Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears Live on WNYC

June 2, 2017

Brian Lehrer:  Hi, Mr. Mayor, welcome back to WNYC.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Hey, Brian, how are you doing?

Lehrer: Good, and listeners we have a shorter than usual “Ask the Mayor” today because of the Mayor’s schedule, but we still have 20 minutes. So, get your calls in right now on anything from anywhere at 212-433-WNYC. So, what does this mean that the city will abide by an international agreement that the country is withdrawing from?

Mayor: Let me say, first of all, on the blue exit point, I don’t agree with that point at all, just to be clear. We got to fix our country as a whole, and I actually think there is an emerging American majority in favor of addressing climate change. The polling has been on that point, Americans want to address this issue, they don’t agree with what President Trump did. There is an emerging American majority on a whole host of other issues that I think should be heartening to progressives and we just need to fight state by state, city by city to change these policies and change the direction of the country. I think cities right now have to take the lead, and so we are going to follow the goals of the Paris Accord. I had already committed to 80 percent of reduction in emissions in New York City by the year 2050. We want to surpass that now, because the bottom the line is – if the United State of America is going to waiver on addressing climate change. Then, cities or states have to step up. So, New York City will now per the Executive Order, ill issue later today. We will now start the process of increasing our goals to lower emissions even further and faster, because bluntly, in the places and countries that do understand we have to act, we’re going to have to shoulder more the burden now.

Lehrer: In “Trumpian” terms, is the city putting itself at a competitive disadvantage versus other cities that are not signing on to regulate themselves in this way?

Mayor: No, I think it’s the opposite actually, Brian. And I think what’s very interesting that so much of corporate America came forward begging President Trump not to leave the Paris Accord, because even people I may not agree with on some economic issues understand that the certainty and clarity of us addressing climate change as necessary for human life, but is also necessary for economic stability. We just got to understand the direction we are going in. The direction is one of renewables, and stopping what is a physical threat. This is what I said the other day. This is a threat to New York City directly. What President Trump, a New Yorker of all things, what he did is a dagger aimed at the heart of New York City, because were a coastal city. We already experienced Sandy. If climate change worsens, New York City will be hurt. So, we have to take the proportion action for our own good and I think other cities and states around the country, provinces in Canada – all over you’re seeing localities step up, because we can’t afford to wait while our national government is bitter.  But, no, I think it puts us at an advantage, because – first of all, good people, talented people all over the world want to live in places that are addressing climate change. Second of all, it’s what’s healthy and safe for our people. Third of all, were going to be clear with our business community and our public sector. You’re going to retrofit your buildings, you’re going to reduce your emissions; you’re going to move to renewables. It’s one standard everyone can make sense of, and I actually think its clarifying.

Lehrer: With all of those, we are at municipal budget season. Are there budget lines that give you the cost of committing to the Paris Accord compared to if we did not?

Mayor: Well, the first level is what we already had committed to, the 80 percent reduction emissions by 2050. That is baked in to our budget that’s about to passed because, we are going to be retrofitting all city buildings over the next few years. And we’re starting the process of mandating the private sector to do the same. So, those costs are counted for. The next step, Brian, will be to go even farther. And that’s what I’ll be laying in the executive order today. And then that will lead to potential additional budgetary actions in the coming months, because now again we have to up our game. This is something people should embrace in New York City, let’s be leaders here, let’s show that we can even farther. This is a city of tremendous capacity, what we have the capacity and we certainly have the talent to reduce emissions even further. We’re investing for example in training for 3000 new individuals who can provide the green jobs or to work on retrofitting buildings. We don’t actually have enough of a labor supply right now, for retrofitting all the buildings that need to be addressed. We are going to use city dollars to train those workers, and then we are going to have a very clear understating about the amount of retrofitting that we’re going to do in the public sector immediately so those workers can get right to work. Then, we push the private sector to their piece of the equation.

Lehrer: Jean- Marie in Chelsea, you’re on WNYC with Mayor de Blasio. Hello, Jean- Marie.

Question: Hey, hello, thank you so much for taking my call. Yes, Mayor de Blasio, I was wondering if maybe with all this enthusiasm from the Paris Accord we could encourage people to bring their own bags, and also – reconsider a bag fee? And, also can we enforce our traffic laws that also discourage emissions, like idling laws, blocking the box? Because traffic has become pretty horrendous around the city. 

Lehrer: Yep.

Mayor: Jean- Marie I appreciate that question, I think you’re right on the money. First of all, on the traffic point, the number one thing we have to do is keep expanding alternatives for mass transportation. We’re very proud of the NYC ferry service. We just opened a new line in South Brooklyn this week. That’s an opportunity to get a lot more people off the road. We’re going to keep expanding ferry service, we’re obviously looking to do light rail in Brooklyn and Queens, were looking to do more select bus service, faster bus service that’ll attract people to get out of their cars.  I think that’s the number one thing. But, you’re absolutely right. Idling is a huge problem, in blocking the box. [Inaudible] put in a lot more resources in traffic enforcement agents to go at blocking the box. And, I want to do more on Idling, and I’ll have more to say on that in the coming weeks. On the question of the plastic bags, plastic bags make no more sense. They are made out of petroleum products; they exacerbate the climate change problem. There is no reason we should be using plastic bags anymore in our society. I think there is a lot to be said for an outright ban – there’s been a disagreement on any kind of fee. Why don’t we go straight to a ban? That’s a discussion I am certainly going to have with the City Council, and with our colleagues at Albany. But, they do not make sense. Anything made of petroleum products, that could be handled with an alternative and obviously people brining their bag to the grocery store, which is what our ancestors did. There weren’t plastic bags until, you know, only decades ago in wide use. We need to get out of that bad habit, and some of this is culture change and personal change. Now, we need to address a climate change I think like the Paris Accord and adhering to it. Everyone in their own light has to change their own habits to start protecting the earth.

Lehrer: Denise in Manhattan, you’re on WNYC with Mayor de Blasio. Hi, Denise –

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. I’m calling because I’m in a homeless shelter, and the services that are rendered for people who are trying to find their own apartment has been absolutely horrendous. I have my voucher, which is a problem within itself. And I am just trying to get out of this situation; I’ve been there for two years now.

Mayor: Wow.

Lehrer: What can – go ahead Mr. Mayor, I am sorry.

Mayor:  I was going to say, Denise, first of all, I am very sorry for what you’re experiencing and two years is too long. You have a rent voucher, so that’s a good start. We need help you to be able to use it and there have definitely been challenges on that front, we need to do better. We also need to be very clear; it’s absolutely against the law in this city for anyone to discriminate against a perspective tenant who has a rent voucher or any kind of government support like section 8. So, that’s now illegal and has been for years in New York City. And we have pretty stringent penalties we can exact if a landlord or broker, turn you away because you have a rent voucher. But, what I am going to do is – give your information to the folks at WNYC and we will follow up with you today, and I want to see if we can help you, I think we can to be able to use that voucher quickly and get out of the shelter.

Lehrer: Denise, I am glad you called, hang on, give our contact information to our screener and the Mayor’s office will follow up.

Brian Lehrer on WNYC with our weekly Ask the Mayor segment with Mayor Bill de Blasio for another few minutes. Let me turn to something in the news. There was a defeat in court this week for a cause that I believe you were supporting. A court said that a city law illegally promotes unionization of car wash workers with public financial incentives. Want to react to that?

Mayor: Yes, the car wash workers in the city are – have been for so long have been underpaid and mistreated and work in tough conditions. They deserve representation. The City took matters into our own hands because we didn’t have federal and state laws that gave these workers protection. You know, we lost in this round in court but we’re going to consider all of our options including obviously an appeal. The bottom line is if we don’t get more and more workers some form of representation they’ll continue to be exploited and that’s not fair to anyone in New York City.

Lehrer: And I want to follow up on budget season question. Budget season as we mentioned with the fiscal year ending June 30th, and I asked you on the show back in March about what was described as a $5 million dollar cut in emergency food assistance in your first draught budget, and you seemed to indicate that that would be negotiated away probably. But we had a guest from the Food Bank for New York City this week who said the latest version of your budget still has the cut. Are you standing by that as the right amount to spend?

Mayor: Yes, this is something that I’ve been very clear about. We constantly assess the need for emergency food and we meet the need, and we have for years in this administration. It’s been three and a half years, we constantly change the amount we spend to address whatever the need is, and we’ll do it again. So we expect to have the budget resolved very, very soon and when the final dollar figure is resolved with the council, it will be based on their assessment and our assessment of how much emergency food is needed, and we’re going to meet the demand. It’s as simple as that.

Lehrer: So your assessment as of now is that it would be less than last year?

Mayor: Not at all, I’m not saying that. I’m saying we’re in the process of finalizing the dollar figure based on what we think the need is. But we make adjustments all the time Brian, and this is where, look I think it is absolutely fair for folks to say if there’s a cut in something and there’s a history of cutting back something or an opposition to something ideologically, go to town, let’s have that fight. But on emergency food, I’ve been working on this issue now for you know, most of 15 years, and I’ve constantly supported increases when needed in emergency food, and we’ve shown it now for three years running now in this administration. So, whatever we determine the need to be, we will make that part of the budget. We’re working out that figure with the council.

Lehrer: Charles in Manhattan, you’re on WNYC with the Mayor. Hi, Charles.

Question: Hey Brian, hi Mr. Mayor. Mayor de Blasio you spoke eloquently a moment ago about stepping up our game in light of Trump’s withdrawal from Paris. How about you stepping up your game, leading by example, getting out of your SUV armada, and if you need to go to the Park Slope Y five days a week rather than a gym near you, why don’t you take mass transit or even once and while ride a bike like the vast majority of your fellow New Yorkers so you will know how we are suffering under a transit system. Yes, governed by the Governor not by the Mayor, we know. But you need to lead by example. One of the reasons we’re in this climate crisis is because the average person sees elites not playing by the rules that elites seek to impose on everyone else, and you’re not going to be able to lead when you’re sitting in your SUV being chauffeured every day, 12 miles from Gracie Mansion to Park Slope just so that you can ride an exercise bike.

Lehrer: Charles, thank you. Mr. Mayor, your SUV.

Mayor: Charles I understand the emotional appeal of what you’re saying but I’m just got going to take the bait my friend. I have instructed folks in my government to turn our fleet into electric cars, we are moving to renewables, we are retrofitting our buildings, we’re doing all the things – that’s the real leadership. It’s not whether I go to the gym, whether I go to the gym does not affect the policies that affect millions of people.

I’m going to keep going to the gym, I’m proud to say we have a hybrid and it’s a good car, its very fuel efficient. I use the subway when it makes sense to use the subway, and I do stay in touch with what people are going through. I knew it for years and year, because for many years I never even had any car. So I – it’s easy for you to say that but it doesn’t really have anything to do with how we change the world. We change the world with policies that affect people and the policies of this city are going to lead to addressing climate change in a much more aggressive way that it’s ever been addressed in the history of New York City.

Lehrer: Are you – because I’ve seen it elsewhere, the Village Voice has a piece this week poking fun at you for the SUV. Have you decided that you are taking the best possible, you know, car that would be appropriate for the mayor?

Mayor: Yes, I think the car we have is a fuel efficient car. That’s the name of that game. And there’s reasons why, because of what I have to do with my time every single hour of every day, this is the right thing to do. I don’t – I wish my life was exactly like everyone else’s; it’s not for obvious reasons. But again, the issue is not cheap symbolism here.

The issue is are we going to take action, are we actually going to change the way things are done? We’re retrofitting every public building, we’re going to mandate that the private sector retrofit buildings. Those are where we actually – that really the motherlode of addressing emissions in this city. It comes from buildings. And we’re going to be very, very aggressive about that. And that’s what we need to focus on, the policies that will actually change people’s lives.

Lehrer: And briefly, just one’s minutes worth on the subway system. This does keep coming up, that even though, as the caller said, it is the Governor’s responsibility, the MTA even though he tries to sluff it off on you equally which it’s not. That maybe you should be making a bigger stand given the recent degradation in subway service rather than just saying that’s his job.

Mayor:  I would parse the question meaningfully. It is the Governor’s job and it is the State’s job. And they need to come forward with a plan to address the problem. I want all New Yorkers to know I understand it because again, for much of my life I only rode the subways and I still ride the subways and I get plenty of perspective.

What I am happy to do is find ways that we can provide guidance to the MTA about the things that need to be addressed. You know, we have invested $2.5 billion dollars in the MTA with the understanding that the City of New York is going to make very clear its priorities and that money needs to go to those priorities. So we’re going to be clearer going forward about the things that need to be changed.

But, the bottom line here is that it should not as simple – if we were talking about anything else, you know, you don’t, you don’t call up the President of the United States or the Governor and say hey shouldn’t you take responsibility for the NYPD. The NYPD is my responsibility, New York City schools are my responsibility, public housing is my responsibility. Everyone’s got to play their position, so I’d like to see the State step up and give us a plan for how they’re going to fix the problem. We’re happy to give them some ideas too about the things that we think would be most important.

Lehrer: Alright, I know you’ve got to go in a minute and I want to acknowledge that you’re leaving to attend the funeral on Long Island of Firefighter Ray Pfeifer, who was a hero of 9/11. Do you want to say something out loud on the radio –

Mayor: Absolutely.

Lehrer:   – about Ray Pfeifer?

Mayor: Thank you very much Brian. Ray Pfeifer selflessly served at the site at ground zero and for months afterwards trying to find the remains of loved ones. He then what he did, even when he got very, very sick as a result of his service is he consistently led the charge for the Zadroga Bill to provide healthcare to all those who served in the rescue and recovery. Even when very deeply ill, he went to Washington time and time again selflessly, and was one of the leaders, one of the reasons the Zadroga Bill finally got passed in the form that provides people help.

So, he’s going to be dearly, dearly missed. I gave him the key to the City last year, he deserved it in a way that very few other people have achieved and it’s a bittersweet moment but boy a glorious life, and he achieved his goal in terms of serving all of those who were at 9/11.

Lehrer: And for anybody that forgets that 9/11 is still causing new pain among New Yorkers, Ray Pfeifer was not yet 60-years-old and has succumbed to that 9/11 related illness. Mr. Mayor thanks so much, talk to you next week.

Mayor: Thanks, Brian.