1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Brooks was aye. Councilmember Harrity.
Aye. The ayes are 16. The nays are 0. Majority of all members having voted in the affirmative the bill passes. We will now consider any additional resolutions on today's Calendar. Will the Clerk please read the title of the first resolution.
A resolution honoring the Juvenile Law Center on its 50th Anniversary. Introduced by Councilmember Phillips.
1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring the Office of Clean and Green for their 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING exceptional contributions towards a cleaner, greener Philadelphia. Introduced by Councilmember Phillips.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Phillips for a motion.
Cleaner and greener Philadelphia. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING (No response.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Licenses and Inspections and the Committee on Public Safety to hold hearings on enforcement against drug paraphernalia stores. Introduced by Councilmember Gilmore Richardson.
The Chair recognizes Majority Gilmore Richardson for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring the life and legacy of Sid Booker, a Philadelphia businessman and 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING community icon who left an indelible mark on North Philadelphia and beyond. Introduced by Councilmember Gilmore Richardson on behalf of Councilmember Bass.
The Chair will ask for a standing silent vote. Councilmember O'Neill, Councilmember O'Neill, can you just join us for a second on this resolution please. Can we all stand for a voice vote on behalf of the late great Sid Booker.
Thank you, Council President. On behalf of Councilmember Bass and the broader Philadelphia community, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) (All Councilmembers 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING stood.)
Thank you. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing Patricia Riley, SEPTA's first female conductor. Introduced by Councilmember Young.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing the rise of cardiovascular disease as the world's leading cause of death and disability and supporting the recognition of February 2025 as American Heart Month. Introduced by Councilmember Harrity.
The Chair recognizes 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilmember Harrity for a motion on the resolution.
Council President, as somebody who suffers from heart disease, I believe that we should get it out there, it's one of the number one causes of death in our nation. And while those high numbers are high in my category, they're actually even higher for African American males. So I would advise that all of us get tested whenever you can. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.) 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution honoring January as National Poverty in America Awareness Month and recognizing the severe conditions of poverty that many Americans experience day-to-day. Introduced by Councilmember Harrity.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Harrity for a motion on the resolution.
I move for the adoption of the 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING resolution, Council President. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution is adopted. All those in favor will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution authorizing the Committee on Technology and Information Services to hold hearings regarding the operation of 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING the Philadelphia 311 non-emergency hotline and its engagement with City departments. Introduced by Councilmember Driscoll.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Driscoll for a motion on the resolution.
I move for the adoption of the resolution, Council President. (Duly seconded.)
Second -- it has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
Those opposed? (No response.) 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
A privileged resolution recognizing January 29th, 2025 as the Lunar New Year and celebrating the cultural and historical significance of Philadelphia's Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Introduced by Councilmember Ahmad.
The Chair enthusiastically acknowledges Councilmember Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.) 1/30/25 - STATED - 2ND READING
It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the resolution is adopted. Will the Clerk please read the title of the next resolution.
Council President, there are no further resolutions in my possession.
That completes our Calendar for today. on behalf of the Minority? The Chair recognizes Councilmember O'Rourke.
Thank you, Council President. And thank you all. Try to keep it tight, but I am sharing both for myself as well as my Leader. So I'm going to start with her remarks that she did have prepared for the wonderful SWAG community that was here earlier. These are the words of Minority Leader Kendra Brooks: Thank you, Council President. I want to recognize and thank the Reverend Dr. Michelle Simmons, founder and CEO of Why Not Prosper, an organization devoted to sheltering and supporting formerly incarcerated women as they transition to life outside the as the Community Advisory Committee Co-chair for the MacArthur Foundation Safety and Justice Challenge, working to reduce Philadelphia's high rate of incarceration and its devastating impact on Black and Brown communities. With the resolution that passed today, authorizing a hearing on the First Judicial Court's use of detainers, we do hope to shed light on practice that prevents people from rejoining their families and rebuilding their lives. Also want to acknowledge the uncertainty and fear that many people in our city have been feeling this week. With every headline about raids or funding cuts, the up and Philadelphians are looking to us, their elected leaders, for answers. All week constituents have been reaching out to all of our offices with questions, what will ICE raids mean for my mixed-status family, how will federal funding cuts impact my rent or my child's school or my medication? People are scared and they're looking for leadership. She wishes to thank all of her colleagues who did join her in a statement yesterday committing to protect our immigrant communities. The statement cannot be it though. That can't be the end. We need leadership at every level in order to take on the threats aimed at our city right now. As we learned at last Member Landau, our city's level of preparedness for these challenges is still an open question to too many in Philadelphia and we share that. And in the coming weeks, we do plan to work with many of you to strengthen protections for our workers, for our immigrants and LGBTQIA+ communities and the countless Philadelphians who benefit from federally-funded programs. We cannot stay silent while our communities are attacked and Philadelphians deserve to know how we plan to meet this moment. And with that, she concluded her statements with a thank you. I want to just share two things for my part. I often hear -- actually I've heard all week and share Leader Brooks' reports, the calls, the reach-outs as it relates to the various raids and other things that have been coming down from this administration. One thing as an organizer I used to share with folks all the time was that the last thing that we do in a functioning democracy is vote. There is democracy that takes place before voting and there's democracy that takes place after we vote. And I just want to lift up two things in the spirit of economic democracy, two forms of economic democracy that I think are worth celebrating or acknowledging today. The first one is with the resolution that we did lift up today, the resolution that calls or declares alongside the United Nations here in the City of 2025 is the Year of Cooperatives, cooperatives.
This resolution celebrates local worker-owned co-ops and it's being introduced by our team as well with a co-sponsor Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who I believe is in Washington today, but also this resolution was co-sponsored by Councilmember Squilla, Leader Brooks, Leader Gilmore Richardson and many, many more. N. resolution on Co-op stressed that cooperatives in their various forms promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of local communities, whose inclusion strengthens economic and social development and contributes poverty and hunger. I believe that this too is democracy, not just voting but engaging to help shape our communities and make sure that we are alleviating the pressures of poverty. N. in declaring 2025 the year of cooperatives. Colleagues, this too is what democracy looks like. I also want to lift up a great and really historic win recently. Whole Foods union, this is the first Whole Foods union making this union election truly historic. I think the final tallied vote was 130 to 100. These are folks who have been fighting for a union under union-busting conditions. Amazon has done everything they possibly could to and yet they were successful. A lot of folks don't know what to make of all this new era of union drives and service work from local coffee shops to billion-dollar corporations. And frankly being frank, our local labor movement does not support them uniformly. But I have to just say it is an immense honor to represent so many people, folks from all walks of life, but especially so many young folk who aren't afraid to experiment with this system, this governance system that they've been given in order to build a better democracy and a better way of life. I think it really does help us become a better city and ultimately a better country when our unions win. When we celebrate cooperatives, it helps us to live into the values that we profess. Thank you, Council President. Nothing more today.
Thank you. Speeches on behalf of the Majority, the Chair recognizes Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you. Thank you, Council President. First, this week has been very challenging for many of us, but I wanted to pause to extend my thoughts and prayers to all of the victims who were lost in the tragic plane and helicopter crash last night and express deep gratitude, thanks and appreciation to all of the first responders and officials who are working there is a response to that unfortunate tragedy. And also wanted to lift up Mayor Muriel Bowser for the work that she was doing throughout the night and into the morning. And also to the families who tragically lost their homes here in Philadelphia in an unfortunate house fire yesterday. But I wanted to remind everyone, even with all of that going on, there is a wonderful opportunity for our young people to have a wonderful experience this weekend. We know that a book can open up the opportunities of the world. And so, this Saturday, February 1st from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center there will be the 33rd Annual African American Children's Book Project. number of African American children's book authors and many others there to ensure that our young people are exposed to literature and exposed to all the wonderful books that will be on display throughout the Convention Center. And I just wanted to remind each of my colleagues that each of you have copies of the books that we received via Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati and also the authors who are with us today, Jamar Nicholas. We have Leon: Worst Friends Forever and Leon the Extraordinary. So I hope that you can share these books with young people in your Districts and/or in your areas and help to open up their literary world. So please take your young person to the Saturday from 1:00 to 4:00. Thank you, Council President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Quetcy Lozada.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to thank some of my colleagues who have reached out regarding the ICE raids that took place in the District. I publicly want to say that if you are truly willing to help, the help that we need right now is to make sure that this vulnerable population receives the information regarding the resources and how to protect themselves and their families. And so, I ask that you My staff has Know your Rights cards. We have additional flyers. We have a resource book that we're putting out. If you really want to help, that is what we need to do right now. So many of these residents are truly afraid. They're not sending their children to school, they're not showing up to work, and we need to make sure that they have all of the resources and the information that they need to be able to protect themselves. The Mayor has said many times already that we continue to be a welcoming city. We are not being notified of where these agents are going to be showing up and when and how. We do know that there are people, innocent people, people who have been here for many, years, have established a life here who have been contributing citizens to our city and who are being caught up in all of this and we are outraged too, right. The best way to provide the support to this community right now is to make sure that they are connected to the resources that they know where to get the answers to their questions from the appropriate professionals in a language that they understand, and that doesn't mean just in Spanish, right. I want to make sure that folks understand that I'm not just advocating for Latino immigrants. Yes, this is a citywide problem and there are many immigrants who don't just speak Spanish in our city. And so, we need to make sure that all of these documents are they understand and that each one of us does what we can quietly, preferably to make sure that these resources get into the hands of those who need it the most. My office, again, is available to provide those materials if you don't have them. There are other groups who have these resources. Juntos, New Sanctuary, Esperanza, all of those are organizations who deal with this population on a day-to-day, have all of these resources and they have also said that they are willing to help support. If you don't want to come to my office, please reach out to those offices. But right now it is absolutely urgent that we connect people with resources. All the other nonsense is unnecessary.
Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I had every intention of talking about the updates of CPOC and preparing you for the new recommendations that will be before Council to vet at the hard work of Caroline Stack over there was put in numerous (inaudible), but I have to put a pause on that. Now, I'm probably secretly known to be one of the funniest boys in City Council, like I'm hilarious. I crack myself up, but jokes stop being funny once they get elected. And as we watch the clown car unload at the White House, the ominous threats that it represent shows that it was 2025 plan first on their first day. They had prepared 300 executive orders. They automatically turned off spigots of funding. And what is dangerous is they had no idea what intended and unintended consequences there was. Because as we said, Mr. President, the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. And so, those cuts were hitting Repub -- and I apologize to my colleague here, make exception for him, but there are Republican states that were going to bear the brunt of those decisions. So they had to back up, take a step back. Thank God. Now, what we have to do, what we must prepare for is the three Cs. We must fight them in chambers, just like this at the state level challenging their laws, challenging their budgets, making amendments to our laws to accommodate our vulnerable. We must fight them in courts where the NAACP, Esperanza or whatever organizations are out there and join their legal prowess and file briefs to stop some of this, challenge some of this, at least slow it down until we get a grasp on -- they released those things so fast, so furious, it's like in the barbershops they got flared on. We didn't know how to block half of the stuff that was coming down the pipe, so we need to make them pause sometimes so we can digest and process what they are trying to do to us. I will also say to you that as a Pennsylvania Human Commissioner, a while back I heard something that now makes all the sense about the vulnerable. There was a case where an illegal immigrant "was renting from a homeowner." He said, I will call ICE if you do not satisfy me sexually. That's beneath human. We cannot sit back and abide this. So no matter how left some of my colleagues are or how right some of my colleagues are, we have a greater threat because as they say in the Game of Thrones, Winter is not just coming, it is here. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilmember Jones. Very well said. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad.
Thank you, Council President. I just want to speak to the resolution I introduced today, which is to recognize January 29th, 2025 as the start of the Lunar New Year. I wanted to honor the arrival of the new year as the Year of the Snake. This time will bring wisdom, intuition, caring, intelligence and problem-solving, which are all vital for the work we conduct in Council. This time will also symbolize luck, prosperity and happiness in our homes and communities. Let us continue to appreciate the rich, cultural tapestry that connects us and allows us to share traditions, happiness and a stronger sense of community. Happy Lunar New Year to everyone. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Jamie Gauthier.
Thank you, Council President. I want to start by thanking this body for taking bold action last year in implementing Phase 1 of my Defying Displacement Campaign. We cracked down on illegal discrimination against tenants using housing vouchers. We mandated that revenue generated by "payments in lieu of affordable housing" get reinvested back into communities experiencing overly dense development. Voters in the May 2025 primary will have the power to compel the City to fully fund our Housing Trust Fund. I urge everyone listening here and at home to vote safe, stable and affordable housing, and we enacted my low-income property tax freeze which stopped property taxes from increasing for eligible and enrolled homeowners. Thanks to Councilmember Landau, the Department of Revenue recently extended the deadline to apply for this tax freeze until February 28th. Do not leave money on the table. If you are a low- or no-income homeowner, call your City Councilmember to learn how to freeze your property taxes. I've been told that 2025 is all about housing. I'm excited to get the ball rolling by introducing Phase 2 of defying displacement, which cuts red tape for developers and homeowners who want to be a part of the affordable housing solution. pace, it will take us more than 200 years to build enough affordable housing to meet the need. And all of us know that this is time we do not have. That's why this body needs to slash unnecessary red tape that slows down the development of affordable housing and drives up our housing cost. First, the City should routinely expedite zoning and building permit applications for affordable housing projects. " If the City is serious about building affordable housing, we should quickly and predictably and building permits every single time. No ifs, ands or buts. This principle should apply to variances too. Why does the City treat applicants who want to build in a few extra units so they can charge affordable rents the same as those proposing a luxury skyscraper? Let's prove affordable housing is a priority by giving developers who want to do good expedited hearings in front of the ZBA for no additional fee and to make sure developers don't abuse this fast track by promising to build affordable housing when they have no intention of actually doing so. We must empower the City to enforce conditional approvals by the ZBA. But large developments are far from the only solution to crisis, and commercial developers should not be the only ones to profit off this work. Luckily we have another tool that grows affordable housing, defies displacement and empowers homeowners to build generational wealth all at the same time without changing the look or feel of our neighborhoods. Across the nation and here at home, bonus units, sometimes referred to as accessory dwelling units, help families to stay in their homes amid skyrocketing cost. But in the last decade, the City has only approved an average of one bonus unit per year. This isn't because homeowners don't want bonus units. My office consistently hears from constituents who want them but have and expensive bureaucratic process. By cutting red tape to make it easier for homeowners to take advantage of bonus units in Council Districts that allow them, we have a rare and frankly easy opportunity to keep families in their homes and bring new affordable homes online all in one go.
That's why my legislation will allow homeowners in single family homes to add bonus units by-right in their primary residence, granted the change does not materially change the look of their home externally. This week The Inquirer reported that Philadelphia is the ninth least affordable metro in the nation. This reaffirms that even though we have made significant our foot off of the gas. I look forward to working with this body, the Parker administration and every stakeholder to cut red tape and empower developers and homeowners alike to defy displacement. Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Jeffrey Jay Young.
Thank you, Mr. President. So today we passed a resolution authored by Councilmember Harrity recognizing National Poverty Awareness Month, and we all acknowledge as my colleague Councilwoman Jamie Gauthier just mentioned that we have, you know, there's an affordable housing issue that we But I think we should rephrase that sometimes as we have an issue with housing that people can afford, right. In that resolution it talked about how our city continues to remain the highest -- the poorest biggest city among the most 10 popular cities in the country. But let's look at why is that, right. Every state around Pennsylvania has a higher minimum wage than we do, right. New York's minimum wage is $16.50. New Jersey's is $15.49. Delaware is $15 an hour. Maryland's $15 an hour. Ohio is $10.70 and even West Virginia has a higher minimum wage than Pennsylvania at $8.75. We will always be the largest poorest big city as long as our residents are only being paid $7.25 an hour. So wages, maybe our residents will be able to afford housing in this city. And on that same note, I definitely want to congratulate the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776 for organizing the first, the very first unionized Whole Food Store, and it happens to be right here in the 5th Council District here in the city of Philadelphia. With this new right to collectively bargain, hopefully these workers now will be able to earn a better wage, have better working conditions and can truly be able to afford to shop at the place that they work and live in the city that they love comfortably. So with that, I believe that we continue to fight for higher wages, a higher minimum wage, we will improve the condition and lives of countless Philadelphians throughout the city. So I'll do everything in my power and I'm sure most of my colleagues will too to make sure that we can increase this minimum wage from $7.25 in 2025. So thank you, Mr. President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Rue Landau.
First, I want to thank my colleague Councilman Jones for bringing up that really awful scenario of what you remember when you were at the Unfortunately, this happens all too often that folks who are not citizens of United States where they're working or where they're living are often threatened by their employers, by their housing providers that somebody would call ICE. When I ran the City's Human Relations Commission, we heard these cases all the time. And I just want to make sure that it is loud and clear to anybody listening that is illegal. It is a form of sexual harassment, sex discrimination. You could file a claim with the City's -- the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. But it's also the reason why I held my hearing to look at commitment to enforcing the great laws that we actually have on the books here in Philadelphia to make sure that for the wide range of awful things that are happening to folks who are undocumented or not in the city because of racial profiling, that we make sure folks are as protected as possible, including the fact that all City employees are not allowed to ask you, unless it is necessary for the thing that you are trying to get an application for something, they are not allowed to ask you about your citizenship status. So I just wanted to make that clear so we can look at all of this holistically because it's affecting people throughout the city in every area. com, the City's claim your money tax site. That site will point you to the free tax preparers who will do your taxes for free. They are certified. They are wonderful. We just had a press conference for them. They're fantastic. If you do go to a paid tax preparer, please remember my bill from last year. The tax preparer must tell you how much it's going to cost to do your taxes upfront. So we got a lot of people leaving the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit on the table. These are thousands of dollars that we can get into the pockets of Philadelphians even if you made just a little bit of to file my taxes. I'm not going to owe anything. The federal government will give you money. Please do it. It could be up to $10,000 depending on your family size. And then finally, I want to talk a little bit about the bills that I introduced today. Many of you know in my background as a housing and civil rights lawyer I've been saying housing is a human right throughout my career. I've seen firsthand how hardworking people, families, seniors, people transitioning out of homelessness are blocked from housing, not because they can't afford the rent, but because they simply can't afford to move in. That's why today I'm so proud to introduce my Move-in Affordability Plan, a crucial step more affordable and equitable place to live. My Move-in Affordability Plan caps excessive junk rental application fees and allows security deposits to be paid in installments, lowering the overall cost of moving into a new rental unit because it's an insurmountable hurdle for many Philadelphians with median rents in the city at $1,800 to just move into their home. These are upfront costs. We're in a housing crisis. Nearly half of Philadelphians rent their homes. Almost 50 percent of them are costburdened paying 30 percent or more of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. And it's not just the cost of rent. It's the outrageous upfront fees that make securing housing nearly impossible
That's why we have to make changes now. These bills are commonsense measures that will help renters without hurting landlords. They remove unnecessary barriers to housing and ensure that hardworking Philadelphians can access the homes they deserve. It's about ensuring that people aren't priced out of housing before they even have a chance to sign a lease. I look forward to working with my colleagues, housing advocates, landlords and community members to get this done, because if we want Philadelphia to be a city where everyone has a fair shot, we have to start by making a city where everyone can afford a home. People are being asked for three months' rent upfront with $1,800. That is a hurdle many can't overcome. I'd like -- and so, thank you for continuing this dialogue with me about these bills, open door as always. And I also want to commend Councilmember Driscoll on his resolution, examining the operation of the 311 non-emergency hotline and its engagement with City departments. As Chair of the Technology and Information Services Committee as well as a city resident who has used 311 before, I'm eager to dive deeper into the subject and improve the system as much as possible with Councilmember Driscoll and all of our colleagues. Thank you.
Yes. Just really briefly I just want to say today I introduced a resolution recognizing the Clean and Green office led by Carlton Williams. His support, Commissioner Crystal Jacobs has been also a part of the clean and green efforts. I just want to say Mayor Parker put together a great team, and this team has been very responsive to all of our cleaning needs in the 9th District. And I just want to let us know that when the District Councilmembers work closely with the administration, we can get a lot done with the city. And so, when we're hearing from our neighbors what's happening, when things are not clean and then we contact the to be clean and they are rapidly responding to it, it's really appreciative. So more to come on us honoring and recognizing them. But just want to say thank you so much, Clean and Green. Let's keep up the efforts.
Thank you. There are no more speeches on behalf of the Majority. Now, the Chair recognizes Majority Whip Councilmember Thomas for a motion to adjourn.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. sharp. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Council stand adjourned until Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. Thank you all very much, and Go Birds. ) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. m. m. N. S.