Name of Council Member: Brad Lander Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Noah Gardy, Policy Fellow

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2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. Human rights are of grave importance to the United States, and New York City in particular. Although New York City has helped many individuals climb the socio-economic ladder, it remains an economically stratified city, bifurcated along lines of class and race. Such inequality undermines social cohesion, economic opportunity, and the efficacy of city services. In this context, the City Council plays an important role in preserving human rights in New York. It is our job to ensure that long-time New Yorkers and new residents alike are not priced out of the city through rezoning and commercial development. When developers are given tax breaks by the city, its critical for the Council to require them to give back to the community by building new affordable housing and paying living wages. As the representative body for New York City, the Council plays a direct role in the lives of each New Yorker, whether it is improving schools or ensuring the bus comes often enough to bring us to work. On these kinds of issues, the City Council can improve and promote universal human rights for all New Yorkers. 2. Please share briefly how you have used your role in Council to advance human rights. I am a lead co-sponsor of the Community Safety Act, a package of legislation that, amongst other things, establishes a strong and enforceable ban on profiling and discrimination by the New York City Police Department; expands the categories of individuals protected from discrimination; and creates independent oversight of the NYPD via an Inspector General housed in DOI. 3. Legislative priorities: Please list your top 3 legislative priorities for 2013. It is the responsibility of the City Council to make New York a fairer city. To that end we must put forward an agenda that promises to secure the well-being of middle- and low-income residents. We have already begun to make good on that promise by passing the Community Safety Act and a strong Paid Sick Days bill. There is more work to be done, however. To fulfill the basic promise of equality and fairness we must improve the quality of low-wage jobs, reduce inequality through economic development, make sure that all children begin school ready to learn, and address New York Citys ongoing affordable housing crisis.

What will be your top 3 legislative priorities as a Council Member in the upcoming legislative session? The Councils Progressive Caucus has put forward 13 Bold Ideas for 2013 (available at 13boldideas.org) that is our platform for the next session. We need to provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, providing stability to changing neighborhoods and maintaining the Citys historic commitment to affordable housing investment. Additionally, the City Council must advance the health and well-being of New Yorkers across the income spectrum through preventive care and better access to primary care in the citys most disadvantaged communities. Lastly, we must set a new course in public education by developing an integrated vision for the City's public education system that extends from early childhood to higher education. 4. Budget priorities: Please list your top three budget priorities of 2013. The budget is central to safeguarding the social and economic rights of many New Yorkers. As a consequence of the great recession, the City Council was either forced to cut or maintain spending for four years. As New York City continues to recover, however, the fiscal situation and improved. Working with a new Mayor, we must make smart public Investments in vital services, providing better access to good schools, well-paying jobs, clean parks, efficient transit, modern libraries, strong cultural institutions and other basic services. What will your top 3 budget priorities be as a Council member in the upcoming legislative session? Going into the next budget season my top concern will be to enact a fair City budget that relies on progressive, sustainable revenue streams and avoids cuts to essential social services. The City Council should restore and reinvest in New York Citys public schools, CUNY, safety, seniors, child care, and protective services. Moreover, my office will continue its commitment to participatory budgeting; allowing constituents to allocate funds to those areas that are in greatest need. 5. Have you used participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes. Participatory budgeting can make New York Citys government more accountable and democratic, providing more avenues for meaningful public input. In 2011 my office brought participatory budgeting to New York City and in the last two years the residents of the 39th City Council District have funded 13 projects with $2,000,000 in city capital funds. Progress on these projects can be viewed at bradlander.com/pb 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. As previously mentioned, The Community Safety Act is an important step forward in protecting the rights of each New Yorker. The act bans profiling based on race, religion, immigration status, gender identity, and other protected categories. It would also create a strong inspector general, with subpoena power, to investigate the policies and procedures of the NYPD. The Paid Time Off bill (a/k/a Paid Sick Days) provides a million New Yorkers with paid sick days that they did not have before. 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation will you advance the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? Collectively the council can support low-wage organizing movements by providing oversight and public attention. For example Fast Food Forward, which seeks to improve wages for fast food workers, would benefit from vigorous

council support. Individually, Council Members can use their positions of authority to speak out on behalf of issues, individuals, and groups. Personal support can help bring organizations together and strengthen ties between communities and human rights movements. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. As 13 Bold Ideas for 2013 states, reform of the Councils rules is a high priority for Council Member Lander. This begins by taking the politics out of Member Items by giving all Members an equal amount or amounts determined by need-based formulas and insisting on full transparency. The Council must adopt rule reforms that ensure timely consideration of legislation or oversight supported by a majority of Council Members. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.