. Next on our tour is PS 179!
Community Bulletin
- Make sure that you create a voting plan to exercise your right to vote for this year’s 2022 Midterm Elections! Early Voting runs through Sunday, 11/6 so look up your early voting locations at findmypollsite.vote.nyc.
- There's nothing scary about Open Streets! 👻Come by the Beverley Road Open Street (located between Church Avenue & East 2nd Street) on Halloween (from 4-8pm) for treats, snacks, paper masks, spooky stories, and see District 39's best costumes.
- It still isn’t too late to get your flu shot! With the colder months coming, stay protected by getting a free flu shot this Thursday, 11/3 at 245 Prospect Park West at our flu shot drive with Assembly Member Bobby Carroll.
- Transparent and participatory budgeting of our City’s dollars shouldn’t only be happening in District 39 - it should happen citywide. Submit your ideas for Citywide Participatory Budgeting at the Brooklyn Ideas Collection Event at the Brooklyn Museum next Sunday, 11/6 at 1:30 PM. RSVP to attend!
- The NYC Department of Health announced that more monkeypox vaccine appointments are available! Find everything about monkeypox at nyc.gov/monkeypox, including updated data, flyers and palm cards in multiple languages, and other guidance.
- The Sanitation Foundation will be hosting a Spanish webinar on How to: Organize a Community Cleanup (Cómo organizar un evento de limpieza comunitaria) on November 3rd, from 6:30 - 8 pm. Sign up to attend here!
- Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost two million New Yorkers have fallen behind on their utility bills. If you or anyone you know is dealing with utility debt, join WE ACT and the Public Utility Law Project at their Harlem office on 11/3 from 6 PM to 8 PM, where advocates can help community members enroll in a state program that will eliminate your utility debt owed through May 1st, 2022. There will be activities for kids, snacks provided, free filing assistance, free postage to send in your application, and free printing available. Registration and more information can be found at https://community.weact.org/debtreliefenrollment.
- Until 5 AM on Monday, 10/3t, NYC DOT Division of Bridges will continue working on the BQE, resulting in the closing of one of the following lanes:
- Queens-bound BQE between Washington and Pearl streets.
- Atlantic Avenue on-ramp to the BQE will be closed for motorists’ safety (consider detouring along Furman or Atlantic Avenue).
- If you’re ready for a career change and want to learn to become a union carpenter, consider applying to the BuildingWorks pre-apprentice training programs!
- With the rise of antisemitic hate across the country and on social media, it’s important that we have all of the tools to keep ourselves and one another safe from violence. Join Right To Be and T'ruah’s hour-long bystander intervention virtual training at 12 PM on Wednesday, 11/2 to learn proven strategies for safe intervention.
- If you or anyone you know needs free, confidential immigration legal help, consider joining CUNY Citizenship Now!’s Citizenship Event on Saturday, 11/5 at the Borough of Manhattan Community College gymnasium (100 N Moore Street). Call (646) 664-9400 or (212) 652-2071 to register for the event.
In Solidarity,
Shahana
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