Avilés explains vote - budget justice, parks baselining, NYPD flat
Council Member Avilés discloses associations with Uprose, DOE, and Parks. She champions budget justice, praises baselined parks funding, notes NYPD headcount kept flat with investments in mental health teams, and expresses disappointment that Rentals Within Reach and EMT pay parity were not addressed. Votes no on Intro 553A and 929A, aye on rest.
Aviles.
I'm disclosing on the record of the council that Uprose and the New York City Department of Education and Parks and Recreation are funded in this budget that we are adopting,
and I or my child is respectively and sibling are associated with these entities.
Permission to explain my vote.
Permission granted.
Since being elected to the City Council, I have championed the idea of budget justice, that by turning away from the status quo
and austerity budgeting, we can actually fund the services poor and working New Yorkers need by focusing on dismantling economic inequities and shifting funding away from ineffective and harmful programs.
I've been proud to work with the Progressive Caucus in efforts to center New York's most vulnerable from our crisis to care, public safety priorities, to funding to protect affordable housing and home ownership, to protecting immigrant legal service funding.
I'm proud to continue supporting local service providers such as Misteca, Center for Family Life, Red Hook Initiative, among so many more.
Thank you all for the work you do of loving and serving our district every single day.
It is great to see that the parks funding is baselined among so many other initiatives.
And I'm taking, I'm, and.
a taken out of the yearly budget dance.
We need to get to 1%.
I'm reassured that this final budget kept the NYPD headcount flat and instead invested more resources in the services that New Yorkers need towards sustainable, data-driven public safety
measures, such as mental health treatment teams, including access for EMS workers, and will move New York City closer to our vision of true public safety.
While I am thrilled that a settlement was reached in CityFEP's case and funding was allocated to expand the program, I am disappointed that the Progressive Caucus'Rentals Within Reach program
campaign to reduce existing NYCHA and supportive housing vacancies did not see the meaningful investments it should have, nor have we addressed EMT pay parity.
Rest assured, we will continue to unapologetically fight for the working people of New York City.
Thank you.
And lastly, I am voting no on Intro 553A and Intro 929A and aye on the rest.
Thank you.