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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now we can continue our series, 51 Council Members in 52 Weeks. It's a new year and a new era in the New York City Council. Mostly new members in the council right now because of the term limit cycle and mostly women for the first time. We're doing a year-long series designed to touch every neighborhood of New York City by welcoming each of these people you elected, 51 council members in 52 weeks. This is week two with the Councilmember from District 2 that's the Lower East Side up through around East 34th Street in Manhattan.

The Councilmember is Carlina Rivera. Now in her second term. She was a contender for City Council Speaker before that went to Adrienne Adams of Queens just recently. Rivera's bio page says she came up in politics as a community organizer on behalf of seniors and homeless people in the district and grew up on the Lower East Side, raised by a single mother who had come from Puerto Rico. In this historic moment when the council has its first female majority, Carlina Rivera was Chair last term of the City Council Women's Caucus and has sponsored bills on issues such as sexual harassment and the gender pay gap.

Councilmember Rivera, thanks for joining us for 51 Council Members in 52 Weeks. Welcome back to WNYC.

Carlina Rivera: Thank you so much. Good morning.

Brian Lehrer: Let's start with show and tell. As you know, we're inviting each member of council to bring a virtual item of show and tell from the district, a place or a thing or an attitude or whatever from your district that you'd like other people to hear about. What's your show and tell from District 2?

Carlina Rivera: Oh, we have so many great places in District 2. I am a proud native New Yorker, someone who grew up in Lower East Side. As you mentioned, standing online for sneakers on the Lancey Street, buying cuchifritos at Casa Adela on Avenue C, and of course, walking the streets of a district that is very much iconic New York. We have the best landmarks. You've seen the Flatiron Building, we're the birthplace of punk, we have Cooper Union and The Public and New York Theatre Workshop. One of my favorite things about New York City and District 2 specifically is how walkable it is.

My show and tell would be the pedestrianized spaces. When we open our streets to people, we learn that they could be our gyms, our community centers, our restaurants, and our playgrounds. That they could even give a college campus as is the case for Baruch College and their new plaza on East 25th Street. I want to tell you about open streets. You can see the full embodiment of this on Avenue B in District 2 where we want you to play in the street, of course, on the open street. I have to give a shout-out to the Loisaida Open Streets Community Coalition.

That's a volunteer organization without which the Avenue B open street wouldn't be the beloved asset to our community that it is today. This all started with legislation that I introduced in the council in April of 2020 to launch an emergency open streets program. That was at the height of the pandemic when it was clear we needed more space for socially distanced recreation. Last May, the mayor signed my bill making open streets permanent and requiring the Department of Transportation to supply staff and resources to community-run open streets to a brand new equity model.

To make sure that not only we could think of things like custom options for parking street furniture and even 24-hour operations. That the neighborhoods that wanted them would get them. I wrote an op-ed with now Bronx Borough president, Vanessa Gibson because we want to make sure again that the neighborhoods have been historically underserved and that want an open street get one. The applications are open through the Department of Transportation. I'm just really excited for this to be a part of our general landscape.

Brian Lehrer: The pedestrianization of the Lower East Side, the show and tell from Councilmember from District 2, Carlina Rivera. Listeners, by the way, you can participate in the show and tell feature throughout this 51 Council Members in 52 Weeks series. You don't have to post right now but you can if you have something right in mind. We are inviting you as of right now to play along with our show and tell feature during this series. Post a Twitter using the hashtag Show and Tell my district.

It can be a photo or a description of something in your neighborhood that you would like other people to know about, whatever it is. What qualifies for this is largely open to your interpretation. It could be a favorite local delicacy, a local landmark where history occurred, a hero well known or not well known enough from the area. Or anything else that represents your district of origin or where you live now. Use the hashtag Show and Tell my district and we'll keep talking about that in coming weeks. We can also take some phone calls and our lines are already full.

You have a very activist district as you know, Councilmember Rivera. Our lines are full but we invite calls for Councilmember Carlina Rivera from District 2 lower Eastside up through around East 34th street. She was just describing some of the places in her district. WNYC, 212-433-9692. How would you describe the people of your district and how you try to represent the diversity there from the Lower East Side up through Gramercy Park, 34th Street, Flatiron. You have quite a range of very rich to very poor, right?

Carlina Rivera: Oh, absolutely. We have a long history where people of every stripe would come through. Whether it's immigration, whether it's the influx of the Puerto Rican community into the Lower East Side but it's also very diverse socioeconomically. I represent the third-highest concentration of NYCHA public housing, New York City Public Housing Authority in my district. I also represent Gramercy Park. You have to make sure that you're listening and that you're taking into account all sides of an issue.

For a lot of the time that I spend and I have an incredible team and incredible staff, we spend a lot of time on constituent cases. These are people in desperate need of repairs, landlord harassment. NYCHA certainly takes up a good bit of our time in terms of advocating for what they desperately need, which is an unprecedented influx of funding, and to make sure that people understand that we're also taking care of the day-to-day. The quality of life stuff that we talk about. Sanitation, rats, noise.

These are things that people call in every day but some people are also just calling looking for a hot meal. It is very different and very diverse and I've certainly learned a lot in my first term how to be a better listener and a better legislator. As you mentioned, we are a very active district. We're also a district rich with a history of pioneers and firsts. I want to make sure I'm honoring and uplifting that while making sure that people know that they can call me or count on me for moving us forward and being a progressive council person.

Brian Lehrer: Your show and tell was open streets in the district and you mentioned Avenue B. I see that some of the calls that started coming in before I gave out the phone number. Were actually pushed back on that. I'm going to take one of them right now. Alexis in the East Village, you're on WNYC with your councilmember Carlina Rivera. Hello.

Alexis: Hello, Carlina. You know me. I supported you but you have let us down on Avenue B. Avenue B is just crawling with rats and it runs into the playground where our kids-- You supported the renovation of this beautiful park and it is now rat-infested. Also the mowing down of East River Park, we've lost our nature here and we're left with rats.

Brian Lehrer: Alexis, thank you very much. We will take those two issues separately councilmember. We're not going to spend the whole time on this, though we could if we wanted to take some of the callers back to back to back to back who called in. One of the others is pointing out that the community board voted against the permanent open restaurants, outside sheds and yet you supported it. Give both those callers an answer and then we'll talk about East River Park too.

Carlina Rivera: Okay. Thank you, Alexis, for your call. Absolutely. When I was first running, Alexis and a number of other people who live on East 12th Street wanted to make sure that Joseph Sauer Park was renovated. We were able to deliver that along with help from my predecessor, Rosie Mendez. That is a great addition and a great asset. I think the open streets and open restaurants are two different issues that certainly overlap. I think the rats' issue is certainly something that all of New York City is dealing with that we take very, very seriously.

It is a public health issue. We have done countless events, walkthroughs, and mitigation related to rats in that remediation, and we're working on it specifically in our open spaces. I think that open streets is something that has and will continue to change the city if we make sure that we hold agencies accountable. We provide resources, especially to the neighborhoods who cannot actively fundraise and do not have the time to provide volunteers all the time. I think it's actually a successful model in place.

We've had classrooms out there. We certainly do have restaurants who are on the street. The restaurants are a very big part of our local economy. They employ a lot of employees in terms of workforce development. Hospitality is something that is not going anywhere in New York City and is very much a part of the fabric of New York City, and of course, our experiences and why people come here from all over the world. I think that open streets is an important model and something that we can continue to take back our streets for people and cyclists while always, always prioritizing mass transit.

That open dining is something that the council is going to actually take on in the next couple of months with the tax amendment to the legislation and making sure that we're taking into account all of the issues that we're seeing, whether they're abandoned structures, making sure we're taking care of sanitation issues, and also addressing some of the noise complaints that we're getting throughout our communities. I think they are two separate issues that certainly overlap and that the council is taking on.

I would argue that Avenue B is actually a success that people really look forward to. I continue to not only advocate for it but to make sure that we're expanding open streets throughout the city.

Brian Lehrer: Let me give listeners a little background on East River Park to set up that question. We've been talking on the show about the controversial East River Park. We make to raise the park higher to prevent a repeat of the storm surge from Superstorm Sandy that affected many people in your district, especially in the NYCHA housing. Many local residents, as you know, are horrified at the closing of the park for a projected four or five years and the destruction of hundreds of big old trees to be replaced by immature trees, which are much smaller. Where are you on East River Park?

Carlina Rivera: I think this is such an important topic because it's been 10 years since Hurricane Sandy hit our city, taking lives, destroying livelihoods, and forcing us to rethink how we develop our built environment. We are just now getting this project underway, making it already overdue. I know something new can inspire concerns, but it should also inspire some confidence that we're finally making progress and thinking about how social infrastructure can protect frontline communities. I was here for Sandy, I have the lived experience.

The Lower East Side is my home. I was here for the days of flooding, the damage, and the loss that many of our affordable housing communities and families along the East River are still recovering from. That includes the lasting effects of what it did to exacerbate mold and asthmatic symptoms. I think the crux of the issue is that the Lower East Side urgently needs and deserves and earned funds to create reliable, life-saving flood protections. That is the unassailable truth.

We have a group called the Frontline Communities Coalition. They're fighting to be heard. They've made it clear that, in no uncertain terms, the majority of public housing tenants, when presented with accurate information, want flood protections and support ESCR. Alongside my community, I will keep fighting for the completion of ESCR because it is the right thing for our neighbors. While we may not always be the loudest when it comes to which pocket or group of neighbors can be at the table, we're absolutely the strongest.

Brian Lehrer: Changing issues, and we will come back to East River Park as-- Let me ask you one more follow-up question about East River Park. Now that this work has begun and the trees are down, one of the advantages as I understand it, of this plan over the plan that some of the opponents wanted as an alternative is that this plan is supposed to take a shorter time. How will you, as a member of council, try to enforce that or make sure that this only takes the few number of years rather than the longer number of years that the plan you rejected, allegedly would have taken?

Carlina Rivera: This timeline is shorter and the park is being renovated. I want to be clear that you will have all the same amenities. We will have more biodiversity when it comes to the plants that are in the park to be more resilient to saltwater. I think actually having it done in phases is really, really important because we want as much of the park open as possible. I grew up using that park. That's where I learned to ride my bike. That's where I've won softball championships. I just know that 40% open at all times is a really, really important factor.

For those who are concerned about whether it will go over the timeline, I totally understand that. We want to make sure that we're holding the agencies accountable. We knew the communication was a serious issue in the beginning when we were renegotiating what was going to happen. We also have learned from other projects like the L train on 14th Street, which is a clear win because it is more ADA accessible. That was something that finished on and ahead of schedule. We took some of the lessons learned from there, and putting in penalties for going over and incentives for finishing earlier.

Actually beating deadlines into the contract. Again, this is something that's the first of its kind in the city. It is a very big undertaking. It is urgent, it is important and I'm going to make sure that we are providing the oversight and investigation that we need and making sure that we're holding agencies accountable. I certainly want this project finished on time. I can't wait to see it completed and to see families there enjoying it generation after generation.

Brian Lehrer: This is our series, 51 Council Members in 52 Weeks. This is just the second week in January. It's just week two with the Councilmember from District 2. That's the Lower East Side up to around East 34th Street in Manhattan, Councilmember Carlina Rivera. I mentioned in the intro that you were chair last term of the Women's Caucus, and now the city is comprised of a majority of women for the first time ever. I'm curious if you think the new gender makeup of the council is likely to be seen in policy differences, compared to the pretty progressive, but majority male councils of recent terms?

Carlina Rivera: Absolutely, I think it's going to make a positive difference. I will tell you that, in 2018, when I entered the council, we had 11 women. We were a very strong 11 but we were also taking on seven committees at a time and serving in multiple capacities to make sure that our voice was at the table. That we were advancing an agenda that was pro gender equity. Some of the things that we were able to accomplish, taking on as a very serious discussion the ongoing challenges with maternal mortality and morbidity.

We talk about child care and making a council that actually accommodates the reality of being a caretaker, of being a parent. We were also able to establish the nation's first Abortion Access Fund, which I think is going to be incredibly important, especially in the months ahead. I think it'll certainly influence how we look at policy. Women just lead differently. I've been really ringing this alarm for many, many years now and it was certainly my focus to make sure that we had at least parity and representation.

Because of the passion, because of all the talent that was out there and the candidates who are running and eventually would win, we exceeded our expectations. It's incredibly exciting. I think it's not about asking how women, how Latina women, how parents, how primary caregivers, can change their lives to serve in city council. It's time that we ask how the city council can change to accommodate the realities of life facing any New Yorker because that is who we serve and that is what we did in this election. I think we're going to see policy that reflects that.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you for that. Another issue, I wonder, as a council member from Manhattan, if you have a reaction to the new progressive prosecutor reforms by the new Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg. He was on the show yesterday explaining why he will seek prison time for fewer people, including some who resist arrest if they're not violent toward the officer, or who possess an illegal gun without having used the gun. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, as you've seen, says that is putting the safety of our officers as well as the public at risk.

The business community, as represented by the Partnership for New York is described in the New York Post today. Is so upset by what they see as the DA being soft on crime, that some want a recall election, even though we don't have recall elections in New York state. What's your opinion of the implications for your district of how DA Alvin Bragg is starting to change things?

Carlina Rivera: He certainly had a lot of support in my district and I thank you for going over some of the things that he specifically laid out in terms of his priorities because I think there is a lot of misinformation and valid concern about the DA's new policies. We know that Manhattan urgently needs a transformation after Cy Vance's time fighting for the wealth and well connected. I'm certainly hopeful for a Bragg administration that focuses on equity and rehabilitation on treating individuals with respect, as well as a DA who understands the nuances and complications involved in the systemic challenges in our criminal legal system.

We need to follow data similarly with solitary confinement creating effective data-proven ways that keep New Yorkers safe. Of course, someone who will give survivors access to restorative justice It's week one, in his second week, he has said his priorities. We have to work together and we have to make sure that we're doing the right thing. In terms of people knowing that he's someone who is going to be transparent, but he was going to really work hard to make change. I believe in that and I'm looking forward to his partnership.

Brian Lehrer: One more call. Margo in SoHo wants to ask about the SoHo NoHo rezoning for more housing, including more affordable housing. Margo you're on WNYC, we're running out of time in the segment. We've got 30 seconds for you. Hi.

Margo: Thank you. There a lot of problems, but my question has to do with the fines that are going to be levied on non-certified residents that are non-certified artists and the conversion taxes, all both of which amount to thousands and thousands of dollars. Now this will impact everyone, including senior artists and could be displaced. I think that this really needs to be rethought as well as the rest of the upzoning plan.

Brian Lehrer: Margo, thank you very much. 30 seconds on this council member.

Carlina Rivera: We can certainly discuss it. I think when it comes to the fines, as it was before the change in legislation, maybe over 10 years. I saw there were about maybe 12 violations issued its complaint-driven, but I understand the concern. I think that SoHo does have this history of activism We can't abandon that advocacy for and we have to make sure that we're advocating for those in the present that people have access to and that people feel like they have individuals. Especially elected officials that are going to fight to keep them in their home and community. You have my commitment on that, Margo.

Brian Lehrer: All right, we have 60 seconds left. You ready for a short lightning round to figure out, finish it up.

Carlina Rivera: Love it. let's do it.

Brian Lehrer: Here we go, what's the most common reason that constituents contact your office?

Carlina Rivera: Major repairs, specifically elevators and racks.

Brian Lehrer: What's the one area of policy where you've seen actual progress during your lifetime in the city?

Carlina Rivera: Transportation. I know we've had a troubling year, but I think bikes, our first Westway that was on 14th Street of my district is a good sign.

Brian Lehrer: Did you have any political heroes growing up?

Carlina Rivera: Oh, of course, Nydia Velázquez, the Congresswoman. It's not every day a Puerto Rican gets to see themselves in Congress.

Brian Lehrer: What's your favorite or least favorite thing about living in New York City?

Carlina Rivera: Probably just the distance from my family in Puerto Rico. I love living here, it's home, it's everything.

Brian Lehrer: Do you own a pet?

Carlina Rivera: I have a 15-year-old pug named Yoshi and a 30-year-old turtle named Freddy and they are amazing.

Brian Lehrer: That is the last word from Carlene Rivera Councilmember from District 2 ending today's episode of 51 council members in 52 weeks. Thanks so much for coming on, talk to you again.

Carlina Rivera: Thank you.

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