The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, 210167.
A resolution designating Monday, March 1, 2021 as COVID-19 Remembrance Day in the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Green for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. This week we've had a lot of great news as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Wolf announced how the J&J vaccines will be used to vaccinate teachers throughout the Commonwealth and he anticipates that we will have all teachers and contractors vaccinated by the end of March. Also, President Biden recently announced that he anticipated by the end of May, all Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING those in the nation that wants to receive vaccines will be able to receive vaccines by the end of May. And we also just opened our FEMA site as well to provide 6,000 vaccines a day here in the City of Philadelphia. So we're making great progress, but we also have to recognize and remember that a year ago, we were in our Council Chambers. We were doing things that we normally would do, and then we had the onset of the novel Coronavirus. And we have lost over 500,000 souls in this nation. In Philadelphia alone, over 3,000 people. And so we have to recall and remember all of the people that lost their lives, our first responders, our essential workers, so many individuals that have lost -- that we have lost based on this pandemic. I want to commend Smart City Policy for working with various cities around the nation. A hundred fifty-two Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING cities and 36 states acknowledged March 1st as our first COVID Victims and Survivors Memorial Day, and I think because of the impact that this pandemic has had and for us to never forget those people that we have lost, so many of our loved ones, our friends, co-workers, that it's important for us to acknowledge this anniversary. And with that, Council President, after the motion I would like us to take a moment of silence to just reflect on what has happened over the past year. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Can we take a moment of silence. (Moment of silence.)
Thank you. Let that moment of silence reflect a favorable vote for the resolution, and that resolution has been Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted. Thank you very much.
A resolution recognizing and congratulating Renee Henderson, on the occasion of her retirement from Community Behavioral Health, after more than two decades of faithful and dedicated service.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Green for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210170.
A resolution congratulating Councilmember Cherelle L. Parker on her historic appointment as Board Chair of the Delaware River Port Authority and honoring her work as a board member and trailblazing leader in Philadelphia.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Domb for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I congratulate and applaud Majority Leader Parker and ask for the approval of this resolution. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. 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. 210171.
A resolution honoring and congratulating After School Activities and Partnerships Chess Club for their bringing together over 150 clubs and 2,500 students across the City and being instrumental in Philadelphia being named Chess City of the Year by US Chess. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Thomas for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Council President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It's been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. 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. 210172.
A resolution Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING recognizing February 2021 as American Heart Month, and honoring the American Heart Association of Philadelphia for their work in providing health resources in Philadelphia, emphasizing the importance of heart health, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of all of the Philadelphians and those worldwide who suffer with heart disease, I wanted to really thank the American Heart Association, and I move for the adoption of this very important resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.) Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Resolution 210173.
A resolution recognizing and honoring Lynette Medley and her daughter, Nya McGlone, for their menstrual hub, The SPOT Period; and for the work they have done to provide menstrual products and ongoing support for those suffering from period poverty.
Thank you. One more time, the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. As I mentioned last week, period poverty is a real issue and it's a very serious issue, and for those of us Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING who are women who have a menstrual cycle, we know the terror that can happen when your menstrual cycle becomes -- it happens and you are unaware that it was going to happen. And so for women who are in period poverty and do not have access to products, it's critically important. So all that being said, I move for the adoption of this also very important resolution today. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING adopted. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210174.
A resolution recognizing the month of February as National African American Read-In Month, and honoring Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas' Humanizing Stories Project for its work to bring together diverse voices from the world of children's media, literature, and culture through digital advocacy, community projects, and classroom resources.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Bass for a motion on the resolution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm honored to move for the adoption of this resolution. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING properly seconded that the resolution be adopted. 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. 210175.
A resolution refuting the article "Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War," which contradicts the historical consensus and evidence of the thousands of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army before and during World War II, written by J. Mark Ramseyer: Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard Law School.
Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Oh.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I would like to offer an amendment to Resolution No. 210175. A copy of the amendment has been circulated to all members of Council. I move for the adoption of the amendment. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the amendment to Resolution No. 210175 be adopted. All in favor indicate by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and the resolution has been amended. The Chair again recognizes Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Councilman Oh for a motion on the amended resolution.
Thank you. I move for the adoption of the resolution, as amended. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that the resolution, as amended, be adopted. 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. 210085. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
A resolution proposing an amendment to The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter providing for expansion of the Board of License and Inspection Review; and providing for the submission of the proposed amendment to the electors of Philadelphia.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker for a motion on the resolution.
Okay. That requires two-thirds vote. Thank you, Mr. Decker, our more than capable Chief Clerk. Councilwoman Parker.
Yes, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution.
It's Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and seconded that the resolution be adopted. Because Resolution No. 210085 is an amendment to the Home Rule Charter, it requires two-thirds vote. Therefore, the question is shall this resolution be adopted. The Chief Clerk will call the roll. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Councilman Green. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. More than two-thirds of all members of the Council having voted in the affirmative, Resolution No. 210085 has been adopted. Thank you. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 210077. (No response.)
I apologize, Mr. President. An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 from the General Fund, the Council to the General Fund, the Department of Planning and Development.
Thank you. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING This bill having been read on two different days, the question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilman Henon. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Thomas.
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of Bill No. 210120.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 from the General Fund, the Council to the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions, and thereby implementing Council's "New Normal Jobs Initiative."
This bill has been read on two different days. The question now is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Councilman Jones. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 16; the nays are zero. A majority of all members having voted in the affirmative, the bill Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 210121.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021 from the Grants Revenue Fund, the Director of Finance Provision for Other Grants, to the General Fund, the Managing Director.
Thank you, Council President. A few weeks ago I stood in front of the Linc and implored the Mayor to put in place a vaccination plan big enough and bold enough to vaccinate the City with the speed our citizens demand in order to get our lives back, our families back, and to get us back to work. For three weeks, the Administration rejected the plan, saying we didn't have enough vaccines to make a site as big as the Linc necessary. During these weeks, I asked the Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Administration to plan for a time when vaccines exceed our capacity to deliver them through normal channels. Last week, I called on the Mayor to deliver to City Council a plan to do just that. I said then that without a plan for scaling up capacity to meet doses, I could not in good conscience vote to hand over more money to the Administration. Then last Saturday the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer, in a banner headline, said what I feared all along, the City's problem was no longer a lack of vaccines but our lack of capacity to distribute them. If you didn't think we needed a plan when the Mayor was saying we had more than enough capacity, surely now three weeks later we are running out of capacity and a plan is needed detailing specifically how we're going to scale up. Now less than 24 hours ago, we finally received last night their plan. My fellow colleagues, this plan Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING will not get us to where we need to be. Here's why: The City based its dosage estimates on President Biden's plan he laid out in mid-February to deliver 300 million doses to America by the end of July. A plan based on Biden's mid-February projections would have made sense but for the fact that 48 hours ago, as Councilmember Green noted today, the President changed the timetable and now 300 million doses are going to be delivered by the end of May, two months earlier than the President's earlier projection, two months earlier, and unfortunately for all of us, two months earlier than the City's current plan. This plan can only mean one thing: The City intends to get all of our vaccines by the end of May but remains woefully unprepared to deliver them until the end of July. And that's if you believe in the ability of the City to scale up to deliver them by July given the plan they presented. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING So let me just take a quick look at the plan. This plan says that 35 percent of the City's capacity to deliver doses by the last week of April will come from FEMA. There are only two problems with this assumption. First, the FEMA site is set to close by the last week of April. Second, FEMA is not responsible for providing capacity for the City's dose allocation. FEMA has its own separate dose allocation. Now, let's rerun the numbers for a moment using the White House plan for vaccine delivery and the current understanding of FEMA's role in our city's distribution. Assume under the Biden timeline our dose count is 200,000 per week by the end of April and not the 120,000 in the City's plan. Taking FEMA doses out of the City's capacity equation means we can deliver 78,000 of those 200,000 doses that we will be receiving every week thereafter, at which time, according to the President's new Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING timeline, we will receive our full share of doses. That leaves us over 122,000 doses undelivered each week for four weeks. 5 million people, we will delay dosing almost 500,000 of our residents all because we couldn't figure out how to scale up capacity to dose them faster than through the end of July. My fellow colleagues, this is a plan for failure. The Philly Fighting COVID disaster just doesn't happen on its own. It happens because we fail to plan. Jumping the line at the Convention Center doesn't just happen. It happens because we fail to plan.
Twenty-two percent of the doses going to African Americans who make up 44 percent of Philadelphia doesn't just happen. It happens because we fail to prevent it. When the Convention Center was chosen as a FEMA site, I was concerned, Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING and I warned that putting a mega site in Center City, a 67 percent white neighborhood, using a registry that is disproportionately white, would not achieve racial equity. Today, an article came out today. WHYY reports that the white neighborhoods within walking distance of the Convention Center are trying to jump the line. And what is the Administration's response? The Mayor said, scolding Philadelphians to examine their conscience. I say to the Mayor and the Administration, why don't we first examine our failed technology. I would ask for a one-stop shop to match scheduling so these failures will end, and do the work necessary to correct the problems that come with a lack of planning. We don't expect perfection, but we do expect leadership to admit when they are wrong and made mistakes, and Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING then let's work together to get it right. Just this morning I received a response to my questioning of the projected doses in the plan. The Mayor says the plan is fluid and that the charts are merely illustrative. Let me tell you, I've seen a lot of action plans in my day, and when the planners use words like "fluid" and "illustrative," it usually means there is no plan. I listened to President Biden when he revised the timetable for doses. I assure you that President Biden was not being fluid or illustrative when he announced his plan, and neither should we. Until we own up to the real numbers and a real plan, we will lose the fight for racial equity and ensure that our city will still be fighting this pandemic while other big cities in America are on the road to recovery. Three weeks ago I said the Linc Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING was the best option for scaling up capacity to deliver doses with speed and equity. Yesterday I hosted a conference call with our partners who could get this done, and they all stand ready to deploy the Linc to deliver 10,000-plus vaccinations a day. Today, the Linc doesn't just stand as the best option. It's probably the only option on a large scale that we have left to get there by the end of May. The Mayor wants us to hand over $50 million today for this plan that does not work. I cannot vote until I see a plan that works, one that's as big and bold as the hopes and dreams we all have for a city that can finally put this pandemic behind us. This is the most important issue of our life. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you, Councilman. Real quick, the Chair recognizes Councilman O'Neill. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING
Yes. Thank you, Mr. President. I had a technical connection problem and I'd like to be recorded as voting aye on Bill No. 210120 and Bill No. 210077.
Thank you, Mr. President, and I want to thank Councilmember Domb for all of the work and advocacy he has done on this effort, really elevating the seriousness of the amount of work in front of us. And yesterday's plan submitted by the Administration that was produced prior to the Biden Administration, I agree with him, must be updated to reflect some of those realities. This has been a very, very bumpy ride. I said that last Thursday as I stood in the mass vaccination center in Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING my district as I work with FEMA and all of the federally certified health centers not only in my district but throughout the City for us to roll out bolder, more aggressive plans. Transportation is a challenge. We saw that even in Center City. We have many seniors scheduled today and tomorrow, and many of my non-profit organizations have had to rent vans and provide transportation services to get folks here to Center City, and it's been an incredible challenge. And so I agree with Councilman Domb that this plan has to be updated and bolder. I know that Councilwoman Bass, who now is part of the Vaccination Advisory Council, will work with the Administration. I know District Councilpeople are working on this aggressively to ensure equity. In addition to Community Academy High School in my district, I have several different locations that FEMA is looking at in my district. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING So, yes, it's not an either/or. It is "and" and "and" and "and" and "and" as we scale up this issue. But we have to bear in mind that SEPTA and some of the challenges of SEPTA create a problem for folks wanting to get on public transportation. And ultimately it is about getting those small independent providers in our district, the small pharmacies, all of those things which we are working on, all of us, to ensure as much neighborhood-based access as possible. So I join the Councilmember in saying, yes, this plan needs to be updated and reflected. I encourage all of my Council colleagues to continue to work with Councilmember Bass and the Administration to expand that access. And I do think -- and I will continue to support Councilmember Domb, and whoever submits a proposal for the Linc, for that to also become an option for us. Are we where we need to be? Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Absolutely not, Council President Clarke. And I appreciate the leadership team for meeting with the Administration and being aggressive about us needing to do more, but nevertheless, I don't want to send a message to the citizens of Philadelphia that City Council is going to hold up any resources for us to get a vaccination plan on the ground, but I will continue to pressure and insist that these plans continue to be updated and reflect that goal of equity. I too want to make sure that we establish goals that are reachable around this equity issue and particularly as we roll out the 1C category where districts like mine, essential workers, many of us believe should have been on 1A, not 1C, all of these restaurant workers, healthcare workers, all the folks who have been working throughout this entire year and this pandemic. So I want to thank Councilmember Domb for his advocacy. I Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING want to thank you, Council President, our leadership team, and Councilwoman Bass. We're going to keep pushing. This is not the end of the conversation. This is a continuing conversation. I'm happy to continue to provide updates as the Administration provides them to us. Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilwoman. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Parker.
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I too want to thank Councilmembers Bass, Domb, Quinones-Sanchez and, quite frankly, all members of this body for aggressively pursuing the equitable distribution of the COVID vaccine to all residents in the City of Philadelphia. The passion and the sense of urgency that we hear from all regarding this issue is extremely necessary and warranted. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING With that being said, Mr. President, I just wanted to note for the record that when we hear that the plan that was presented is fluid as a result of our leadership meeting, Mr. President, that we had with the Administration last week, I have to affirm that it is fluid, and it is fluid because one of the things that we have talked about that was not included in what was distributed is vaccine sites, what we're calling neighborhood-based vaccine sites, one in every Council district in particular. In addition to that, Mr. President, I have to note this: I am a huge fan of information, Mr. President, and one of the things that we discussed is that every vaccination site throughout the City of Philadelphia, and particularly by Council district, should be readily available for public view, so that no matter where you live in the City of Philadelphia, we wouldn't care if the Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING vaccine is being distributed at a hospital or at a church or some other neighborhood-based facility, that residents across the City should see that menu. During our leadership meeting, the Mayor and his team affirmed that and noted that that is something as well that they would work on while making sure that District Councilmembers in particular, and of course all of our at-large members, will be informed and asked to add value, Mr. President, where possible. So to Councilmember Domb, Councilmember Bass, Maria Quinones-Sanchez, and all members of Council, I think we're all rowing in the right direction, because we want to see the equitable distribution of this vaccine readily available to people across the City and in neighborhoods across the City. So thank you all. I'm proud to be a part of this body that has not in any way, shape or form underestimated the Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING sense of urgency that we face right now regarding this issue. So, Councilmember Domb in particular, I want to thank you, sir, for your leadership. Thank you, Mr. President.
Point of information, Mr. President. Point of information.
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Gilmore Richardson.
Thank you very much, Council President. I Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING quickly wanted to thank our Appropriations Chair, Councilmember Sanchez, for her work. Even during the hearing, I was listening to that Appropriations Committee hearing, and our Chair of Public Health and Human Services, Councilmember Bass, for all of her work on this issue, but I also rise in continued support of my colleague Councilmember Domb for his persistence in ensuring that we can have an equitable distribution of the vaccine across communities here in the City of Philadelphia. While I recognize we have faced significant challenges at the onset of the distribution, I do want to personally thank the Administration for partnering and working with my office to ensure that we were able to have a briefing for local community pharmacies to walk them through the process step by step on how they can become a part of the vaccine distribution in our local communities in Philadelphia. Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING So I agree with our Majority Leader and our leadership team that we are all rowing in the same direction, and it's important for us to continue to work together to have an equitable distribution of the vaccine. And while the numbers are increasing, we are still on the low end as it relates to African Americans who have been vaccinated in the City. So I want to continue to work with all of you, all of my colleagues, our leadership team, and the Administration to ensure that we can have a distribution of this vaccine across zip codes in the City of Philadelphia. And I want to put on the record three neighborhoods that I have heard from consistently in my office, and I'm going to put this on the record today so that folks know where I am. Now, of course, Councilmember Jones, my District Councilmember and my colleague, I'm going to put Wynnefield on the record. We have Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING naturally occurring aging communities, particularly in Wynnefield Heights, but also we have a large seasoned citizens population in Wynnefield proper. So I'm putting Wynnefield 19131 on the map. Also, I've heard from a number of constituents -- and I can't even count; my team will have to give me the full number -- from the Northeast. And while we recognize we want this distribution to be equitable, I have to put on the record that I have heard from so many Philadelphians in that community around the need to be vaccinated. And, finally, Councilmember Squilla, the First Council District, I receive a lot of calls from that area as well. That is technically my home district and where my grandmother resides. So I have to put a plug in for South Philadelphia on the east side of Broad Street. But I look forward to continuing to work with the Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING Administration and with all of you to ensure that we have an equitable distribution of this vaccine. Thank you very, very much.
Thank you, Councilwoman. Before I proceed, Councilman Jones, I apologize, did you call for a point of order? You're on mute, Councilman. (No response.)
Go Stated Meeting March 4, 2021 3/4/21 - STATED - 2ND READING ahead. You can go ahead.
I yield. All right. So what I was -- I actually yield that point of information, but if there are no other people in front of me, I would like to make a point on this topic.