Friends:

Welcome to my first newsletter as Council Member Gale A. Brewer in the 6th District! We are open in the District Office at 563 Columbus Avenue at 87 Street, NY, NY 10024, 212-873-0282 or 917-685-8657. The website is www.council.nyc.gov/district-6

Historic City Council: News

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 12 noon is the first Stated Council Meeting of 2022. I am honored to be part of the supportive leadership of our Speaker-elect Adrienne Adams. Visit www.council.nyc.gov to watch the live streaming and the historic number of women elected officials in our first official meeting of 2022. Committees will be assigned at the next Stated Council Meeting.

Fiscal Year '23 Budget

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. 

New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Maps from the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission were released on January 3, 2022. These maps now go to the Legislature where they can be adopted or rejected. The Democratic map is plan A and the Republican map is plan B. If rejected, the Legislature (Assembly and Senate) spend a few weeks reviewing, re-drawing and voting on the new lines. Petitioning starts in late February so the lines must be ready by then. To compare the plans click here.

A few events that I know are happening this week:

Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 6:30 PM - Community Board 7 Full Board. Register here. The meeting will be held online via the Zoom platform. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend and may access the meetings using a computer or tablet (with or without video) OR by using a phone. There will be a link on CB7’s webpage to pre-register at least a day before the meeting – following the link and registering for the meeting will result in your receiving links and instructions on how to access the meeting. Phone: (212) 362-4008  email: mn07@cb.nyc.gov

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 1PM - Governor Kathy Hochul gives her first State of the State Address. You can livestream it here. 

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 6:30-9 PM - Community Board 4 Full Board. Zoom Registration Link Call-In Number: (646) 518-9805 Watch Livestream via Youtube.

Thursday, January 6, 2022 from 7-8:30 PM, State Senator Brian Kavanagh and State Senator Liz Krueger will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall on the New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund. Register here. The Homeowner Assistance Fund is a federally-funded program administered by the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal dedicated to assisting small homeowners, condo owners, and coop shareholders who are at risk of default, foreclosure, or displacement to remain in their homes. If you are a homeowner who is struggling with mortgage payments, property taxes, or monthly maintenance fees as a result of COVID-19, please participate in the Zoom.

Updated information for the Homeowner Assistance Fund may be found at https://www.nyhomeownerfund.org/ and the HAF Information Call Center may be reached at 1-844-776-9423.  The website also has links to an application guide, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and a list of documents needed to apply. 

COVID

COVID cases are surging citywide, so find a testing or vaccine site in Manhattan. On January 2, 2022 in New York City there were 35,650 new cases and the 7-day average is 36,865.

Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.

The January 3, 2022 New York State data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 223,153

• Total Positive - 51,698

• Percent Positive - 23.17%

• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 21.49%

• Patient Hospitalization - 9,563 (+790)

• Patients Newly Admitted - 1,637

• Patients in ICU - 1,208 (+75)

• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 597 (+30)

• Total Discharges - 234,358 (+935)

• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 103

Each region's 7-day average of cases per 100K population is as follows

Each region's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:   

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows:  

Yesterday, 51,698 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 3,669,264. A geographic breakdown is as follows:  

Yesterday, 103 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19, bringing the total to 48,689. A geographic breakdown is as follows, by county of residence:   

Yesterday, 3,456 New Yorkers received their first vaccine dose, and 4,791 completed their vaccine series. A geographic breakdown of New Yorkers who have been vaccinated by region is as follows: 

 
The COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard is available to update New Yorkers on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The New York State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most up-to-date metrics in the state's vaccination effort. New York State Department of Health-reported data from NYSIIS and CIR differs slightly from federally-reported data, which is inclusive of federally-administered doses and other minor differences. Both numbers are included in the release above.

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.)