Epstein on supporting community organizations for deactivation cases

We've heard, you choose one industry, deactivation, right?

So, you know, we've heard from the deliverances that every day two, three hundred people are banging down their door about deactivation.

So they don't have capacity to do it.

So how do we support them to ensure that they, you know, they can maybe be a frontline person to limit the number of cases that are coming to you?

Do you have resources in the budget to help organizations like that who are really on the front lines trying to help?

We have resources in the budget to make sure that we have the staff to meet those needs.

We're also working very closely with outside partners to make sure that there's an orderly process, that people know their rights.

Do you want to talk a little bit about deactivation implementation?

Sure.

And just to first say, you know, WJP and all of our community partners do extraordinary work.

They are a critical part of the worker protection infrastructure.

And, you know, definitely want to see them continue to be supported to do that work so that they can continue to refer us cases so that we can continue to refer them cases.

matters outside of our jurisdiction, it's really critical.

And we will continue to work with organizations who are working with delivery workers to make sure they're able to get delivery workers to us so that we can pursue those deactivation matters for them.

So you have no money in the budget to subcontract them to do this work.

Is that what I hear you saying?

We do not manage those contracts.

That's right.

That runs through.

Carlos should speak to this, but yeah.

Well, that's correct.

The money that we were allocated was for personnel services and to increase the agency's capacity.

I recognize your point and full agreement that over the past 10 years, the agency has had historic disinvestment.

But that's why we're incredibly excited with what the mayor has done, obviously with the support of the council and our allies that you're bringing up in this conversation too, Chair, to bring us to a place where we can meet our mandates and hopefully grow even further as new mandates come.

Yeah, I mean, I do care about the street vendors, and they may not come to DCWP right away.

They may need an organization like the Street Vendor Project to ferret out.

what's an appropriate case to come to.

They have the relationships.

It would be great to see funding from the agency just as we know

we're going to have to enforce these laws, but we know these are really culturally competent organizations who are on the ground, who are going to be able to figure out what should come to us and what shouldn't.