Governor Cuomo Announces the Availability of Up to $158 Million to Advance Action Plan Combating Homelessness

 

Homeless Housing and Assistance Program to Provide $128 Million in Capital Funding for Permanent Supportive Housing Projects; Emergency Shelter Repairs

Up to $30 Million in Operating and Service Funding Also Available Through the Governor's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative

  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the release of two requests for proposals for programs that build and support homeless housing across the state. Combined, the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative make available $158 million for projects that will house New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and provide supportive services aimed at addressing the root causes of housing instability. This funding continues the work of the Governor's unprecedented $20 billion, five-year housing plan, which is creating or preserving 100,000 units of affordable housing and has spurred the development of more than 6,600 of supportive housing units across the state. 

"For many who experience homelessness, housing insecurity is only a symptom of an even greater underlying problem," Governor Cuomo said. "Projects that address both the shelter and support needs of those experiencing homelessness are at the vanguard of our efforts to ensure all New Yorkers have a safe, stable place to live. These programs represent a crucial investment in our communities and to ensuring the most vulnerable among us aren't left to languish on the streets."

New York State's Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) is providing up to $128 million in capital funding for projects that propose to build supportive housing units or to repair emergency shelters -an amount that is double the prior year's allocation. In addition, the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) is accepting proposals for up to $30 million for the ongoing services and operation of supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness and with special needs, conditions, or other life challenges.

Building on his commitment to the five-year, $20 billion housing plan, Governor Cuomo's enacted 2021 state budget increased the available funding for the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program from $64 million to $128 million. This funding includes $5 million earmarked for supportive housing for homeless veterans; $5 million for supportive housing for individuals with AIDS who are experiencing homelessness; and $1 million for necessary repairs to emergency shelters. 

The Homeless Housing Assistance Program provides capital grants and loans to not-for-profit corporations, charitable and religious organizations, and municipalities to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate housing for persons who are unable to secure adequate housing without special assistance. The grants are awarded through a competitive process by the New York State Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation, a public benefit corporation staffed by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).

Through this program, New York State has appropriated more than $1.2 billion toward the development of supportive housing. In total, the program has created more than 22,000 units of housing to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. 

OTDA Commissioner Mike Hein said, "New York State's unrivaled commitment to expanding the amount of supportive housing statewide is a commonsense approach toward ensuring all New Yorkers have access to a safe, affordable place to live. With this unprecedented increase more than doubling our available funding, we can further support Governor Cuomo's visionary plan to reduce homelessness throughout the state and effect meaningful change in communities grappling with housing instability."

Established in 2016 and administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative is a five-year program designed to fund the service and operating costs of at least 6,000 units of permanent supportive housing for at-risk populations. The initiative is aimed at better coordinating resources from multiple-state agencies, thereby allowing more dynamic programming and quicker implementation. 

To date, this initiative has provided service and operating funding for more than 4,600 units of supportive housing. The funding allocated in this year will help create an additional 1,200 units statewide. 

OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, "Stable housing provides people living with mental illness who are at-risk of homelessness the support they need as they address their challenges. Governor Cuomo's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative has brought new hope of recovery to thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers who were facing instability and uncertainty in their lives."

HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "This $158 million investment will expand critical services for New Yorkers at the highest risk of homelessness and further Governor Cuomo's aggressive $20 billion, 5-year housing plan to create 6,000 units of supportive housing for New Yorkers. During a global pandemic, there is no greater need than the protection that only a safe, secure and affordable home can provide. Our commitment to tackling this current crisis and continuing our fight against homelessness means we must ensure resources are available to help people find quality housing and stay there." 

OASAS Commissioner Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez said, "The Governor's Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative has been a true blessing for the population we serve. This new round of requests for proposals will allow for our providers to apply for support to create safe, permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals who are dealing with a substance use disorder."

The Homeless Housing and Assistance Program request for proposals can be found here. 

The Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative request for proposals can be found here.

Governor Cuomo Announces Absentee Ballot Portal is Now Open and Requests Can Be Made Directly Online

 

All Registered New York Voters Can Request a Ballot Here

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of New York's absentee ballot portal where voters can directly request an absentee ballot for the upcoming November 3rd election. The Governor acted by Executive Order to allow any voter concerned about risk or exposure to COVID during the ongoing pandemic to request an absentee ballot. 

"As the November election approaches we know that many voters feel vulnerable in the midst of this pandemic," Governor Cuomo said. "In line with the sweeping reforms we have implemented to make it easier for New Yorkers to exercise their right to vote, today we launch the online portal through which every registered voter concerned about COVID-19 can obtain an absentee ballot. Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and we want each and every voter to feel safe and secure in the exercise of voting."  

Last month, Governor Cuomo signed into law sweeping election reforms that will make it easier for New Yorkers to vote and be counted in November. These new measures Include  allowing absentee ballot applications to be submitted to the Board of Elections immediately, allowing a voter to get an absentee ballot due to risk or fear of illness including COVID-19 and ensuring all absentee ballots postmarked on or before Election Day or received by the Board of Elections without a postmark on the day after the Election will be counted. Ballots with a postmark demonstrating that they were mailed on or before Election Day will be counted if received by November 10.    

The Governor also issued an executive order to bolster and support New Yorkers' right to vote. The order requires county boards of elections to take concrete steps to inform voters of upcoming deadlines, be prepared for upcoming elections and help ensure absentee ballots can be used in all elections.

BRONX DA DARCEL D. CLARK ANNOUNCES MOVE TO DISMISS OVER 300 SUMMONSES FOR VIOLATING CURFEW IN JUNE 4 PROTEST

  

   
 

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that her Office will file a motion with the Supervising Judge of Bronx Criminal Court to dismiss more than 300 summonses issued for Disorderly Conduct and Administrative Code Violation of the Emergency Order of a curfew during a large protest in the Bronx on June 4, 2020 decrying the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. 

District Attorney Clark said, “I believe in and encourage our Bronx residents to raise their voices to protest social and racial injustice in a peaceful way. I said back in June that I would not prosecute protestors simply for violating the curfew. While my Office does not prosecute summonses, I will file a motion with the court to dismiss theses summonses, which were issued June 4 in the Mott Haven section, in the interest of justice.

“The people who received these summonses are due back in court on them on October 2, 2020. As the COVID-19 virus is still very much with us, and the courts are trying to limit inperson appearances, I believe it serves no purpose to summon hundreds of people to the courthouse for low-level violations. These unprecedented times require prosecutors to be flexible as well as compassionate.” 

District Attorney Clark added that her Office is moving forward with prosecutions of those charged with serious offenses such as burglary, looting and assault related to protesting, particularly on June 1, 2020 in the Fordham section.

The motion will be filed on Thursday, September 3, 2020.

100 PERCENT - 11th Council District 'UPDATED'

 

This is the first of a series of articles on the Bronx City Council races. There are currently six candidates who have announced they are running in the 11th Council District, and I have divided them into two categories. There are the first three candidates (in order of announcement) Dan Padernacht, Eric Dinowitz, and Jessica Haller, who announced their candidacy first in 2018 or 2019. Three more candidates  Abigail Martin, Dionel Then, and Marcus Sierra have announced this year. 

Candidate Dan Padernacht has been the Chair of Community Board 8, and is now the board's Chair of the Traffic and Transportation Committee once again.  He is also Vice-Chair of the important Land Use Committee, as Community Board 8 is the only Bronx community board with a Special Nature Area and a Historic District. Being a lawyer by profession, Dan has represented the board at hearings before the City Planning Commission and Board of Standards and Appeals. Dan has also served as Chair of the Croton Water Filtration Committee. He has served on Community Board 8 for over twelve years representing all parts of Community Board 8.    

Candidate Eric Dinowitz is the Chair of Community Board 8's Aging Committee, and the Democratic Male District Leader from the 81st Assembly District. He is a Special Education teacher by profession, and is the son of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. While the election will be Rank Choice Voting Candidate Eric Dinowitz when asked if he will win the election outright, answered that he will win with a majority of the votes. With six candidates currently in the race a majority of the vote does not mean an outright win and not having to go into Rank Choice Voting. 

Candidate Jessica Haller is a mother of four children ranging in age from seven to one attending college. She is a first time candidate running on a  Climatology and Sustainability platform, and is a graduate of Donald Trump's Alumnus The Wharton School. Of the top three candidates she is the only one to sign on to the Defund the Police Movement. When questioned about it, she said it was the original plan not the one that it has evolved into. While she wants to be an advocate for the needy public school children, her children currently attend private school. Candidate Jessica Haller lives in the limited access section of Riverdale called Fieldston that closes its entry points every year. 

The next three candidates include Abigail Martin who is taking pot shots at one of her opponents father the assemblyman, and mentions State Senator Biaggi's name so one would think that the state senator is backing her. She also aims her comments at Mayor de Blasio. Next is Dionel Then who was an intern at the Riverdale Press. His website stresses jobs for youth, and that he has worked for various elected officials, but none are listed. The sixth and final candidate for the 11th council district Marcos Sierra comes off a win in the race for Male District Leader in the 80th Assembly District. However the 80th A.D. is mainly in the 13th council district, and only a small part of the 11th council district. Sierra beat the organization candidate, and while 80th Assemblywoman Fernandez is holding events, her new district leaders have not been mentioned in the announcements of the events. 

Update: Candidate Dionel Then has withdrawn from the 11th City Council race and is endorsing candidate Dan Padernacht.

Since Councilman Cohen has been nominated as one of the Democratic choices for a Supreme Court Judgeship his seat should be vacated on January first since he has repeatedly  said that he will serve out the year. Mayor de Blasio will have three days to call a special election that would occur within eighty days. In speaking to Assemblyman Dinowitz he says that is the law, and he expects a March Special Election. However since the state legislature moved up primary day to June, petitioning begins the last week of February for the June Primary. It is highly unlikely because of that, a special election would occur while petitioning begins for the primary election. That would hold true in the 15th council district when Councilman Ritchie Torres becomes Congressman Torres at the beginning of January. 

MAYOR DE BLASIO, CHANCELLOR CARRANZA, AND LABOR REACH AGREEMENT TO REOPEN NEW YORK CITY SCHOOLS

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, CSA President Mark Cannizzaro, and DC 37 Executive Director Henry A. Garrido today announced an agreement to begin in-person learning on September 21^st. Teachers will report to buildings on September 8^th as originally scheduled and will have dedicated time for training, professional development, and readiness to collaborate and prepare for blended and remote learning. Beginning September 16^th, teachers will begin to engage students in preparations and orientations to help them acclimate to the new school year.

 

"This is a great day for every public school student in New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We face a return to school unlike any in our city's history, but New Yorkers have made it possible because of their extraordinary work fighting back COVID-19. Our agreement puts the health and safety of our 1.1 million students, teachers, and school staff above everything else. We couldn't be more excited to get our young people back to the classrooms where they learn best."

 

“Reopening school during an ongoing pandemic is one of the most complex challenges any government anywhere has had to figure out in modern history, and New York City is best positioned to do so,” said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. “So many things about this year will be new, but the fundamentals remain the same: the majority of our students plan to return to buildings, students will learn best in person with a caring teacher as often as possible, and we will lead with health and safety every step of the way.”

 

"New York City will now have the most aggressive policies and the strongest safeguards of any school system in the nation,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.

 

Beginning immediately, prioritized access to testing will be available to students, teachers, and DOE school-based staff at 34 sites across the city. These sites will give priority to all DOE workers so they can quickly be tested, and provide results within 24-48 hours. Beginning October 1^st and recurring each month, it will be mandatory for schools to test a random 10-20% sample of their students participating in blended learning and on-site staff population. Families will be asked to sign a consent form at the start of the year for their child to participate at random, and be notified ahead of time if their child has been selected for the month.

 

In a typical school year, teachers return to school a few days before students to prepare for the start of the year, and we are extending that preparation time for educators to prepare their physical and virtual rooms for a new year of learning. This time will allow teachers and all school staffs to set up students for success in both full-time remote and blended models. School leaders and educators will be fully trained on health and safety protocols and have ample time to coordinate with each other to ensure they can provide educational continuity between remote and in-person days for blended learning.

 

On September 8^th, educators return to school, and will collaborate to prepare for the school year. On September 16^th , schools will begin engaging students in learning and orienting them to the new school year prior to the first in-person day on September 21^st. They will use this remote launch to engage students in health and safety procedures, and talk to students about connectivity for remote learning, wellness and social emotional health heading into an unprecedented school year, and to ensure students are ready to learn. An important focus of this orientation period will be on the social and emotional well-being of students and families and provide an opportunity for deeper understanding of the ways this unprecedented school year will work.

 

Health and safety continues to lead all reopening plans, and the City will not reopen schools if the citywide infection rate exceeds 3 percent. The citywide infection rate is currently 1.3%.

VISION ZERO: NEW YORK CITY LOWERS SPEED LIMITS BY 5 MPH ON NINE MAJOR STREETS CITYWIDE

 

Speed cameras now active in all 750 school zones citywide – the largest network in the world

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that speed limits will be reduced by 5 MPH on 25 miles of major streets with some the highest rates of crashes across the five boroughs. The City also announced that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has reached its goal of activating cameras in all 750 school zones – the largest speed camera network in the world. These efforts, combined with stepped up NYPD speeding enforcement, are part of a coordinated effort, as reduced vehicular traffic has led to dangerous driving during the COVID-19 crisis.

 

“New York City’s children deserve safe, livable communities – and Vision Zero’s groundbreaking work will protect them in their streets,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Slower speed limits, speed cameras, and increased enforcement will save lives and keep New York City the safest big city in America for the next generation.”

 

"Through years of progress, Vision Zero has made New York City's streets safer across all five boroughs, yet there is still work to be done," said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. "We know speeding is one the leading causes of traffic fatalities and by lowering speed limits - combined with our vast network of speed-cameras - we are focusing on those who put New Yorkers in danger."

 

“Speeding is a leading cause of traffic fatalities. Even under COVID-19, this administration has maintained our commitment to keep our streets safe for the all users, especially the most vulnerable,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We are reducing speed limits on some of the city’s most crash-prone corridors, and growing our speed camera program at a rate that will make our system the largest in the world.  With more cameras installed in 2020 than in the first six years of the program combined, DOT is continuously working to make our streets safer for everyone.”

 

“The DOT’s speed-limit efforts and speed-camera program play a vital role in ensuring the safety of all who use our city streets, particularly some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers: schoolchildren, pedestrians and bicyclists,” said NYPD Chief of Transportation Nilda Hofmann. “These cameras, combined with the everyday speed enforcement initiatives conducted by the NYPD’s Highway Patrol officers and precinct personnel serve to more effectively accomplish the goals of Vision Zero: Saving Lives.”

 

Lower Speed Limits:

In the last year, DOT has lowered the speed limit along Manhattan’s West Street as well as along 3rd Avenue and Hamilton Avenue, two major streets under Brooklyn‘s Gowanus Expressway.  The nine newly targeted streets, more than 25 miles citywide, are largely arterial roadways that are also heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists.

 

Street locations and mileage are as follows:

 

Brooklyn:

• Flatbush Ave from Grand Army Plaza to Empire Boulevard*, .8 mile (30 MPH to 25 MPH)
• Shore Parkway Service Road from Bay 8th Street to Plumb 3rd Street, 4.8 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)
• Dahlgren Place from 86th Street to 92nd Street, .3 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)

*Earlier this summer, DOT installed new protected bicycle lanes along this roadway.

 

Manhattan:

• Riverside Drive from 165th Street to 181st Street, .8 mile (30 MPH to 25 MPH)

 

Bronx:

• Bruckner Blvd from East 135th Street to Pelham Bay Park, 6.5 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)
• Webster Ave from East 233 Street to East Gun Hill Road, 1.2 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)

 

Queens:

• Rockaway Blvd from 150th Ave to 3rd Street (Nassau County border), 2.5 miles (40 MPH to 35 MPH)
• Northern Blvd from 114th Street to Glenwood Street (Nassau County border), 7 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)

 

Staten Island:

• Targee Street from West Fingerboard Rd to Broad St, 1.8 miles (30 MPH to 25 MPH)

 

All of the speed limits will go into effect as DOT posts new speed-limit signage over the next 4-6 weeks. Speed cameras located along any of these streets will be reprogrammed and will only issue warnings for the first 60 days after new signage is posted.

 

Speed Camera Installations:

DOT announced that this summer, it had reached the maximum number of 750 school zones allowed under a state law that took effect in the summer of 2019. After passage of that expanded speed-camera law in Albany, Mayor de Blasio had announced a commitment that over two years, DOT would rapidly scale up its speed-camera program, activating new school speed zones citywide at a rate of about 40 per month through 2019, and 60 per month in 2020. A grand total of over 950 speed cameras are now active, with a goal of 2,000 total active cameras by the end of 2021 (zones are permitted to have multiple cameras). 

                                                    

The new speed-camera law that took effect last July expanded the maximum number of school zones from 140 to 750, doubled speed camera hours to 6am until 10pm year-round, and expanded cameras’ permitted distance to a ¼ mile radius from a school, rather than the previous restriction that the camera be no more than a ¼ mile of a school along an abutting street. Fines for speed-camera violations remain $50, issued to those who exceed posted speed limits by more than 10 MPH. 

 

The City’s speed camera program has deterred speeding in school zones by over 60% although many cameras installed in July 2019 showed decreases in speeding violations of over 70 percent by the end of the year. Studies have repeatedly proven that speed is a critical factor in severe injuries and traffic fatalities. A pedestrian who is struck by a vehicle traveling at 30 MPH is twice as likely to be killed as a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 MPH.

 

NYPD Enforcement:

The valuable data provided by the Department of Transportation’s speed cameras enable the New York City Police Department to focus its enforcement efforts on our local streets in the specific areas where most speed violations actually occur. This “precision policing” as it pertains to addressing traffic violations is viewed as being more effective in accomplishing the goals of Vision Zero: saving lives.

 

Despite a spike in motor vehicle and motorcycle fatalities, traffic fatalities overall are down 6.9% in 2020. While motor vehicle and motorcycle fatalities have increased this year, injury collisions involving these modes are down. Motor vehicle occupant injuries are down 34% year to date and motorcycle injuries are down 9% year to date. In recent months, the NYPD has conducted targeted operations focused on keeping motorcyclists safe through enforcement and education. Taken together, the NYPD’s approach to traffic safety is an integral part of New York City’s life-saving Vison Zero efforts.

 

The NYPD will continue its enforcement of speed violations – both on the highways and the local streets – to protect all road users including our school children, and our essential and emergency workers as they continue serving our city.

 

MTA Announces Service Details for Labor Day

 

Most Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) services will operate on Sunday schedules for the Labor Day holiday, Monday, Sept. 7, with subway and bus options for customers traveling to NYC-area beaches. Metro-North Railroad will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

Front door-boarding and fare collection has resumed on MTA buses. Customers are reminded to wear masks and social distance when possible while using the system. Wearing a face covering on public transportation is required by law under Executive Order 202.18 issued by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo effective April 17. The MTA launched its “Mask Force” on July 20 as part of its Operation Respect campaign, comprised of hundreds of volunteers to distribute masks directly to customers.

The multi-pronged operation also includes new public service announcements by actor and activist Rosie Perez encouraging all riders to show respect by wearing a face covering, as well as the systemwide roll out of the MTA’s Safe Travels campaign in train cars and on buses. The MTA also launched a mask dispenser pilot program on buses July 29 alongside the continued rollout of PPE vending machines. Additionally, the MTA is deploying Bridge and Tunnel Officers on buses to monitor compliance.

Details for each agency are below:

New York City Subway

On Monday, Sept. 7, subways will operate on a Sunday schedule. Customers are reminded that some subway lines do not operate on Sundays.  express service is suspended, use  local trains instead.   trains will not run, use the   and/or . Use  local service instead of  skip-stop service.  trains will not run, use the  or .  will run local in Manhattan.  trains will run between Metropolitan Av and Delancey-Essex St.

The following service changes remain in effect through the holiday weekend due to planned work:

•  trains will be replaced by bus service between Westchester Square and Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx.
•  trains will be replaced by shuttle buses between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn.
•  trains will not operate north of 145 St, customers traveling north of 145 St should use the .

Heading to the Beach

Through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, Rockaway Park/Beach 116 St  Shuttle service will be extended to Rockaway Blvd to facilitate beach traffic to the peninsula. Customers can take any train to connect with the shuttle at Rockaway Blvd. This seasonal service runs from approximately 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer, and will also be available this weekend. Customers may also take the  trains to Coney Island and the  to Brighton Beach. Please note: The  train is not operating to Coney Island or Brighton Beach this weekend. Shuttle bus service will not be available, however B68 buses run parallel to the  line along Coney Island Avenue and serve Brighton Beach and Coney Island.

New York City Buses

Buses operated by MTA New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company will operate on a Sunday schedule on Monday, Sept. 7. Many routes do not operate on Sundays or do not run on part of the route at certain hours. Bus customers traveling on Labor Day should check Sunday schedules, lines and routes.

Customers are advised that front door-boarding on buses resumed on Monday, Aug. 31, opening up to 40% more space on buses for enhanced social distancing and allowing for the resumption of fare collection during the worst fiscal crisis in MTA history. Innovative new barriers, including polycarbonate sliders and vinyl curtains, are being installed to fully protect bus operators and allow more distance between the operator and customers.

Heading to the Beach

There are many bus options to area beaches throughout New York City.

• The Bronx/Orchard Beach – Bx12
• Brooklyn/Brighton Beach – B1, B36 and B68
• Brooklyn/Coney Island – B36, B64, B68, B82
• Brooklyn/Manhattan Beach – B1 and B49
• Queens/Jacob Riis Park – Q22 and Q35
• Queens/Rockaway Beach – Q22, Q35, Q52 SBS and Q53 SBS

Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road

Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road will run their current weekday schedules for Friday, Sept. 4. On Monday, Sept. 7, Metro-North Railroad will operate on a regular weekday schedule, while the Long Island Rail Road will run on a weekend schedule. Off-peak fares will be in effect for both railroads.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels

MTA Bridges and Tunnels plan to suspend all daytime lane closures by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. Daytime lane closures will resume on Tuesday morning, Sept. 8. Overnight lane closures will continue for critical work throughout the weekend.

How to Travel Safely and Get Updates

The MTA reminds customers that masks are required when traveling throughout the system and helps stop the spread of the virus. PPE vending machines have been deployed systemwide and free masks are available at subway station ticket booths, on board commuter railroads and buses. Customers should also practice social distancing where possible and will see yellow signs and floor markings in stations for assistance. Customers can always check service alerts by checking mta.info, signing up for MTA alerts, using the MYmta app or following us on Twitter @NYCTSubway, @NYCTBus, @LIRR, @MetroNorth and @MTA.

Mayor de Blasio announces new police strategy, School opening, and COVIS-19,

 

 Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, good morning, everybody. New York City continues on our road back. New York City, every day, taking step after step as we fight back this disease and we start to bring back our economy and our lives. And really, again, I'll say it every single time. The credit goes to all of you who have done such a remarkable job, doing what we needed to do to fight back this disease. And you're going to see, once again, with the day's indicators that it's working. So, a lot is happening now, a lot of work being done as we speak to get things ready for the start of school, good work being done by thousands and thousands of City employees to get everything ready for our kids. So much other important work going on. We see real progress – again, businesses bringing back more employees, museums opening up, our youth sports leagues opening up, so many things that show little by little we're taking those steps in the right direction.

 We won't send off the layoff notices today, but each day we will reassess, because we have to address our fiscal crisis. Again, no one wants to see a single layoff, but we have to address our fiscal crisis. So, I am hoping that this pause will lead to more progress in Albany because of the intense commitment of labor to getting this done. And I want to say, in the last few days, we've seen more and more signs of support for long-term borrowing. I want to thank our colleagues in the City Council. They're preparing to vote on a resolution in support of long-term borrowing in a matter of days. I want to thank Speaker Cory Johnson and UFT President Michael Mulgrew – they authored an op-ed recently in the Daily News, making the case for long-term borrowing. Many, many unions have been reaching out to Albany, telling them how important it is for New York City, but not just from New York City – the New York State Association of Counties has weighed in and made so clear that all over New York State there are localities that need help with long-term borrowing, given this horrible, horrible reality thrown at us by a pandemic no one ever expected. So, we'll pause now, and we'll do the work together to convince Albany that we need them. We need them to step up and pass long-term borrowing. That's what would avert the layoffs instantly and that's what we’ll be working on over these next few days.

 

Now, while we're doing this work to try and preserve our workforce, to try and protect the services that people need, try and keep our budget strong. There's so many other things we have to do at the same time, all in the midst of this incredibly challenging moment in history. So, what we do every day, of course, number-one concern every day is a health and safety of all New Yorkers. And when we focus on public safety, we do it in a way that regards both the importance of protecting people's lives and the importance of bringing police and community together. I've said literally since the time I ran for mayor that safety and fairness must walk hand in hand. 

 

So, today, where we are publishing our response to this pledge, that specific actions will be taken, and among those actions are new initiatives to bring the voices of the people of this city into our police academy as our recruits are being trained and as our officers are being retrained to literally bring neighborhood voices in as part of the training process; to have local efforts with community committees to develop new policies that will work for police and community alike, to have a deeper dialogue to change some of the ways we do things so that everyone can work better together; to use CompStat in new ways – CompStat has been the underpinning of our success now for a quarter-century in fighting back crime, but CompStat can be used in so many powerful ways to also measure how the NYPD is doing and its relationship with communities and how to improve that relationship. And crucially, we will be publishing a disciplinary matrix – and this is a big step forward for transparency, accountability – user-friendly data that will allow a clear understanding of how we are approaching discipline. We want discipline to be a very straightforward matter. We want it to be clear that when certain actions are taken and certain mistakes are made that there will be accountability. And it is so important for the public trust in our police – and that we've proven over the last seven years – when that trust grows, when that relationship grows, as it has in the city so many times, it allows us all to be safer. The matrix will be publicly available today at nyc.gov/nypdmatrix. There'll be a public comment period of one month and that information we get back from the public comment period will lead to the finalization of the policy. But the bottom line is this, the NYPD every day does an extraordinary job protecting the people in New York City. The NYPD has also shown its ability to change and reform, and more change reform is needed. The culture of policing needs continued improvement. That is something obvious, but we can simultaneously say that we appreciate that the vast majority of officers are in this work for a profound reason – they want to help people, they want to protect people. We need to make sure that the culture of policing continues to improve as well to be just as good as the motivation that led so many people into this crucial work. And these measures will help us take an important step forward.

 

I want to now turn to our Police Commissioner, who has, over his last seven years, continued to improve this department – whatever title he held, continued the effort to make the Department both better at protecting New Yorkers and better at listening to the people in the city and working with them and respecting their rights. Now, I‘ll turn to our Commissioner Dermot Shea.

 

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I have to give some credit to Jimmy O'Neill, the former police commissioner. If you think back a couple of years, when he empaneled and asked for outside experts to come in and take a look at our discipline process – the Blue Ribbon Panel, as it was called – when you look at the Obama pledge and many of the concerns and the Blue Ribbon Panel, there's a tremendous amount of overlap here. And the good news is that many of the items that are contained in the pledge we've been committed to doing for several years now. The Mayor mentioned the discipline matrix, which I can tell you has been worked on for approximately 12 months now. It went online today. I encourage everyone to go to the NYPD’s outward facing website, and you could read all about the matrix. And it's correct – there is a 30-day period where we're asking for the public's comments on this. And that's something that seems intuitive, but it hasn't always been done. But it's something we truly believe in, in terms of knowing who you work for – and we work for the public – and asking them for their comments. What can we do better? What do you think about particular aspects of the discipline matrix? And hearing their perspective – and hearing is the keyword there. We anticipate taking those results in, we've already consulted with experts in nearly every field. We’ve examined other matrixes that exist across the country in law enforcement's major departments. We feel good about the matrix. I can tell you that I've sat around a boardroom many times discussing this matrix, and there are always heated discussions about different things. It's very detailed, but I am very curious how the public comment session will be, and we expect it to be finalized by this coming January.

 

None of this is new to what we're trying to do. If you look at our NYPD outward facing website, again, you'll see a new page that's gone up probably the last month, maybe three weeks, explaining what we do. I think that's my key takeaway, whether it's the Obama pledge, whether it's the Blue Ribbon Panel. One of the key points to Blue Ribbon Panel said was the NYPD has a strong discipline system. It's not perfect, but it's strong, and we do a lot of things well. What we did not do well was tell others what we do, and that transparency aspect is behind a lot of what we're doing. And about, as I said, three weeks ago, we started putting more and more information up on that outward facing page, telling people about our discipline process, telling people and giving them examples of how seriously we treat discipline in many cases. And we think that that will, as the Mayor alluded to, continue to build trust. And trust at this point is critical.

 

Mayor: Thank you very much, Commissioner. And Commissioner, I appreciate the fact that it has been a long and ongoing effort to continue always looking for the next reform that's needed, the next way of bringing police and community together. And I think the last point the Commissioner made is crucial – it's important to show the work that's going on every day. That’s something we want to do more and more effectively, because everyone understands the way forward for the city is with police and community working hand in hand. And I think the items in the Obama pledge will help us to take that big step forward for the city.

 

Now, let me turn you to another crucial matter – obviously, less than two weeks until the beginning of school. So much work going on – we've talked about all of the work that's happened since June by our custodial engineers in the schools, the School Construction Authority, Division of School Facilities at DOE – so many thousands of people working together to get our schools ready, June, July, August – now, as we get ready for September. So, to-date 1,321 school buildings have been inspected. And that is about 88 percent of the buildings that needed an inspection. We will be continuing those inspections today and tomorrow, and then we will have gotten through the entire school system. We'll be publishing the results of the inspections on a rolling basis to update parents and the community on where each school stands. So far, what we're seeing is overwhelmingly, because of the hard work that's been happening over the last three months, that schools are ready. But we'll be very clear if there's any specific school with ongoing work that needs to be done, any even individual classroom that has work that needs to be done. And we'll be publishing that shortly.

 

Now, we're also moving ahead in some other key areas. Last week, we talked about the outdoor learning plans. The response from principals was outstanding. So many of them had ideas ready to go. And I want to make really clear that principals at any point can put in an outdoor learning plan. We said to them, any plan that was put in last week will get an answer by this week, but they are invited to continue to put in plans at any point. So far, 247 schools have had their outdoor learning plans approved. And again, that will be on a rolling basis. And another ongoing effort that started in the spring, but it will continue, is to make sure that all children who need devices to participate in the remote learning that they'll be involved in, whether it's in a blended learning format or all remote format, we want to make sure that every child that needs technology gets it, who needs internet service gets it. So far, in the New York City public schools, 324,000 iPads have been distributed for free to kids who need them. And that distribution will continue as there are needs. We want to make sure our children get what they need and get it quickly.

 

So, we continue this work every day with the folks working in the buildings, with our administrators, with our educators, with our custodial teams, with our building staff, the food service staff, you name it, everyone's in this together and we are working constantly with the unions that represent the people that do the work. We're all working to resolve issues and get ready for what will be one of the most pivotal school years – I think, the most pivotal school year in the history of New York City, and we have to get it right for everyone.

 

Let's talk about our indicators. Number one, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19, threshold is 200 patients. Today's report, 47 patients – that's one of the lowest we've seen in months. And the positivity rate among those patients, 12.5 percent. Indicator number two, new reported cases on a seven-day average, that threshold 550 cases. Today's report, 222. And number three, percentage of people testing citywide positive for COVID-19, threshold five percent. Today's report, again, one of our lowest, 0.59 percent. Again, outstanding work by New Yorkers now as we come off the summer and move into the fall, double down on those efforts to stay safe because they are clearly working. And we can get safer – I want to drive that infection rate down much further, because we'll be able to do more and more and open up more and more as we do that. So, it's not just stay the course, it's double down. Let's go farther at making this city safe.