Aye. The ayes are 15; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes.
Pardon me, Mr. President. This is Councilmember Gilmore Richardson. I'd like to be recorded as voting aye on that bill.
Stated Meeting 108 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you, Councilwoman. And, Councilwoman Gauthier, we still -- okay. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 220051.
An ordinance amending Section 9-4116 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "2021 Public Health Emergency Leave," to establish additional leave time under certain circumstances, modify existing provisions concerning the paid sick leave, and making technical changes.
Council President, I have a point of information to the sponsor.
Thank you, Council President. I want to thank Councilmember Brooks for this original legislation that Stated Meeting 109 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING she introduced some time ago in dealing with this issue. I know the current legislation that's on the books requires this bill to only affect businesses of 50 or more. During the hearing in the Public Health and Human Services Committee, I know there was concerns raised by the diverse chambers that, from my understanding, met with Councilmember Brooks. I wanted to get some perspective in reference to this amendment and what led to this number at 25. I know based on the information that the diverse chambers raised regarding the impact, especially the Black and Brown businesses, they were greatly concerned in reference to how this legislation would impact those businesses.
Thank you, Council President. Stated Meeting 110 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING So we reached out to many stakeholders, including businesses, workers, enforcement officials, after the meeting with the joint chambers and we came up with the number of 25 to meet halfway between what our original number was and what it was before. We wanted to make sure that we included a larger swath of businesses based on the fact that the vaccination mandates have been lifted, the pandemic is not over, and we wanted to make sure that we're encompassing so many more people than what we -- just meeting halfway between what our original number was of ten or more and what the businesses wanted at 50 and more, and I thought 25 was a reasonable compromise after meeting with the business, the workers, and the enforcement individuals.
No. I just Stated Meeting 111 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING wanted to -- thank you, Councilmember Brooks. Was there any specific data in reference to the number of 25? I know the diverse chambers have still stated that they're concerned that at that number, it would impact a significant amount of businesses, especially on our commercial corridors, and they, from my understanding, are still greatly concerned that if the legislation is below the 50 employee number, that will have a devastating impact on Black and Brown businesses, especially so many of those businesses have been impacted by the pandemic and many have actually closed because of the challenges from an economic perspective based on COVID-19.
The question was, what was the data based on in reference to the number 25, when from the Stated Meeting 112 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING diverse chambers they said that even at ten, a significant number of businesses will be impacted. So I'm trying to get a sense of how many businesses will be impacted at 25 or more employees as opposed to 50.
I don't have those exact numbers in front of me of the exact number of businesses that will be impacted by that, but we know that the paid sick leave has always considered Black and Brown folk and businesses in addition to healthcare workers and just the public in general. We're working on the request for that information at the request of another Councilmember, and when I get those numbers, I'll gladly share them with you.
Okay. But I was just trying to get a sense of what was -- you said you came to a compromise. From my understanding, the diverse chambers are still greatly concerned. I Stated Meeting 113 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING know they had a meeting with you, and in that meeting did you also have small business owners in that meeting? Because that was the other call I heard from other members in reference to those organizations, an opportunity to meet with you, especially from small business owners who could talk to you directly about how this will impact them especially as we're going through this pandemic still.
Absolutely. They were supposed to bring small business owners to that meeting. Based on the hearing, they said that I always only talked to the talking heads at the top. It was their responsibility to bring small business owners to that meeting and they did not. They only brought the leadership. And we have extended the invitation to other small business owners at the request of another organization that will happen later on in the week, but after the meeting, I can Stated Meeting 114 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING only work with what they gave me, and this was a meeting that they requested.
So if additional small business owners reach out to you regarding their concerns, you'll be open to have a conversation with them before the bill is brought up for a vote?
Thank you, Councilwoman and Councilman Green. Before I call on Councilwoman Sanchez, Councilwoman has a technology issue, but she communicated through technology that she wanted to be listed as voting aye on the last bill. It's a new world. So let the record reflect -
-- Stated Meeting 115 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING that that vote was 16; zero, that Councilwoman Gauthier did vote aye. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Council President. And I just wanted to add my voice to this kind of -to this discussion. I had reached out to Councilmember Brooks, and she kindly included me in the meeting with the ethnic chambers of commerce in the discussion, and then thereafter we had a conversation. And similar to you, Councilmember Green, I had asked for the data around the impacted businesses, and I encouraged her to look at that dataset so that we can see who is impacted. And I had a real honest conversation, you know, where we understand the economy and how small businesses, particularly family-owned businesses, operate, and I too am very concerned around this impact Stated Meeting 116 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING and hope that she will continue to talk to folks throughout this. You know, I feel more comfortable with 25 as of 10. The data will inform us around who that impacts. And as I stated to Councilmember Brooks, this is an issue of compliance, right? You know, coming from a family of small businesses, we have many ethnic businesses and immigrant businesses in the neighborhood that have people on the books and people that are not on the books. They make decisions about do I have to get rid of some people on the books so that I am not in compliance. Because the issue around compliance isn't that they aren't paying sick leave in some cases and making accommodations. It's when they have to give up their payrolls and all the other -- the back office stuff that becomes an impediment to small businesses that we have to take into consideration. The Councilwoman has been very Stated Meeting 117 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING open to that dialogue, and I think that we should continue to have this discussion around the reality of how small businesses operate and how they manage their back office and how they make decisions. So I just wanted to thank the Councilwoman and recognize that she is meeting with folks around this, and encourage all my Council colleagues to continue to have conversations with her, and when the data is available, that we look at it. And, again, this isn't that people aren't complying in their own way. It's what you show once you become a target of a potential audit in this. It becomes a burden for minority businesses and immigrant businesses, many who have undocumented folks at some level, right, and they make choices about how they manage what they have on the books. That's the reality of the economy that we've created in this country because of Stated Meeting 118 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING our failure to have adequate immigration reform to give these folks who are working and critical to all businesses in the City. So I just want to thank the Councilwoman and hope that we continue the conversation. Thank you, Council President Clarke.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilwoman, I understand you do have an amendment that reflects the conversations, the 25 conversations.
Do you want to proceed with offering that amendment today?
Okay. All right. Start again. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks for an amendment to Bill No. 220051. Stated Meeting 119 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Council President. I would like to offer an amendment to Bill No. 220051. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council, and I move for the adoption of the amendment.
All in favor of the motion will signify by saying -(Duly seconded.)
The ayes have it. Bill No. 220051, as amended, will be placed on the Final Passage Calendar for our next session of Council, with conversation to continue. The Chair recognizes Mr. Decker. Do you have any additional resolutions, sir?
Yes, Mr. President. There was a resolution on the Consent Agenda that was removed and Stated Meeting 120 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING placed on the Calendar. Resolution No. 220125, a resolution encouraging the Philadelphia Board of Education to adopt and implement a civic participation and voter registration program, as proposed by PA Youth Vote. It was introduced by Councilman Green, Mr. President.
Thank you, Council President. At times I've been very critical of the School District and the School Board in reference to various actions. This is a time I'm actually going to commend them for what I anticipate will be a vote tonight on the School Board agenda that is really creating a civic participation and voter registration program in the School District of Philadelphia. We all know that last fall, we had 22 percent voter turnout in our Stated Meeting 121 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING General Election, and we have an opportunity through this adoption tonight with this new program to enable many more eligible voters to become registered in the City of Philadelphia. Approximately 8,000 students in Philadelphia every year in our public high schools become eligible to vote every year because they turn 18. And so that's an opportunity to really increase voter turnout. Unfortunately, before this program has been adopted, only 15 percent of those students actually registered to vote. Through the Board policy that we believe will be adopted this evening, they will actually have a paid staff person or voting champion in each of our schools providing information and encouraging that type of civic participation. This is the first of this type of initiative in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I definitely want to thank Stated Meeting 122 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING PA Youth Vote, in particular my neighbor, Tom Quinn, as well as Lorene Cary from Vote That Jawn and all of the various high school students and now even alumni of our Philadelphia School District high schools, who have really pushed this initiative. They've been working on this for a number of years, and I'm just glad to see that this type of initiative is occurring in our School District and we're taking some leadership to really help promote a civic participation in our electoral process by getting our young people the opportunity to become eligible to -- who are eligible to vote actually to register to vote by having this type of initiative in our schools. With that, 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 Stated Meeting 123 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, that concludes our Calendar -
A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention to conduct public hearings to explore the role of the Philadelphia Roadmap for Safer Communities Tactical Team as part of the City's comprehensive response to unprecedented gun violence, introduced today by Councilwoman Gauthier. Stated Meeting 124 2/24/2022 2/24/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, 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.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Mr. Decker. Prior to recognizing members regarding speeches, I will note for the Stated Meeting 125 2/24/2022 we will use the Chat feature available in Microsoft Teams to allow members to signify that they wish to be recognized. In order to comply with the Sunshine Act, the Chat feature must only be used for this particular purpose. With that said, speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Council President. Last night Russia invaded the Ukraine and people are fleeing. There are a new set of refugees. What does it have to do with us? It has a lot to do with us. I recall the last time that Iraq invaded Kuwait, we ended up in a war, and it has ultimately led to a very long engagement by the United States in the war in the Middle East. We have a lot of citizens from Stated Meeting 126 2/24/2022 of the Philadelphia community who have fled the Ukraine from prior wars and aggression from Russia. At this point in time, I just wanted to convey my thoughts and prayers for the people in Ukraine, the Philadelphians with family there, and thank our City Council for passing a resolution early in February that Philadelphia stands with Ukraine. No one can be free in isolation, and no nation can be free without the bond of other free nations. That is an issue that faces every nation when another nation crosses its border and begins aggressions. It is more about the idea that we could live in a democratic nation with individual rights and liberties guaranteed by a constitution and upheld by a collective group of freedom-loving people and freedom-loving nations. Now we are challenged to see Stated Meeting 127 2/24/2022 nation will respond. It is a very challenging situation, but I do want to say that I appreciate all who understand that freedom is not free and that the cost of liberty is high, but it is critical that we maintain liberty in this world. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councilman. Very troubling times. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brooks.
Thank you, Council President. As Black History Month continues, I want to take a moment to recognize the strength, determination, and contributions of renowned physician, Philadelphia Councilmember, and Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Dr. Ethel Allen. Dr. Allen overcame almost unsurmountable barriers for Black women Stated Meeting 128 2/24/2022 education, but persevered throughout each challenge. She brought similar dedication and unapologetic energy to her work as an elected official. Although Dr. Allen was a republican and we may have had political differences, she demonstrated a fierce commitment to marginalized communities across her years of service. As she paved the way for independent Black women, both in the medical field and people like me in elected office, I won't repeat her biography because Ms. Marsh did a wonderful job during public comment, so I just want to thank her for sharing the beautiful account of her aunt's life. I think I speak for every member of Council when I say we are grateful for Dr. Allen's bravery and her commitment to our city's most vulnerable residents, and I want to thank you, colleagues, and thank you, Ms. Marsh, and Stated Meeting 129 2/24/2022 viewing public for allowing her this moment to honor her. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Talk about insurmountable odds, winning a Council seat as a republican in the Fifth Councilmanic District was no joke. It was pretty awesome. The Chair recognizes, on behalf of the majority, Councilman Thomas.
Thank you, Council President. Thank you, colleagues. A couple things I just wanted to note today. First of all, I was honored to introduce the resolution today with Councilmember Jones. It's always a pleasure to work with him. He called me the sports Councilmember, and part of the reason why that's the case is because I still coach high school basketball. We had a game yesterday -- I was talking before the Council session -- Stated Meeting 130 2/24/2022 and, you know, we lost pretty bad. What was more disappointing than the loss was actually the article that came out earlier this week about Paul Robeson and some of the concerns that the principal communicated on the record as well as to myself and other colleagues as well as the coach there about the infrastructure issues that they're facing. Paul Robeson is one of our better schools that we have in the City of Philadelphia. They've produced and performed strong academic numbers. The young people there, in large part, tend to be good citizens, hard-working teachers. And you wonder why they still have some of the infrastructure issues that they have compared to some of the progress that we've seen in places where the demographic looks a little different. And using the principal at Paul Robeson's words, not mine, SLA and what happened at SLA compared to what he's going through Stated Meeting 131 2/24/2022 of what we're talking about. So I'm really concerned around the infrastructure plan as it relates to the School District and the City of Philadelphia. We play our home games at Frankford High School, and prior to the start of the season, Frankford, Northeast, and a couple other schools put in some requests to have new scoreboards in the schools, and those requests were met. Schools were given new scoreboards, but the irony of getting a new scoreboard when the winter sports season starts and not having their scoreboard put up during winter sports seasons. So scoreboards, if you don't know, are predominantly used by girls basketball, boys basketball, wrestling, and cheerleading, all winter sports. So we ordered new scoreboards for the schools and they never got put up. This is another example of the Stated Meeting 132 2/24/2022 by not just myself and other members of City Council, but the public at-large as it relates to having a plan around the School District of Philadelphia and the infrastructure problems we have. I am not the first Councilmember to say it. I'm just providing more examples in highlighting our concern as it relates to long-term planning around the School District. My other concern related to the School District is the fact that they don't have the same level of government affairs staff that they had before, and I haven't seen any plans to hire folks. So now when we are facing issues on the City Council side, whether it's big issues like infrastructure or other issues like the Public League Championship this week, we really don't have points of contact like we had. We're forced to work with staff and other people, and it's putting us in a position where we're becoming Stated Meeting 133 2/24/2022 less efficient as it relates to the serving constituents in the City of Philadelphia. If anyone don't know, this weekend is the Public League Championship and the Catholic League Championship for boys and girls basketball. This week has been the Final Four, and if you look at the Final Four for the Philadelphia Public League, it was held at High School of the Future, and the students were limited to maybe four tickets per person, and we were told it was because of COVID, but yet we allow fans to be packed in like sardines with no mask mandates happening.
And then on the Catholic League side, they're having their games at the Palestra with thousands of people able to attend their game. And so what we're seeing is another example of disproportionate treatment as it relates to the young people who go to School District schools Stated Meeting 134 2/24/2022 District of Philadelphia plans to play their championship games at small gyms that hold less than 700 people when we have bigger gyms in the City of Philadelphia that hold thousands of people that will allow parents to see their children play in the Public League Championship. So many Councilmembers are graduates of School District of Philadelphia schools, so we know firsthand what it means to be able to participate in the Public League Championship in any sport, and now we're forcing grandparents and aunts and uncles to not be able to come to the game because we're choosing facilities that hold less than 1,000 people. We're limiting the number of people who are able to participate in these events. And then as Councilmembers, we're not adequately able to communicate these concerns on a consistent basis, because the staff members that we would work with Stated Meeting 135 2/24/2022 -- we all talked about Haniyyah Sharpe-Brown leaving a couple months ago or weeks ago -- they're not there anymore. So I'm extremely concerned as it relates to our School District in general with the infrastructure issues, the athletic competitions happening this weekend. These are just small examples of the number of concerns. We talked previously about the special admission schools, and it feels like every time we're bringing up the School District of Philadelphia, it's a constant complaint and not progress happening. So I just wanted to start with that issue. I also wanted to take a couple moments to commend the work that's been done by the Arts and Culture Task Force. All of my colleagues on Council who have been advocating for arts and culture space, the nightlife economy position is Stated Meeting 136 2/24/2022 to encourage people to apply so we can put ourself in a position to feed the economics of the City of Philadelphia. I also wanted to close out with the mention of this being Black History Month and us finishing the Black Business Crawl where we highlighted a bunch of Black businesses across the City of Philadelphia and tried our best to continue to encourage people to support and court those businesses, but I can't close out talking about Black History Month without communicating the unfortunate information that the FOP decided to sue the City of Philadelphia over the driving equality bill. I do want to thank all of my colleagues for their support as it relates to the driving equality legislation. I want to thank everybody who reached out to me, and I want to assure the public that this is legislation that we feel like is not only Stated Meeting 137 2/24/2022 responsible, but we feel like will be able to withhold the challenge in court. Thank you, Council President, for the leniency this afternoon at this point now, and thank you, colleagues, for your patience as well as the listening public.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, let me start again by saying a special thank you to you, our leadership, and all members of Council for your patience in dealing with both my technical and scheduling difficulties today. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I couldn't miss this opportunity to let you, along with members of the public, know that Stated Meeting 138 2/24/2022 out of town on business, I received some great information that really put a smile on my face. I know today that there is a Pension Board meeting, and the good news that will be received is that we will receive preliminary actuary's report today that is going to show that our funding percent has reached 55 percent, 55 percent. It was just in the mid 40's, Mr. President, five years ago. And so when we looked at those projections, I'm thinking about Matt Stitt and Bob McDermott. I'm thinking about those meetings when I first got here during my first term. We are ahead of our schedule, the schedule that we set for ourselves. In addition to that, Mr. President, I wanted to note that the decision-making, the decision-making relative to public policy, and they weren't easy decisions, that were made Stated Meeting 139 2/24/2022 the Pennsylvania House, several members of Council who are no longer even here, Mr. President, who made tough decisions regarding municipal pension funds and retirement security ensured that it would be in existence for current retirees and the future. Sometimes we don't see the return on investment immediately, Mr. President. It took some time, but now we are beginning to see the fruits of that labor. And so I will -- I'm in the car on the phone. I don't have the files, any of the information in front of me. We will be putting together a resolution next week so that we can formally recognize the accomplishments of our Pension Board, to Fran Bielli and his team, Rob Dubow. And, again, we'll go through all of them next week, Mr. President. But for something that had been on the chopping block about how terrible Stated Meeting 140 2/24/2022 was, when defined benefit pensions across the City are -- across this nation, to be quite frank, are becoming a thing of the past, we found a way to do it, Mr. President, reducing the assumed rate of return, getting additional revenue from that sales tax, making adjustments to plan design that would not have been done without the municipal workers, but we preserved retirement security for municipal workers in the City of Philadelphia and that, Mr. President, in the midst of all that's going wrong is something we should be sure enough proud of. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. I recall those days and times and the commitment, all folks involved, and it was unprecedented and the difficult decisions that were made by all parties, and I particularly want to talk about our Stated Meeting 141 2/24/2022 it relates to municipal unions. They stepped up to the plate and it was a difficult sale to their members, but they did what they had to do and now we're fortunate that we have a stabilized environment as it relates to our pension fund. So thank you, and thank you for your tenure up in Harrisburg moving the needle up there, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green.
Thank you, Council President, and I want to commend Councilmember Thomas for all the work he's doing in reference to education with the youth and with sports and really making a very impassioned speech regarding what he sees on a regular basis regarding our facilities. Earlier in the session I gave some credit and praise to the School District and the School Board in reference to encouraging citizen Stated Meeting 142 2/24/2022 people, but at the same point, our infrastructure is not where it needs to be. Last Wednesday I participated in the press conference along with Penn Environment, PennPIRG, and the Black Center for Justice and Equality. It was based on a report regarding the fact that 98 percent of the drinking water that was tested in our public schools had lead in it. Sixty-one percent of the outlets in our schools were tested with lead. Now, this ability to have this testing was due to the hard work that this body has done. I know Councilmember Gym, Councilmember Squilla have been focused on this issue and passing legislation back in 2017 that allowed us to get the data. But in response to this report, the District challenged the data, and I find it quite troubling that they could challenge the data, because the data came from the School District of Philadelphia. Stated Meeting 143 2/24/2022 and report that they're challenging actually came from the School District. And it's a great concern that the District is still doing these issues and taking attempts to address issues in ways that are not correct, in ways that are not transparent, when the whole basis of the study was based on legislation we did here in City Council and the information for that study came from the School District itself. So we still have a lot of work to do. The work that all of us have been doing in our Council districts and all parts of the City, the things we've been trying to do to address the District as a whole, the words that were stated by Councilmember Thomas and have been stated by so many members of this body regarding the infrastructure of our schools needs to be addressed, and we have to make sure we get the lead out of our schools. This will be an issue that will definitely come up in our budget process, Stated Meeting 144 2/24/2022 the School District receives a significant amount of dollars from us through our real estate tax, and we're going to ask these questions, as we always do, in reference to what are they doing to address this issue as well as all of the other infrastructure concerns we have in the School District regarding asbestos, pest infestation, mold, and all the other things that our children, who need to have a great environment to learn in and a building that we need to have a great environment for our teachers to work in and for other School District employees to work in, needs to occur. And this is an issue that many members of this body have been addressing for some time, from our Education Chair, Councilmember Maria Quinones-Sanchez, to all members of Council, and we will discuss this again during the budget season. Thank you, Council President.
Stated Meeting 145 2/24/2022 you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez.
Thank you, Council President Clarke. And this infrastructure and this School District conversation we'll continue to have around infrastructure and building, and I know, Council President, you've allowed some latitude around this discussion and the establishment of a workgroup to look at putting together a building authority that really can focus in on capacity, expertise, you know, as we search for a new Superintendent, an educational leader who doesn't have to constantly respond to issues of an expertise in an area of capacity that has been challenging for the District. So I look forward to, again, all my colleagues and this conversation and this space, Squilla, Gym of course, Councilmember Green and others who we've Stated Meeting 146 2/24/2022 this, but we really have to deal with the big picture around where we're going to be, as billions of dollars enter and how we use them and leverage them and make decisions about them are important. I wanted to talk a little bit -- you know, it's Black History Month and all of us have been attending panels and having discussions around equity, inclusion, diversity. Councilmember Jones and I last week talked a little bit around this around the contracting and the development community, but I wanted to take a moment and just recognize the Inquirer's own self-analysis around their position around diversity and what they called a more perfect union. If folks didn't read it, they self-assessed around all -- their headline, "All Buildings Matter," which was quite controversial. And I'm encouraged by the fact that they have some internal workgroups. There's been Stated Meeting 147 2/24/2022 left, some people who have fallen on the sword, and thankfully we still have some very dynamic reporters of color who have been working in that culture for many years despite all the challenges that they've self-recognized. It's not always that we get media outlets that say mea culpa, we did some stuff that's wrong, we're looking to change. The value and the importance of that is that the image that is portrayed by our Black and Brown communities by these media outlets impact everything we do, policy formation, how we respond, how we react. Over the next month before we get into this budget and throughout the budget, we're going to have a lot of conversations around diversity and inclusion and really hold people to task about what they say and then what they do. And one of the things that I've enjoyed in a post-COVID, post-social Stated Meeting 148 2/24/2022 is, I can have these conversations and be a little bit more direct and be unapologetic about what I hear people see and then what I watch them do, which is very opposite to that diversity and inclusion. So I want to thank my colleagues who have used this month to uplift folks who have been trailblazers. I didn't realize Ethel Allen was republican, so when you said that in the Fifth Councilmanic District, we're standing on those shoulders and many shoulders of people who have come in and have fought the good fight. But I'll say to you, in a Council that is majority people of color, you know, we really have to hold folks to task around some of these goals that they've spoken to. I know Councilman Johnson had several hearings where we talked about this, who we do business with, how we do diversity. And I'm ready to say to folks, I'm tired of you moving the goalpost on us. You Stated Meeting 149 2/24/2022 to include us, but you create access and barriers to access to capital, to contracting and all those things. So I look forward to working with my Council colleagues.
I'm taking note that as the Inquirer works on this, unfortunately at the same time, just this morning Ernest Owens reported that they're being challenged on salary inequities as it relates to some of their reporters. And I bring this up because one of the things I've learned as Chair of Appropriations as I talk to departments, we have many departments -and, Council President, I know I've mentioned this to you -- the Public Defender's Office and other places, that tend to be 90 percent people of color who are the lowest paid. We have people working for government that are still eligible for WIC and SNAP. When we get to the budget, as I mentioned to you, there's someone Stated Meeting 150 2/24/2022 Defender's Office after 50 years and he only makes $45,000. So we got a lot of work to do around this stuff, and I hope that in this budget process, we really do not use limitations and lack of us being bold, to continue to use excuses and allow -- you know, Councilwoman Brooks is talking about sick leave, giving people real access, but no one should be working for government, no one should be in this space and the inequities around departments of color be allowed to continue. You know, you want to say thank you and you mentioned the unions who were instrumental in this pension reform that we're doing, that we did. Now we'll meet our goal in 2028 as opposed to 2031 in terms of 80 percent funded. We've always asked our workers and our workers of color to step up to the plate. It's time for us to step up to the plate and say to Stated Meeting 151 2/24/2022 them, we will not have anybody working in government that is eligible for WIC, that is eligible for SNAP or any other government benefit because of the inequities in salaries, and that includes lawyers and lawyers of color who graduate with loan debt. And I say that as a mom of an L1 student at Temple, right? They should not have to make choices about where they go work, particularly if they want to come into the public policy sector, because of our miserable salaries. So I'm ready to tackle that on. I just -- it's really hard to meet with departments and hear these stories over and over and over again how we discriminate against people of color in the workplace, right? So the Inquirer called itself out. I'm going to call us out and say we got a lot of work to do in our budget in our department. So thank you, Council President. I know you always allow me Stated Meeting 152 2/24/2022 Chair of Appropriations to have these fights and these battles, a lot of them behind closed doors, right, not necessarily public, but I think it's time that we are in a new place and a new time in our history where this should no longer be tolerable. So thank you very much, Council President and my colleagues. Look forward to that work.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Yes, we do, and we will step up. The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. Just a couple brief announcements. One, I want to thank Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and her team, Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Nash and Deputy Commissioner Kevin [sic] Dales, for participating in a virtual Stated Meeting 153 2/24/2022 It was very, very informative, greatly received from constituents all across the Second Councilmanic District and the City of Philadelphia as a whole, because people want to feel safe, and at the end of the day, information goes a long way to reassuring them that we are addressing this issue as much as we can. So I just wanted to publicly acknowledge her and her team, because at the end of the day, we must have a safe city, and if we have people being carjacked, none of us, none of us, including Councilmembers, are exempt to someone jumping out on us, putting a gun in our face, in our family members' faces and taking our cars or even one of us losing our lives as it relates to the senseless carjacking that's taking place. And I'm sure her and her team will continue to stay on this issue. And acknowledge you also, Council President and the leadership team, for also Stated Meeting 154 2/24/2022 we can tackle this issue as well as the senseless gun violence that we're seeing taking place here in the City of Philadelphia right now. And we're even at a higher percentage to date than we are than last year when it comes to homicides, which means we may surpass 600 homicides this year. But I'm not going to claim it. I'm going to claim that we're going to continue to work aggressively to reduce the level of gun violence that we're seeing here in the City of Philadelphia. m. at the Christian Street YMCA, OTIS, which is the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability, will be unveiling the Washington Avenue plan. Now, I know a lot of you have probably received e-mails regarding the design of Washington Avenue, and I want Stated Meeting 155 2/24/2022 Squilla for also working in partnership with myself and OTIS to come up with a plan that reflects all of the residents that reside not only in the Second Councilmanic District, in the First Councilmanic District. And I'm going to say that again, all of the residents. This has been a very, very contentious process. Some of the so-called progressive individuals who believe that this design should be one way, this counts the long-term residents, who also have a perspective. And so this process regarding redesigning Washington Avenue started during the pandemic. A lot of the survey and data collection we're taking online during the pandemic, and then when the last final process was unveiled, you had some long-term residents and some RCOs and community leaders to say, hey, wait a minute, you know, there is a digital divide. A lot of us weren't able to Stated Meeting 156 2/24/2022 we were shut down because of COVID, and we want to have a say. So I applaud OTIS for saying, well, wait a minute, let us do a working group in neighborhoods such as Point Breeze and Grays Ferry to listen to the long-term residents and to get their perspective about the redesign of Washington Avenue, and OTIS actually did that, and they made the decision to scrap the three-lane plan. I'm going to say that again. OTIS made the decision, not Councilman Squilla, not Councilman Johnson, OTIS made the decision to scrap the three-lane plan in the name of equity, listening to all of the constituents. m. at Christian Street YMCA. But this has been a very eye-opening experience.
I've heard from sources comments being said that we're Stated Meeting 157 2/24/2022 leftovers, "leftovers" meaning those individuals who are long-term residents, not new residents, which is totally despicable when you hear comments made such as that. When you talk about Black lives matter, well, at the end of the day, when you talk about the issue of equity, that should apply to everyone, not just because you want something to be the way you want it to be. m. I just wanted to put that out there for the record, because I've seen several different articles padding Mark Squilla and myself as like the bad guys, trying to not make Washington Avenue safe. I lived in Point Breeze all my life. I still live in Point Breeze. Now I'm raising my family, right? And so if anybody who is going to make sure that everyone is safe, it's definitely going Stated Meeting 158 2/24/2022 myself, similar Mark Squilla, always living in South Philadelphia. So we didn't just arrive on the set and say, wait a minute, we don't want Washington Avenue to be safe. We want to make sure that the process is inclusive and diverse for everyone. My last announcement, Council President, is that on next Wednesday, March the 2nd, I will be hosting with the Special Committee on Gun Violence, we will be hosting a hearing on youth mental health trauma and gun violence. We talked about addressing this issue from a public health standpoint. The Surgeon General recently released a report talking about the increase in depression and mental health issues amongst young people. And so this Special Committee on Gun Violence will do a deep dive and take a look at the mental and behavioral health issues that have an impact on our young people and the correlation with gun violence. Stated Meeting 159 2/24/2022 address the issue of trauma and support amongst our young people, and that event is going to take -- that's going to be on Wednesday. Let me make sure I have the time correct. Special Committee on Gun Violence, for individuals who may want to testify, let me get you the exact time, and that's it, Council President. m. Yes. m. Thank you very much, Council President. Keep up the good work, my colleagues.
Thank you, Councilman. Thank you for that very informative and important conversation. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I also wanted to chime in on Stated Meeting 160 2/24/2022 facilities and School District-owned facilities. I want to first thank Councilmember Thomas for bringing the Paul Robeson issue to the floor and expressing support. I also want to express my support for Principal Gordon and the school community over there. I had the opportunity to sit in on a town hall meeting late last year where there were a large amount of parents and Principal Gordon was one, of course, and they were talking about this facility issue and how long the school has waited for these repairs, and they were also sort of expressing that parents and students have really dug in with Principal Gordon to make Paul Robeson High a supportive and wonderful community for the students. They've achieved many honors over the past several years, and so they feel like they've done the work and the District hasn't met them with appropriate investment in their Stated Meeting 161 2/24/2022 success and that the lack of investment also doesn't appreciate how hard everyone has been working. So I just thought, you know, that was -- it was really poignant to hear them speak about it from that perspective. And I also want to say that my impression was that although the school community really wants the repairs to happen and to happen ASAP, they were, you know, really in the near term asking for clarity, at least a schedule, when can we expect these repairs to happen, and that is not -- that's more than reasonable. And so after that meeting, you know, I talked with folks at the District and expressed my support and just want to advocate for that publicly as well. And I also want to say that the District's approach to the issue at Robeson High and many of our schools and facilities also reminds me about the Stated Meeting 162 2/24/2022 pool. The District owns an Olympic-sized pool at the Sayre Recreation Center that has been out of commission for five years, leaving Cobbs Creek youth with less access to resources and recreation and also leaving Parks and Recreation without a place to train lifeguards, which has impacted our ability to open pools. The community has fought for that -- the reopening of that facility for five years. We were given an assessment that it would take $3 million to renovate that pool and get it back in working order. State Representative Joanna McClinton and myself said that we would put up a million dollars to get that pool renovated. Dr. Hite turned that offer down, said that he would put the whole entire amount of the $3 million amount in front of the Board. The next thing we know, a $10 million recommendation is put in front of the Board, with no information to the Stated Meeting 163 2/24/2022 increase and no information to the Board, and it was voted down. And so I just want to express an extreme level of frustration with the District's approach to its investment in facilities. We're being asked to wait until there is a plan. This is a dynamic city with a number of needs we have to do while we plan. And I also think that it is inequitable that the ones that have to wait for the plan are always Black and Brown children and Black and Brown communities. We're tired of waiting. And so I just wanted to add my voice to this conversation and to say this has to -- we have to take a different approach to this. Our community members and our kids deserve nothing less than that.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb. Stated Meeting 164 2/24/2022
Thank you, Council President. There have been some comments made recently that I'd like to comment on, because I think or I hope they weren't meant the way they were delivered. First, I want to mention this pandemic has taken its toll on everyone, our families, our friends, our neighbors, all Philadelphians, even all of us here today, and our businesses and our workers also took their hits. As the data has proven and as stories have been told, restaurants, hotels, and the entire hospitality industry, including our tourism industry, was decimated, crushed, more so than any other sector in our economy, and they're still lagging in their ability to recover. January and February were devastating months for hospitality. So I'd like to thank the restaurants for doing everything they Stated Meeting 165 2/24/2022 doors open and safely serve us all, but mostly for surviving through the pandemic. Thank you for every City-mandated sign you hung in the window, for every temperature you took. You know when you used to have to take temperatures before we walked in a restaurant. For every vaccination card you checked, for every sponsored vaccination clinic you ran, and for every time you asked a customer to put their mask on as they left the table, hoping not to hear the wrath of their opinion on this topic. It's been very difficult for everyone but especially those in the restaurant business, to say the least. I'd also like to thank the restaurants for fighting to keep Philadelphians, our residents, employed at a time when carrying a payroll was and has never been more difficult. So thank you to the restaurants and their workers Stated Meeting 166 2/24/2022 through each and every shift and safely served all of us while they were wearing a mask for eight hours and ten hours and 12 hours straight. This industry has shown us what resilience looks like, and I thank them for their creativity and advocacy these past two years. Our restaurants were the only thing that helped bring us together during COVID in a safe manner. Thank you, and thank you for keeping that fund going when we needed it the most. I also want to comment, Council President, and talk openly about the safety in our city. I believe it's our job as elected leaders to reduce the anxiety that comes with where we are in this moment, and we need to let people know what's being done to keep them safe. With Group Violence Intervention, GVI, I know Councilmembers Jones and Johnson have been spearheading our gun safety and Stated Meeting 167 2/24/2022 programs, doing a great job. We have support services working diligently to offer alternatives to those who want a new way forward, and we want to avoid them being in our systems. We have multiple layers of law enforcement, federal, state, and local entities, talking with one another regularly to course correct, share intelligence, and support one another. I personally am appreciative of the arrests made this week to remove a dangerous person from our community. This was someone who led a carjacking ring and murdered two people in our city and someone who may lead us to several others committing acts of violence in our streets. This arrest was made possible because the very people we need to come together are doing just that. We are not perfect, but we are taking back control of the City by working together. I encourage everyone to get to know the support service Stated Meeting 168 2/24/2022 officers in their neighborhoods. Let them know what you need, let them know what you know, and let them know what you see. And I ask every single public employee working on behalf of our city to rise to this moment and outwardly appreciate each and every person who lives or works in this great city. We are a community when we see one another.
We're a community when we acknowledge one another, and when we extend a hand to one another, we're really a community. We are stronger if we do this together. So I ask that our leaders all remember how closely people are listening to what we say and how it impacts what people do and say to one another. And on that note, I think we're all pleased to see the arrest made this week that makes Philadelphia a safer city for all of us. Thank you, Council President. Stated Meeting 169 2/24/2022
Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. We definitely need to work together. Councilman Jones and then I think Councilman Johnson wanted to come back with a point of information. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank Member Thomas for being my Jiminy Cricket social conscience, reminding me about the issues that our students face in the facilities they go to trying to seek an education. Overbrook High School, we did a video and we're going to repost it. We did a walking tour through there, and on the abandoned fourth and fifth floor, it looked like a scene out of an apocalyptic movie, post-collapse of society. There were desks strewn everywhere where there used to be a thriving music program, and it just talked about the disinvestment Stated Meeting 170 2/24/2022 others face. If you went down the basement where there was a championship basketball team, where Wilt Chamberlain played, the lockers and locker room were places where you wouldn't want to lay down a towel, more or less get dressed for a game. So thank you, Member Thomas, for reminding us of that. What I speak to today is the Interfaith Movement for Change done by Minister Robinson, had us out in front of the School District headquarters. Why is that important? Because he wants to restore a curriculum in our public schools that talks about business, that talks about entrepreneurism, and one of the things that I remember is that there are some people that are trained, educated in our schools to work for wages. The other people that are trained and educated to work for profit. When you're working for wages, that's wonderful, but you can't leave Stated Meeting 171 2/24/2022 son or daughter. What you can do as an entrepreneur is leave your assets, your business, to your children. And when I think about what Member Domb said about the carjacking, the more we help young people swim their way out of poverty, run their way out of poverty through track and field, non-traditional sports such as lacrosse, play their way out of inner city conditions, the less carjacking there will be. So what Member Thomas brought up and what Member Gauthier talked about with Sayre swimming pool is a direct correlation to outcomes for our young people. If we wait and we say, all right, next capital budget, the one after that or the following one in the Five Year Plan, those are generations of young people that miss the opportunity to see a college campus, to become Olympians. Stated Meeting 172 2/24/2022 is an urgency of time to fix these things. The school-to-prison pipeline is a real thing, and the more opportunities through sports, through education that we provide those young people, we divert them from that prison population. The difference between standing on the podium of the Olympics and standing up as the defendant please rise in the courtroom are these decisions we make about capital improvements to our schools. So thank you, Member Thomas. Thank you, Member Gauthier. Thank you, Member Domb for being my Jiminy Cricket and reminding me why this budget process that we're about to embark upon is so important. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Thank you so much. Stated Meeting 173 2/24/2022 Johnson, did you need to make another point?
Yeah. Just one point, Council President. The hearing on youth mental health trauma and gun violence is going to be Tuesday -- I'm sorry; Wednesday, March the 2nd, but it's going to be at 1:00 p.m. Earlier I said 10:00 a.m. It's going to actually be 1:00 p.m. And then also I just want to just wrap up the conversation regarding the conditions of the facilities and providing opportunities for our young people to go in school -- to go to school in high-quality environments. Just remind all of our colleagues that we're going through a search process right now for the next Superintendent here in the City of Philadelphia, and even if we are allocating a budget to the School District, it's their responsibility to prioritize the upkeep and maintenance of these buildings. Stated Meeting 174 2/24/2022 wanted to put that out there. Hopefully we're actively paying attention to who that next Superintendent will be. And also during the next process, I know we have a lot of aspiring mayoral candidates to pay attention to individuals who will be appointed on that School Board, because, again, if we're appropriating the budget, if nothing is being done with that budget, then all the work we're doing is for naught from an enforcement standpoint. Just wanted to put that out there, Council President. And have a blessed day, everyone.
Thank you, Councilman. I wasn't aware there were people interested in running for Mayor. With that, I'm going to recognize -- I'm sorry. I digress. With that, I'm going to Stated Meeting 175 2/24/2022 a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much and, again, please be safe out there. Thank you all. God bless you. ) Stated Meeting 177 2/24/2022 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.