Philadelphia City Council Committee on Finance, 4 Aug 2020

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From YouTube: Joint Committees on Finance, Commerce and Economic Development 8-4-2020

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The Joint Committees on Finance & Commerce and Economic Development of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Tuesday, August 4, 2020, at 9:30 AM to hear testimony on the following items:

200336
Resolution authorizing the Committees on Finance and on Commerce & Economic Development to hold joint hearings regarding Philadelphia’s safe, equitable, and robust economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

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You and I'll let them.

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Council chair, we are now live good morning. I want to welcome everyone this morning for this joint committee.

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As chair of the commerce and economic development committee, I understand that state law currently requires that the filing announcement be made at the beginning of every remote public hearing as follows. Due to the current public health emergency city council engineers are currently meeting remotely we're using microsoft teams to make these remote hearings possible instruction for how the public may view and offer public testimony at public hearings of council committees are included in the public hearing, notices that are published in the daily news, enquirer and legal intelligence here prior to the hearing.

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It can also be found on phl counsel, dot com, and with that I note that the hour has come. uh Mr ainslie, will you please call the role to take attendance members that are in attendance? Will please indicate that you are present, while your name is called also, please say a few brief words when responding so that your image will be displayed on screen when you.

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I don't know whether I'm having audio issues or, if that's everyone, um but I'm going to continue council member dom.

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Good morning, everyone.

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Council member gautier.

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Member gilmore richardson.

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Morning, frank, thank you so much for this important hearing today.

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If you are not speaking, can you please put your audio on mute? Please, council, member kim.

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Good morning, colleagues good morning staff, I'm looking forward.

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Good morning, colleagues and good morning, everybody who's joining us for this hearing this morning,.

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Council member, oh.

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Sorry about that good morning, I.

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Councilmember parker.

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President frank, thank you for that note about the audio because we could hear somebody's television in the background. So, thank you, frank got.

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The member can you assumption good morning, good morning, councilmember thomas.

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Can you hear me well.

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K

Thank you, chair appreciation. Sorry, I missed the challenge sound check.

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And I just want to make sure at the top that I got the right. uh We saw council member brooks on the screen, but I could not hear her. Can she try again.

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Can you hear me now.

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Good morning to all of you, thank you.

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Good morning, frank, this is councilwoman bass, checking in as well.

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Thank you, council member.

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uh Thank you, mr inuzi. Aquaman of the committees is present and this hearing is now called to order. This is a public turn on the joint committees on finance and commerce. Economic development regarding bill number two: zero. Zero excuse. Me resolution number: two: zero: zero. Three, three six, uh mr! I knew that. Will you read the title of the resolution.

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Resolution number two: zero zero. Three three six resolution authorizing the committees.

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On finance and on commerce and economic development, joint hearings regarding philadelphia's, safe, equitable and robust economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

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Thank you, mr inuzi, before we begin to hear testimony from the witnesses we have here for today, everyone who has been invited to the meeting to testify should be aware that this public hearing is being recorded. The causing hearing is public participants and viewers have no reasonable expectation of privacy. By continuing to be in the meeting, you are consenting to being recorded additionally prior to recognizing um my co-chair for any comments or comments that you may have.

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I will know for a record at this time that we will use the chat feature available in microsoft teams to allow members to signify that they wish to be recognized in order to comply with the sunshine act. The chat feature must only be used for this purpose before I call all what we call the first panel I'd like to recognize uh the chair of the commerce economic development committee.

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Council member mark zwillin would like to make any opening comments. Thank you, mr chair. I also noticed that council member jones um was president. I don't know if he had did a mic check uh uh so that we're all there can you hear councilmember jones.

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Yes, I can, can you hear me good morning.

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All right, you sound good. Thank you so much. uh Thank you, mr chair yeah. Yes, as we participate in this hearing, uh how important it is to look at a smart, safe, restart of our economy, how we, as the city partner with our local businesses and residents, to understand not only the challenges uh of this pandemic and what it has done to our our communities and businesses, but how we as a city, can help these businesses and the residents uh come back to some type of a normality.

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uh We know that would be the same as it was uh previously, but I think it's important to work together to understand the challenges of each individual operation and business that's out there and how we can partner with them to make sure it's safely and smartly restarting of our economy is done in a way that gets people back to work but understands the safety, is uh utmost importance and that we take all uh into consideration uh as we move forward.

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So I think this hearing is very important and I think it's a I know it's a challenge, but I know as a city of first class philadelphia, we are prepared to move forward looking forward to working together with our business partners and our community members uh to getting back to business, and uh I think this is a challenge, but I think we're all for it and uh looking forward to a great hearing. Thank you.

A

Thank you, uh council members willa, also um this being the first hearing since the tragic news that we learned and I'm looking at councilmember jones. I know he's been deeply involved in this issue, like many others uh throughout the city and the loss of life from the same seven-year-old samara jones.

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I know he has been deeply active and engaged with the community as well as other members of council, and I thank my colleague councilmember jones and also councilmember johnson, for convening the special committee on gun violence next week on august 11th and 12th at 9 30 to really try to do some more and address this issue of gun violence, which is a crisis in our city, and you may say well how does that connect with today's conversation?

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You know, poverty is also a crisis in our city and when people don't have the opportunity to earn a living to do better for the family and others, the issues of gun, violence and crime and poverty are intertwined, and we have to do all that we can to address all of these issues and covet. 19 has also been a crisis.

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It's a pandemic, but it's also been an economic calamity in our city, and so, although it's a crisis, it's also an opportunity, and I look forward to hearing from our representatives from the executive branch, uh the greater philadelphia chamber of commerce who are going to be to have a task force on a recharge and recovery and all the other witnesses. Talking about what they're trying to do to address this crisis and I'm going to spotlight one individual uh who's going to testify. Today.

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um He is an entrepreneur who has really um for my observation flourished in this unfortunate situation. I'm thinking about uh david sims, who has relocated to the ninth council member district, the ninth district on wyseworth avenue. I give a little shout out to my colleague, councilmember parker, but I remember david uh when he first started his business.

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When my wife and I had our ladies shoe store uh in mount airy- and he was one of the first people that we worked with when we were having these shoe affairs in the store and seeing how he's been able to grow his business uh from ridge avenue to wadsworth avenue and in spite of kova 19, he's been able to re-engineer his business and continue to flourish in outstanding ways, and I think that's what gives me uh some hope about how we can come out of this crisis in a better way, in a way that we provide more economic opportunities, uh more opportunities for entrepreneurs to flourish like david sims and also create the better life for people in our city.

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So we can celebrate the success of the david sims and I have to mourn the death of zamar jones. uh So with that uh members of council, we will start the hearing. uh Mr inuzi, can you introduce the first panel.

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Sylvie gali howard, acting director of the department of commerce city of philadelphia, anne bilvard, nevins, president philadelphia, industrial development corporation.

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uh Miss gallier howard, if you could start your testimony.

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Sure I will, can you tell to him, I said, come down here. A second, please! Oh sorry,.

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uh If anyone that is here at microsoft teams, please put your microphone on mute uh until you're called to testify. Thank you.

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um Miss guy howard, you are on mute, so we don't hear again.

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My apologies all right good morning, chairperson squilla, chairperson, green and members of the committees on finance and commerce and economic development. My name is sylvie gallier howard and I am the acting director of commerce.

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Thank you for having me here today to provide testimony on resolution number 200336 regarding philadelphia's, safe, equitable and robust economic recovery from the coven 19 pandemic. The covet 19 pandemic is a public health crisis which has precipitated an economic crisis. That is, unlike anything, we've seen in our lifetimes.

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Experts say we are on track for the worst gdp year in history.

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One in five americans are collecting unemployment right now, and small business owners and workers in vulnerable industries have borne the brunt of this crisis and, as we all know, this crisis has also had a devastating impact on the city's ability to serve its residents, creating an unprecedented 749 million dollar hole in the city's fy21 operating budget.

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The response from the federal government to support small business owners and workers will be critical to every city's recovery, but here in philadelphia we must take additional measures to ensure that we emerge with an economy that is more resilient, more inclusive and more equitable than ever before it if we focus our collective energy and effort into capitalizing on our city's natural assets and strengths. This crisis presents us with an opportunity to reimagine philadelphia's economic future and ensure long-term prosperity for all the commerce department and our partner economic development agencies.

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Pidc and philadelphia works have been approaching our economic recovery work within a 4.4 phase framework as we work to inspire our communities and stakeholders to truly reimagine philadelphia's future economy. We call this framework. The four r's respond, restart recharge and reimagine. Examples of our response. Work include deploying 13.3 million to shore up local small neighborhood businesses and retain jobs through the covet 19 small business relief fund. They give you a sense of the types of businesses we were able to support.

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66 were minority owned and 83 had less than half a million dollars in annual revenue to restart our economy. The commerce department is working closely with public health leaders to get updated and accurate information and guidance out to businesses and to support them to reopen with care when it is safe to do so, and we are working with city council to distribute personal protective equipment, ppe starter kits to give small businesses some supplies that still need to reopen safely to recharge local businesses. With new opportunities.

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We are working with a larger group of stakeholders which includes community development, finance institutions, business chambers and associations and leaders throughout the community. Examples of our partnerships- around recovery planning and actions include the chambers, regional, recharge and recovery task force, the equitable entrepreneurship assessment and strategy led by the united way of southeastern southern new jersey and the workforce respond and recharge plan with philadelphia works.

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It is incumbent upon all of us to reimagine our economic future in bold new ways to ensure that philadelphia is positioned for long-term growth and that this growth is shared equitably by our residents. While we work at the local level to deliver important supports to small businesses, we're also working to connect these businesses to supports at the state and federal level.

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Recently, governor wolf announced a 225 million statewide grant program and we are working hand-in-hand with local cdfis to help businesses learn about this program and apply we're also working to get information on the streets about federal programs such as the payroll protection program, the main street lending program and the economic injury disaster loan. While support for small businesses is important, the other critical piece is support for our most vulnerable workers.

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Once again, we know we need wide scale actions from the federal level to ensure that people can meet their basic needs and support their families during this crisis. But we also must take action locally, ensure that we invest in our residents and rebuild our workforce to be stronger and more resilient than ever before.

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Since the onset of this crisis, more than 197 thousand philadelphians have filed initial unemployment claims. 69 of these claims were filed by people without a high school or equivalent diploma, and there have been a continuous. There has been a continuous 30 point, disparity between black and white claimants, in addition to launching the career connected learning initiative in partnership with the school district and local employers, as well as continuing to improve the fair chance hiring initiative for returning citizens.

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We're launching a one million dollar call for ideas to scale up successful programs and to identify new and innovative ways to connect opportunity seekers to meaningful work. Experiences like so many other places around the world. The kova 19 pandemic has had a devastating economic impact on philadelphia, we've seen some businesses close are once vibrant commercial corridors are struggling and we've seen too many families, especially black and brown families, lose their employment and livelihoods.

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Yet we all know that philadelphia and philadelphians are resilient by nature. Working together, philadelphia can emerge into a post-coven 19 world with a more inclusive, robust economy that will help ensure long-term prosperity. For all, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have for me. Thank you.

A

Thank you for your testimony. Let's have um um mr news. Wasn't there another speaker, along with miss gay howard for his first panel before we get into council members, questions.

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And nevins he's also supposed to be on this panel.

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Good morning, uh good morning, chairperson, green and chairperson squilla, as well as to all the members of city council in attendance today, my name is anne bovaird nevins, and I thank you very much for inviting me to testify on behalf of pidc.

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I know that we are limited in time this morning, so I'll provide a summarized version of my written testimony and also be happy to answer any questions.

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Over the past two months, millions of people have raised a massive collective response to the ongoing issues of unequal justice and racism in our society.

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Pidc stands in solidarity against racism, bigotry and violence in any form, and we are committed to doing all that is in our power to drive an equitable economic recovery in philadelphia for all people, businesses and communities.

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In this context, cidc's covid19 recovery strategies strive to put our community's health and safety at the forefront, ensure that we understand the needs and act quickly to address market gaps and prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion.

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As my colleague sylvie gallier, howard noted, in her testimony, we have been working in close partnership with the city of philadelphia, department of commerce and philadelphia works to focus on four phases of work to drive an equitable economic recovery in philadelphia.

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Those four phases are respond, restart recharge and reimagine, and my written testimony includes how we are defining those terms.

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uh Pidc's restart action plan is focused on how we are adapting our three existing core strategies to meet philadelphia's needs at this critical time. Those three core strategies are number one: support, growth and resilience of businesses.

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The idc finance is growing businesses of all sizes across all industry sectors and delivers business support services to increase the capacity and resilience of diverse entrepreneurs throughout philadelphia, as noted by mr sims of edible delights prior to the start of the testimony.

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These are the types of resources that can help generate wealth, build equity and ownership, create and sustain jobs and stabilize neighborhoods number two. We invest in high impact community. Revitalization pidc invests in real estate projects that create good jobs, provide essential goods and services and stimulate additional investment in our neighborhoods.

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These projects increase economic activity, improve the quality of life and strengthen communities throughout philadelphia and number three. We catalyze opportunities for inclusive growth, pidc repositions, underutilized land and buildings into productive uses and capitalizes on new market opportunities that will foster a growing diversified and inclusive economy in philadelphia.

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These investments attract and retain businesses and talent, create opportunities for innovation, leverage, public assets and encourage future investments in an effort to continue to increase transparency and accountability, particularly in light of the pandemic and the major economic disruption that we're.

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So we can hear ms evans testimony. Thank you, ms devin, sorry for the interruption. Please continue.

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Thank you, sir. um Our restart action plan is published online um at the address provided in my written testimony, and we also plan to report out on the specific action steps taken against this plan via our pidc monthly newsletter, social media channels and our blog three specific examples of the action items in our restart plan include number one: pidc's participation in the pennsylvania, cdfi network and the statewide grant program for small businesses and for which it will be announced today that the second and final round of applications will be opening up on august.

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10Th number two is the launch of our own three million dollar restart philadelphia loan fund, where we are specifically prioritizing businesses located in communities that have high poverty rates and have committed that at least 50 of the funds will go to historically disadvantaged businesses, meaning those businesses that are 51 or more owned by black hispanic, asian or asian american native american or pacific islander individuals and third, the announcement of the partnership last week between ensemble real estate investments and the minority business enterprise mosaic development partners to move forward with next phases of development at the navy yard.

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With a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion across all aspects, including the ownership, construction, professional services, operations, tenancy and workforce.

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To that end, we have already committed to launching a new workforce development initiative in partnership with the west philadelphia skills initiative that will expand employment at opportunities at the navy yard to un and underemployed residents of south philadelphia.

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This restart action plan is intended to be a flexible road map that can adapt in real time to changing needs or new understanding of the needs in our community. We welcome new ideas and opportunities for partnership with members of city council and I would be happy to take any questions. Thank you.

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Thank you for uh your testimony this morning, I see we have a couple members um that would like to ask questions uh and they'll go in this order of council member jones uh majority leader, parker uh councilmember maria sanchez and council member jamie gautier. I just have a quick question um before my colleagues ask their question.

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um Both of you are somewhat new in your position, although you're not new to your organizations and with all of the uh unrest that has occurred um due to the tragic killings of george floyd uh brianna, taylor and obama, all very which have only exposed the issues that have been historically in our nation and, I would say, in our city basis, based on systemic racism, what new ideas or policies are you envisioning as new members in these leadership roles, especially dealing with a pandemic that we've never seen before?

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uh I asked a question because, from my perspective, we have not provided the resources historically in commerce, especially in how we grow jobs in our city and considering that you are both um somewhat new in your position. You have new ideas, new thoughts, new perspectives, but you've also worked in both of those organizations.

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So you understand some of the challenges, um both commerce and pids. That pidc has so. I know you both use the response.

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uh I want to get some perspectives on things that are based on the thing that I just did.

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Sure, I guess um and I'll go first, if that's okay, um so I I mean yeah. This is definitely um a completely unprecedented moment in time and I think one of the things in sort of doing our own reckoning um in terms of what you know what commerce has been doing and what we can do better.

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um We have looked at the um the way we've normally done: business attraction and retention, which has often been more about competing with other cities and um providing you know some type of incentive, um and sometimes that's that has to be the case, um but instead of looking at in terms of sort of these transactional um ways um we're starting to look at it more as building a foundation that will create long-term prosperity and and attractiveness for companies.

M

So, for example, um we're looking at using some of the dollars that would have been for maybe a forgivable loan or an incentive to invest in. We have a gold making philadelphia, the most diverse tech city um and so we're looking at. How do we actually invest in that? And how do we build direct pipelines both through retaining black and brown students that come here to study in colleges and universities, building supporting our incumbent talent pipeline, our future town pipeline in the schools?

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Looking at how we support black and brown or underrepresented startups, with grants and through an accelerator, that's targeting those communities, um so we're looking at those types of things so that when a company comes- and they say why should I come to philadelphia? What can you do for me? We say we're investing in the community where your employees are going to live where your kids are, their kids are going to go to school and and we're investing in your future talent pipeline.

M

So that's that's one of the ways we're looking at things a little bit differently. um The other piece is with the workforce division um now consolidated under the commerce department. um You know jobs are directly linked to employers and commerce works with employers every single day.

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So we're making a lot more connectivity when, when one of our members of our team is working with a business and they say we're growing or we want to come and bring this many jobs, we immediately connect to the workforce division and look at how we can make sure that those jobs um are linked to opportunities through some of our partners that do workforce development and before that, wasn't that that linkage wasn't so direct I'll. Stop there and I'm sure ann has some great ideas to share as well.

N

Thanks sylvie and thanks councilman for the question, um it is definitely something that we have been um thinking a lot about at pidc, and um I think you said something councilman earlier um in terms of how do we. um I don't know if we want to say the word opportunity in terms of of things coming out of the you know the pandemic and the terrible situation that um so many philadelphians find themselves facing.

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But I do think that um if there is an opportunity, it's for us to relook at what we do and how we do it, and uh we had a session with all of our staff last month as part of a monthly town hall, that we do where we watched a documentary. um Film called a dream deferred that actually features a couple members of this council and talked about the impact of redlining and some of the historic decisions about how development happens in philadelphia.

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And what do we need to be doing and thinking about differently moving forward? One of my colleagues, I think, put it really well when she said um you know, I've been thinking a lot about the ways in which we've been able to um sort of toss out the rule book so to speak uh in light of the covet 19 pandemic.

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Why haven't we been able to do that in the same way in light of the pandemic of systemic racism, and I thought that that was a really good way to frame it, and I think that that's driving a lot of how we are looking at what we can and should be doing going forward.

N

So one of the specific things that we are doing, I think differently now is not just um sort of letting the chips fall where they may, with respect to our lending activities or our development activities and then trying to track and report out after the fact, I think that's important. You need to track the outcomes and you need to track uh and we're going to need to continue to track what we're actually doing when it comes to lending to minority-owned businesses um or investing in low-income communities.

N

However, um now I think we are being much more intentional about putting that at the front end. So, as I mentioned in my testimony with our restart philadelphia loan fund, we have said from the outset that not only are we prioritizing making loans to businesses that are located in high poverty communities, but that, within that we are specifically committing that at least 50 of the funds, and I think it will be significantly higher.

N

But we have said that it will be at least 50 of those funds in that loan program will go to historically disadvantaged businesses, um with the definition that I gave before and that at least to my knowledge of of you know, being at pidc is not something that we have ever explicitly done in the past.

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And one other thing for my colleagues at council: there's one other witness to have a scheduled test find this panel and for dueling, so we're gonna allow her to testify and then we'll get into the questions. Mr dylan, if you can provide your testimony.

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Sure uh excuse me good morning, everybody good morning, chairperson squirrela, chairperson, green and members of the committees on finance and commerce and economic development. My name is anne fedor and I am the director of planning and development for the city of philadelphia.

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I am pleased to be here today to present testimony on resolution number 20036 and on our efforts to promote a safe, equitable and robust economic recovery from the colbig-19 pandemic. As you know, the department of planning and development has a broad mandate to plan, prepare and develop successful neighborhoods for all philadelphians.

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We provide support to developers looking to navigate the development process. We review plans developed by businesses and residents. We help residents address their housing needs and we support neighborhood improvement initiatives. All those tasks have become more challenging because of kobit 19. beginning in march. Our boards and commissions could no longer meet in person.

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Staff could not meet with applicants to review plans. Contractors could not go into homes to make repairs. We can no longer meet with clients needing housing support. I am pleased to report that most planning and development functions are back up and running. Those are not those that are not yet operational will be so soon when the closures first began. Our development services unit was a critical link, as developers attempted to navigate the partially open government.

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It provided information to the development community on what was working and what wasn't and delivered feedback from that community to relevant city agency development services helped keep affordable, housing, commercial and market rate residential developments moving forward and even helped. The hospital of the university of pennsylvania get approval for its temporary covid beds. The boards and commissions that review projects are all meeting remotely.

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If you have a project that must go before the zoning board of adjustment, city planning, commission, civic design, review the historical commission or the art commission, your project will get a hearing. We are also meeting more frequently, so the applicants waiting for our decisions won't have to wait as long zba is holding eight to ten meetings a month instead of the usual four and cdr is holding two meetings a month. Instead of one we know, developers and their construction workers are anxious to get to work and we are working hard to help them.

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Community members are critical to these processes. We have set up an rco help desk where staff will answer both technical and process. Questions rcos may have about hosting virtual meetings. Staff at the art, historical and planning commissions are reviewing applicant plans remotely and we are developing protocols that will enable us to review paper plans safely.

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Staff is responding to applicant inquiry. If you email us a question or send us a plan, you will get an answer. The economic effects of colgan 19 have placed unprecedented pressure on homeowners and renters and we are supporting them. We have offered two phases of rental assistance that will benefit both tenants and landlords. To date, we have made more than 2.3 million dollars in rent payments. We expect to help more than 10 000 tenants remain in their homes.

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I want to thank the housing, counseling agencies, the next legal assistance organizations and our city partners at 3-1-1, who helped to ensure that residents could apply for assistance regardless of their access to technology.

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For homeowners to save your philly phone, save your home philly hotline continues to operate, connecting homeowners facing foreclosure to resources to prevent it. The restore repair. Renew program remained open so that homeowners could get low interest home improvement, loans and contractors to get home improvement work. We continue to process philly first home applications so that low and moderate income first time home buyers can purchase their first home when construction was shut down, phdc provided documentation so that work on more than 1200, affordable homes and nearly 30 projects could continue.

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Phdc has issued rfps to create new, affordable housing on vacant land in kensington and staff continues to move projects totaling more than 2100, affordable homes through the development pipeline. Phdc has reworked reworked its hotline and client intake system so that its home improvement programs can serve. Clients, contractors began making home repairs some time ago and we expect to resume taking bsrp an adaptive modifications applications next week. We continue to support neighborhood improvement when it met remotely.

O

Last month, the redevelopment authority board approved a construction contract to improve a playground and selected redevelopers for affordable housing and a community garden.

O

It has been a challenge to transition to completely know what new way of operating, but I am pleased that we are supporting programs and projects that improve neighborhoods, create jobs and serve and protect the most vulnerable of our residents. I want to publicly thank the staff at the department of planning and development and the philadelphia housing development corporation for their work to help philadelphians and its residents persevere through this pandemic.

O

I am happy to answer any questions you may have for me at this time. Thank you for allowing me to testify. Thank you, mr doolin.

A

For your testimony uh in this order, we'll have councilman jones majority, leader, parker and councilmember maria cuna sanchez.

J

You, mr chairman, and particularly thank you for your comments about the tragedy on north simpson street and the senseless loss of life. Other members have texted me in that regard, and those comments are are heartfelt by me and uh members of my community um and having the foresight to see how this hearing is connected to that tragedy.

J

um I guess I'm glad and also thankful to the chamber of commerce commerce department cidc uh for not being my grandfather's chamber of commerce picc.

J

uh These kinds of conversations we're having today um as much as I love uh retired, welcome lestio, who first hired me these aren't that wasn't the top of the agenda uh back then, and I I can see how we've been involved. So I'm thankful for that uh saturday.

J

uh You were out there putting together uh for over 100 commercial parts in the city of philadelphia. I am truly thankful for that. So, with my questions, um com come this.

J

First, there are over 100 commercial carters in the city, restaurants, barbershops beauty, salons uh have been the most hard hit sectors of small business, a. How are we doing on the media, township of media style, street closures, which will allow open air dining, not in weather like today, but in non-inclement weather, where we want those kinds of street closures uh going forward.

M

uh So councilman, thank you for the question um we have been working on that um for months and I think that uh it's been really a true partnership between streets and l. I health commerce and I think it's going pretty well honestly. um So you know we have the there's sort of three formats in terms of utilization of the sidewalks or the streets, and I know that there have been.

M

I don't have the numbers on off hand, but I can get them to you, but at least a couple hundred applications for new new permits for use of the streets and there's even been some safe closures of streets, um we're now looking at the fall and the possibility of heat lamps and that type of thing um so this this has just been honestly. I have colleagues and they invited me to this everyday 8 30 a.m.

M

Meeting, so I get all the chats and the teams, even though I'm not actually in those meetings- and I see they're working diligently on all the issues, they're tracking, any enforcement issues. But I say overall, it's going pretty smoothly.

J

So I'm appreciative of that, but the specifics of how one applies. What are the? What is the criteria I'd like you to provide to the chair who could then give to members so that, when we're asked by those respective uh wise worth avenues and past young avenues and others, how do I get in line uh for this? We can answer them clearly,.

M

J

M

Be happy to do that sure I don't believe: there's there's not a line but there's definitely an application process. So I will definitely get you that information I'd be happy to.

J

So um specifically, barbershop's beauty, salons and daycares have begun, organizing uh because of the impacts of the pandemic. How are you specifically working with those small businesses that occupy um our commercial carters and um disproportionately are in impacted neighborhoods in our uh black and brown business owners.

M

So, through a number of ways we have, um we have regular phone calls with the bids and the cdc's who you know that we support through the corridor managers um as well as other types of support. So you know through those partners we are. um We are reaching out to those businesses as well and and getting information about what the the needs there um and getting information about our programs out to those businesses.

M

We also um are working through our office of business services um that I have had people that have been in the office on the floor since the very beginning answering calls supporting those businesses we are. We have had conversations about um the businesses that couldn't open and tell the green and, of course, we're not in a full green mode, yet um being the hardest impacted, because even those the personal services that you speak of nail salons, barber shops and you know also restaurants.

M

They can't open fully, even when they're open, and so we know it's very hard for them to stay alive, so we're we are looking at potentially if the resources permit a grant program for those businesses. um But we we're looking at other things like how we support them with the ppe potentially with fit outs. That type of thing.

J

So the sooner we know those regulations, the better small businesses, can make the business decision to make capital improvements that comply with our regulations.

J

So if I know I need plexiglas and I need distancing, I can make those conscious decisions the earlier, the better, with with the clock not working in their favor, because the rent or the mortgage is still due. So that's incredible, uh that's important. Finally, um I saw a read article yesterday about even with the pandemic, there are certain streets and corridors in philadelphia that are hot, like fishermen, they are on fire in development, more permits.

J

I think the director of planning talked about opening back up and zoning opportunities, and that is good news in some respects, but it is bad news impact-wise for others. Is there a corresponding traffic study being done that not only deals with the actual box of center city but tributaries, like ridge avenue in my district main street, in my district um germantown avenue uh in both the 9th and 8th that are saying? How do we get more people quicker to places without having the traffic and parking impact.

J

The planning folk might be the appropriate responders.

O

No, I'm here give me a second to click.

O

My reflexes aren't what they used to be. um You know, so I think those are all the concerns that folks are are talking about, um and I don't think we have anybody from the office of transportation, infrastructure and sustainability on the call, but I think those are things that are being looked at. I do think one of the things that we are doing, particularly in the in the planning department and planning commission, is we're really um getting ready to take a look at how we approach our next comprehensive plan right.

O

We have the philly 2035 plan, but we're 10 years into that now and so we're starting to really think about what the next plan looks like both long term, but also some of the immediate things, and I think part of that is. Is you know what is the city look like coming out of this?

O

uh This has been uh obviously a tragedy of unprecedented proportions on so many fronts uh and I think there's some kind of standard planning principles that would, in the past have been applied to not a situation like this because we haven't been through it, but just sort of things that we would have done immediately.

O

Like oh well, you know this allows us to cut cut down um traffic or we could close streets because cars aren't running or add in bike lanes, um but I think you know we are realizing that some of that sort of traditional planning practice is not based in equity and so rather than sort of quickly saying. Let's just go to kind of planning one-on-one.

O

We are taking a little bit of time and thinking through that and trying to address exactly some of the things that you raise councilman jones, which is, when you're shutting down a street to allow businesses to reopen um that's advantageous to some but disadvantages to others right because others are dependent on buses.

O

They don't have another means to get to where they need to get to to go to work um or we've seen you know even before the pandemic, how difficult it was with someone who may have a little bit more difficulty getting around from a physical aspect than others. When um you know sidewalks are covered uh with tables, and things like that.

O

So I think how we look at that equitably, unfortunately, doesn't mean we have a quick answer, um but we want to make sure that we we have the best answer that that works as best as possible for all- and I think that's the conversation- that's happening right now.

J

So that's the micro. I want the macro which is I have in my district, and I want to applaud pidc's work on both the navy yard uh and commerce on the navy yard and um your refinery.

J

That process is big picture thing, uh and I want more of that, but we are are getting out and evaluating opportunities and uh selecting developers.

J

You only get to choose one like it was number two and it was number three that didn't get in my district, not in south philly uh vice chair squilla, but in the fourth district there is 31 acres on the paper.

J

It is also a waterfront property um that I want the number two person or applicant number three applicant to take a ride up there, because when we start talking about recovery, the micro is important and how to do street closures and restaurants and barbershop beauty salons. But when you start talking about thousands of job opportunities, the next mayor, whoever that should be, he or she has to have your imprint on that idea so that they can implement it now.

J

Thank you, mr chairman.

O

Councilman green you're, muted,.

E

E

E

K

K

uh Respond restart recharge and reimagine, but ensure that it is being done in a way um that includes everybody and listen councilman, uh chairman green, uh when I hear people use that term uh inclusiveness, inclusive growth, I don't want inclusive anything, that's not done equitable right. It includes for the people who get 90 and I don't get access to 10.. That's not inclusive enough for me um with.

K

That being said, um let me also just start by saying to sylvie um to uh ann uh and ann uh one, a special thanks to uh each of you for the work that you've done uh during this time.

K

uh Sylvie councilman uh green noted um that both you and ann are fairly new in your roles, uh but the manner and the swiftness with which your team was able to put together uh a response relative to the uh the 13.3 million uh that first went out to help our small businesses, um along with what we just did saturday uh councilman jones and councilmember gaultier. Now I had the opportunity to join with council president um in that distribution of ppe to ensure that those kits will get distributed to neighborhoods across the city right.

K

So so, no one feels that I am less or my region is less important than those uh those areas that you talked about: councilman jones, that navy yard that sunoco, but small businesses and neighborhoods are able to benefit um it's with. That being uh said, uh sylvie um that you in particular, uh because as we get through this health pandemic right via code it and we think about civil unrest and we think about black lives matter. I've been talking to a lot of people in my community who are saying sherelle.

K

It's been nice to hear partners put up their fists and march and talk about um you know making uh you know, adjustments and addressing police brutality um and restorative justice. Those things are critically important, but we want to see how much black lives matter when we talk about access to opportunities, economic opportunity so sylvie when you talk about um those fit outs that need to be done in neighborhoods, where these small businesses really don't have access to dollars.

K

They have to reconstruct their not just their storefronts, but even inside they have to develop lines outside now, just a new, innovative and um creative manner to try to provide their service, and so um tell me uh you know, if you will, are you thinking about now, you don't have to go into too many uh details.

K

How can uh we work with the commerce department, similar to the partnership that we did working with our tech staff kudos to council president clark, john christmas um for working uh with commerce under the guise of our new normal um budget uh request that council made in our action? But are we thinking about that? Because when people start thinking about black lives mattering, if they look and see work being done in their neighborhoods, but the people who are benefiting from the opportunity to do the work are not a part of that reconstruction.

K

This going to be a problem, because now I can't believe what you say about black lives matter, because I see what you do. What you're, thinking about that uh sylvie that you can talk to us about you know, does commerce have a focus on that right now as you're thinking about the supports that these small businesses need absolutely.

M

Yeah, so you know when we did the grant program, the restore and reopen um program for the businesses that were impacted. um You know we started. We really. We tried just like the other grand program. We tried to to get it up and and launched very very quickly, so we could get the dollars these businesses, because it's that that, in that period, overlapped with the reopening going into the green and so a lot of the businesses were, they were ready to reopen, and then you know, and then they were damaged and they couldn't.

M

And so what we did, as an initial starting point was provide a list of businesses from the oeo registry and um from phdc the businesses that work um and the business, the basic systems, repair programs, a lot of minority and small local businesses.

M

But we know that we have a great model in the taking care of business program where we're going to be putting out seven million dollars this year on commercial cleaning, commercial quarters- and I call it a win-win-win because it's cleaning the corridors and improving the environment for the quarters which helps businesses that are on those corridors is providing jobs to people in the community.

M

And it's also in some cases supporting local minority-owned businesses that provide those types of services. So we're looking at. How can we go beyond because you know the dollars that we put out just like the last time? It's a pebble in the ocean. um They were larger size grants than um where they were. They were about ten thousand dollars um grant so for some businesses that gets them some of the way there, but some of them had no insurance.

M

Some of them had tens of thousands of dollars of damage, and so they're going to need more help. So we're looking at um I'm not going to go into a tremendous amount of detail, but we're looking at how we can do something like the taking care of business program where we can get local folks opportunities to jobs and that construction as those as those rehabs happen.

K

Well, sylvie, listen, I want to say a special thank you. I look forward to working with you. I know. Council president clark uh has been laser focused on uh creating access to opportunity immediately right, uh so we're talking about projects, we usually say we want to support we're shovel ready. We want opportunities that give people access and remove barriers to entry uh immediately.

K

uh Finally, I want to say this: the intergovernmental uh cooperation and planning that council engaged in with our local state and federal partners together in the midst of this all, I think that too has been unprecedented, and uh so we can't not acknowledge the work that uh state senator our appropriations chair, vincent hughes, when we talk about that 225 million dollar statewide grant program- that's you know specifically geared to those barber shops and salons that councilman jones talked about that doesn't happen without an intentional uh on the ground advocacy from our senate and our house delegation.

K

In addition to that, let me say this, and I'm gonna close with this commerce and planning are essential to ensuring that neighborhoods across the city get access to the opportunity to thrive as we reimagine and restart councilman jones. How we're working on development and every neighborhood needs to see that it is valued enough.

K

So that means, as we wait anxiously for the response from the federal government and councils waiting anxiously right, because we closed that 740 million dollar hole, but at the same time we can't expect departments like commerce to do what we need to do when we haven't shored you up to have the appropriate staff. So I want to put that in councilman green. I want to say to you, because I know this is something that you've also been very uh interested in.

K

We need to pay attention to this, because we can't expect a department to do the work when we have not been able to. uh You know make some new hard ads to dollars to get the staff that we need to do the work on the ground so I'll be watching that uh very very carefully. Thank you all so much for for your time.

A

Thank you. um Our next um councilman speak is councilmember maria sanchez, followed by councilmember, jamie gautier and councilmember allen, downs.

L

Thank you. Let me just echo some of the sentiments of my colleagues around the type of work um and every commitment that we all have and being more focused and intentional about the uh uh building a more equitable uh philadelphia, and for that it's really important that we acknowledge some of the institutional challenges that have been there um and that we're going to call ourselves on it and really check ourselves on it.

L

That said, last week, I released a call to action for businesses where I outlined some very specific steps and to the three of you who are in a position to make decisions around investing um in businesses or in some of the work, that's being done, how many of those businesses would qualify or would be um successful in the pledge, and the call out that I did you know from board of directors to officers to how they purchase and their commitment to providing family sustaining jobs.

L

How are those values being reflected in your decision making, because you're saying 50 of the money will go to historically marginalized business, but how are we holding the mainstream businesses that benefit from all our tax incentives? All of our infrastructure to a standard, you know how many of the businesses that we work with could take that pledge and are you as an organization willing to take that pledge and said we're going to hold the majority businesses accountable to some values and to some of the focus that we're all pledging today?

L

N

Thank you councilmember for that question, um and uh I think we absolutely are you know I. I will read the details and make sure that I fully understand um the pledge, but um I think, based on the question, um I I believe the answer is certainly you know yes for our organization in terms of holding ourselves accountable and looking at our own um uh board and staff, as we focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.

N

Not just you know internally but externally as well, um and I think, with respect to the to the question about the funding um you know, I do anticipate uh that the vast majority of the loans that will be made through this restart philadelphia loan fund are going to um small businesses that um that may not have. uh You know that may not have boards of directors, but we're certainly very happy to um you know to look at that with them as well.

N

In terms of the we received about 300 inquiries for the restart philadelphia loan fund during the two-week period that we had, the inquiry phase open we're now working through a first pool of applications um for a round one, and that again is based on the stated priorities for businesses that are located in high poverty areas and then businesses that are historically disadvantaged.

N

So we've invited about 50 of the businesses that submitted an inquiry to move forward with a full application and of those businesses that we had invited to apply in round. One 55 of the businesses are black owned, 15 percent are hispanic-owned and 15 are asian or asian-american-owned, um and- uh and we will continue to um prioritize both the the business location in a high-poverty community, as well as um the focus on historically disadvantaged businesses with those funds.

M

And I would add to that council.

P

Councilwoman that.

M

D

Know when we're engaging.

M

We've done some of this in different different mechanisms. Certainly you know we were working on a quality jobs grant program before the pandemic hit, which was going to really focus on incentivizing companies to to provide quality type jobs.

M

We have also through um workforce.

M

We identified a number of employers that that basically were able to they took sort of a quiz of sorts and were able to attest to the fact that they meet a certain standard in terms of workforce opportunities and their practices when it comes to workforce. But I would say I I mean I certainly feel that you know there's.

M

um I think that when you talk about a pledge, that's the first step to action right and action actions be slighter than words, and so um in working and I'm sure you'll hear from the chamber and working with the um chamber on the recharge and recovery process. A pledge came up a lot in different conversations, um and I I sat on a lot of the different calls of the different committees and um I heard a lot of businesses speaking to a real commitment or a desire to make a better commitment.

M

um And I, and I would say that um we have to as government when we're working with companies when we're attracting companies and we're helping companies grow and especially our larger companies.

M

We have to elevate the issue and we will elevate the issue we do pledge to do that um when we see that there is a lack of diversity, either at the ceo level at the staff level at the board level, we will elevate that, and we have done that- um and we have said you know, tell us about your diversity and when we see it before we say you've got to do better than this.

M

We can't really invest in in you if you're, if you're, not um if this is this is this is what the faces look like. It's clear, you're, not trying hard enough so we've had those conversations. um I think that what we'll see, um because I think there will be pledges out there- is that some companies will be at the beginning of that life cycle and they will need to learn. How do I actually do supplier diversity?

M

How do I even measure my participation rate and there will be other companies that already have a person and they're sophisticated and they'll have a goal to double it or you know, increase it, and I think uh we'll be there to support and always- and I know that ayola we've had this conversation ayola from oeo is ready to be out there, not just in government in terms of participation but out in the private sector, supporting.

O

So let me just say from our standpoint really quickly is that we are really looking at how do we expand the capacity of our minority contractors that I already participate through our basic system repair program, also how we.

O

Sort of have them cooperatively work, together with some of our small minority developers that we're seeing come through through some of our land bank and redevelopment authority developments and we're having hosting round tables amongst the developers and the contractors. To have that conversation and to inform us about what products they would need from us in order to be able to grow their capacity.

O

And then we've also been talking closely with the bia who's actually going through the oeo list to ensure that the contractors that are on there are what they say. They are and then to promote those contractors amongst their developers as well. And then I would just say one of the things we're looking at across the board is: how do we ensure that any of our programs policies whatever it is that we're offering?

O

um You know we put out social impacts? I want to say about three or four years ago, as a piece of everything we're doing and we're looking at trying to shift that to um ensuring that whatever we are involved in is actually returning wealth to communities and we're we're talking through that trying to figure out what that means. We'll be doing outreach around that. But I think we want to shift it's not just. Are you doing social impact?

O

But how are you actually returning wealth back into the to the communities that you're doing that you're doing work in or proposing a project for.

L

Thank you and again, the the pledges to me is real, simple uh and to sylvia's point words uh make you feel good actions say a lot more about where your values are. When you see a pepsi nationally say I'm gonna put 500 million dollars and we're going to do a self-reflection or you see a netflix saying you know our numbers are shitty and we're gonna have to own it, but making pledges that we.

L

We should not be investing lending supporting mainstream businesses who don't make pledges to help us grow some of those businesses where they buy how they shop, whether it's locally. Even if we look at this restaurant industry, you know quaint restaurants. Downtown are maybe a thing of the past, but we should be aggressively pursuing those businesses to move to neighborhoods and other places, and that's not going to happen by itself, and I'm really concerned that you know once this wave is over.

L

People um do not commit, or are you know, will not do the things that we all know need to be done, and I expect government um we need to hold ourselves accountable, but we absolutely need to do it and, as we've reimagining reimagining redistributing recognizing the historical shifts um and disparities that that have have existed. So I look forward to to the conversation again.

L

um I think that people need to pledge people just need to say I don't want any business in my district to come to me and ask me for any incentive until they tell me where they fall in on in those categories, because I think that's where we have to go. Thank you very much. Thank you, mr chair. Thank you to everyone.

A

Okay, catherine mcgodier uh councilor, madame and councilmember.

G

Okay good morning, everyone, um my first question, is for commerce and pidc. um I've been touring the commercial corridors in my district, and I also just held a virtual town hall on small business recovery resources. Last week, um pidc and commerce were two of the local agencies who first came out with assistance programs when the pandemic started.

G

I'm interested in knowing what you've learned through these uh few months in terms of what our small businesses need most in terms of recovery and how will commerce and pidc work to meet those needs.

M

Dan, do you want to start since you've been doing the more recent program as well sure.

N

Absolutely um and thank you, council, member for the question. It is definitely one that we have been very focused on and taking what are the things that we learned from starting very early on with the initial small business relief fund and partnership with the commerce department. And how can we take what worked well and also what we learned that didn't work well or that didn't have the outcomes that we wanted to kind of shift that and change that for next phases of what we do.

N

So um I would say that some of the key learnings that we've now been able to help apply as part of the pennsylvania cdfi network that is working for the distribution of that 200 million dollars from the commonwealth of pennsylvania, as well as in our restart philadelphia. Loan fund was again kind of almost flipping um the um the process where I think in the um at the you know, um uh beginning of the small business relief fund we set out. You know quite a number of criteria that we wanted to focus on.

N

It was a lot of focus on the businesses in industries that were the hardest hit as well. As um you know, businesses, um maybe that employed- uh you know that had that employed a good number of people with the aim of trying to keep as many people connected to their jobs.

N

And so I think, some of the things that we have learned um you know and now applied coming out of that in the next phases, is to the need to be really intentional um and have a specific commitment about reaching black and brown owned businesses in particular. So I think again, you see it in both the state program, as well as in pidc's restart loan program, where there's a specific minimum commitment in terms of the dollars that are going to go to historically disadvantaged businesses, and then, I would say, also location wise.

N

That is also something that I think we have focused on, at least from the pidc side. Much more so in the outset of the restart philadelphia loan program and focusing specifically on businesses located in high poverty communities and that is sort of combined with less of an emphasis on jobs.

N

If we know already from looking at the data about philadelphia's business community that our black and brown-owned businesses are less likely either to be employer businesses or to have larger numbers of employees, if we're prioritizing um the businesses where the job creation or the job retention impact, is the highest that's going to automatically kind of skew in a different way than I think we would would be intending um in terms of focusing on black and brown businesses or, specifically, historically disadvantaged owned businesses.

N

So those are some of the lessons that we've learned and kind of how we try to apply those, and we will keep learning. We won't get it exactly right, this time either. But I think that we are committed to recognizing what are things that we've done, that have not worked like we've intended and fixing those um for as best as we can, for um you know, for next rounds of relief efforts.

M

Do you should, I add anything? I know you have more questions I'll, go.

D

M

Just just a couple additional things that I think we've learned um well certainly the first program that pic and commerce partnered on was very administratively burdensome. It was very challenging, so we've learned a lot and come a long way.

M

I think, even with our restore and reopen, we got to a much more streamlined place, but I think some of the things we definitely have seen is access to information um is, is just continuously a challenge and we we try to work with all of our partners, um cdfis um cdc's community organizations, to make sure that businesses are aware that the opportunity exists and then um and then also the process, we've gotten better at even simplifying the application more than than even the first time around um tax compliance um is continues to be a challenge, and I think also we learned that certain communities definitely have better access than others.

M

We, even though the first program with gdc we made the application available in spanish in chinese and in english we did not get very many applications in spanish and we had a really hard time reach getting um linux business applicants to apply. So that's something that we're looking at. More deeply to see what obstacles exist there and how do we really meet those needs, but I think what anne spoke to in terms of criteria focusing on on high poverty areas, low income census tracts? Is you know it really?

M

It gets you a lot of the way there.

N

And if I might add just one more thing, councilwork um one lesson that we're learning now from the first round of the um grant the statewide grant program is that one of the key barriers when sylvie talked about access is physical access to a computer and the interpersonal assistants of helping people be able to convert documents um to pdfs and upload them. So that is absolutely a barrier that we're trying to figure out now. How can we address that in the second round for the grant program?

N

That's going to open up on august 10th, and so, if there's any opportunity to partner with the council offices um on that, we would we would love to do so.

I

Sure absolutely.

L

G

Would love to partner on that um as a follow-up, I'm very concerned about speculators using this crisis to accumulate properties on commercial corridors that are home to large amounts of black and brown businesses?

G

What tools can the commerce and pidc deploy to make sure that our commercial corridors are owned by our local business owners and by community center organizations?.

N

We actually do have a commercial mortgage product that is attractive financing that can be senior financing and does not require specific numbers of job creation, for business owners to be able to purchase property, so that is specifically also targeted to minority women and immigrant business owners, and I think we might actually hear from one of our clients later on today, but we are very focused on on that.

N

As a you know, as a product, in addition to some of the more coded related working capital needs for businesses, we are open for business um on that front as well and want to work with folks both in terms of the capital that they need, but also, I think, the the technical assistance um to support people transitioning from becoming from being a renter into being an owner. There's a lot of other um uh things that need to be considered, and so I think that combination of the capital, but also the technical assistance, is really important.

G

Thank you. um Do you have anything to add from commerce's standpoint.

M

G

M

There's other panels, so just we all sourced in that space we have, we did provide. We had a product that we put out last year, that is for um basically for cdcs to acquire properties um in order to ensure that they can, then um you know, resell them to businesses um and also for businesses to acquire property so to really for wealth creation and communities and and to avoid just replacement.

M

G

um My last question is for anne frazier, um and you talked earlier about the 2.3 million dollars in rental. Assistance that has been paid out um I wanted to know is that 2.3 million related to the first round of rental assistance, and if so, how long will it take to get the remainder of the first round of rental assistance on the street.

O

Yeah, so that is actually combined with both the first round and the second round. uh I think we have greg heller on if he has something that he can add in advance. We are currently working through applications as quickly as possible. I just see greg came on so I'm gonna um turf it over to him because he's probably got more detailed information than I do.

B

Sure thanks dan, can you hear me.

O

B

Okay, great um so that 2.3 million is actually just phase one.

C

E

Two, um we just got our money from.

C

Phfa late last week, so we can finally start processing applications for phase two. We have 1668 that are ready to be processed uh representing just over six million dollars. But again we just.

E

Got our contract and our funding from phfa late last week so we're just starting the phase two processing now.

C

So that 2.3 million is all phase one.

G

And from a timing perspective, um how long will it take to get the remainder of those funds onto the street.

C

um For phase one, our goal is uh end of september um for phase two. The funding has to be all spent by the end of november. According to the uh the state statute,.

O

G

One more question: thank you, mr chair.

A

Okay, thank you next week, council member, dom councilmember bass, um councilmember and councilmember again.

F

Thank you, chairman, green and chairman, and thank you to uh everyone. Who's just testified to my colleagues. I agree with many of the sentiments and I just have a few quick questions. How many businesses currently have closed? Are we aware of and how many do you anticipate closing.

M

I don't, I don't think we know the number at this point. To be honest, um I just don't think anybody actually has that number. um What we've heard is that on commercial corridors it could be up to a third um that could close and I think nationally, I've heard 20 percent have closed and of african-american firms or companies 40 have closed, but I don't think we have the numbers for philadelphia at this point.

F

In that vein, do we have any idea what kind of job losses for the city we might anticipate.

M

uh Well so it looks like I think we've had, um I think in my testimony said: 170 000 unemployment claims 197 000 unemployment claims. um So you know, of course not all those will be permanent losses, but we um anticipate that a lot of jobs will not be coming back um or we'll be very slow to come back or we'll be become automated. So um you know your guess is as good as mine in terms of that, but it's going to be a high number.

F

And so I mean, I think from my experience, it's always been harder to start a new business than to keep an existing business alive that was successful before the pandemic.

F

So and then, in that light, is there an overall plan from the administration on how we can revive smartly, restart our economy and specific industries uh like hospitality and others, and also how do we grow our economy in this environment uh equitably across the board for the city? Is there a written plan, tactics and strategies that tell us how we can go about doing this.

M

um There is not one written plan um I mean, I think, that the we are all working on that together and we have a number of um sort of shorter documents, with initiatives that that we have either um started or that we plan to do.

M

um But we have not, you know, created a big document or anything of that sort, but plans are certainly underway and um some of the strategies that I mentioned in my testimony, like the equitable entrepreneurship plan that we're working on that will be ready by about the end of the year and we have a workforce, respond, recharge um planning process, that's happening and that too there'll be a shorter term uh response.

M

um Sort of it won't be a final draft, but there'll be a part of that plan and then there'll be a longer term strategy. So those are all things that are underway.

F

Because my experience is, we do a lot of projects, but we need to set down that vision and then work from the vision to get the strategies and tactics to complete different projects in every area. We should have a plan now. How is hospitality going to survive like what's going to happen september 1st? How does a restaurant survive? How does a hotel survive? What is the plan for us to get back to this economy back on track?

F

Because we need to do this because everything's connected and council, the chairman of green, said violence economy, it all connects- and this is like really crucial. I will end on a happy note, though I gave a call to I think I think, um or maybe silva you were involved with this oatly that's relocating into the kensington area. I gotta love that company a new company hiring a bunch of people coming into philadelphia at this time. Hiring. I don't know how many people they're gonna, have a huge expansion there and I asked them why'd.

F

You pick philadelphia and they said close to all the major cities: much less expensive, cheaper. uh You know rents and so forth, and so in that light like, how do we support them? We should be all over them saying how do we help you grow to every one of the businesses that are coming here and that are here? How do we put those supports in place, and I know uh majority leader parker had a very good point. You know: we've slashed your budgets.

F

We need to look at that because the budget of commerce and pids and other we need to support those more now than we did before they need. You guys need more help now because you're such an important part of getting over this pandemic and getting this economy back on track.

F

So whatever we can do to do that um I'll be a supporter.

M

Thank you. Thank you. I do want to say when you hear from the chamber that there was a you know, those eight subcommittees were working. That was a planning process around those different sectors that hopefully you'll get a chance to hear about.

F

Okay, well, thank you very much. Thank you, mr chairman. Okay, councilmember bass.

J

um Good afternoon, everyone.

L

So I have a um just a couple of statements and questions. um Some of my questions were answered earlier, um but just to follow up on council member dom's statement.

L

I just really can't emphasize enough that um that there is no overall plan for how we're going to attack um or or ensure that businesses are coming back to philadelphia and particularly for african-american businesses, which we know was something like two or three percent of uh the overall economy here in the city of philadelphia to not have a plan, you know, what's the old saying, is you know when you fail to plan you plan to fail, um and so, if we don't have a plan of action in terms of how this is going to happen, then it's going to be the same old same.

L

Oh and I'm you know very much concerned about that. I think all of my colleagues were very much the same. We don't want to go back to what we have. We don't want to go back to the same old same old, so um you know I just really want to encourage that. You know all these. um You know, folks whether it's ecommerce or pidc, or um you know after dueling's group like like that everyone is working together. I know so. Let's work together on a plan.

O

To uh move this city forward in a significant what a significant way.

L

Especially for people who have been traditionally underserved and not included in the allocation of resources, um so that's one thing I just wanted to say the other is that, as I um you know, canvas my commercial corridors.

L

I am greatly concerned about um the fact that you know we've had the riots we've had uh all of these things that have happened in the pandemic, uh which was brutal to the economy by itself. um You know, we've had a lot of destruction on our commercial corridors.

L

We have a lot of trash now on our commercial corridors, um because we know that uh you know the streets department has been hit hard by the pandemic and and their.

L

So I guess what I'm asking is: when can the people of philadelphia, particularly those who shop along our commercial corridors? When can we expect to see some of the work that has been done through planning through um commerce through pi dc? I know, we've talked about it and we had a great call with some of my merchants.

L

um You know from from my district and throughout the city of philadelphia, um and I thank uh anne and sylvie for being a part of that call. But um you know the fact remains that a lot of people still feel um you know uh uh upset. um When is it happening? When's it gonna come you know.

L

Even just yesterday, one of my constituent services folks was out canvassing and encountered a small business owner who um felt abandoned by the city, and so- and this is a district where we have you- know: retail managers, commercial managers that are funded through commerce, but they you know they haven't seen anything they haven't heard anything. So I just want to express um you know the sense of urgency. I think that that we all feel uh around this issue. Thank.

M

You thank you. Thank you councilman. If I can just clarify I would. I would say that that between pidc and philadelphia works and the work we've been doing in the chamber, that I think that we really do have a plan we're working within this framework, and I think that we each have our own six to twelve month plan what we don't have as a document.

M

We don't have a big published beautiful document honestly, because we've been focused on the work and I think that there will be some documents published out there, but right now we do have a plan. I will say that we do definitely have a plan.

L

I'm sorry enough to cut you off, but I think as an as an elected representative that having access to that plan is critical because people, I don't know how many people are asking you but they're asking me like crazy. You know I'm confidently uh hearing from my business owners that they want to know and because there's a plan, but I don't have access to the plan. It doesn't work.

M

Yeah- and I think you know- I think it's fair- that a lot of businesses despite you know everything that we've tried to do with the grants with the ppe kits. um You know our programs that we already had that are ongoing, um that the need out there is so tremendously vast, and our resources are so limited that um I'm not surprised a lot of people do feel abandoned, we're doing everything that we can. um But the need is just tremendous.

N

And council member, if I might also add um one of the uh you mentioned um in terms of that disconnect of um reaching people, one of the things that came up on the discussion um with that call that you had organized was the idea of trying to reach people through text messaging instead of relying solely on emails um or social media, and so we do have a follow-up meeting this week with the us digital response team to talk about moving forward with a text message based platform that could perhaps try to help bridge some of that communications gap.

N

So thank you again for for that outcome. From that call.

L

Okay, well, thank you very much for staying on top of that um stay. On top of these issues, and I know that you, you know, listen, I know you're working, we're all working we're working very, very hard, but uh you know what it is. People want to see the results. People want to see um some action, and so uh you know uh folks are um you know I have been patient, I believe, but the sooner we can show them uh what we've been up to. I think the.

A

Better, thank you. Thank you. um Councilmember bass, um councilmember mr willow.

E

Thank you, mr chairman, and um I know that we're short on time here, so I'm gonna be real direct.

E

um We we heard everybody talk what the concerns are, but I think what we're missing here here is that part of our conversation includes the health department- and I know they're not here today, but a lot of the ideas and how we open up and the way we open up goes through the health department to review the openings, and I think one of the concerns from the the business owners and even some of the residents is, it seems like we're going in one direction that we stopped we're going another direction that we stopped.

E

So we need to have to be, I think, clearer, on where we're going and how we're getting there and the safe way to do that. um These these starts and fits, and whether it's indoor, dining or catering and other businesses that are still haven't been able to generate a way to open up safely, I think, is, is driving the idea of the anxiety that's going on and what we're missing here is part of not doing things and hurts with mental health. It hurts with your physical health.

E

It hurts with anxiety levels and all these things add to what we talked about crime and other things that are associated with this. So we hear all that, but we need to have the health department involved in these conversations with commerce and pidc to make sure we understand not only the health ramifications but a way to find it to do it safely.

E

Now that we're sort of flattening the curve and keeping that curve flattened, do it safely.

E

So if it does spike up and go, we know that we continue doing it safely and be able to adjust accordingly and that's what I don't see, and so I think we need to include health more in these conversations to be able to say all right understand your concerns, but how do we do it safely and how do we continue to operate our economy and move it forward in a safe, smart way, and if we could continue that with commerce and with cidc and with our chamber and everybody else, and each individual businesses who actually know their businesses more than we do, I think then, we'll be able to move forward and people start to be feeling a little more comfortable.

E

Okay, thank you. Councilmembers.

A

A

Was there a follow-up where that was just a general statement? No.

E

It was just a comment I I think we need to have them involved in this and that's all to move forward.

A

Thank you so much uh council member gaming council member brooks and then we're going to start our next panel because we're running.

I

Very short on time, thank you very much, uh mr chairman, um so I think you know many of my colleagues have spoken about the urgency of really focusing on small and local business um and the importance of really establishing a strategy around that. um But both commerce and podc have also been involved with large-scale efforts to attract large businesses.

I

The city of philadelphia is struggling around tax revenue. I don't think there's any question that this is a very serious issue and, in particular, the shifting of revenue from employees who formerly worked in the city of philadelphia out to our surrounding counties has had a dramatic impact on our income on this.

I

The two questions I have are: how is pidc evaluating tax breaks and the types of tax breaks that they are offering or potentially offering, given the fact that tax revenue is so precious to us, and how can we ensure that these tax breaks to large-scale developments, um not necessarily small businesses, are well spent? Don't waste taxpayer money, especially when it's needed the most.

N

Sure um so we uh from a from the pidc perspective, don't have any direct engagement in any um tax uh um uh products that provide tax breaks at a local level.

N

um The primary product that we offer that relates to a tax credit is through the federal new markets tax credit program and that program does specifically focus on projects that are located in low-income communities, so that is a primary criteria of eligibility for the um program and then, in addition to that, it has to not only be located in a low-income community but provide direct benefit across a range of things in terms of quality, jobs or and or goods and services.

N

For the residents of that community examples might be a federally qualified health center might be a grocery anchor neighborhood shopping center. You know those are the types of projects that we focus on with that resource. Unfortunately, pidc was not selected for this um year uh to be an allocatee. There were actually no organizations that just served philadelphia or pennsylvania that were um that were selected for that.

N

So we are focused on working with the national allocatees of those credits to try to bring that investment to philadelphia from the national organizations that have access to that resource this year.

I

And that doesn't include hotels or things like that. Those are not included in the new market tax credit.

N

I would say typically not um at least certainly not in recent years. um I am not aware uh in the last maybe five years or so, of hotel projects, either here or generally in the country being a recipient of new markets, tax credits, I think, there's always a question in terms of you know the hospitality industry, because it does create a lot of jobs that could be seen to have a have the type of benefit that the program is intended to support.

N

um But I think that there's been you know some controversy around that nationally going back, you know a number of years, and so I don't think you see it recently, either here or elsewhere.

I

And maybe I could be more specific by saying that sometimes pidc does help um industries file for, like our cap grants at the state level.

N

Yes, so, oh so we have a um so our role in the um in the redevelopment assistance capital program is primarily focused on um supporting the projects that, after they're awarded by the commonwealth, the um funding um uh comes essentially kind of comes through us, where we play a supporting role, almost like an intermediary between the commonwealth and the grant recipient for those grant recipients that are located in philadelphia.

N

There is a round that is open now, so we are trying to you, know, publish and promote that um through our networks and in partnership with the city and planning and development as well um to you know, try to make folks available. I'm sorry make folks aware of that opportunity. At the state level that is um available and.

I

Could you just talk a little bit more about how you are thinking about tax breaks for larger scale developments, um given both city's need for tax revenue.

N

So um I'm not sure that I would be the you know the best to speak with that. If it's related to something like the 10-year abatement um or koz, I feel like sylvie or um or ann might be better positioned to answer. I think, certainly you know from the pidc perspective.

N

You know if there's any, um you know, if there's any sort of specialized financing that we would be looking at putting into a project, we would absolutely be looking at you know, criteria in terms of you know what are the jobs it's creating? What are the um you know impacts that a project is going to be having on its surrounding community positive or or negative, and we would absolutely you know, be considering those factors in terms of any lending or or resources that we might be putting in.

I

Yeah, I know that there's been some questions about some of the um projects that have been under consideration in the past. I just would like to urge pidc to stay in close touch with council, because I do think it's important for us to really be focusing as many efforts and any dollars that pidc can draw down whether it's through federal money through hud, that it goes towards actual smaller businesses in neighborhoods and communities, and we try to avoid situations like the w hotel, for example, downtown um being part of hud money, and you.

D

I

As we go forward, I think we want to have a closer, more understanding, relationship about how pidc can best utilize city revenues and um potential future cities, um as well as uh us to grant money that uh your control, uh but we don't have a lot of like say um as much over. um Thank you so much for your work.

I

I also want to acknowledge the work that you did particularly around getting information out to our small businesses and to really being a good steward of making sure that there is a large diversity of businesses that were represented across the spectrum. So thanks for all of that work, you and I spoke briefly about some thoughts about the keystone opportunity zone. How uh commerce may be looking at it. I think that there's been some recent stories in the news that we emphasize that the keystone opportunity zone really does need a refresh.

I

um It's not something that we can do. Obviously, it's a state grant and a safe program. You and I have worked together to try and just basically ascertain whether we can gather up from self-reporting jobs that were created as a result, and we struggled um to get uh strong information. Even from there, but um I thought it might be helpful just to talk a little bit on the record about some of the conversation that we had uh about the keystone opportunity zone and how commerce might be thinking about it um in the future.

M

Sure, yes, I mean, I think, that we we know that there are some some flaws to the program um when it comes to um there's just certain areas where we would like to see some changes. That would require legislative changes at the state level. In terms of um so you know, we all heard about the situation with koz hopping as it's.

M

You know that um I think we'd like to look more closely at what's allowable there, as well as um not having to reach out to.

I

The state to create a new program ksc's are have been around for over two decades. I think we've been stuck within some of its limitations, including the fact that a contracted out cleaner would may have to pay wage taxes, but a high-level partner who might be at a law firm. um There uh would not, for example, have to pay which taxes, so um it's all it's a complicated area, um and I think it's important for us to think about it, but I think I want to re-emphasize that.

I

The reason why I'm bringing these things up is that we have to recognize that some of the larger scale development incentives have flaws. um We want to be thoughtful about our attention to them and my real interest is to redirect cidc and um and we already work with commerce, but on small business development and a real small business effort and strategy um in a way that I think, is desperately needed right now. So thank you.

A

Thank you for the game.

A

We need you to speak a lot louder, because people are saying they cannot.

L

Hear you, okay um kind of leaning to my uh colleagues, uh comment markzware in terms of the connection between mental health, I mean I'm sorry public health department and economy. I'm really concerned uh whether any connection or collaboration is happening around housing.

L

The reason I bring up housing is because, if we're going to see economic growth and we're talking about sustaining small businesses bringing businesses into the city, we need to make sure that housing is affordable for not just high-level workers but low-wage workers that run the hotels and run the restaurants and all of these things, and in order for us to do so in order for them to be able to come back after this, we need to make sure that we're we have affordable housing available for workers in the city, and I was wondering is that part of the conversation or are housing people involved in this in any kind of way, because we realize historically after economic crashes, this country has had housing had to be a part of the conversation, and I think we need that currently here in philadelphia in order to move forward.

L

Is that happening.

O

um Yes, so there there are conversations- and I would say honestly, there are ongoing conversations that we were having these conversations before all of this anyway, um because I think you know it's been brought out that there's a very close nexus between health and housing. um Unfortunately, that was one of the things during the pandemics that that got a little bit um felt a little bit to the side. To be honest with you, we were just about to gear up a full push on our health and housing work when the pandemic hit.

O

We are trying to gear that up again, even though we know that the health industry may be focused elsewhere, we agree with you. Councilwoman brooks that the pandemic has just underscored what we already knew about the nexus between health and housing.

O

I think that's one of the reasons why you know you saw us jump on the rental assistance piece as quickly as we did. We wish we had a more robust program. We wish we could assist all the house. uh You know all the households that need that assistance, um because particularly what we saw you know in the last recession- and this is much worse- is that, if we're not providing that assistance both to keep tenants in their homes but also to support our small landlords, is those units can get lost to foreclosure?

O

And what happened in the last recession was that then, when those go into foreclosure, banks do not want to be in the property, owning property management business and they tend to sell them off in large chunks to major investors, who are not that interested in making sure that they're taking care of local residents as much as they are and maximizing their profits. So that's a real risk, which is why we really jumped on rental assistance and then also uh you know.

O

We are making sure that that, when the forbearance on mortgages period expires that we are ready to go and we've been continuing our mortgage diversion program, but we're also ready to go to provide some additional capacity there. I think the challenge continues to be producing of housing that is truly affordable for a couple reasons: one. It just costs too much, and so I think that's something that we're trying to look at different models.

O

I will tell you that we're frustrated by all the requirements that are put on us by the federal government for not just the dollars that come to us home dollars and community development block grant dollars, but also that come to our um sister agency's endless work, the housing authority um and the office of supportive housing. We continue to look at innovative models and then, when we go to figure out how we can fund them, we kind of get crushed because there's some obscure rule that doesn't allow us to use uh dollars that way.

O

um But that being said, we are still trying to come at it from any way. We can- um and I think you know really. This is also um very much an income issue that we need to address. um So, for example, you know we know that uh the median income in our um smsa is 53 000, but in the city it's 43 000.. So when we produce at housing at 80 percent of median in our city, that is, you know really at over a hundred percent.

O

That's affordable to somebody over a hundred percent of our local median income, and um you know if there's a, for example, there's a a studio unit. That's rented at eighty percent of median. That is a rent. That's a little over a thousand dollars a month in order to afford that and not be housing cost burden, which means not paying more than 30 of your income and rent. You need to be making 19 and 52 cents an hour.

O

That's almost 2.7 times our minimum wage, and so we really need to come at this from both sides is we need to produce more affordable housing and make sure it's safe and quality, but we also need to work to get people's incomes up and frankly, that minimum wage is insulting and nobody can exist on that minimum wage, and we really have to come at it from from that side as well. But we are definitely going to be coming at it from.

L

O

And housing piece.

L

Thank you so much, I'm really concerned. I think that, with the expectation of thousands of evictions coming at the same time we're talking about building a workforce if you're, homeless and mentally burdened because of being homeless, it's really hard to take advantage of job opportunities that are popping up. So it's very important that we are focusing on. You know long-term effects of housing in the city. Thank you. Thank.

A

You thank you, mr. I.

E

E

Can't hear you frank, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Mr spirit, did you ask me to call the second panel? Yes, yes,.

C

Susan jacobson rob wunderling.

E

A teeth: bostick, ashley, putnam and david.

E

A

All for your patience, this is a very important topic with a lot of different facets to this issue. So thank you for your.

Q

Patience uh first, I want to thank both chairs, derek green and councilman squirrel and the other members of city council to join today we're having a bit of a technical difficulty. Our chair-elect sue jacobson was to lead off this testimony. I'm sure many of you have been receiving alerts on your phones throughout this morning around a tornado and sheltering in place orders about three minutes ago. We received a text from sue that she has lost power at her location.

Q

So I'm going to kick off our testimony, not sure if she'll be able to join us, not terribly.

A

um Rob she's coming back in.

Q

Very good, thank you, uh chairman green.

A

P

Hello, all I'm actually on.

A

I see yes stars for the power.

P

Along with the lights out, but we continue.

A

P

um So good morning, uh council, chairman greene council, chairman squilla members of the joint committees of finance and economic development and other council members, I'm sue jacobson, president of jacobson strategic communications.

P

Thank you for hosting what we believe is a really important hearing today and for working with us in partnership as we look to take actionable steps to recharge philadelphia's economy.

P

Today's hearing allows us to really take the opportunity to provide an update on the philadelphia region, recharge and recovery task force work that uh sylvie talked about earlier. So what we did in this effort is we.

P

We undertook a rigorous process with over 145 community and civic leaders to develop recommendations to restart our economy and grow in an equitable and inclusive way, and really this is unprecedented in anywhere to have this kind of involvement from this many leaders. This is a true differentiator for our city, um and our goal for this hearing is to review that work that was completed but most important.

P

um How do we take action immediately and, and you know, I've been listening to council members speak, and this obviously, is we get it we're with you we this is. This is important crucially important to us too. So what I'd like to do is highlight our guiding principles, because I think they're very important, um and these principles have informed that recommendation, and um I I just just again want to spend a minute to read this.

P

The first of our values is to address the need for greater social justice and using the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. As council woman parker said, equity and inclusion to ensure that recommendations benefit all citizens, particularly focusing on people of color and our low income communities that have been marginalized and eradicate systematic racism that exists within our businesses and institutions and consistent with the chamber of commerce's equity pledge.

P

Our second value is to help the economy recover amid the coven 19 pandemic, and the third is really to work with you and again. Thank you um councilman for for putting this together, because we have to have a true public-private partnership to get done. What we're all talking about. We all have those same. You know, goals and and sense of urgency, and then I just again want to spend a moment on our guiding principles.

P

Again. Partnering with you right, county governments, the state, but particularly with all of you in the private sector, to fund and build capacity to ensure success and also um to defend our regional market share and attain greater market share, and I like to call this- you know. Yes, we've got to play defense, but let's play offense and let's get greater market share.

P

um Let's bring it here to philadelphia, let's, let's really move forward on that and then let's look for connections across sectors to accelerate recovery so um and I'm going to talk about those sectors in a moment and growth. What differentiates us in philadelphia and what makes us great among all of those sectors and how do we use those differentiators to really push us forward and then, finally, this particular group? Our idea was: let's do this quickly, like let's find short and medium term actions that will have clear measurements of success like what?

P

What can we do right now? Let's you know. Yes, there are many things that we're all working on that you're all working on that long-term implications. But what can we do to really drive change and again play offense right now um on the next slide, um you'll see um that the work that's been completed.

P

um We included extensive work within the subcommittees in outreach. As I mentioned earlier, 145 leaders were officially engaged in this. Actually 38.6 percent were women. 43.3 percent of the leaders were people of color. We it was. It was just a very exciting um group of people coming together. I have to say you know, you know how a lot of leaders send surrogates. There were no surrogates on any of these calls.

P

People were truly engaged and, and the sectors were and where we think the differentiators are, and I'm just going to read them because they're important life sciences, so there was a committee there and you'll see the chairs financial services, higher education, tech, media and telecom, small and medium-sized businesses, tourism, hospitality, arts and culture, healthcare and talent and workforce.

P

So those those were the committees, those are the chairs and then with each of those chairs, as I mentioned with the other leaders in those spaces who came up with these short-term solutions that we can implement right away, the next slide, and just just for a second here just to to give you a sense of the extensive nature of this eight subcommittee meetings they were held. This was all done. Obviously, in a short time frame, um you know that you could just see the slide it. There was a huge impressive.

P

um All around everybody wants to be a part of this. Everybody wants to partner with the city with you, members on this phone. This is something we all want to do together and um what I'm going to do now is transition over to rob wunderling, as you know, he's the ceo and president of the chamber of commerce and he's going to talk about. I mentioned that we really wanted to start with six key initiatives to prioritize right away. What's that low-hanging fruit?

P

What can we do right now to jumpstart things, because I want to say one other thing. The last time we had an economic problem. Basically, we didn't move fast enough and we were left behind and this time we can't do that. We've got to move forward. We've got to find those opportunities, we've got to find those differentiators and we've got to move forward. So thank you, mr chairman, and I'm now going to turn it over to rob.

Q

So, thank you again, uh chairman green and chairman square and other members of council. I do want to just amplify a couple of the points and the values before I move on to the next slide, and that is uh we fully uh subscribe to the fact that this recovery and as we recharge the recovery, has to be all-inclusive and through the lens of social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion. That's why it's the number one value.

Q

It also needs to be a true public partnership, and that's why we were heartened at the very outset of this work a couple of weeks ago to have the support of governor wolf, the county commissioners in bucks, chester, montgomery and delaware counties, because the city is the center of gravity for our economy, but it's also a regional economy.

Q

The mayor of philadelphia, jim kenney council, president clark, in particular. The council president, want to thank him for his leadership.

Q

He offered many of you and many of you participated or your staff participated in an interim draft read out of this work uh several weeks ago, a status and an update, uh and, of course the work will continue, which I'll touch on the advocacy agenda at the conclusion of my brief remarks, next slide, please.

Q

So I am not going to spend time on the process of recommendations that came from those eight subcommittees, but only to suggest before I talk about aspirations is our work was informed with a partnership we have with mckinsey and company and they took those eight sub committees that really are the eight economic verticals that drive the economy of the city and the region and they built for us to forecast and they built for us to forecast through the lens of the pandemic.

Q

The uncertainty of the insidious virus, job losses that had already been raised in question was this morning and those vulnerable occupations to surveys comment to a question earlier this morning, and so that forecast used to inform the work and how we could recharge and recover as quickly as possible. Those eight subcommittees, 140 plus individuals, were awesome.

Q

They came out initially with 60 recommendations from our vantage point that have taken 60 years to implement.

Q

We willed it down to 40 still way too much for a short amount of time and we're now operationalizing around 22 short and medium term recommendations, and six in particular that have urgency that I think, has been the spirit and phone of the questions being in the comments being offered by our members of council. This morning we define short term as between now and the second quarter of next calendar year, 2021 and medium term through the year 2023. So even the definitions of short and medium, I think, are through the lens of urgency.

Q

Those recommendations, though, across the subcommittees and clearly drove aspirational themes, rallying cries. If you will that we know and very optimistically that we can become by working together, we can become a top global cell and gene therapy hub to create inclusive jobs for all of philadelphians and its residents. Well into the next century, we can become a new national model to learn, apprentice and work in the jobs of the future.

Q

We absolutely will be known as a place for investing in and growing small black and brown owned businesses. We will be a digital with increased digital literacy technology and use, and this is a paramount um requirement. The healthiest most livable community in northeastern united states next slide. Please.

Q

So, as I mentioned, uh we took from 60 to 40 to the 22 operating recommendations that we won't go through to today, but those 22 short and midterm recommendations, roll into those eight verticals they're about playing offense and defense, whether it's for a hospitality sector, a life science sector or a higher ed sector. Those 22 recommendations are embodied and we welcome the opportunities. We continue to move this process to share those with this committee and council as a whole at the appropriate uh and future date.

Q

So we've got to get to work and we've already been begun work quite candidly very quickly, and so these six represent table stakes. These six very short-term, actionable items that require a public-private partnership must be acted upon now. If we have any hope of recharging our lost economy over the last several months, it doesn't.

E

Q

Whether you're a small business in a commercial corridor or a major hotel or a large, not-for-profit prior institution, these are the six that require all of us to work on together. The first three in particular- and I think uh councilman squilla touched on this with his question- that we need to deploy and educate our. We need to deploy the infrastructure and educate our citizens and players and employees and the way to ongoing test and contact trace uh the virus. It's insidious, it's asymptomatic, it still exists and will be for some point in time.

Q

Our view is this is critical infrastructure. No different than transit employees rely on a safe, healthy uh ride from septa.

Q

We think building out in the city, working in cooperation with dr foley and the county health departments through the county commissioners, the infrastructure necessary to conduct real-time tests and results, have the capacity and to do contact tracing and to provide the communication tools all around. That is absolutely number one priority.

Q

If not, then we will have herky jerky recovery, we'll continue to move from green to yellow and god forbid, back to red phases, which is no way to run a city or an economy and will not provide the confidence that our citizens need to get back to some type of normal life and what the private sector needs to be able to provide those economic opportunities and jobs for all the philadelphia citizens in related to that is a healthy and safety pledge.

Q

Our uh brothers and sisters in the hospital industry are out first on this and we're looking at that, as well as other pledges in the manufacturing sector that everybody agrees to for their place of business city. Council chambers does not matter as to agreeing to what we will do to create self safe and healthy places. For all.

Q

So again, that's critical table stakes infrastructure, but to the question, I think it was councilman dom that as soviet our commerce interim commerce director, uh we have a high number of unemployed and a high number of individuals that are in vulnerable application occupations as we speak on a regional basis.

Q

That number is about 735 000 individuals that have been recently laid off due to the pandemic and related economic shocks or according to mckinsey, and companies are in uh extremely vulnerable population occupations that could be uh eliminated due to the advancement of technology or recurring outbreaks of the virus. That cannot be contained, and so we're going to get to work immediately. To begin to reskill those individuals to move towards a process of skills based hiring. The good news here is that there are already opportunities.

Q

It's projected right now that we have north of 140 000 vacant positions in the city and the region alone. That number will continue to go to over 200 000, high dem occupations well above living wage occupations that will be provided.

Q

So we are going to need to work together to get everybody organized, get the training they need and get redeployed. The private sector is committed to doing this. There are a host of intermediaries from fully works to grassroots organizations, for them to do this, it's how we scale and scale quickly and then.

Q

Finally, this is one that we're very excited about, because all it takes is commitment by an individual business, whether a small commercial corridor uh shop, uh local in a neighborhood in our city or a very large anchor employer, and that is to double down to increase by a minimum.

Q

uh The doubling of uh local procurement, particularly for black and brown uh enterprises, a shared commitment, an individual commitment to cure uh locally, and to do so for black and brown and idx enterprises can be accomplished in a short amount of time. We already know that a number of major employers and small enterprises are working to determine the best way for them to honor.

Q

That commitment, we'll have be more to announce that, uh as we turn the corner on labor day and as sylvia gallery, however, suggested that each enterprise is at a different place in learning how to do this, and once again we are blessed with a host of intermediaries that can assist uh and provide those points of connection for uh brandon brown. The black and brown enterprises next slide.

Q

Please uh I'm gonna skip this next slide, that's just a summary of where we are in process, so I think it was uh councilman sanchez that mentioned metrics and a couple other council members did. We have metrics under design that will measure our progress on a quarterly basis.

Q

They involve everything from measuring household income and growth thereof over the next couple years to the redeployment of individuals that have been displaced to greater investment in our life science community we're building that dashboard. As I mentioned as we speak, however, I think this graph tells it all it's absolutely stunning to all of us that we lost over eight percent of our gross domestic product in one full swoop, with the outbreak of covet 19..

Q

And if you look at the bottom line, if we do nothing, we will have a very slow recovery and by the way it probably won't be that inclusive to the theme and our values, and in fact that line is optimistic, the blue line and that it might actually recover due to macroeconomic conditions, but does not factor in continued social unrest. A another virulent strain of covet, dare I say, 20 versus 19, and all the uncertainties that come with the global pin damage.

Q

However, if we execute against the 22 recommendations and the six short-term action items, I've outlined this morning that we can accelerate growth in the economy, we can provide jobs, include some jobs and we can recharge and recovery. No, this is not a plan. This is an initiative.

Q

A lot of planning is still into organizing this initiative, but it's just the beginning. There's a lot of hard work required uh going forward, and I know I speak for many in our organization uh that we look forward in this strong and continued partnership with all of you, our members of city council, so with that at the chairman uh green, let me turn the discussion now to etiquette bostic. That thief was very active in our group and he'll be carrying our presentation forward. Thank you.

E

Great thank you. Thank you rob uh good afternoon, councilman greene, councilman, squilla and members of the joint committees of finance and commerce uh and economic development. uh For those that uh you know don't know me, I'm matif bostic, I'm the ceo of leadership and business and all uh business consultancy, any executive director of uplift solutions and non-profit focusing on workforce development.

E

uh Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to uh testify on resolution. Twenty two: two: zero zero: three, three, six um understanding the uh the time that we have I'll keep my comments fairly brief. Over the last few months, I've been working very closely with the recharge and recovery task force to identify recommendations to aid in our economic recovery in order for philadelphia's economy to fully recover from the devastating impacts of kova 19. Both the public and private sector must work together to build an economy that fosters inclusive and equitable growth.

E

The goal throughout this process was to create actionable and practical recommendations that can happen in the short and medium term to accelerate inclusive and equitable growth, growth intention and design to lift residents out of poverty.

E

As you know, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of the us employer firms, 64 of net new private sector jobs, 49.2 percent of private sector employment at 42.9 of private sector payroll. It is clear, stabilizing small businesses will be vital to our recovery.

E

With many small businesses devastated by the pandemic, we should be hyper focused on helping them get back on their feet and ultimately succeeding to achieve this goal. Moving forward, we should find ways to provide affordable technical assistance to small and mid-sized businesses to help them gain access to the necessary capital, identify market opportunities and effectively shift their businesses to the changing environment. In my facility practice, I've found, while some businesses are aware of funding opportunities, they're, not prepared or understand how to access them.

E

Equally, they don't have the support to evaluate the environment and make the necessary operational changes. This is especially true of black and brown businesses. We also have to ensure equitable access to capital for small and mid-sized businesses through both public and private uh sources. This would include the funding discussed by ann nevins with picc dc this morning.

E

While we made great strides in making capital available, we need to ensure we create awareness uh to those capital opportunities along with the resources to access them. We also have to ensure that businesses have access to capable workforce through the expansion of workforce development, training programs focusing on those high demand, jobs and in demand roles that rob one billing just spoke about and further incentivized, the hiring of our most vulnerable populations to include the formerly incarcerated individuals.

E

While this is nowhere near an exhaustive list of everything we should do, I believe it begins to move us in the right direction of a successful recovery. Thank you for hearing me this afternoon and your consideration toward my suggestions.

A

Thank you. I think we have um miss putnam and mr sims to testify.

G

Hey good morning I'll go ahead and jump in here, um so thank you, everyone, I hope everyone's internet is holding up okay in the storm, um so uh I just want to begin. My name is ashley putnam. I direct a strategic initiative at the federal reserve bank of philadelphia. That's focused on economic growth and mobility, and before I start I do want to note that my views expressed here today are mine alone. Do not represent the federal reserve bank of philadelphia or the federal reserve system.

G

I'm really pleased today to be testifying to you about the role we were able to play and the work that's being done on the recharge and recovery task force. My work is focused on economic mobility, which is important in times of growth, but this need for resilient communities is never more important than this. We are in and in times of crisis um as of today, we know that 1.9 million individuals have claimed unemployment in the state of pennsylvania and even in the philly camden livington metropolitan area.

G

We have at this point in time at least a 14 unemployment rate. um The people behind these numbers are our neighbors. They.

A

Are our family.

G

F

They are local.

G

Business owners they're also consumers, entrepreneurs, job creators and really vital parts of our regional economy, and that's why these collective efforts are so important um even before the pandemic. We know that our economy was not working for everyone. We do some research called the survey of household economics and decision making that found that black and latino households experience more economic insecurity and are less likely to be able to pay their monthly bills than other racial groups. These disparities and economical being persist even in times of growth um and in philadelphia. Our regional economy was growing.

G

uh Even in 2018, we saw some huge disparities in unemployment rates between black workers, nearly 14 percent compared with non-white hispanic workers up four percent, um so we have to acknowledge if we're going to build for a better recovery, covert 19 and the disruptions we're experiencing do not affect us.

G

Our research that we've done at the fed from previous recessions shows that minority workers are likely to experience greater employment losses at the onset of a financial downturn and maybe slower to regain employment and rebuild assets during that recovery. This led us to conduct some research on the workers. Small businesses and neighborhoods, who are going to be especially impacted by shutdowns, and we found back in april, which was very early into the pandemic.

G

um We were already seeing some exacerbations of those disparities, particularly that those who were going to be most affected were those who were already most average. Those are workers of color individuals without a four-year degree, younger workers and those who are economically secure and this research for us really emphasizes why this is an essential time to take an equity approach to recovery and why these kinds of collaborative efforts really really essential.

G

We were really pleased to play a part in the recharge and recovery task force, um and I got to serve a role on the the workforce and talent development committee, and we think this is really critical to putting equity into action to ensure workers, businesses and places that are most impacted are prioritized um for us, as equitable recovery means going back beyond that. Back to normal. A lot of the conversations we had on the task force were about addressing underlying disparities that have perpetuated the economic inequality. We are seeing amplified right now for workers.

G

That means addressing systemic barriers, including things like broadband access and child care that can prevent people from returning to work, but it also means recognizing the skills of workers have beyond a four-year college degree, and this is something we've been talking about before the pandemic and something we think is really critical, as employers start to think about what role they can play after this conduct.

G

Finally, an equitable recovery requires thinking critically about recovery and spending to make sure that the jobs we're creating provide economic stability and, as others have testified today. This also means thinking about minority-owned.

G

We conduct a survey every year called the small business credit survey, and we know from that survey that minority owned small businesses are most at risk in this moment, but also extremely important engines of job creation and economic opportunity, so that connection between economic development, small business and job seekers is really critical to more equitable recovery.

G

We were grateful to play a role on the retired recovery task force and look forward to continuing our work with our colleagues at the city of philadelphia and the chamber of commerce for greater philadelphia to center equity in our recovery. Thank you for your time.

A

Thank you, miss putnam, uh mr sims,.

F

uh Good morning, everyone, my name is david simmons, I'm the art and artist and proprietor of eatable, delights catering, and I wanted to be here today to support the economic recovery recharge initiative. I'm really here to learn more about how it is that I can be an asset to the city of philadelphia, just want to say that I have been one that has benefited from some of the initiatives.

F

I've worked with the commerce department, I've worked with the city council, all of the city council members, I'm a very active member in the wiseworth business community association. um I am one that has benefited from the in-store grant. I've worked with the commerce department, I've worked with celine wilson um and he's been very helpful, and all the people in city council has been very helpful. I also think that it's important during these covert times for people to find their niche in finding out how they can partner.

F

I work with a team foster to utilize some of the uh classmates to offer them employment. I work with andrea custis at the urban league to hire some of the uh formerly incarcerated people that has come through her program, and I just think that it's this time more than any time is for us to get together as small businesses to to formally and to find out how it is that we can be better together. I'm very happy to say that uh down the street, there is um uh another restaurant.

F

Oh it escapes my uh um name real quick, um but I've worked with other business owners so that we can get the information out so that I can tell people about the different initiatives and what the city of philadelphia has.

F

I just actually gave an application to another business owner, a robert from the breakfast boutique, so that he can capitalize on some of the uh things that the city has to offer and just doing my part to be here to support council to support the uh chamber of commerce, the african-american, as well as the philadelphia chamber of commerce of which I'm members of both and do whatever it is that I can to make philadelphia a stronger city.

A

Thank you, mr simmons, for being here and testifying, as well as all the panelists on this panel for the critical work that you're doing um from youtube dave is an entrepreneur um ashley from the work at the federal reserve and then also um both for sue, um rob and a teeth. um The workers put together this plan for recharge recovery.

A

My first question for representatives from the chamber. My understanding is that this work will go into a report, some type of document that will be released. You have a general sense of when that will occur. I believe just what was presented today and what will come out later can be a hearing until itself.

A

We are up against a hard stop at 12 30 with the mayor's press conference, and so hopefully, there'll be an opportunity to maybe come back at a later time once that document is done and we can focus just on um the work that you're doing and what additional information uh you've learned in compiling all the work and all the advocates you've brought together um to do this initial work.

Q

I'll answer that chairman green absolutely, we would welcome that opportunity to return not only to talk about its implementation and progress today, but the other 22 recommendations. We are now scheduling for the morning of september, 8th a public event where we'll be releasing uh progress to date on the initiative, which includes a document that is organic, that has the dashboard the metrics and progress to date. We chose not to just have a static conclusion to this first phase, because there's so much work being done in real time.

Q

For example, over the weekend we were lobbying the pennsylvania general assembly, as they were, marking up uh language for the 1.2 billion dollars of federal cares, act, funds that have yet to be dispersed to the city of philadelphia, and we came in with requests related to testing contact, tracing small business, minority, small business and hospitality and destination tourism uh relief.

Q

So our plan is to use our time wisely between now and september, 18th, so that when we have that next public uh gathering, if you will we'll not just talk about the final results of the report, we will also be able to demonstrate progress because of the need to move so quickly.

A

Thank you um due to the time because it is 12 24. I look forward to having an ongoing conversation, and so after we um conclude with this hearing, we hope to reconvene uh additional hearing to have a more detailed conversation regarding the work that you're doing, preferably in that september time frame. um I know uh councilmember jones has a question, um but due to councilmember jones, is it a very quick question um and as you're.

J

Yes, I just want to end on what I started. um Thank you that the chamber of commerce is not our grandfather's chamber of commerce and look forward to the data to be shared uh so that we can make better decisions in council, particularly about the unintended consequences of growth, particularly in regional traffic assessments. Thank you, mr chairman.

A

Thank you, councilmember jones. I want to thank all of the witnesses that have already testified on this morning. um Those who have yet to testify.

A

I want to thank you for your patience, um what we're going to do because of the technical difficulties we had at the beginning of this hearing and the fact that we do have a hard stop at 12 30 with the mayor's press conference, I'm going to move from a public hearing into a public meeting and ask for a motion- and I asked our chair of the commerce economic development committee mark willa, to make that motion to allow us to reconvene at 2 15..

A

I hope that all of the people who are still scheduled to testify, who have not been able to testify will be able to come back at 2 15, so we can hear their information. I appreciate your patience. This is a very important issue, I'm very multi-faceted issue because 19 has impacted every aspect of our lives and you can tell by the diversity of questions that we have had um this morning into this afternoon.

A

uh So with that uh we're going to reconvene the hearing at 2 15 after mayor's press conference and I'm now going to move into a public meeting and ask my colleague councilmember mark squilla, to make a motion to.

E

Allow us to reconvene at 2 15.. Thank you, mr chairman. I make a motion to move reconvene, the committees on finance and commerce and economic development or resolution number 20336 215 today. Thank you.

A

The emotions are properly moved and seconded all those in favor, aye aye.

A

Thank you will now come out of the public meeting um go back in the public hearing. I want to thank all of you for your patience um and hopefully we'll be able to reconvene with all of you at 2 15 to continue this important conversation. Thank.

E

You and take care thank.

E

E

All right, thank you. I see uh council member uh green is present if you want to get started and we could go from there. um Councilman greene.

A

Thank you, uh council.

A

Earlier, thank.

A

E

Frank, please read the list of the next people to testify.

E

I believe the available people include jennifer rodriguez, zach, wilco, beth, mcconnell, jeff, guarancino and kendra moore.

E

Welcome all as we can start that order, I guess uh to say your name for the record and begin with your testimony.

D

What was it jennifer rodriguez.

E

Yes, there you go.

D

Oh there we go. Thank you so much. Councilman, green and councilman squiela um I'll, be brief um so good afternoon, and thank you for hosting today's hearing. I am jennifer rodriguez president and ceo of the greater philadelphia hispanic chamber of commerce.

D

For the past three decades, gphcc has been the leading voice, developing promoting and advocating for hispanic businesses in the greater philadelphia region, while encouraging the advancement and economic growth of the hispanic community. Currently, as we all know, we are experiencing an unprecedented economic and health crisis which is disproportionately affecting communities of color. As a result of these effects of the effects of covet 19 in our economy and, in particular, our minority-owned businesses, we at the greater philadelphia hispanic chamber have developed a response strategy, titled, recalibrate, retool, restart or r.

D

Plus we recognize that operating in the new normal will take more than simply turning on the lights. In fact, the small scale of latino owned businesses and their tendency to have low cash reserves, combined with the customer facing nature of their operations, means that they are being disproportionately impacted by social distancing rules. Latino owned businesses are mostly comprised of restaurants, bolegas beauty, salons, construction firms, auto repair shops and other services in which working from home is just not feasible.

D

In fact, according to stanford university, um a survey of stanford university latino owned businesses conducted early in the crisis. They indicated that up to 66 percent would be out of business out of business in six months. If restrictions were to continue.

D

We unfortunately, are just a few weeks away from that six month mark in response to these challenges. Gphcc has realigned its programs and created new ones. Our r plus campaign has several components. One is the bilingual coronavirus resource page where entrepreneurs can find updated information in spanish breaking the language barrier and ensuring that we are all informed.

D

Two we have created play a video library with relevant business topics with informs our members and the community at large of available resources like ppp loans and how to apply.

D

We have also developed resolve it in 30, a bi-weekly technical assistance, coaching session, where experts talk about best practices and solutions to everyday business challenges.

D

We have developed a latino takeout weekend, a social media campaign that promotes our regions and our city's latino owned restaurants, and we have also created a latinx small business release fund, a grant program for which we are currently fundraising at gphcc. We're committed to help latino-owned businesses recover from the impact of the coronavirus positioning them for the successful reintegration into the economy under the new normal.

D

But this requires a shared voice and collective action as business leaders as community leaders and as residents of the city. We must do our due diligence in and not just stopping the spread of the virus, but also to prepare for a safe, equitable and robust economic recovery.

D

Thank you so much for holding today's hearing about this crucial topic um and the leaders, staff and members of gphcc are ready to work with you to build a stronger and safer philadelphia cool. Thank you.

E

Thank you for your testimony. uh I think we'll wait until everybody testifies and then, if you have any questions by uh council members um franklin to read the next testimony, please.

C

I'm sorry, mr chair, you want me to call on the next witness or you want me to actually read the testimony. No.

E

No, no, no. I'm sorry call the next witness to testify.

C

As zach wilker.

B

Hi good afternoon, can you hear me okay,.

E

Did exactly sound good, just stay your name for the record and pursue your testimony good afternoon.

H

Good afternoon.

E

Yes, uh you're on your own at the hearing, please mute yourself during while we're hearing testimony.

E

C

Is that ms judith robinson.

H

E

Okay, can you just say your name for the record and then mute yourself until it's your time to speak. Please.

H

Judith robinson queen judith robinson, I move my meet myself.

E

Thank you sorry about that zach. You want to start over and uh say your name and then continue with testimony.

B

No problem at all good afternoon co-chairs green and squilo council members and the committees of finance commerce and economic development. I am zach wilka executive director of the independence business alliance, and I thank you for having me here today to testify on behalf of the iba, which is greater philadelphia's, lgbtq plus chamber of commerce.

B

We are a membership based organization dedicated to making the philadelphia region an influential and diverse lgbtq plus business community, with an impact on economic development, business equality and policy issues.

B

The iba serves more than 900 professionals across 325 member businesses, and there are more than 60 certified lgbt business enterprises in iba's footprint, which collectively employ more than 500 individuals and generate nearly half a billion dollars of revenue each year. I echo much of what people have said before me today, and especially jennifer rodriguez.

B

Before I tell the ongoing story of our community and our businesses during this economic downturn and health pandemic, I want to thank the city of philadelphia and the commerce department and pidc, especially for so quickly responding to the unprecedented crisis at hand with a program of loans and grants that benefited many of our small business enterprises.

B

The fast-acting city city officials provided economic leadership that was not coming from the federal level and I'm grateful for their efforts when talking to my other chamber peers across the country and other cities, many of them look to philadelphia as a model of rapid response and though the program could not possibly meet the great demand of our business community, its effect surely mitigated what could have been the genesis of a larger disaster.

B

I also want to stipulate that lgbtq plus folks are a vertical that run through every other community and has applied to anything. I talk about today. Queer people who intersect with other minority communities have had a harder time through this crisis than their counterparts because of intersectional systematic oppression with classism racism, ableism misogyny and sexism.

B

The lgbtq plus community has endured through this crisis, but, of course, lgbtq plus folks in bipoc and trans communities have been adversely affected in worse ways, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

B

We stand in solidarity with all of those doing anti-racist work in the city and all of those championing and centering trans voices, as well generally minority-owned businesses in greater philadelphia have struggled to apply or receive funds from the small business administration's paycheck protection program.

B

People of color in philadelphia are disproportionately underbanked and underfunded, as are minority owned and disadvantaged businesses from the lgbtq plus space, the clothing 19 crisis and the rollout of ppp both highlighted and exacerbated this problem, as minority businesses have had difficulty navigating the federal loan program and competing with better network companies, it makes sense for banks to lend customers with whom they have existing relationships, of course, but that system has left innumerable amounts of small businesses behind under normal circumstances. Those practices would be more understandable, but, as you know, these are far from normal times.

B

The small businesses defined by the federal government for ppp eligibility are not what local leaders understood to mean by small companies with under 500. Employees are not the same as solo on photography businesses. Those large companies have a significant leg up on their smaller counterparts when it comes to getting financed. And, of course, we have seen on the news, so many large businesses and religious institutions receiving money that we were told would be distributed to small businesses.

B

Members of the iba, when possible, have been trying to pivot their businesses to the reality of remote work and help each other. By offering discounted services, we've created a system of distributing information about corporate resources as well. We continue holding network events online that are well attended and have been able to drum up business and make connections, but we also hear horror stories about what our members have gone through.

B

Some who had a faulty tax issue, which was not their fault, prevented them from receiving city funds, predatory landlords who retaliated against tenants those that didn't have the wherewithal or connections to apply for funding on time or correctly.

B

I worry that when minority-owned businesses shut down many other organizations, some of them corporate and city-based, will lose their suppliers. Companies in the iba, often supply local arts organizations and non-profits, and the ripple effects from their closures could be tremendous.

B

Our folks are trying to be optimistic, but also realistic about what lies ahead.

B

We need continued, concentrated support for minority owned and disadvantaged owned businesses, and it would be incredible to see more support, aligned with helping folks pay, rent and mortgages, as the moratorium on them come abruptly to an end and innovative solutions like the street closures to create safe spaces for outdoor commerce and clarity around safe, safe and healthy, long-term planning, to the extent that it's possible specifically so many lgbtq plus owned businesses are in the hospitality and event space and in our own neighborhood.

B

Many folks rely on gatherings to make a living in the world of clothing 19. However, large gatherings have been strictly and sensibly prohibited, as it usually animated restaurants and bars for more than four months as philadelphia digs its way out of pandemic shutdown. The restaurant concepts now lean on creative strategies like to go cocktails and modified outdoor dining to revenue to generate revenue with strict social distancing guidelines and capacity reductions in place.

B

Lgbt businesses are often small community based and privately owned, the ability to host events and gather people as a hallmark of queer business, and this is important both economically and psychologically.

B

Historically lgbtq spaces have served as safe spaces for often marginalized queer community, our folks, many of whom may be estranged from the biological families gathering business establishments with friends and chosen family who accept and understand them. As such, many of the gabriel's hospitality business leaders say that the concepts and philadelphia lgbt residents are encountering a unique challenge as essential community spots navigate the new normal.

B

Some businesses might not make it, while others will learn to make surviving with 50 occupancy or more viable each day.

B

People strive to gather socially in good and bad times, and the places that provide space to come together over food and drink will always exist, and many grapple with the fact that we have already lost virtually a generation of gay men in the 80s and 90s due to a deadly virus, even with medication or a vaccine.

B

We anticipate that this pandemic could change the way that our community and so many other communities socialize for quite some time in the future, if lgbt, if philadelphia's, lgbt establishments and businesses and vendors have a difficult time reopening in the long run, it will be because of fears of clogged 19 leave that behind queer folks have endured previous health crises before and are familiar with the importance of keeping themselves and loved ones safe, while also being eager to return to socializing and doing business for some folks they're.

B

The only places where people can authentically be where they are. So. The fact that our queer spaces can't open for gatherings has had real and significant psychological impact in our community.

B

In any case, I want to make very clear that the iba is committed to working with the city of philadelphia and the commerce department on solutions that will study philadelphia on the road to recovery, and we are happy to partner in any way to aid your work in helping our businesses survive.

E

Thank you zach, and thank you for your testimony. Is there any uh frank? Is there anybody else to testify from panel three was tiffany or next here.

E

I don't believe tiffany, gilbert or nick chinoy are on the line. Okay. um I know there was a question for that panel. If um councilmember dom, I had a quick question and then we could go on to the next panel.

F

Thank you chairman school and chairman greene. I just had a quick question for jennifer and uh zach. Do you do you know if your members have been able to spend the ppp dollars in a way that qualifies them for loan forgiveness, or will they end up having to take on long-term debt.

D

uh So, from our perspective from what we understand um the rest, the members have been able to utilize the funding appropriately. We have not heard uh too many problems in the utilization of the funds. We did hear very early on about a lot of concerns related to uh particularly you know, restaurants being able to use it, but we find that um that we, you know they those have not materialized. So far. Okay,.

F

So in general, people are using it they're not going to have long-term debts. I mean coming out of this is bad enough, but coming out of this with more debt from this would be really bad. So that's good news, and we thank you both thanks for what you're doing and thank you both uh chairman zuella and chairman green thank.

F

B

You're, muted, council members.

E

Sorry about that. uh Thank you um frank. um I see that mr christina is up there to testify is. Is that who's? Next? There.

E

uh Yes, mr chair he'll be joined by beth, mcconnell and kendra moore all right jeff. Thank you. Thanks for being here, um stay your name for the record and then proceed with your testimony and then after you, three are done. We'll have questions for council members thanks.

C

Good afternoon, thank you. Thank you, chairman green chairman squilla, council members and members of the committee. My name is jeff guarcino, I'm president and ceo of visit, philadelphia, the official regional marketing organization of the five county region for 25 years, we've told the positive news of philadelphia and have built the regional tourism economy here, and I want to say that I'm grateful for this opportunity to represent this industry.

C

On behalf of my colleagues from the philadelphia convention and visitors, bureau, the convention center phl airport, the greater philadelphia hotel association, and so many others who are uh grateful for this opportunity to talk to you about. What's happened to our industry personally as a resident of philadelphia and someone was born here. I want to thank you and all of council for your leadership in this time of crisis, and I will say to you that our industry is here to work with council. We are partners.

C

We believe that we can come out of this crisis to an even greater city and an even greater region, and if our recovery is done correctly, if it's immediate, if it's urgent, we actually believe we can grow our market share and we can grow our industry over time and we can put more people back to work and so today, with the opportunity to provide this testimony. I'll be brief. We want three points to make to this committee that are short-term return on investments that are immediate.

C

The first is jobs we need to get our friends and our family and our neighbors back to work. The second. We need to generate tax revenue for the city of philadelphia via tourism, to fund the priority programs that are so important to all of us who live here. Remember tourists pay the tax and 45 million people came to the greater philadelphia region to have fun, and the third point is equity in the recovery, especially for small businesses in our neighborhood partners.

C

Our priority as an industry is to rebuild quickly it's critical to our economy, to bring back the leisure visitors who come just for fun, our meetings and conventions, the events, business travel, and we must continue to support our very successful airport and we agree as an industry that one of the first things that we need to do is marketing to get the word out about our city, what's happening in our city, the hotels, the restaurants, the shops, the attractions, why you want to have your wedding here and the many many reasons to visit through marketing?

C

We know that we can support demand. We know that we can get people to come here and to support our attractions and to most importantly, support the jobs that we need to get people back to work. Speaking of jobs. My first major point: I want to make sure that all of council knows that 69 000 people who support themselves and in their households who live in the philadelphia county work in our industry.

C

I am, I am very sorry to tell you that 44 000 people and growing are currently out of work. These are 6 000 residents per city council district who may live in north philadelphia, but may work in south philadelphia who may live in west philadelphia, but may work in old city at these hotels and attractions and shops they are out of work. This is a job crisis immediately in every single neighborhood and in our region. 58 of hospitality workers are out of work. That's 111, 000 jobs lost in our region.

C

Just since march, in the hospitality industry in the in this country, more than 50 percent of our colleagues are out of work and that will grow. That is five times more than the great recession. We know that these jobs provide equitable access to family, sustaining careers, and we know that tourism will rebound quickly.

C

We do see the data and the research that, because of philadelphia's location, because that we're popular with leisure tourists, because people can drive here because we have a great reputation because we have festivals and events because of our neighborhoods and because that we're a great dining city, people will come and we will rebound.

C

I'm very also proud of our industry, of our commitment and track record for diversity and inclusion at every single level within our industry and for visit philadelphia. I'm very proud that 44 of our employees here are diverse and our management team reflects the diversity of philadelphia because of covid.

C

Our industry is disproportionately hurting a vulnerable and diverse philadelphians in every single neighborhood, and so one of the first things that we could do was launch visit, fill it up visit philly.com jobs, which is all the available jobs open in the hospitality industry, in the attractions in the restaurants and in our hotels that are open. Now, that's the first way to give a one-stop shop to our friends and neighbors who need to get back to work.

C

The second point that I want to make for for this testimony is that the hospitality industry generates tax revenue for the city's general fund. We are self-supporting as an industry through the hotel tax, the hotel tax is decimated. It would create millions and millions of dollars for the city for the state for the debt service in the pennsylvania convention center and to fund the tourism marketing promotion.

C

Last year, 342 million dollars to the city's general fund came from tax revenue paid by taurus and that funds our priority programs and it funds the school district, that's 244 million to the general fund and 24 million to the school district. This visitors spend money in our attractions and our shops in hotels and buy the drink tax and they support all of us who work to support their visit. The third thing I wanted to mention I will close with this- is that we can rebuild at this time with equity and inclusion as our priority.

C

We can do it through our hiring and contracting. We can do it by driving business to our neighborhood corridors and shining a spotlight on the restaurants and the shops and the people who give philadelphia its character and its distinctive distinctiveness.

C

So our first priority is to work with you at council for your ideas for you to help inform how we can recover immediately through marketing and to ask for your ongoing, vocal support for our friends and neighbors, who need to get back to work, to support their families and for the small business owners who depend not only on us as locals, to be a tourist in our own hometown and discover this great city in this region, but also for the visitors who will jump into uber and our lift and go to frankfurt avenue and go to north philadelphia at the net and go and explore and help get our economy recovered.

C

For all. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

E

Maybe next and then, if you're there, if you wanted to state your name for the record and then pursue your testimony, that will ask questions when you are done.

R

Thank you good afternoon, chairpersons, green and squirrela. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is beth mcconnell, I'm the policy director at the philadelphia association of cdc's pacdc um I'll shorten my uh testimony.

R

I submitted longer written testimony, um but I do want to say I I convened pacdc's commercial corridor working group and have for the last several years, which is a gathering of staff of um cdc's and bids business improvement districts that manage between 20 to 30 of our neighborhood corridors, and we also partner very closely with the commerce department and philadelphia lisk in supporting uh quarter management, and I want to just say the last five months have really underscored how absolutely vital our corridor managers are in helping small businesses manage and recover from crises.

R

They have been the direct conduit to small businesses to ensure that they're informed about probit related limits on business activity and procedures to limit the virus spread. They made sure business owners knew about grant and loan programs helped them complete applications served as translators and really help guide overwhelmed business owners who are seeing their whole lives slip away hand by hand through this process. So we have worked with them to our quarter working group to draft a series of policy recommendations for getting through the immediate emergency of cobid.

R

You can see our full policy agenda at pacdc.org, but I'm just going to highlight four recommendations today, each of which we are actively working with commerce department and lisk and other partners to find the resources and tools to to implement and would love the support of council first. We really need some support for an enhanced program to help small businesses avoid eviction, foreclosure or other legal action over debt.

R

Beginning this month, small businesses in philadelphia that have coveted related debts can file with the commerce court, the first judicial district to initiate a process that would allow for negotiation with many types of creditors. It's similar to the residential mortgage foreclosure, diversion program that we have here in philadelphia, but with some important differences.

R

But to make the most of that court's new process, we also need to wrap around services that we have with foreclosure diversion. We need outreach to business owners to get them to participate. Much like the knacks do with homeowners. We need expanded technical assistance to help businesses find resources to address debt and strengthen their business. Much like we do with housing counselors.

R

We need a system to match attorneys, whether they're volunteer or for hire two business owners that can't afford to find an attorney on their own, and we need translation and interpretation supports throughout this entire process.

R

Second, we really need to set up a citywide data system to know what um about our small businesses. We really learn from this covid crisis that we lack really critical data um that includes contact info, so we can reach them when they're closed. What category of not.

R

Target our for assistance, programs, evaluate the impact of these programs and also serve unmet needs, know what they are. We are making some progress with this thanks to the support of commerce and jpmorgan chase for a data management pilot program that was launched on four quarters pre-covered, we need more resources and also an assessment of what public data is out there that we can rely on what new data needs to be collected through our various public agencies and how to make that publicly available in useful, useful formats.

R

Third, we really need to boost property ownership on corridors earlier in the hearing, I believe commerce, director, gallia howard and pidc, director ann nevins, discussed this, but significantly boosting the resources that are available to purchase buildings and properties on our commercial corridors by small businesses as well as cdc's.

R

We also really need to see the land bank play a larger role in acquisition and disposition of property and quarters. They really do not have the resources to pay attention to commercial acquisition and disposition as much as we need them to, and this is a moment where we really need to have a property on our quarters that is owned by the people and institutions that have the greatest investment in its success and build local wealth equitably. And, finally, um programs like storefront improvement and in-store, have been very successful but new times call for new approaches.

R

So we need programs that will have business business owners, make critical health and safety repairs or reconfigurations inside their stores to address deferred maintenance that poses health and safety risks and make changes that will allow for social distancing, but in closing pacdc, so grateful that council and the kennedy administration have continued support for corridor management programs. Despite budget deficits that have led to very painful cuts across the city.

R

We hope that commitment will continue as we work to get our small businesses back to full capacity as soon as safe and expand that work even further to cover more corridors to spur an equitable economic recovery. Thank you for the opportunity to.

E

Testify, thank you, vets. um I appreciate your testimony and I think I believe that kendrick was next to testify.

E

Hi kendra, we see you just say your name for the record and then perceive your testimony.

S

Great thank you. Thank you very much uh good afternoon, council members, um squilla and green in particular, and other committee members. uh Thank you for the opportunity to talk to resolution 200-336.

S

My name is kendra moore, I'm the government relations manager for the sustainable business network of greater philadelphia, as my colleagues have said today and, as you all know, uh coveted 19 is destroying our local economy and reinforcing racial disparity and marginalization.

S

At the same time, we are also facing a climate crisis, and these challenges are demonstrating to us how important our local businesses are to our recovery, as well as to our communities as philadelphia, looks to stabilize and recover in the coming months and years. This is really an unprecedented time, an opportunity for us to rebuild better based on our small businesses, as well as climate resilience and equitable growth at sbn.

S

We're actually doubling down on these uh by turning inward, but also engaging our members and supporting their efforts to contribute to strong growth equitability as well as climate resilience, for example, we're transitioning to a new sliding scale dues membership model which will allow us to provide benefits more equitably to our members.

S

Regardless of their financial circumstances and as others have mentioned, we've seen the city take action which we appreciate as well, for instance, pidc and the city garnered resources quite quickly to provide emergency micro loans to disadvantaged businesses, particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds, and we also supported efforts to prompt financial institutions to offer debt relief and efforts to protect businesses from evictions.

S

In addition, united way, pidc and commerce are convening diverse voices through their small business ecosystem project, which will ensure that our recovery is based on best practice, as well as equitable and inclusive growth and moving forward. The city should continue to build on these efforts to advance equity and climate resilience.

S

First, primarily, we see that investing and prioritizing local business development is key to this success.

S

Second, creating opportunities for and investing in, historically marginalized communities and those business owners and third, sparking innovation and long-term growth in green infrastructure, as well as our local food systems. My written testimony provides more detail on each of these, which I hope to cover with you in the coming days, weeks and months. I do appreciate the opportunity to share these brief thoughts with you today and look forward to working with you, sbn members look forward to working with you and partners to build a just green and thriving philadelphia.

S

E

Thank you, kendra. Thank you for your testimony um before we ask for any other questions, uh frank is there. I believe jews is on the line testify. Is there anybody else on the line uh to testify, I believe, miss robinson is the the last person waiting to testify. Mr chair, okay judith, if you're available. If you want to mute yourself and state your name for the record and receive your testimony, then we'll have questions from any.

H

Members of the committee- yes good afternoon good day, can you all hear me.

E

We hear you're fine.

H

Thank you queen judith robinson here, testifying on resolution. 200.

H

336., I want to say that no one of us is smarter than all of us. uh Taxes are paid by the poor, too that's drink by the tax. Look about a tax drink, the solar tax sales tax. So leave no one behind.

H

I am here again advocating for this unfortunate situation that we find black women in this town, okay of every ilk. Okay, it's a disgrace! What has been going on in our community as it relates to so-called minorities is with hell before corvette a covet and we catch it hell after it. You know we are the worst in every area- health, this that and the other.

H

So I want to make sure that you all pay attention as you talk about the new norm and who's included, and all of that we're supposed to have been included for eons and everything, but it didn't happen- and you all are talking to some of the same people to yourselves who couldn't get it done before covet. But I saw something very interesting. I want to focus on a couple of times with the black doctors.

H

Excuse me, you won't win gangster for them. Do it for the roofer, do it for the nurses? Do it for everyone else.

H

You know they were supposed to get uh part of a contract, didn't get this get and get that and then I sort of hustle and bustle around that every business stands on their own. Initially, we know that all is true, but we're in a pandemic so coming out of it. Let's think differently. Let's think of how we really can be inclusive and we want the same gangster treatment that you all gave for those doctors for the roof with everybody else. Okay, do that that make that the new norm.

H

Let me see how you working with that. Then I want you all to include apprenticeship, internships, everything you can to get people working. I heard someone with the gentleman with the tourism say: yes, jobs, I'm part of the tourism industry, I'm a tour guide up in north philly, wouldn't think of it up there, but we want to bring equity. So our youth can be tour ambassadors to the world yeah bring it on back, but make sure you include us uptown.

H

We got more history, we can write two three history books, okay in the name of tourism, uptown, all of that- and we even have new businesses in this crisis. So I just want to make sure I encourage you all to use your power and show us what you're working with, as you include everybody in this new normal.

H

I'm going to say this, because I want to just hit these boards in commissions every boarding commission, especially with their mon. This money I saw on earlier. You all had uh the head of all of the development, all of that every agency, every boarding commission pull them in and make that money flow, make it flow all around. Okay access, the capital, capitalist, a major problem, access to capital, pra was at the table.

H

I was there last august and I know I'm gonna have to do a right to know to get this information, but there was a pilot program created where they were giving out money and you didn't have to start paying for 30 years. My background was in real estate financing. You all. You know my ears perk right up, find out about that, but upon inquiry, just a cursory inquiry, I was told: oh that's a pilot program. Well, if I wasn't there at that board meeting that august last august, I would have known anything about it.

H

It came and gone. Somebody got some of that money find out how many black people got money. How many black businesses got money? How many loans are given to black people out of pra about your money up in their p hcc same thing, any company, that's working for phdc, make them grow if you've been having them as part of phcc for all these years.

H

Let me see you double up on them and then tell them to go in the neighborhood and get some of the these balls on the corner and include them who want to work in their expanding business. You claim we only have two percent, let's double it to ten percent by just being inclusive. Let's use our heads. Let's include our views, who are here, uh let's not waste this opportunity um in in regards.

H

I just want to close by saying: leave: no one behind african-american women are definitely going to be under the gun if they were already 70 of yearly evictions, my god, what's going to happen next, we're going to have to wrap our arms around them with their women and children. I live up here near the woodstock. Shelter, get the women out of them shelters into pha housing where they're supposed to be income based housing. We can do it.

H

You all bring right, invite other people in the room who maybe don't agree with you all we're not spouting the same thing over and over again who have expertise. Okay, invite us all in the room, because we can't figure it out. We just tore down the whole country. If you hadn't, listened long before I've been down there testifying about this mess for the past 25 years, you could have saved the whole country. Okay, now you wait till they tip the whole country. Now we got to figure it out.

H

Okay, that's enough have a good day, and thank you very much for the opportunity to attend this hearing. Queen judith signing off.

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E

This chair, it's very hard to hear you.

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I

There anything.

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E

I have one question before we acted and um I guess it was from mr garcia if he's still available. um I know it's a challenge as the travel industry, the hotel industry and uh you know, philadelphia really relied on a lot of income based on that.

E

um Have you guys uh put together a plan or a plan to the city of philadelphia, the health department of how we could come back safely, smartly, by having this industry back up and running and maybe differently than it was before, but in a way that's safe, so that we can coordinate together with the health department and the city of philadelphia, to show the world that the city of philadelphia is now getting to a place where we could start accepting visitors back.

C

To the city of philadelphia, thank you for the question councilman. I I'm proud to report that the tourism and hospitality industry in this city and in this region, from the airport to the convention center to the visitor center to visit philadelphia, the philadelphia convention business bureau. We are united. We meet weekly every thursday at nine o'clock to talk about our challenges, our recovery and how to get people back to work and restart the economy.

C

We have been looking at and have been deploying first and foremost, how do we communicate out what the city of philadelphia has been doing in our businesses to accommodate visitors safely and to accommodate their workers and to ensure that when people come here that they will have a good, safe experience, I can tell you that we are leading the country in terms of the investments that the airport the convention center. All of us have been making, and so that is a story we need to continue to tell people are very concerned about travel.

C

Three quarters of the traveling public are not traveling right now, and that is a major issue. We are working through the administration in terms of working with the health department. Public health is first and foremost. We are concerned about the challenges of outdoor dining going into september october november, in the and the winter time as you saw today, nothing could be open because of the storm. We'll have more than 35 days of rain in a typical fall most days uh after october will be under 50 degrees.

C

So we're very concerned about how do we support our restaurants and our hotels that don't have outdoor dining to accommodate the visitors who are coming we're about 30 to 40 occupancy and the city is doing better than our competitive set new york dc and uh and boston, and so we don't want to lose that that momentum, understanding that this pandemic is unpredictable, uncertain and we're watching how other cities have got it wrong. So we're really proud of our health, commissioner and the state's health commissioner. There needs to be more to be done.

C

This is a long-term. um This is a long-term problem. It's going to take us many many many months and thus working together to really accommodate. How do we successfully get through this part of the pandemic and then also to the eventual god willing the inoculation, so that way we can get back to inclusive growth.

C

Thank you, jeff. Thank you.

I

A

uh Thank you councilman for that all of the witnesses, the chest farmers we appreciate those times. Patients look forward to tasting conversation.

A

Thank you awesome.

C

Thank you have a good afternoon.

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