The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing the Committee on Labor and Civil Service to hold a hearing examining the economic burden of the unregulated business economy on the City of Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, STATED MEETING 151 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and congratulating Champion of the Week, Julissa Ortiz, for becoming the first young woman to win a Philadelphia Public League wrestling title, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the STATED MEETING 152 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and recognizing the dedicated service of Deborah Wei, whose steadfast championship and work on behalf of the Philadelphia Chinatown and Asian American communities has inspired a new generation of community advocates and preserved Philadelphia's Chinatown as a vibrant, national cultural icon, introduced today by Councilwoman Brooks.
The STATED MEETING 153 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and recognizing Maria Adames, for her decades of life-changing work on behalf of vulnerable Philadelphians and her commitment and passion for her city and community, introduced today by Councilwoman Brooks.
The STATED MEETING 154 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing April 2023 as Autism Acceptance & Awareness Month in the City of Philadelphia, and commending the work of the Philadelphia Autism Project, introduced today by Councilman Driscoll.
The STATED MEETING 155 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Driscoll.
Mr. President, I move that the resolution be adopted. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution proclaiming the Month of March in 2023 as Irish Heritage Month in the City of Philadelphia and Honoring the St. Patrick's Day Observation Association of Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Driscoll.
The STATED MEETING 156 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Chair again recognizes Councilman Driscoll.
I move that the resolution be adopted. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring Philadelphia Department of Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney for being a pillar of the community, and her exemplary work throughout the City of Philadelphia, and outstanding leadership during Women's History Month, introduced today by Councilwoman Bass. STATED MEETING 157 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw for being a pillar of the community, and for her exemplary work throughout the City of Philadelphia, and outstanding leadership during Women's History Month, introduced today by STATED MEETING 158 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring Sheriff Rochelle Bilal for being a pillar of the community, and for her exemplary work throughout the City of Philadelphia, and outstanding leadership during Women's History Month, introduced STATED MEETING 159 3/23/2023 3/23/23 - STATED - 2ND READING today by Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman STATED MEETING 160 3/23/2023 Is that a mistake? You have Councilman Jones' name up here.
Oh, you're getting a head start. I'm sorry. That concludes our Calendar for today. We will now move to special order. We will proceed with the consideration of Bill No. 230106, which was passed by the Council at its March 9th, 2023 session. It was returned disapproved by the Mayor at today's session of Council, also known as the veto override. The Chief Clerk will please read the title of Bill No. 230106.
An ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of STATED MEETING 161 3/23/2023 of the proposal in a Resolution approved by City Council amending The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter by establishing the Office of the Chief Public Safety Director to be responsible for ensuring public safety by coordinating the resources (personnel and employment, property, plant and equipment) within the departments of Police, Prisons, Recreation, and all other relevant City agencies; and authorizing the appropriate officers to publish notice and to make arrangements for the special election.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. This bill having been read on two different days was duly approved by City Council on March 9th, 2023 and was returned to Council by the Mayor as disapproved at today's session of Council. The question is shall Bill No. 230106 pass notwithstanding the Mayor's disapproval. STATED MEETING 162 3/23/2023 note that a vote of aye is a vote to override the Mayor's veto and a vote of nay is a vote to sustain the Mayor's veto. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. STATED MEETING 164 3/23/2023 all members -- 15; zero. Sorry. A two-thirds majority of all members of Council having voted in the affirmative, the Mayor's veto is overridden. Thank you all very much. That completes our Calendar for today. Are there any speeches on behalf of the minority? (No response.)
Speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Driscoll.
Mr. President, as I've repeatedly said, we must come together to fight hate in our city. Unfortunately, if you read the newspapers the last couple days, the Port Richmond neighborhood in the River Wards was besieged, besieged by cowards who, under the cover of darkness, defaced public and private property with stickers STATED MEETING 165 3/23/2023 white nationalists iconic and language were plastered across the neighborhood. I'm not here to discuss these cowards, but I'm here to thank the heroes who sprang into action to remove and obstruct the view of these hateful messages. An attack on one faith is an attack on all faiths, and I'm proud that the residents of my district and our city are here to show that love wins over hate and that hate has no home or place in this city. Thank you, Mr. President.
We concur. The Chair recognizes Councilman Harrity. STATED MEETING 166 3/23/2023
Yes, Council President. Colleagues, last night another senior Philadelphian was the victim of a brutal assault at 12th and Girard around 10:00 p.m. last night. The perpetrators approached a man and punched him so hard that the man landed against a wall, hitting his head and losing consciousness. While the man was unconscious, these two individuals stole his wallet and his cell phone. This is just another in a series of violent attacks on normal Philadelphians going about their daily lives, but more disturbingly, this is another senior citizen who is a victim of violent robbery. After all, it was only six months ago that a group of people, minors as young as 14 years old, beat a 73-year-old man to death with a traffic cone. This crisis of violence is a symptom of the systematic problems in our STATED MEETING 167 3/23/2023 historic inadequacies in our School District, funding the opioid epidemic plaguing our neighborhoods, and a nationwide increase in crime rates. Preventing future crimes is nearly impossible without fixing these problems first. However, people who commit these violent crimes need to know that you will be found, arrested, tried in a court of law, and face the full penalty if you are found guilty. In last night's particular crime, a surveillance camera captured the predators, which will aid police in their investigation. It is important that even if the problems causing crime cannot be addressed without hard work from our city's leadership, we must continue to invest in solutions to punish those who resort to violent crimes. Mr. President, I'm so glad that we honored the Commissioners today and Sheriff Bilal, because, quite frankly, we STATED MEETING 168 3/23/2023 I pledge my help in anything we can do against this gun violence and this violence in the City, especially that violence that hurts our most vulnerable, our senior citizens. This isn't right. Walking down the street, just going about their own business, young punks, and I'm tired of it. Thank you.
Thank you. We all are. Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I too am glad we celebrated the Police Commissioner, the Sheriff, and the Prisons Commissioner today. Thank you again, Member Bass, for bringing us that powerful visual. When they stood up, it just reminded us of their importance. Today marks the beginning of STATED MEETING 169 3/23/2023 Ramadan. For thousands of Philadelphians, they rose this morning, ate their suhoor meal, and began the prayer ritual for the day. It does not fall mightily on me that we are also dealing with other religious celebrations, such as -
There you go, the Daniel Fast and others. I recognize that, because wouldn't this be the perfect time to include working on ourselves but looking at our community in a broader base and praying for our community. I woke up this morning when I made my prayer and I looked, and there STATED MEETING 170 3/23/2023 A couple of young people in my district were shot. None of them died today. I say that that over that 30 days of Ramadan, wouldn't it be a blessing to the City and the world if nobody was murdered? If we took that spiritual awakening and spiritual concentration and spread it out not only to ourselves but to our brothers and sisters in every part of the City and no one died? No one had to ride on that sheriff's bus, no one had to ride the back of that police car, and no one wound up incarcerated. That's the type of thing that I think represents all of the great religions, and that's what we should be praying for. Today I submitted a resolution calling for a temporary suspension of the preemption law from the state. And why is that important? That's a part of it. When we have sensible gun laws, lost and STATED MEETING 171 3/23/2023 stolen, red flag, that is a part of that prayer that we say to our colleagues at the state, who are renewed and awakening, and Governor Shapiro, I have every degree of confidence in, our Philadelphia delegation, every degree of confidence in, but after prayers comes work, and what that should mean is that allow us to take a sensible gun law, lost and stolen, and not be preempted. Now, it can be temporary. You might say, well, let's look at it annually, let's look at it biannually, let's look at it every five years to see if Philadelphia, city of the first class, deserves this ability to translate that prayer into action. As we look forward in the City of Philadelphia, we look forward to a new Mayor, this is the number one priority for our city. All of the other issues, economic, job creation, where you live, how you live, where you send your kids to school, center around the violence issue STATED MEETING 172 3/23/2023 Philadelphia. So from our prayers, from our pulpits, from our synagogues and mosques, let that go out to be small steps, small victories over the next 30 days. I know that's a lot, but we need to think big, and we should put it out there in the universe and pray hard that this comes to fruition. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Phillips.
Thank you, Council President. I just wanted to note my gratitude for Councilman Johnson for making our public aware of the fact that City Council is pushing Harrisburg on the importance of $15 minimum wage. Recently my State Senator, Art Haywood, did a social media video on the idea that elected officials in Harrisburg have received an increase of $8.25 for STATED MEETING 173 3/23/2023 wage, yet they have yet to consider the fact that our residents throughout the State of Pennsylvania are now at a minimum wage of $7.25. The reality meant that's horrendous that we can constantly think about payment increases for an elected official but not think about our residents. So I just want to note that we need to continue with this onslaught approach to making sure that residents in our city and also throughout our Commonwealth are treated fairly with wages. So I want to say thank you, Councilman Johnson, for presenting that urgency to Harrisburg. And then also shortly after this, we're going to continue an important conversation around Taking Care of Business program, which is a citywide commercial cleaning program that was first initiated by our former STATED MEETING 174 3/23/2023 Parker, who represented the Ninth District, and we're looking to continue to expand that program, because we do need to make sure that we have well wage workers, since we're on the minimum wage conversation, continue to make sure our streets are clean, and not only just in the citywide commercial corridor areas, how do we think about expanding that program to our residential areas in our neighborhoods as well. So I'm looking forward to continuing that effort to make sure our neighborhoods are clean throughout the City of Philadelphia. So please come on by if you have time. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to be STATED MEETING 175 3/23/2023 next week to start our budget process, we'll all have the opportunity within our own staffs to sit down and do a deeper dive on how we're looking at moving the needle here in the City of Philadelphia regarding all of the City's services that we're providing to taxpayers here in the City of Philadelphia, and I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the press conference that Councilman Isaiah Thomas held last week regarding making sure our young people are receiving a quality education inside schools that are asbestos and lead free. But, similarly, today at 3:30 outside the Philadelphia School District there will also be a press conference by the WE Caucus, and the WE Caucus is a, I guess I could say, a faction that's a part of the PFT within the PFT that one of my colleagues hails from, Councilwoman Brooks, will be advocating again around STATED MEETING 176 3/23/2023 process, specifically holding the School District accountable around the enrollment process, right, and what that enrollment process looks like for all the schools here in the City of Philadelphia. And the results of not having a thorough enrollment process impacts our young people, one, as relates to the amount of teachers that are in the classroom; two, the type of resources that our schools receive based upon the number of enrollment of students within our classrooms. And so they are calling upon us as well to make sure that we're examining the enrollment process as well as the facilities process in terms of making sure that, again, when the District does come to City Council, they should have a plan and real answers to our questions on how they're going to make sure our schools are lead and asbestos free and also around this issue of making sure the enrollment process is done properly and STATED MEETING 177 3/23/2023 in all of our schools. And that press conference will take place today at 3:30 outside the Philadelphia School District. And for me, similar to the sentiments of my colleague Councilman Jones, as we address the issue of gun violence here in the City of Philadelphia, we all know and pretty much everyone inside this room recognizes that if you don't receive a quality education early on, it can significantly derail your chances of having a bright future. So from time to time since I've been here and also I've been in the State House, we've always provided a significant amount of funding to the District, and I'm always going to be supportive of their efforts to move the needle around funding, but it's also not always about money. It's also about performance. It's all about results. And when you have the academic achievement of young people in reading STATED MEETING 178 3/23/2023 lower 30th percentile, right, that's just totally unacceptable, because it gives you an idea that some individuals will build prisons based upon the third grade reading level of our young people, right? So at what point in time do we begin moving the needle from a performance-based standpoint and making sure there's a return on investment, particularly in the area of education for our young people. And so I look forward to a very, very robust discussion with all of our City agencies as we move forward, but also making sure that when it comes to academic achievement of our young people, they aren't being cheated out of their future. So thank you very much, Council President.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Councilman. STATED MEETING 179 3/23/2023 on behalf of the minority and the majority, and with that, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 30th, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 30th, 2023, 10:00 a.m. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much. STATED MEETING 180 3/23/2023 Again, please be safe. ) STATED MEETING 181 3/23/2023 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings, evidence and objections are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the foregoing matter, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. MICHELE L.