Press Room

"As the Governor said today, the state of the state is one of crisis - of compounding crises. The federal government, as the Governor repeated again and again, has failed New York amid the pandemic - but to imply that the federal government bears total responsibility for New York's problems is both inaccurate and damaging, as it will also not bear total responsibility for the solutions. A just recovery with forward movement from this moment requires bold progressive policies from all levels of government, and there is a great deal the state can and must accomplish on behalf of New Yorkers. Chief among them must be revenue raising, which the Governor was happy to champion on a federal level but continues to resist in the state he leads.

"Too often, the third-term Governor of New York speaks about issues as if they are new, or at least new to him. The acknowledgement of issues without some admission of culpability is ego at the expense of advancement. Today we heard promises of progress in areas like public safety and marijuana justice, but we have heard similar points in years past without significant progression, and that must change. If the Governor means to follow through on a bold agenda this year, I stand ready to work with him, but I will always stand with New Yorkers in need to hold him accountable and push him to action if he delays or diminishes that agenda. New Yorkers are strong, even in the face of a pandemic that saw our state at its epicenter, but we are also suffering, and the state must act quickly and equitably to provide relief."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced today that there are hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses available which the city has been unable to distribute to the elderly or essential workers as a result of state restrictions and the threat of fines.

"On a day when thousands of New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19, the city has hundreds of thousands of vaccines going to waste rather than to those in need. Mayor de Blasio should immediately direct NYC Health + Hospitals to distribute these lifesaving doses to the vulnerable populations next in line, regardless of state approval. If Governor Cuomo wants to issue a million-dollar fine to the city that he has already deprived of adequate financial aid, revenue raising, and borrowing authority, then I am ready to stand-in court or not- and defend the decision to protect as many people as possible, as quickly as possible."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams announced today that he will nominate Cea Weaver, campaign coordinator for the Housing Justice for All coalition and prominent progressive activist, to serve on the City Planning Commission. In a letter to the Speaker Corey Johnson Tuesday, the Public Advocate formally designated Weaver as his nominee, beginning the process of confirming her appointment.

Cea Weaver is a housing organizer, community advocate, and urban planner in New York City. She currently coordinates Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition of over 100 organizations that represent tenants and homeless New Yorkers in Albany. She coordinated the 2019 campaign to strengthen and expand tenants' rights across the State and in 2020 worked to win an eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has worked in affordable housing policy and planning in NYC for over a decade.

Weaver, who holds a masters degree in Urban Planning from NYU, would be Public Advocate Williams' first appointment to the City Planning Commission (CPC), filling the seat on the 13-member body that also includes an appointment by each Borough President and six by the Mayor, who also appoints the commission's Chair. Her nomination represents a bold progressive choice that has the potential to significantly shape the work of the commission and the future of the City of New York. Commissioners serve for five years, and may serve multiple consecutive terms.

"The City Planning Commission can be an instrument of change and progress, one that helps shape the city in the midst of this crisis and in the long recovery we face," said Public Advocate Williams in announcing the nomination. "Cea Weaver has been an unwavering advocate for equity and justice on behalf of New Yorkers, and has helped to lead movements with real, tangible, transformational impact on the lives of people in our city and state - I have been proud to work with her in many of these fights. Her background, qualifications, commitment to fighting for progress and track record of achieving it make her ideally suited to this position and this moment, and I urge the City Council to quickly confirm her appointment."

The City Planning Commission is responsible for the conduct of planning relating to the orderly growth and development of the City, including adequate and appropriate resources for the housing, business, industry, transportation, distribution, recreation, culture, comfort, convenience, health and welfare of its population. The Commission meets regularly to hold hearings and vote on applications concerning the use, development and improvement of real property subject to City regulation. Weaver would succeed Michelle de la Uz, who was first nominated for the position by now-Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2012.

"The City Planning Commission makes decisions that guide the growth and development of New York City. Those decisions should be based on people, not profits," said Cea Weaver. "It is a public entity and should be driven by and for the public good rather than private interests. Working class and marginalized New Yorkers are facing housing unaffordability and displacement; a public health and economic crisis that has devastated so many while insulating and enriching those at the top; and the existential threat posed by climate change. As the Public Advocate's appointment to the Commission, I will use my voice and my vote to tackle these challenges head on."

Following the nomination, the City Council will hold a hearing and confirmation vote.

"I want to commend the state Legislature for passing a bill that will protect tenants struggling in a public health and economic crisis from eviction, and thank the advocates who have spent months fighting for the true blanket moratorium that New Yorkers across our city and state needed. For renters and owners alike, the lack of security or clarity has been debilitating, and passing this legislation is both morally imperative and economically vital.

"As crucial as this emergency measure is, it may ultimately be only a delay, not a prevention, of a looming mass eviction crisis if we do not continue to adapt and provide aid throughout this crisis and beyond. Now the Governor-- who has been able to circumvent the legislature for months and has recently weakened his own 'moratorium'-- must immediately sign this bill into law and provide security and relief for New Yorkers before their next rent check is due."

"Habari Gani- I wish a joyous Kwanzaa to all. This holiday honors the richness of African American culture and heritage, each day uplifting one of the seven principles - the values of unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. While we cannot gather to celebrate in person this year, we can hold these principles in our hearts and homes, and exemplify them in our lives.

"Amid all of the challenges that this year has presented, all of the suffering and struggle that is ongoing, it is critical that we take inspiration from Umoja, unity, to move forward with purpose. On the strength of our great blessings, guided by the example and lifted by the legacy of our ancestors, we can overcome great obstacles.  We have done it before, we have done it this year, and we will do it in the next. 

"Embracing the seven principles in our lives and our communities, let us look to the future with hope and expectation."

"Merry Christmas! At this time of year, many of us in New York and around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ. His story is one of humble beginnings which we explore today, of a refugee in a time of turmoil who sought a better future and made a better world. His message of agitation for justice and equity, of standing up to the oppressor and standing for the oppressed, is as revolutionary today as it was then, and has sustained and inspired across millennia.

"Christmas is a time for joyful tradition and peaceful fellowship. This year, we may need to adapt many of our traditions, as the ongoing pandemic prevents us from gathering together with family and friends. Instead, we look to what those traditions represent, the opportunity they afford us to exhibit love and kindness in recognition of what is honored on Christmas, and to carry that spirit with us, no matter where and how we are celebrating.

"The holidays are about coming together - even while apart - as one family, to celebrate the blessings we have been given and the values we hold dear. On behalf of my own family, I wish a joyous Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating today in the city I am honored to serve."