🍎 citymeetings.nyc #15
Safe Hotels Act, Domestic Violence Shelters, a City Planning Commission Nomination, and the Stated Meeting
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Me, mid-conversation with Rocco Vertuccio on NY1 Spectrum News.
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For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.
This week's highlights are from hearings on:
- The Safe Hotels Act
- Nominations for the City Planning Commission (Raj Rampershad) and the Civilian Complaint Review Board (Dr. Mohammad Khalid)
- Supporting survivors of domestic violence in shelters
... plus remarks from this past week's Stated Meeting.
Hearing on the the Safe Hotels Act
A panel from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council union gives testimony.
The Safe Hotels Act imposes a bunch of requirements on hotels in NYC, but the one generating the most controversy requires hotels to directly employ their core employees (vs. use subcontractors).
Over 100 individuals gave public testimony at this hearing.
- New York City welcomed over 62 million visitors in 2023 and generated an estimated $48 billion in spending. Link
- Hotel-related complaints have more than doubled from 2019 to 2023. Link
- New York ranks 4th in the nation for human trafficking cases. Link
- The Safe Hotels Act requires panic buttons for hotel employees working alone in guest rooms or isolated areas. Link
- Colliers, a real estate investment firm, warns that the Safe Hotels Act could lead to a $250 million annual loss in tax revenue from decreased property values. Link
- The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) opposes the Safe Hotels Act. Link
- Their members own over 1,100 hotels in New York state.
- Paula Rodriguez, a hotel worker, reveals she was previously paid to oppose the Safe Hotels Act but now supports it. Link
- "I will probably get fired for speaking here."
- The owner of Rockaway Hotel talks about the challenges of staffing a small, seasonal hotel. Link
- A hotel worker testifies that their pay increased from $17 to $23 per hour after a subcontracting agency left their hotel. Link
- A hotel worker with 34 years of experience shares her story of achieving a middle-class life through her work as a room attendant. Link
Hearing on supporting survivors of domestic violence in NYC's shelter system
A panel of domestic violence survivors gives testimony.
- The Human Resources Administration (HRA) administers the largest domestic violence shelter system in the country. Link
- In FY 2024, 11,223 adults and children were served in emergency and family transition shelters. Link
- Domestic violence homicides increased by nearly 15% from 2021 to 2022, with 71 cases reported in 2022. Link
- In FY 2023, more than 20% of families entering shelters cited domestic violence as the primary cause of their homelessness. Link
- The average cost per night is $123 per person for emergency shelters and $193 per unit for tier 2 shelters. Link
- In 2023, more than 50% of survivors left an HRA domestic violence shelter for another shelter, and only 9% left for housing. Link
- The Urban Resources Institute estimates that the average survivor carries $104K of debt in their lifetime due to economic abuse. Link
- Around two-thirds of survivors in shelters have shown symptoms of traumatic brain injury. Link
- 5% of the emergency shelter portfolio is ADA-compliant. Link
- 50% of survivors state they will not leave an abusive situation if they cannot bring their pets with them. Link
- The Emergency Housing Voucher program helped lease up over 1,200 survivors with housing vouchers. Link
- An RFP is being prepared to add 94 new emergency shelter beds by the end of the year, focusing on single adult households and LGBTQ survivors. Link
- The New York City Anti Violence Project (AVP) has produced a toolkit called "Increasing Shelter Access to LGBTQ Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence". Link
- Students in domestic violence shelters are not automatically provided with busing, unlike students in DHS shelters. Link
Hearing on nominations to the City Planning Commission and Civilian Complaint Review Board
Commissioner Raj Rampershad of the City Planning Commission talks about City of Yes at his reappointment hearing.
- Raj Rampershad voted in support of the mayor's City of Yes housing proposal. Link
- Selvena Brooks-Powers highlights issues of high water tables and coastal flooding in Southeast Queens. Link
- Justin Brannan expresses concern about the City Planning Commission's ability to estimate and mitigate environmental impacts for large rezonings. Link
- Crystal Hudson mentions that agency commissioners often feel they can't speak out for fear of retaliation from the mayor. Link
- Selvena Brooks-Powers emphasizes homeownership as a critical pathway to build generational wealth. Link
Remarks from this week's Stated Meeting
Council member Tiffany Cabán reps a New York Liberty jersey and introduces bird-friendly building legislation.
- Speaker Adams shares that black women are six times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Link
- Jennifer Gutiérrez introduces the "Newborn Navigator Act" to provide resources to new parents in the "fourth trimester." Link
- Lynn Schulman proposes a public "watch list" for landlords/bad actors involved in illegal cannabis shops. Link
- Linda Lee introduces legislation to combat gift card scams, citing $28 billion annual losses for Americans over 60 to fraud. Link
- Farah Louis proposes bills to increase awareness around female genital mutilation and to mandate 7-day retrieval of stored rape kits. Link
- Rita Joseph introduces a bill to provide proper luggage for foster care youth. Link
- Joann Ariola proposes "Innocent 11 Remembrance Day" to honor Italian-Americans murdered in 1891 New Orleans. Link
- Mercedes Narcisse introduces a bill to study and reduce barriers for small businesses, emphasizing support for black and brown communities. Link
- Tiffany Cabán introduces legislation requiring large buildings to install bird-friendly retrofits by 2030. Link
Thanks for reading!
Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc