I'm pleased to let you know about two City Council resolutions that passed the Council at our meeting last Thursday.
Smarter, fairer funding for juvenile justice alternatives: Right now, the State of New York essentially bribes the City to send young people who present little or no risk to public safety to juvenile jails (officially, "secure detention facilities") like Spofford - even when judges, the City, and prosecutors believe that treatment, rehabilitation, and alternatives programs would produce lower rates of recidivism and therefore a safer and better city. The State pays half the cost of detention, but nothing for community-based alternatives. Councilmember Sara Gonzalez and I co-sponsored Resolution 201, which passed the City Council last week, calling upon New York State to develop a more equitable method of billing New York City for the placement of young offenders, so we can choose strategies that work best. State Senator Velmanette Montgomery is leading the effort to change the funding formula in Albany.
Just and comprehensive immigration reform: When last week Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the harsh, mean-spirited, and likely unconstitutional new immigration law, the City Council moved quickly. We passed Resolution 162-A, sponsored by Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito, which criticizes the new Arizona law, and calls on Congress and President Obama to pass a just, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2010. All around the city, New Yorkers have been taking part in actions to decry the Arizona law and call attention to the need for immigration reform now.
I want to report back on the fantastic results of the Brooklyn PTA 5K Run/Walk for Schools which took place in Prospect Park on Saturday. Over 500 parents, teachers and students from 17 different Brooklyn public schools joined us for the event and their efforts raised over $6500 which will be split up amongst the schools. 
