Transcript: Mayor Bill de Blasio and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Host Press Conference to Discuss Affordable Housing

March 10, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you very much, David. I want to thank you. I want to thank everyone at the Institute for Community Living for all you do for so many New Yorkers. People have struggles, and you meet them, support them, help them move forward, and it means so much to all of us. Let’s give a big round of applause to the Institute for Community Living and all they do.

[Applause]

I want to thank all of the advocates, all of the wonderful organizations that are here, all of the community members who are here today. I want to thank two members of my administration, our HPD commissioner, Vicki Been, and the Chief of Special Services at HRA, Dan Tietz. Thank you both for being here.

And this is an example today of real cooperation between different parts of government in common cause, because the ultimate goal is to make people whole, to give them a place they can live, to give them a place they can move forward. And it does take a village - it takes all of us working together to do that.

I’ve had the tremendous honor of working closely with our Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. We have partnered many a time in common cause, and we started in 2014 with the particular notion of going after some bad actors who had gotten away with too much. Some unscrupulous landlords who had taken advantage of their tenants, taken advantage of their workers, and for too long got away with it because there wasn’t that kind of strong and creative enforcement. There wasn’t the kind of common purpose between City and State to get this done. These are landlords who did something particularly reprehensible, they took the taxpayers money, they took tax breaks, and then broke all the rules that were supposed to go along with those tax breaks. Well, I can say about the Attorney General that when he sees a bad actor, when he sees someone breaking the law he is relentless, he is creative, and he finds a way to make a difference. And we’ve gotten some real results because of the Attorney General’s great work, and the work we’ve been honored to do with him.

Last December, 128 landlords - really striking figure - 128 landlords were compelled to return over 1,800 apartments that had gone to market rate that were no longer within the reach of every day New Yorkers. They were compelled to return them to rent-stabilization and make those apartments affordable again. Think about that - 1,800 apartments. 1,800 families will get affordable housing now in apartments that we thought were gone forever. They were going to be market rate. We’d never see them again for people of more limited needs, but because of the Attorney General, 1,800 more apartments for the people of this city.

Let’s thank him for that.

[Applause]

Well, then we all worked together, there was 23 more property owners who were in [inaudible] part of getting their tax breaks, they were supposed to provide rent-stabilized leases, and they didn’t. They were supposed to provide fair wages to their building workers, and they didn’t. So, the Attorney General went after them as well and they - these building owners who did the wrong thing, they’ve been caught. And for their trouble they have been made to pay nearly $10 million in penalties - another victory, and we thank you.

[Applause]

But it gets better because that money now can go to a particularly important purpose, which is creating more apartments for people who need them the most - our seniors and folks who need supportive housing. So, over four different developments across the city, 600 families will be accommodated, folks who have been homeless, including our homeless veterans, New Yorkers with mental health challenges, low-income seniors, all sorts of people in need will be accommodated in these apartments. And 130 of them will be right here in the supportive apartments that will rise behind us at Stepping Stone residences.

Now, we believe in supportive housing deeply. We believe it’s one of the things we’ve needed a lot more of in this city. I’m very proud of the fact that this administration is committed to 15,000 supportive apartments over the next 15 years. And you’re going to see it happen right here, and the difference it makes in people’s lives is extraordinary. It gives people a chance to really turn their lives around. It’s something that is a moral obligation. It’s also the right thing to do from every measure. You can’t ask people to simply figure out a path without the help they need. And you’re going to hear from Joanna in a few minutes, and she’s going to tell you what it meant in her life to have a supportive apartment and what that allowed her to do. And I really want to thank her for being here, so you can hear firsthand how much this means.

Everyone who needs support deserves it. That’s our goal, to always reach every New Yorker we can, that’s what animates our supportive housing initiative, that’s what animates our plan for 200,000 affordable apartments, that’s why we’ve put forward two pieces of legislation before the City Council.

And the Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning bill would be the most progressive affordable housing policy anywhere in the country and it would require developers to create affordable housing in a way that’s never been done before in the history of this country. It would be the toughest and most stringent rules requiring affordable housing as a condition of new development in many parts of this city. And we’re excited about that and what it will mean for people who need affordable housing in this city. And that’s on top of the million rent-regulated apartments that got a rent-freeze this year. That’s on top of the ten-fold increase in legal aid and legal services to help stop evictions. I’m very proud to say - we reported this a couple weeks ago - evictions by city marshals are down 24 percent over the last two years because that legal aid is working.

[Applause]

So, we’ve got a lot to do. We’ve got a lot to do. We have to do all of these things at once to preserve and protect affordable housing, to update our laws so we can build more to make the investments. But a crucial part of this equation is making sure that everyone who makes a deal with the people of New York City knows that that deal has to be kept. That the attorney general is watching, that tax breaks are not giveaways but they come with obligations. That people have to treat their tenants right, have to treat their workers right.

And I’m going to say a few in Spanish before I introduce the attorney general, but I have to say - when you see that there are really teeth behind the enforcement of the law, when bad actors see other folks being hit with these penalties, it sends a very powerful message that people have to do the right thing or suffer the consequences.

Quickly in Spanish -

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

And someone who believes in the city for all, and uses the powers of his role as attorney general to reinforce that every day and make sure that people have their rights protected - our Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman.

[…]

Mayor: Let’s take questions on today’s gathering and then we’ll be taking questions on some other matters in a few moments. But first see if there’s questions about today’s announcement - yes.

Question: Hi, good afternoon. How do you all collectively intend on sharing this knowledge and these resources on tenants’ rights for maybe residents that are in the dark about it?

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman: To start it, as the mayor noted, there’s really been an unprecedented investment in legal services, housing counseling, and supportive programs to get the word out, but there still are a lot of people who are hesitant to come forward when they have a problem. We see this all the time - that folks who fall behind on their mortgage, or having a problem with their landlord, so, it really is a community-wide effort. We’ve got the resources. Everything that you need to know, we’re funding. My office is funding more than 100 housing counseling and legal service agencies across the State. The City has got more resources going into this than ever in history. So, we’re doing everything we can do to get the word out, but it really also is a neighbor to neighbor, community-wide effort, because it’s not just a matter of getting the information, it’s a matter of people being willing to talk about their problems. The mayor said it’s hard to tell your story - there are a lot of folks who could get help who are still hesitant to ask. We’ve got to make sure that changes and this kind of an event, this kind of program hopefully sends the message that if Joanna can tell her story, anybody can. Thank you.

Mayor: Amen. And let me add to that - that some of things we’re talking about here where landlords have treated their tenants unfairly - now, because we have legal services available, now all it comes down to is calling 3-1-1. If a lot of New Yorkers knew that if you weren’t being given heat and hot water by your landlord, you could call 3-1-1, and that the City could make sure, thanks to everyone at HPD, that either the landlord fixes the problem, or the City would fix the problem themselves and they’d bill the landlord. But now, we’re able to say we can go farther than that. If you’re being harassed by a landlord, if you’re being faced with illegal eviction, if you’re not being given repairs you deserve, you can call 3-1-1 and have access to a lawyer. So, the important thing to do is to report what you’re going through and to tell us if a landlord is doing something wrong - that’s really crucial, and I don’t think in the past people realized that 3-1-1 was that tool, but now it is 

Okay, on this topic? Yes?

Question: Hi, I’m [inaudible]. We’ve done a lot reporting on rent stabilization, and I was wondering if [inaudible] context to say [inaudible] 1,800 apartments [inaudible]. We’ve estimated that there are at least 50,000 apartments [inaudible] just from tax programs, and then 200,000 missing from the one-million figure that is usually given as [inaudible]. Then you say there’s a rent freeze [inaudible].

Mayor: Okay, you’ve got a lot of pieces to the question. Let me take them at different - let’s take them one at a time. Don’t worry, you’ll get -

Question: You’re celebrating [inaudible] but it is meaningful in the context it is in?

Mayor: Absolutely. But look, I don’t want to - and I want the Attorney General to speak to the beginning of your question about what we can do to go at any other apartments that are being misclassified, that are not stabilized and should be stabilized. And I bet Vicki has something to say too about our efforts. Look, maturity is the ability to keep two contradictory thoughts in mind at the same time. We know that we still lose too many affordable apartments legally, and we have to compensate constantly by creating more affordable options. There are laws on the books in Albany that I hope someday we can change that will stop so many apartments from leaving affordability. But we also know that a lot of them are being illegally taken out of affordability, and that’s where particularly the work of the Attorney General comes in - so, we have to do more of that. Again, in the past, I would say the City and the State didn’t combine forces the way they should have, and didn’t go aggressively enough at landlords. We certainly didn’t have the legal services available on this scale. So, a lot is changing rapidly about much more enforcement.

For the rent freeze - Vicki can speak to the preferential rent issue. We know that is a part of the landscape, but that does not for a moment take away the fact that for the first time in 45 years there was a rent freeze, and that that was because the Rent Guidelines Board actually looked at the real numbers of what landlord’s costs were and said, wait a minute, there’s no justification for an increase - and that was seat change for this City. So, lots and lots to do - but those are real indicators of progress. Let me turn to the Attorney General, and then to Commissioner Been. 

Attorney General Schneiderman: I don’t have much to add to that. This is obviously an ongoing process. The 1,800 apartments are specific to the projects that we recoup money from that are supporting this construction and the other constructions. So, it is a piece of the puzzle, it is a step forward. It’s not the first step and it certainly won’t be the last. 

Commissioner Vicki Been, Department of Housing Preservation and Development: Thanks. If I can just add to that - when we, you know, came into office, we realized that there was a problem - it was a structural problem in the way that 421-a and some other tax incentives were structured - that a developer could start to get benefits as they started construction, but they didn’t need to register until they actually finished, and there was no check on that. We changed that structurally so that in the new 421-a that was passed last June, you do not get those benefits until you actually have constructed the apartment and register it in rent regulations. So, we’ve closed that loophole. This is the beginning of an investigation - we’re working very hard with the Attorney General’s office to try to fill the entire scope of the problem, and we will be going after it in that way. In terms of your question about preferential rents - we were up in Albany along with so many people around this parking lot, trying to get better protections on preferential rents. We’ll continue to do that - it’s a very serious problem. And we’ll continue to work with our partners in Albany to - you know to reform that.

Mayor: Okay. We’re still on this topic, anything on affordable housing? 

Yes, Sally?

Question: [inaudible] other sources of funding for these units - for these 600 units? Like, from the State, or other -

Commissioner Been: So, for these other - for units, and for buildings, and for others that will funded out of this - we are putting together financing packages. Of course, we work with the state to come up with the most efficient financing package. It’s still all being developed. 

Mayor: Alright. Last call - on-topic. 

Yes?

Question: [inaudible] specific details on the Governor’s housing plan and how will [inaudible] with this?

Mayor: No. We are awaiting details on all of the affordable housing elements and homeless housing elements of that plan. We’re particularly interested obviously in how the State will go about creating the supportive housing to match our commitment. But we still haven’t seen those details and assume they will be part of the upcoming budget process over the next few weeks. 

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor: Well, again, we haven’t seen the details. We’ve certainly requested that we be briefed as soon as they are available, but they have not been made available yet. 

Question: Mr. Mayor, as you know, by next week, the Senate and Assembly will pass [inaudible] resolution [inaudible]. 

Mayor: Yeah. Look, I was disappointed in the previous process, because it didn’t yield a resolution. And the 421-a program absolutely needed reform. It wasn’t functioning properly in terms of being fair to taxpayers. It wasn’t creating enough affordable housing. And it was subsidizing luxury housing. It made no sense. But the idea wasn’t to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to reform it, which is what we proposed - and I want to thank Vicki Been, who did a lot of hard work on this issue. I think there’s a lot of awareness in Albany that this is part of  how we create affordable housing. But there’s also a keen awareness that the program as it was before cannot continue - it only can continue with serious reform, and that will take some hard work. So, I think it’s on everyone’s mind - I have no idea whether or not it will show up in the one-house bills, but I do think there's a lot of consciousness of the fact that without action a certain amount of affordable housing will keep waiting and can’t be built. And I’ll tell you one thing - I say it everywhere I go and ask any elected official - there’s no issue that generates more concern and more passion from the people of New York City than affordable housing. I think folks up in Albany are going to have to think long and hard about that because a lot of affordable housing is waiting on them.

Question: Do you have a sense of when the zoning discussion with the City Council will wrap up and is there a floor for how low the City will go on [inaudible]?

Mayor: I’m obviously not in the middle of the detailed conversations. We’ve put forward a plan that we think really makes sense. The Council’s raised concerns - very, very respectful, very good dialogue throughout - we’ve said all along we’d try and see if we can reach some of the concerns that the Council has had. But that’s a series of conversations that are ongoing. I think things are moving well, and we do expect the process to move forward in the very near term.

Last call on affordable housing - anything related to today? I want to thank - oh wait, this is today - this is this one I should say. This is still today. It is still today I’m here to report.

[Laughter]

I want to thank the Attorney General and everyone who’s a part of this announcement - a great victory today, thank you everyone.

Alright - let me - before we go into other topics I’ve got a couple of quick updates I want to give you. And I’m going to do English and Spanish twice around - just going to go through these up front, and then you can ask about those issues or anything else of course.

So first, I went to the hospital on Tuesday evening to meet with - to see the detective who was shot. I was so impressed by this young man. He was doing something that could not be more important at this moment in our history. He was stopping heroin dealers from destroying our communities. I have to tell you - not only a dedicated cop, but a very humble, young man. He really almost was minimizing what he was doing, and I told him what he did was incredibly brave and heroic. But he was sort of shunting it aside and saying it wasn’t a big deal.

I am so glad he’s going to be okay. He has been moved to the Hospital for Special Surgery for additional care, but the prognosis is good. I had the great joy of meeting his wife and her three sisters - and everyone was of course breathing a huge sigh of relief that he was going to come through.

I think everyone’s realizing more and more - heroin that was once upon a time a drug that we thought was not going to be in the middle of our lives the way it once was - heroin has made a horrible comeback, and it is a scourge all over this city, and it kills. There’s so much more we have to do, and what our police do is a crucial part of the equation. We have a lot of educating to do of our young people and families on how to address the crisis. We’re expanding access to Naloxone, which is something that can stop an overdose dead in its tracks.

And, obviously, so much we’re doing in the ThriveNYC plan is to get to the heart of this matter. But there was something very powerful about meeting a young man who was at the frontline stopping heroine from falling into the hands of our young people. And I just want to express my admiration to him.

Just quickly in Spanish -

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

And one other very different update, but it has a real public safety element to it, and I think this is something that people would normally not assume - but we want to give people a heads up to pay attention. So, normally when we talk about Daylight Savings we talk about the precious thing to us, which is our sleep being lost for an hour, but there’s also a safety element that people need to pay attention to.

So, a reminder that Daylight Savings Time arrives this weekend - we will officially spring forward at 1:00 am Sunday. So, New Yorkers should move their clocks ahead one hour. Again, we will lose one precious hour of sleep - that’s never a good news story for New Yorkers. But the other fact is that we’ll have darker mornings, when that happens. And that means people have to be vigilant when they’re driving because suddenly you’re dealing with a different reality in the morning. It’s not business as usual, and we ask everyone who drives a car or any other vehicle to be careful particularly in making that transition next week. We’re asking drivers to stay alert behind the wheel. Be mindful of children who are crossing the street on the way to school - and pedestrians. And realize that this is a serious danger. You know, there has been a scientific study of this - there’s a clear correlation between Daylight Savings changes and a rise in crashes. So, it’s something to be very careful about. And this is yet another part of our Vision Zero initiative - focusing attention on the role that drivers have to play - the responsible role they had to play, and the way they have to stay focused on safety at all times.

And quickly in Spanish -

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

Alright, thank you for those two announcements I wanted you to hear, and now let’s go on to any questions about that or anything else.

Question: [Inaudible] Vision Zero to this city, and there’s a conference today in which the police commissioner said two things I’d like your reaction on. The first thing he said was it’s not realistic that the city will get to that number zero. The second thing, he kept using the term car accidents. He was challenged on that. Do you believe - do you agree with his first term, and do you believe there’s a difference in viewing these incidents as accidents as opposed to crashes or collisions?

Mayor: Sure. The two questions go together. We decided that Vision Zero was the right approach for New York City. And the response from the people of this city has been overwhelming. They believe in it, they support it even if it means changes in behavior. People have supported it because they realize it means keeping people safe. And what I have been so amazed, as I go to neighborhoods all around the city is it seen, literally, in terms of protecting senior citizens, protecting children.

So, the very idea of Vision Zero is to recognize that so much of the problem is man-made. It is not inevitable. It is because we have the wrong policies, the wrong rules, the wrong public education. We didn’t say to drivers, safety first. We didn’t say you have a sacred responsibility as a driver to protect people, not just to try to get where you’re going as fast as possible.

When we lowered the speed limit, I was so impressed at how many people embraced it even though it meant their trip might take a little longer. The speed cameras, the changes we made in the street designs, but especially the enforcement - the NYPD, and also TLC, have done extraordinary enforcement on speeding and on failure-to-yield to pedestrians.

So, the very point of Vision Zero is - we need to change our behavior as people and we need to change our policies as a government. And if you do that crashes are - they are stoppable, they can be addressed because so many of them come from these systemic problems. Now, we say Vision Zero because it’s our goal. And we are audacious in trying to reach that very goal. We know there’s human factors, we know how hard it is, but it’s the right goal because each and every one of these crashes is preventable, which gets to the terminology point. I don’t fault anyone who says accident or crash because we’re so used to saying both, but I do agree that crash is a smarter term because it sort of takes away the notion that things are unavoidable when in fact they are avoidable. If people drive carefully; if they obey the rules, if enforcement is tough you can avoid the vast majority of crashes if not all of them actually.

But the goal is the right goal.

So, the Commissioner - look, I know that terminology questions are always very, very interesting in the public discourse, but the Commissioner has been in the vanguard of Vision Zero. Speeding enforcement has been doubled, failure-to-yield enforcement has been tripled. He spoke on this issue even before he became commissioner - that Vision Zero was a core mission that he wanted to see the NYPD take on. So, we’re very unified on that fact.

Yes?

Question: This is about the warmer temperatures and police enforcement - because we’re seeing more homeless in parks because of the weather. We’re seeing the return of the painted women to Times Square. What about enforcement?

Mayor: You’re going to see a lot of enforcement. On the second part - so, the City Council, right now, is entertaining legislation, I think, will pass quite soon to implement the zones we talked about in Times Square where certain activity will be allowed in some areas, and not allowed in others. We will enforce that very stringently. NYPD has a greatly expanded presence in Times Square as everyone can see, for a variety of reasons - most importantly the fight against terror. But NYPD made very clear and showed through action that any kind of infraction would be immediately addressed. And I think that that’s going to change the whole dynamic in Times Square going forward. On all types of ways of addressing homelessness - starting later this month the HOME-STAT operation will begin. So, we’re going to have much more presence of city officials and our non-profit providers addressing homelessness front-and-center - talking to any homeless person to get them the help they need, get them off the streets, get them to safe havens and other support.

NYPD has a specially trained unit that will be in the forefront of - we saw it yesterday with Sonia Gonzalez who is someone who is 60 years old and has had a very tough life, and has a very serious mental health problems. The NYPD officers who addressed that situation were specially trained for it. And you could see in the way they did their work. And she no longer has those shopping carts, and we’re going to work very hard to get her the care she needs even though she’s resistant. But that’s an example of the new approaches you’ll see from NYPD and from the Department of Homeless Services.

Yes, Emily?

Question: Hi, Mayor de Blasio. Police related - members of the City Council Minority Caucus today [inaudible] that Commissioner Bratton lied to them in a meeting when he said that federal prosecutors asked the NYPD to hold off on their probe into a cop involved in Ramarley Graham’s death. I want to know what you make of that?

Mayor: No, I disagree with that entirely. The Commissioner was representing what had been the case in every interaction we’ve had with the Justice Department. I think there are some nuances about whether a letter was sent or one thing or another, but that’s not the point. The point is the Justice Department - I’ve had this conversation with the Attorney General directly - has consistently said to us when they are engaged in an investigation on a police matter they want the Department to defer until they complete their investigation and decide their course of action. It’s happened time and time again. So, if there was any miscommunication - that’s always possible - but the basic approach of the Justice Department has been consistent through many cases, and that’s what the Commissioner was referring to.

Question: You’ve made a big push in recent weeks on senior affordable housing. I was wondering if you could talk about the utilization rate of SCRIE, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption. The finance commissioner testified about it in a Council hearing last week and it seems like while they’ve made progress by getting people enrolled there’s still about 80,000 New Yorkers who qualify who aren’t enrolled. I’m wondering is there any plan for outreach?

Mayor: Yes. I’ll start and Vicki may want to add on the topic of SCRIE. Yes, we have to do more. There’s no question. I mean, so many senior citizens are struggling to get by and here’s something that can really put money back in their pocket by avoiding rent increases. Now, I think part of this is the income level used to be much lower, and action was taken in Albany and in the City Council to bring that number up. So, I think there’s still a lot of seniors who don’t know that, but we will through the Department for the Aging and HPD - and every tool we have - we’ll get that word out because it’s the kind of opportunity you want everyone to take advantage of.

You want to add?

Commissioner Been: I’ll just add, I mean, both in our buildings - buildings that we financed where we work with seniors to be sure that they are on SCRIE - and across the City where the Department of Finance is working to make sure - there are really several issues. One is just getting the information out, letting people know that income has been raised and that they can qualify. But also, when they need to reapply - when they need to recertify, you know, that’s a problem to keep people from dropping off. And DOF and HPD are working closely together to try to really reach out, change the protocols so that it’s easier for seniors, easier for people with disabilities. So, we’re working very hard to try to make sure that everybody who is able to qualify does.

Mayor: Jonathan?

Question: Mr. Mayor, two questions.

Mayor: I can’t handle that John.

[Laughter]

Oh my God, there’s two of them, Karen. Can he do that?

[Laughter]

Question: First question, also on the Ramarley Graham case - his family asked today that you dismiss the officer [inaudible]. Do you have any reaction to that?

Mayor: There’s due process involved. The charges related to the officer were activated immediately at the conclusion of the Justice Department’s investigation. And there will be now due process. The officer - I’m not an expert on the nuances - the officer has some rights in the process in terms of how the process proceeds, and which options are chosen. But the Department has made clear it will move forward with disciplinary action and then the officer has a right to have a hearing. And that’s all going to proceed expeditiously.

Question: [Inaudible] Secretary Clinton lost the Michigan primary this week adding even more importance to the upcoming primaries - on Tuesday Ohio, Florida. Do you have any plans to campaign for her between now and then?

Mayor: I’ve said to the Clinton campaign I’ll do whatever they need whenever they need it. Now they have to decide, depending on the place, do outside surrogates help in any particular way. I know she has a lot of support in those states, so she got plenty of people who could campaign for her. But the bottom line is she is articulating a very clear message about how to address income inequality. What I love about her platform - it speaks clearly to increasing wages and benefits, it speaks clearly to the kinds of things working families need, like Paid Family Leave, Paid Sick Leave, pre-k - and it’s very, very clear she will raise taxes on the wealthy, and she will reign in the excesses of Wall Street. Now, that’s exactly what the people of this country are looking for, I believe, and I think that’s what people in those states will see, as well. So, I think she’s making that point clearer than ever. 

Question: What gives the City the authority to take the possessions of the homeless woman [inaudible] discussing today [inaudible]?

Mayor: Yeah.

Question: [inaudible] what the City can do? Can the City -

Mayor: Of course. No - there’s a very specific protocol. I’ve talked to our corporation council, Zack Carter, about this as recently as yesterday. In this instance, there was a careful process with the DHS workers and the police to go through the possessions, to make sure by the criteria we have that there was nothing of particularly great value or personal importance. Look unfortunately, someone’s who’s a hoarder often collects a lot of trash, and that’s what we found yesterday, and it just wasn’t appropriate for her to have all those carts and create a public problem, meaning that it was blocking people’s ability to get around, and it just wasn’t fair to the people in the surrounding community - and she’s someone who has very serious mental health problems. So, yes, there was a clear protocol within the law of how to address it. And the outreach workers know her so well - they had engaged her many, many times. I have not heard a final report, but I heard one analysis that said she had been known to the various outreach organizations, going back literally 20 years. But, yeah, we are very careful when it comes to possessions - that we have to follow a protocol. 

Question: What does it have to [inaudible] for the City to be able to take things away [inaudible]? 

Mayor: We can get you the protocol we follow, which is based on legal precedent. But, again, I think in this case it was quite clear she had an extraordinary amount of possessions and carts that were creating a problem, and the City had to do something about it. 

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Can’t hear you -

Question: [inaudible] 

Mayor: I think the fact is that the outreach workers had tried repeatedly to get her to come in. As with many of these cases, sometimes there’s a little bit of progress and people try and sustain it. But, I can tell you, once that situation became clear to us at City Hall, we were quite resolute about addressing it. 

Yeah?

Question: [inaudible] hearing tomorrow in the City Council on the budget surrounding, you know, substance abuse. I’m curious if you think the City’s going to be spending more surrounding some of these issues to combat heroin. And, you know, more broadly there’s been a lot of discussion in the last couple of years or so, as this has become a bigger problem in more suburban and affluent communities, about whether there’s been a shift to view it as a public health problem only after its affected weather and, frankly, whiter people than it has in the past. And I’m curious what you make of that?

Mayor: No - it’s affecting - look, we’re losing young people. It doesn’t matter what background they are, what color they are - we’re losing too many young people, and we have to address this differently. And I think what changed the attitudes on this problem was that the numbers just shot up. You know, we weren’t talking about this issue five years ago. I mean, the numbers are just deeply troubling at this point, so we have to do things differently. Making naloxone available is one of the steps - much more rigorous public education efforts, a lot more work in our schools. NYPD is very aggressively, as we saw the other night, going at heroin to try to take it off the streets, but also aggressively going out to intervene if someone, God forbid, is in danger of losing their life, and a number of young people have been saved by NYPD intervention, using naloxone. So, a lot is happening. As to where we’re going - we’re going to have to do more. I can’t tell you yet what shape it will take or how much it will cost, but there’s no question that until we get this crisis under control, we’re going to have to do more. 

Rich?

Question: Mr. Mayor, we’re edging ever closer to either a settlement or a strike for New Jersey transit. Cory Booker says that will result in a traffic Armageddon. So, I’m just wondering if you could -

Mayor: Might be a little strong -

[Laughter]

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: The word Armageddon has been overused in recent years, don’t you think?

Question: [inaudible] New Jersey Senator.

Mayor: I have great respect for him. But, no, I think it will cost a lot of hassles if it happens. But look, people change their habits in these kinds of situations and often are able to find alternatives or work from home or [inaudible]. I don’t belittle it. We really hope it won’t happen, and there’s a lot of work being done to avert a strike, but NYPD has contingency plans in place. We will do whatever it takes to help improve the flow of traffic in. I’m sure employers will make accommodations for their employees. So, we’re ready. We can deal with it. But my hope is that cooler heads will prevail and the strike will be averted. 

Question: Mayor, hearing Joanna Spinelli’s story was just so inspirational, and, you know, the work that Chirlane - the First Lady has been doing around suicide prevention and all the PSA messages around that has really been, again, very, very effective, and, I think, really making a difference. It would be just wonderful if we can, you know, spotlight some of those success stories because there are so many of them.

Mayor: We will be, for sure. I appreciate it. 

Last call.

Question: Mr. Mayor, just a little while ago, in a Council budget committee hearing, Correction Commissioner Joe Ponte said that he was open to closing Rikers Island. I’m curious whether you think that contradicts with your position on the issue?

Mayor: Now, I know you guys have asked a thousand versions of this question. I’m going to try again - I said it’s a noble idea. It is a noble idea - a noble idea that could cost five, or six, or seven billion dollars, and would require immense logistical moves to pull off, and will not address the immediate problems, which are the people in Rikers right now who need our help, and the officers in Rikers who deserve to be safe. It does not address the efforts that we need to undertake right now to reduce the prison population. And it doesn’t address the cultural issues within the Department of Corrections that are not just about Rikers - that are problems that are systemic and go beyond Rikers Island that we’re trying to address with new recruitment, and screening and training approaches, and a host of other changes. So, it will be examined. I think Speaker Mark-Viverito chose a great chair of her commission in Judge Lippman. It should be examined. We may find some things we don’t know that will show us different options and different approaches. But anyone who thinks it’s easy or fast is kidding themselves, and we’ve got to deal with the problems that we have right now, right now. So, the responsible thing to do is keep fixing our Correction system in the here and now, and look at every conceivable option for the future and weigh what’s realistic. 

Thank you, everyone.