Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning everyone. We have been talking about the recovery of all of us. This means reaching every corner of the city and getting in touch with New Yorkers who have been respected before, and New Yorkers who have often not received enough investment and support before. As we move forward, we will write down these mistakes. Recovery is an opportunity to do many things right. So, let's talk about public housing, all the good people living in the NYCHA building, we 400,000 New Yorkers. Many people who are doing very difficult and important work for this city help this city keep running. Well, they deserve the best quality of life. We have been investing a lot of money to start repairing NYCHA's problems that have been broken for decades. We need a lot of federal support. This will be an important part of the future equation. The important discussions currently taking place in Washington may have a profound impact on the future of public housing in this city. I want to thank our congressional delegation, and especially Senator Schumer, who is working hard to obtain real, substantial resources to help public housing in New York City.  

But at the same time, we will fix the problems that we can fix. One of them is an ongoing problem. It has been haunting me ever since I became the mayor. I think this bothers the residents of NYCHA. When you have those big sidewalk sheds, those surrounding scaffolding seem to just sit there for a long time, affecting the quality of life. They affect the development of the whole life. When this purpose is needed, they have a purpose, but sometimes they will linger after that purpose, or things that delay time should be completed as soon as possible. Affected the lives of residents. We need to solve this problem. So, today we want to announce an important news to the people in this city who live in public housing. We will invest US$111 million to repair the exterior walls of the buildings-this is usually the reason these scaffolds and sheds are erected-we will repair 45 buildings in 15 development projects-this is very important. Note-where is the shed for five years, five years, waiting to be repaired, because there are not enough resources. We are investing resources in repairing, dismantling sheds, and developing safer developments. It looks better. This is better for everyone. US$16 million was earmarked for the restoration of the exterior wall of the NYCHA development project in Manhattan. And, of course, this is the city hall of Manhattan Borough Week. Therefore, we focus on some really important investments that we have made near Manhattan. I hope you hear from someone who really understands the lives of public housing residents and their needs and deserves. She has always been a champion of public housing residents. She herself grew up in the Lower East Side. Meltzer Tower, one of the development projects in her area, will benefit here, and I am happy to introduce the board member Carlina Rivera. 

Well, they had some technical problems this morning. So, this is the result of our earlier start. OK. Council member Rivera will join us immediately. We will return to that question. But I mentioned the City Hall in Manhattan. We will continue to discuss this subject, and we will return to the members of the Council later. So, yesterday I had a wonderful experience somewhere—I want to urge all New Yorkers to check this out, the drama bookstore in Manhattan. This is a very special thing. I joined Lin-Manuel Miranda, he is just one of the great New Yorkers. He is one of the people who tell the story of New York City to the world. He has created extraordinary works and continues to create more. The drama bookstore is so important because this is where he really started working as a writer. Long before it became a great movie, he created the original "Highland" here. Now, this is the new location because the store is closing. It has existed for more than a hundred years. It is about to close. Lin-Manuel and other kind people decided to save it. This is a great example of our resilience as New Yorkers, our ability to come back, our ability to make sure we keep what we love. This is an amazing place. If you like drama, movies, and if you like writing, this is a place to kill time. Many people just go there and spend a lot of time reading. It's amazing. Therefore, we have many special places in New York City, especially small businesses and husband and wife businesses. These places all started with the labor of love and continue to be retained as the labor of love. The drama bookstore is a good example.  

Now, I said yesterday that if you believe in the shops near us, if you believe in the place that makes New York City great, you have to go there and spend money. Therefore, from now until the end of the holiday, we will often discuss this issue. Shop your city. This is a major move we made last year, and it really helps. Last year was too difficult for small businesses and community businesses. We have been telling people, you know, we understand that people have many choices about how you spend your money, especially during the holidays, but please do your best to shop locally and invest your money in small businesses to help them survive. It makes a huge difference. So, yesterday we witnessed the beauty of small businesses and what it means to our community. Lin-Manuel has some very powerful words about the way New Yorkers are fighting COVID. He has always been a man who has been pushing the development of this city, and he said that Broadway can and will come back. He has always been one of the people who tell people to believe we can do it. I want you to hear a brief message of what he said yesterday, which touched me a lot. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda: Everyone knows the price we have to pay, that is a vaccine card and your mask. Sitting in the dark and listening to people telling stories of the highest level in the world is a small price to pay. I am grateful that it is back. So, please get vaccinated so that you can enjoy the live theater so you can enter this shop and enjoy the drama bookstore. I am very grateful for this announcement. 

Mayor: We gave him a declaration, what you heard there, said-yesterday we named this day after a part of New York City's drama bookstore. Culture stays alive in our city. But as Lin-Manuel said, everything worked, everything is recovering because people are getting vaccinated. So, his appeal-when we opened a vaccination center for the theater community in Times Square, he was with us. He has always been a great booster for vaccination, no puns, we are very grateful. So yesterday it was a wonderful moment. Last night I also had a great meeting with elected officials from Manhattan in Washington Heights, Havana Heights. This is an incredible restaurant in Washington Heights. Cuban cuisine in Washington Heights. There is nothing better than this. I highly recommend it. And discuss with the elected officials in Manhattan what we need to do, what we need to do now, and how we can get the city back. A very, very energetic party. Speaking of elected officials, I am now being told to return to the topic of public housing and how we can invest to improve public housing. I am told that city councillor Carlina Rivera will be online soon. Let us see if this is true. Council members. 

Thank you. Council member, you yourself are taking action for our recovery. Go out and go to Broadway to make recovery happen. Thank you. Thank you, look, you are really an extraordinary advocate of public housing residents. We have indeed walked through your area and saw many problems that need to be resolved. Thank you for your support. Yes, this work must continue. These long-term sheds must be demolished and remind everyone that these will be 45 buildings out of 15 developments, of which US$16 million — our US$111 million — will be used for Manhattan, especially Melzer in the Lower East Side Tower, houses in Dykman Inwood, 131 St. Nicholas in Harlem and Douglass Houses in the Upper West Side. These are truly important investments that can improve the lives of residents, and they will indeed help us move forward. Therefore, we will continue to make these investments.  

Now, when it comes to investing, we had a very beautiful moment yesterday, a very beautiful moment. The Studio Museum in Harlem is an extraordinary institution in New York City, a precious New York City institution, a place dedicated to preserving and protecting African American culture, African culture, all of which have been denied and ignored in many ways. , So many ways to discount instead of respect. Studio Museum, as early as 1968, some artists gathered in Harlem and said that we must do something to protect a culture that is not only often misunderstood, but also ignored and transferred to the side. The aspect was destroyed. They created something that has now been built, built, and built. So many New Yorkers gathered to help this process. I would like to thank all those who provided support and donations for the development of the Studio Museum. Yesterday, Chirlane and I participated in the groundbreaking ceremony. This is a very touching moment because this is a museum that is fulfilling the sacred mission of protecting ancestors, history and culture, which are often under attack. It is being done in a way that the whole world can feel. Therefore, the Studio Museum in Harlem is a jewel in the crown of New York City, and New York City has now invested 62 million US dollars in a few years to ensure the continued development of this museum. People come here, and when it is fully expanded and created in the new vision, it will become one of the must-see places in New York City-really powerful. So, thank everyone at the Studio Museum, you have done some great and amazing things in the future.  

Okay, now it's another investment. I think anyone who listens to what I care about will know that the investment in our children is particularly moved. I feel that when we invest in young people, we do much more than sometimes we realize. When we invest in young people, we invest in the entire family. We invest in that young man, and we give them hope for the future because we show that we value them. We care about them. We show that they are precious. We definitely contribute to creating a better society, a more educated society and a safer society. Young people who show a positive path will follow this path, but they need to be shown and they need to be supported on this path. This is largely part of how we achieve the recovery of all of us. And, for everyone who cares about public safety and many leading public safety voices in our country have been saying for many years, if you care about public safety, please invest in young people. If we care about public safety, we need to recover to move on. Our recovery is equal to security, and security is equal to recovery. Therefore, these investments are crucial. I want to talk about the amazing NYPD Kids First program, which connects young people with NYPD officials at the community level. Officers, guide the children, help them develop skills, and help them find jobs and internship opportunities. It's amazing. One of the other important elements of Kids First’s vision is to invest in the community, especially sports and entertainment, things that can attract children to a positive, positive experience.  

Now, we have invested more than 7 million U.S. dollars to transform the spaces and communities that need to be beautiful, better for the children who really don’t get what they deserve, and more communities that deserve more. I want to announce today that the Kids First project, in collaboration with many great partners, has completed, restored and built 15 beautiful basketball courts in public housing development projects in the city, including four in Manhattan. Currently working on the last park, four basketball courts and a football field at Colonel Charles Young Park in Harlem. This is very, very exciting. In this upcoming summer, you will see a whole new thing. A really bad park. It will become beautiful and modern. This is great for children in the entire community. I want you to hear the opinions of people who are truly at the core and soul of this work. He believed in this, and he helped Yishan to achieve it. He is the Deputy Commissioner for Community Cooperation of the New York Police Department, and I am happy to introduce Chauncey Parker to you. 

Chauncey Parker, Deputy Commissioner for Community Partnerships of the New York Police Department: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Thank you very much for your excellent leadership and support of the NYPD Kids First program from the very beginning. Commissioner Shea really started this day about two years ago, when he became the North Star of the New York Police Department, doing everything we can to support the children and provide opportunities for the children of New York City. I will highlight two of these initiatives, which are part of the New York Police Department’s Children’s Priority Program. First, when the police commissioner inspected public housing, especially the children's play space in the basketball court, he found that in many areas, there are many challenges-NYCHA has so many funding and maintenance obligations. And many of these courses are broken, the ground is cracked, and the rims are cracked. The commissioner asked us to find a way that, at the urging of residents of these different development projects, we can help support this. 

Therefore, the chief of police and his federal law enforcement partners got together and said that if we confiscate assets, we confiscate them from the major drug trafficking organizations that have caused so much damage to our community, and if we do as much asset confiscation as possible, we usually return to law enforcement. Department, but what if we spend a lot of money on repairing these public places? With this partnership and NYCHA's excellent work, we were able to transform 15 basketball courts in all five boroughs of New York City. Last week, the 15th court was held in a townhouse in Richmond on Staten Island. This is really an amazing project. There is a theme that we all know, if you build it, they will come. Those stadiums are beautiful, restored and intact, which would be great for the community. 

The second project we are working on really started many years ago, under the excellent leadership of the chairman of Manhattan, Gale Brewer. But it is looking for Colonel Charles Youngfield at 143-145 Lenox Avenue in Harlem. And this huge field, it is a huge dirt field, 133,000 square feet, the conditions are not very good, and on both sides of it are four basketball courts, five basketball courts are not the best conditions. Therefore, we cooperated again, NYPD investment assets were confiscated, Manhattan President Gale Brewer, CC Sabathia PitCCh In Foundation, Major League Baseball, Cal Ripken, so many partners pooled their resources and began to change this space. As a result, the four basketball courts of Colonel Charles Youngfield have now been restored. There is also a brand new football field. Thanks to the Mayor’s Fund and all their great football partners, this space has a brand new football field. Then by next summer, they will become dream places, so to speak, dream places in Harlem. That 133,000 square foot dirt field will now become a magnificent artificial turf field. If anyone has seen Asphalt Green, it will be as beautiful as Asphalt Green, two miles south of the field. This will be something we built, and children will come here from generation to generation, enjoy the field, play on that field, those stadiums, and the football field. So thank you very much, Mr. Mayor, because you created this obstacle under your support and leadership. The Police Commissioner's Polaris is doing this for our children throughout the city. 

Mayor: Thank you, Chauncey. Chauncey, I know you really, really—seriously, I want to praise you. You put your heart and soul into it. When you talked about accomplishing this, I saw the excitement in your face and voice, and many great partners came together. So, thank you for your great effort. I want to talk about great partners. The New York City Mayor’s Fund has been actively involved in fund-raising efforts to truly create these beautiful spaces for children and families. CC Sabathia has always been part of this work. It is really a great and great charity force in baseball. PitCCh In Foundation, Major League Baseball itself is also involved. Karl Ripken Foundation. There is a very good partnership-with Gail Brewer, President of Manhattan. I think she is with us now. Gale, I want to thank you for your commitment to creating these beautiful spaces for the community. And I know that you have put money on your lips and worked hard to accomplish this. So, let us see if she is there. Gail Brewer, the mayor of Manhattan. 

Manhattan Mayor Gale Brewer: Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. Yes, Colonel Yang is someone we can be proud of. [Inaudible] With you, and of course the friends of Community Board 10, and all the people who put these together. I think what will happen is that people will find this is a way to reduce the community’s gun violence, sports and participation, and of course, the challenge in the armory — as we know it, Dingkins When the mayor was so active in this sport, he supported the wonderful tennis project. And, of course, in some cases, the wave of doing gymnastics with people who actually participate in the Olympics is amazing. Therefore, it will be a great sports facility. Of course, the work we did in [inaudible] is nearby. So, this is a good place to get support, and we look forward to completing it-a public-private partnership. This took a long time. [Inaudible] It took their time—you know, [Inaudible] It took five years to put them together, but we were very excited. I just hope we can do this in more areas.

One thing I want to add to my dream of wishing to happen is that our city has many school playgrounds. Those fields, if they are managed by the Public Land Trust Fund and the Ministry of Education-or the Ministry of Parks and the Ministry of Education, then they are open on weekends, summer and evenings. But if it's just the US Department of Energy, then their fences will be closed. So, we have to find a way. I know, thank you and the city council, we are paying for the public land trust fund and the fields operated by the Department of Energy, but we need to make all these playgrounds open so that people from nearby other than students can have that opportunity. So, this is a different dream field, but I want it to happen. Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: Thank you very much, mayor. Your point of view is great. I know you have been advocating for a long time. You are right, we must continue to work hard to make these spaces more and more available. It can be done, and I think you have a good point on one of the ways to do it. So, I am excited about these investments, they will affect many people. But you are right, let us make sure they reach the most people most of the time. We will work together. Thank you, mayor.

Now we will enter our indicator. First, the doses administered so far. We are damned close to 12 million. We are at 11,985,203. So, this is very remarkable. Second, the number of people admitted to New York City hospitals due to suspected COVID-19 every day-today's report, 114 patients. 14.53% confirmed the positive level. And, of course, the most important hospitalization rate is 0.47 per 100,000 people-this is good news. Third, the average number of newly reported cases within 7 days is 704. Therefore, vaccination is effective. We have more work to do, but we must move in the right direction.

I want to say a few words in Spanish about the areas of dreams and the amazing investments made in the community for our children and families.

[Mayor Bai Sihao speaks in Spanish]

With this, let us turn to our media colleagues. Please let me know the name and source of each reporter.

Moderator: Good morning. We will now begin the Q&A session. As a reminder, today NYC Health Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitch Katz joined us; Authors: New York City Health and Hospitals Clinic Director Dr. Andrew Wallach; Andrew Kaplan, NYCHA Acting Chief of Staff; Andrew D'Amora, Emergency Management Office acting commissioner. Our first question today is David from WABC.

Question: Hey, the mayor. can you hear me?

Mayor: Yeah, David? Are you OK?

Q: I'm fine. I just want to ask you, I don’t know if you have the opportunity to watch our debate last night, but I especially want to see your reaction to the results they gave you. Not surprisingly, Curtis gave you an F, and Eric gave you a higher score than I thought-he gave you a B. your opinion?

Mayor: Well, I am very grateful, because for the past eight years, I have been working hard to serve the people of the city, especially during the worst crisis we have ever experienced, the pandemic. But no, Dave, I didn't watch the debate. I know who I am voting for. I voted for Eric Adams. I think he will become the great and great mayor of this city, and I look forward to Tuesday, voting and pushing the city forward. Look, I think-I have already said-I think Eric Adams will build on a lot of the things we are trying to do here. I am very, very proud of some of the things we have done that make this city more fair and tolerant for everyone. I think Eric will be able to take it to a new level and I am very excited about it. Go on, Dave.

Question: We didn't ask this-maybe we should ask-but, you know, yesterday at the breakfast club, Eric mentioned that he met with gang members. I don't know-but if you have done something similar before, I just want to get your opinion. If you think this is a good idea. Is it dangerous?

Mayor: Look, he has been patrolling the streets of this city for more than 20 years as an officer of the New York Police Department. Obviously, I think he knows very well what is wise and how we can keep people safe. I have full confidence in Eric's ability to chart a good course in public safety. I respect his judgment. He works at the grassroots level. He knows how to talk to people and advance things at the community level. I respect everything he thinks must be done to achieve this goal.

Moderator: Our next question is about Elizabeth of WNYC.

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. What I want to ask is--

Mayor: Hey, how are you?

Q: I'm fine. I would like to ask you about the requirements for vaccination and what did your agency see in terms of the increase in the number of city employees receiving vaccination?

Mayor: Yes. We saw it—Elizabeth, we saw movement, but I think it’s too early to say, because the numbers we have now are only yesterday’s data. What I expect is a surge in activities, especially on Fridays. Then, what we saw before-look, we have this pattern with the medical staff. Everyone we work in the Ministry of Education has this model, and this is our largest institution so far-get vaccinated before the deadline. Then, some people did not get the vaccine before the deadline, but realized that they were going to take unpaid leave, and then immediately went out for the vaccine, and even others were vaccinated a few days later. So, I think we have not yet reached that time. I think we will see more in the next few days. Go ahead, Elizabeth.

Question: And I know you have been asked this question about the New York City emergency plan before, but I just want to know, is it more challenging to find a substitute for first responders?

Mayor: Well, Elizabeth, I think alternatives are not the point. I mean, obviously, when we talk about teachers, we have a history of substitute teachers. This is a different reality. It's about-over time, it's about moving tasks to places with special needs. Our—remember, our emergency agency, our uniform agency experienced a lot of things last year, because of COVID, they had a large number of members leaving, they have to constantly make adjustments to provide the services we need to ensure people Security-and they did it, they did it well. Therefore, these are very agile organizations, accustomed to responding to crises, accustomed to responding to natural disasters. They will know very well how to take the right actions to keep everything going.

Moderator: Our next question is Mike from the Daily News.

Q: Hello. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Are you OK?

Mayor: I did a good job, Michael. Are you OK?

Q: I did a great job. So, please continue to answer the last question. Can you provide us with more details on how New York City will deal with the potential shortage of the New York Police Department? I mean, for example, what is the estimated overtime cost associated with officials who are out of the game due to non-compliance? I mean, does New York City forecast these costs? Can you save some money?

Mayor: Yes. Look, this is a fair question, Michael. I just want to point out-first of all, we are not looking at this issue from a budget perspective, but from the perspective of how we ensure people’s safety, how we can end the COVID era, and how we can reverse the situation. The biggest in our history crisis. That is our focus. Now, it's obvious-look, I want all those who have not been vaccinated to be vaccinated before the end of Friday. If they do not, they will disappear from the payroll. I don't want to save, but it does save. If we have to give more overtime and make other adjustments, obviously there will be resources to solve this problem. But again, these institutions have been preparing for several months. Every committee member is absolutely confident to make adjustments, and every committee member firmly hopes that we will advance the vaccine mission. So, I feel ready. Go on, Michael.

Question: My other question is about a story today about 9 therapists for children with developmental disabilities. They apparently built 3.3 million dollars, some of them from the Ministry of Health and some from outside the city. So, you know, as you know, we are dealing with rising healthcare costs. I mean, how did we get to the point where they can take so much money? So, you know, someone from the city, I think the city provided 2 million US dollars, but don't-yes, I think the health department provided 2 million US dollars. I mean, how did it reach the point where it didn't cut earlier? I mean, these people have been charging for years, you know, almost 24 hours a day.

Mayor: Yes. I will let the health department follow up on this matter. Look, during the pandemic, what they did was disgusting and immoral, they cheated and took resources from those who needed it. This is ridiculous. This is too bad. They will pay for it. Most importantly, they were caught. But, of course, I will let the health department discuss with you the way they take protective measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. But these people did something wrong. They were caught. They have to pay a price.

Moderator: Our next question is Steve from WCBS.

Question: Hey, Mr. Mayor. Are you OK?

Mayor: Okay, Steve. how have you been?

Q: Everything goes well. I want to ask about NYCHA announcements first. I think the obvious question that comes to mind is whether these sheds have been in use for five years at this time, which is entirely within your tenure. So, what took so long to attract people's attention to these sheds and make them collapse? Moreover, looking forward to the future, will there be any regulatory changes within the DOB, because we have not seen such strict regulations, and we need to increase the number of sheds first?

Mayor: Steve, this is a very good question-two parts, but I want to start from the back end of your question. This is the law. This is not a DOB rule, it is a law, because you know-many of you and your colleagues have reported tragedies when something went wrong on the exterior wall, something fell, someone was injured or even died. Therefore, there is a real reason for the idea that we must make the appearance safe. Now, for many years, to be honest, I have been very frustrated. I started this work in 2014. We have actually demolished a large number of sheds in public housing. I’m going to invite Andrew Kaplan from NYCHA instead, and he might — I hope this number will come in handy, because, starting in 2014 — we are working with NYCHA, we are working with the New York Police Department, because the New York Police Department wants to see To the shed collapsed and for safety reasons, for various reasons. We started to dismantle them where we could be safe and where we could be safe, and then we realized that in some other places we had to solve the façade problem in order to dismantle the shed. Therefore, we have invested more and more funds in this area. This is a great cause. It's like everything in NYCHA. Remember, in terms of the quality of housing and physical plants, the total cost of upgrading all natural environments to the proper level is US$40 billion. We just don't have it. We hardly get anything from the country. We have few new resources from the federal government. The situation in Washington may change now, I hope and pray, but this is what we need. We need a large injection of funds to carry out exterior wall work to demolish the shed. That being said, Steve, in the past eight years, I have tried to disappoint a lot of people. Let’s see if Andrew Kaplan of NYCHA has any facts about how much has fallen so far? 

NYCHA Acting Chief of Staff Andrew Kaplan: Thank you Mr. Mayor. So, unfortunately, I don't have these data in my mind, but I will follow up with my colleagues. I really want to reiterate our gratitude for this funding and all the work we have done in this area over the past few years. We will continue to work tirelessly for this, but I will follow up on the specific details. 

Mayor: Okay, you will learn these facts from Steve, but I know that many miles of sheds in public housing have collapsed, so we will tell you. Go ahead, Steve. 

Q: Appreciate. I want to change the topic and talk about the mayoral election. I know that you have been asking about your thoughts on moving New York City from its annual plan for closure. I want to ask the same question about party elections. Among the big cities with partisan local elections, New York City is an outsider. Obviously, some other big cities, Boston, also have non-partisan local elections. Do you think this is a potential way forward for New York City, so we are currently not in the position of the Democratic and Republican parties in a city where Democrats are overwhelming? 

Mayor: You know, Steve, I think the current system is a good system, no, I don’t think we should change it. I think the problem with the national non-partisan model is that it is very susceptible to large sums of money. I think our structure is more friendly to the voices of working people and everyday New Yorkers, and the voices of those who don’t have a lot of money, but it still has an impact on our electoral system, the way primary elections are now structured, and our campaign finance system , We made a lot of improvements, and now someone can run for mayor and get most of the money from the small donations of daily New Yorkers. So, I actually think we are in a very good position. Our democracy is very healthy in this city. I will keep the current main structure. 

Moderator: Our next question is with Ari from NY1. 

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor, how have you been recently? 

Mayor: Okay, Ali. how have you been? 

Q: I'm fine. In view of this storm, I would like to ask about the catchment basin. I saw a tweet, I think it came from the New York City Water Account yesterday or the day before, asking people to clean the local catchment basin to prevent flooding. A few years ago, the city asked DEP to clean every catchment area every year instead of once every three years, and then stopped because they said it might not be effective, but now I think the garbage is in general and around the city. Many people will say this is an anecdote. Obviously, the city believes that the situation is serious enough to require citizens to do it themselves. So, does the city need to re-enact more stringent water collection tank cleaning requirements for DEP? How much responsibility does the city think that garbage-covered water collection tanks are responsible for flooding in certain areas? 

Mayor: So, good question, Ari, soon, what we saw in Hurricane Ida went far beyond the catchment area, and we were honest about it. Such a heavy rainfall is unprecedented, [inaudible] You can have a completely clean catch basin, and the sewers cannot hold so much water. Commissioner Sapienza is very outspoken about this. This shows us a change that we will have to make in a few years, and it will cost 100 billion US dollars or more to really reach the level we saw in the Ada period. However, if you are talking about more typical rainfall events, such as the situation we just saw, I will see if Andy D'Amora from the Emergency Management Department would like to add more to what has been done Work. But look, a DEP is forcibly clearing the catchment basins in all the most sensitive areas of the city. Second, yes, it is good to attract the public and provide help in any way locally. Third, when we report after Ida, I believe we can check this. I will let the team follow up. We did discuss returning those regular cleaning to annual levels. I believe that is a plan we launched in the new capital. Therefore, we will provide you with relevant updates. Andy, would you like to talk about the effort to clean up the collection basin? 

Andrew Damora, Acting Commissioner of Emergency Management: Yes, sir. You know, especially now that the leaves on the trees are falling in the rain, this is imperative. You know, we have carried out a full-court suppression, so we adopted a multi-institutional approach. We did ask the homeowner, we Got our opinion. The CERT team is also there, and they see it as a business. We always ask our CERT team to help us. Therefore, as the mayor said, it is always a good thing to let the public help in this work.   

Mayor: Thank you. Come on, Ali.  

Q: Thank you. We reported this morning that sanitation trucks did not pick up all the garbage thrown away by residents, especially in southern Brooklyn and Staten Island. As I mentioned, there is already a garbage problem in the city. And, you know, this vaccine rule will come into effect soon. Less than two-thirds of health institutions have been vaccinated. Commissioner Grayson said in a conversation with our reporter that he thinks it must be-these trash slowdowns are related to the vaccine authorization, because they collected it normally this week last week. they do not. How does New York City plan to deal with any shortage of health workers that will surely arise next week?  

Mayor: Yes. Thank you for your question, Ali. Commissioner Grayson has already talked about this. there are some problems. We will solve these problems. In some places, we see that the total number does not add up to the amount of trash picked up. We are going to the trade union today to say that this problem must be resolved. This is something we won't let go on. New Yorkers need to know that their city will become clean, and they have the right to do so. They have the right to expect that their public officials will do their jobs for their fellow New Yorkers. We pay them to do a job, and they must do this job. Therefore, we will discuss this matter with the union today to resolve these issues. Now, I know we still have a few questions, but in the end, I think we will answer the remaining questions, and then make a special — I want to remind everyone — we will give a special speech later and the next few A problem because we have a very special guest joining us. But let's finish the next few media issues first.  

Moderator: Our next question is about Katie in the city.  

Question: Hey, good morning, Mayor de Blasio. I will save it as soon as possible. My first question is about the Diwali holiday. I know that I have been working hard to give students a day off and make it a school holiday. I know you said that this means that city schools will not meet the required minimum number of teaching days, but I think my question is, even though there are no days off, how do you think schools should celebrate or commemorate this holiday?  

Mayor: Well, Katie, this is a very good question. And, obviously, the school holidays have become very, very--sorry, the school calendar has become very, very fulfilling and commendable. Some very important supplements are needed, such as Eid al-Fitr and Asian Lunar New Year holidays. But we also have state-level legal requirements, we must meet the requirements for the number of school days. We have found a way to do both at the same time, but we are trying to balance everything with the key point of the calendar. Diwali is a very important festival. We hope to celebrate it in school. We want to be recognized. Through all the methods we have taken to the curriculum-I know that Principal Porter is really focused on this-recognize and help people understand and respect all the culture of New York City, it is very important to talk about Diwali. This is what I think is happening, but we will redouble our efforts to make sure it happens. Come on, Katie.  

Q: Thank you. My second question is about the sidewalk shed. Outside of NYCHA, you know, buildings around cities have sidewalk sheds. My building has been in use for a year, and they only started working last week. So, I know there is one-committee member Ben Kallos has been trying to promote some kind of cap exterior wall repair work to limit this situation, but you seem to announce that this is not a problem with NYCHA, but a problem with the Ministry of Construction. So, can you elaborate on the efforts made by the Ministry of Construction? If it is done, then they can tell me I was wrong. You know, I don’t know what measures New York City can take to ensure that buildings are not scaffolded and to keep them for a year or more before they complete any work.  

Mayor: This is a very good question. In fact, I have had many conversations with our construction specialist Melanie La Rocca, and I will make sure that her team can contact you today. The bottom line is the law. This is a good law that protects people from anything that might fall off the exterior. This is the core. But you said it well. Some owners have built the exterior walls before they work, and then they didn't start work. This is a problem. What we need is, yes, if a façade must rise to protect people, then erect it and immediately start work to solve potential problems. Sometimes your façade still exists after the work is completed-sorry, a scaffolding or shed still exists on the façade after the work is completed. This is a problem. Therefore, we are now cooperating with DOB law enforcement and even take legal action when the building owner leaves the scaffolding or shed in place for no reason. This is unacceptable. We are using many tools to try to solve it. This is a tricky question. Since the legal requirements are very strict, this is effective, so this is not an easy problem to solve. But the Ministry of Construction is taking more measures to implement it, and I will let them let you know this.  

Moderator: We still have two questions today. Our next question is Jessie with Streetsblog.  

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor.   

Mayor: Hey, how are you Jesse?  

Q: I'm fine, thank you. I would like to ask you a few questions about an investigation we released last week, which involved the handling of 3-1-1 complaints by the New York Police Department against illegal parking, long-term reckless driving, and abandoned listed vehicles. One of our findings is that the New York Police Department usually states that these issues are not within the jurisdiction of the police when closing the 3-1-1 report. New York City data shows that so far this year, officials have done this more than 6,000 times. The former city government official told us that the police's response was completely wrong, because these complaints were completely under the jurisdiction of the police. So, the first thing I want to ask you is, do you think it is a problem for officials to use this reason to reject the 3-1-1 complaint? If so, why does New York City allow them to do this?

Mayor: Yes, Jesse, although I don’t know all the facts, I want to talk about my feelings and what I believe. These are real problems, and to me they really resemble the problems of the New York Police Department. And I don’t think they should be fired. I think they should take action. If other agencies are involved, then the New York Police Department should help ensure follow-up, rather than ignore them. So, again, without knowing all the details, I am concerned about this. And will definitely instruct the New York Police Department to ensure that each of these complaints is followed up. Come on, Jesse.

Question: We also talked to a number of people. They said that after filing a 3-1-1 complaint about illegal parking by the New York Police Department, they received harassing calls or voice mails from blocked phone numbers. Two people said that after lodged a complaint about parking violations, they received voice mails from unknown callers in the middle of the night. These callers were panting on the phone or repeatedly saying their names or similar before hanging up. Things. These people believed that the police tried to intimidate them not to file a 3-1-1 complaint. City Councillor Ben Kallos called on New York City to investigate these incidents. Do you agree that the city government should investigate?

Mayor: Of course. I mean, I don’t want to assume what it is, but it’s not good, no matter what it is. Whether it is from a city employee or elsewhere, this is not good. So, what we need to know is what happens in these situations. We will let our team follow up with you today, anyone who has experienced this situation, who can provide us with detailed information, we will investigate immediately. No matter where it comes from, this is unacceptable behavior.

Question: Our last question today is for Nolan with the Post.

Mayor: Before Nolan, remind us that we have a special guest. We will hear the live broadcast of the City Hall within a second, but let's let Nolan go first. Nolan. are you there? Let's try again. Nolan, can you hear me? You don't have Nolan. Do you still have it?

Moderator: We can go to Yehudit with Borough Park 24 News.

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor, how are you doing today?

Mayor: Okay, Yehudit. Are you OK?

Q: I am great. So, this is the good news you announced yesterday about the [update] park and one hundred in the next 10 years. I want to know if you can describe the process of choosing a park for the community park initiative to redo? How do you advocate for the modernization of specific parks?

Mayor: This is a very good question, Yehudit. Look, this is a big plan, and it needs US$425 million to restore the park. But again, thank God it is not the famous big-name parks. There are other forms of support. Real community parks are often overlooked and need more help. So, this process is that the Ministry of Parks is listening. We are listening to the opinions of local elected officials, community committees, and community members. We hope to hear these nominations. Over the years, this will be a huge effort. Therefore, we welcome community members to help the Parks Bureau understand where there is the greatest demand so that we can spend money wisely. Go ahead, Yehudit.

Q: Then, thank you. Then last night Adams said that the operating costs of shelters, homeless shelters are very high, and asked why not invest money in subsidies and permanent low-cost housing to help the homeless in the city, according to "New York The Times reported that the shelter has risen by 60% since you took office? I want to know [inaudible] Is this a statistic? Why do you think this is happening? Do you think subsidies would be better spent on shelters?

Mayor: Okay. I don't know when the Times quoted it, but let me tell you the update, and then I will let our team get it for you today. Compared with when I took office, the number of people in the shelter has been drastically reduced. The last time I heard you heard Yehudit was, and it seems, let us be clear, there are many more people than we wanted, but I believe there are about 45,000 people in the shelter right now. This is a lot less than when I took office. The number of homeless people on the street. Before God’s grace, any one of us was there. We need to get them off the street and let them get the help they need. This number has also dropped significantly. So, we have real work to do, but these are facts. These are, you know, all the research, all the facts to show us, and we will tell you. But more importantly, we must do both at the same time. We need transitional housing because it does not play a role when someone needs permanent affordable housing. But I hope that we will use less and less transitional housing because we let more and more people live in affordable housing. We have got it now, and we will get the exact number for you. But I believe that in the past eight years, approximately 170,000 New Yorkers have entered the shelter, and we will be able to obtain permanent affordable housing. And we have been building permanent affordable housing at a record rate, protecting apartments, and maintaining their affordability on this basis. We have the largest affordable housing program in the history of New York City. It has been working. These investments are constant, but at the same time, we need a place. If someone, God bless their situation, they have no place to live. We need a place to own them so that we can help them in the road to a permanent economy. Applicable to the house on the road. Before our special guest shows up again, the last thing I want to say is that I feel sympathy for what is happening to people, for example, in a city on the west coast of this country, there are not only thousands of people, but tens of thousands. People live in the streets. This is absolutely painful. This is unacceptable. We have the right to take refuge here. We don’t want anyone to be on the streets. We hope that people can live in permanent affordable housing as soon as possible. We must accomplish these two tasks in New York City.

Now, everything we do involves investment. I want to return to today’s really good news about the Dreamland Initiative and the Children’s First Initiative and the investment in our community. As I mentioned before, we have many partners who help us repair parks and basketball courts, make them beautiful for the children in the community, and encourage them to move in the right direction. Our special guest today is someone-I just pay tribute to him. I used to be very happy to meet him. Together we oppose gun violence. He has always been a person who truly remembers where he came from, giving back to the community from the heart. I always say that when a person is blessed by fame and fortune, some people forget where they came from. But the people I respect are those who remember. Therefore, he grew up in Ingersoll Manor in Fort Green, Brooklyn. He is now playing a stronger role every day, the New York Knicks, power forward and center, helping the Knicks beat the Philadelphia team last night. Congratulations and welcome Taj Gibson.

Taj Gibson: How are you, Mr. Mayor?

Mayor: I feel good. Glad to have you here.

Thank you, Taj. For this, I really appreciate it. I met you in the community. Again, I believe you can go to many places. Tell us why you keep coming back to the community?

Gibson: I just love my community. My community basically made me who I am today. I try not to go too far because there are too many children working hard, if not like me or better than me. I just want to provide them with tools that may be better than me, and move forward for the next generation.

Mayor: I like that. When you talk to young people, because I think this is the whole core of the problem, they need to keep a positive path. This is a difficult world.

Mayor: What do you think young people need to see? How do they need to feel? What do they need to hear to help them take a positive path?

Gibson: Well, there are many things, but we can start by having a strong role model, people in the community, and strong activities. Not so much activity. I feel that now with the climate and COVID, we need to truly enter our youth. Not many people can be late for school, with different restrictions. Therefore, we really need to return to a community with strong role models and images of fathers and mothers. and many more.

Mayor: Amen. I want to say a few more words. I will ask you one more question or two. You have a foundation.

Mayor: You have done a good job in this regard. Tell us something about your focus?

Gibson: Well, my foundation is the Taj Gibson Foundation first. Our headquarters are in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. We have done many things, from rebuilding, refurbishing basketball courts, community work, toy drives, Thanksgiving drives, jacket drives, New Year drives, COVID drives, you do it all. We just try our best to give back to the community. Sometimes this is an uphill battle, but we are smiling every day, because we meet so many different people every day, every day, every day. So, all of this is to give back to me.

Mayor: I like it, Taj Mahal. I think-there is one more thing I want to ask, because fans will want to hear this. But I want to thank you. You know, you said to be a role model. We all need role models, do you know? I want to thank you for the way you do business. First of all, I like everything you do on the court. I really. I look at you. I have seen focus, intensity, and love the way you play games, you are a true team player. But at the same time, you convey a message to everyone, including our young people, with strength and care for others. This is the way of life. I want to thank you. It makes a huge difference.

Gibson: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor: This makes a big difference. Now this is a problem that represents all Knicks fans, long-term suffering, Taj Mahal, long-term suffering. Some special things are happening, and we saw amazing things last season. The season started well. Give us kind words. What are you looking at?

Gibson: Well, we are just a young team. We are still building day by day, but we are very humble about it. We know that we have a daunting task before us. We are not satisfied, but the city deserves it. We are just trying our best for this city, but we are only advancing step by step and growing every day.

Mayor: And it must be interesting.

Gibson: Every day is fun. There is a group of great young people around me, young people. But at the same time, we have a true belief system and grow and play for certain things. Then when you enter the garden every day, you are playing for the fans. You are playing for New York. You look down at your chest. It says New York. This is a wonderful feeling.

Mayor: I like that. I like that. Hometown hero Taj Gibson. thank you very much. Everyone, as we have summed up today, this is my inspiration to this city every day. The people, the buildings are beautiful, famous sights and sights, but what makes us great is the people of New York City. Taj is an example. He grew up in our city, in Brooklyn, and he gives back to the society every day. And remind everyone that we are all together. So, every day when I say, please go out and get vaccinated. This is a great way to help your fellow New Yorkers. Help a young person to participate in these amazing efforts to support and promote our young people. We are the greatest city in the world, but every time New Yorkers contribute to our progress, we will become greater. It makes a huge, huge difference. thank you all.

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