Name of Council Member: Gale A.

Brewer Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: William Colegrove, Director of Legislation & Budget

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. I feel that it is the role of the City Council to be the voice of the people of New York City. Nowhere is this more important than in the realm of human rights, particularly in a City such as New York where the gap between rich and poor is enormous. Those New Yorkers who have the least have as much right to food, shelter, and dignity as anyone else. I have been a staunch advocate for human rights, especially for the poor and working poor in our City. I am a strong advocate for social services and other anti-poverty initiatives throughout the Citys budget process, and Local Law 46-2013, my Paid Sick Time Law, will codify basic rights for approximately one million New Yorkers: the right to earned paid days off when you or a family member falls ill, and the right to keep your job if you must stay home. 2. Please share how you used your tenure in Council to advance human rights. I was the primary sponsor of the following enacted local laws: Int 0096-2002: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the standards of conduct of employment agencies and employers of domestic or household employees placed by employment agencies. Int 0022-2004: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to the human rights law. Int 0420-2004: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the suspension of alternate side of the street parking rules on the Hindu festival of Diwali. Int 0057-2006: A Local Law in relation to the creation of a Bed Bug Advisory Board. Int 029A-2010: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to publishing open data Int 0332-2010: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to prohibiting smoking in pedestrian plazas and public parks and to repeal subdivision b of section 17-513 of the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring a study regarding the prevention of second-hand smoke circulation in restaurants. Int 404-2010: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to fines for illegal conversions of dwelling units from permanent residences. Int 0183-2010: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to accessible pedestrian signals.

Int 0648-2011: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Youth and Community Development to publish on the agencies websites information relating to the process for youth and young adults aged sixteen through twenty applying for or receiving public assistance. Int 0097-2010: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of sick time earned by employees.

3. Please list your top 3 legislative priorities for 2013. 1. Local Law 2013/046: A Local Law to amend the New York City charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of sick time earned by employees. 2. Int 0912-2012: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to prohibiting discrimination based on ones arrest record or criminal conviction and repealing subdivision 11 of section 8-107 of chapter one of title eight of the administrative code of the city of New York. 3. Int 132-2010: A Local Law to amend the New York City charter, in relation to requiring that all public meetings be webcast. 4. Please list your top three budget priorities of 2013. 1. Protecting childcare and after school programs, particularly ensuring the restoration of $57 million for discretionary child care slots, and the $51 million restoration for the Out of School Time Initiative. 2. Protecting senior programs, especially in the areas of case management, senior centers, elder abuse, NORC support, and CityMeals on Wheels. 3. Housing programs to prevent homelessness, eviction and tenant harassment, such as the Housing Preservation Initiative, the Anti-Eviction & SRO Legal Services Program, and the Citywide Task Force on Housing Court. 5. Have you used participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? While I applaud the ideas behind participatory budgeting, because the process does increase community involvement and transparency, I am proud of what we have done for the last 12 budget cycles in the 6th Council District. Well before participatory budgeting was initiated in New York, I developed a list of all 2,000 or more nonprofits in the district, and sent them the information about city budget application opportunities. We keep the list up to date, adding new groups as they form. And when small, new groups appear, we work with Community Resource Exchange and the group to get them to be a legal non-profit. In addition, my staff has organized viable, active tenant associations in all of the NYCHA developments in my District and we allocate funding to each, and work with them all year to spend monies on programming (computer classes for seniors, for instance) and Family Day activities. Because I have worked in the District since 1974, was a member of one of the Community Boards for a decade, and on the Board of Directors of many of the small groups before being elected, I know most of the non-profits and make sure that they are aware of any and all opportunities for funding. I also speak at the annual Foundation Center forum on non-profit funding, and as co-chair of the Manhattan Delegation, I advise hundreds of other non-profits on how the process works. I also send out an e-mail to 20,000 people, with budget information, including how to demystify the process, as well as information about the Department of Cultural Affairs applications, which are a different set of challenges.

Furthermore, I have an incredibly close working relationship with the two Community Boards in my District, and take seriously the District Needs they submit to my office each year as part of the budget process. We also maintain strong relationships with the Principals and Parent Associations in my Council District, prioritizing their needs both in terms of after-school scholarships, capital improvements, and technology. Finally, I publish and send to my constituents a budget newsletter, right after the budget passes, listing every allocation in the 6th District. 6. Please list recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. Res 1768-2013: Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign, A.6059/S. 4284, legislation that would protect student privacy by prohibiting the release of personally identifiable student information without consent. Int 0097-2010: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the provision of sick time earned by employees. The above mentioned are initiatives that I have introduced or passed. I also support the two bills under the Community Safety Act.

7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation have you advanced the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? I am a strong advocate on the Councils Budget Negotiating Team for budget priorities that serve to advance the human rights of all New Yorkers, such as public education and affordable housing. As a co-sponsor of Respect for All Week, I participated in anti-bullying events in my District. In addition, I initiated the concept of providing more culturally appropriate mental health services in schools. I have also worked to advance the rights of seniors in my district, including the launch of my Grow Green, Age Well program, in partnership with local Senior Centers and nonprofits. This program consists of four parts: Wholesale for Whole Meals to match local growers with consumers through customized delivery to senior centers, food banks, and Meals-on-Wheels, Greenhouse to Goddard, the Westside Senior Supported Agriculture (WSSA) Food Box Program, and the 2nd Annual Age-Friendly West Side Grocery Guide. The grocery guide provides helpful information about discounts and home delivery for Seniors at grocery stores on the West Side. As a result of these efforts, I have also been able to partner with a local school in my District to bring fresh greens, grown on the schools roof top greenhouse using hydroponics, to local Senior Centers. I also strongly advocated for budget restorations of over $2 million for citywide food pantry and soup kitchen programs. In the realm of housing, each year I support a Council-funded program with the Urban Justice Center and Goddard Riverside SRO Law Project to provide free monthly housing clinics for tenants. Hundreds of people have been able to stay in their homes thanks to the legal advice provided at these clinics. I also work closely with staff member Rosalba Rodriguez to serve the thousands of units of NYCHA housing in my District. We sponsor Family Days at the developments in the District, and work year round with residents to help them receive timely repairs, employment opportunities, and with the myriad other issues they face. We also testify regularly regarding what needs to be included in NYCHAs Annual Plan. Finally, I have more interns than any other Council office, including high school, college and graduate students. We average over 30 interns each semester, and they are very busy doing research, assisting constituents on quality of life issues, organizing meetings on local issues and Town Halls, and attending hundreds of hearings, writing up the

minutes. We have had well over 500 interns in the last 12 years, and they are all educated in human rights and dignity, as well as urban public policy, as a result of working in my Council office. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. The Speaker obviously has significant power in deciding when and how legislation progresses through the City Council. However, to her credit, as we have seen with my recent Paid Sick Leave bill, as well as the Community Safety Act, the Speaker has demonstrated that she is willing to consider controversial legislation, assuming Council Members are able to build a significant coalition of support for a bill. It can be immensely frustrating for Council Members to see bills held up by the Speakers Office, especially for political reasons; however, from a policy perspective, it does make sense to have some executive control over the Councils agenda. What is needed is more discussion in the Council of the ideas behind the legislation, what legislation can really improve policy and the lives of New Yorkers, and the best budget and/or legislative initiative to address challenges faced by individuals or city agencies. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.