Name of Council Candidate: Yetta Kurland Name and Title of Person Completing Questionnaire: Yetta Kurland, Candidate Campaign

Website: www.yettakurland.com

2013 CITY COUNCIL HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Many in the United States think of international affairs when they think of human rights. Our work emphasizes the applicability of the human rights framework here in the United States. Please share your thoughts on the domestic applicability of human rights, and discuss why human rights are important to you in the context of New York City and the City Council. New York City has traditionally been a refuge--sometimes kind, sometimes cruel--for people escaping repressive regimes around the world. Since the U.S. has now shamed itself in Guantanamo, more than ever we need to set an example in our own metropolis as a center for human rights, as we New Yorkers work to undue the human rights abuses, and needless imprisonment, of millions of citizens and non-citizens. 2. How have you used current or previous professional positions to advance human rights? I am a civil rights attorney with a specialty in advancing the rights of those done wrong by judicial, political, corporate or institutional actors. 3. What will your top 3 legislative priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Restore essential hospital services to District 3. 2. Institute bottom-up, inclusive grassroots community-based sustainable planning and budgeting for District 3. 3. Address the inequality and affordability crises that, in a time of high unemployment, is playing havoc with the lives of District 3 residents. 4. What will your top 3 budget priorities be in your first term as Council Member? 1. Fully funding our social safety net through equitable taxation, determined through an inclusive communitybased budget process. 2. Job training and retraining programs, including infrastructure and transportation programs that intersect with Green Jobs needs.

3. Restore city funds cut by current administration and direct to public schools and CUNY; end under-funding of community colleges when NYC has laid so many job-training/prep responsibilities on these institutions.

5. Do you plan to use participatory budgeting to allocate your discretionary funds? Why or why not? Yes! Participatory budgeting is a great step towards good government. It accomplishes several things. First, it helps involve the community in important decision making, it ensures funding goes to the projects and initiatives the community cares about and most importantly it reminds our elected officials that this money is not theirs, but rather ours. 6. Please provide examples of recent legislation in Council that you believe promotes human rights. Paid sick leave (though far too watered down). I preferred the first iteration. Health care is a human right. Anti-discrimination legislation that relates to city contracting process. An end to Stop and Frisk at the NYC level, prior to the recent court decision. I would oppose NYC attempts to upend the court decision.

Also I think there are far too many bills promoting human rights that languish in City Council without being able to come out for a vote. 7. Legislation is only one of many ways in which Council Members can work to advance human rights. What ways other than through legislation will you advance the human rights of New Yorkers as a City Council Member? As Ive advanced civil rights as a civil rights attorney and community activist in the LGBTQ, feminist, health rights, animal rights and environmental communities. Militant advocacy and collegial-bill drafting that restore NYCs reputation as a center of human rights, press freedom, and freedom of expression in the arts. 8. Some advocates contend that the position of the Council Speaker has too much power over the progression of legislation. Please use this space to respond to that critique. The Speaker has to be able to deliver a sufficiently large Council caucus to respond to a relatively Strong Mayor charter system. That said, there must be internal democracy in the Council, and the Speaker must not continue to have sole right to reward and punish dissent in the Council through the assignment of committees, member items, and limitations on inquiry. Community-based sustainable budgeting and planning should be a tool to disperse power a bit in the Council, since councilmembers should heed the wishes of constituents in this relatively new process in NYC, if not new in the other cities around the world where its been implemented. For more information, please visit www.urbanjustice.org.