🍎 citymeetings.nyc #18
Ambulance Response Times, Sexual Assault in Jails, NYCHA Oversight, AI in City Government, a New Charter Revision Commission, Elder Fraud, Our Water Supply, Activating Cultural District Spaces, and Pathways to Municipal Service
Welcome new subscribers! The format of this newsletter is:
- I give readers an update on citymeetings.nyc itself.
- I highlight curious/interesting moments and claims from a few recent meetings.
You can reply to this email directly with feedback, questions, and requests. I'll respond to it.
Hi!
Last week the council held 15 meetings spanning > 40 hours. They were all published same-day on citymeetings.nyc.
This is comparable to an average week during budget hearing season, which my tools failed at covering early this year.
It was nice to put my tools to the test and pass. Last week was easy to manage.
Those of you who follow budget hearings closely: you'll know where to find me when next season begins.
I'll have more substantial citymeetings.nyc updates to share starting in January.
Until then, you can rely on every city council meeting going up same-day.
Thanks,
Vikram
For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.
This week's highlights are from hearings on:
- Protecting elders from fraud
- Our water system
- AI in city government
- A newly-proposed Charter Revision Commission
- (You're voting on proposals from the most recent one this week.)
- Sexual assault in NYC jails, especially Rikers
- Increasing ambulance response times
- CUNY as a pathway to municipal employment
- Activating public spaces in cultural districts
- Federal NYCHA oversight
Hearing on protecting seniors from elder fraud
NYPD + NYC Aging's commissioner at last week's hearing on elder fraud prevention.
This hearing revealed a range of scams targeting seniors, from sophisticated international operations to local contractors.
- Only 1 in 44 cases of elder financial exploitation is reported to authorities. Link
- Annual costs reach $1.5MM in New York and affect 42 out of every 1,000 elderly residents.
- A mother with Alzheimer's was scammed into sharing her children's information, resulting in over $90,000 in debt for each of her three children. Link
- Over 500 seniors reported SNAP benefit fraud to Susan Zhuang's office, with scammers stealing $300-400 in benefits shortly after midnight deposits. Link
- A sophisticated Romanian traveling fraud group used minivans and props like babies to target elderly individuals for jewelry swaps. Link
- A roofing scam in Queens North resulted in a $50,000 loss after scammers deliberately damaged an elderly victim's roof. Link
- More discussion on this scam here. Link
- Unlike credit card fraud, banks currently cannot restore money lost to scams, prompting efforts for federal legislation to change this limitation. Link
- NYPD partnered with Starbucks and McDonald's for "Coffee with a Crime Prevention Officer" program, creating spaces for seniors to learn about fraud prevention. Link
- NYPD employs over 5,600 certified translator officers covering 109 different languages. Link
- NYPD has trained over 24.5K uniformed members and 12.8K civilian employees on elder abuse identification. Link
- Over 16,000 NYC residents currently have court-appointed guardianships. Link
Hearing on our unfiltered water system and rising water rates
The New Croton Dam. Credit: NYC Water.
Most cities have to filter their drinking water, running it through massive treatment plants that can cost billions to build and operate.
But NYC has a special deal with the EPA: as long as we protect our upstate watersheds and meet strict quality standards, we can skip the filtration
This "Filtration Avoidance Determination" (FAD) saves NYC from building a $20-40 billion treatment plant.
But keeping it requires constant negotiation with upstate communities, careful monitoring of water quality, and protection of vast tracts of land around our reservoirs.
The council examined how NYC can continue to maintain this unique arrangement, Mayor Adams' "Water Board rental payments" (which the council describes as a scam.) and NYC's water infrastructure.
- NYC faces a potential $20-40B cost to build a water filtration plant if it loses its EPA exemption. Link
- Climate change and growing wildlife populations around reservoirs pose new threats to NYC's unfiltered water system, requiring evolving protection strategies. Link
- The DEP Police Department, which protects water infrastructure, faces a nearly 20% vacancy rate and recently graduated its smallest class ever with just 4 officers. Link
- Portland, Oregon recently lost its filtration exemption due to pathogen detection, forcing construction of a $2B treatment plant. Link
- A Southeast Queens resident reports spending over $15K on basement pumps in the past 20 years, running them 24/7 to combat groundwater flooding that began after DEP stopped pumping local wells. Link
- The Adams administration plans to collect $1.4B in rental payments from water ratepayers over four years, contributing to an 8.5% rate increase for 2025. Link
- DEP now owns more watershed land than the total area of NYC's five boroughs, having purchased an additional 155K acres since 1997 to protect water quality. Link
- Queens residents filed over 4K backup complaints in 2022 -- six times more than Manhattan. Link
- A community in South Jamaica pays $10K annually for shared private sewer line repairs, with each household facing an additional $15K cost to connect to a planned public line. Link
- Intro 900 proposes installing 500 new drinking fountains with bottle-filling stations by 2030, aiming to reduce reliance on bottled water that costs 100-1,000 times more than tap water. Link
Hearing on AI in city government
Alex Foard from OTI testifying at last week Committee on Technology hearing.
I appreciate that city government is proactively working to prevent indiscriminate uses of AI.
Using large language models (LLMs) is a fundamental new skill.
They seem simple, but they're hard to use well and it's all-too-easy to use them in ham-fisted, systematically-unfair ways.
But, missing from this conversation is how the city can encourage and put budget and training toward obviously-great use cases.
For example:
- AI can bolster oversight over mountains of city contracts using AI (e.g. it can easily flag irregular NYCHA micro-purchases).
- It can help government scale marketing/communication around their programs and policies.
- It can make context and decisions more accessible to everyone, like I do with citymeetings.nyc.
These use cases require human discretion and will, subject matter knowledge/expertise, and real training on how to wield language models vs. ceding full control to them.
They're also massively underserved. These jobs are either not going away or they're entirely new.
Some highlights from the meeting:
- NYPD has used facial recognition since 2011, but questions arise about incomplete reporting of AI tools including potential OpenAI usage. Link
- The MyCity chatbot provided incorrect information about employee tips and discrimination. Link
- OTI's AI advisory network includes over a dozen experts and has met once since summer 2024. Link
- Three virtual public listening sessions on AI were held in Summer 2024, with plans for in-person sessions after criticism about limited outreach. Link
- Four new bills aim to strengthen AI oversight, but OTI opposes all of them, creating tension with the Council's transparency goals. Link
- OTI describes its current approach as "building out" oversight processes, arguing against immediate strict regulations. Link
- Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) cites instances of government AI tools providing "completely invented, false information" to residents. Link
- Tech:NYC Foundation supports risk-based regulation over blanket bans, while NYCLU opposes current bills as insufficient. Link
Hearing on the council's proposed 2025 Charter Revision Commission
Eric Lane, the director of the 1989 Charter Revision Commission, testified last week (with a striking wall-to-wall bookcase as a backdrop, no less!)
When you head to the polls this week, you'll be voting on ballot proposals that resulted from Mayor Adams' Charter Revision Commission this year.
(The charter is NYC's constitution.)
The City Council is already planning a more extensive charter review process. It looks very different from the mayor's.
There are two distinct paths to charter revision, one through the mayor and another through the council, each with different implications for how the city's constitution gets changed.
- Council Speaker Adams introduces legislation to establish a new commission, the first major effort since 1989. Link
- Eric Lane, the director of the 1989 commission, criticizes Mayor Adams' recent commission as a joke. Link
- The legislation would ban registered lobbyists from serving, though questions remain about how to define lobbying activity for nonprofit leaders. Link
- The 1989 commission employed 70 staff members and held 140 public hearings, Link
- The proposed commission would require multiple rounds of public hearings across all boroughs before formulating proposals. Link
- (You can expect these hearings to be on citymeetings.nyc if recorded.)
- The commission would be subject to FOIL and required to maintain a public website with agendas, transcripts, and webcasts. Link
- Citizens Union urges codifying minimum timeframes and hearing requirements directly in the legislation to set standards for future commissions. Link
- Common Cause NY suggests capping government staff at 30-40% of commission personnel to ensure outside perspectives are represented. Link
- Former Speaker Christine Quinn argues the current system forces unnecessary negotiations by requiring the council to sue to uphold laws passed over mayoral vetoes. Link
- Susan Lerner notes how difficult it is to reach 6-8 million New Yorkers, recommending extensive use of ethnic media and multiple language translations. Link
Hearing on sexual assault prevention in jails
Four former inmates who were sexually assaulted during their incarceration gave testimony.
This hearing covered widespread concerns about sexual abuse in city jails, particularly at Rikers Island.
- Over 700 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse at Rikers Island have been filed under the Adult Survivors Act, with allegations spanning four decades. Link
- The potential cost of all claims is nearly $15B. Link
- DOC's sexual abuse investigation substantiation rate is just 0.5% out of nearly 1,500 allegations since 2015, significantly below the national average of 6%. Link
- Multiple survivors testified about facing retaliation for reporting abuse, including being placed in solitary confinement or transferred to different housing areas.
- Attorney testimony revealed 18 different clients independently reported sexual assault by the same DOC employee, with some victims contracting STDs or becoming pregnant while incarcerated. Link
- The department retains camera footage for only 90 days instead of the recommended year, and has not implemented DOI recommendations for camera coverage in vulnerable areas. Link
- DOC plans to implement body cameras for all staff by December, with over 900 currently deployed, following an incident where a body camera exploded in May. Link
- The share of investigations taking over 90 days increased from 23% in 2022 to 45% in 2023, despite federal standards requiring completion within 90 days. Link
- DOI received 3,022 complaints of sexual misconduct at DOC facilities. They opened investigations into only 28 cases. Link
Hearing on increasing ambulance response times
NYFD giving testimony at last week's hearing.
The council examined FDNY EMS operations as response times for life-threatening emergencies reach their highest levels in five years.
- Average ambulance response time for life-threatening emergencies has increased 10% from 6:22 to 7:23. Link
- Meanwhile, the cardiac arrest survival rate has declined from 28% to 20%. Link
- Hospital turnaround times for ambulances have increased from 34 minutes to almost 41 minutes over three years. Link
- Wait times for hospital beds have risen to 26 hours. Link
- Private hospitals have withdrawn up to 12 daily ambulance tours from the 911 system, forcing FDNY to reallocate resources to fill these gaps. Link 1, Link 2
- Maisha Morales testified that her father died after waiting nearly an hour for an ambulance at 2:35 AM, despite minimal traffic. Link
- Tyler Weaver testified that his son died after waiting 20 minutes for an ALS unit and 24 minutes for a BLS unit during a cardiac arrest. Link
- Of FDNY's ambulance fleet, 22% are out of service at any given time - 12% for preventative maintenance and 10% for mechanical issues or recalls. Link
- H+H's virtual care program has served 22,000 patients since 2020, with 50% avoiding hospital transport. Link
Hearing on pathways to municipal employment
A Brooklyn College freshman giving testimony at last week's hearing.
Among other things, CUNY serves as both a training ground and talent pipeline for civil service positions.
The council examined their role in preparing students for civil service careers.
- Nearly a third of new NYC Public School teachers come from CUNY. Link
- A CUNY-MTA partnership has placed 500 student interns since last year, with dozens converting to full-time positions. Link
- The Civil Service Pathways Fellowship faces overwhelming demand, receiving over 1,000 applications for just 68 positions in its latest cohort. Link
- New state legislation allows 17-year-olds to take civil service exams before meeting final age requirements, expanding early recruitment opportunities. Link
- Brooklyn College freshman Cecile Chapa testified about the prevalence of unpaid internships among her peers. Link
- CUNY aims to triple student participation in paid internships from 10% to 30%, requiring 32K additional annual placements. Link
- The Public Service Corps program saw a 50% increase in participation, with 116 interns now serving across 11 city agencies. Link
- Council Member Brewer reported 100% job placement for Hunter College's public service program participants. Link
Hearing on public space activation and small business support in cultural districts
A panel of local non-profit and arts center leaders talking about how they activate spaces with art and reduce storefront vacancies.
This hearing was all about how the city is activating/can activate cultural districts with programming and revive small businesses in these areas.
(If you live in NYC, it also serves as marketing about things you might want to check out or ways to get funding or assistance for your area/events!)
- The Whitney Museum's West Side Fest grew from 50K to 130K visitors in one year. Link
- The "Discover Seoul" campaign in Murray Hill, Queens (vs. Manhattan) dramatically reduced commercial vacancy rates from 13.3% to 6.5% through food tours and cultural events. Link
- Gotham Park is developing a small business incubation program using kiosks to create a "bread crumb trail" into Chinatown and South Street Seaport. Link
- El Museo del Barrio pays thousands in permit fees to DOB for programming in their own city-owned courtyard space. Link
- Street Lab conducts 500 pop-up activations annually, providing furniture and permit assistance to help communities navigate complex regulations. Link
- The city's first-ever public realm grants program allocated $650K to 10 community organizations for art installations and neighborhood beautification. Link
- Regina Opera Company provides affordable performances in Southwest Brooklyn, serving thousands of residents on fixed incomes who can't afford Metropolitan Opera tickets. Link
- Building for the Arts' Theater Row hosts 300 small performing arts companies annually. Link
- NYC has reached a record 4.7 million jobs across 183K small businesses, with a third opening in the past 2 years. Link
- Half of Manhattan businesses surveyed by the Chamber of Commerce report worse performance than pre-pandemic. Link
Hearing on NYCHA operations
Dana Elden from Saint Mary's Park Houses talks about a weekend residents had without heat, with temperatures dropping to 48-54 degrees.
A federal "monitor" oversees NYCHA's efforts to improve housing conditions. This hearing was about their findings.
- NYCHA workers can only access 1 out of every 6 apartments they attempt to visit for repairs. Link
- There were 303 heat incidents averaging 7.21 hours in 2023-2024, a reduction from 564 outages averaging 8.99 hours in 2021-2022. Link
- Saint Mary's Park Houses residents experienced temperatures between 48-54 degrees during a weekend-long heating system failure. Link
- A resident's son passed away in 2022 after developing pulmonary fibrosis, which the family attributes to contaminated water at Jacob Riis Houses. Link
- Red Hook Houses residents have filed 85,000 repair cases in housing court since the start of 2024, primarily related to ongoing leak issues. Link
- Rat complaints have decreased from 25,096 in 2022 to 13,730 in 2024, with NYCHA now responding to complaints within 2.3 days on average. Link
- NYCHA processes almost 200,000 work orders monthly, with a current backlog of approximately 330,000 skilled trade work orders. Link
- A tenant association vice president lost a day of work when NYCHA failed to show up for a scheduled leak repair during the monitors' visit to the development. Link
Thanks for reading!
Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc