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January 6, 2022

Friends:

Happy Three Kings Day!

Welcome again! I will be sending out this newsletter regularly. We are open in the District Office at 563 Columbus Avenue at 87 Street, NY NY 10024. Contact us at 212-873-0282 or 917-685-8657. The official website is www.council.nyc.gov/district-6 and we are on these social media platforms.
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Gale A. Brewer, Council Member gbrewer@council.nyc.gov
Shulamit Warren Puder, Chief of Staff spuder@council.nyc.gov
Rosalba Rodriguez, Director, District Office rorodriguez@council.nyc.gov
Jack Wild, Director of Special Projects and Scheduling jwild@council.nyc.gov

For all scheduling requests, please email d06scheduling@council.nyc.gov
For general inquiries, please email district6@council.nyc.gov 

COVID:

In lieu of reporting marginal increases or decreases in COVID rates in these newsletters, please visit the Coronavirus Tracker compiled by the local news non-profit TheCity.nyc. Their tracker shows cumulative data about cases, hospitalizations, and deaths for the U.S., New York State, NYC, the five boroughs-- all the way down to each individual NYC ZIP code. (It doesn’t show changes week-to-week, however.)

Case numbers are exploding at the moment. And according to the CDC, the Omicron variant has grown to account for an estimated 93% of new COVID infections in the U.S. But case rates have started to be a less significant statistic; infections no longer send people straight to the hospital because Omicron is itself less severe-- it tends to not extend deep into the lungs-- and vaccines have reduced severity as well. Case rates do have an effect, because of the five-day quarantine recommendation from the CDC. Staffing of hospital, mass transit, small business, and K-12 and higher education facilities has become a massive headache– as we started to see over the holidays. 

So while hospitalizations in New York City are approaching the peak of last winter’s surge, the number of patients in intensive care units is still lower than last winter's peak-- and both hospitalizations and ICU cases are far lower than the first wave in the spring of 2020. 

But vaccines were not designed to reduce contagiousness, and Omicron infections in the upper respiratory tract make it much more contagious. And even a small hospitalization percentage, when applied to a large overall number, is a significant number. 

As David Leonhardt reported in the NY Times' The Morning newsletter yesterday (1/5): “Thankfully the Covid patients aren’t as sick. But there’s so many of them,” Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York, tweeted on Monday, after a long shift. “The next few weeks will be really, really tough for us.”

Unvaccinated people are far more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than vaccinated people, state data shows. In the week ending Dec. 20, the rate of unvaccinated people hospitalized for Covid statewide was 30 per 100,000, compared to a rate of 2 per 100,000 for the fully vaccinated.

In other news this week, the FDA this week approved booster shots for 12-to-15 year olds as well as third/booster shots for immunocompromised kids as young as five years old. The FDA also reduced the recommended interval for a booster from six months to five months after a Pfizer second shot. (For Moderna users the recommendation is still six months.)

In Israel, a *fourth* shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated a five-fold boost in antibodies a week after the jab, according to preliminary results of a study made public by the Israeli government Tuesday

COVID Testing & PPE:

This Saturday and Sunday (January 8 & 9th 2022), from 9 AM - 6 PM NYC Test+Trace is operating a testing site at Amsterdam Houses & Amsterdam Additions’ Bennerson Playground on 64th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and West End Avenue. This is a rapid antigen testing site for those 2 years and older. This testing site was initiated by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and Council Member Gale A. Brewer. 

Testing is now offered at the Manhattan School of Music, 122nd Street and Broadway, M-W, Sat 10AM - 4PM.

Thanks to the Mayor’s Test & Trace Corps, we in Council District 6 now have thousands of KN95 masks, childrens masks, and hand sanitizer. Contact us for this PPE and nonprofit agencies that want a donation of similar PPE can also contact us at district6@council.nyc.gov

Historic City Council: News 

All 51 members of the City Council were sworn in on January 5th. Most of us were in attendance in City Hall; 4 were virtual. I was one of those who nominated Speaker Adrienne Adams and am a member of the Rules Committee. Other committee assignments will be made soon. See some of the 31 (out of 51!) women members here! 

Governor Hochul gave her first State of the State at virtually the same time as the City Council Charter Meeting. She issued a number of proposals, which can be read here

Fiscal Year ’23 Budget:

Because budget issues are so important, we are repeating information that has been shared in the past.

Fiscal Year ’23 Expense Budget applications for non-profit organizations are available here and are due on Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

Fiscal Year ’23 Capital Budget applications are due Thursday, March 24, 2022 and the application details can be viewed here.

We are conducting Participatory Budgeting (PBNYC Cycle 11) for the next Fiscal Year. The submission link is open now through January 23rd. Submit a proposal here.

What is Participatory Budgeting?

It is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of the public budget. PB gives people real power to make real decisions over real money. The process was first developed in Brazil in 1989. There are now over 3,000 participatory budgets around the world, most at the municipal level. It enables New York City residents to propose, evaluate, and vote on projects in their City Council districts. Successful projects will be funded by Council Member discretionary funds. Discretionary funds are monetary resources Council Members typically allocate based on their local priorities.

Good Stuff to Know:

Gotham Gazette maintains a list of appointments in the Mayor Adams Administration. 

Applications are now open for Citizens Committee for New York’s 2022 “All In” Neighborhood Grants and Neighborhood Business Grants. A total of $1 million is available and each grantee is awarded up to $10,000. Apply early but applications will be accepted until summer 2022.

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) has an application for SU-CASA, which is a City Council initiated community arts program that places artists and organizations at senior centers. LMCC will administer 30 residencies for individual artists in Manhattan from March-June 2022. Application deadline: January 28, 2022 at 5PM.

Fire in Wise Towers:

On December 28, 2021, there was a fire at 133 West 90 Street, NY NY 10024 (Wise Towers) which sent several people to the hospital and was responded to by 100 firefighters and 25 units. Wise Towers is under rehabilitation under NYCHA’s RAD (Rental Assistance Demonstration) program; the management company is PRC. I am waiting for the final report regarding the origin of the fire but it began in a compactor on the 10th floor. Tenants point out that one compactor was missing a lid. After the fire, FDNY issued violations regarding replacing sprinkler heads and fire guard notifications but FDNY states that PRC has made the corrections and the orders have been dismissed. I am paying close attention to all matters regarding RAD.

Accessible Pedestrian Signals:

On Monday, December 27, 2021 Judge Paul A. Engelmeyer ordered the City to install 9000+ audible Accessible, Pedestrian Signals (APS) at intersections throughout the five boroughs over the next 10 years. The City's APS program provides an extremely important safety feature for pedestrians who are blind or have limited vision.

In 2012 I passed Local Law 21 to require the City to annually install 25 APS, followed by Local Law 60 of 2014 which I passed in partnership with then-Council Member and current MBP Mark Levine to expand annual installations to 75 signals. Since 2019, the Department of Transportation (DOT) doubled annual installations to 150 yet this clearly falls short of ensuring that the city's streetscape is designed to benefit everyone who uses our streets.

This dramatic expansion will especially improve accessibility at intersections with Exclusive Pedestrian Signals (which briefly stop all traffic to allow pedestrians to cross in any direction) and Leading Pedestrian Intervals (which give a 'walk' signal to pedestrians and cyclists before drivers get a green light to provide more crossing time). EPS and LPI provide lead time to cross the street more safely but they can also be confusing for someone with impaired vision. I applaud Judge Engelmeyer for this common-sense decision.

Domestic Workers:

I have worked tirelessly in partnership with the nannies, house cleaners and home care workers of the National Domestic Workers Alliance New York Chapter and their many allies, including A Better Balance, to advance policies and laws that achieve dignity, respect and rights. These efforts include my law to protect domestic workers placed by agencies from exploitation, paving the way for the state's Domestic Workers Bill of Rights and including them in the city's Earned Paid Sick Leave law. 

I'm thrilled to share that on December 31, 2022 Governor Kathy Hochul signed two historic bills into law: the first, introduced by Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar and Senator Jessica Ramos, writes domestic workers into the Human Rights Law of New York State, protecting them from workplace harassment and discrimination just like other workers. The second law, by Rajkumar and Senator Julia Salazar, extends paid family leave benefits to domestic workers.  On March 12, 2022, as per Local Law 88 of 2021, by former Council Member Debi Rose, these workers will be covered by the New York City Human Rights (learn more here).

Snow

Significant snow is expected Friday, January 7, 2022. You can track snow plows here. This website is only live when plows are active.

A few events that I know are happening this week (or a bit later):

Saturday, January 8, 2022 from 10AM to 2PM - Mulchfest 2022! Location: Enter Riverside Park at West 83rd Street. This event is hosted by the Riverside Park Conservancy and NYC Parks Department. I am happy to cohost again this year, along with Goddard Greenkeepers, Curb Allure, CB7, West 80s Neighborhood Association, and NY State Assemblymembers Linda B. Rosenthal and Danny O'Donnell. Volunteers are needed to help remove ornaments and spread mulch around neighboring tree beds.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022 from 12:30PM to 6:30PM - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is hosting a Community Blood Drive in the David Rubenstein Atrium (1887 Broadway, NY NY 10023). Pre-registration is required.

The NYS eviction ban may be expiring soon and federally-funded aid for back rent is nearly running out. That’s one reason why I’m restarting my monthly tenant assistance clinics with the Goddard Riverside Law Project and TakeRoot Justice (which I began in the early 2000s). This month’s meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 6 PM on Zoom and feature a discussion on the statewide eviction moratorium set to expire on January 15, 2022. Email district6@council.nyc.gov to sign up for the Zoom link.

For more information regarding tenant issues, sign up for Sue Susman's email lists by emailing: uwsiders@googlegroups.com and
aff-hous@googlegroups.com.

Housing Court Answers is at 111 Centre Street. Tenants who have court papers from their landlord can call Housing Court Answers at 212-962-4795 M-F, 9AM - 5PM.

For Faith-Based institutions that are considering developing affordable housing: A free online workshop is taking place on Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 3:30 PM about ways Houses of Worship can more fully utilize their property and resources to develop affordable housing, as well as for other purposes - and at the same time strengthen and stabilize their congregation and their community. You can register here. Please also contact us at district6@council.nyc.gov for a Manhattan Borough President guide on the same topic.

New-York Historical Society and NYC Landmarks50+Alliance: The winter 2022 convening on Thursday, February 17, 2022 will feature Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America; Chung Seto, Founder and Principal, Seto Group; Judith Martin, journalist and advice columnist “Miss Manners;” Shanta Thake, Chief Artistic Officer for Lincoln Center; and David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman of the Carlyle Group and philanthropist. The virtual discussion will be moderated by Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.

From February-April 2022, the Latino Leadership Institute is hosting its free Spring Academy in collaboration with Columbia University.

Stay Safe,

P.S. If you have a problem or concern going forward, please contact me at gbrewer@council.nyc.gov, or call (917) 685-8657, or contact my Council district office at (212) 873-0282 and District6@council.nyc.gov (it's located at 563 Columbus Ave., NY, NY 10024, but we're limiting in-person visits during COVID.)

Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved.

My mailing address is:
Legislative Office: 250 Broadway, NY, NY 10007
District Office: 563 Columbus Ave., NY, NY 10024 (212) 873-0282.

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