Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us at the Department of Sanitation's Spring Street Salt Shed as we discuss the planning and preparation that is currently underway across New York City ahead of the coming winter.
I want to acknowledge [that] we have a number of leaders within our administration. We have our deputy mayor for Operations, Julia Kerson; we will hear from NYCEM Commissioner Christina Farrell; DSNY Commissioner Gregory Anderson; DSS Commissioner Erin Dalton; FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. And we have commissioners and deputy appointees and inspectors all across a wide variety of departments who are here standing with us as well.
It has been a beautiful fall here in New York City, with perfect weather to run a marathon, trick-or-treat or admire the foliage on your way to vote. But as we look ahead to the winter season, to the holiday cheer and the time spent with loved ones and friends, we also know that temperatures will drop, snow will fall, and we will once again face the challenging and dangerous weather conditions that come with them.
Last year, we experienced one of our most difficult winters in decades. New York City received a total of 43.4 inches of snowfall, nearly twice the normal season average of 22.9 inches. And we endured nine days in a row without temperatures climbing above freezing. There were days when parts of our city were colder than Antarctica.
And yet we endured this historic winter together, thanks to the incredible tenacity, professionalism and hard work of tens of thousands of city workers.
But the work to keep New Yorkers safe from the snow and the cold did not end when the spring arrived. Because it is not a question of whether winter will come again; the question is whether New York City will be prepared. We know our answer: we will be ready.
Over these past months, even while we were sweating through the summer heat, our dedicated agency teams have worked tirelessly to ensure that our city is prepared to head into the winter season. We have streamlined operations, developed new life-saving initiatives and strengthened protocols for the cold and snow that will soon arrive.
Today, I want to share the results of that work and lay out the details of our city's updated and expanded winter preparedness program.
Our first area of focus is our Code Blue system, into which we are investing an additional $25 million to both increase the resources available to New Yorkers and ensure they are strategically deployed.
Last year, we deployed 500 outreach workers to locate vulnerable New Yorkers during extreme weather and to provide them with the support they needed to stay safe and stay warm. This year, our additional $25 million investment has funded the hiring of 300 additional outreach workers and dozens of nurses.
This investment will also support the deployment of 55 NYC Health + Hospitals warm mobile units - 22 more than last year - each of which will be staffed by at least one registered nurse or nurse practitioner. And it will ensure that we can keep open a minimum of three Health + Hospitals facilities as warming centers during Code Blue emergencies, a number that will increase to 11 in extreme conditions.
The Department of Homeless Services will also activate eight drop-in centers, four new warming centers and 20 warming buses according to the Code Blue level.
And last winter, our decision to keep safe injection sites open overnight provided life-saving services to hundreds of New Yorkers. This year, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will continue the program at four safe injection sites across our city.
Finally, we will use this $25 million investment to add more than 600 single- and double-occupancy shelter rooms for New Yorkers looking for somewhere to escape the cold, doubling the number of new beds we brought online last year.
Our second area of focus heading into this winter season is supercharging our snow and ice clearing operations.
Last year, we laid 1 billion pounds of salt, cleared 135,000 crosswalks and plowed 6,300 miles of streets. But we are always looking to increase our capacity and to improve response times.
The Department of Sanitation currently operates the largest snow-clearing fleet in the entire United States of America. And this year, for the first time ever, the Department of Sanitation will deploy snowblowers to clear pedestrian infrastructure faster.
This will only strengthen a fleet that already includes more than 2,200 snowplow-ready vehicles, 700 salt spreaders, 500 million pounds of stockpiled salt, 47 pieces of specialized equipment to clear bike lanes and more than 7,000 uniformed workers trained to clear snow. And now, 120 snowblowers as well.
We have also implemented several changes to DSNY's snow-clearing protocol.
First, we have formally incorporated bus stops and crosswalks into official snow removal routes.
Second, we have added eight new plow routes on Staten Island to tackle the borough's hilliest areas and narrowest streets - some of the very places that took the longest to get plowed last winter.
And third, we have developed new procedures to place large snow-clearing equipment where it needs to be before a storm hits.
Several other city agencies will work in tandem with New York's Strongest to maximize our snow-clearing operations.
The Department of Transportation has invested $2 million in snow-clearing equipment like tractors and Gators with plows and are establishing new measures to clear bus shelters and city bike docks more quickly.
Our public schools have also acquired a new fleet of snowplows, snowblowers, ice choppers and other tools to clear entrances, sidewalks and walkways.
The Parks Department is preparing nearly 400 vehicles to clear snow off more than 2,000 miles of pathways in our parks and green spaces.
And the Department of Citywide Administrative Services has pre-stocked our city's central storehouse with six months' worth of calcium chloride and rock salt.
With a strong El Niño expected to bring a wetter winter with potentially heavy snow, the Down Tree Task Force, which includes the Parks Department, NYCEM, NYPD and the FDNY, is preparing for an increased activation in response to fallen branches and trees.
The FDNY will also prepare for increased coastal flooding by strategically positioning vehicles for deployment in low-lying areas before water levels rise.
Our whole-of-government approach to winter protocol goes beyond just keeping New Yorkers safe on our streets and sidewalks. That is why our third and final area of winter preparation has focused on ensuring that every New Yorker can stay warm in their homes.
NYCHA is in the midst of completing $849 million in heating infrastructure upgrades across 24 developments. More than $610 million of this work has already been completed or will be by February. And they have spent the past year conducting preventive maintenance, inspections and repairs on every piece of heating infrastructure to reduce outages and restore heat as quickly as possible if problems do occur. That includes 965 boilers, 1,472 hot water systems and 1,507 heat distribution systems.
And for tenants across our city, for the first time in history, we have directed HPD to investigate every single non-anonymous heat complaint filed through 311.
City government is prepared for whatever this winter will bring, and I want to encourage New Yorkers to do their part to prepare as well.
New Yorkers should sign up for Notify NYC to receive real-time updates about extreme weather, power outages and more by texting NotifyNYC to 692-692 or by downloading the mobile app.
And home and property owners should also ensure they have the equipment they need before snow begins to fall to fulfill their responsibility to clear a 4-foot-wide path across their sidewalks for wheelchairs, strollers and pedestrians.
Winter will be here soon. When it comes, we will look out for one another, we will be ready and we will stick together. As always, New York, when the chill sets in and the snow starts to fall, stay informed, stay inside, stay warm and stay safe.
Thank you very much. And with that, I will now pass it over to our NYCEM commissioner, Christina Farrell.
Commissioner Christina Farrell, New York City Emergency Management: Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
New Yorkers know a thing or two about winter. We've seen it all, from beautiful snowfalls to bitter cold, and just about everything in between.
This administration is changing how we prepare for winter, how we respond when storms arrive and how we keep New Yorkers safe.
And there's some encouraging news about the winter ahead. After last winter's bitter cold, we're expecting a warmer, wetter winter with temperatures averaging 1 to 2 degrees above normal, largely due to El Niño.
But warmer doesn't mean winter is taking the season off. Temperatures hovering around freezing can bring cold rain, sleet and ice. Sidewalks that look wet may actually be slippery, and ice can weigh down trees and power lines, causing outages. Cold weather is still coming.
Last winter, we endured a near-record stretch of hazardous cold. This year, we expect shorter cold spells lasting two to four days. But even two nights of bitter cold can be dangerous for someone outdoors or without heat in their home.
Snow is still in the forecast, too. A nor'easter could bring heavy, wet snow that's difficult to shovel and can bring down branches and power lines.
Now, we can't predict exactly when the storm will arrive or how many we will see. But here's what I can promise: When winter weather is headed our way, you'll hear from us early, you'll hear from us often and you'll know what to do to stay safe.
Our winter plan is usually active for about 10 days each year. Last winter, it ran for 50 days. That's seven weeks of plows, warming buses and outreach teams on the street. This is the most days the city has used its winter plan in at least a decade.
Afterward, Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Julia Kerson asked us to go back through every one of those days with every agency and asked what we would change. Here is what changed and what it means for you.
If you are outside in the cold, there are more places to go.
Code Blue is how the city protects people from the cold. It activates when the temperature feels below 32 degrees overnight. This year, with help from City Hall, the Department of Social Services, Health + Hospitals and the Health Department, the city will add additional resources as the risk levels become higher.
On a Code Blue night, warming centers and warming buses are available, and outreach teams are available 24 hours a day to help New Yorkers in need. If you see someone who needs assistance, please call 311.
If it snows, there will be plenty of hands on shovels. Currently, 3,000 New Yorkers have registered as emergency snow shovelers, earning $30 an hour to help clear snow. That is a paycheck for a New Yorker and safer sidewalks and streets for everyone else.
And sanitation workers will have more equipment to get the job done. The city has added 120 new snowblowers to help crews clear corners, curb cuts and bus stops that plows cannot reach.
Now, what we need from you. First, please pay attention to the forecast and adjust your plans if bitter cold or snow are expected. Take the train instead of driving. Move the trip or don't travel if you don't have to. Winter has many layers, so should your plans and your clothing.
Second, be ready for cold. Seek shelter when temperatures drop. If ice or heavy snow is in the forecast, charge your phone before it starts and make sure you have supplies to last you a few days.
You have the right to heat and hot water as essential services. If you experience problems, report it to your landlord or building superintendent immediately. If the issue isn't resolved, don't wait: contact 311 to file a complaint.
Never use a stove, oven, grill or generator to heat your home. Use space heaters safely. Plug them directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord. Never leave them operating unattended.
Finally, call for help for anyone who may be vulnerable. Check on older neighbors and anyone who lives alone. If you see someone outside who needs help, call 311. If someone is in danger, call 911.
If you need to get warm, go to a warming center, a warming bus or any hospital emergency room, or call 311 and ask for help.
The fastest way to hear from us is Notify NYC. It is free, and more than 1.6 million New Yorkers are signed up. Text NotifyNYC to 692-692. Alerts come in 13 languages and American Sign Language.
We connect New Yorkers through 54 community networks citywide, including 11 new networks added this year. This helps more New Yorkers get vital weather updates and safety tips from trusted organizations in familiar languages.
Before the first snow falls, the people who will get this city through it will already be at work. A sanitation crew loading a salt spreader at 4 in the morning; an outreach worker walking a Code Blue route at night; a 311 or a 911 operator taking the call; and the EMTs and paramedics who answer it; a housing inspector investigating a cold building with no heat; city nurses and doctors who keep a hospital door open at 2 a.m. for someone who just needs to get warm; and the emergency managers who wrote the plan and spend the storm making sure the warnings and information reach the older neighbor, the night-shift worker and the families that get their news in other languages.
But in the end, the most important part of our emergency plan isn't an alert or a piece of technology. It's New Yorkers like you, who knock on a neighbor's door or call 311 when you see someone struggling to stay warm.
So, this winter, be ready to adjust your plans, be ready for cold and for snow, and be ready to look out for each other.
Thank you. We will now be joined by DSNY Commissioner Greg Anderson.
Commissioner Gregory Anderson, Department of Sanitation: Good morning, and welcome to the Spring Street Salt Shed. It's appropriate that there's a real chill in the air today. The Department of Sanitation is ready to keep all New Yorkers safe and moving this winter, whether they walk, drive, ride, bike or roll.
We plan all year long to develop a playbook for every winter storm scenario. We revise routes, assess past performance and overhaul equipment. And after last year's unprecedented winter, we have upgraded our strategies.
We have more than 2,200 collection vehicles ready to be turned into snowplows; more than 700 salt spreaders; 47 pieces of specialized equipment to clear protected bike lanes and other areas; 7,000 uniformed sanitation workers trained for snow clearing; and 250,000 tons of salt on hand, some of which is right here behind us in the Spring Street Salt Shed.
We also have some new upgrades this year. First, we have more uniformed staff at the start of the snow season than at any point in recent memory. A higher head count gives us greater flexibility to handle plowing, collection and clearing pedestrian areas at the same time. And it also gives us the ability to pivot in the face of a significant storm.
Second, we have improved our routes and our snow plans. In particular, as the mayor mentioned, we added eight additional plow routes in the hilliest parts of Staten Island, reducing the mileage per route by 25 percent and surging equipment into the steepest and narrowest parts of that borough.
Third, we have invested in new equipment across our fleet.
Last year, we conducted a small test of composite rubber-ceramic plow blades. Now, traditional metal plow blades ride slightly above the roadway surface, and they're designed to leave a layer of snow behind. These composite blades are flexible and can adapt to the curve of the roadway, clearing snow more effectively while also causing less damage to roads. So, fewer potholes next spring.
This year, we're expanding the use of these composite blades to 678 additional plows and spreaders in every district, with a focus on arterial highways, elevated roadways and hillier areas.
Fourth, we've made significant improvements in clearing pedestrian infrastructure. Clearing bus stops, crosswalks, overpasses, step streets, bike lanes and other areas enables more New Yorkers to get where they need to go.
After last year's storms, we mobilized thousands of emergency snow shovelers to help remove snow and ice. This year, we've overhauled that program, creating a modernized, streamlined process for registration, assignment, deployment, tracking and, most importantly, payment.
The goal is to get people signed up ahead of time so that they can be assigned thoughtfully if, when and where they are needed.
New Yorkers can learn more about this program at nyc.gov/snowemploy or by calling 311.
We've also invested in new tools to help our sanitation workers clear pedestrian infrastructure more effectively. We purchased 120 new snowblowers that are durable enough to endure a New York City winter, but light enough to be moved from place to place to get them where they need to go. And we've updated and modernized our routing and tracking to improve the effectiveness of our pedestrian infrastructure operations.
Finally, all New Yorkers can get the snow-related information they need at an easy-to-remember URL, nyc.gov/snow. There you can visit PlowNYC to track plows in real time, see a summary of property owners' snow-clearing responsibilities, read our borough-based snow plans, and get links to submit 311 service requests and much, much more.
Again, the Department of Sanitation is prepared for whatever Mother Nature sends our way. We have the plans, the people and the tools to get the job done and keep New Yorkers moving. Thank you.
Commissioner Farrell: Thank you. Now we'll hear from DSS Commissioner Erin Dalton.
Commissioner Erin Dalton, Department of Social Services: Good morning. I'm Erin Dalton, DSS commissioner. I'm proud to be here with leadership across city agencies because keeping New Yorkers safe requires a unified, cross-agency response, and that's exactly what you're seeing here today.
I wasn't here in the heart of last winter, but I've reviewed it, and I know how it went, and I learned a lot from it. I'm focusing my remarks on what we will do on the coldest days of the year and focusing on three significant changes we are making.
The first is moving from a list to a map. In past winters, the DHS approach centered on a list of about 350 of the people we felt were most vulnerable, who we knew and who we knew were on the street. On very cold nights, teams tried to find these folks, and on the coldest nights of the year, we tried to find them more than once.
Most nights, we only found about 15 percent of those folks.
We care deeply about the people on the list, and we're not leaving them behind. Every one of them will have a safety plan before Thanksgiving, and we are working to bring them inside now, since this is clearly the best way to keep them safe.
But an approach built around a vulnerable list leaves way too many people in the street [who] aren't known to us and only covers a small portion of people.
This year, we are moving to a broad geographic canvassing approach. At the height of our operations, about 300 additional canvassers will join 100 DHS staff and contracted homeless outreach staff to walk the streets, encampments, parks and subway steps where we know the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness stay.
We're bringing care directly to people on the street. We're activating dozens of additional nurses, along with 50 New York City Health + Hospitals warm vans, so that anyone who needs a health check or a clinical assessment can get one quickly.
The teams will be visible and clearly branded, so people will know who we are when we approach. And New Yorkers will see us out there on the streets.
We're calling the teams REACH, which stands for Rapid Emergency Aid for Cold and Heat. REACH teams will engage every vulnerable person along the routes, which could be someone in an encampment or an older adult who may find themselves disoriented and on the street.
We will focus our engagement on bringing people inside to shelter and Safe Haven beds, to warming centers or to family members.
Our teams will also hand out cold-weather essentials and food. Food especially can open the door to an engagement and give us the time and space we need to assess individual safety.
We tested this canvassing approach this summer during Code Red, and it worked. Teams had over 2,000 engagements with people, more than 20 times as many as on a given day in the previous summer and got many more people inside to safe spaces. That's the first major change, and that is significant.
There are two other significant innovations. First is around transportation. Fast transportation is critical. It gets people warm sooner, and it frees our outreach teams to move on to the next person faster.
This year, we'll not just rely on very limited outreach vehicles that could take hours to get to someone. We'll have the H+H Warm Vans to assist, and we will have a contract for on-demand transportation. This is a simple change, but it will make a very big difference in how much help we can provide.
Lastly, it's about having the right beds. Most people are not staying on the street because they want to. They're staying because they haven't been offered a placement that meets their needs and makes them feel safe and supported. We know what works: low-barrier beds with one or two people per room.
Last winter, this administration quickly opened about 300 low-barrier beds to give unsheltered New Yorkers a safe place to come inside. This winter, we're adding 600 more units. That's 800 more single and double rooms, increasing the capacity of this type of bed across our whole system by 30 percent.
For people who aren't ready to take this offer yet, there will be warming locations across the city and, at the height of the cold weather, 20 warming buses. Taken together, we expect these changes to help us bring many more people inside, and we want it to be more than just a warm night. Our goal is to put people on a path to stability.
And I'll just finish by saying that we need permission to innovate here. It would be dangerous to say that this DSS plan is the perfect plan. We will implement and assess and make changes as needed to keep every New Yorker safe this winter. Thank you.
Commissioner Farrell: Thank you. Now we'll hear from FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore: Thank you. Good morning. The mission of the New York City Fire Department is to save lives, protect property and keep all New Yorkers safe from fires, medical emergencies and any disasters.
As we head into the winter months, that commitment drives our urgent reminder of these basic life-saving fire safety tips. I get to tell you how to stay safe.
First, get your winter gear out, including your hats. We should make sure that we're prepared for the weather that's coming. I'll talk about several different areas and the tips to stay safe, and please share that with all your friends, family members and neighbors.
Let's first talk about priority. As the temperature drops, New Yorkers find various ways to stay warm. We want to remind everyone of basic life-saving fire safety tips. We know that an educated household is a safe household, so please share all this information.
Make fire and electrical safety part of your family plan. Sit and talk about it. Talk about safe habits together. Talk about an escape plan if you should need one. Talk about where you should go if you need to meet your family or your loved ones.
We know that as the temperature drops, New Yorkers are looking for so many ways to stay warm. But basic fire safety isn't just about comfort. It's about survival. So here are a few tips.
Test your alarms - your smoke alarms and your carbon monoxide alarms regularly. Change the batteries if you haven't done that recently. They are critical for early warning and survival.
Call 911 in the event of a fire. If a fire breaks out in your home, don't try to be the hero. We know you are heroes. We are all heroes. But get out of there. Get out immediately and call 911. Seconds count, and fighting the fire yourself can waste critical time. So, call 911 immediately.
Let's talk about the doors. You've heard a lot of discussion about what to do in the case of a fire. Closing the door behind you when you escape a fire is one of the most powerful, life-saving actions you can take. It walls off the smoke and toxic heat, keeps hallways clear for evacuation and gives firefighters a fighting chance.
So, when you're leaving the building, if there happens to be a fire, close all the doors. Close the apartment doors, close the bedroom doors, close the exit doors [and] the entrance doors. Any door that you come across, please close it behind you. Closing the doors will save lives.
Never prop your door open or disable the self-closing feature. If your apartment door does not close on its own, please call 311 immediately to report it. We want those doors to be able to close if you don't purposely close them yourselves.
Plan and practice an emergency escape route. Clear your home of clutter and ensure exits like windows and doors are never blocked. That is a very important one. You need to be able to get out as quickly as possible.
You've heard some talk about space heaters. I will remind you that the space heaters should be at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, including bedding, furniture, paper or curtains. Plug them directly into the wall. Never plug them into extension cords or power strips, which definitely can overheat and cause a fire. Turn them off. Always turn them off or unplug the space heaters when you're leaving the room, but especially when you are going to sleep.
And I know the use of a space heater to keep you warm overnight makes sense. But because you're asleep, they can heat up, spark and cause a fire, and you would be sleeping. So, please turn them off, throw on an extra blanket and some socks to keep yourself warm. We don't want you to get hurt.
Never use kitchen stoves or ovens to heat your home. Keep anything that could catch fire away from heating equipment. And if you have any wood-burning stoves or pellet stoves in your house, make sure that they're inspected, cleaned and installed properly.
Never smoke while lying down. While cooking, stay in the kitchen, stay by your pan and never wear short or tight-fitting sleeves around a fire. I mean, wear - don't - not never. Please do always - let me make that clear. Don't wear the floppy ones. Wear the tight-fitting sleeves around flames. We don't want anything catching fire.
Never leave burning candles unattended, and store matches and lighters completely out of the reach and the sight of your children.
Electrical safety guidelines - let's talk about this. These are big deals.
Electricity powers our daily routines, but unsafe usage can quickly cause dangerous, preventable fires. So, follow these rules.
Do not plug too many devices into a single outlet or power strip, as this could overheat and the system could spark a fire. Avoid using extension cords as permanent wiring. They are temporary solutions and should never replace proper electrical installation. Keep cords away from rugs [and] furniture, where heat can build up if they become trapped or pinched. Look out for the scorch marks, flickering lights, burning smells and buzzing sounds from outlets or appliances, which signal dangerous wiring. Use tamper-resistant receptacles, especially in homes with children. And always use certified, licensed electricians for repairs, upgrades or installations.
I do want to just mention lithium-ion batteries. We've been talking about this a lot, and we've seen some very serious fires lately.
Lithium-ion batteries are essential for how we move around and we work today, and we understand that. But cheap, uncertified batteries and improper charging can turn an e-bike into a flamethrower.
Always look for the UL certification. Where possible, store and charge micromobility batteries outside. Never charge them while you sleep, and never, please never, block your exits like your doors and your windows.
If the batteries are leaking, damaged or smoking, do not use them. Charge these batteries outside whenever you can, and do everything you can to stay safe.
Fire safety is a shared responsibility. When we take these precautions seriously, we aren't just protecting our own property; we are protecting our families, our neighbors, our friends and the brave first responders who run into danger when emergencies arise.
Let's work together to keep New York safe this winter. The best and the bravest will always be on your side. Thank you.
Question: I wanted to ask: These changes - the cold snap that happened last year was really just days or weeks into you being mayor of New York City. I'm just wondering, now that you've had a year or almost a year to look back on it, do you wish this stuff was in place? And have you changed your own philosophy about how to approach unhoused New Yorkers who are out on the street when it's very cold?
Mayor Mamdani: We, in our administration, think of every day as an additional opportunity to deliver for the people of this city. And so, we are not precious about whether something has been done for 50 years or it's been done for five minutes. If it's working, keep it. If it is not, change it.
And what we found in a lot of what we inherited was an approach that doesn't meet the level of scale when it comes to the kind of winter that we had. And again, as we said, the winter that we had was not a winter that was like the year before or the year before that. It was the first blizzard in a decade.
And so, what we have found is an incredible city workforce that did everything that they could and [is] now developing policies that build upon that.
And when it comes to our approach to homeless New Yorkers, there's a few things here. [I] really want to commend the work of our DSS Commissioner, Erin Dalton, who laid out the importance of interrogating the success of every single approach. You heard earlier, the approach that the city had been taking for years was an approach that would leave the city interacting with about 15% of its intended population. Shifting to a zone-based approach rapidly scales up the number of New Yorkers that we can engage with.
Secondly, the importance of listening to those New Yorkers. When we would speak to those New Yorkers, we would hear time and again that there were certain kinds of things that would make it more likely for them to take us up on the offer of coming inside.
And the commissioner has spearheaded the implementation of part of this $25 million in additional investment in delivering more than 600 of the very kinds of low-barrier beds that are more likely, for a New Yorker who's outside, to come inside and take on.
I don't know, Commissioner, if you want to add anything.
Question: So, I know that you've added these extra beds, but I also know that there are people I've talked to year after year who don't want to come into facilities because they feel they're not safe.
So, I'm wondering if you're going to provide any extra police protection or security to make them feel that these places are safe and that they can feel that their goods [and] their possessions are of value to them.
And in a corollary to that, are you going to change your policies having to do with encampments, trying to get those people to come into facilities as well?
Mayor Mamdani: So, let me just go through a few of these things, one after the other.
The first is, oftentimes in part of this conversation, there's the question of involuntary transport. And I just want to use this as an opportunity to make very clear that our administration is going to use the same determination as past administrations have used. And that is a determination of adhering to state mental health and hygiene law.
And what that dictates is that someone can be involuntarily transported to a hospital only based on an individualized determination. So, if someone fits the legal criteria for involuntary removal - for example, mentally unstable and a danger to themselves or to others - they would then be taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Part of the $25 million investment we're making into Code Blue work for this winter is to be able to hire hundreds more nurses and hundreds more outreach workers who are able to go out, make these offers and also make these determinations if necessary.
[The] next question, I think you had, Marcia, was safety. Part of what we have made these investments in, when we speak to homeless New Yorkers, we will hear that if only there was a low-barrier single-room bed, they would then be willing to go - that they're unwilling to go in a congregate setting.
And so that's why we've reapportioned a significant amount of this funding specifically to double the amount of low-barrier single and double beds that we have been able to bring online. That's going to be critical for making the case to New Yorkers who are living outside.
And then, when it comes to the encampment policy, we're going to continue with the policy that we have, which is to reach out to New Yorkers every single day for seven days to ensure that we are always going with service provisions first. And as we have any updates to that, we'll share.
Question: Just a clarification. So, basically, what you're saying here is that you're going to have more people who can make a determination that could bring people in against their will if it's determined that they need help, and so you're going to have more individualized decision-making so that you will be bringing people in against their will to protect them?
Mayor Mamdani: We will have more people who will be able to conduct outreach to homeless New Yorkers across the five boroughs. And for many of those New Yorkers, that outreach will be telling them the options they have, informing them of a warming bus or a 24-hour site that would previously only be available [during] business hours or any of the H+H facilities that we spoke about.
And for the very few that are determined to be a danger to themselves or to others, then also being able to make that individualized assessment.
Question: Quick question: Will parents be - this is a concerned parent here, and my kids told me to ask this question - will they be getting snow days or will they be doing remote learning?
Mayor Mamdani: It's a fair question, especially on behalf of the child constituency.
These are determinations that we will make in the moment when we are seeing the level of snowfall. We saw in the last winter more snow than this city had seen in a long, long time, and coupled with that, nine consecutive days of temperatures being below freezing, which is critically important for snow removal efforts, which are typically aided by a temperature warming up after snowfall.
In this previous school year, we saw one school day as a snow day. I will say also with the addition of additional holidays to the school calendar and the state requirement of 180 days of instruction, there's very little flexibility, but it all depends on the day itself.
Question: Axios is reporting that you were having meetings regarding getting a labor-aligned candidate to run in 2028. Can you share what you're hoping to get out of those meetings? And also, would you hope that a progressive or a populist candidate, like some of the people you've been meeting with, would forgo running if Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does run for 2028?
Mayor Mamdani: I'll say when it pertains to the congresswoman, what I've said in private meetings is exactly what I said in public, which is that I think that she would make an amazing whatever it is that she wants to run for.
And I know that the congresswoman makes her determinations on the basis of the most amount of good she can do for the largest number of working people. And I think that is continuing to be a compass, not just for her, but for many.
And when it comes to these meetings, I had sought and continue to meet with labor leaders precisely because they have been on the front lines of delivering for those working people and the importance of ensuring that the crises that affect working people are at the centerpiece of any of the politics that come from now until 2028.
Question: Following up on Emma's question, I know you met with Representative Ro Khanna last week. Axios obviously doubled down on that reporting. I'm curious if that meeting was a part of your effort to sort of stake out other candidates in the case that AOC doesn't run and if Representative Khanna would be someone you would support as a progressive, labor-aligned candidate looking toward 2028.
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I've had the pleasure of meeting Representative Khanna before, when I was an assembly member, as well as now as the mayor, and I was happy to have met with him as well, as I'll be happy to meet with others.
It's all about the importance of how to ensure that working-class politics is at the center of whatever we put forward, not just with regards to 2028, but frankly, now that we have majorities in both the House and the Senate, it is an urgent topic, as opposed to simply a topic for the future.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Shifting gears to a fairly serious topic: The Brooklyn jogger who was stabbed and killed and the suspect was arrested over the weekend. It's been reported that he worked for the NYPD but was referred to psychological evaluation and then ended up being hired by the Department of Education.
I'm wondering if you see that as a disconnect or a breakdown in city hiring practices, and if so, what are you going to do about it?
Mayor Mamdani: So, I have directed my team to conduct a full review into this matter, I think underlining the importance of the fact that nothing is more paramount than the safety of our students.
And we know that when it comes to this specific case, New York City Public Schools has suspended the individual and is moving to terminate his employment pending the outcome of this case. We are also making counseling and support available to all the students and families at this school.
And just when we speak about this case at large, this attack on Katie Suarez was horrific. This is something that leaves not only our hearts with her loved ones and her friends and her family, who have been shattered by this, but also to emphasize our commitment to hold the individual responsible fully accountable and our commitment to the fact that every New Yorker deserves to be safe in our city, no matter at what time, no matter what corner, no matter what time of the night.
Question: A federal judge ordered the city to provide identifying information about residents in a shelter on Bruckner Boulevard. Sorry, it's cold. Is your administration reviewing that? Are you going to appeal? And are you providing that information right now?
Mayor Mamdani: So, we are reviewing that decision and evaluating all of our legal options.
Question: I wanted to follow up on the Axios reporting. In meeting with these influential labor leaders, you know, why do you want to have these conversations as the mayor of New York City? And then also, do you think that your role here is to help elect the next Democrat, you know, in 2028, or, if a Democrat does end up winning in 2028, holding them accountable for the progressive movement of the party?
Mayor Mamdani: I don't think that there's a tension in helping to elect Democrats and also in ensuring that we as Democrats are accountable to the very reason that working people have entrusted their faith in us once again.
And I think that when it comes to these meetings, my interest is in the fact that no matter what we do at the city and state level in New York, there is a role for the federal government in delivering dignity for the working-class people who call this our home, and it is critically important that those concerns of working-class Americans, whether they be in New York City or whether they be in New Mexico, are reflected in the politics that takes form not just in 2028, but now in the years that precede 2028.
And when we talk about income inequality in this country, we know that the most effective tool at combating it has been increasing union density. And these union leaders have been on the front lines of doing exactly that and are fighting and protecting their members' rights in the face of the very kind of corporate greed that has pushed many a New Yorker and many an American out of the dignified life that they come to expect in the country they've helped to build.
