Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, February 4, 2016 10:55 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL COUNCILMAN ALLAN DOMB COUNCILMAN DEREK S. GREEN COUNCILMAN WILLIAM K. GREENLEE COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN BOBBY HENON COUNCILMAN KENYATTA JOHNSON COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILWOMAN CHERELLE L. PARKER COUNCILWOMAN MARIA D. QUINONES-SANCHEZ COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN AL TAUBENBERGER MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
Good morning, everyone. We have a quorum. I'd ask the guests and visitors to please retire behind the rails and we will get started. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Rabbi Abe Friedman of the Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel. He is here today as the guest of Councilman Allan Domb. I would ask all members and guests to please rise. (Members and guests rise.)
Mkur fun lebn, source of life, we thank you for the gift of this day and the opportunity to serve our community. We ask that you open our hearts to our neighbors in need, to the widow and the orphan, the stranger and the outcast. Bless us with compassion and strength. Help the work of our hands to grow and to flourish. Bless our city with health, Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 safety, and prosperity. Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you so very much, Rabbi. Appreciate it. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you, Rabbi. The next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, January 28th, 2016, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, January 28th, 2016 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, January 28th, 2016 Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Journal is approved. The next order of business is requests for leaves of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Mr. President, I have no requests for leaves of absence.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair thanks the gentlewoman. And the Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the republicans, there are no requests for leave of absence. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
Thank you. The Chair thanks the gentleman. At this time, I would like to dispense with the regular order of business and I would like to thank everyone who has taken time out of their day to come down and witness your government in action. We actually really appreciate seeing you every Thursday. We hope that you enjoy it so much today that you come back next Thursday. So, again, we really appreciate it, and thank you for coming down. At this time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, who will present a resolution honoring the African American Children's Book Project. Would Ms. Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati and those accompanying her please join the Councilwoman at the podium. (Councilmembers and guests approached podium.) Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
And joining Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, we have Councilman Jones, Councilman Green, Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez, Councilwoman Blackwell, and Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. President. One of my absolutely positively favorite experiences of every year is the African American Children's Book Project, this year celebrating its 24th anniversary, and I want to first applaud and salute the vision and what I call stick-to-itiveness in its leader, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati, who every year mounts this initiative against great odds, but given her love for books and the supreme value they have in the lives of African American children, she makes it happen. I will also say that I look with envy and I'm often awestruck by the discipline of those who take pen to paper over a sustained period of time and Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 a work product. Please pay attention to the two books on your desk, compliments of Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati and the 24th Annual African American Children's Book Project, and we thank her publicly for that. A couple of facts. Of the entire population of the United States, 37 percent of people identify themselves as a person of color. However, of all the published children's books over the past 21 years, only 10 percent contain multicultural content. So this fact underscores the supreme value of African American children reading and looking and browsing through books where they have images that look like them. This morning, honoring the African American Children's Book Project on the occasion of the 24th African American Children's Book Fair and that February 6th is the kick-off of the National Literacy Initiative - Preserve a Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Legacy, Buy a Book. Whereas, in 1926, noted historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the study of negro life and history announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week"; and Whereas, the 2nd week in February was chosen because of the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass; and
Whereas, during early American history, African Americans were not allowed to learn to read and have books; in some states the penalty for this infraction was death; and Whereas, the importance of book fairs cannot be understated and for twenty three years the African American Children's Book Fair has enhanced multi-culturalism in our City utilizing the joy of reading as a tool; and Whereas, Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati created the book fair because she Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 a world of opportunities for children and after twenty three years, the African American Children's Book Fair is the oldest and largest single-day event for children's books in the country; and
One of the most important reasons to encourage reading in our children is that studies show that the more our youth read, the more likely they are to make positive lifestyle decision as they grow older; and Whereas, strictly judging by attendance, this fair is a tremendous success as well over 3,500 people attended the fair in the past years; and Whereas, rich or poor, no one leaves empty handed as the books themselves are priced at a level where they are more affordable, and posters, bookmarkers, raffle books are distributed free of charge to attendees; and
Whereas, Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 participants will be Wade and Cheryl Hudson. The Hudsons were two parents on a desperate search for children's books that addressed Black history, Black heritage and Black experiences. Disappointed by the limited number and their unreliable availability, the couple embarked upon a mission to produce the kind of positive, vibrant Black-interest books that they wanted for their own two children; and Whereas, in 1988, the Hudsons started Just Us Books, Inc. With Wade serving as company president and head of marketing and Cheryl leading the editorial and art departments, Just Us Books, Inc. soon became a leading publisher of multicultural books for children, opening doors of opportunity for many authors and illustrators of color along the way; and
Whereas, the Hudsons' trailblazing efforts and contributions to children's literature Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 been recognized widely. They have received the Ida B. Wells Institutional Builders Award presented by the National Black Writers Conference, the Madame CJ Walker Legacy Award for entrepreneurship given by the Hurston Wright Foundation and the "Small Business Pioneer of the Year" distinction from Income Opportunities magazine, among others. The books they have published have enabled children of color everywhere to see characters who look like themselves in the books they read and explore stories that relate to their own experiences; and
Whereas, after 27 years Just Us Books is still one of only a handful of Black-known publishing companies in the nation and one of several exclusively dedicated to producing Black-interest and multicultural books for children and young adults; and Whereas, two additional Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 being champions of literacy in Philadelphia are Sharon Powell, Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs for Comcast Corporation, and Tiffany Tavarez, Corporate Relations for PECO; and
Whereas, the fair is also lucky to host terrific sponsors and partners such as NBC10, PECO, Wells Fargo, iHeart Radio, Health Partners Foundation, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, all whom have been instrumental in keeping the literary flames ablaze for our children in the City of Philadelphia through tireless contributions to the African American Children's Book Project. The financial contributions have enabled the book fair to give away thousands of brand new books of guest authors and illustrators participating in the event. For many children, it is the first time they owned a book; and Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
Whereas, the 24th Annual African American Book Fair will be held free of charge on Saturday, February the 6th from one to three p.m. at the gymnasium of the Community College of Philadelphia located at 17th and Spring Garden Streets; now, therefore, be it Resolved, by the Council of the City of Philadelphia, that we hereby honor the African American Children's Book Project on the occasion of the 24th Annual African American Children's Book Fair and that February 6th is the kick-off of the National Literacy Initiative - Preserve a Legacy, Buy a Book.
And further resolved, that an engrossed copy of this citation be presented to representatives of the African American Children's Book Project, Wade and Cheryl Hudson, Sharon Powell, and Tiffany Tavarez for their hard work and efforts in the promotion of Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 literacy, as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. (Applause.)
And the Chair recognizes Ms. Sgambati for remarks.
Thank you so very, very much. You know, every time I come into Chambers, I'm overwhelmed, because when I'm surrounded by all of these people who can read, but I know most of them from when they got their start. And reading is power. And I can't impress upon you what this book fair means to our children. Last year a young woman came up to me and she said, Here's a book I got from the NBC10-Telemundo Reading Circle ten years ago, and she said, We were homeless, but every year we came to this book fair. She said, This was the only thing I owned. She said, I'm in college now and I have a daughter and a husband. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 I can't impress upon you -- Councilman Kenyatta Johnson said to me -- he called me up in December. He was in the bookstore looking for books for his son, and he said, There's no books here. We live in a city that's over 40 percent African American, African American children's books, but we live in a city that's over 40 percent some odd numbers of African American. This should not be happening. And unfortunately I did not follow the proper protocol. I have to acknowledge Councilman Clarke, President Clarke, members of Council and you, our guests. But these people just overwhelm me. And I want to thank Wade and Cheryl Hudson, because they are the stars of the children's book world, being able to produce the wonderful books that they do. But it is the corporate partners that allow me also to give away brand new books to educators. An educator can walk Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 over five books, almost worth $100, because of the corporate partnerships that I've arranged. And people like PECO, you'll meet Tiffany Tavarez later and Ramona Riscoe, who is here also, who really got this ball started, and Mellanie Lassiter, Wells Fargo, Health Partners Plans, Health Partners Foundation, Always Best Care, Kenyatta Johnson, and Jannie Blackwell. She wasn't mentioned in the citation, but Jannie comes every year. I'm getting familiar, but Jannie is here every year. She came on board as a sponsor, which enabled us to do more things. And also Tierney and Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco. Before she left these halls, she had sent me a check for the Children's Book Fair. So I'm really grateful for all of that. I encourage you to come. And new members of Council, trust me, trust me. This is an event you need to support. You need to come out, and you'll meet a constituency that's not Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 and on television. Those little boys come in there because they want to learn. Those parents come in there because they want to give to their children a better world. So I thank you very much for your time, and I'll pass the ball over to Wade and Cheryl Hudson.
Good morning and thank you so much for this great honor. Wade and I have been in the trenches with children's books really for 40 years, but our company is 28 years old this year, and we are in the business of providing great books for all children, but African American children are the centers and stars of our books. So thank you so much for this great honor.
And I would just like to ask us to give a round of applause for the hard work and dedication of Vanesse. (Applause.)
Vanesse is not Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 She is walking the walk, and we thank her and we look forward to participating in this very important book festival every year. We thank you, and God bless all of you. (Applause.)
Good morning. I'm Sharon Powell, Senior Director for Comcast. I want to thank Vanesse for the extraordinary work that she and her team do throughout the year and every year. I am proud and honored to be a part of promoting literacy and digital literacy in our communities through Comcast Internet Essentials. I especially want to thank Charisse Lillie and Kathleen Sullivan for their ongoing support and all members of Council, and we hope to see you this Saturday. Thank you. (Applause.)
I warned Vanesse that if this included access to a Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 microphone, this may take a minute. So first and foremost, the work that I do cannot be done alone. That requires a team, and a solid team at that. So I'd like to thank the PECO Corporate Relations team, which is represented today here by Ramona Riscoe Benson and Michele Garrity, and of course the force of nature that is known as Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati and of course Council today. When I looked up the word "literacy," it meant the ability to read and write and the possession of education, and I am really honored and humbled to be deemed a champion of that. My mother did not raise no fool. Now I have proof that she did raise a champion. Thank you.
Thank you. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 The next order of business is communications. The Chair requests that the Sergeant-of-Arms delivers the messages from the Mayor to the Chief Clerk. SERGEANT-OF-ARMS: There is no communications from the Mayor this morning.
You have no messages? Any other communications whatsoever?
Thank you very much. We will now move towards the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Good Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 morning, Mr. President. I offer this morning one non-privileged resolution.
A non-privileged resolution supporting the passage of the Pennsylvania General Assembly's House Bill No. 262 to help combat human trafficking throughout Pennsylvania.
That will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I introduce one non-privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution calling for the City Council Committee on Education and the Committee on Children and Youth to hold hearings on the establishment of a plan to deal with Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 the transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten.
That will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. Today I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Henon.
An ordinance establishing a no truck parking regulation on both sides of Torresdale Avenue, from Ashburner Street to the Pennypack Creek. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
And an ordinance establishing a no tractor trailer parking regulation on both sides of Torresdale Avenue, from Rhawn Street to the Pennypack Creek.
Also referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have a resolution today offered by you and all members of Council and I wish to be recognized after the title of the resolution is introduced for a motion on the resolution.
A non-privileged resolution appointing members to the "Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform," who will conduct public hearings examining the Philadelphia criminal Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 justice system for the impact of current policies, and offer recommended strategies for reform that are in the best interest of public safety and the public good.
Thank you. That resolution will be on this week's -- you want to do that now, Councilman? The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit consideration of this resolution on today's Final Passage Calendar. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of suspension of the rules? (Aye.)
Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Those opposed? (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I have two bills, two privileged resolutions and one non-privileged resolution, and all resolutions are signed by all members of Council.
An ordinance amending Chapter 19-1500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Wage and Net Profits Tax," to provide a tax credit and refund of excess taxes paid for certain low-income taxpayers. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
That bill will be referred to the appropriate committee.
And an ordinance providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the City of Philadelphia of the proposal set forth in a Resolution approved by Council proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation, appointment, powers and duties of a Commission on Youth Gun Violence.
And a privileged resolution Congratulating and Honoring Patrick Murphy for his recent appointment as Acting Secretary of the United States Army.
That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar.
And a privileged Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to examine youth employment strategies and youth job training to increase youth employment in the City of Philadelphia.
And a non-privileged resolution proposing an amendment to the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter to provide for the creation, appointment, powers and duties of a Commission on Youth Gun Violence.
That will be referred to committee. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Green.
Thank you, Council President. Today I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one privileged resolution also sponsored by Councilmembers Johnson, Blackwell, Reynolds Brown, Domb, Taubenberger, and Green, and I wish to be recognized to speak on the resolution when you deem appropriate, Mr. President.
A privileged resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Labor and Civil Service to convene public hearings examining the state of retirement security for private and public sector workers in the City of Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Philadelphia.
Thank you. That resolution will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb.
Thank you, Council President. I have no bills or resolutions today.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one resolution co-sponsored by yourself as well as Councilmembers Squilla, Johnson, Blackwell, Jones, Quinones-Sanchez, Domb, and Green. Thank you.
A non-privileged resolution calling on the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reform their programs for the sale of distressed mortgage notes in order to better protect homeowners from foreclosure and facilitate community redevelopment.
And that resolution will be on next week's Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman Taubenberger.
Thank you, Council President and colleagues. I have one privileged resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the talents of Kathleen "Kat" Webb for her winning submission marketing "meterUP" for the City of Philadelphia and for the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Thank you. That will be on this week's Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have no bills or resolutions.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer three bills and one non-privileged resolution.
An ordinance to amend Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by establishing the Broad Street Area, Mid-South within the Center City Overlay District; and An ordinance amending Section 9-213 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Farmers' Markets," by adding a Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 permissible location; and An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Cypress Street, Watts Street, Pine Street, and Broad Street.
Those three bills will be referred to the appropriate committees.
And a non-privileged resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Twenty-Fifth and Thirty-First Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
And that resolution will be on next week's Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Final Passage Calendar. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer no bills or resolutions this week.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Council President. I offer one privileged resolution co-sponsored by Councilman Allan Domb.
A privileged resolution authorizing a joint public hearing between Council's Committee on Streets and Services and Committee on Education to investigate the allocation of funds from the revenues generated by the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program and the parking meter rate increase that Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2014, as well as the costs associated with administering those programs.
That will be on this week's Final Passage Calendar. Thank you very much. That concludes the introduction of bills and resolutions. The next order of business is committee reports. We do not have any reports from committee today, so we will move to our special business. And the special business will reference a motion to withdraw Bill No. 160016, and at this time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, Mr. President. Before I move forward with the motion, I'd like to thank all of the leaders of the music industry and the people that have worked with me on this bill. We decided to move forward with a withdrawal because we are going to amend it, but there was so much confusion and Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 there, we thought, working with the industry, the best way to go would be to withdraw this bill. So I want to thank them for their help and looking forward to working with them in crafting new legislation that we can reintroduce. But today Bill No. 16 was introduced on January 21st, 2016 and was referred to Committee of License and Inspections. I would now like to withdraw the bill from further consideration by the Council. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016
Bill No. 160016, entitled "An ordinance amending Section 9-703 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled 'Special Assembly Occupancies,' by providing for additional types of activity to be regulated, amending the application procedures and increasing the fee for a Special Assembly Occupancy license and for Promoter registration, clarifying the role of the Police Department in the approval of licenses, and making other technical changes."
Thank you. Sorry. The Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla.
Thank you, President Clarke. I move that Bill No. 160016 be withdrawn. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2ND READING properly seconded that Bill No. 160016 be withdrawn. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, the motion passes, and Bill No. 160016 is withdrawn. We will now move to our consideration of the Calendar. There being no bills on the First Reading Calendar, the Chair now recognizes Councilman Henon for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions are being called up for the Second and Final Passage Calendars today: Resolution Nos. 160079, 160082, 160083, 160084, and 160090. All other Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 resolutions are being held.
Thank you, Councilman. Before considering these bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar today, we will have our public comment session. The public comment session will go as follows: If you are interested in testifying on a bill or resolution that is on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar today, if you have not already done so, I'd ask that you sign up at the table to my left. When your name is called, you will go to the podium in the middle of the Council Chambers. There's a device on that podium. When the light turns green, it will be your time to speak. When the light turns yellow, you will be given 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When the light turns red, we'd ask that you please adhere to the guidelines and conclude your remarks. You will be given three Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 minutes to testify on the bill or the resolution. Mr. Decker, please call the first name.
Joe Danihel, commenting on 160079. (Witness approached podium.)
Well, if it was a good morning, then somebody would have contacted me. How many months have I got to come to this body and ask to see you respond to stealing my house? At this time, I am without my home at 1038 West Wyoming due to the egregious actions and inactions of this legislative body. Recently you passed a resolution to not marginalize Muslims by giving them public acknowledgment of their holiday. I feel marginalized. James Dupree felt marginalized. Dr. Turner felt marginalized. So many Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 others felt marginalized, but failed to come forward and speak. How can you not feel marginalized when all you've worked for has been stripped from you and given to another? This is a clear violation of 42 USC 1982, which I've read in previous meetings, and the U.S. Constitution. Philadelphia should hang its head. I, like Dr. Turner and James Dupree, fight for those who cannot. You as agencies and agents are bound by an oath of office to obey, defend, and support the Constitution. Like in Flint, Michigan, this government stalls while the people suffer. Council passes paperwork regarding national issues for which they have no jurisdiction while ignoring this issue. As in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt on December 7th, 1941, I am one of the free and incomparable people of the United States of America, even though my enemies are not foreign but domestic. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 These articles and previous submissions require immediate de-funding and investigation of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority before more laws as in above and previously mentioned are violated by you, the agents and agencies of the government, and are now duly notified since December 3rd, 2015. You are, in this member of the people's opinion, accessories after the fact. I quote Walter Williams. "No matter how worthy the cause, it is robbery, theft, and injustice to confiscate the property of one person and give it to another to whom it doesn't belong." You have taken an oath to support, obey, and defend the Constitution and the laws. Now let's get to work. This government is required by law to make me whole and pay this bill. I look forward to somebody finally addressing this issue.
Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 Thank you for your testimony, sir.
Tiffany Green, commenting on 160083. (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. Good morning, City Council. It's been a long time since I've seen many of you. However, I want to speak to this Bill 160083. According to many reports, Philadelphia has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. This is a stain on Philadelphia, because for the past four years, many other bills, the zoning bills that have been passed, have been giving preferential treatment to developers. And we talk about -- we've come down here time and time since 2012 to talk about the gentrification and, like this gentleman here, feel like it's being disregarded. Well, gentrification, let's Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 talk about that, because the reality is that gentrification is an intentional attack on low-income and minority communities for removal. And the problem is is that our City properties are constantly being sold to developers without any kind of accountability, without anything in place to state that they need to build low affordable. But what I want to do today is, I want to put in some new terminology towards this land banking, which is low-wage, low affordable housing, because there are certain terms being concocted in certain offices regarding workforce development, workforce development housing, which is right now $200,000, according to certain officials. Well, at this time, we had the 1300 block of Bouvier sold 16 houses. Eight went towards workforce development; the other went high end, $500,000 and $200,000 on the other end. That is not going to help a city who has one of the highest poverty Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 rates. Yet, at the same time, we don't seem to be getting what we need to sustain our communities. We have blocks that used to be full of people of color. Now you go back months later and they're not there anymore. These people are being pushed out, and it's not being addressed. We're asking the new City Council members and this new class with a new attitude and a new focus on addressing the highest poverty rate in the country. That is embarrassing. Really it is embarrassing. And if I was a City Council person or elected, I would feel really embarrassed that this is on us, higher than New York and in California. That means something is wrong in Denmark, and that means that you need to address this issue now. Regarding these properties, you're going to vote on the properties that have three pages of properties. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 We're asking that -- right now Point Breeze has not received the 300 affordable housing that was promised to us by Council President on radio. And the thing about it is, we want these properties addressed for low wage. Low wage mean less than between $8 and $15 an hour. Okay? Because at this particular point, companies don't even want to -you have people working at the airport who are not even getting paid a little bit more than minimum wage. How are you going -- you're looking to pay. You can't even find apartments for $650 now. We need to address the poverty rate in Philadelphia. We can't say we're going to be the healthiest city, we're going to be the most sustainable city, and yet we have the highest poverty rate in the country? There's something wrong with this. This is not a popular fight. Otherwise I would be standing up there taking pictures with you all, but I'm not Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 about popularity. I'm about helping the poor and maintaining our communities, particularly our African American community. We want these properties addressed for low wage, low affordable. If you want to follow New York, well, the new term in New York is low-wage housing. We want this low-wage housing, and we're asking that even though it's going to go through the process, we don't want to play games, we don't want no word games or anything.
We want these three pages of houses to be designated for low-wage housing, because as of now, we got less than 25 low-wage housing in the last four years and we sold over 100, between 100 and 200 City-owned properties in Philadelphia.
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you very much. We will now consider the resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. Mr. Decker, would you please read the title of 160079.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-Seventh and Forty-Third Wards of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 160079 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 160082.
A resolution calling on the United States Department of Justice to conduct a complete and thorough investigation of the water supply disaster in Flint, Michigan that may have exposed 99,763 people to lead poisoning.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 160082 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 160083.
A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority to dispose of certain properties located in the Second Councilmanic District that will be transferred by the City to the Authority, by conveyance of such properties to the Philadelphia Land Bank in accordance with the terms of Chapter 16-700 of The Philadelphia Code.
Thank you, Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 160083 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 160084.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Thirty-Sixth Ward of the City of Philadelphia. Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING
One more time, the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 160084 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 160090.
A resolution urging The Pennsylvania General Assembly to legislate a State Local Preference for contracting processes involving entities using state and local government funds.
Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 160090 is adopted. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution calling for the City Council Committee on Education and the Committee on Children and Youth to hold hearings on the establishment of a plan to deal with the Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING transition from Pre-K to Kindergarten, introduced by Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I note that this was co-signed by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, Maria Sanchez, Mark Squilla, Gym, Cherelle Parker, Derek Green, Cindy Bass, and Blondell Reynolds Brown, and we move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING appointing members to the "Special Committee on Criminal Justice Reform," who will conduct public hearings examining the Philadelphia criminal justice system for the impact of current policies, and offer recommended strategies for reform that are in the best interest of public safety and the public good, introduced by Councilman Jones on behalf of Council President Clarke.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Mr. President, on your behalf, I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Congratulating and Honoring Patrick Murphy on his recent appointment as Acting Secretary of the United States Army, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted.
And a resolution authorizing City Council's Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to examine youth employment strategies and youth job training to increase youth employment in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted.
And a resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Labor and Civil Service to convene public hearings examining the state of retirement security for private and public sector workers in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, before I move for the adoption of the resolution, I just wanted to note for the record that soon after the November General Election, I received a congratulatory call from a friend. And after he got through his niceties, he asked me, with the issue of economic growth and neighborhood stabilization in mind, if I had obtained any income demographic research, specifically about the people who make up this new 9th Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING District constituency that I was about to serve. And then we started talking about the state of retirement security for residents in the district, and he began asking me a number of questions. He asked me if I knew the number of residents who were currently of retirement age, the rate at which others were quickly approaching retirement age. And of those, Mr. President, he wanted to know how many were homeowners. And of those homeowners, how many depended on Social Security as their only income stream, how many of them had access to assured monthly income, what we know as a guaranteed retirement pension versus some other form of retirement savings, or how many of them were even fortunate enough to have both Social Security and some form of a supplemental retirement income. As the conversation continued, he wanted to know if I had received a detailed account of how many of these residents worked in both the private and Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING the public sector. And of the private-sector industries that are demonstrating the most growth in the City of Philadelphia, how many of them offered some form of retirement benefits to employees. Well, when I realized that I did not have the answers to these very basic questions about this constituency I was about to serve and that it was very possible that quite a few of them were already or would soon be facing a precarious financial future, it was then that I decided that an informational fact-finding hearing regarding the state of retirement security could help inform our decision-making, and not only for the benefit of the 9th District but for the City as a whole. Now, while I had hoped, Mr. President, that we would have been one of the leading cities to begin studying this issue, but unfortunately the Big Apple beat us to the punch. " So while we, like every city and state in this nation, are grappling with the challenge of coming up with realtime solutions to address the fiscal realities regarding our municipal pension fund -- and I want to thank Mayor Kenney for the record for taking the lead in fostering a spirit of a collaborative approach in the development of potential remedies to address this issue -- I also think that it is equally important that we have some sense of the overall state of retirement security for both the private and public-sector workers in our city. So it is my hope that this Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING public hearing will add value to the conversation by serving as a data-gathering vehicle to, one, explore the broad range of ideas aimed at ensuring retirement security for the benefit of all of Philadelphia's workforce, both private and public, and to identify innovative and successful tools for creating financial security for retirees from a survey of research findings regarding the efficacy of national, state, and regional policy options already tested and those being explored around the nation. And it's with this spirit in mind, Mr. President, that I ask for an affirmative vote. )
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
Those opposed? Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is enthusiastically adopted.
And a resolution recognizing the talents of Kathleen "Kat" Webb for her winning submission marketing "meterUP" for the City of Philadelphia and for the Philadelphia Parking Authority, introduced by Councilman Taubenberger.
Thank you, Mr. President. I think it's a great thing when an authority that works for the City of Philadelphia comes up with the most modern technology to be able to pay your parking meter by telephone and by cell phone, but what is really special about this is when you have an employee who comes up with a marketing idea of calling it meterUP. And that should be acknowledged, and that was what I do with Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING that resolution and, Mr. President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution authorizing a joint public hearing between Council's Committee on Streets and Services and Committee on Education to investigate the allocation of funds from the revenues generated by the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program and the parking meter rate increase that took effect in 2014, as well as the costs associated with administering those Stated Meeting Invocation February 4, 2016 2/4/16 - STATED - 2ND READING programs, introduced by Councilman Oh.
Thank you. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)