December 9, 2024

🍎 citymeetings.nyc #22

2025 Elections, Healthy NYC, Sex Ed, City of Yes

Hi!

This week's highlights are from hearings on:

• Campaign Finance Board prep for next year's elections
• The Healthy NYC initiative
• Sex ed in NYC public schools

... and links to every council member's remarks regarding City of Yes at last week's Stated Meeting.

Vikram

---

For a complete listing of published meetings, visit https://citymeetings.nyc.

Hearing on Campaign Finance Board prep for the 2025 elections

The Campaign Finance Board testifying at last week's hearing.

• NYC’s 2021 mayoral election turnout was just 27% for the primary and 23% for the general. Link
• Resolution 189 would shift NYC elections to even years, aiming to boost turnout by aligning city races with higher-participation cycles. Link
• Early voting sites jumped from 61 in 2019 to 155 in 2024, aiming for easier access. Link
• “Fastpass” tags and QR codes helped nearly 600,000 voters check in faster. Link
• Voter guides in 13 languages are planned for 2025, broadening outreach. Link
• A proposed ban on AI-generated campaign fakes includes fines of up to $2,500. Link
• Domestic violence survivors could keep voter info confidential, protecting their safety. Link
• Advocates say that, at Rikers, many absentee ballots never reach detainees, prompting calls for on-site voting. Link
• The Campaign Finance Board plans to complete half of all audits within one year after the 2025 election. Link
• It was noted that Mayor Eric Adams’ 2021 campaign repeatedly failed to respond to the Campaign Finance Board’s requests for information. Link
• The CFB now withholds public funds from campaigns that dodge requests for info, speeding up compliance. Link

Hearing on the Healthy NYC initiative and related health legislation

A high school senior testifying last week's hearing.

• New York’s Introduction 641 aims to require healthier kids’ meals in restaurants, but the Health Department says it cannot be enforced as currently written. Link
  • A researcher at NYU finds that cutting sugary options in kids’ meals can push parents toward healthier choices for their kids. Link
  • Korean Community Services warns that poor diets contribute to liver diseases in kids, backing efforts like Intro 641 to shift menus. Link
  • The American Heart Association notes that 84% of New Yorkers support requiring at least two meals on kids' menus to meet nutrition guidelines. Link
  • An Imam from the Bronx says healthier kids’ meals reflect values of purity and good health. Link
  • A teen intern at Teens for Food Justice describes how fast food affordability can undermine children’s health at home. Link
  • One resident insists kids flourish even with sugary treats, citing her own childhood diet. Link
• Introduction 1047 proposes a sleep apnea screening pilot and awareness campaign. Link
  • The Health Department says it cannot run specialized screening programs like this itself, lacking clinical facilities. Link
  • Council Member Abreu wants free screenings for uninsured New Yorkers, believing too many cases go undetected. Link
  • A documentary filmmaker recounts losing his job, his marriage, and nearly causing an accident due to untreated sleep apnea. Link

Hearing on sex education in NYC public schools

High school student journalists testify at last week's hearing.

... and a new bill requiring DOE to report on student journalism programs.

• NYC currently requires some sexual health lessons, but does not mandate comprehensive K-12 coverage. Link
• Only 58% of middle school students receive the required 54 hours of health education. Link
• Recommendations from a 2017 task force remain largely unimplemented. Link
• A 2023 task force was created to address ongoing gaps in implementation. Link
• One student testified about the impact of learning about sex through classmates rather than formal instruction. Link
• Another student lacked information on PCOS symptoms, affecting timely recognition of her condition. Link
• A transgender parent sought child-friendly materials showing diverse bodies and identities to show her her child's family represented. Link
• A Harlem parent representative emphasized parental consent, urging the city to share details on curriculum content, teacher qualifications, and measurable outcomes. Link
• About 27% of high schools have a student newspaper. Link
• Proposed legislation would require the DOE to report which schools have journalism programs. Link
• Student reporting on facility issues prompted a $750,000 gym renovation. Link

Remarks on City of Yes from every council member at the Stated Meeting

"I am tired of my community going south because their city is unaffordable for them to live in." - Speaker Adrienne Adams

City of Yes for Housing opportunity passed last week.

Many council members gave remarks at the meeting. Each is linked to below.

• Adrienne Adams highlights that the Council’s negotiations secured a $5 billion City for All housing plan alongside the zoning changes, adding affordability and infrastructure investments that were not part of the original proposal. Link
• Kevin Riley supports the final version’s focus on equity and tailored solutions for each borough, noting that community input helped shape these improvements. Link
• Rafael Salamanca praises the new $5 billion investment and infrastructure funding that were negotiated into the final deal, underscoring the urgency of addressing the city’s housing crisis. Link
• Pierina Sanchez points to the inclusion of measures like reestablishing J-51 tax incentives and basement dwelling reforms that aim to expand affordable options and were not guaranteed initially. Link
• Gale Brewer notes that while the plan may open more paths to affordable housing, its impact on already heavily developed areas remains limited, reflecting the difficulty of addressing neighborhood character. Link
• Jim Gennaro welcomes new flood mapping and sewer backup prevention requirements, which represent a clearer focus on environmental resilience compared to earlier drafts. Link
• Chris Banks argues that even with added investments and incentives, the final package does not secure meaningful homeownership opportunities for his constituents. Link
• Joann Ariola acknowledges some modifications like preserving parking requirements and adjusting ADUs, but maintains that flood-prone areas in her district remain insufficiently protected. Link
• Nantasha Williams points out that over 70% of her district is now exempt from certain ADU and TOD provisions, showing that the final deal accounts for local conditions missing from the original draft. Link
• David Carr criticizes the final plan’s environmental review as still lacking, suggesting that despite revisions, long-term ecological impacts remain unclear. Link
• Kalman Yeger questions the authenticity of the $5 billion commitment, expressing skepticism that the final agreement truly secured these funds as promised. Link
• Oswald Feliz praises the inclusion of down payment assistance and support for Mitchell-Lama housing, concrete steps toward homeownership that were not guaranteed earlier. Link
• Diana I. Ayala points to stronger tenant protections, NYCHA repairs, and the use of City for All funds, outcomes that reflect community input absent in the initial proposal. Link
• Crystal Hudson highlights that the final package includes citywide inclusionary zoning, a historic first ensuring affordability requirements apply to all neighborhoods. Link
• Chi Ossé appreciates that late revisions acknowledge the unique needs of different boroughs, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. Link
• Kamillah Hanks sees attempts to address Staten Island’s concerns through tweaks to density and ADUs, but remains unconvinced that the final result adequately handles infrastructure challenges. Link
• Lincoln Restler supports the final text’s effort to spread housing more broadly across the city, viewing this as a needed shift from past practices. Link
• Christopher Marte argues that despite adjustments, the plan still favors market-rate development and risks displacing working-class, immigrant communities. Link
• Carmen N. De La Rosa appreciates that the final plan retains key protections from past rezonings, suggesting the Council learned lessons from previous missteps. Link
• Robert F. Holden calls the resulting proposal a “developer’s dream,” insisting that despite changes, neighborhood protections and truly local input remain insufficient. Link
• Shaun Abreu praises the final plan’s historic funding and stronger affordability measures, calling it a “lifeline” for tenants who had little hope under earlier versions. Link
• Keith Powers explains thanks those who helped refine the proposal, resulting in more balanced growth and clearer affordability requirements. Link
• Alexa Avilés backs the plan after the Council secured substantial capital investments, including funding for infrastructure and reducing NYCHA vacancies, neither assured in the initial draft. Link
• Selvena N. Brooks-Powers notes that localized protections against ground-level ADUs and other changes only materialized after intense negotiations and community input. Link
• Tiffany Cabán supports the final version because it now facilitates a broader range of housing types citywide, moving beyond the initial proposal’s limited scope. Link
• Shahana K. Hanif highlights the unprecedented $5 billion investment and newly introduced measures that address affordability more rigorously than the initial proposal. Link
• Rita Joseph recognizes that the addition of state funding and set affordability targets makes the promise of 80,000 new homes more realistic than before. Link
• Shekar Krishnan applauds the inclusion of anti-harassment tenant protections and balancing green space with new housing, improvements absent in the initial version. Link
• Linda Lee, despite acknowledging some changes, votes no because the final text still does not adequately address aging infrastructure and limited transit options in her district. Link
• Darlene Mealy finds the adjustments insufficient, noting ongoing concerns about insurance for converted units and the plan’s failure to fully incorporate local feedback. Link
• Sandy Nurse backs the final measure because it includes significant funds and policies to protect homeowners, such as anti-speculation measures that were uncertain before. Link
• Vickie Paladino argues that the city faces an affordability crisis rather than a housing crisis, and that increasing density won't solve the problem. Link
• Carlina Rivera highlights that the negotiations led to a plan producing more affordable housing than previous city rezonings combined, showing substantial improvement over the initial draft. Link
• Lynn Schulman worries about potential long-term outcomes, drawing parallels to historic planning failures and noting that while there were revisions, the future remains uncertain. Link
• Althea Stevens sees a slight move toward citywide equity in burden-sharing after changes, an improvement from the original approach that concentrated housing in certain areas. Link

---

Thanks for reading!

Comments, questions, or feedback? Reply to this email or shoot me a note at vikram@citymeetings.nyc