PhillyNow Calendar: Civic Events, April 29-May 3
The last week of April/first week of May 2013 is a relatively slow one in Philadelphia. There are several community and neighborhood meetings going on and, perhaps most of note, Philadelphia City Council will be traveling up to Northeast Philadelphia hear residents sound off on tax provisions at Abraham Lincoln High School. Oh, and the Pennsylvania House has...
Continue Reading
3 Councilmen Voted Against City LGBT Bill—Why?
Philadelphia City Council passed historic legislation this morning which gives incentives for private companies in the city to provide benefits to members of the LGBT community employed by said company and mandates the city government do more to avoid sexual discrimination. After a short debate and public comment, three councilmen—David Oh, Brian O’Neill...
Continue ReadingCity Council Fails to Override Nutter’s Paid Sick Leave Veto
Councilman Bill Greenlee, the prime sponsor of the paid sick leave legislation in City Council, did not bring up a vote to override Mayor Nutter’s veto this morning—and apologized to the city for failing on the issue. “I will not be calling for an override of Mayor Nutter’s veto concerning the paid sick leave bill because we are one vote short...
Continue Reading
PhillyNow Calendar: Civic Events, April 8-12
It’s a quiet week unless you’re really passionate one way or another about casinos. There will be two chances for casino input at the Pennsylvania convention center, beginning on Thursday and going into Friday. As usual, let me know if I missed anything by hitting up civics@philadelphiaweekly.com or tweeting me: @RandyLoBasso Monday, April 8 Safety...
Continue ReadingNutter Vetoes Paid Sick Leave—Again
Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed the paid sick leave bill this morning, claiming it would hurt “the very workers this bill is intended to help” via job cuts from local businesses who can’t pay for it. The decision is not a surprise, but a disappointment for the Philadelphia Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces, a collective of community organizing groups...
Continue Reading
PhillyNow Calendar: Civic Events, April 2-5
Hey there. I’m totally a day late on your weekly civic meeting schedule—but no worries; you only missed Monday. Plus, it was April 1st, and you may have been all “This civic meeting is probably just an April Fool’s joke” or something. Or not. Anyway, over the course of the week, several active neighbor associations (especially those in South Philly)...
Continue Reading
Paid Sick Days Passes Committee After Sparks Fly in City Hall
The fight for paid sick days has been long, and yesterday’s hearing before the Public Health and Human Services Committee began bright and early, with several advocates meeting media before the session began to tell their stories. “We have found that treating workers fairly is good for business,” said Janet Filante, owner of Childspace Daycare. “This...
Continue Reading
Q&A: Marianne Bellesorte of Pathways PA on Paid Sick Leave
Advocates for paid sick leave in Philadelphia went door-to-door through City Hall on Valentine’s Day, hitting the offices of freshman City Councilmen Bobby Henon, Denny O’Brien and Mark Squilla as part of a community lobbying effort for voters to “show their love for sick days.” They delivered more than 500 hand-written letters from voters, calling...
Continue Reading
DAILY GRINDER: More Red-Light Cameras Sprouting up in Philly
Red light cameras are sprouting up in three new locations: Academy/Grant; Woodhaven/Knights Road/Bustleton/Byberry. The red light camera at Roosevelt Blvd and Levick St. racked up 15,049 tickets in 2012. Read more about red light cameras on PhillyNow here. Mayor Nutter briefed Councilmembers behind closed doors yesterday on property values in Philadelphia. He...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Rep. Bob Brady to Receive ‘Bob Brady’ Award
U.S. Rep. Bob Brady will receive the first annual “Bob Brady Working Class Hero” award this weekend. The award, being doled out by the United Steelworkers Local 10-1 is going to Brady for helping broker the deal in which the Carlyle Group bought the almost-closed Philadelphia Sunoco Refinery. Stay away: The Running of the Santas is this weekend. And the...
Continue Reading
