John,

Before we start, I need to acknowledge that we lost another neighbor to traffic violence in Gowanus on 9th Street this week. Sarah Schick was fatally struck by a box truck driver while cycling, marking the second cyclist death in our City in just under a week. I have been a vocal proponent of more protected bike lanes in our district and more aggressive street safety planning from the Department of Transportation (DOT), and this week’s tragedy underscores how important this work is. I’ll be touring 9th Street with DOT Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, local elected officials, and local leaders in the coming days to see what improvements we can fast-track to make this dangerous stretch of road safe for everyone.

If you want to hear more about the street safety work our office and other Brooklyn local electeds are taking on, join me and an all-star transportation policy panel at the GAP Brooklyn Public Library on 1/17 at 6 PM for Transportation Alternative’s Families Bike Brooklyn Event! More info linked here.

● COVID-19 is still a threat, and our office has masks, face shields, and tests that you can come pick up! Drop by our Park Slope office Monday-Thursday from 10 AM - 5 PM to grab whatever you need to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

● Curious how a bill becomes a law at City Hall? Join us for a deep dive into the legislative process below!

Legislation Station

Our Office has a lot of exciting legislation in the works, so I wanted to share this helpful run-down on how a bill becomes a law at City Hall.

● Step 1: Bill introduction: Council Members work with the Council’s Central Legislation Division to craft bills through the legislative request system. Council Members submit ideas for legislation and bill drafters work to write bill language to address the Council Member’s request. Requests can be as broad as a citywide mandatory composting program to as specific as banning the sale of certain space heaters. Once the bill is ready, it is introduced by the Council member at a Stated meeting and then assigned to its relevant committee.

● Step 2: Public hearings: The Committee then holds a public hearing on the bill. Members of the public and City agencies possibly affected by this legislation answer questions and present testimony on the legislation. This process sometimes results in amendments to the legislation and a bill must be heard before it can move to a vote. For the most part, whether legislation is heard is up to the discretion of the chair of the committee.

● Step 3: Voting: After the hearing, another committee meeting is set to vote on the bill. If the bill passes the Committee by majority vote, the bill is then sent to the full Council where it will be considered and voted on at a future Stated meeting. The bill must again pass by majority vote in the full Stated meeting. Note, just because a bill is approved at Committee doesn’t automatically mean it moves to a full vote at the next Stated.

● Step 4: Mayoral decision: If a bill is passed by the Council, it is presented to the Mayor, who has 30 days to either sign the bill into law, veto the bill or take no action. If the Mayor vetoes the bill, it is sent back to the Council. If this happens, the Council can override the Mayor’s veto with a two-thirds vote (this has happened on a few occasions). If the Mayor doesn’t sign or veto the bill within 30 days, it becomes law. Once a bill is signed by the Mayor (or its veto has been overridden by Council), it’s then added to the New York City Charter or Administrative Code and officially becomes law!

Note On The Budget Mod

This week, the Council took the rare step of refusing to vote on the Mayor’s November Budget Modification as a rebuke to the cuts it included. I recognize the symbolic significance of this decision as we head into a new budget cycle where our body will need to be united in opposing austerity proposals from City Hall. I also want to acknowledge that voting down this Budget Modification would have prevented $17 million in critical funds for community-based organizations from being distributed. However, this decision to refuse to vote causes the Modification to take effect in the same way it would have if the Council had formally approved it.

In the aim of transparency, I want to share that I planned to vote no on the Modification. While I believe it’s essential for our community-based organizations to receive their funding, this Mayor is pitting critical social services against our community organizations and needs for asylum seekers. We need to be investing in New Yorkers as we emerge from the pandemic, not slashing essential programs like 3K, CUNY, and our libraries. I look forward to working with the Council leadership, the Progressive Caucus, all of my colleagues, constituents and advocates in the coming months to fight for an FY24 budget that meets the needs of our communities.

Community Bulletin

● There will be no trash or recycling pickup tomorrow for MLK Day! If you’re scheduled for a Monday pick-up, leave your trash or recycling out tomorrow night for Tuesday pickup instead.

● Big Reuse is hosting a Street Tree Care event at the Carroll Gardens Library Branch from 11 AM - 1 PM on 1/28. Drop by to learn how to clean, care for, and add fresh finished compost to our City’s street trees. All ages are welcome, please dress comfortably for the weather and our activity together! This event is free and open to the public but you need to register by 1/20!

● Calling all teens, 14-18, who live or go to school in District 39! Our office is launching a fellowship program for youth who want to volunteer with our office and get an inside look at local government. Applications are due tomorrow, 1/16, at midnight - check out more details and apply soon to be considered for our spring cohort!

● Heads up to our neighbors around PS 321! SCA has completed their inspections of sidewalk protections and scaffolding on the PS 321 building and are now preparing to begin work. Work may cause some noise disruptions in the evening so please stay in touch with our office so we can keep a close eye on the project.

● The Kensington Stewards will be presenting a three-part course on personal finance every Tuesday in January from 6-7:30 PM in the meeting room of the Windsor Terrace Library. The class will be led by Pete Gomori, who has taught courses in Finance at St. Francis College for 35 years. Space is limited, and registration is required, so please email [email protected] to confirm your registration.

● Are you with a non-profit interested in learning more about the Discretionary Funding Process at the Council? Tune in on Monday, 1/23, from 10 AM - 1 PM for a virtual Council training on this year’s process. RSVP to get the zoom link!

● We are looking for volunteer facilitators to help us at three workshops for our Civic Assembly starting on Jan 26th! Please see more details and sign up here to help lead community members in discussion on climate justice projects in District 39!

In Solidarity,

Shahana

P.S. I also want to acknowledge the death of a well-known education activist in Park Slope, Norman Fruchter. Nearly 25 years after his wife was killed by a reckless driver in our community, he too was killed by a reckless driver in Bay Ridge. This terrible tragedy continues to highlight just how important Vision Zero is for our City.