Chin Advocates for Relief to Struggling Property Owners in Her District
Last Friday, Council Member Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), urging him to provide emergency relief to small property owners of tenement buildings in Chinatown and on the Lower East Side.
Even before the pandemic, these property owners have struggled to bear disproportionately high operating expenses and property taxes. Now, since many of their commercial tenants are unable to pay rent, they’re in more need of relief than ever.
“For years, these small property owners have been integral partners in the work to preserve deeply affordable housing stock in immigrant neighborhoods, often without any recognition or the ability to access government relief programs,” said Chin. “But this crisis we’re confronting has magnified the urgency to protect housing for the most vulnerable at an unprecedentedly large scale, and it is past time that our City recognize the contributions of this constituency and provide the relief they desperately need.”
Velázquez Evaluates New Small Business Relief Bill
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-LES, Brooklyn, Queens) spoke on the House floor last Thursday, offering her perspective on the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act.
The bill, which passed later that day, allocates $370 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. It also allocates $60 billion in funding for smaller lending institutions.
“To the small businesses out there who have not yet received help – who my office hears from daily – I say this: we are not finished,” said Velázquez. “With our economy worsening every day, getting these programs restarted and loans out the door – quickly – is critical. This bill accomplishes that.”
“However, we are far from finished. We will be coming back to further improve this program. In the meantime, we will be pushing SBA and Treasury to get this right and provide greater clarity and transparency.”
Williams Commends Mayor for Introduction of Racial Disparity Task Force
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (D) released a statement after Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced the creation of a task force to examine the racial disparities in COVID-19 impact.
Williams had called for the creation of such a task force two weeks prior, citing data that showed that the pandemic was disproportionately harming communities of color.
“I thank the Mayor for answering the call to confront the racial disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 with a task force of experts to rapidly implement an action plan in real time for both the immediate recovery and long-term response to this crisis in communities of more color,” said Williams. “Who comprises this task force, how quickly they are empowered to act, and the force of that action are paramount. Throughout this crisis, our government has moved too slowly on all levels, and now we need to be quick and decisive.
“The primary function of this task force cannot be to engage in a long, protracted process of deliberation and study, dwelling on how we got here. We know this disparity was created by a long history of systemic inequities and injustices. Additional delays waste time that the people being devastated by this crisis– those who are deemed essential but treated as expendable– just don’t have. Ultimately, we need results, not a report, and the work of this task force must have a voice in and be supported by the city’s budget.”
Stringer Calls on City to Provide AC to Vulnerable New Yorkers
Last Friday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D) called on the City to strengthen the federal Cooling Assistance Program ahead of this summer.
The Cooling Assistance Program exists to provide air conditioning to New Yorkers who cannot afford it, especially those at risk of heat-related illnesses. In a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), Stringer claimed that the City’s shelter-in-place orders could exacerbate the existing risk of heatstroke for low-income New Yorkers this summer.
“The City’s COVID-19 response has to account for our most vulnerable populations—at every turn,” said Stringer. “If the current crisis has taught us anything, it’s the importance of planning and preparation, especially when it comes to equipment that can literally save lives. And let’s be clear, a serious heat wave can be deadly for people at risk. We can’t allow this summer’s heat to put seniors or other vulnerable New Yorkers with respiratory issues at heightened risk just because they are sheltering in their homes to try to stop the spread.”
Read the full letter here.
