Author Archives
jhouston
Apply now to join your Community Board, the most grassroots form of local government. The Boards are pivotal in shaping their communities and work to enhance and preserve the character of the city’s many unique neighborhoods. Applications close Monday, 2/1/2021. Click here to download a PDF to study the questions and prepare your answers before applying online (the online application does not allow “sessions”– you must complete the application all … Read more
Museums are now cleared to reopen starting as early as Monday, August 24, at a maximum of 25% capacity and with timed admissions.
My staff has compiled information about the museums which have announced plans and posted them here. (At press time, these museums have NOT announced reopening; we’ll post their plans as we learn of them: Asia Society and Museum, National Museum of the American Indian NY.) The … Read more
Child care centers are allowed to reopen starting July 13, 2020, but like all things having to do with reopening, the rules aren’t as clear as they should be. On Tuesday (7/14) at 6:30 pm, I’ll be hosting “The Future of Childcare in NYC,” a virtual town hall with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Panelists will include:
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Dr. Virginia Rauh, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
… Read more
I’m delighted to join the New York Public Library’s 2020 Summer Reading program in offering age-appropriate books for young people, from toddlers through high school in English or Spanish at a total of ten different NYCHA locations over five days, this week and next. Books will come in a free tote bag and include a summer reading guide, stickers, and a reading tracker.
Here are the times and places:
Wednesday, … Read more
Therapists will tell you that children who experience trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions; they will internalize or externalize stress reactions, resulting in depression, anxiety, or anger. Social Workers are mental health professionals who are trained to address those issues— and they can help relieve the pressures on already overworked educators and staff.
I have been calling for every school to have at least one social worker… Read more
The May 12 contact tracing panel with Columbia University and Congressman Nadler was a great success; thanks to all who joined us. If you missed it, the video of our full conversation is available here.… Read more
On May 5th, I co-sponsored a “Save Our Compost” Town Hall with Think Zero, ALIGN NY and other advocacy groups, where we discussed efforts to preserve free and public composting in New York City. If you couldn’t join us, the video of our full conversation is available on ALIGN NY’s Facebook page.… Read more
I testified via Zoom today before the Council’s Transportation Committee in support of legislation (Int. 1933-2020) to expand pedestrian space on 75 miles of city streets to enhance opportunities for “social distancing” during the pandemic shutdown. Read my testimony here.… Read more
I hosted a virtual Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Town Hall on Aprill 22, 2020. You can watch the hour-long panel on the importance of SYEP and efforts to save it, featuring these panelists:
- Children’s Aid Society’s Sandino Sanchez,
- Catholic Charities’ Alianza Dominicana Division’s Eddie Silverio,
- The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem’s Dominique Jones,
- The Chinese-American Planning Council’s Wayne Ho, and
- The United Neighborhood Houses’ J.T. Falcone.
Watch it… Read more
I appoint members to the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB), the borough’s leading environmental body, to advise us on increasing recycling, reducing solid waste, and advancing sustainability. Similar to Community Boards, members are appointed to two-year terms and have the ability to make a big impact in reducing our carbon footprint.
I’m pleased to announce these 38 appointees to the Manhattan SWAB for the 2020-2022 term. They live or… Read more
