Name of Council Member: Sara M.

Gonzlez Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Miguel Hernndez Campaign Website: www.saramgonzalez2013.com

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. If we as a City, State or Country do not continue to support human rights here, it gives us no moral authority to ask others to do it elsewhere around the world. 2. Please share briefly how you have used your role in Council to advance human rights. One example I would like to highlight is through my role as Chair of the Committee on Juvenile Justice. I have worked hard over the years to support measures that benefit our youth in and out of detention. One measure I have worked hard on was raising the age of responsibility for non-violent offenses to 18 and adjudicating such cases for 16 and 17year olds to Family Court. I held a hearing on the matter (attended by New York Chief Judge Lippman), met with advocates, and circulated letters and information to all of my colleagues expressing the importance of this matter. After lobbying nearly 30 of my colleagues to join me as Co-Sponsors on Resolution 1067 supporting this measure, my Committee unanimously passed the bill and the City Council voted to approve my Resolution, giving strength and support to a cause that directly impacts the lives of thousands of young people in our City. Additionally, I have worked to improve and increase Alternative-to-Detention programs and funding, close Spofford (Bridges) Detention Center, and facilitate the Close to Home initiative. 3. Legislative priorities: Please list your top 3 legislative priorities for 2013. 1. Passing legislation to strengthen emergency response and preparedness in the wake of Hurricane Sandy 2. Passing Paid Sick Days legislation 3. Passing my bill to increase employment opportunities for returning veterans

What will be your top 3 legislative priorities as a Council Member in the upcoming legislative session? 1. Passing legislation to reform Stop & Frisk, namely creating an Inspector General and ending the practice of discriminatory profiling practices. I am a Co-Sponsor of Introductions 1079 and 1080 dealing with these issues. 2. Pass legislation to relation to create a small business lease program for establishing an environment for fair negotiations in the commercial lease renewal process in order to determine reasonable lease terms (Int 154). 3. Passing greater tenant protections and measures to protect affordable housing.

4. Budget priorities: Please list your top three budget priorities of 2013. 1. Adult Literacy Services (free ESL, GED, and adult education courses throughout the City) 2. Restoring funding for Day Care Centers 3. Education related restorations and initiatives What will your top 3 budget priorities be as a Council member in the upcoming legislative session? 1. Continuing to fight for more Adult Literacy and Immigrant services 2. Creation of affordable housing 3. Providing more mass transit options to my District 5. Have you used participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes, I am taking part in the Participatory Budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2014. Funds have been allocated to Participatory Budgeting Project NYC and Community Voices Heard to facilitate the process and community meetings are already underway. I have dedicated $2 Million in Discretionary Capital funds for the process in District 38. As I outlined in last years questionnaire, I have been monitoring this process closely and am excited about bringing it to my community. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. A few months ago, I had the privilege of seeing legislation of which I am a primary sponsor become law. Local Law 23/2013 mandates the reporting data related to sexually exploited children. Additionally, I co-sponsored and the Council passed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on an individuals unemployment (Local Law 14/2013).

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? I have supported local community based organizations and sponsored events dealing with all the areas that impact human rights of New Yorkers. I have allocated City Council funds to numerous affordable housing and NYCHA developments in my District, from Red Hook to Sunset Park. I have supported schools throughout my District with funds to: support much needed capital improvements, purchase computers and Smart Boards, offer cultural afterand in- school programs, and worked for decades to bring Sunset Park its first High School. Working with local community-based organizations, I have sponsored numerous health fairs and symposiums, including most recently an event to raise awareness about the importance of colon cancer screening in my Latino and Asian communities. Additionally, I have worked hard to support area hospitals to provide constituents with the best access to health care possible and hosted free brain tumor and breast cancer screenings for local residents. In the Council, I have been part of efforts to bring greater access to healthy food to my District. I have worked closely with local farmers markets and community farms. I am proud to be welcoming the nations largest rooftop farm to my District, which will offer local residents greater access to fresh and healthy foods. My office has also worked diligently so that constituents who are eligible to receive food stamp benefits can do so with dignity and respect. I have worked closely with various City agencies, small businesses, Unions, and others to bring jobs to my District. Working closely with the Mayors Office and other colleagues in government, my tenure in the Council has overseen the creation of thousands of jobs in the industrial portions of my District and the revitalization of the industrial waterfront. The list of major employers coming to or expanding along the Red Hook and Sunset Park waterfront is nearly too long to mention: a new state of the art recycling facility is aggressively hiring from the local community. Ford Motors is opening a service facility in a neglected industrial building. Biotech industry is expanding in the BioBAT facility at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The long neglected and vacant Federal Building #2 is being revived and will bring new good paying jobs. 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. There have been instances where the Speaker has not called certain bills for a vote. In those instances, there have been mechanisms in place that forced those bills to a vote, some of which I have supported and voted in favor of. While this option has proven effective for some legislation on certain occasions, more efficient, democratic and longterm solutions should be explored to ensure that legislation that has substantial support within the Council come to a vote. As the senior member of the City Council, I look forward to being able to change this policy. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.