Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Media Availability

November 22, 2021

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everybody. Happy Monday. You know, we've been talking about all the ways that New York City is coming back. And we know what leads the way is vaccination. Vaccination leads the way to our recovery. But New York City's also helping to lead the way for this nation when it comes to big changes that are helping us fight COVID and come back. And a great example is when it comes to boosters. We believed strongly boosters should be for everyone. And we said it clearly, our health care leaders said it clearly, we're just going to go out and make sure everyone who wants a booster gets a booster. We need clear, sharp, inclusive approaches. We shouldn't be saying, Hey, some people get it, some people don't. Anyone who wants a booster should get a booster. That's what New York City said.

Well, on Friday, that's what the FDA said as well. Pfizer and Moderna boosters approved for everyone. Anyone 18 years old and older can get a Pfizer or Moderna booster. And this is the time everyone, to go out there and protect yourself, protect your family. Get that booster. Listen, we spread the word. We expanded eligibility last Monday. What an impact it's had. Now, suddenly a lot of New Yorkers are coming forward and it's great. It's great to see so many people getting the booster. As of this moment, today 811,460 New Yorkers have gotten a booster shot already. And that number is going to grow a lot in the coming days. Go out, get your booster shot now. Now I want you to hear from someone who has been at the grassroots, spreading the message, leading vaccination efforts locally to make sure people are informed to make sure people get vaccinated, to make sure they get the booster. She's been a great partner in our efforts, in her own district and around the city as Chair of the City Council Committee on Hospitals. My pleasure to introduce Council Member Carlina Rivera.

[…]

Thank you so much, Council Member. And Council Member, I admire you. You're getting the powerful double shot. You're getting the booster and the flu shot. So, Council Member Rivera is making a great point, everyone. If you haven't gotten the flu shot, this is a great time to get that done. And yep, you can get them both done at once. Thank you very much Council Member. And everyone, New York City leading the way on vaccinations, safest place to be in the whole country now because of the high level of vaccination. And you should be proud of that. All of you, because you made it happen. Listen to this, as of today, 88 percent of New York City adults have had at least one dose of the vaccine, 88 percent. Staggering figure. You did that. As of today, 75 percent of all residents, all ages have had at least one shot. That's amazing. And as of today, over a hundred thousand of our five- to 11-year-olds are already vaccinated. They've gotten their first shot. Over a hundred thousand already. This is something that's just been available for the last couple of weeks. But parents are showing up. Kids are showing up. It's working. We got a lot more to do. But it's a great strong start. That's 15 percent of the eligible group already. That's well ahead of where the national average is. And New York City is going to double down to reach our youngest New Yorkers and keep everyone safe.

Now we're going to go farther, farther, farther. But one of the things we have to do, we have to constantly do is educate people and dispel a lot of misconceptions. There's still a lot of misinformation. The best way to fight misinformation is with the truth, the facts, the real thing. So, we have put together a very powerful campaign to get the message out. There'll be TV ads, radio, digital print, subway ads, you name it, multiple languages to tell people the truth about why the vaccine makes sense and why it's safe and effective and available to all. Let me show you one of these ads right now.

[COVID-19 vaccine ad plays]

So, we're going to be getting that message out everywhere. But today we want you to hear from the ultimate myth busters. We want you to hear from some of the powerful, informed, wonderful voices who have seen us through this crisis. Our own Dr. Chokshi, Dr. Katz, Dr. Long. And each of them is going to speak to one of the myths. And I'm going to ask them in true or false fashion to really lay out the facts. Dr. Chokshi you are up first. You are the first myth buster. Dr. Chokshi, I hear it from a lot of people around this city. They say, if I get vaccinated, I could be infertile. Dr. Chokshi, true or false?

Commissioner Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Sir, the answer is false. Vaccines do not cause infertility. There is no evidence that the vaccines affect a person's fertility. And in fact, thousands of people have safely become pregnant after getting their COVID-19 vaccines. Sir, as you know, I'm the father of a young child myself and I don't take anything for granted when it comes to New Yorkers who are aiming to grow their families. But we can unequivocally state because the science is clear that the COVID vaccines do not impact a person's ability to become pregnant. We also know the risks COVID-19 can pose to pregnant women and that's why the nation's leading OB/GYNs strongly recommend the vaccine for their patients. So, here's the bottom line, sir, based on the data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy and the risk related to COVID-19 itself, we strongly recommend vaccination for all people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to get pregnant now or in the future.

Mayor: Thank you so much, Doctor. You are an effective myth buster. Now I'm going to turn to Dr. Katz. Again, Dr. Katz, I've had this conversation with people multiple times. And what I hear is, oh, I had COVID already so I have total natural immunity. Dr. Katz, true or false?

President and CEO Mitchell Katz, Health + Hospitals: False, sir. And I hear it also from my patients as well as other people. But the best way, to be fully protected is to get vaccination. The studies have been quite clear that people who get vaccinated following a infection with COVID have more immunity than people who have only had COVID. And that's why we want everybody, whether they've had COVID or not in the past to get fully vaccinated. Thank you, sir.
Mayor: Thank you, Dr. Katz, another myth busted. Here's the third, Dr. Long. I hear this a lot. I hear it, particularly from younger folks. Hey, I'm healthy. I don't need the vaccine, true or false, Dr. Long?

Executive Director Ted Long, Test & Trace Corps: That’s absolutely false. The vaccine is how you stay healthy. Young people can get very sick from COVID and what's been devastating for me, as a primary care doctor, is seeing some of my patients that are young people that were healthy, suffer from long COVID, meaning, having difficulty breathing, even mental health issues that, could have been prevented, if they would have received the vaccine earlier on, but don't just do it for yourself. This holiday season, do it for your mom, do for your dad, do it for your family. You can protect them by getting vaccinated. And look, if enough people get vaccinated, we can end the pandemic as we know it for New York City, but we have to do it together with all the healthy people that could get vaccinated, as well. We can do this together if we get vaccinated. Thank you, sir.

Mayor: Thank you so much, Dr. Long. To all our doctors, you have been amazing powerful voices throughout this crisis and voices of truth.

So, everyone there it is, broken down as clearly as you could possibly imagine, I'm going to ask all New Yorkers help spread the truth, help break those lies and bust those myths, so we can get everyone safe, especially with the holidays and the colder weather coming on. Let's get everyone to be safe. Let's get everyone vaccinated. And you saw from those numbers before, New York City leading the way. Now, we have led the way so often, this city should be so proud. We've led the way so often, the things we've called for have often become the approach around the country, even become federal policy, as you just saw with the boosters. But there's another area where New York City has been leading the way. And it's also about the health and wellbeing of all our families. And that's when it comes to mental health. This city has set a standard, that's now being emulated for a focus on mental health, a focus on addressing the issues, de-stigmatizing issues, making sure we can reach people who need help. And five years ago, NYC Well was launched, 888-NYC-WELL. Since that time, this incredible approach, has answered 1.5 million calls, texts and chats. 1.5 million times, people who were experiencing a mental health crisis or had a loved one who was, had someplace to turn 24-hours a day for free multiple languages, lives have been saved because NYC Well alone. In addition, to so many other approaches to reach people who have mental health needs. Now, this effort has been a key example to folks all around the country. And the idea has been to take this idea of national and reach more and more places with a simple approach that provides really available mental health services.

This has been a passion of our First Lady Chirlane McCray. It's been a passion for the folks, the mayors, the local leaders in the City's Thrive Coalition, all 50 states. And there's been a real push to make sure it became federal policy. And someone who has believed in that, is the Acting Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the FCC Jessica Rosenworcel. So, this has been a big effort for a long time to take this approach, make it bigger, make it national. And a lot of this has crystallized around the approach to a new phone number, 9-8-8, which the FCC has now decided is something the whole nation needs and deserves. I want to hear why this is so important from, the woman who got all started here in New York City, our First Lady Chirlane McCray.

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Good morning. I am so pleased that the FCC will now allow people to call and text, 9-8-8, that is beginning in July 2022 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This is a huge step forward and we owe a big thank you to FCC Acting Chair, Jessica Rosenworcel for her work in getting this done.

The pandemic has been an enormous stressor with social isolation on top of so much illness, loss, uncertainty fear. So, the 988 option is right on time. We need people to have the ability to connect to someone supportive, someone trusted that helps enormously and making people feel like there's a reason to move on. And this three-digit number is easy to remember. It's easier for people with physical disabilities. It's also handy for young people who prefer texting than talking on a phone, the FCC’s decision to add this number will save more lives. And it's a number that we must make as familiar as 9-1-1. It will take time, but we must make it as familiar as 9-1-1. I'll work here in New York City and our work with leaders across the country has helped to reduce the stigma around mental illness and addiction and help to make mental health and substance use support, more accessible. And I hope having this number helps people realize that there should be more places where people can receive help before they are a crisis, before they reached their lowest point. No one should have to struggle alone for so long. I'm pleased that, NYC Well is a model that the government is looking at as an example of the kind of service 988 could be. That makes me feel very proud and I want everyone to remember, if you or someone, you know, is struggling with alcohol or drugs or in emotional distress that, you can pick up their phone and call 1-888-NYC-WELL. I'm going to say it again – 1-888-NYC-WELL. Or text WELL – that’s W-E-L-L – to 6-5-1-7-3 for free and confidential support from a trained counselor right now or any time of day or night.

Thank you so much for letting us talk about this today, Mayor de Blasio.

Mayor: Thank you, my dear. I think this is something that, you know, once again, the City's been leading the way. Thank you for everything you've done and all the passionate people that you've gathered around to help de-stigmatize mental health, change the discussion in the city changes discussion in this nation. And we're going to hear from another great leader from one of the nation's most important mental health organizations that, focuses on reaching people, literally all 50 states with the help they need and breaking that stigma and changing the way that help has provided. It's my pleasure to present the CEO and President of Mental Health America, Schroeder Stribling

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Mayor: Thank you so much, Schroeder. And thank you for the great work you're doing, and your colleagues are doing all over America. It's going to make a huge difference. It will save lives. And we here in New York City, we want to help in every way we can, share our experiences, share the success of 888-NYC-WELL. We're all in this together and making sure mental health is treated with the same importance and with parity to physical health, as a mission we all should be committed to. So, thank you for your leadership.

Now, everyone, we're going to go to our indicators now. And I am so happy about the first indicator today, because I told you earlier about the numbers coming up strong on the youth vaccinations. On the boosters, this number overall keeps growing very impressively. We are well on our way now to 12.5 million vaccination doses administered date. 12,437,097 to-date, growing rapidly. That is the most important thing. Number two, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19 – today's report, 86 patients confirmed positivity. Number two, daily number of people admitted to New York City hospitals for suspected COVID-19, today's report, 86 patients, confirmed positivity 24.18 percent. Hospitalization rate per 100,000 New Yorkers is 0.64 and then a new reported cases on a seven-day average, today’s report 1,200 cases. Okay, a few words in Spanish and going back to the myths we want to bust about vaccination.  

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish] 

With that, let's turn to our colleagues in the media and please let me know the name and outlet of each journalist. 

Moderator: Good morning. We will now begin our Q-and-A. As a reminder, we are joined by a Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi, Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the New York City Test and Trace Corps, and Dr. Mitch Katz, President and CEO of New York City Health + Hospitals. Our first question for today goes to Andrea from CBS. 

Question: Hey, good morning, Mr. Mayor. Tomorrow the City Council is expected to approve and vote on the expansion of the New York Blood Center, which I know you've been a big proponent of, I just wanted to get your take on opponents who have said that the project is way too large for this residential block and approving it would set a dangerous precedent, and also approving it against the will of the local councilmen would also set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the city. Just your reaction to opponents to the project. 

Mayor: I respect those who had real concerns, but I would just disagree given what's at stake here. First of all, it's the Blood Center. We desperately rely on this organization. It's not a government organization, it's a non-profit, and we rely on them to make sure there is a supply blood to save lives in the city. They have to be strong for the future. They have to be sustainable. Second of all, this project is crucial to the vision of New York City becoming the public health capital of the world. There's a big life sciences component here, and we need life sciences in crucial locations. That East Side corridor is one of the greatest life sciences concentrations in the entire nation, here's a chance to deepen it, life sciences leads to lifesaving cures. It's really important for our future. So given what's at stake, I think this is the right thing to do. Go ahead, Andrea. 

Question: They were just saying that the Blood Center itself could expand within the zoning limits in the spot it already has, that the center is not going to take up the entire space as you just mentioned. Is there a better location for it? 

Mayor: Well, it's a place that can be acted on in a way that makes sense because the Blood Center has to be sustainable. So, the whole package here allows them sustainability, physically, financially otherwise. Also that life sciences corridor, that exists only one place. So, I think it's really a particular opportunity. I don't think we should ever look at things narrowly. There are some particular places where something makes sense, and this makes sense overall. We heard the concern certainly from the community, there's important efforts being made to address those community concerns and some of the issues around the community, improve quality of life in the community, but this is something that's really important for the whole city. 

Moderator: Our next question goes to Ayana from PIX-11. 

Question: Hey, good morning, Mr. Mayor, how are you today? 

Mayor: Good, Ayana, how are you doing?  

Question: I am excellent. I am excellent. So, I know that the NYPD has on tight security every year for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But after the deadly incident in Wisconsin, have you been in touch with the NYPD on, you know, how that might impact their security plan for this year?  

Mayor: Thank you. It's a very important question. Look, it's tragic and horrible what happened in Wisconsin, but I will tell you, the NYPD for years and years has planned for very careful security around the parade. It's something we talk about the night before, we give an update every year on what's going on, but very meticulous efforts have been made to prepare. We've dealt with a lot of threats previously at this moment. There's no credible and specific threat to New York City, but we take it seriously and we're in a high state of preparation for sure. Go ahead, Ayana. 

Question: That was all, that's it. Thank you. 

Mayor:  Thank you very much. Go ahead. 

Moderator: Our next question goes to Matt from Newsday. 

Question: Hey, good morning, Mr. Mayor, how are you? 

Mayor: Good, Matt. How have you been? 

Question: I've been all right, all right. The Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island is hosting the state high school indoor track championships. About two weeks ago it notified the state that it no longer was requiring competing athletes to have proof of at least one vaccination shot. When the state girls team tennis championships were held at the complex in Queens on November 5th, athletes had to be vaccinated per the city's policy and mandate. What changed to allow Ocean Breeze to send out this new guidance? 

Mayor: I'm hearing this for the first time is the truth, Matt. I’m going to see if Dr. Chokshi knows something about it. Look, the goal here is to keep everyone safe, and so we obviously want clear rules that do that. We've had clear rules with our high school athletes in our public schools, and I think that's been really helpful, but this is the first time hearing of this. Dr. Chokshi, are you aware of this or any comment you want to make? 

Commissioner Chokshi: Sir, I don't have any other detailed information about it, but we'll certainly look into it and follow up. 

Mayor: Okay, so Matt, give us – we're going to, obviously, both of us need to find out what's going on and how we want to handle this, but I appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Go ahead, Matt.  

Question: On another matter, I'm wondering among public employees who are subject to the vaccine mandate who are seeking exceptions whether for religious or medical reasons, among those who've already been adjudicated, what percent have been granted the exceptions and how many are left in the pipeline to be adjudicated? So, two questions. 

Mayor: Yeah, no, that's an important question. So, I'm going to – let me start, and then Dr. Chokshi and Dr. Katz may have additional information overall, or certainly from the cases of there, you know, the examples of their agencies. Okay, first of all, the vaccination rate among city employees now is 94 percent. We're really happy about that. And by the way, we've seen an increase in the last few days in the fire department, the firefighting side is an 89 percent, the EMS side at 93 percent, fire department overall, 91 percent. So, that's a great, great number. We have very few folks now on leave without pay, and this gets into your question, Matt, I think now we're about 2,600 overall employees from the current mandate on leave without pay, so out of the workforce about 400,000. So, most people who are still waiting to get to a final resolution are in that category of they've asked for a reasonable accommodation, that's about 12,000 employees. In terms of the process, as it moves forward, remember there's the original decision. then they have an appeal if they want to use it. So that does take a little time, but our previous experience was overwhelmingly folks who did not get the accommodation, then the option of course, was either get vaccinated or go on leave it out pay overwhelmingly chose to get vaccinated. We saw that consistently. Dr. Chokshi, Dr. Katz, you want to add anything either on the overall numbers or from your own agency's experience? 

Commissioner Chokshi: Thank you, sir. I'll just add briefly to say that the overall numbers of exemptions that are being submitted is quite small for the reasons that the Mayor has laid out. And each agency is working through their specific process to adjudicate those exemptions, and what we're finding is that it's a small percentage of a small percentage that ended up being granted, and the reason for this is that there are very few clinical contract indications to vaccination that allow one to qualify for a medical exemption. And then for religious exemptions, it has to be evidence of a sincerely held religious belief. So, the overall sense is, that as the Mayor has said that people are choosing to get vaccinated and we're working through this process, but it's a very small percentage at the end of the day of granted medical or religious exemptions.  

Mayor: Dr. Katz, you want to add.  

President Katz: I would just add that every person that anyone will meet at Health + Hospitals facilities at our clinics, at our hospital, every person you will meet is fully vaccinated. We feel very strongly about that to keep our patients and each other safe. Thank you, sir. 

Mayor: Amen. And that we will, we'll get you the specifics on what the if you will, the batting average has been up to date on the previous round, so you can get that frame of reference. 

Moderator: Our next question goes to Emma Graves Fitzsimmons from the New York Times. 

Question: Hi, good morning, Mayor. So I'm curious, why are you trying to ban horse carriages in Central Park again? And why does it make sense to try to reintroduce cars into Central Park after having just banned them in 2018? 

Mayor: Yeah. Emma, this is something we're talking to the City Council about, and it's something, look I've believed for a long time, the horse carriages just don't make sense, they're inhumane. They don't make sense. It's the 21st century for God's sakes. And what we're talking about is not individual cars. It's - would be something for tourists, for folks coming to have a special experience, obviously a very different thing than allowing cars the other way. But this is something we're talking to the City Council about, and we'll see if there's something that could be done here and have an update soon. Go ahead, Emma. 

Question. Thank you. And then thinking about your legacy with a month left, do you think that you reduced inequality in New York City, like you pledged to do during your 2013 campaign and where are you making progress before the pandemic hit, and then that, you know, worsens income inequality again? 

Mayor: Yeah, look, Emma's a great question. I'll try and give you the short, clear answer. Yes. We reduced income inequality and inequality in general. There's no question in my mind, there's a hell of a lot more to do. But I think you're right to say sort of two years ago, where did we stand versus what is the pandemic done? Well, I can certainly say as of two years ago, we had gotten hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty. That's factually been proven. We know there was a huge transfer of wealth. I'm a believer in redistribution of wealth. It happened to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. It's been documented. It originally was documented in an amazing book by Juan Gonzalez, but it's been further documented since. Things like pre-K, 3-K, after school. They're all in addition to the good they do for kids, there are all a version of wealth transfer as well. They help working families. There are so many examples of addressing inequality on an economic level, and I think we've helped address it on other levels too, with a number of reforms. So, yeah, unquestionably now has the pandemic made everything worse for everybody? Yes, but that doesn't erase those gains because pre-K continues, 3-K continues, after school continues, I want to make it much bigger. That's the plan I announced last week I'd like to see for this whole state, a guarantee that every child can be in school until six o'clock every day to match parents schedules. I'd like to summer be guaranteed that every family knows 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, that they can have a place for their kid in the summer for free. There's more we need to do, but unquestionably, this team, this administration has done a lot to reduce inequality. 

Moderator: As a programming note, we are now joined by Police Commissioner Dermot Shea. Our next question goes to Julia Marsh from The Post. 

Question:  Hi, Mr. Mayor, how are you doing? 

Mayor: Good, Julia, how have you been? 

Question: Well, I'm a little lonely over here across the hall and room nine. I'd love to be in the Blue Room with you. 

Mayor: We don't want you to be lonely, Julia.  

Question: Invite me over. Okay. So Politico had an exclusive on a new poll about the governor's race that shows not only do you have the highest unfavourability ratings as a potential candidate or a declared candidate, higher even than former governor Cuomo, but they’d eat away at Attorney General James’ chances of becoming the country's first ever Black female governor. Given those factors, why do you think you should even consider joining the field? 

Mayor: Well, look, Julia, I'm sitting here, I have the honor of being the mayor of the greatest city in the world, and I wouldn't be sitting here if I ever listened to polls. I mean it. In the beginning, when I ran for Public Advocate, I was way, way back. When I ran for mayor, I was way, way back. A lot of good people told me, you know, this isn't going to work out. It's not where you start, it's where you finish. I've learned this many times over. I feel that the important thing is to talk about the issues facing the people of this city, the people this state. And that's what I did last week, putting forward a vision of how we change the lives of working families. And that's my mission in life, whatever form it takes. Whatever form it takes, that's what I'm going to be working on. Go ahead, Julia.

Question: Thanks. On a different topic – in the past, you've downplayed violence on the subways, but a very frightening incident happened over the weekend where a straphanger was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack on a 2 train pulling into Penn Station. Your friend and colleague, Mayor-elect Eric Adams says that perception is a key part of public safety. So, before you leave office, what more do you need to do to convince the majority of public transit users who were recently polled and said they don't want to come back, because they don't think it's safe, that it is safe to get back on public transit?

Mayor: Yeah. Listen, Julia, first of all, that was a horrible incident. We do not know everything we need to know about it yet. I'll have the Commissioner speak to it in the second. Horrible incident, for sure. I understand why anything like that is troubling to people. We need to understand what that was and why it happened. But I want to, at the same time say, of course, it's true to say perception and reality both matter. I am in the camp that believes reality is the single most important thing. The single most important thing is the facts on the ground. The NYPD – we surged a huge NYPD presence into the subways, highest level in decades. It had a big effect. Credit to the Commissioner and all the men and women of the NYPD. They got out there. They adjusted strategies. They drove down crime. If you look at the overall situation in the subways, crime is down from what we experienced last year and getting better. But these individual incidents are very troubling. I understand they do give people pause and our job has to be to constantly get out there, show presence, reassure people through action. It can be done. People are going to come back. The subway – we see the subway ridership growing all the time. People will come back. Our job is to keep showing them the evidence that things are moving forward. And last point before the Commissioner – the Commissioner said this, and all law enforcement folks I've talked to say this – as society normalizes, as people come more and more back to the offices, as the international tourists come back, as more and more law abiding people are around on the streets, in the subways, that also creates a safer condition, gets us back to where we were pre-pandemic where it, literally, was one crime per million riders. So, we can do it. We will do it. Commissioner, do you want to add?

Commissioner Shea: I would just say regarding the incident this weekend, it is very early in that investigation. I know it's been reported that it's an unprovoked attack. We are asking anyone that may have seen anything or heard anything to call Crime Stoppers. It is very early in that investigation and we're not leaning in any direction. We have a long way to go and a lot to learn about what exactly took place that night.

Mayor: Thank you, Commissioner.

Moderator: Our next question goes to Erin Durkin from Politico.

Question: Mr. Mayor, I'm wondering if you've had a chance to take a look at any of the top-line findings from the impeachment – Cuomo impeachment report that was released this morning. Do you have any immediate reactions? And, you know, the decision they've made is not to impeach him since he's obviously already out of office, but do you think that's the right call and do you think anything else should be done about this?

Mayor: Erin, I think the big question is going to be, obviously, what happens with other potential prosecutions, and that's still a very live issue. I have not seen the final report, but what I've heard is it confirms what we all feared, that there was a coverup in terms of the nursing homes – that horrible, tragic situation made worse by a coverup, in addition to other abuses of power. So, I think all of that is important information that people deserve. And the most important thing is how we make sure it never ever happens again. That has to – in addition to anything that happens personally with prosecutions directed at the former Governor, the other issue is how do we make sure this can never happen again? And something as precious as the way we protect our seniors is done right in the future, that's the crucial issue. Go ahead, Erin.

Question: Thanks. And then, following up on Emma’s question about the horse carriages. So, I mean, obviously, this was attempted before. There was the deal, the deal collapsed – you know, there's just weren’t the votes for it in the City Council. Is there anything that has happened, any information you have that will lead you to believe there may be enough support in the Council to do it, you know, at this late hour?

Mayor: That's the conversation we're having with the Council now. I think there's a lot of people who share the view that the horse carriages don't make sense anymore in our society. That's just – again, their inhumane. We've seen horrible, consistently horrible images of crashes with horses and the horses in pain, or, even worse, dying on the job. It's something that just doesn't fit in our society anymore and I think a lot of people in the Council share that view. But it's a conversation we'll have in the next few days and we'll see if there's something there that can be done.

Moderator: We have time for two more questions today. Our next question goes to Elizabeth Kim from Gothamist.

Question: Good morning, Mr. Mayor. I wanted to follow up on Emma's question about what you've done to reduce inequality. Of the policies that you've initiated, which of those would you say had the biggest impact on reducing income inequality? And is there data to back it up?

Mayor: Absolutely, Elizabeth. And we'll get you some of that data, for sure. So, again, sheer wealth transfer, wealth redistribution is powerful unto itself. It's now in the tens of billions. When you think about the impact – the money put back and working people's pockets with pre-K – and that's now hundreds of thousands of kids and hundreds of thousands of families that benefit. 3-K, of course, afterschool for free – all of these things – Summer Rising, this summer – all of these things took a financial burden off of working families and across the spectrum, but including low-income families. That's one piece of the puzzle. I think that one is particularly powerful, because it also – we've seen it in the test scores pre-pandemic – it’s helping the next generation that, many of whom were born into poverty, have the educational tools to get out of poverty. AP for All is another example – advanced placement courses. What we've just started now with baby bonds, obviously a crucial example of how you build generational wealth. That's one swath. I think the other obvious thing to talk about is affordable housing. The massive investment – it’s the biggest affordable housing initiative in the history of the city. It's going to reach 300,000 families, about 700,000 or more New Yorkers by the time it's finished. This is long-term, multi-decade affordable housing for working people, middle-class people, and low-income people. For the low-income folks, it means a total game-changer in their lives. The amount of money that are going to be saving each year over decades, that is profound. And the evidence we have is a number of people who've come out of poverty pre-pandemic, hundreds of thousands. We'll present all that to you. I think it's something that we all need to be proud of as New Yorkers, that we were able to make that impact on people's lives. Go ahead, Elizabeth.

Question: I also wanted to ask if you could give us some sense of the timing for the announcement on the middle school and high school admissions process?

Mayor: Yeah. We're working on that now, Elizabeth. We, obviously, want to in the next few weeks get those rules clear for people. That's something we're committed to doing. So, you know, after Thanksgiving, before Christmas. We don't have an exact date, but somewhere in that range.

Moderator: Our last question for today goes to Abu from Bangla Patrika.

Question: Hello, Mayor. How are you? Good morning.

Mayor: Good morning, Abu. How are you?

Question: Good. Good. Thank you so much for asking. My question is, last night, AP has a report about the uptick of COVID-19 in New York City. And you are talking about how the city is coming back and, you know, how people can have a normal life. But, you know, COVID is coming. A lot of people have a vaccinated, but they are also infected. What about New York City? What is the exact plan? How you are preparing the city and what is your plan?

Mayor: Yeah. Abu, a crucial, crucial question. Thank you. Very powerful question. Bottom line, we've watched very carefully with what's happening in parts of Europe. We've watched very carefully what's happening around the country. We've had this conversation, you know, the whole team, obviously with our health care leaders. Bottom line, heavy, heavy focus on vaccination – heavy focus on youth vaccination, heavy focus on boosters. If we keep doing that, we can protect the people of this city. We can make sure that we save lives. We can make sure that our hospitals are going to be okay. So, to me, we have the basic approach. We’ve got to double down on it. We’ve got to create urgency around it. This number I talked to you about today, 100,000-plus vaccinations for the five- to 11-year-olds, that's very encouraging to me, because that's the big opportunity areas to reach those young people and protect the families. So, I think we've got the right game plan. It's about really intensively implementing it in these coming weeks. Go ahead, Abu.

Question: Okay. [Inaudible] you know, have the experience of a pandemic and not like a month after you are not – you will not be the Mayor. What should be your legacy and what you’ll be [inaudible]?

Mayor: Wait, say that last part again.

Question: Your top thing.

Unknown: Top thing –

Mayor: Top thing in terms of?

Question: In terms of your legacy. Yes.

Mayor: Legacy. Thank you. I'm sorry. Abu, look, I think what I'm proud of – it actually was great, the conversation earlier several of the questions about fighting inequality. I truly believe that we've changed the city. I truly believe we've taken a big bite out of inequality. There's a lot more to do, but, remember, we've added two more grades to our schools for free – pre-K and 3-K – and we've proven that you can give families a lot more, whether it's in terms of education, or affordable housing, or even something like paid sick leave, reaching more and more people with that right and keeping families healthy, making sure they don't have to give up a day's pay. All of these things work together to fight inequality and change people's lives for the long-term. So, I'm very, very proud of that. Obviously, for all of us, as New Yorkers, our fight against COVID has been heroic. I want to commend the all New Yorkers, every single human being who went and got vaccinated. I am honored to have served this city during our greatest crisis ever. And I believe New York City's legacy – and I'll be a part of that – is that we all banded together to fight back this extraordinary challenge. And now, we're one of the safest places in the country. But the thing I came here to do is to fight inequality. I'm convinced we've done a lot to make an impact. There's a lot more to do. That's why I put out the plan last week. There's a lot more to do in the city. There's a lot more to do in this state to actually reach working families in a way they deserve.

And with that, everyone, as we conclude today, again, thank you to everyone who has gotten vaccinated. We have these amazing numbers now. A lot more of you have chosen to get the booster. A lot of kids and families have come forward for the youngest New Yorkers. Let's keep going. It's getting colder out there. The holiday’s coming. You can do yourself a favor, do your whole city of favor, go out there, get the young people in your life vaccinated. And now, everyone can get the booster. Go get that booster. The time is now. Do it today. Thank you, everybody.

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