MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO SUPPORT MINORITY AND WOMEN OWNED BUSINESS

Taskforce On Racial Inclusion and Equity announces citywide push to help entrepreneurs of color start and grow their own businesses

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed an Executive Order to immediately strengthen the City’s utilization of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBEs) and announced a series of new programs with the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity to connect Black and Latinx entrepreneurs to business opportunities, including government contract matching, access to pro bono business consultants and mentorship networks. The project also will provide an opportunity for non-certified businesses to learn how to do business with the City.

 

The Executive Order includes directives focused on expanding the pool of contracts subject to the M/WBE program, and creating more opportunities for M/WBEs to win procurements, and establishes a Chief Diversity M/WBE Officer in all City agencies. It also encourages all City agencies to procure goods, services, and construction from M/WBEs for amounts up to $500,000, and increases oversight for high-values projects. In addition, the Executive Order ensures M/WBEs’ continued involvement in the City’s response to the ongoing State of Emergency by ensuring City agencies set M/WBE participation goals for contracts in response to the pandemic, and by requiring every City agency that is conducting procurement in response to the State of Emergency must consider at least one quote from a M/WBE before awarding the contract.

 

“Our City works best when everyone – regardless of race, gender or ethnicity – has the resources they need to participate in our economy,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With these programs, we’re bringing business opportunities directly to diverse and talented New Yorkers who provide our City with a variety of goods and services.”

 

"COVID-19 has hit communities of color especially hard, and the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity has stepped in to address the disparity in opportunities that are available.” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. "These directives will help level the playing field for black and brown entrepreneurs so they can build and grow businesses that stabilize our local communities with good-paying jobs, and contribute to the vibrancy of our city."

 

This work is supported by the Administration's Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity, which brings an equity-based approach to COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in hardest-hit communities. Services and supports are tailored to meet the unique challenges of New Yorkers in communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

 

A case-management structure will be developed to proactively identify a subset of Black and Latinx certified firms and match them to contracts. Anchor institutions such as universities, hospitals, cultural centers will also support this work with a focus on outreach to minority businesses to encourage them to compete for government contracts. In addition, the City will recruit pro-bono business consultants to provide business and operations planning to businesses in Black and Latinx communities. The City will also help Black and Latinx communities to create online and in person mentorship networks for entrepreneurs and small businesses of color.

 

“Minority and women-owned businesses hire people in the community whom other businesses won’t take a chance on, serve as the eyes and ears that help keep communities safe, and form the bedrock that our communities can build upon,” said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Co-Chair of the Racial Inclusion and Equity Taskforce. “M/WBEs have done so much for us and now need our support as the economic and health effects of the pandemic disproportionately impact them. Today’s actions will secure the meaningful participation of M/WBEs in City contracting – especially Black and Latino businesses, and within that group, Black, Latina, and Asian women-owned businesses – and help to ensure an equitable recovery in New York City.”

 

“As New York City continues to recover, it is imperative that we address the inequities exposed by the pandemic, and that includes building economic empowerment for our hardest-hit communities,” said Dr. Raul Perea-Henze, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Co-Chair of the Racial Inclusion and Equity Taskforce. “Today’s step to connect Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with more access to government contracting opportunities will ensure that our City emerges stronger and more vibrant from the crisis.”  

 

"M/WBEs are a backbone of this City and integral part of the economic vitality of black and brown communities," said Sideya Sherman, Taskforce Executive Director and NYCHA Executive Vice President for Community Engagement & Partnerships. "Through these new initiatives, entrepreneurs of color will be better positioned to compete for contracting opportunities and have networks that will help their business grow."

 

The new programs will be managed by the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) in coordination with the Office of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises and community partners. The Administration is taking aggressive steps to strengthen M/WBEs and ensure the City’s procurement reflects the diversity of New York City businesses:

• The Administration has more than doubled the certified pool of M/WBEs since 2016 (from 4.5K to 9K), and we are nearing 10K certifications.
• In the first three quarters of FY 2020, the City reached a record 29.5% M/WBE utilization, totaling $964 million in prime and sub-contracts.
• The City is more than halfway to achieving the 10-year OneNYC goal awarding nearly $16 billion of $25 billion in contracts to M/WBEs by 2025; we are more than $1 billion ahead of schedule.
• In FY19 alone, the City awarded $3.8 billion in contracts to M/WBEs through both mayoral and non-mayoral agencies.

“M/WBE policy is about ensuring that the City's commitment to diversity is reflected in its spending and these changes are ensuring our M/WBEs are moving forward,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services and Co-Chair of the Small Business Subcommittee of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity. “Today, we continue our commitment to level the playing field and create fairer systems, making NYC more equitable for all."

 

“I am extremely honored to be part of the First Lady’s Taskforce on Racial Inclusion & Equity. As part of this Taskforce, we heard from many minority business owners that their businesses cannot survive this crisis without government  assistance. The Mayor’s Executive Order is a significant step in addressing many of the disparities that have been revealed as a result of this pandemic and with the implementation of these initiatives, I am confident it will provide many of our minority businesses impacted by the COVID crisis with additional contracting, mentoring and technical assistance necessary for their survival,” said Suzanne Veira, Chief Diversity Officer for the NYC School Construction Authority and Co-Chair of the Small Business Subcommittee of the Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity.

 

"M/WBEs are critical to the very fabric of NYC; they contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of each and every neighborhood in this city and represent the future of business and the future of the City," said Magalie Austin, Senior Advisor and Director of the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. "They will be hard-pressed to fully recover economically if M/WBE’s are not included in our economic recovery.”

 

Shoelace Park Clean Up By Councilman Andy King Local Community and the National Guard

In what the Bronx Borough President has declared 'Clean Up Monday's' This past Monday in Council District 12 was Clean Up Shoelace Park located at Bronx River Parkway and East 219th Street. Over 25 volunteers from the Bronx River Alliance, local community, and the National Guard unit helped Councilman King clean up Shoelace Park.

Above - A few volunteer picking up the trash in Shoelace Park.

Below - Two of the National Guard detail bring up bagss of trash to the collection point.

Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez arrived after attending other events in the South Bronx, and then was off to another event.  

 

12th City Council District Community Engagement Day Saturday August 1t.

CITY PARKS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES LIMITED OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS PROGRAMS FOR NYC YOUTH IN PARKS THIS SUMMER

 

CITY PARKS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES

LIMITED OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS PROGRAMS 

FOR NYC YOUTH IN PARKS THIS SUMMER

Socially Distant Programs take place July 13 - August 6  

July 27, 2020 - New York, NY - City Parks Foundation kicked off its 2020 free summer sports and environmental education programs last week for young people in NYC. The programs, running on a limited basis and adhering to city recommended safety regulations, have resumed outdoors in parks across the city. CityParks Learn Environmental Education programs include CityParks Learn: Green Girls Empowered by ING, Coastal Classroom and Learning Gardens. CityParks Play Sports programs include: Citywide Aces Tennis, Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy, Junior Tennis Tournament Series, and the Junior Golf Center. City Parks Foundation has also been chosen to host Fresh Air Fund summer outdoor programs for youth enrolled in the program.

CityParks Learn: Green Girls Empowered by ING Summer Institute will offer 6th – 8th graders a chance to study dynamic urban forests now – August 6, Monday – Thursday (Two sessions: 10am – 12pm, 1pm – 3pm) in-person at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens. Green Girls are encouraged to realize their potential to create change within their natural environment and learn about future careers in the sciences. This season the curriculum will focus on bird-watching, canoeing, conducting science projects or doing service, Registration is still available at cityparksfoundation.org. 

CityParks Learn: Coastal Classroom will offer 6th – 8th Graders lessons about our city’s waterways now – August 6, in-person at Kaiser Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn from Monday – Wednesday (10am – 1pm) and distance learning remotely Thursday 10am – 1pm. Science-based activities coupled with recreational opportunities such as fishing, seining and bird watching will be featured this summer, allowing students to experience our waterways as their own backyards. Registration is full and now closed.

CityParks Learn: Learning Gardens will offer a select small group of high school interns the opportunity to apply skills gained during their apprenticeship in a remote work opportunity in our own run gardens focused on environmental and food justice advocacy, NYC community nutrition and access, and career readiness. CityParks Learning Gardens are open and located in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

CityParks Play: Tennis & Golf will offer free sports instruction for young New Yorkers this summer. Our tennis programs include our Citywide Aces Program where advanced junior players receive free specialized training in a small groups, and the Lacoste Junior Tennis Academy tournament training program. Our golf programming will take place exclusively at the Junior Golf Center, a comprehensive training facility offering free instruction and practice for youth located in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Registration is full and now closed.

Also new to 2020, City Parks Foundation is working with the Fresh Air Fund to offer “Fresh Air Open Spaces” a combination of free sports and recreation programs to kids, ages 12 - 15, including tennis and track, bird watching, plant lessons and more. The Fresh Air Fund program will be hosted in three sessions, each two weeks long at Marine Park in Brooklyn, Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and Forest Park in Queens. 

Programs are open to the press interested in attending to cover; interviews with City Parks Foundation representatives are available. 

For more information about City Parks Foundation’s 2020 summer programs, please visit www.CityParksFoundation.org

Generous private support for CityParks Play is provided by The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation and The Venable Foundation. Generous public support for CityParks Play is provided by the New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson. CityParks Tennis is presented by BNP Paribas, with additional support from Lacoste, The Thompson Family Foundation, The New York Community Trust - George and Valerie Delacorte Fund, The Rosen Family, Victoria & Scott Cerullo, and the Irwin Weiner Charitable Foundation. CityParks Golf Supporting Sponsors are Lacoste and The First Tee. 

Generous private support for CityParks Learn is provided by The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, The Linda B. and Howard S. Stern Family Foundation, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, ExpandEd Schools, The Barker Welfare Foundation, MUFG Union Bank Foundation, and the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation. Generous public support is provided by the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson. Learning Gardens is supported by TD Bank. Generous private support for Learning Gardens is provided by Con Edison, Jane and Frances Stein Foundation, and the Michael Tuch Foundation. Generous private support for Coastal Classroom is provided by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Patagonia. Green Girls is presented by ING FInancial Series. Generous private support for Green Girls is provided by The Pinkerton Foundation, the Catskill Watershed Corporation in partnership with New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and the Watershed Agricultural Council. City Parks Learn is  presented in partnership with NYC Parks. 

About City Parks Foundation

At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community building and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs -- located in more than 400 parks, recreation centers and public schools across New York City -- reach 310,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: thriving parks mean thriving communities.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE RELEASES SCHOOL RE-OPENING PROPOSAL

  Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released his proposal for a path to a safe, equitable, just re-opening of New York City schools on Monday morning amid a city and nation-wide debate on education strategies in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan, detailed in a new report, is rooted in medical science and public health recommendations, and would reintroduce in-person learning in phases, based on public health infrastructure standards being met by facility, susceptibility to contract or spread the virus, and need.  

In order to allow for critical infrastructure to be put in place and contingencies created, the plan calls for no in-school instruction until October, while remote learning would continue. Once the infrastructure is in place, elementary-school children up to age ten - whom recent research has indicated are at significantly lower risk of transmitting the coronavirus or contracting COVID-19 than older students and adults- could return to the classroom first. These classes would utilize empty middle and high school spaces in order to allow for greater social distancing. 

Prior to resuming any in-school instruction, Regional Enrichment Centers would be opened and expanded upon to provide education resources to students in greatest need, using a "pod model" which keeps students in the same small groupings andthe same rooms. Phased reopenings of in-person instruction would be conditional upon meeting key infrastructure measures necessary for re-opening. Older students would continue remote learning through at least the end of 2020, reassessing in December based on the effectiveness of COVID-19 prevention in New York City at that time.

"As we work to give our students the best education possible amid the pandemic, our priority has to be on the safety of students and staff, educators and parents," said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. "Re-opening strategies for schools, just as with any other element of reopening, need to be driven by medical science. We can never completely eliminate risk, but this proposal minimizes it to the greatest extent possible while still allowing for some students to resume in-person instruction. As the public health crisis evolves, so too can our response." 

For students to return in October, the report highlights, aggressive public health and safety measures must be adhered to, including temperature screenings, staggered schedules, robust testing within communities, contact tracing, and a strategy which keeps students in the same small groupings, the same rooms, and with the same teachers. This effort would both reduce the risk of spreading the virus and make contact tracing easier and more effective if needed. Schools would also have expanded facility cleaning procedures. 

The phased re-opening based on student ages builds on similar successes in other countries and on research and population-driven data suggesting a low transmission rate among very young students, including a recent large-scale study in South Korea which indicated that while youth age 10-19 transmit the virus as adults, younger children have a greatly diminished risk.

"Just as New York City has wisely slowly reopened, measuring the impact at each phase and reassessing at each step of the way, so, too, should we approach reopening our schools. The city has done the hard work to get to this point, and rushed reopening would run counter to that progress." said Dr. Celine Gounder, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, NYU School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital, and CNN Medical Analyst. "The Public Advocate's plan is the right approach. Based on laboratory, clinical, and population-level data, it seems that children under the age of 10 are at lower risk of being infected, lower risk for developing severe disease, and lower risk of transmitting coronavirus to others. We should begin by reopening in-person teaching for children under 10 and children with special needs, as long as community transmission remains suppressed in the city."

The report also emphasizes the need to improve remote learning for those students still using the method, which includes expanding access to remote learning technology and to reliable internet connections, as well as through targeted trainings for parents and teachers. 

The Public Advocate's proposal, which can be downloaded in full here, comes as the Trump administration pushed for a full reopening of schools, rejecting initial CDC guidelines which cautioned against hasty re-opening. After pressure, the CDC released revised guidelines. 

LATEST METRICS SHOW CITY TEST & TRACE CORPS NOW REACHING 96% OF ALL POSITIVE CASES ​, SURPASSING INITIAL BENCHMARK GOAL

Over past two weeks 74% of all cases complete their intake, nearing benchmark goal of 75% as COVID hospitalizations and test positivity remain at their lowest points since epidemic began 

  Mayor de Blasio today announced the City's Test & Trace Corps is now reaching 96% of COVID-19 cases citywide, according to the program’s latest metrics spanning the past two weeks. Seventy- four percent of positive cases are also completing intake, meaning they are isolating at home or at a hotel with the City monitoring them. Both metrics are surpassing or nearing the Test & Trace Corps' initial, benchmark goals. Nearly two months since the program’s launch, COVID-related visits to emergency departments, case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths, and test positivity are at their lowest since the epidemic began.

 

"We set out to do the impossible with the Test & Trace Corps, standing up the nation’s largest contact tracing initiative a matter of weeks,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Now, with hospitalizations and test positivity at their lowest point since the beginning of the epidemic, it’s clear our efforts are working, giving us the reassurance we need to reopen our city safely.”

 

“Nearly two months in the Test & Trace Corps is now reaching more than 95% of new coronavirus cases across the city, and we are right at our evidence-based benchmark of having 75% all new cases isolating themselves with our help," said Test & Trace Corps Executive Director Dr. Ted Long. “We know the importance of our efforts to keep New Yorkers both safe and healthy and currently the rate of new COVID cases and hospitalizations are the lowest since the COVID epidemic began.”

 

The Test & Trace Corps is the City’s comprehensive effort to test, trace, and treat every case of COVID-19. Through a partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Corps allows the City to immediately isolate and care for those who test positive for the virus and then rapidly track, assess, and quarantine anyone they may have infected. 

 

Additional information on the Test & Trace Corps, including program metrics, is available here.

Mayor de Blasio NYC Update on COVID-19 and Other Items

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, good morning, everybody. It's Monday, beginning of week, and what are we beginning with? Heat – intense heat. It’s going to be a very hot week, particularly the first half of the week. And I'm going to talk about in a moment the heat advisory and what we're doing to address it. But first I want to talk about a challenge we have been facing over these last weeks as result of the perfect storm that we're experiencing here in this city, crisis, layered upon crisis – all the challenges created by the coronavirus. And we know there's been an uptick in shootings in recent weeks. We know there's been a real problem with violence that must be addressed, and we know the best way to address it is with communities. And you see all over the city, community members stepping forward, elected officials, clergy, Cure Violence movement and Crisis Management System, a whole host of people and organizations occupying the corners. What that means is taking back the neighborhood, making clear that violence won't be acceptable. All the good people who work so hard in this city, want their neighborhoods to be safe, need their neighbors to be safe, they're doing something about it. And they understand and we understand that the best way to achieve lasting safety is with communities and NYPD working together. And the outpouring of community involvement and support has been striking. It's also important that the City government keep investing in communities, going at the root causes of so many of the challenges we face and investing, particularly, in our young people. And that means investing in youth programs, youth centers. We're going to be talking about that in a moment as well. But because we're facing a perfect storm – and no one can doubt that – all of the combined crises and traumas together have created an aberrant situation where we saw crime uptick and a lot of the normal realities just weren't there to address it. We've got to fix that now. Thank God, New York City has made so much progress on the health front. We’ve got to keep that progress, defend that progress, but we also have to restart all the pieces of the criminal justice system to make sure that if, God forbid, someone has committed an act of violence and means to do harm to their community members, that we can do something about it. So, the bottom line is our criminal justice system needs to get back to full strength. Our courts not only need to reopen, they need to reopen fully as quickly as possible.

Now, remember, the disruption here has been striking. And I want to say to everyone in the court system, to the DA’s, NYPD, everyone went through massive disruption. A lot of people were sick. It was impossible to do some of the normal things because of the precautions that had to be taken. So, this is very clearly something where we're all in it together. I want to make sure everyone hears that – we are all in this together and everyone's been through a tremendous amount of disruption, but now is the time to overcome that and start to rebuild so we can really address the violence issue together. A striking reality that there's a huge backlog when it comes to cases involving violent crime – only 50 percent of firearms charges have even gotten to the point of indictment. And obviously, we need to go from indictment through the trial process and determining the fair resolution, and those who need to feel consequences have to experience those consequences in a speedier fashion. That's not happening right now. So, I want to call together all of the players. I've sent this letter this morning to the chief judge and the five district attorneys, saying let's all work together, let's get this right. I want to convene everyone and figure out what can the City of New York do to help each of you and all of your colleagues to get this right? Because, again, just a little beginning of the court system won't get it done. We need to find a way to get back to full strength. And there are obvious issues of health and safety – we want to help. We have a lot of spaces we can make available, personnel to help address the health and safety issues. But I'm going to work with all of my colleagues, the DA’s, the chief judge, everyone in this system to get it right, because we owe it to the people of our communities. And I have spent time with some of the families that have lost loved ones. That is a searing painful experience. When you see what happens to a family, especially now thinking today, and the day of his funeral, little Davell Gardner Jr., and meeting with his family and the pain they're going through – no family in New York City should ever have to go through that. And when you think about that pain, it's incumbent upon all of us to re-glue the criminal justice system, get it going at full strength and make sure there are consequences for those who would harm their fellow New Yorker.

Now, that said, that is how we bring all the pieces together, but we have to keep moving each and every piece as energetically as possible. And this is why our focus on young people is crucial. After a really huge challenges in March and April, all of us together were able to rebound and restart summer programming for young people. I want to thank the City Council for the leading role they played in helping us put that together, but we also have to do more. We have to create more and better space safe spaces for young people. Think about it for a moment. If you're a young person in New York City, you need safe places to go. You need places to grow and develop. You need places for recreation and culture. We don't have enough of those spaces. We need to create more. So, today, we're going to talk about one of the examples of that kind of investment that's going to make such a big difference right in the heart of Brooklyn, in a community that needs this support. And remember, what's so important here – this is about our priorities, and this is an example of resources we took from the NYPD budget and are putting into young people, reprogramming our resources to help young people, to put them on the right path, to stop problems before they begin. So, today, we're going to talk about the new recreation center that will be created at the Nostrand Playground in Flatbush, Brooklyn. And it's going to be amazing. It's going to have an indoor pool, and a track, and a kitchen for community cooking lessons, and all sorts of wonderful amenities that will help community members to have great, great options, especially our young people. And we're going to begin a process of engagement with the community this fall on how to specifically create the center in a way that will be most helpful to the community. And now, I want to thank and celebrate and let you hear from the two driving forces behind this great project. Both of them put a huge amount of – excuse me – a huge amount of time and energy into envisioning this and bringing it to life. And I can attest to the many times they spoke to me about the need to get this done and we're getting it done now. 

Alright, now, going back where I started at the very beginning today, we're celebrating this good news about the recreation center, but we're also dealing with a huge challenge today, and that's the heat we're all facing. And I want everyone to recognize, take this heat situation seriously. Everyone, look, New Yorkers do a great job of looking out for each other. In this situation, please look out for the people in your life, look out for the people on your block and your building. Seniors in particular, make sure they're okay and they have what they need. Everyone's got to stay hydrated. People should not be out in the heat any longer than they have to be. So, take it seriously today and tomorrow – we're talking about temperatures and heat index nearing 100, so this is serious stuff.

Now, the City will have cooling centers open today and tomorrow across all five boroughs. To find those cooling centers – and please, if you need them, take advantage of them, they're a good, safe place to be – you can go to www.nyc.gov/chillout. And, of course, you can call 3-1-1. Anyone who goes to one of these centers, you're going to find there’s social distancing, there’s face coverings. We’re taking very seriously – we have to continue to fight against the coronavirus, but, right now, the heat's front and center. So, you can go to one of these centers and know you'll be safe in every way. And we opened up public pools – a number of public pools this Friday. We have eight more coming this coming Saturday, August 1st. And we'll talk about that again later in the week. But already, we've seen the pools that have opened, a huge number of New Yorkers coming out to enjoy them and appreciate them. And again, doing it safely with all the right social distancing. So, the pools are going to help a lot, and more coming up and opening up this Saturday.

Okay, let's go to our indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to hospitals for suspected COVID-19, threshold is 200 – today’s report, 54 patients. Number two, daily number of people in Health + Hospitals ICU’s, the threshold 375 – today, 286. And number three, most important, number of people testing positive citywide for a COVID-19, threshold, 15 percent –and today, it's – again, this is the best number we've seen, we've seen a few times, but we're back at it again today – one percent in New York City. That's absolutely outstanding and that's because of all the hard work all of you have put in. And I keep saying it, everybody, please do not let up. I was out and around the city this weekend, I saw a lot of people with face coverings, not as many as I'd like to see. Everyone, remember how important those face coverings are. Keep that social distancing, help the people in your life to remember how important it is.

Budget Equity Act Press Conference

  At 1 PM Monday several current State Senators, members of the State Assembly, and Democratic Party candidates in November held a press conference to discuss what they are trying to do in the state legislature.  It is called the Budget Equity Act, which must be done by August 3, 2020 or they would have to wait three years as some of those currently in office said. The last time this was tried was ten years ago when it was vetoed by the governor then.

The Budget Equity Act would take the power away from the Governor, Senate Majority Leader, and Speaker of the Assembly, and give it to the members of both houses on the state budget, or a restart of the budget process. To the average voter they thought the local assembly and state senate members they voted for had that power already. 

Comments by some of those who spoke (in no particular order) were, That the budget process is dominated by the governor, that the state legislature is not a rubber stamp for the governor, the governor acts like a bully in a playground, and say no to the budget. State Senator Gustavo Rivera said that the Governor cut Medicaid, and did not tax the millionaires, while State Senator Alessandra Biaggi said " I don't know how we gave the governor the power", in a reference to the power to issue executive orders under the pandemic crisis that does not require legislative approval (which she wants removed). The best comments had to come from Assemblyman Charles Barrons who began by calling the governor a racist and many other things, but ended by saying that socialism is needed in the state. 

To me this looked like a remake of 2008 when Democrats finally won control by winning thirty-two of the then sixty-two seats, and wanted change in the upper house. In 2010 Republicans won back control of the state senate winning thirty-two of the sixty-two seats. In January of 2011 four Democrats led by then Senator Jeff Klein formed the Independent Democratic Conference who sided with the then Republican majority. After the 2012 election thirty-three Democrats were elected, but the four Democrats in the IDC stayed with the Republicans thus keeping control of the senate in Republican hands. The senate stayed in Republican hands until the now eight member IDC was dissolved in April of 2018. Then IDC head Jeff Klein and five other members of the IDC lost in their Democratic primaries. Democrats won forty seats to twenty-three for the Republicans, and the senate should remain in Democratic control after the November 2020 elections. The only problem to Senate Democrats now is the Justice Democrats who elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to congress in 2018, and should have Jamaal Bowman elected to congress in 2020. Both Senators Alessandria Biaggi and Gustavo Rivera were supported by AOC, and Senator Biaggi supported candidate Bowman. Could there be a Justice Democrat takeover threat in the state senate next?