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In State of the City, Mark-Viverito Pushes Progressive Agenda Further


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Speaker Mark-Viverito snaps a phot of the crowd (photo: John Kenny via Twitter)


In her first State of the City address, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito aggressively doubled down on the progressive agenda she set in her first year in the role. Speaking from an East Harlem NYCHA development in her council district, Mark-Viverito called for greater attention to those living in public housing, announced plans to increase funding to help tenants facing eviction and New Yorkers who are arrested and cannot afford bail, and promised greater "citizen empowerment" through expansion of participatory budgeting.

The speaker outlined plans to create an Office of the Civil Justice Coordinator, charged with ensuring that all New Yorkers who need legal representation get it, and an Office of Labor to coordinate efforts around protecting workers from wage theft, instituting paid family leave, and proper enforcement of labor laws generally. She promised a renaissance for the city's mostly-defunct Human Rights Commission, with an infusion of cash to help it fill its mandate to enforce the Human Rights Law that protects against discrimination.

Jumping back and forth between English and Spanish, the bilingual Mark-Viverito, a native of Puerto Rico, appeared confident and mostly at ease, reading from teleprompters in the first major televised speech of her tenure as speaker. Her address was entitled "Lifting Every Voice" and its content showed her dedication to supporting and empowering the most disadvantaged New Yorkers. She expressed particular pride over measures that the Council took in 2014 to protect immigrants from deportation and set a program in motion to provide all New Yorkers access to a city photo identification.

The speaker called for a "higher head count" for the NYPD in order to "carry out more community policing," saying that the Council is again fighting for an additional 1,000 police officers to be funded through the budget. This sets the stage for a second straight year of negotiations with the mayor, who again did not include the funding in his recently presented fiscal year 2016 preliminary budget. Additionally, Mark-Viverito said criminal justice reforms must be made: "we cannot continue to lock up those accused of low level, non-violent offenses without recognizing the dire, long-term consequences to them and to our city," she said. Her proposal is to expand the use of summonses and desk appearance tickets as opposed to arrests, and to "look for areas where it makes more sense to impose a civil penalty, rather than a criminal one."

Not a condemnation of so-called broken windows policing, Mark-Viverito instead recommended to alter the consequences of some law breaking. Shifting some offenses from criminal to civil penalties is something that many criminal justice reformers have called for and Mark-Viverito's statement was immediately lauded by advocates.

It was a wide-ranging speech, very different from Mayor Bill de Blasio's State of the City address given last week, during which he focused almost exclusively on his housing agenda. Mark-Viverito dove into education initiatives, drawing wows with an announcement that Microsoft had agreed to provide free Office software to students and their families, as well as to teachers, who will also receive professional development training from the company. Perhaps more connected to much of the rest of her speech, she also called for key changes to the city's school discipline code, including to "B21," which has made 'disobeying authority' result in suspensions for many students, especially black and Hispanic boys. Removal of B21 has been something advocates have long called for, with high hopes that the new mayor and schools chancellor would act, but they have not yet released a new code.

To be sure, there is much, like the school discipline code and Mark-Viverito's call for minimum wage home rule, that the speaker dealt with but is not under her or her council's control. But, she outlined several proposals that largely are, and with a friendly mayor plenty of what she is calling for on the city level is likely to move through the Council and across the mayor's desk as needed.

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by Ben Max, editor, Gotham Gazette
@tweetBenMax

Note: this article has been updated.

Led by Mark-Viverito, State of the City is More Immigrant Friendly


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Speaker Mark-Viverito at a recent IDNYC event (photo: William Alatriste)


Council Speaker Readies to Give First State of the City Address After A Year Focused on Supporting City's Immigrants, Working Class

In her first year leading the New York City Council, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito took bold steps to protect and empower local immigrant communities. Key aspects of her agenda have dealt with law enforcement and immigrant services, creating a friendlier environment for the nearly 3 million foreign-born residents of New York.

Set to give her first State of the City speech on Wednesday at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem, within her council district, Mark-Viverito has defined her early tenure as speaker with a focus on supporting and protecting the city's immigrants. Mark-Viverito herself came to New York City from Puerto Rico as a young adult.

Since taking the mantle, Mark-Viverito has teamed with her progressive council colleagues and close ally Mayor Bill de Blasio to enact immigrant-friendly policies. Some, like an expansion of paid sick leave legislation and the city's new municipal identification card program are aimed at a larger pool of New Yorkers, but are especially helpful to immigrants.

When Mark-Viverito gives her address, she is likely to highlight work the City has done to protect immigrants from deportation, provide New Yorkers with a new form of photo identification regardless of citizenship status, and enact a variety of other measures that are beneficial to immigrant and working class communities. In a clear indication of her priorities, Mark-Viverito has titled her speech "Lifting Every Voice."

In the first city budget of Mark-Viverito's tenure as speaker, the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), a pilot program launched in 2013 with $500,000 in funding, received nearly $5 million in 2014. The NYIFUP is a first-of-its-kind public defender system that offers legal representation to immigrants under the threat of deportation.

"The Speaker has been a tremendous champion for immigrant rights over the last year," said Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, citing her creation in September of a $1.9 million fund for legal defense, social and health services for unaccompanied minors. The Council partnered with the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York Community Trust, which pitched in half the fund, to help with cases that were being fast-tracked through the New York Immigration Court under a federal mandate.

The Council's local efforts were largely made in the face of federal policies adversely affecting local immigrant communities. In attempting to further assert home rule and insulate immigrant New Yorkers from federal action, Mark-Viverito moved two pieces of legislation through the Council which significantly reduced cooperation between local law enforcement and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mark-Viverito expressed pride about these two bills in an interview with Gotham Gazette the November night they were signed into law.

The ICE bills effectively directed the NYPD and the Department of Corrections to no longer honor detainer requests that can lead to unnecessary deportation of immigrants unless the requests were backed by warrants issued by a federal judge.

"She's been a real leader especially in the fight to stand up to unjust federal policies," said Alisa Wellek, co-executive director of the Immigrant Defense Project. "Thousands of New Yorkers were being funnelled into detention and deportation through city jails. She took a stand years ago [against ICE] and has been able to follow through on the vision. She helped the mayor enact a much broader and protective policy."

Wellek says, though, that with evolving immigration enforcement policies, the City has to remain vigilant. "Historically, Immigration Enforcement has been good at rebranding their programs in cities that have pushed back across the country," she said. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security changed its Secure Communities program (which relies on biometric data collected through local and state cooperation) into the Priority Enforcement program.

"Our hope is that the Speaker and the Council will continue to push back against that," Wellek added. A more specific measure Wellek hopes the City will enact is removing immigration orders from criminal databases - orders which routinely show up during arrests for minor crimes as part of so-called broken windows policing and lead to deportations of immigrants.

Mark-Viverito has looked to set trends in New York City that can be modeled elsewhere, perhaps even federally. Days ahead of President Obama's November executive order on immigration, which aims to ease the deportation burden, Mark-Viverito sent an open letter to the president calling on him to take "broad Executive Action to provide desperately needed relief" for immigrants.

She called for broad expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, reform of ICE procedures, and relief for parents of U.S. citizens and those who have lived in the U.S. for 10 years. She stated, in her letter, "It is apparent that Congress will not act on comprehensive immigration reform. This failure has had tragic consequences across the nation and particularly in New York City. Families, the very fabric of our community, have been needlessly torn apart, children are suffering, and we've lost our moral compass."

In November, Mark-Viverito told Gotham Gazette that she is focused on "mak[ing] New York City a model of how government can work on behalf of those we represent." In Tuesday's speech, expect Mark-Viverito to follow a typical 'state of' script, touting recent accomplishments and outlining ongoing and upcoming initiatives. With the mayor having just presented his preliminary budget for the next fiscal year, expect Mark-Viverito to highlight aspects of the Council budget that she is proud of and plans to enhance. While Mark-Viverito's office declined to comment on the speech ahead of time, the speaker did tweet a word cloud preview in which words like "justice," "rights," and "NYCHA" are highlighted. 

NYIC's Choi hopes that the City will provide support to organizations that help immigrants once the president's administrative relief orders kick in over the next few months. Mayor de Blasio has already dedicated funds and is working with city leaders on making sure that the City is indeed ready to handle the effects of the new mandates. Outreach and access to healthcare for immigrants are key priorities, Choi said.

Choi also spoke highly of efforts Mark-Viverito has been instrumental in to engage immigrants with their local government. He is hopeful that with more immigrants feeling secure to come out of the shadows, this will only increase. "There's also a real chance to break down barriers to civic engagement. Through participatory budgeting immigrants can have a voice in how the Council's money is spent," he added.

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by Samar Khurshid, Gotham Gazette
@samarkhurshid

VAB Reform Bills Appear Fast-Tracked


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CM Vallone asks Commissioner Sutton questions at Tuesday's hearing (photo: @PaulVallone)


NEW YORK - With support from the de Blasio administration, and veteran advocates, it appears a third round of reform is headed to the Veteran Advisory Board (VAB).

The VAB, established in 1987, is charged with advising the Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs (MOVA) on all matters concerning veterans. After years of VAB inactivity, advocates pushed for reform via City Council legislation and in 2002 and 2006 changes were made to better organize the board.

But as the new City Council and mayoral administration took office in 2014, advocates once again began to press the Council on making the board more professional and transparent. An oversight hearing in October, 2014 gave the Council's Veterans Committee a road map for reform.

Through discussions with the de Blasio administration, the VAB, and advocates, Council Members Eric Ulrich, chair of the Veterans Committee, and Mathieu Eugene drafted legislation that will up the total of VAB members from nine to 11, ensure VAB members get City email addresses, and increase the required number of annual meetings from four to five.

To promote transparency, which advocates have long voiced concern about, the legislation will ensure public notice of VAB meetings are on the MOVA website and the meetings are recorded and put online.

"We really engaged the stakeholders throughout the process and we didn't have the hearing until after we had the chance to get the very valuable input from the members of the VAB and the advocates all along," Ulrich said during the council hearing for the bills on Tuesday.

MOVA Commissioner Loree Sutton delivered detailed testimony on the bills and lent her support for the VAB reform bills, as well as a bill sponsored by Council Member Paul Vallone requiring data reporting on veterans receiving city agency services.

"The provisions of each of these bills will actually contribute greatly to the future of the Veterans Advisory Board," Sutton said Tuesday. "As we bring in not only a larger and more inclusive membership that reflect current needs, as testified last fall, I think we will also be able to benefit greatly to this increased public access."

The bills had little pushback but there were a few issues that committee members will review before the bills could be ready for a vote.

There are currently no requirements for the VAB to make policy recommendations in their annual report. That report, which is posted online, contains meeting minutes and this past year began to list attendance. Council Member Ulrich asked for input on requiring some type of policy recommendation, be it administrative, legislative, or other.

Commissioner Sutton said she would welcome recommendations, but did not weigh in on requiring them. Current VAB Chair Vince McGowen said "it couldn't hurt," but added, "be careful what you wish for."

Jason Hansman, director of external program relations for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) believes it is something the VAB should be doing. "If the role of the VAB is to advise the city, then absolutely, they should be on the hook for some recommendations," Hansman said Tuesday.

He also suggested students be considered for VAB appointments. Of the nine VAB positions, five are currently expired, although some members have continued to serve. Over a year into their own terms, neither Mayor de Blasio or Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito have filled the VAB positions.

"Having these seats effectively sit empty gives the appearance that this board is not important to the City of New York," Hansman said.

For the data reporting bill, several advocates suggested defining the term "veteran" better. The VA has a particular definition they use to dispense benefits. But that often excludes veterans that served but were less than honorably discharged. It is referred to as "having bad paper."

"We are not here to pre-screen for the VA, so let's track all veterans," Coco Culhane, director of the Veteran Advocacy Project at the Urban Justice Center said Tuesday. She added that city services is often where veterans with bad paper go when they are turned away from the federal VA.

With the bills being warmly received and only minor tweaks to be made, the legislation is expected to be voted on during the next Veterans Committee hearing on February 25. If voted out of the committee, as expected, the full Council would vote on it at the first March Stated Meeting, which has not currently been scheduled. 

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK

Defying National Trends, Women Lead City's Tech Team


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Members of the city's tech team at a recent panel event (photo via City Hall)


NEW YORK - The challenges facing women in the technology industry continue to run rampant despite years of lawsuits, academic studies, and media scrutiny. The stories coming out of Silicon Valley, most recently highlighted in February's issue of Newsweek magazine, are disturbing.

In the article, women describe Mad Men-style office culture, complete with male colleagues' inappropriate text messaging, use of sexual nicknames, and trapping women in their offices. Investors refused to put money into a female-owned company because they "don't like the way women think."

The article was meant to shine light on these important issues. But the magazine cover, which featured a graphic of a computer mouse cursor lifting up the short skirt of a woman, only further showed the uphill battle women face in being taken seriously and welcomed in the tech industry.

Some point to not only a lack of women being hired, but a lack of female executive leadership as reasons the "good old boys" culture continues to survive in the tech industry. Tech giants like Google (21%), Facebook (23%), Apple (28%), and Twitter (21%), all have embarrassingly low percentages of women in senior or leadership positions.

As New York continues to nip the heels of Silicon Valley as the second largest tech hub in the U.S., the City is trying to avoid making the same mistakes as its competition.

In doing so, City Hall is addressing the problem from the top.

Though it frustrated the New York City tech community, Mayor Bill de Blasio took nearly a year to fill out his tech team. But, by the time the latest appointment was made in September, de Blasio had a tech leadership team that was not only highly-qualified to meet his ambitious goals, but five of the six are women. As the sometimes hyperbolic mayor likes to say, it was, by definition, literally historic.

By the end of September, de Blasio's tech leadership team included: Counsel to the Mayor Maya Wiley; Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication (DoITT) Commissioner Anne Roest; Chief Technology Officer Minerva Tantoco; Founding Director of the Tech Talent Pipeline Kristen Titus; Digital Director for the City of New York Jessica Singleton; and Chief Analytics Officer Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki. It is a team that is not only almost all female, but also diverse, including three people of color.

According to Wiley, who was tapped to lead the push for more equitable broadband across the city, the mayor wasn't looking to make a statement by hiring nearly all women.

"One thing I appreciate about this administration is, the mayor didn't say to me, 'I want a woman responsible for broadband, so will you do it?'" Wiley said by phone last week. "He recognized the experience, interest, and dynamism that was available from the top candidates he could select for positions, which meant we got a very female leadership on tech."

De Blasio, who made it no secret during appointment press conferences he wanted his entire team to represent the diversity of New York City, concurred.

"Our senior tech team is comprised of mostly women because they're the best and brightest for the mission before them," de Blasio said in an emailed statement. "They got where they are because of their skills, drive, experience, and commitment to serve New Yorkers across the five boroughs."

Tantoco, who is the City's first CTO, has been in the technology industry since the early 1980s, working mostly in the private sector. She has thrived in the male-dominated industry, including co-founding a tech start-up and holding four U.S. patents. But it never slipped her mind she was often the only woman in the room. The new dynamic she faces at City Hall has been a refreshing change.

"Not being the only woman in the room for the first time in 30 years is mind blowing," Tantoco said at recent event at Google event, The New Face of Tech and Innovation. "It reminds me of the power of being around other people that look like you."

In her new role, Tantoco leads the Mayor's Office of Technology and Innovation. It's a new position and one that will be critical as the City tries to modernize, innovate, and form new partnerships with the civic technology community. She will play a very visible role in encouraging public participation in government.

 

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De Blasio's Tech Team (L-R): Titus, Singleton, Tantoco, (event moderator Leslie Bradshaw), Roest

Style Changes
The hiring process for women in tech can often be one of the biggest barriers to entry. At the Google event both Roest and Tantoco spoke about changes they will be making as they fill out their own teams.

Roest will use her years of relevant experience to ensure the City's IT infrastructure continues to tick, a tall order considering the modernization that is needed in some agencies. She will also oversee the some of the city's franchise agreements, which include the newly approved LinkNYC system set to turn the city's outdated payphones in Wi-Fi-equipped multi-use hubs.

"We need to be really affirmative about hiring women," Roest said. "It can't be a casual byproduct of the hiring process."

Tantoco pointed out the importance of having a woman in the interview process, something that shouldn't be an issue for the City with five women in tech leadership roles.

"Imagine having a series of interviews with only men. People don't think about it." Tantoco said at the Google event. "You have to think through what is the culture and how you are presenting yourself to the candidate in that critical moment."

Job descriptions have also proved troublesome for women in tech. Job postings often contain what is known in the industry as "brogrammer" language. At a job fair at Stanford University in 2012 Klout, a social media analytics company, posted a sign that read, "Want to bro down and crush code? Klout is hiring."

That type of language wouldn't necessarily exclude a women from applying, but it is not the type of culture that is inviting to women either. Studies have shown women are less likely to apply for a job unless they feel they are 100 percent qualified for the position.

To help lead hiring changes, the City is currently interviewing candidates for a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer that will oversee hiring practices for DoITT, as well as its sister agencies, NYC311, the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, the Mayor's Office of Data Analytics (MODA), and the Mayor's Office of Technology and Innovation.

In addition to ensuring job descriptions remain gender and race neutral, and getting women engaged in the interview process, Roest hopes to see a focus on keeping mid-career women from falling out of the tech sector. A 2009 report from the National Center for Women and Information Technology showed that 56 percent of women in the tech sector quit mid-career.

Roest almost fell into that statistic in the mid 1980s while working in the private sector. As a single mother she found herself struggling in a less family-friendly environment. She moved to the public sector and began working at the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Her career flourished and she now mentors women in situations similar to what she faced, including those who work for her.

"Thinking about the approach to empowering an all-female tech team to lead this work and to collaborate is really walking the walk and addressing the problem head-on," Singleton said by phone last week.

Singleton used her savvy social media skills to develop a winning online strategy that helped propel then-Public Advocate de Blasio to a mayoral victory. She now runs a team of seven out of City Hall and is responsible for the creating the City's digital footprint, directing roughly 80 social media coordinators. As citizens are now getting more information online, particularly through social media, her role in creating and pushing content will only become increasingly vital.

"What this administration has done is give a platform, a voice, and space to what it means to be a women in tech," Titus said by phone last week.

"We are creating our own covers in that way," she added, referring to Newsweek.

Beyond City Hall
The City is also pushing the tech culture change beyond the walls of City Hall. Titus, who was hired to head up the Tech Talent Pipeline, is no stranger to empowering women in tech. She was the former executive director at Girls Who Code, a national organization working to close the gender gap in the tech sector.

In her new role, she will lead the City's push to fill what are often high-paying tech jobs with local talent. The mayor set a goal to have the majority of skilled tech jobs filled by New York City students within eight years. Diversity will be a key tenant of the program.

The third NYC Web Development Fellowship recently launched, which gives tech training to 18-26 year olds without a college degree. This program features 32 students, up from 28 in each of the previous two programs. In the first class, 50 percent of the students were people of color, and 57 percent were women. The five-month course take place at the Flatiron School and following the classes, students begin a 12-week paid internship at companies like BuzzFeed, Microsoft, and the New York Times.

"We have to break down some of those barriers and we have to reach the hardest-to-reach population with a message of, 'this is a real and viable career path,'" Titus said at the Google event. "That is what we are building out."

Moving the Needle
The tech leadership team has been in place for less than six months, so it is far too early to say what, if any, effects its members' presence is having on tech industry hiring practices here in the city. Stats on diversity in New York tech are hard to come by anyway.

A 2013 HR&A Advisors report titled, 'The New York City Tech Ecosystem," showed women holding 40 percent of jobs in tech industries, but only 20 percent of jobs in tech occupations (meaning women are often not necessarily doing the tech work within the industry - the report does not include an explanation for the difference).

Diversity stats for the larger tech team at City Hall are also hard to come by. Gotham Gazette asked the mayor's press office for the gender and racial makeup of the tech agencies, including DoITT, MODA, and the Tech Talent Pipeline. A spokesperson said there are six women working on the Tech Talent Pipeline (including one person of color), but, despite multiple email requests, the spokesperson did not provide diversity stats for DoITT or MODA.

"I think having women working in such visible technology roles means that young girls aspiring to work in technology have even more women to look up to as role models," Jessica Lawrence, executive director of New York Tech Meetup, said by phone last week. "It means people who are tech conference organizers who claim they can't find any female speakers will start to realize they are wrong and that there are actually women out there in leadership roles, in technology."

There is already some anecdotal evidence of the effect this change is having on young girls. Wiley said last summer her then-10-year-old daughter, Kai, attended the iD Tech Camp at NYU. Wiley said her daughter was the only female in the coding class and it made Kai uncomfortable.

"The fact she could come home and I could point to all these women who I work with and she could actually see...it was really important for her," Wiley told Gotham Gazette. "The fact you have women leading in all kinds of ways to connect all kinds of people to tech and the opportunities it creates makes a huge difference."

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Maya Wiley (photo: Rob Bennett)

Since it has not yet been six months since de Blasio's tech team was formed, it is also difficult to see what implications the city's female tech leadership will have outside of New York. The mayor was careful in his response to the question, not naming Silicon Valley, but making his intentions known.

"The strength of our tech team signals to the rest of the nation—and the rest of the world—that New York City has anchored its place as a global tech leader," the mayor said by email. "With these talented and accomplished leaders on board, we're decisively forging our way to become the most progressive, tech-friendly, and innovation-driven city in the world."

As the problems for women in tech continue to persist almost unabated in Silicon Valley, the de Blasio administration hopes its approach will give New York City the competitive advantage needed to give the Valley a run for its money, especially in terms of drawing more talented women to the city.

"We are putting out the welcome mat," Tantoco said by phone last week. "I hope all the women techies on the West Coast decide to move to New York because you are welcome here, ladies. Come on over."

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK

Note: this article has been updated to more accurately capture the staff that Jessica Singleton oversees.

Mayor's Preliminary Budget Shows Small Bump to MOVA Funding


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Mayor de Blasio during his preliminary budget presentation (photo: @BilldeBlasio)


NEW YORK - With a gravely throat and working through two cups of tea (herbal lemon, he said when asked), Mayor Bill de Blasio released his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2016 on Tuesday.

The $77.7 billion balanced budget includes targeted expenditures on issues near and dear to the mayor, including public safety, education, economic development, and the city's vulnerable populations like children, the homeless, and immigrants.

But one area the mayor has expressed particular care about but additional funding was missing from the preliminary budget is support for military veterans through the Mayor's Office of Veteran Affairs (MOVA). The mayor has spoken many times about his father's service in World War II, and his post-war struggles. While the issue is personal for the mayor, de Blasio has yet to add substantial funding for the tiny agency.

For the current fiscal year (FY2015) MOVA has a budget of $549,112, which pays for five staff members (including the commissioner) and $25,000 in non-personnel costs. The preliminary budget shows an increase of just under $30,000, which includes a $3,000 increase for supplies.

"We will be making some bigger decisions about how we approach the work we do around veterans and how we support veterans," de Blasio said on Tuesday at City Hall. He said the City is looking to April's Executive Budget where additional funding could be made.

"Clearly, as I said in the State of the City, we are going to end chronic homelessness among veterans and that is already baked into the efforts we have delineated into the preliminary budget," de Blasio added, referring, it seems, to money going to the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). "But that is just the beginning of the discussion. We are going to see if there are other things we need to do."

At his State of the City last week, the mayor announced the City's commitment to ending veteran homelessness by the end of the calendar year. This program is based on a federal mandate to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Federal funding and resources have been pouring in since the program began in 2010 and greater coordination among federal, state and local agencies has also been helpful.

In 2010 there were 3,739 homeless veterans in New York City and in 2014 that total had dropped to 1,316, according to statistics provided by DHS.

De Blasio said funding for ending veteran homelessness was baked into the preliminary budget, but it is unclear how much and where. Preliminary budget documents for DHS do not show a line item for anything specifically related to addressing veteran homelessness, although there was more funding for programs to reduce homelessness in general.

In a briefing following de Blasio's press conference, officials said there was likely some city funding for the initiative, but could not provide exact numbers.

The mayor may be waiting until April as he continues to work with MOVA Commissioner Loree Sutton on a plan for enhancing services for veterans in the City. Upon her hire, Sutton was given 90 days to review her department and the veterans community here in New York City. The report Sutton produced has been submitted to the mayor, but as of January 27 he had not yet read it or met with Sutton about it.

De Blasio is much more likely to provide additional funding to a smaller office with a solid plan and vision to move forward. That plan will likely be hashed out before the Executive Budget is released in April.

The veterans community will be anxiously awaiting the April budget to see if MOVA gets more funding. If no additional funding is provided, the heat could be turned up even more on the bill to turn MOVA into its own department - legislation which has been introduced to the City Council and has seen increasing support.

The bill, which has 27 sponsors, could allow for additional and steady funding, budget hearings, and an easier process to provide veterans groups with discretionary funding.

The mayor said recently he was not convinced turning an office into a department is the best way to get things done, but deferred to his commissioner. On the other hand, many veterans advocates believe this is the best way to get MOVA properly funded. In the middle of the equation is the City Council, which will hold budget oversight hearings and issue its preliminary budget response, expected in April.

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by Kristen Meriwether, Gotham Gazette
@MeriwetherK

De Blasio's Second Budget: What we know so far


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Mayor de Blasio delivering his State of the City address (photo: @BilldeBlasio)


Mayor Bill de Blasio is set to unveil his Fiscal Year 2016 Preliminary Budget this afternoon at 2 p.m. Through announcements by the mayor and stories in news publications, the administration has shared a few choice elements of new spending that will be included: added millions for new bulletproof vests for NYPD officers; more FDNY/EMS ambulance availability; outreach to homeless New Yorkers; and training for child welfare workers among them.

The city's current budget, for fiscal year 2015, runs through June 30. A deal between de Blasio and the City Council must come by that date so that the FY2016 budget can take effect July 1.

The current, FY2015 budget is about $77 billion, which includes several modifications made in November of 2014 that were approved by the Council in January. Those modifications - typical in the annual budget process - reflected shifted and additional spending after revenues coming in to city coffers were higher than originally budgeted. Beyond what was planned, additional spending over the next several months is going toward homeless shelters, environmental programs, and covering the costs of tax preparation for low-income New Yorkers.

As de Blasio readies to lay out his planned budget for the coming fiscal year, he begins anew the budget process that will include months of city council hearings at which council members will probe agency heads to scrutinize their spending. After one round of budget hearings in March, the Council will issue a formal budget response with changes it would like to see to the city budget before the mayor presents his Executive Budget in May. When the mayor produces that next iteration of the budget, the Council will hold further hearings and attempt to negotiate with the mayor until a deal is struck. Last year, the first with de Blasio as mayor and Melissa Mark-Viverito as Speaker of the City Council, the two agreed on a budget early, announcing a deal on June 19.

On Friday, de Blasio, Mark-Viverito, and others announced that the City would be investing more than $7 million for new bulletproof vests for the NYPD in the current fiscal year (2015), and that new investments would be made going forward as well. In making this announcement, de Blasio said that his preliminary budget would be outlined today. Prior to those statements, de Blasio had already given some prelude to his budget plans during his State of the City address, which he delivered on Tuesday of last week. In the speech, de Blasio focused heavily on his housing plan, and said that the City would be dedicating funds to provide legal services to tenants who face landlord harassment in the neighborhoods central to the rezoning and building efforts the City is undertaking. This number is reported to be about $36 million.

De Blasio also promised to end homelessness among the city's military veterans, money for which may be included in the budget for the Department of Homeless Services, that of the Mayor's Office of Veterans' Affairs, or both.

Through news outlets, the de Blasio administration has also outlined a few new spending highlights: the AP is reporting that de Blasio will be increasing funding to lower ambulance response times. He will be including "nearly $40 million through fiscal year 2019 for the new ambulance tours and nearly $30 million during that same period for the new dispatchers," AP writes.

According to the New York Times, the mayor is announcing today that he is devoting more than $26 million toward professional development for child welfare workers employed by or contracting with the Administration for Children's Services, or ACS.

The Times is also reporting that de Blasio is adding about $10 million toward outreach and services to homeless New Yorkers who are not part of the shelter system - pushing this part of the budget from about $35 million to about $45 million.

And, Capital New York writes today that there will be more than $5 million in de Blasio's budget related to new literacy and language services for city students. This includes "$2.4 million to create a separate intervention team within the Department of Education's special education office to support literacy in students with dyslexia," Capital writes, adding that there is also dedicated money toward advertising to ensure parents learn of available services.

This spending on public awareness and marketing will be a key feature of other de Blasio programs as well - there are major expenditures this fiscal year for ad campaigns around paid sick leave and pre-kindergarten. The City also launched a marketing blitz around the new municipal identification card program. These expenses are usually baked into the spending on the larger initiative itself. For example, the IDNYC program's $8.4 million program includes $1.8 million for advertising.

De Blasio is sure to highlight additional items at his 2 p.m. City Hall press conference, the budget is, as is oft-noted, the most clear outline of priorities. Look for more clear accounting of money the de Blasio administration plans to spend on the new housing plans, the coming five-borough ferry system the mayor announced during his State of the City, and what is being allocated toward pre-K as it expands toward the goal of 73,000-plus students, among other things. As always, Department of Education spending will be the largest piece in the city budget, coming in at about a third of the total (around $20-25 billion). The mayor is also sure to continue funding his Vision Zero traffic safety initiative and announced this morning that in 2015, 240 city trucks are being fitted with sideguards that can help protect pedestrians and cyclists in the event of a collision - the guards cost about $3,000 per truck to purchase and install, a statement from the mayor's office says.

Of note and in flux is what the City will be counting on from Albany. State budget negotiations have gotten off to a very slow start due to the replacement of the Assembly Speaker. Education aid is perhaps the most important element of this picture, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has said he is tying a significant bump in aid for municipalities to a series of education reforms - policies that are not to the liking of de Blasio and many others. The State is due to finalize a budget by April 1, but Cuomo has also promised to hold out on a budget deal if his new ethics reform package is not included. The City could be in limbo as the two budget processes play out simultaneously, though in all likelihood the State will finalize a budget well in advance of the City's June 30 deadline.

De Blasio and other city officials - including Comptroller Scott Stringer, who will give a response to de Blasio's budget in the coming weeks - will go to Albany on Feb. 25 to testify at a joint budget hearing of the state Legislature.

***
by Ben Max, editor, Gotham Gazette
@tweetBenMax

Note: this article has been updated to clarify that spending announced by the mayor for NYPD vests was in part being allocated to the current fiscal year.

Brewer's State of the Borough: A Community Affair


brewer sotb

Manhattan BP Gale Brewer's State of the Borough event (photo: LaUnicaZeMendez)


MANHATTAN - Gale Brewer spent little time behind a lectern at her first official "state of the borough" event on Sunday. Instead, the afternoon kicked off with a Broadway musical number and ended with a wide-ranging conversation about the complex problems facing Manhattanites.

"Our event is a different 'state of,' because we're listening to what New Yorkers have to say," Borough President Brewer said to a crowd of about 675 at Columbia University's Lerner Hall on Sunday.

To be more inclusive, Brewer shared the stage with four "thought leaders" for a discussion on Manhattan issues. The event was livestreamed on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, questions were taken from Twitter, and elected officials shared their visions for the borough's future in six-second Vine videos.

Public Advocate Letitia James used her video to congratulate the borough president on a busy first year.

"Manhattan is looking up, because of the 'gale-force' winds known as Gale Brewer," she said.

Well-known for her accessibility, Brewer often gives out her personal cell phone number, email, and home address to constituents. On Sunday, she made sure everyone knew how active she and her staff have been.

"Over the last year, we've waded deep into the prose," she said, in reference to the famous quote from the late former Governor Mario Cuomo.

In 2014, the borough president's office helped more than 1,000 people through various constituent services, made a large number of appointments to different local boards, and co-sponsored 31 pieces of legislation in the City Council, the audience was told. Three of those bills were passed and a resolution to allow 16- and 17-year-olds on community boards became state law. As of Jan. 30, more than 30 newly eligible teens have applied to become community board members, Brewer is proud to tout.

Overall, the event focused more on big picture ideas than concrete plans for the year ahead. Manhattan is known worldwide as a business and cultural center, but Brewer emphasized that it's also home to 1.6 million people. In recent years, many small businesses and longtime residents have been priced out. In keeping with Mayor de Blasio's State of the City agenda, much of the conversation centered around income inequality and affordable housing.

"If we don't have affordable housing in this city we won't have a city anymore," said Senator Charles Schumer.

On the education front, Carl McCall, current chair of the SUNY Board of Trustees and former state comptroller, said many students from New York's high schools aren't prepared for college. He said SUNY currently spends more than $80 million a year on remediation and stressed the importance of STEM education, as well as a new teacher evaluation system.

"We've got to evaluate people and we've got to compensate people based on their ability to do the job," he said, touching on an issue far from the purview of the borough president, but of concern to many Manhattanites.

Unlike the mayor in his State of the City speech, Brewer brought up police-community relations at her event. Former Borough President Ruth Messinger suggested incentivizing good police behavior similar to the way bus drivers were rewarded for their kindness toward passengers with wheelchairs starting in the '80s.

"We need a police department that recognizes skilled community relations as a basis for reward and promotions," Messinger said.

[Related: our look at Queens BP Melinda Katz's State of the Borough speech]

Brewer also covered issues ranging from funding broadband technology to making sure the Department of Education buys more food locally (all public school applesauce currently comes from China) to ensuring New York remains liveable for seniors, and much more.

Many of these issues extend far beyond Manhattan and the limited budget and powers of a borough president. The position does offer a platform, though, and Brewer's long tenure in city government has earned her a powerful group of allies, many of whom were in the audience.

In addition to Senator Schumer and Public Advocate James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, the majority of Manhattan's City Council delegation, multiple Assembly members, Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, and Executive Director Pat Foye from the Port Authority were also in attendance.

[Related: our look at Staten Island BP James Oddo's priorities as borough president]

Brewer's colleagues, including one esteemed guest, had high praise for her work so far.

"She's one of the hardest working public officials I've ever seen, and effective," former Mayor David Dinkins told Gotham Gazette.

Though unlike when Dinkins was Manhattan's borough president in the '80s, the job now has less clout.

"It is a fact that the borough president today has to work awfully hard using the bully pulpit and competent staff to come up with ideas they hope they can sell to people who have the power," he said.

Based on her track record in city government, if anyone can make the most of the job it's Gale Brewer. She promised more details for 2015 as the city budget begins to take shape in the coming months.

[This article is part of our ongoing 'State Of's series in which we're reporting on early 2015 assessments and initiatives by a variety of elected officials, from the President to the Governor, Mayor, and Borough Presidents]

***
by Cole Rosengren, Gotham Gazette
@ColeRosengrenNY

Leonard Litwin's Political Donations: The Full Picture


Leonard-Litwin

Leonard Litwin (photo via Jewish Business News)


Leonard Litwin is a major New York political donor who amplifies his political speech by making large donations through his network of LLCs. Via the LLC loophole, each company may contribute as if it is a distinct individual (with separate campaign finance limits).

Using a new database which automatically loads up all of the New York State Board of Elections campaign finance filing data, we have conducted a unique analysis of Litwin's political finance network in order to paint a picture of his sprawling influence - presented in graphic form below.

One problem with the public data is that when filers describe the counter-parties to their campaign finance transactions (such as donors and vendors), there is no objective standard for names and addresses. Any one name or address may be described limitless ways, accounting for truncation, abbreviation, punctuation, nicknames, typos and other errors. With that in mind, this research gathered up 302 different references to Litwin and his businesses. Litwin's home address and office address are collectively described 104 ways in the data.

With these selections in hand, our research to identify the Litwin network activity (going back to January, 2000) resulted in a product of 1,834 specific contributions totaling $13.2 million dollars. We tallied the dollar sums on the relationships between Litwin and each of his beneficiaries. The chart below sorts recipients of Litwin's cash from largest to smallest, by sum. First, the top five beneficiaries:

Top 5 Recipients from Leonard Litwin LLC Network, 2000-2014

1. NYS SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $1,131,000
2. ANDREW CUOMO 2014, INC. $1,089,200
3. NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION PAF $768,550
4. JOBS FOR NEW YORK, INC. $587,600
5. NYS SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE - HOUSEKEEPING $550,000

The full picture:

litwin sankey small 
(click the image or here to see full size)

***
by Jon Reznick for Gotham Gazette
Data analysis performed using FTMSQL2 by Competitive Advantage Research, LLC

Deal Between NYCHA and Private Developers Provokes Questions


torres nycha

CM Ritchie Torres outside of a NYCHA building (photo: @RitchieTorres)


A recently announced venture between the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), L+M Development Partners, and BFC Partners is expected to rehabilitate six especially dilapidated Section 8 housing developments.

The deal was announced in December and calls for the six developments, containing 900 units in three boroughs, to receive increased federal funding under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Mark-Up-To-Market program (MUTM) that prompts contract renewals between HUD and Section 8 development owners. Though HUD's Section 8 program generally subsidizes privately-owned developments, these six - three of which NYCHA inherited after a private owner defaulted - are owned by the City. As a result, in order for any contract renewals to take place under MUTM there must be, according to federal law, a for-profit owner involved. Thus, NYCHA sought corporate partners in its efforts to increase revenues and rehab the buildings.

Questions, however, quickly emerged regarding the lack of transparency in the deal's initial proposal, the deal's possible long-term effects, and whether the deal is a key step in the "privatization" of NYCHA.

On Tuesday, the City Council's Public Housing Committee, chaired by Council Member Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx, will take up these questions and relevant issues. The Council website lists the hearing as "Oversight - A Fair Deal for NYCHA? A Look at NYCHA's Decision to Sell a Stake in Project-Based Section 8 Housing to Private Developers."

Tenants living in any of the city's roughly 91,000 Section 8 units pay an affordable rate, generally under a 30-percent-of-income cap, while federal funding covers the difference to reach market rates by providing tax exempt bonds or 4 percent tax credits to private owners. NYCHA's Conventional Public Housing, on the other hand, which includes over 178,000 units, is itemized in a separate line in the HUD budget and does not require private ownership.

Federal funding for Section 8 developments must go to private developers as dictated by the Low-Income Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program, enacted by the federal government in 1986. Moreover, funding under LIHTC, which was established to incentivize private investment in affordable housing, cannot be allocated without a private developer. Following LIHTC protocol, the responsibility to allocate tax credits to developers is then relegated to states' housing agencies. Politically, passing LIHTC afforded legislators under a Reagan-led government the ability to better fund public housing while simultaneously touting pro-business housing models.

A problem has arisen due to the fact that federal funding for Section 8 Housing has been significantly reduced over the past decades. According to a report released in July, 2014 by Victor Bach and Tom Waters of the Community Service Society (CSS), "by 2013, the cumulative operating [federal] subsidy loss since 2001 had mounted to nearly $1 billion."

As part of the recent deal between NYCHA and the two developers - which raised many eyebrows when it was announced - the two companies will pay NYCHA gradually for their 50 percent stake: $150 million at the outset of the deal, $100 million over the next two years, and $100 million more spread across a 15-year span. It totals $350 million in revenue and the developers plan to invest another $100 million in renovations, they say. NYCHA insists it is protected by an opt-out clause and other carefully constructed elements of the deal.

With a $77 million deficit and $18 billion in capital and building needs throughout NYCHA's 328-development portfolio, it's easy to understand the authority's motivation for cutting a deal with private developers to get an infusion of cash.

During an interview with Gotham Gazette, Bach of CSS explained that after the deal, which ensures continued Section 8 status under the MUTM program, federal subsidies that normally require an annual renewal, will be guaranteed a steady 30-year stream and protection from possible changes in HUD funding policy.

In short, NYCHA will receive revenue from L+M and BFC as well as more secure and increased federal funding. L+M and BFC, in exchange, receive tax exempt bonds and tax credits. This will be the case, anyway, for at least the next 30 years until - and this aspect of the deal is the cause of some suspicion - the developers, upon NYCHA's approval, may upgrade the units to full market-rate prices when federal aid expires.

On this topic, Moses Gates, the Director of Planning and Community Development at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD), told Gotham Gazette, "If I were to ask NYCHA about this, I would ask 'What is the guarantee that the public will retain ownership at the end?'"

The ostensible answer seems to be that there is no guarantee. However, Gates hoped that a clearer picture of what NYCHA's deal will look like 30 years from now might be addressed during Tuesday's city council hearing.

New York State Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez expressed similar concerns in a recent op-ed in this publication. Rodriguez questions whether this one deal could be the gateway to a new public-private policy that, Rodriguez worries, could lead to privatization of NYCHA units.

"On the surface raising money to fix the buildings makes sense," he wrote. "But there is more to any deal involving NYCHA. In fact, I struggle to see how this fits into the long-term affordable housing plan for New York City. Is this 'pilot' part of a larger plan to diminish the City's stake in housing?"

The possibility of a substantial disruption in affordable housing at the hands of private developers coupled with a Housing Authority so crippled by deficit that it has no choice but to acquiesce to privatization is unsettling to many. But, between Gates' assessment that "this deal is not a template," and Bach's warning "to keep in mind that these are only six of NYCHA's 328 developments," the fears of Assembly Member Rodriguez and others may be at least slightly alarmist.

Possibly exaggerated fears notwithstanding, a lack of transparency regarding the future of these Section 8 developments and the deal itself has been a point of contention. The source of Bach's greatest apprehension was the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal.

The deal, Bach said, seemed to have "crept in under the radar." NYCHA was originally considering the partnership in June 2013, during former-Mayor Michael Bloomberg's tenure. A deal was proposed, but the private developer involved at the time ultimately withdrew. As a result, the notion carried over into Mayor Bill de Blasio's term mostly unnoticed behind his ambitious housing plans, efforts to boost NYCHA, and clear assertions from new NYCHA leadership led by Chair Shola Olatoye that "we will not tear down public housing, or privatize it."

Looking at the new NYCHA deal with two private developers, Bach questions Olatoye's assurance. "NYCHA claimed it's not privatization. We said it certainly looks like it," he said. Assembly Member Rodriguez, of northern Manhattan, and some city council members clearly also see a red flag.

Upon request for an interview a NYCHA spokesperson declined, but later stated in an email that "NYCHA is not giving up ownership or privatizing. This is not a profit making endeavor; all dollars re-invested...NYCHA and the Authority will remain in control over the future of these buildings." [bold and underline theirs]

Furthermore, the deal comes at a time when NYCHA's credibility and competence is in question - granted, though, that a scathing audit from City Comptroller Scott Stringer does not reflect the current NYCHA leadership or Mayor de Blasio, in office just over a year.

An audit report published Dec. 16, 2014 by Stringer's office concluded that NYCHA missed out on $692 million in revenue and savings for failing to meet basic HUD guidelines. In an example of "incompetence," NYCHA spent $10 million on a Boston Consulting Group study, but when the group made suggestions that, if followed, projected $106 million in revenue and savings by 2014, the suggestions were left unacknowledged.

One of the audit report's more clear, and obvious, suggestions for improvement reads "Improve planning and follow-through on revenue and cost-saving initiatives."

Olatoye, however, dismissed the audit's findings as "exaggerated financial claims projected out over future decades with little connection to NYCHA today under new leadership." The audit did in fact range the years preceding Olatoye's leadership and Mayor de Blasio's new housing policies, which have included a sharp focus on NYCHA not shown by prior administrations.

Given the new leadership of de Blasio and Olatoye, Stringer's audit, and the City Council's oversight, there could very well soon be a more clear picture of the new NYCHA Section 8 deal. NYCHA officials certainly seem clear-eyed with regard to assuring those concerned that the units will not be turned over to private hands in 30 years. Tuesday's question-and-answer period will undoubtedly be illuminating.

***
by Jarad Sassone-McHugh, Gotham Gazette
@GothamGazette

Note: this article has been updated to reflect that the deal being discussed is indeed final.

The Week Ahead in New York Politics, February 9


New York City Hall

New York City Hall


What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week will be off to a fast start with Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiling his initial Fiscal Year 2016 preliminary budget plan. De Blasio will announce his budget Monday at 2 p.m. at City Hall, outlining the shifts in spending and what they say about his priorities. We already know that money has been added for new NYPD bulletproof vests. Look for more stories Sunday evening into Monday in various publications that de Blasio's team has placed in an effort to roll out top agenda items included in the budget.

De Blasio's first budget was mostly praised, though there were questions about how he initially accounted for elements of union contracts he had struck and he did have to make modifications based on feedback from Comptroller Scott Stringer - all part of the budget process, which has several phases. Once the FY2015 budget (the city's fiscal year begins July 1) was settled between de Blasio and the City Council, many lauded the work done to prioritize new progressive initiatives and maintain solid fiscal footing. De Blasio does have to watch his out-year deficits, experts say. The city budget is also reliant on what happens in Albany, of course, so adjustments will likely have to be made as Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature negotiate the state's FY2016 budget over the next two months (the state's fiscal year begins April 1). De Blasio met with new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Sunday to discuss rent regulations, which will be a major issue in Albany negotiations, during budget talks and/or afterward.

De Blasio and other city officials, including Stringer, head to Albany on Feb. 25 to address the Legislature about the city's budget needs. The Legislature has already begun holding budget hearings, including on education, at which New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña testified and explained the City's opposition to some of Gov. Cuomo's education reform proposals. Cuomo is attempting to tie a large amount of increased school aid to his education reform agenda, the governor continues to have events around his larger agenda throughout the state, including many held by his top emissaries, such as Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul.

De Blasio's executive budget rollout is just the first step in the city's FY2016 process. The City Council will spend weeks holding budget hearings and give its response before the budget outline is adjusted and another round of hearings is held, final tweaks are made, and, in all likelihood, a June deal is reached. We'll get some more indication of what the City Council is eyeing both in calendar 2015 and fiscal 2016 when Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito gives her first State of the City address on Wednesday of this week. On Sunday, Mark-Viverito and a council delegation head to Israel for a nine-day trip. Details below.

Other top storylines to watch this week, followed by the run of the week in day-by-day detail, as we usually do:

  • Many eyes are on Albany as new Assembly Speaker Heastie gets more acclimated in his role and budget negotiations move forward. We're awaiting word from Heastie on his take on several hot-button items, including education reform, the minimum wage, rent regulations, and more. Heastie's first work may be moving reform of the Assembly rules and then also working on larger ethics reform for Albany lawmakers in general. Meanwhile, he has promised to be a more inclusive speaker than his predecessor, which could make budget negotiations more complicated. If Heastie is more of a spokesperson for the will of his conference, especially his New York City delegation, which is a large portion of the chamber, it may matter a bit less what he believes in individually. As watchers know, though, anything can happen when the Albany horse-trading gets going and a budget deal is being worked out.
  • Democratic movement in NY11? Staten Island Democrats are due to meet with potential candidates to take on Staten Island DA Dan Donovan in the yet-to-be-called special election in New York's 11th Congressional District (to replace Michael Grimm, who resigned after a pleading guilty to one count of felony tax fraud) - according to the SI Advance, which reports the interviews will take place on Wednesday. It is looking like it will be another Brooklyn Democrat, perhaps Council Member Vincent Gentile, to attempt to take the seat (former Council Member from Brooklyn Domenic Recchia was unsuccessful against Grimm in November). A lawsuit was filed last week to push Gov. Cuomo to call the special election, which he has stalled on doing. The district, which encompases all of Staten Island, has been without a representative since Grimm resigned at the beginning of January.
  • It is Black History Month, look for many related events, including one being held Thursday by Public Advocate Letitia James, Council Speaker Mark-Viverito, the Council's Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, and other council members.

As always, there's a great deal happening at the City Council and all over the city, with many events to be aware of. Day-by-day details below...

***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
E-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***

The run of the week in detail:

Monday
As mentioned, Mayor de Blasio will unveil his FY2016 budget proposal on Monday, 2 p.m., City Hall.

Advocates and elected officials supporting the DREAM Act will rally in Albany around noon on Monday, with a 1 p.m. press conference scheduled. As part of the "Moral Mondays" series, this week's push is around the stalled legislation that would allow for state financial aid to go to college students brought to the United States illegally. Gov. Cuomo has recommitted to seeing the DREAM Act passed, it seems, including language in his budget proposal to tie it to an education tax credit bill that Republicans favor.

Monday's City Council schedule will include a meeting of the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency jointly with the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services for an oversight hearing "Examining the City's Enhanced Emergency Response Plans post Superstorm Sandy"; and a meeting of the Committee on Consumer Affairs to discuss oversight of "Education and Outreach on Financial Literacy for Young Adults," and to see the introduction of a new bill regarding "provision of young adults with outreach and education regarding consumer protection issues."

Because of inclement weather, HOPE 2015 was rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 9. The NYC Department of Homeless Services will conduct its annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) - a program aimed at collecting "vital information for outreach teams to help homeless people leave the streets for a better life." The annual event will draw hundreds of volunteers including a good number of elected officials as those involved walk the city. [Read our report on the intensified efforts made by advocates and the City to help the homeless during the harsh winter months]

"On Monday, February 9th, the newly formed Community Investment Advisory Board will hold the first of five public hearings, one in each borough, under the new Responsible Banking Act. The law represents one of the strongest steps any government has taken to respond to hold banks accountable to local communities. This law puts NYC at the forefront of a national movement of municipalities enacting laws to direct more City deposits and business to banks that are meeting the credit needs of communities where they do business" - according to a media advisory from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development and the New Economy Project.

Also Monday evening, there will be a town hall event regarding the Kent Avenue warehouse fire in Brooklyn. "At the town hall, city agencies will be in attendance to brief the community on the fire and its impacts and to answer any questions. The following agencies will be in attendance: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Fire Department, NYC Emergency Management, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Buildings, Sanitation Department, Small Business Services, Police Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Mayor's Community Affairs Unit. All North Brooklyn residents are strongly encouraged to attend...The Town Hall is being hosted by Council Member Stephen Levin, State Senator Daniel L. Squadron, Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney and State Senator Martin Malave Dilan."

Monday's Joint Legislative Budget Hearings are on taxes and on economic development.

On Monday, the Senate Standing Committee on Civil Service and Pensions will meet in Albany to consider various pieces of legislation related to pensions and civil service law.

The Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary will hold a hearing regarding Court of Appeals nominees Judge Leslie Stein and Judge Eugene Fahey.

On Monday evening, Comptroller Stringer will deliver remarks at the Turtle Bay Association 31st Annual Love Thy Neighborhood Valentine Party.

On Monday evening, the "New York City Council Urban Investigation Final Presentation" will be given by students involved with programming from The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP). 'How does the City Council actually work?' is the question at the heart of this work. "In this latest Urban Investigation, CUP and teaching artist Dillon de Give tackled these questions with a group of public high school students from International Community High School in Mott Haven. To find out how the City Council works, the students interviewed City Council staff and members—including Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito—as well as staff from city agencies. They created a short video to share what they learned. Join us for the debut of their project at Anthology Film Archives, where students will present the video and discuss their creative process."

On Monday and Tuesday is the 10th Annual H.F. Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America. Among many aspects, Joe Ponte, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction will participate on the 9th and Ken Thompson, Kings County (Brooklyn) District Attorney will give the keynote address on the morning of the 10th.

[READ THE LATEST ORIGINAL REPORTING FROM GOTHAM GAZETTE]

Tuesday
On Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio will meet with Members of Congress Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez; he will deliver remarks at the 10th Annual John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America; he will meet with Mayor of London Boris Johnson in City Hall; and he will deliver remarks at the opening of "The Italian Americans" at NYU.

Tuesday's City Council schedule will include a meeting of the Committee on Public Housing for an oversight hearing on: "A Fair Deal for NYCHA? A Look at NYCHA's Decision to Sell a Stake in Project-Based Section 8 Housing to Private Developers"; a meeting of the Committee on Transportation for oversight "examining the expansion of bus rapid transit in New York City," and the introduction of new bills relating to a "bus rapid transit plan" and "car sharing in the city fleet"; a meeting of the Committee on Parks and Recreation on "Annual report on non-governmental funding for NYC parks"; and a meeting of the Committee on Veterans on bills "Requiring the reporting of veterans receiving agency services"; "Membership of the veterans advisory board"; and "Meetings of the veterans advisory board." [As part of our extensive coverage of veterans issues in New York City, we recently wrote about issues around the Veterans Advisory Board related to its membership and its transparency]

On Tuesday morning, there will be a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture to consider a variety of relevant legislation. There will also be a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Local Government: "The New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) and Municipal Officials to address the Committee...[on] An act to amend the real property tax law, in relation to school tax relief (STAR) exemptions" and a variety of other items.

There will be a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Education regarding a variety of relevant bills. There will be a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Transportation on various legislation including "An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to prohibiting a child under the age of eight from being left unattended in a motor vehicle"; "An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the penal law, in relation to distribution of certain mandatory surcharges imposed for alcohol-related traffic convictions" and several others.

Tuesday morning will see a Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Higher Education.

Tuesday morning will see a special event at The New School: "In Need of Shelter: Protecting the city's children from the traumas of homelessness." Details: "The de Blasio administration has made reducing family homelessness a key priority. Nevertheless, homeless families spend on average over 400 days in city shelters, and the number of families is near a record high. Young children are overrepresented; the number of kids under the age of 6 in shelters has grown nearly 60 percent since 2006. How can we keep children in city-subsidized shelters safe? How can we use the time they spend in shelter to foster rather than derail their development? How can we support parents who are leaving shelters that may be the only homes their children have known? A conversation with experts in the field, and the release of the latest edition of Child Welfare Watch"

On Tuesday afternoon, the College of Staten Island will host a conversation on policing in New York City and the United States, with sociologist Alex Vitale and Eric Garner's daughter Erica Garner: "To Serve and Protect? Broken Windows Policing and Eric Garner." More: "The police killing of Staten Island resident Eric Garner, and other cases, has galvanized a mass movement demanding fundamental changes to policing in New York City and the United States. Come to a lecture and public discussion with sociologist Alex Vitale and activist Erica Garner for a critical dialogue on policing, its deeper roots, and the mass movement that has emerged."

"Stop the trafficking" will be Tuesday evening at Brooklyn Borough Hall: "Human trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide exceeded only by drug trafficking. Our esteemed panel includes: New York City Councilmember Laurie Cumbo, Chair of the Committee on Women's Issues, LifeWay Network, GEMS and Safe Horizon for a discussion on human trafficking, how it affects our community, and the current efforts in place to combat this global crisis." [Read a recent Gotham Gazette op-ed by Manhattan DA Cy Vance on the need for New York to strengthen its sex-trafficking laws]

On Tuesday evening, Comptroller Scott Stringer hosts "Trailblazers, a program and awards ceremony in honor of African-American History Month," 6 p.m., New York Public Library Schomburg Center.

The Safe Passage Project and the Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families of the Impact Center for Public Interest Law at New York Law School Present: Unaccompanied Immigrant Children and the "Priority Docket": New York's Experience on Tuesday evening at New York Law School.

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Wednesday
On Wednesday at noon, "New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will deliver her inaugural State of the City address, "Lifting Every Voice," at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem."

[Read our interview with Mark-Viverito about her first year as speaker and the leadership style she has brought to the role; and read our broader look at the "new" City Council's first year (2014), with a focus on what changed and what did not under new leadership and an almost half-new council]

Earlier, on Wednesday morning, the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and City Comptroller Scott Stringer are hosting a "Tax Workshop for Clergy."

On Wednesday evening, Stringer is holding a meet-and-greet with residents of Starrett City, in East New York, Brooklyn.

Earlier, on Wednesday morning, PCAC and ULI New York present: "Keeping NY on Track: the Importance of the MTA Transit Network in a Changing World," a discussion on the MTA Capital Program. Moderator: Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President, Fund Manager, Metro Emerging Markets & Public Affairs Director, RXR Realty and Speakers: Joan Byron, Director of Policy, Pratt Center for Community Development; Donna Keren, SVP, Research & Analysis, NYC & Company; Janno Lieber, President, WTC Properties, Silverstein Properties; Mark J. Marcucci, Managing Director, Global Head of Citi Realty Services, Citi.

Thursday
Thursday's City Council schedule will include a meeting of the Committee on Finance on "Approving the new designation and changes in the designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the Expense Budget"; a meeting of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections to discuss a variety of items: "Communication from the Mayor - Submitting the name of Wellington Chen to the Council for its advice and consent regarding his appointment as a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, pursuant to Sections 31 and 3020 of the New York City Charter. Communication from the Mayor - Submitting the name of Kim Vauss to the Council for its advice and consent regarding her appointment as a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, pursuant to Sections 31 and 3020 of the New York City Charter. Communication from the Mayor - Submitting the name of Hank Willis Thomas to the Council for its advice and consent regarding his appointment as the painter member of the New York City Art Commission, known as Public Design Commission, pursuant to Sections 31 and 851 of the New York City Charter"; and the first of two February City Council Stated Meetings.

Public Advocate Letitia James will host a discussion on the NYC Campus Safety Act. 5 p.m. at The New School: "James has been working closely with college students across the city to craft legislation that targets on-campus sexual violence. The result is the NYC Campus Safety Act...[which] seeks to provide City resources to assist colleges across the city to strengthen education, prevention, and response to on-campus sexual and domestic violence as well as boost the reporting mechanisms for survivors." RSVP.

Thursday evening will see the aforementioned Celebration of Black History Month at the City Council, hosted by Public Advocate Letitia James, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the Council's BLAC and other council members: 6 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall. To RSVP, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On Thursday evening, The Bronx Republican Party is hosting its Lincoln Day Dinner, at which it will be honoring John Catsimatidis with the Bronx Republican Party 2015 "Leadership Award"; the Chairman's Special Tribute: The Bronx Republican Party 2015 humanitarian awardee will be announced; and closings by Honorable Ed Cox, Esq., Chair of State GOP, and Bronx GOP Chairman John Greaney.

Friday and the weekend
Friday's City Council schedule is a meeting of the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management for a hearing regarding a bill aimed at "Reducing permitted capacity at putrescible and non-putrescible solid waste transfer stations in overburdened districts."

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is hosting the "Eighth Annual Emerging Manager & MWBE Conference" on Friday at the Hilton Albany Hotel: "The Emerging Manager Program allows the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF) to: invest in newer, smaller and diverse investment management firms;
access the next generation of talent in the investment field; and provide opportunities for the CRF to invest with qualified minority- and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE)."

Friday evening will see the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators Evening Reception, hosted by City & State NY.

Saturday at noon, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, in collaboration with the Silberman School of Social Work, will host an event in East Harlem: "Rising for Justice in El Barrio." More: "Join us as we stand with East Harlem residents and people all over the world against the violence towards women and girls. Violence Intervention Program, the Silberman School of Social Work and my district office joined forces for this community-based action to combat sexual assault and rape, and make our schools and neighborhoods as safe as possible."

Leaving on Sunday, Feb. 15, Mark-Viverito is leading a city council trip to Israel - set to last nine days and include about 15 council members. "The trip is sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the UJA Federation of New York. This is Speaker Mark-Viverito's second trip to Israel as a Council Member – she previously made the trip in 2012. The delegation will include, other than the speaker, Council members David Greenfield, Brad Lander, Mark Levine, Mark Treyger, Ritchie Torres, Helen Rosenthal, Cory Johnson, Donovan Richards, Antonio Reynoso, Eric Ulrich, Andrew Cohen, Jimmy Van Bramer, Rafael Espinal and Darlene Mealy" - according to JP Updates.

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Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).

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by Rati Mukhuradze and Ben Max
@GothamGazette



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