Transcript: Mayor Adams Holds Virtual Media Availability

September 10, 2024

Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP-wqzFb46I

Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: Good morning, everybody, my name is Fabien Levy and I serve as deputy mayor for Communications for the City of New York. Thank you for joining us for our weekly in-person media, or excuse me, for our weekly media availability.

Yesterday, as most of you know, the mayor tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, the mayor is feeling all right and working remotely from Gracie Mansion until he tests negative. But whether the mayor is working from home, from his office at City Hall, or meeting New Yorkers across the five boroughs, our mission remains the same: keeping people safe and making New York City more affordable.

While the mayor is currently in quarantine, we felt it was important to still hold our weekly media availability virtually, answer your questions, and address issues that are top of mind for New Yorkers. So if you have a question, please utilize the raise hand feature and we'll call on you. Again, if you have a question, you would need to utilize the raise hand feature.

So joining us today, we have Mayor Eric Adams, who is joining us from Gracie Mansion, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack, Chief Advisor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana Almanzar, Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg, and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Tiffany Raspberry. So I'm pleased now to turn it over to Mayor Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, D.M. Levy, and good morning, everyone, and welcome to our weekly off topic. As Fabien explained, we're doing it remotely. We did not want to cancel off topic because we think it's important that we answer the questions of all the work we're doing in the city.

Before I answer questions today, I want to speak directly to New Yorkers. The job I have as your mayor is the only one I've ever wanted. I grew up with injustice, and I set out to make sure that New York City was a better, fairer place. That is what I strive to do each and every day. Serving you is an honor, but it's also a responsibility. I want to assure you that I feel the awesome weight of that responsibility with my whole heart, and I would never do anything to betray your trust.

I realize that these investigations have raised a lot of questions and a lot of concerns. There are some serious matters that must be addressed. I was surprised, as you, to learn of these inquiries, and I take them extremely seriously. I spent more than 20 years in law enforcement, and so every member of the administration knows my expectation that we must all follow the law. From here, I will share with you what I can and what I can't.

Let me be clear. I and this administration are focused on New Yorkers, not investigators. We will continue to do our job, delivering for the working people of this city every single day with no distractions. When I ran for office four years ago, I promised a more livable city based on a bedrock of safety and justice to bring our city out of the chaos of COVID and economic turmoil and into a new era of stability and growth. We have done that.

Every day, we work to make this a safe, more affordable city. Just look at what we did this past week alone, eight straight months. For eight straight months, we've seen overall crime drop in our city. Since day one of the administration, we've taken more than 18,000 guns off the streets, and the result has been a historic drop in shootings. Just last month, we had the fewest shootings ever recorded in August.

Last week, when we think about affordability, our public schools also opened for nearly a million students, that included opening 24 brand-new buildings at our public schools. Making this city more affordable for working class New Yorkers means ensuring every family has seats for their children in the great public school system we have in their communities. We produced more than 11,000 new seats in these 24 new buildings. That's the most K -12 seats opened by the school construction authority in more than 20 years. At the same time, we recently announced adding 1,000 more Pre-K seats, and it's all part of our overall plan.

We have set these goals to live in a safer, more affordable city for the people of New York because of how I grew up. You know my story. You know the troubles I had with being abused by law enforcement officers. I turned my pain into purpose and became the change I wanted to see in the NYPD. I became a police officer to right wrongs and ensure justice. We didn't have money for food and clothes, so I ran for office to deliver for those in need. We were threatened with eviction and homelessness, and so I became mayor to deliver affordable homes to all who needed them.

My entire life has been about pursuit of justice, and this administration will continue to do that no matter what happens. Now let's take some off-topic questions, and again, thank you for being here.

Deputy Mayor Levy: Thank you, Mayor. So again, to ask a question, please utilize the raise hand feature. We'll give the queue a second to develop.

Question: Hello, can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can Andrew.

Question: Okay. Mr. Mayor, good morning. Hope you're feeling okay. I wanted to ask about your police commissioner. What conversations have you had with Commissioner Caban in the last 24 hours? Are you firing him? Is he resigning? And if he isn't, what is the reason for that?

Mayor Adams: I communicated with the commissioner yesterday, and you know, as I've always stated, I don't go into private conversations. And whatever new changes in administrations that an administration that will be made, when they come about, we will announce them.

At this time, we're going to continue to do the job that we're doing in the New York City Police Department. No one does it better. The goal is to keep the people of this city safe, and these are professionals that are doing so, as we're going to deal with some challenges around protests and other issues that we are facing. But we're focused right now on maintaining the safety of this city, and the police [and] NYPD is going to do that..

Question: I have two questions for you, Mr. Mayor. First of all, I hope you're feeling better.

Mayor Adams: Yes, thank you.

Question: My first question is this. The police commissioner's brother, James Caban, does he still have an NYPD police protection package? And if so, should that be discontinued in light of the probe? My second question is this. Are you worried that Edward Caban's continuing position as police commissioner is a distraction? And would you rather have someone else run the department while this investigation unfolds?

Mayor Adams: The NYPD determines what type of protection is for officers and civilians, and I think they would be better capable of answering that question. And I'm not concerned about the professionalism of the NYPD, Marcia.

We have witnessed how well they operate with so many things taking place at one time in the city. We saw what happened over the summer last year after October 7th and the thousands of marches and protests. We saw the recent takedown of a dangerous person with JTTF coming into the city to harm our Jewish communities. This is a professional operation, and we're going to continue to drive down crime and keep New Yorkers safe. And I am confident in that.

Question: All right. My question for you is whether Edward Caban can professionally and efficiently execute his duties as police commissioner if he's under federal investigation, and whether the security clearance he has, including for Homeland Security, should be impacted.

Mayor Adams: I don't believe it should be. He was briefed on a JTTF takedown. Again, I cannot say more of how great this is a professional, greatest crime fighting force in the world. No one would argue with that. And it's a group of commanders and leaders that are going to continue out that function. Our job is to keep the city safe, and that is what our focus is on right now, and we continue to see the success in doing that.

Question: Mayor, I hope you're feeling a little bit better.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, Craig.

Question: So the focus here of the last few days has been on Police Commissioner Caban to resign. But, you know, there's other top officials, such as Timothy Pearson and Phil Banks, and considering this is now the second time in two separate FBI probes that Deputy Mayor Banks has been involved, has there been any – have any of these officials been placed on leave, and why or why not are you doing this?

And just a second question, and do you feel it's appropriate for one of your top administration officials to call a reporter, and I apologize for the language, just repeating what was said to me, "A fucking scumbag" when we're trying to reach out to subjects of articles?

Mayor Adams: That language, Craig, was inappropriate, and I had a very stern conversation with DCPI. We cannot allow the stress of the moment to use inappropriate tones. I stated this, I believe, earlier this year on how I think the entire country needs to tone down on some of the language that we have been using. I think we have really lost the proper decorum in our interactions. I expect more from my command staff and my leadership, and I made that clear. That was inappropriate, and I personally apologize to you for the use of that term, and the use of that communication, and you should do the same.

What was the first part – I don't remember the first part of your question, Craig. Did we lose Craig?

Deputy Mayor Levy: Craig asked about leave from folks in the administration.

Question: So, yeah, Mr. Mayor, all the focus here has been on the police commissioner to resign over the last few days, but, you know, obviously the FBI visited numerous other people in your administration, and considering this is now Phil Banks' second run-in into FBI probes, you know, has there been any conversations about these people being placed on leave, and why or why not?

Mayor Adams: They have not been accused of any wrongdoing, and I think it's imperative that we follow the process and system of doing inquiries, and that's what I've done throughout my years of law enforcement, and that's what we do in this country. And so the focus for this administration is to continue the success that we have shown throughout my years in office, and we're going to do just that.

Question: Hi, mayor. I have a similar question. Can you just... Caban is facing pressure to resign. Why is it only him? Is it because of the importance of the Police Department when it comes to your agenda? Is it because you believe that he did something wrong? Why would he be the only one to resign when Pearson and Banks and others are being investigated and your phone was seized as well?

Mayor Adams: You stated that he's being pressured to resign, and why am I considering him over others? I don't know if I ever said, I have never stated that, so I'm not sure where you've got that information from.

He has not been accused of any wrongdoing. His role is to make sure the NYPD is safe, to make sure that the city and New Yorkers are safe, and every member of this administration in their different area of responsibility must focus on those areas, and that is what we're doing. So, there's never been a comment from me that said any member of this administration has been pressured by me to resign.

Question: Hello?

Mayor Adams: Yep, we can hear you, Katie.

Question: Mayor Adams, hope you're feeling okay.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I have two questions, well, a few, actually. What's the protocol for the NYPD's interaction with the FBI now that P.C. Caban's home has been searched and his phone confiscated? Is he formally sealed off from any FBI/NYPD communications?

And I have another – I have a question for First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. I know her phone's were, it's my understanding, our understanding, that her phone was seized last week and the raid in her home that she shares with Schools Chancellor David Banks. Do you want to talk a little bit about, is this affecting your job, your day-to-day work, or I don't know if you're, was it just because you live in the same home? I don't know if you want to discuss a little bit about that.

Mayor Adams: Can you ask that first part, Katie?

Question: Sure. What's the protocol for the NYPD's interaction with the FBI now that Police Commissioner Caban's home has been searched and his cell phone or phones confiscated? Is he formally sealed off from any FBI/NYPD communications?

Mayor Adams: I think that the Bureau and the intelligence can answer that question for you. I don't know the proper protocols around when I increase of any nature how it's handled, but I'm sure both of them will be free enough to share that with you.

Question: I'm sure DCPI will be happy to discuss it in detail, but you can't answer it all. You're the mayor of the city. I know you have a law enforcement background. You can't answer it all if you've had any in your communications and knowing the sensitivity of federal security here in New York City and knowing that now there's involvement with the police commissioner, you can't speak on that at all?

Mayor Adams: No, it wasn't that I couldn't speak on it. I want to get accurate information, so the FBI will have their protocols on sharing of information, because information sharing is on different levels. I was just briefed on the JTTF actions that took place with the Canadian/Pakistani person who was coming into the city, and so they would tell you on their level of discussions on these different topics.
Dealing with terrorism has nothing to do with the inquiry that's being made in the NYPD, and so they would tell you what their protocols are. I do not make the protocols for the FBI.

Mayor Adams: She had a second question. One moment. There was a question that she presented.

First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright: Katie had a question for me. I just want to say, first of all, I remain committed to serving New Yorkers each and every single day. That is my job, and I'm committed to it, and I continue to do it. I am cooperating fully with any investigation. I'm confident that I have done nothing wrong, and I just remain committed to doing the work that we have to do.

Question: Thank you. I have several questions as well. Good morning, everyone, and Mayor Adams, I do hope you're feeling well. I hope I don't have COVID.

So I'm going to piggyback. My first question is in alignment with Katie's question. My first question is to First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. Obviously understanding that this is an ongoing investigation and you cannot speak about details of what's happening. What can you share about how this unfolded for you when you first learned about being part of this investigation or information being sought by the U.S. Attorney's Office?

My second question is, I noticed that Deputy Mayor Phil Banks is not on the briefing today. I was wondering where he is, and isn't he normally on this call? And my third question is to Mayor Adams. Considering the nature of the allegations with Commissioner Caban and his brother, what has your communications been with your nightlife mayor, [Jeffrey] Garcia?

Mayor Adams: Let me do the first two and then Sheena can respond to yours. Phil does not normally participate in these briefings that we do on our off topics. He's normally not there, so there's nothing unique about him not being here. I'm going to reach out to Director Garcia and just tell him to make sure that if there's any information that any of these inquiries participate in, that he will participate in fully, like I tell the entire team.

Question: Hey, can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Questions: Cool. So you said during this call that your top aides have not been accused of any wrongdoing. If someone in your administration was charged with a crime, would you commit to having them resign? And in that same vein for you, if you, Mr. Mayor, are charged with a crime, would you commit to resigning as mayor?

Mayor Adams: I am committed to completing my term as the mayor of the City of New York and running for re-election. That's my commitment, and continue to fight on behalf of the people of this city like I have done, and we've successfully been able to move forward our agenda. And I am committed to that. I'm committed to continue to provide for New Yorkers, and I'm not going to deal with hypotheticals. I know what's in front of us. I know the task in front of us, and we've been living up to that all the time.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can, Dan.

Question: Two questions here. I just want to make sure that when we ask the question to Sheena Wright that we can get to her. I know Darla had a question for her, and we didn't hear it.

Mr. Mayor, the first question is for you. When I spoke to you last week, you said you had full confidence in the police commissioner. And just listening to you today, I want to make sure we're very clear, because there's a lot of rumors, a lot of reporting, and a lot of sourced reporting saying that there was pressure from City Hall to ask the police commissioner to step down. Are you saying that that reporting and the source material on that is false, and that you still have no confidence in him?

Mayor Adams: It is false. If anyone is telling you that City Hall, and I am City Hall, and any orders that come from City Hall to make a personnel shift is going to come with my blessings. And that has not been, did not come from my blessing, and I'm not aware of anyone else communicating or doing such. The NYPD, their primary responsibility is to keep New Yorkers safe, and that is what they are accomplishing, and that's what we're going to continue to do.

Question: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And the second question is for the First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. I know Darla alluded to what exactly played out the morning of the rave, but I'm also curious, first deputy mayor, if you can give a little more detail as to what exactly was in the materials presented to you that allowed them to search your home, what exactly they were looking for, and the purpose of it. What investigation is this part of?

First Deputy Mayor Wright: I can't make any further comments on the investigation. I think people appreciate that.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Question: Thank you so much. Hope you are doing well. And my question is, the law enforcement agencies, they targeted you, your deputy mayor, your police commissioner, your chancellor. So, I mean, what do you think, what is the reason the FBI or any other agency, they targeted your administration?

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Listen, I realize, you know, these investigations, they raise a lot of questions and a lot of concerns. They are serious matters that must be addressed. But this administration is focused on New Yorkers, and I say it over and over again, not on investigators. We're going to continue to do our job. We're not going to speculate. The more information that comes out that we can respond to, we're going to do that.

I have to deliver for working people of this city every day, and nothing is going to distract me from doing that. And these are professionals who are here, and in spite of many of the things that have happened, from COVID to migrants to asylum seekers, to large number of protests of these deputy mayors and my chief of staff and my chief advisor and the entire team, you know, Lisa, my legal counsel, with all that has happened in this city, they have not moved away from our primary job, and that's delivering for New Yorkers. And we're seeing that every day in the successes that we've had.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Question: Hi. Sorry to hear about you being sick, Mr. Mayor. I wanted to ask, it's the number of investigations and their breadth and the fact that they are so separate from each other. Do you have any sense of what prompted them, whether it was reporting or tips provided to federal investigators, or do you think it's possible, just to play devil's advocate here, that the federal investigators are fishing a little bit, given the fact that it's such an extraordinary level of scrutiny and the breadth is so extreme of how many people they're looking into in so many separate investigations?

Mayor Adams: You know, I think that's a valid question. I don't have any information to share, but that is where we are right now, and that's a question really for them. And I think time will make a clear revealing of exactly what this is all about. But I wish I had more to share.

I want to be clear. One of the most challenging aspects of my life, I'm a person that likes to meet things head on and be forthright. I wish I could share more, and the more that I learn, I'll be able to share, but I think it would be irresponsible to comment on ongoing investigators and investigation, and I'm not going to do that.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. I hope you're feeling better. Sorry about the COVID. Thank you so much for taking your time. So, just two questions. Have you had any further contact from the FBI since you've been subpoenaed, and do you think the City Council should have more oversight of some of these positions, like the NYPD commissioner, considering, you know, what he's going through and what some other top officials in your administration are going through? Do you think the City Council should have more oversight when it comes to appointing some of these commissioners? Thank you.

Mayor Adams: Thank you, Morgan. No to the first one, and definitely no to the second.

Question: Mr. Mayor?

Mayor Adams: Yes, how are you?

Question: So, the first question is, how do you feel? I want to hear from you. How are you feeling?

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Slight tickle in my throat, you know, a little nose running, but not as I felt the first time. So, thank you for asking.

Question: And then, Mr. Mayor, the first question I have is, is this, like, is this connected? Is everything connected to only Commissioner Caban, or are these raids at the homes of your closest deputy mayors and everything is connected to a different investigation? Can you tell? Because I guess the public just wants to know, why is this happening? Is this a target of your political opponents, or is this connected with NYPD? I'm trying also to ask this question.

And the second question is, I don't know when you're going to resume your public duties, but the mayor of Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is coming with a visit to New York. I was wondering if the City Hall or you have any plans of meeting with him. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: So, your first part of the question, I really don't have that information. That is a question for the investigators, and I don't want to get ahead of their review. But I'm continuing my public duties. Trust me, there's no rest for the weary.

I've been doing zoomings and call handling, and similar to what happened in the beginning of my administration when I had COVID and we had that shooting on our subway system, I had to respond remotely, but we were able to do that. And yesterday, for example, I was briefed on the thwarted terror attack against the Jewish community by our intelligence division in NYPD. So, it doesn't stop. COVID did not stop the city from moving forward, and it's not going to stop me from doing my job as the mayor.

Question: How well do you know Terrence Banks and James Caban?

Mayor Adams: Terrence Banks' family, their dad was one of my lieutenants and a mentor. I've known the Banks family for years, and my knowing someone, I hold them to the same standards that I hold myself to, but I've known the family for a long period of time.

I don't know James Caban that well. I know he's the brother of the commissioner, and we exchange pleasantries when we see each other, as I do with everyone.

Question: Mayor, I hope you're feeling better.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I know you said that you have confidence in the NYPD, you have confidence in the commanders. Do you have confidence in Commissioner Caban that he can keep up the job in light of the investigation, which must be a distraction? Do you think he can keep up his public appearances, for example? So that's my first question.

And then my second question is, you've said that you're not the source of the reports that City Hall is pressing him to resign. Are you getting personal advice from people, either in the Police Department or within your own administration, to ask him to resign?

Mayor Adams: You know, I've said this over and over again, and I'm going to continue to repeat it. We don't discuss private conversations. If you do, that takes away and that impedes people from feeling comfortable in sharing their thoughts.

I have a great list of advisors, both who are here today, my deputy mayors, as well as those who are outside the administration. And I look forward to communicating with them, because there's some wise people in this city that come together to tell us how to make these great decisions. Like, there was a group of wise people that told us that we should appoint Randy Mastro as corporation counsel. We listen to these wise New Yorkers. We're going to continue to do so. But I don't go into private conversations.

Question: Hello?

Mayor Adams: Yes, Juliet, we can hear you.

Question: Okay, thank you. I hope you're feeling better, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: All right, so my question is – first question is – when do you decide that good government and confidence in your administration takes precedence over members of your administration under a cloud of investigations and lawsuits and previous brushes with the law?

My second question is, don't you think the police commissioner should be addressing this issue and answering questions just like you're doing today?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think that his response would be similar to mine. He's the police commissioner of the City of New York. No one knows better that you should not do anything that's going to impede an investigation, and sometimes even comments can do so. And that's why we've been extremely clear. It would be irresponsible to comment and not allow the investigation to take its course. And I think that's what he's doing, and I commend him for doing that.

I want to be extremely focused on the fact that this administration is continuing to move forward in fighting for New Yorkers. As I indicated, my goal was to see, New Yorkers have been really betrayed when it came down to the delivery of goods and services, particularly in communities of color and underserved communities. And that's our focus right now. We're going to continue to do that, and I'm proud of the accomplishments that we have made. And we're not focused on investigators. We're focused on delivering for the people of the city.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Question: Hi. I have two questions. First, Mr. Mayor, can you say when you or your administration learned of these apparently two new investigations? Was it before the raids and the phone searches last week, or was it just on that day?

Second, I actually have an unrelated question for D.M. Williams-Isom. We saw that the Hotel Association's migrant hotel contract just got renewed or extended through the end of the year, and it's reached about $1 billion, up from $987 million. We noticed that it seems like sort of a modest increase in time and size. Does that reflect that that hotel contract is winding down in any way, or does it reflect the sort of slowed pace of new arrivals that we've seen? I know the previous increase had been for a much longer time and for a bigger dollar value.

Mayor Adams: Yeah, the first part of your question, we learned when it was made public, we learned on Wednesday, I believe, of last week.

Deputy Mayor Anne Williams Isom, Health and Human Services: Yes, hi. And on my end, I'm not exactly sure about the connection, but we definitely have been seeing a decrease in the inflow. I think last week it was about 700 new people came in and about 1,000, 1,200 left. But Chief of Staff Camille, do you know the answer to that question?

Camille Joseph Varlack, Chief of Staff to the Mayor: I don't. What contract are we referring to? Which hotel?

Question: It's the master contract Hotel Association that covers, I think it's like 14,000 rooms. It started in 2022 and it just got extended to the end of the year.

Joseph Varlack: Sure. I don't have the answer as we sit here, but we'll get the answer and get it to you today.

Mayor Adams: And even with the decrease of 700, that is, even with the numbers dropping down from the 4,000 we had at one time down to 700, 700 is still a lot of people to find housing for, you know, 700 people. And so, although we're from that high of 4,000 a week to 700 a week, it's still an awesome responsibility that we're still paying for and we're still coordinating.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Question: Yeah, I hope you're feeling better. Sorry to hear you're under the weather.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: For Ms. Zornberg, which part of the U.S. Code or other areas of criminal law are cited on the subpoenas that were served to City Hall? And if you say you won't reveal it, can you cite a specific provision of law or DOJ regulation prohibiting you from providing it?

And for the mayor, how many years do you think someone needs to live in a New York neighborhood before the person is considered to be a New Yorker on par with what you consider to be a longtime resident of that neighborhood?

Mayor Adams: I don't quite understand the question that you have for me. Lisa can answer her's.

Question: I can explain after Ms. Zornberg answers mine.

Lisa Zornberg, Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall: Yeah, the simple answer to the question is that the U.S. Attorney's Office itself has made the request not to share information or details about their investigation, including any process served. So we've always cooperated with investigations. We continue to do that here, and we're respecting that request.

Mayor Adams: And your question about the neighborhood that you were asking, neighborhoods?

Question: Sure. In the past, you've made comments such as, you know, this person is from Ohio. Perhaps they're not a true resident of that neighborhood. So say that person from Ohio has lived in the neighborhood for 15, 20 years. Is that person considered a full New Yorker on par with someone who's lived there for 30, 40 years, or does it take a certain number of years for that person to be considered a true New Yorker who can give an opinion about what goes on in that neighborhood or doesn't go on?

Mayor Adams: Okay. I still don't understand the question, but I will say this. When you're here, from day one, you're going to be able to have your children in our schools. You're going to be able to have medical care. You're going to get proper protection. You're going to be able to get housing if you need it.

So it doesn't matter if you're here for one day, if you're here for 100 days. When you're in New York, you're going to be treated like a New Yorker. And the goal is to participate and love the people of the city. And that's what we do all the time. We don't walk around asking people for their birth certificates or their origin. That is what I'm known in as the mayor, the mayor that embraced this entire city, all the diversity that it has. And I'm going to continue to do that.

Question: Hi mayor.

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: I'm well, sir. Wishing you a speedy recovery. I have two questions for you and a question for D.M. Williams-Isom. So my question for you, Mr. Mayor, is last year under your leadership, the police precincts began to have weekly meetings with school leaders, and they included both charter, private and district school leaders. Do you know if they've resumed the meetings yet for this school year? Has any information gone out yet to the various school leaders? Is there a plan to resume these much needed weekly meetings? So that's my first question, Mr. Mayor.

And my second question is recently, I think it was yesterday, the governor's lawyers submitted arguments with regards to the congestion pricing lawsuit where they're saying that congestion pricing should be decided by a voter referendum. They're saying voters should decide. What is your position on that? Is that something that you think voters should decide?

And then my final question to D.M. Williams-Isom is regarding the $4,000 to migrant families. I'd like to know a little bit more, D.M. [Williams]-Isom, on exactly what are the requirements to that? From what we've covered, it seems really vague. And then what happens afterwards if they can't pay their rent? And won't this be considered a bit of an incentive for even more migrants to come to New York City because they'll be given this $4,000 for their apartments? Thank you.

Mayor Adams: First, you know, we're four days into an amazing start of our school year. And all of those successful initiatives that we did last year, we're going to continue. And if they did not start the meetings already, I'm sure that we're going to do just that. We found that it was really impressive when we looked at how the law enforcement community and our educators coordinated. They were able to really get ahead of any form of violence or any threats to our students. But we're going to continue that level of communication. We're looking forward to doing that.

D.M. Meera, you could probably talk about the congestion pricing. And then D.M. Anne, you could talk about the migrant situation.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Operations: Sure. Would you mind repeating the exact question on congestion pricing?

Mayor Adams: She was talking about the governor's lawsuit. I don't know if you had a chance to look at it, but the governor did a lawsuit calling for, I believe she stated that they're calling for a voter's referendum to make a determination.

Deputy Mayor Joshi: Yeah, this is, you know, this is obviously something that is going to be a big debate coming into the next session. The MTA's capital plan that we're leaving, the one that ends in 2024, still has a deficit from congestion pricing. And we're going into the 25 to 29 capital plan for the MTA, which will need to be funded.

So obviously the governor, the MTA, the city and the legislature, both the Assembly and the Senate, are looking for ways, including, as the governor has mentioned, a version of congestion pricing. But the idea that we would do something larger that would involve a voter referendum is certainly not off the table, by my understanding, because the amount of assets that need to be dedicated to the MTA are significant. It's a city, our city, that runs on subway and buses. And so we need to ensure the integrity and the stability of the system.

Deputy Mayor Williams-Isom: And Mona, thank you for the question. As you know, we are using all the tools that we have, whether it's our 60-day and our 30-day notices, casework, you know, our asylum application, re-ticketing of people. And that's been the reason we, even though we've had 215,000 people come to New York City, 150,000 have already made their way on to the next part of their journeys.

But you know that one of the biggest costs in all of this is the number of people. So we've been laser-focused on ways in order to continue to decrease our census. So this pilot allows us to support people as they're making that next journey. And whether or not that's with moving or with making sure they're paying broker's fees, we're taking some of the lessons that we know that we have already in our DHS system and seeing if they work in this particular part of the system.

We also know that it's more cost-efficient. Keeping somebody in shelter for a year is very expensive. So we want to find ways that we can connect people and get people out very quickly. It's a small, small pilot when you think about the amount of people that we have coming in. And so we want to see if it works or not. The mayor has asked us to focus on bringing down the cost, moving people out of shelter, focusing on exits and getting the census down. So that's what we're trying to do.

Questions: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor. Sorry I can't be with us in person today. I know there are real reasons that you can't really talk about everything that's happening here, but you did say at the top that you wanted to share as much detail as possible, and I wanted to give you the opportunity to tell us and just tell New Yorkers as much as you can about what happened last week and how you've been moving forward.

So, for example, can you tell us exactly who in your administration has been contacted by federal investigators, as you've done in the past following these raids? How many people have turned over their devices? Have you made the decision to strip any of those people of responsibility as a result of the seizures?

My second question is, were you aware of the fact that Terry Banks was representing clients with business before the city? Have you met with him in the last year? And finally, just because I didn't hear an answer to Liz's question, do you still have full confidence in Commissioner Caban?

Zornberg: Yes, mayor, if I could. Let me just jump in at the top, as you'll decide, of course, how to answer the question. But the aspects of the question that are asking about law enforcement outreaches and who had outreaches and what was taken or not taken, those are all aspects of pending investigations that it would be improper for us to share because we are in a posture of not wanting to impede any investigation. But with that caveat ...

Question: Why is that different than when the mayor had his phones taken and you shared with us that back in November? What's different here?

Zornberg: You know, I'm not at liberty to talk about the communications that we have with the U.S. Attorney's Office. What I can say is that we are trying to be as respectful as we can. The mayor has already said that this is something that we take incredibly seriously and we're making those decisions as we go. So this is just a level of caution that I'm expressing to you and to the mayor in order to ensure that we're not doing anything that would impede pending investigations.

Mayor Adams: Could not have said it better, Lisa. What was the first part of your question? Or the second part, I missed the, I think there was another aspect of it.

Question: Yeah. So, if you won't say even how many people had their divorces seized, I'm wondering if you could say whether anyone, you know, if their duties have changed as a result of this.

Also, were you aware that Terry Banks was representing clients with business before the city, having met with him in the last year? And also, just repeating a question earlier, do you still have full confidence in Commissioner Caban?

Mayor Adams: I have the utmost confidence in the New York City Police Department. That is where my utmost confidence is. They have shown consistently their ability to keep the city safe in every aspect of that. I continue to believe we need to stay focused on that.

As I indicated, I've known Terry Banks for many years. I've known the Banks family, and I've seen them in social settings. I had no meeting with him about any clients at City Hall and he [has not] come in to sit down and meet with me about any of his clients. So, I stay focused on, we have a system in place of any new initiatives that would like to be presented to the city. We have a system that is vetted properly. We're going to continue to carry out that system.

Question: Hope you're 100 percent soon.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I know it sounds repetitive, but do you want the police commissioner to remain police commissioner? And second, federal investigations, to state the obvious, are significant headaches. Is there any way in which, though, you welcome this as a challenge? And are you concerned the investigations are politically motivated?

Mayor Adams: Well, first of all, no one welcomes any form of law enforcement action when they know that they have done nothing wrong. So, let's be clear on that.

My job, when we first became aware of the first inquiry around Turkey, was to continue to do the success that we were focused on. And I told the team that as a former law enforcement officer, and who I am, I'm going to follow the law. And I shared that with them. They put their heads down and focused on going into each one of their portfolios and delivering for the people of the city. And I think that success says a lot.

And every administration, they go through some form of inquiries. I don't know of one that did not, going back as long as I can remember. But the mayors have told me that I respect it. They've told me that during these times, you have to be focused on your core mission, and that's delivering for New Yorkers. And that's what I'm going to do.

I just have a lot of faith in the NYPD, not only as a place that I've served in, but now as part of my administration. They're doing the job I called on them to do, and they're going to continue to do that.

Question: Hi, mayor, I hope you're feeling better.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Mayor Adams: I know you've said in the past that the investigation into your 2021 campaign fundraising would not be a distraction, and you would continue to do your job on behalf of New Yorkers.
With these new inquiries, do you believe that they and the unanswered questions that are hanging out there about potential wrongdoing are distracting to the rest of the administration and ultimately engender a lack of public trust in you and your top officials? And secondly, because it was brought up earlier, is there a reason that Deputy Mayor Banks doesn't usually join these off-topic briefings when most of your other deputy mayors usually do?

Mayor Adams: Well, first the first part, since the first investigation started, you think about it 10 months ago, I think that we should do a real analysis of how well we have done as a city. Eight straight months in decreasing crime. What we've done around jobs, the more private sector jobs in the history of the city, how we turned around our subway system from crime, the lowest in 14 years, if you take away the two years from COVID. Many people were amazed to see we got 100 percent of our early childhood seats that are in place.

You're witnessing an administration that understands things are going to happen in this city. And so I want to be clear, in this administration, we are focused on New Yorkers, not investigators. You have to be. If you're not focused on New Yorkers, you can't deliver from New Yorkers. And New Yorkers that have reached out to me, say, Eric, keep doing the job that you're doing. And I'm going to fight for this city. If I think something is wrong happening to the city, I'm going to stand up and I'm going to fight for this city. I fought for the city to protect it as a cop. And I did it. I'm doing it as the mayor. And sometimes that's not a popular thing to do, but it's the right thing to do. And I'm going to fight on behalf of New Yorkers.

Question: Hello, can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can, Mark.

Question: Oh, great. I was having trouble with that mute button. Thanks, everybody. Mr. Mayor, I had a question. I know you've been asked during this press conference a number of different times about the police commissioner, and you've stated your support for the NYPD. But just again about Commissioner Caban, can you say right now whether or not you think that he's going to stay in his position in light of everything that's happened?

And the second question is, if not, what's the bar for having somebody in your administration have to step down? I know there's been a lot of inquiries. I know a lot of people have had search warrants issued. But what's the bar for you? Like, at what point would you say to somebody in your administration that they either need to resign or that you need to replace them?

Mayor Adams: Well, one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to go into hypotheticals. And I think every situation needs to be respected on its own based on the circumstances.

What's important to me, and the reason I keep saying NYPD, because Commissioner Caban is part of a team there, and an entire team has to function. One person does not determine the success of the New York City Police Department. That entire team, and I have confidence, 100 percent confidence in that team to keep our city safe. And if there's a change of personnel in this city, we're going to do what we've always have done. We announce it, and if someone decides to go on with another aspect of their lives, we will announce that as well.

Question: Hello. Hi, mayor. Can you hear me, sir?

Mayor Adams: Yes, I can. How are you?

Question: I'm well. I hope you feel better.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I just want to ask you about your hard-earned reputation for loyalty. Many years of serving the city in public office. New York Post editorial said you may be loyal to a fault last week amidst all these investigations. So I'll ask you the question point-blank. Are you loyal to a fault? Should you be firing people right now?

Mayor Adams: Well, you know, my loyalty does not go past if someone does something wrong. You know, I'm loyal to believing in what I think this country stands for, and that's due process. But let's not get it mixed up. My loyalty does not go to the point if you are found to have done something wrong. We all have to live up to the standards, and that's the standard that I hold for myself and others, to follow the law and be committed to this city.

No one has been accused of any wrongdoing, and I expect everyone to keep doing their jobs and delivering for New Yorkers. I don't want anyone to mix up my belief in allowing people to have the due process they deserve. It has nothing to do with my loyalty to them.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes.

Question: Hi, Mr. Mayor. Like everyone else said, I hope you're feeling okay. You know, you expressed that you're running for re-election next year still. I guess, how do you tell New Yorkers that they should re-elect you when there's all these investigations surrounding your first term in office, which hasn't even finished yet?

And then, secondly, Nick asked before about, you know, when you learned about these investigations. I think you said it was Wednesday when it came out. It actually was reported on Thursday. So I was just wondering if you actually learned on Wednesday or if you met Thursday. Thank you.

Mayor Adams: I'm not sure of the exact date. I'll take a peek in my journal, but I'm not sure of the exact date. But it was around the same time that they became public.

And I think that in your question you're talking about why New Yorkers should re-elect me. You know, this is not about giving campaign pitches right now. This is about me being focused on delivering for New Yorkers. And I think it says a lot. When you look at inheriting a 40 percent increase in crime in January 1st, 2022, [inaudible] lot of jobs were, COVID engulfing the city. Where we are now from where we were, I think New Yorkers are going to look around and determine that they're living in a safe, clean city where their children can have a great future.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can.

Question: Great. Thank you. Hope you're feeling better, Mr. Mayor.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: I have two questions. First, the Post recently reported the contract for the shelter at Floyd Bennett Field expires on the 14th. Is the administration planning on extending the contract by six months, a year? Are new contracts that help asylum seekers still under the emergency contract category? Or will a regular RFP and vetting process be used for the new contracts?

Second question. So your City of Yes housing push. Last month, there was a court that struck down a measure to expand rental assistance after City Council overrode a veto of yours that stopped expansion of rental assistance. Can you go into why there seems to be two opposing messages: we need more housing, but we won't expand rental assistance?

Mayor Adams: Yeah. Camille, can you talk about the Floyd Bennett Field? And D.M. Maria, can you talk about the last question?

Joseph Varlack: Sure. With respect to the Floyd Bennett Field contract, we are in conversations and negotiations with the federal government about the extension of that. And with respect to any other contracts having to do with the asylum seekers, they will continue to go through the traditional contract process with all of the rules and regulations that relate to it. So thank you.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce: And on the second question, I don't think we've been sending mixed messages at all about the city's need to address its longstanding housing crisis. The lawsuit and ongoing discussion on CityFHEPS has its own set of details. But those types of vouchers are not that useful if we don't have enough supply of housing.

The mayor has talked on this call about the need to hew to our core mission. That core mission has been since day one of this administration to address the housing crisis. And to address that, we need to get at the root of the supply problem. And that's why the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity has been such a critical component of our strategies and we are quite encouraged that four of the five borough presidents have voted in favor.

That obviously comes to the City Council before the end of the year. And we're going to keep up the advocacy and stressing both to our partners in the City Council and to all New Yorkers the need to use every tool at our disposal, from our record capital budget to record numbers of affordable housing to an executive order that uses every public site to the historic Albany housing package that we got to every single zoning reform that is needed, including the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity to increase supply. So that continues to motivate us. And we're continuing to work full steam ahead to make sure each and every one of those initiatives gets implemented.

Question: Can you hear me all right?

Mayor Adams: How are you?

Question: I'm good. I'm good. How are you?

Mayor Adams: Great.

Question: Good. So as we've kind of focused on in this conversation, there have been these various investigations and raids. But how are city workers being affected closely with or under these top investigators on your team who have been investigated? Are their responsibilities changing at all? Are they seeing any differences in their work as these investigations continue?

Mayor Adams: Well, I think that they're New Yorkers. And nothing personifies the resiliency and strength of New Yorkers, I believe, in my lifetime than September 11. I often say that we talk about the day that is tomorrow when we commemorate those who were lost. But I like to always think about September 12. We got up and we did our job. And that is who I am. I'm a resilient New Yorker.

And over 300,000 employees in the city, they're New Yorkers. They feel the grit and the grind and the attitude that you have to get up and produce. And New Yorkers are counting on us. And we continue to deliver. No one can take that away. Trash is going to continue to be picked up. Streets are going to continue to be clean. Children are going to be enrolled in our schools. We're going to deal with the uncertainty like a migrant crisis. And that's what they're doing every day, putting one foot in front of the other, doing the job that they're hired to do. And that is the confidence I have in this city. We're New Yorkers.

Question: Can you hear me?

Mayor Adams: Yes, we can. JR, how are you?

Question: I am well. I'm wishing you a speedy recovery.

Mayor Adams: Thank you.

Question: Mr. Mayor, gun violence in America continues to plague us. Last Monday, gun violence marred the West Indian Day Carnival. Five people were shot. Two people succumbed to their wounds. Was it gang-related? Was it random? And did you find the shooter? Secondly, the presidential debate is tonight. What [does] Kamala Harris have to do to change the dynamic and win over voters in this very close election?

Mayor Adams: Well, firstly, the violence is still an active investigation by the NYPD. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. Such an act that should not have taken place. And the person that's responsible, we are going to find and we're going to hold them accountable for it. And you're right, the issue of gun violence is something that is really plaguing our country.

We must do everything possible to remove this gun culture and the overproliferation of guns that are in too many of our inner cities in general, but specifically here in New York. And that's why this administration has been laser-focused on that. When you look at the thousands of illegal guns we have removed off the streets, and even on that weekend, 25, 25 guns that were loaded were removed off our streets, 10 along the parade route. That says a lot about how we are continuing to lean into this issue of gun violence.

The question you asked about the campaign, I think our chief counsel made it clear that we don't want to use these off-topics or any other item where we are sponsoring as to talk about the politics of this. All I can hope for is a good, healthy debate where Americans will hear the ideas to move our country forward.

Question: As you know, I'm very concerned about my community, Community Board 11. When you spoke, I want to thank you for our new, or I thank the Police Department for our new commanding officer. And crime has finally started to decrease here in 49th Precinct. So thank you.

Mayor Adams: You're welcome.

Question: My problem is with the community board application process of Bronx Borough President Gibson. I received a community board appointment letter this year from her. And she said to look at the body of the letter, which said that I wasn't reappointed to the community board, which I never was on.

I sat on two committees of this community board, the only person in the community. I'm a former member of another community board in a different part of the Bronx. And at the first meeting of this Community Board 11 here in the Bronx, there was a new member that Borough President Gibson appointed who asked, what does the community board do? And I was one of the few people who had to help answer that question, what a community board does.

Now, I saw Borough President Gibson Sunday, September 18th outside the Bronx Democratic Party headquarters, where there was a rally going for Kamala Harris with Governor Hochul there. And when I showed Borough President Gibson this email that I received, she acted as if it was the first time she saw it. And she thought that I received something that said I didn't get appointed.

How can you, is there something you can do? Can you fire Borough President Gibson for her incompetence and her office incompetence? And how is she putting on people that know nothing about a community board when she says to me that I'll never sit on a Bronx community board while she's a borough president? Is there something that the mayor of New York City can do that community boards are properly trained their people and have the experience? Or can you do away with community boards totally?

Mayor Adams: Well, you know, I think the architects of our government put these various entities in place to have the balance of power, something I talk about all the time. And they serve us well. And community boards is really one of the most local levels to hear the voices of those who live in a particular community. And I'm sure B.P. Gibson, as well as the other borough presidents, are doing the best they can to properly train and get the information to their community boards members.

And it's exciting when you have a new person that comes on and as they learn the process. Because what I found as a borough president, many people were on for so many years instead of allowing new ideas to come about. And, you know, someone may come on and don't know the full scope of their responsibility. Everyone has a learning curve in life. That's a sign of growth. And I think you should nurture and take that person under your wings so that they can learn the full scope of what a community board is doing. And I'm pretty sure the borough presidents are also giving people preliminary training. I know we did it when I was borough president. If they didn't, I would share with them some of the things that we did.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Thanks, everyone. Take care.