Stated Meeting 1 10/13/2022 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA STATED MEETING City Hall, Room 400 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, October 13, 2022 10:33 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILWOMAN JAMIE GAUTHIER COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON COUNCILWOMAN HELEN GYM COUNCILMAN CURTIS JONES, JR. COUNCILMAN DAVID OH COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA COUNCILMAN ISAIAH THOMAS MICHAEL A. DECKER, CHIEF CLERK Stated Meeting 2 10/13/2022
Thank you all, and good morning. We're going to get started now. Thank you. To give our invocation this morning, the Chair recognizes Minister Charmaine Ashby of the First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia. She is here today as the guest of Councilman Jones. I would ask all members and guests to please rise. (Councilmembers and guests rise.)
You may be seated. Oh, I'm sorry. So I want to bring you greetings from the First African Baptist Church where Pastor Terrence Griffith is the pastor. We're located at 6700 Lansdowne Avenue. Stated Meeting 3 10/13/2022 honor my Lord and savior Jesus Christ, who has brought me here today, and I want to honor the Councilmembers who are doing this awesome job of running this city and all of the support that they have. I honor you as well. Would you please join with me as we ask the Lord's blessing upon this session. Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to you today, Lord God, because we understand that you are the God of the entire earth. We understand that heaven and earth belong to you. We're so grateful this morning, Lord, that you've allowed us to see another day. We're so grateful, Lord God, that we have a reasonable portion of health and strength. We may not feel as good as we want to, Lord, but we're here today and we're just grateful and we're thankful. We're thankful, Lord God, for Stated Meeting 4 10/13/2022 Council, this City Council, Lord God, who you have handpicked to do this job. We are asking, Lord God, that you would allow your spirit to come in this place. You said in your word that we can do nothing without you. So we humble ourselves before you today acknowledging that; acknowledging, Lord God, that the decisions that are made, that the things that are said will all be done in your presence; acknowledging, Lord God, that you're not somewhere far off, but you're right here close to each and every one of us. We ask a special blessing today upon the Honorable Curtis Jones, who is over our District 4, for all the work that he has done there. We're thanking you for the food distribution program, Lord God, that has cut so many people's grocery bills down. We're thanking you for that. We're asking, Lord God, that you would continue to bless these kinds Stated Meeting 5 10/13/2022 entire city. We're just giving you praise and honor and glory, God, because we understand, Lord God, at the end of the day, we have to answer to you. And we're thanking you for all these things. In the matchless name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. (Amen.)
Thank you, Minister. Thank you so much. Council will be at ease. (Council at ease.)
Thank you so much. And, again, thank you, Minister, for those encouraging, spiritual guidance this morning. We appreciate it. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank Stated Meeting 6 10/13/2022 much, Council President, and thank you, colleagues. I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome some future leaders to our Chambers and to this body. Today we are pleased and proud to have students from the Community College of Philadelphia via the City Council Fellowship Program. As I call your name, please stand. Kiara, Alejandra, Zanev, Taylor, Anthony, Eleanor, Sierra, Sheldon, and Zaniyyah. And they are here with their two professors. We all know Professor Malika Rahman and Professor Liz Canapary. We welcome you so much to Philadelphia City Council. And we're also hosting students from your district, Council President, students from Temple University. They are being Temple made.
So we Stated Meeting 7 10/13/2022 of them to Philadelphia City Council. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you so much for being here to see your government in action live and in living color. We appreciate it. Our next order of business is the approval of the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 6, 2022, and the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 6, 2022 be approved. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the Journal of the meeting of Thursday, October 6, 2022 stand approved. Stated Meeting 8 10/13/2022 by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and our Journal is approved. And our next order of business is requests for leave of absence, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the members of Council, there are two requests for leaves of absence today, one from Member Brooks and one from Member Johnson.
Thank you, Councilman. Leave shall be granted for Councilmember Brooks and Councilman Johnson. The Chair now recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion concerning certain legislative matters Stated Meeting 9 10/13/2022 arise during the course of today's session of Council that were not listed on the Calendar circulated prior to today's session.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that any of the following matters, if considered today, may be added to the agenda for this session of Council and, as required by law, subsequently published on an amended agenda after the consideration of those matters: resolutions authorizing hearings, amendments to bills on first reading, the consideration of a bill vetoed by or re-called from the Mayor, amendments to bills re-called from the Mayor, resolutions taking substantive action to be voted on in this session, a motion to withdraw a bill or resolution that is not on the Calendar, and a motion placing a bill or resolution on or returning a bill or resolution from the Suspension Calendar that is not listed on today's Calendar. Stated Meeting 10 10/13/2022 of this motion is to provide the public with notice concerning possible actions by Council that arose too late to be included in the Calendar that was published prior to today's session. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded that the legislative matters stated by Councilman Squilla may be added to the agenda for today, should those matters arise during the course of this session. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the motion is approved. And our next order of business is communications, and I would ask the Stated Meeting 11 10/13/2022 the messages from the Mayor or any other additional communications that he may have in his possession.
From the Mayor to the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, I am transmitting for the consideration of your honorable body a resolution confirming the appointment of Ellen Mattleman Kaplan as a member of the Board of Ethics, to serve in the term ending November 16, 2027; and An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to accept a historically-designated building from 2000 Arch Associates, which will move and reinstall the building in Aviator Park, 200 North 19th Street, to become part of the Fairmount Park system, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation, all under certain terms and conditions. Stated Meeting 12 10/13/2022
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Decker. Councilwoman Richardson, did you ask to be recognized again?
No, Council President. No, Council President. Thank you.
Okay. Yeah. No. It was from before. Okay. Thank you. I got this new technology. I got to get used to it. Thank you. Our next order of business is the introduction of bills and resolutions, and the Clerk will please read the titles of the legislation that's being offered today by the members of Council.
Councilman Thomas offers a privileged resolution honoring and congratulating Champion of the Week, Jayda Pugliese, for receiving a prestigious fellowship from the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, for her Stated Meeting 13 10/13/2022 exemplary work as an educator in and outside of the classroom.
Councilman Jones offers three bills and three resolutions. On behalf of Council President Clarke, an ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: Columbia Avenue and Frankford Avenue; Belgrade Street and Susquehanna Avenue; Belgrade Street and Palmer Street; Howard Street and Thompson Street; Howard Street and Girard Avenue; Oxford Street and Frankford Avenue; and An ordinance establishing parking regulations in the vicinity of: North 2nd Street and Master Street; North 2nd Street and Thompson Street; Palethorp Street and Girard Avenue; Mascher Street and Girard Avenue; Eyre Street and Belgrade Street; Palmer Street and Thompson Street and Hancock Street; and An ordinance establishing Stated Meeting 14 10/13/2022 parking regulations in the vicinity of: Page Street and North 18th Street; Monument Street and North 17th Street; Diamond Street and North 17th Street; North 16th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue; Bouvier Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
And a non-privileged resolution naming the 600 block of North 56th Street as "Reverend Leonard George Carr Way."
And a privileged resolution recognizing and honoring Dannon Green for his documentary film "The Executioners: We All Had a Chance," which tells the story of Marvin "Toochie" Gordon's and Frank Taylor's Gym, The Executioners, and the impact that it had on the lives of young Black men growing Stated Meeting 15 10/13/2022 up in Philadelphia.
And a non-privileged resolution formally apologizing for the heinous acts of abuse and torture perpetuated against inmates at Holmesburg Prison during the 1950's through 1970's.
Councilwoman Gauthier offers a non-privileged resolution naming the 6000 Block of Spruce Street "Julia Chinn Way."
Councilman O'Neill offers one bill, entitled "An ordinance authorizing the installation of all-way stop signs at the intersection of Larkspur Street and Gifford Street."
Referred to committee. Stated Meeting 16 10/13/2022
Councilman Oh offers a privileged resolution recognizing and thanking Philadelphia Performing Arts, A String Theory Charter School for reaching out and enrolling displaced children impacted by the war in Ukraine.
There are no other bills or resolutions being offered today by the members, Mr. President.
Thank you very much, Mr. Decker. And our next order of business is reports from committee, and the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for a report from the Committee on Public Safety.
Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Public Safety offers one bill with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you, Councilman. Stated Meeting 17 10/13/2022 Decker, please read that report.
To the President and members of the Council of the City of Philadelphia, the Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred Bill No. 220654, entitled "An ordinance amending Chapter 10-300, entitled 'Minors,' to revise the evening curfew hours," respectfully reports it has considered and amended the same and returns the attached bill to Council with a favorable recommendation.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you again, Mr. President. I move that the rules of Council be suspended as to permit first reading of this Bill No. 220654 today. (Duly seconded.)
Stated Meeting 18 10/13/2022 moved and properly seconded that the rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading this day of Bill No. 220654. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that bill will be on our First Reading Calendar today. That concludes our reports from committee, and our next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bill just reported from committee with a suspension of the rules has been deemed to have had its first reading and will be placed on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. There are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar, so the Stated Meeting 19 10/13/2022 2ND READING Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up resolutions and bills that are on our Calendar today.
Thank you again, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up from the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Bills No. 220818, 220822, 220823, and 220655. All other bills and resolutions are being held.
Thank you very much. Before we consider the resolutions and bills that are on our Calendar today, we will have our public comment session. It will go as follows: Your public comment must concern legislative matters on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar for possible action at today's session. All speakers must sign up in order to testify. If you have not already signed up, you may do so now. You can give your name to the Sergeant-At-Arms at the table Stated Meeting 20 10/13/2022 set up for this purpose in the hallway just outside the Council Chambers. Once you have signed up, you will be called in the order in which your name appears on the sign-up sheet. Today we will have three minutes to speak. With 30 seconds left on your timeframe, you will be reminded of that. There's a device on the podium. It will turn yellow. And when it turns red, we ask you to please conclude your remarks. We also reserve the right pursuant to the rules of Council to limit repetitious comment of speakers. So with that, I want to thank you for your participation today, and Mr. Decker, please call the first name on the list.
The first speaker today, Mr. President, is Vick Patel, commenting on 220655. (Speaker approached podium.)
Good Stated Meeting 21 10/13/2022 morning. Good morning. Just state your name for the record and please proceed.
Good morning. My name is Vick Patel and I am a supervising attorney in the Housing Unit at Community Legal Services, and I'm here to talk about Bill No. 220655, the bill extending the eviction diversion program. Now, this bill is going to extend the requirement that landlords participate in the Philadelphia eviction diversion program, which has been an enormous success. It has helped thousands of landlords and tenants come to a peaceful resolution outside of court. But a little bit of background, this program was first created in the summer of 2020 as part of the Emergency Housing Protections Act, and since then, it's gone through several different forms, but its most recent form was just put into place earlier this year. Now, it requires that landlords Stated Meeting 22 10/13/2022 send a notice to the tenant and then participate in the program in good faith for 30 days. It also connects tenants with housing counselors. Now, we're going to hear from a housing counselor in just a minute, but housing counselors have been incredibly important to the City of Philadelphia since the creation of the foreclosure diversion program, which this program is modeled after. Now, this is a free program for landlords and tenants. It's far less intimidating than court, and it actually provides landlords and tenants with the space to discuss their issues. And that's one of the most compelling parts of this program, is that it works to repair the landlord-tenant relationship. Now, when it can't repair the landlord-tenant relationship, it allows an amicable resolution, because then landlords don't have to go to court, but then tenants also don't have a filing Stated Meeting 23 10/13/2022 that follows them around for the rest of their lives. Now, I'm going to make a distinct point of this. When a tenant has a filing in court, regardless of what happens, even if the tenant wins in court, that follows them around for the rest of their life, making it harder to access safe and affordable housing in the future. So this program doesn't just keep people housed right now, it allows people access to safe and affordable housing in the future. Finally, this program, because it allows things to be resolved outside of court, it actually saves court for the things that need to be in court, for the complex things that require a judge, that require the judicial system. Community Legal Services is proud to be part of the coalition that has helped to build and support the eviction diversion program and will continue to work on improving and growing Stated Meeting 24 10/13/2022 this program, and we deeply appreciate all the support that all of you have given to this program over the past couple of years and ask for you to continue to support this vital program as it continues to support Philadelphians in getting access to safe and affordable housing. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Abraham Pardo, commenting on 220655. (Speaker approached podium.)
Good morning. Please state your name for the record.
Hi. Good morning, everyone. Abraham Reyes Pardo. I'm proudly the Director of Housing at the Urban League of Philadelphia, a civil rights non-profit organization, but also HUD-approved housing counselor. Stated Meeting 25 10/13/2022 I have a written testimony here, but I also -- I would like to open by mentioning the fact that I'm here standing providing testimony today, and directly immediately after I'm heading out to provide -- up to North Philadelphia to provide support for the hundred families that had to be removed from the Lindley Apartment complex due to faulty living conditions that the landlord neglected to address. So I'm here in support of Bill 220655 to extend Philadelphia's acclaimed eviction diversion program. If it is true that the pandemic has left a mark in our lives, the most vulnerable populations continue to fight some of the side effects, which includes the current conditions of the housing market. Renters across the United States and Philadelphia are trying to navigate the uncertainties of many evolving scenarios, including their incapacity to access affordable mortgages Stated Meeting 26 10/13/2022 and the situation related to investors buying out properties. This whole situation was amplified by the recent report by the Pew Charitable Trust, which indicated that in the last three months of the year 2021, private equity firms purchased nearly 20 percent of all U.S. homes. Nearly a third of American house sales went to people who had no intention of living in them. Private equity is now the most prominent banker among the 35 largest owners of multi-family buildings, and at times they don't only hold the stock but also write the rules of a significantly under-regulated field. All of this to say that the circumstances surrounding the housing market continue to elevate the relevance of the eviction diversion program, which thanks to your support became a national reverent. Now more than ever our most vulnerable communities are in need of a safe space to mediate and de-escalate Stated Meeting 27 10/13/2022 matters before they make it to Municipal Court. The budgets of some of the affected families are already stretched thin in trying to keep up with their basic living expenses, hence that some of them make the decision to risk their housing stability by foregoing what at times might be perceived as their most significant expense, their housing expense. However, through the eviction diversion program, tenants access support from dedicated groups of affordable -- of housing counselors certified by the Department of Housing. We act as translators for all participants regardless of their financial profile. We play the role of connectors and advocates, setting realistic expectations for both parties and creating physical plans of action for all participants. The program has already proven to have the capacity to successfully Stated Meeting 28 10/13/2022 connect struggling families with the services and resources that they need. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. The next speaker is Peter Winslow, commenting on 220322. (Speaker approached podium.)
Good morning. My name is Peter Winslow. I'm a Philadelphia resident. I speak to you today as President of A Smart Collaboration, as a representative of the Philadelphia Public Banking Coalition, and as a candidate that you recommended to Mayor Kenney for appointment to the initial Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Public Financial Authority. Thank you, President Clarke and members of Council, for this opportunity to speak in support of Bill 220322-AA that provides for procedures for Stated Meeting 29 10/13/2022 disposition of surplus public property, and that disposition would be primarily to community trusts and other organizations that have a public benefit associated with their underlying purposes. This would support housing and it would support land uses for such things as urban agriculture. This could provide mechanisms for resolving some disputes between conflicting desires on the part of the City. For example, Councilman Jones, it would be possible to find land with which to build a football stadium without evicting or disrupting the very well-established community of ultimate frisbee players at Edgely Field in Fairmount Park. That's been there and has been fielding teams of international renown for the benefit of Philadelphia. And it can support projects for urban agriculture. There have been reports from the City for projects for urban agriculture that are far reaching Stated Meeting 30 10/13/2022 that show that it's sustainable to have half-acre farms productive in Philadelphia, but there are other business models such as the Henry Crops model at Weavers Way in conjunction with the school, the Henry School, and for the benefit of the community overall. So this provides mechanisms, but not the capacities. To have the capacities, we need the Philadelphia Public Financial Authority and ultimately a Philadelphia public bank for all of these needs and for the needs that were previously talked about to resolve some of the housing problems that afflict the City of Philadelphia. Thank you for your time and attention.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Andre Del Valle, commenting on 220655. (Speaker approached podium.) Stated Meeting 31 10/13/2022
-- and members of City Council. My name is Andre Del Valle. I'm the Vice President of Government Affairs for the Pennsylvania Apartment Association. We're a statewide association representing property managers, landlords, and their suppliers across Pennsylvania. Here in Philadelphia we represent 98 property management companies and over 156,000 units. I'm here today to testify on Bill No. 220655, which would extend the residential eviction diversion program to facilitate dispute resolutions between landlords and tenants. The Pennsylvania Apartment Association truly believes in the spirit of cross collaboration, especially when it comes to legislation impacting the Stated Meeting 32 10/13/2022 housing industry. I'd like to begin by thanking Councilmember Gym and her team for their open dialogue over the course of the last year as we worked closely with PHDC, Good Shepherd Mediation, Community Legal Services, the Philadelphia Bar Association, and our PAA members on continuing to improve this program to help landlords recoup outstanding balances while preventing housing instability in the City of Philadelphia. This cross collaboration has led to several programmatic changes, a landlord liaison being hired, $30 million of local rental assistance funds being made available, as well as the final version of the legislation you see before you today. While we believe the Reinvestment Fund's independent analysis of this program would have been helpful in crafting other amendments to this legislation, this cross collaboration has Stated Meeting 33 10/13/2022 the commitment from all parties to continue to fix the ongoing challenges of the current eviction diversion program through regulations. This commitment will ensure that the Pennsylvania Apartment Association, tenant advocates, and other appropriate stakeholders can continue to work together in a productive manner on a program that finds equilibrium for both landlords and tenants. We hope in the future to reduce the timeline of mediation, which has been one of the biggest challenges for landlords across the City, create a post filing program and volunteer model, while incentivizing the program for all parties. Our intent is to also assist in streamlining the process that ensures the proactive engagement by both the landlord and tenant and working with both the City and courts and all other appropriate stakeholders. I'd like to thank Councilmember Stated Meeting 34 10/13/2022 Gym for her commitment to these amendments found in this final version, and we're committing to work with the City, the courts, and other stakeholders, including PHDC, Good Shepherd Mediation, Community Legal Services, Philadelphia Bar Association on what the future of this diversion program looks like for both tenants and landlords across the City of Philadelphia. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
Thank you so much for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Lynn Landes, commenting on 220425. (Speaker approached podium.)
Good morning. I'm Lynn Landes, founder of the Wild Foodies of Philly, an educational group of over 6,200 members dedicated to teaching the Stated Meeting 35 10/13/2022 public about wild plants and their uses. I strongly support Councilmember Bass's resolution to implement and enforce Bill No. 200425, the Healthy Outdoor Spaces bill, which seeks to minimize pesticide use on public lands. It is the job of City Council to pass laws, and it has every right to expect that its laws will be enforced. It is not the right of any administration to pick and choose which laws it prefers to enforce, but for the Administration to not enforce this law is particularly disturbing, as pesticide use has been associated with disabilities of the body and brain, including autism, ADHD, and other neurological conditions that are plaguing our society today. Citizens have the right to walk on public lands and parks with their friends, family, and pets with confidence that they are not being exposed to toxic chemicals in the parks. Our parks were first established to protect water Stated Meeting 36 10/13/2022 quality, not pollute it. Please support this resolution to enforce HB 200425, the Healthy Outdoor Spaces bill. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Ogbonna Hagins, commenting on 200533. (Speaker approached podium.)
Great morning to you. My name is Ogbonna Hagins, a lifelong resident of Philadelphia. I've seen a lot of things in my years here in Philadelphia. I'm going to be speaking about the Resolution 200533, a resolution calling for Comcast Spectacor to reconsider the naming rights agreement with Wells Fargo based on the history of unethical banking practices. So rather than putting its customers first, they built and sustained Stated Meeting 37 10/13/2022 a cross-selling program where the bank and many of its employees serves themselves, which is a violation of basic ethics of banking, including key norms of trust. But in this very body, there are implications of unethical things going on. One of those is as it relates to ward leaders. We have Councilmembers who are Councilmembers and they're also ward leaders. And it's not illegal, but it's something that's not ethical about that. And so I'm asking that as a Councilperson, you consider what your job is as a Councilperson and how it's a conflict of interest if you're a ward leader as well as a Councilperson. So the ward leader's responsibility includes recruiting committee people for open seats, raising funds, and endorsing candidates. So imagine this: Someone wants to run for office and they have to go to the Councilperson who is a ward leader to Stated Meeting 38 10/13/2022 talk to them about running possibly for their seat. So there's just something that's just not right about that, as well as some other things. So, yeah, I agree with, you know, getting with Comcast and not allowing them to have the naming rights, but I also agree that this body should consider what their number one focus should be, and that's being a Councilperson. And by being a Councilperson and a ward leader and being involved in other things, it just doesn't look right and it's not the best thing for the City of Philadelphia. And I speak to people all over the City every day, and one of the reasons why many of our citizens don't vote is because they see our politicians as being unethical. So if we want to get more involvement and more engagement by the people, because the Constitution says we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union. If we want to get more Stated Meeting 39 10/13/2022 people involved, be honorable. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate it.
The next speaker is Warren Bloom, commenting on 200533. (Speaker approached podium.)
Good morning. I wanted to address the same bill that Mr. Ogbonna Hagins just spoke on. After looking at this docket, I want to relinquish my time right now and I'll address another matter later. Thank you again.
Thank you, Mr. Decker. Stated Meeting 40 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING That concludes our public comment for today. We will now consider the bills and resolutions on the Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar. I would ask Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 220818.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon situate in the Fifth Councilmanic District.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for a motion.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. Stated Meeting 41 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 220822.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority deeds conveying fee simple title to 239 North Paxon Street, 5804 Hazel Avenue in the Third Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
Thank Stated Meeting 42 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING 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. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution No. 220823.
A resolution authorizing the Philadelphia Land Bank to dispose of 759, 761, 763, 773, 779, and 783 Pallas Street and 4041 Cambridge Street located in the 3rd Councilmanic District.
Thank you. Stated Meeting 43 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Gauthier.
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. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 220655.
An ordinance amending Chapter 9-800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Landlord and Tenant," to modify requirements and authorizations related to the City's Stated Meeting 44 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING residential eviction diversion program, including associated changes to the landlord and tenant relationship, and to make technical changes.
This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the -- oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Councilwoman Gauthier, are you okay?
I saw her. You got to cut that off when she finishes speaking. All right. Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you, colleagues, for allowing me to make just a few remarks ahead of this vote, and I made some of these remarks in our Housing Committee but wanted to share it with the broader Council. Stated Meeting 45 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING For the past two years, our city has administered a successful and acclaimed eviction diversion program, and we've built a collaborative network amongst City agencies, housing advocates, and our Municipal Court system that has been a lifesaver for thousands of Philadelphians and has also been a model of hope and action in dire times. In the past two years, our city has dramatically reduced evictions in what was once the fourth highest evicting city in the nation. S. S. Department of Treasury, but diversion programs like ours have now been adopted in at least 180 jurisdictions across 36 states. I want to thank the testifiers who came in today, our partners at Community Legal Services, the Urban League, and the Pennsylvania Apartment Association, which shows how important Stated Meeting 46 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING the collaboration has been. And I think that they spoke to the dramatic success of the program, that not only has the program helped reach a huge majority of folks who go through the diversion process actually come out with an option other than an eviction, the reduction in court wait times from almost 90 days down to 30 days and, most importantly, that this Council has continued -- this Council body, my colleagues under this Administration, has continued to invest in this work. The allocation last year of $45 million in local funding for a targeted diversion rental assistance program will ensure that this program continues to be a model for the nation and one of the most successful programs to meet a crisis that we have seen. But the primary thing that I wanted to say today is that our city has so often been the locus of so many problems, so much pain, and so much Stated Meeting 47 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING grief. We have seen harmful systems perpetuated not by evil intent but by the failure to commit to seeing options and alternatives and the complicated ways in which those options and alternatives have to happen. You don't actually start with the money first. We started with the commitment to one another. We had a vision that housing had to be a human right, that we had to talk about how housing was central to the stability of families, that this idea of a home is essential to maternal health. It is essential to kids staying in their schools. It's about single parents being able to hold onto jobs. It's about stability that allows a community to flourish. That was the commitment that we made to one another that we stuck together, we figured out problems because of it, and we are still committed to figuring out problems, which are Stated Meeting 48 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING inevitable to become -- that are going to be coming our way. But the biggest thing is is that when our city faces so many problems, we can also be the locus for the greatest solutions; that when we take these problems on, when we actually commit to one another, when we have a vision of where we want to go, when we center housing as a human right, when we center the justice of children and families and communities in our city, then actually we have the solutions not only for ourselves but for the rest of the nation. This program was borne out of crisis, but out of it we came up with something that will stabilize and indeed we hope lead to a more prosperous and stable and healthy and safe city for everybody. I want to thank my colleagues for sticking with this, especially my sponsors who stayed with this from the Stated Meeting 49 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING very beginning, Councilmembers Gauthier, Brooks, and Thomas, and all my colleagues on this Council body for continuing to invest.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Mr. Decker, you want to start over. This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. Stated Meeting 50 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 10; the nays are one. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill Stated Meeting 51 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING passes. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution honoring and congratulating Champion of the Week, Jayda Pugliese, for receiving a prestigious fellowship from the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, for her exemplary work as an educator in and outside of the classroom, introduced today by Councilman Thomas.
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.)
Those opposed? Stated Meeting 52 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing and honoring Dannon Green for his documentary film "The Executioners: We All Had a Chance," which tells the story of Marvin "Toochie" Gordon's and Frank Taylor's gym, The Executioners, and the impact that it had on the lives of young Black men growing up in Philadelphia, introduced today by Councilman Jones.
Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. There are over 41 boxing gyms in the City of Philadelphia producing amateur and professional fighters throughout the world, to the point that Philadelphia has a reputation for producing Philadelphia fighters. They're Stated Meeting 53 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING usually tougher, and they can take a beating and keep on ticking and keep coming back for more. But this particular documentary by Mr. Green is important. It talks about a gym at 61st and Vine in the Fourth District, and it's called The Executioners. I know this because for one week I boxed at that gym, and then I realized I could not fight and I changed professions. On the front of that gym was three words: Pain, misery, and suffering. And when I walked in, I asked, well, why do they put that up there? They said, they want to remind you that's what you're going to get when you come in here. But more than just showing people how to fight, they showed boxers how to live. A lot of these young men that came in that ring were bound for bad Stated Meeting 54 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING things and found a way to work out their frustrations, aggressions in a positive way. And a lot of them never got to realize championship belts, but a lot of them went on to become postmen, bus drivers, and not "will the defendant please rise." So this was an important era for Philadelphia fighters for the West Philadelphia community, and we thank those existing boxing clubs that are still putting in that work and thank them for steering not only men but women in a positive direction. And we want to support them more than ever to be proud of seeing Philadelphia fighters go on to great heights, winning belts, winning championships but, more importantly, showing how to be good men and women in the world. Thank you, Mr. President, and I move for the adoption.
Thank you. Stated Meeting 55 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Councilman Jones, I just wanted to bring note to the great boxing program -- you referenced boxing -- that Captain Akil from the 22nd Police District had where he blocks off 17th Street, has those young men and women out there learning a boxing skill but, more importantly, learning how to work together, learning to be good men and women in the community. So you're absolutely right. Thank you. Stated Meeting 56 10/13/2022 10/13/22 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution recognizing and thanking Philadelphia Performing Arts, A String Theory Charter School for reaching out and enrolling displaced children impacted by the war in Ukraine, introduced today by Councilman Oh. Introduced today by Councilman Oh, Mr. President.
Thank you. 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 Stated Meeting 57 10/13/2022 it, and that resolution is adopted.
There are no other resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. That concludes our Calendar for today. And are there any speeches on behalf of the minority? (No response.)
Speeches on behalf of the majority? The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones.
Thank you again, Mr. President and colleagues. Many people know the atrocities during the Second World War where people were in concentration camps and dealing with that abuse, but also the medical experiments that were conducted upon them. A lot of people know about the Stated Meeting 58 10/13/2022 over 300 African Americans introduced to syphilis and given placebos and allowed to deteriorate mind and body and to go through that and not know why you are being ill. But you don't have to go that far to Germany or other places in Europe. You don't have to go that far to down South. You can go right up State Road to Holmesburg Prison where during the '70s, up to the '70s, people were being experimented on. African Americans were being experimented on for a dollar a day. So I was talking to an individual when we were going to applaud the Mayor and the Administration for making this apology from an incident that started 40 years ago, and they said, well, why would you apologize now? Because you cannot begin the healing until you acknowledge the wrong. And I wanted to bring that here to this Council, because it wasn't our Stated Meeting 59 10/13/2022 responsibility, but they were our constituents. And to say that a wrong done then, if we acknowledge it, can prevent a wrong done now and in the future. Dr. Ala Stanford during the COVID period showed the disparities between Black and brown communities and this disease and how they were being treated, how they were being dealt with, how they were being vaccinated and brought it to our attention. So it is important, and I thank the Mayor and his Administration for stepping up to the plate and saying we're sorry on behalf of the City, and we are today also apologizing on behalf of Council. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you, Stated Meeting 60 10/13/2022 First, let me concur with my colleague Councilmember Curtis Jones and also join in thanking the Mayor and Councilman Jones. We should always recognize the wrong that was done, atrocity, atrocious, horrible thing that was done. We cannot apologize enough, and as any elected official or elected body, we should recognize, apologize, and apologize again, anything else we can do. I wanted to just recognize the three police officers serving our city from SWAT who were serving a warrant in the morning and in that process were shot and are now in the hospital. We've all seen just horrendous videos of murders, execution style murders in the City. Someone has to enforce the law. Someone has to get those murderers off the street. They are killing people indiscriminately, wantonly. And these SWAT officers went in to arrest a suspect, and as they are Stated Meeting 61 10/13/2022 hospital, I just want to shout out to their families and their fellow officers and all of our City employees and our city as a whole that they are in our prayers for a complete and full recovery. We thank them for their service and their continuing sacrifice. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gym.
Thank you very much, Council President. This week a report was released showing dramatic potential consequences for Philadelphia's students from the state's new graduation requirements, which will be going into effect this year after multiple postponements. The report, which is from the Philadelphia Educational Research Consortium and led by Research for Action and the School District's Office of Stated Meeting 62 10/13/2022 Evaluations, is taking a look at how many young people would actually qualify for graduation under these new requirements. Before I talk a little bit about it, I want to emphasize, first and foremost, that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has continued time and time again to fail our young people, that every student in this District should be equipped with the tools they need to find success in their professional and in their personal life, but we are down to skeletal levels of staffing. We are at unconstitutional underfunding from the state legislature despite the fact that there are billions of dollars in the state's, quote/unquote, Rainy Day Fund, and the privatization and austerity that was advanced for years by the School Reform Commission have made this year a year when these young people face tremendous consequences, one in which those consequences have been Stated Meeting 63 10/13/2022 years by entities that have the responsibility and the constitutional duty to follow through. But nonetheless, a third of our Philadelphia students are eligible for graduation with high enough test scores under these new rules, and a majority of our students would need significant additional support or new alternative paths, like work experience. The risk of not graduating a huge proportion of our students this year will fall disproportionately -- the risk of not graduating will fall disproportionately on students of color, on low-income students, on immigrant students, and on special education students. We cannot accept that they will be casualties of an administrative change in the code. We know that a high school diploma impacts wellbeing and wealth over an entire lifetime. Philadelphia students are capable, they are worthy of a quality Stated Meeting 64 10/13/2022 education, and they are absolutely as worthy of a quality education as their peers in wealthier suburbs. It is our responsibility and our duty to ensure that the implementation of these new requirements do not lock out a generation of Philadelphia students from reaching their full potential, nor should this class of seniors and graduates be forced to bear the brunt and the responsibilities for the failings of our educational system all across the board. We must also refuse to accept that countless students graduate from our school system without the skills and knowledge that they deserve. Every one of us has a stake in this issue - students, parents, educators, business leaders, civic officials, and anyone who is invested in the future of this city. So I would like to work and I'm looking forward to working with our Education Committee Chair, Chairman Stated Meeting 65 10/13/2022 Thomas, and the members of the Education Committee to ensure a few things. One, standardized tests like the Keystone Exams cannot be used punitively. S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has been explicit in telling states that we do not test to punish. We test to learn. We test for many different things, but we do not test to punish, and schools must continue to support student recovery from this pandemic. Two, the District must have a plan immediately to help every junior and senior understand what their path is to graduation beginning today, if not yesterday, but beginning today, and provide any needed support to ensure that all of our juniors and seniors will reach the finish line on graduation.
This is a massive task, and it is not up to the School District themselves. A number of our young people will need to meet their graduation Stated Meeting 66 10/13/2022 That is the responsibility of our City Council, this body, and we are going to need to push as hard as we can, because honestly we are at this stage because we have waited far too long for this. The state legislature, No. 3, cannot shirk responsibility for this crisis of their own making. They must fund our schools. It is very critical. We don't need to go into it for too long, but we are very clear that you can't graduate from classes when our teachers are not being funded, when required classes are not being delivered. I was at one elementary school in our city that was missing a second grade teacher, a fourth grade teacher, a fifth grade teacher, a nurse, and a counselor. The fourth week of school they did not have any of those teachers full time in their building. So we will not hold our children responsible for our failures, Stated Meeting 67 10/13/2022 working to support them from the moment they enter this system through adulthood. And, finally, we have to prioritize and address the underlying inequities between communities and schools. The report released today demonstrates over and over and over again that we can create pockets of excellence in our city. That is not hard. We can create pockets of excellence for anything - healthcare, housing, schools but what our failure has been is to deal with the stark inequities that punish young children of color, Black and brown students, low-income students, immigrant students, and special education students the most, and that is the unacceptable part, that the impact of this implementation is not even, it is not fair, and it will not equally determine who is qualified to graduate in the City of Philadelphia. That is what must be unacceptable. Stated Meeting 68 10/13/2022 that these requirements may be yet again postponed, but I do not believe that we should postpone the outcome in perpetuity in the sense of what our children need and deserve. This needs to be a wake-up call for all of us to actually ensure that we are giving our kids what they actually deserve in their education, in their life, and for every graduate of our school to have the tools that they need to succeed and thrive. I also want to just take a brief moment to talk about something that largely went outside of most people's radar, which was our responsibility, and that was our Juvenile Justice Services Center. If we look at what is happening across our city and the violence that is occurring, particularly among young people, particularly the pain that we see when we've got 14-year-olds in our juvenile justice system or young children Stated Meeting 69 10/13/2022 charged as adults for crimes that are unspeakable against individuals and our city. But the problems -- and, again, I will say, the solutions will be found in our Juvenile Justice Services Center. We had a crisis and continue to have a crisis where more than 4,000 young people go through the Juvenile Justice Services Center each and every year, and that is an unacceptable number for all of us, but on this particular time, that particular institution is deeply overcrowded. The individuals there are working round the clock on a time schedule that I don't think any of us in this room could be expected to sustain for any lengthy period of time, but they are dedicated to the young people who come through there.
They are dedicated to saving lives each and every day for every young person who walks in there and to tell every young person who walks in there that this is not the worst day of Stated Meeting 70 10/13/2022 -- or they will not be judged by the worst day of their life. They will be given the tools that they need to survive. So I just wanted to take a moment to thank our Majority Leader Jones for leading the charge for my colleagues, Councilmembers Gauthier, Gilmore Richardson, Thomas, and many others, as well as our state partners who are relentless in trying to provide relief, support, and help, and yet again to hold the state accountable for its failures to do what it was supposed to do, which was to bring these young people into the care of the state, to give them the treatment that they were required to be giving them, and to ensure that our city is a safer place because our young people, who will come home to us, will be cared for at the time when they need it the most in their young lives. So it was an honor to continue that work. Crisis has maybe been Stated Meeting 71 10/13/2022 abated, but certainly is not over, and I know that we will be in partnership to figure out solutions. But, again, I encourage this body to understand that the Juvenile Justice Services Center and the individuals who are deeply committed, including the families, caretakers, Defenders Association, and our city team who is there round the clock, we can find solutions there, as we found solutions to other places, but the commitment has to be there, and there is a tremendous amount of work that has yet to be done. Thank you, Council President.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank Stated Meeting 72 10/13/2022 you, Council President. First, I just wanted to start by paying homage to former Councilmembers Blondell Reynolds Brown, Tasco, Green, and our current colleague Councilmember O'Neill, who has always taught us the importance of being involved and engaged with organizations like NLC and Democratic Municipal Officials that really allowed for cross collaboration with colleagues who, like us, are serving in positions as elected officials across the country. I also wanted to thank President Biden and Sincere Harris for my appointment to the Local Government Advisory Committee for the United States EPA, where I was chosen by my colleagues to serve as the Vice Chair for the Environmental Justice Committee. And through that work on the Local Government Advisory Committee, we find out about a plethora of opportunities for municipalities like Stated Meeting 73 10/13/2022 Philadelphia, and I found out several months ago during our budget season about an opportunity that we should apply for here in the City of Philadelphia via the School District which would help us to address lead remediation in schools, in childcare facilities and work with the School District to ensure that application was processed. And it was announced on October 11th, earlier this week, that the School District of Philadelphia was awarded a nearly $5 million grant to assist in their work to update drinking facilities and reduce lead in drinking water across schools, and Philadelphia was only one of three awardees in that category, and we also received the highest grant amount of any city in the United States of America. So I am thrilled that this grant will continue to help the School District do their work around conversion to lead-free water fountains, which was work that started in this body and I'll Stated Meeting 74 10/13/2022 way back to 2012, when Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown started her work on lead remediation in Philadelphia City Council and Councilmember Gym introduced legislation back in 2016 to specifically work on this matter around addressing lead in our water fountains in our schools. So this $5 million will go a very long way to ensure that the School District can continue their work but really accelerate the work around installing more lead-free hydration stations in all of our schools and for all 200,000 of our young people. So I wanted to highlight that as good news for the City of Philadelphia for this week. And, lastly, I wanted to give a personal thank you, a very personal thank you, to someone that so many of us worked with in City government, G. Lamar Stewart from the District Attorney's Office. I'm eternally grateful for his selfless, Stated Meeting 75 10/13/2022 humble, servant style of leadership. And I also want to thank Connie Grier, the principal of Wagner School, and all of my colleagues who I spoke with, Councilmember Bass who I spoke with yesterday and Representative Darisha Parker, also Captain Massey of the 35th Police District, for all of their steadfast and robust support of the family of Jeremiah, the 13-year-old who was shot and killed earlier this week, also my family. So I just want to thank you all so very much for your support, for your love, but particularly to G. Lamar Stewart who stood with us yesterday in order to assist with the next steps. So I just wanted to give him a personal thank you, and thank you to each and every one of you for always being there and supporting our families when the time is needed. Thank you very much.
Stated Meeting 76 10/13/2022 you, Councilwoman. There being no additional speeches on behalf of the minority and the majority, the Chair recognizes Councilman Squilla for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I offer a motion to adjourn the meeting and whatever else I was supposed to say.
I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 20th at 10:00 a.m. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, October 20th, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.) Stated Meeting 77 10/13/2022
The ayes have it. The motion carries. Thank you all very much. Again, please be safe. ) Stated Meeting 78 10/13/2022 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.