John,

Before we get started, I wanted to let you all know I’m supporting several local and international organizations in their efforts to help communities in Turkey and Syria rebuild in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. This is one of the worst natural disasters in decades and people desperately need our help so please consider helping in whatever way you can.

● Want to keep up with our office’s press coverage? We regularly update our Council website with new news clippings - check it out!

● Asylum seekers in our community still need your help. Check out our webpage about what is needed most by our newest neighbors.

○ If you’re a Spanish-speaking volunteer - please use this form to help our community groups!

● Help us care for our care workers this Valentine’s by learning more about Care Forward ’s overtime pledge below.

Caring for Carers

This Valentine’s Day, our office is pairing with the amazing advocates at Care Forward to help spread the love for our care workers. Care Forward is an initiative from the Carroll Gardens Association that takes a neighborhood-based and restorative justice approach towards addressing worker violations and raising standards in the domestic work industry through organizing, education, and political advocacy. This year, we’re partnering with them to highlight a very important issue for care workers in New York City: overtime.

There are 200,000 care workers living and working in our City, most of them are women. One in eight are women of color, and for immigrant women in Brooklyn, it’s one in five. Care work in our City is overwhelmingly done by women, many of them women of color or immigrants which is why the conversation on overtime is critical.

Just like any hourly employee, care workers are entitled to overtime but far too often, they aren't paid what they’re legally owed. Many employers also don’t even know they have to pay overtime, so we’re working with Care Forward to publicize their overtime pledge for employers to sign and share out. Through advocacy and attention, we can let care workers know about their rights while also informing employers about their responsibilities.

If you employ a care worker, please sign the pledge and get involved with Care Forward to help us build a more equitable community for everyone. Also, if you’re a parent in Brooklyn, consider joining Park Slope Parents to connect with other parents or individuals who employ care workers in the Park Slope area. Their website includes important information about community standards for hiring a care worker.

5th Avenue 9th Street Signal Patterns

Over the past year, our office has received dozens of constituent concerns regarding the intersection of 5th Avenue and 9th Street. We are aware of the safety concerns of this corner and have been regularly raising the urgent need to add proper signage on all four corners. On our walkthrough of 9th Street a few weeks ago, I raised this issue to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, and we have seen the installation of one sign at a single corner. This is an improvement, but far from what our community needs. My office will continue to push for better accommodations for our neighbors as they cross the street at this intersection.

A picture of a DOT sign explaining new changes to the pedestrian interval changes on 9th street.

Community Bulletin

● The Menstrual Equity Project is a youth movement with the goal of spreading awareness, cultivating action, and enabling change around menstrual product accessibility in District 39 public schools. They are actively recruiting students to participate in our project by attending a series of youth led workshops. Register HERE! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Project Manager, Gabriela Carrillo at [email protected].

● It’s tax season! Returns for tax season this year are due on 4/18, and to help you out, NYC offers free tax filing tools to those who make under $72,000. Check out the links provided for more information.

● The 2023 Community Education Council elections are still underway, and applications are being accepted now! The 32 Community Education Councils and 4 Citywide Education Councils make important decisions regarding your child’s education. Do not miss this opportunity to have your voice heard on behalf of your child, your school, and your school community. You must have a New York City Schools Account to apply. If you have any questions visit the Election Homepage or send an email to [email protected].

● Women Creating Change offers free virtual workshops for New York City women to learn civic skills and better equip them to engage in their communities. This month, on 2/15 at 6 PM, they’re hosting an Introduction to Civics Workshop, “Showing Up For Self & Community.” This workshop is great for women who are curious about the different ways to get involved in their communities and make a difference (big or small!). Learn more and register at this link.

● Learn more about the BQE Corridor Vision construction and provide your input on the proposed changes by joining one of these NYC DOT workshops. Both Zoom and in-person workshops are available!

○ The Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) will be collecting feedback from Southwest Brooklyn businesses and their employees on what they would like to see happen with BQE short-term improvements to the streets undergirding and surrounding the southern section State-owned structure of the BQE on 2/16. Register here to join. If you cannot make this session, you can still provide feedback to Brady Meixell at [email protected].

● For the last 47 years, CitizensNYC has been awarding micro-grants for community building projects. If you’re a neighborhood business or community leader helping to improve quality of life for all New Yorkers and looking for funding for your projects, consider applying to their grants.

In Solidarity,

Shahana