Meeting Transcript

So good afternoon and welcome to Pittsburgh City Council Cable Cast Public Hearing for Tuesday, January 27, 2026, relative to bills 2026, 39 and 40. Would the clerk please read the title of the bills? Bill 39 ordinance directing the Allegheny County Board of Elections to place before the qualified voters of the City of Pittsburgh at the 2026 May primary election a referendum question. Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, Article 3 Legislative Branch, be amended by changing the budget approval rules to ensure timely passage at the end of the legislative session and Bill 40 ordinance directing the Allegheny County Board of Elections to place before the qualified voters of the City of Pittsburgh. At the 2026 May primary election, a referendum question. Shall the Pittsburgh Home Rule Charter, Article 3 Legislative Branch, be amended by changing public hearing notice requirements to adjust the public hearing notice requirements in light of the loss of both newspapers of general circulation in the city. Thank you very much. Let the record reflect that we are currently joined by Councilwoman. And I believe that's all for right now. I believe we have one registered speaker, Ikahana Hal Malkina. I apologize. Thank you. No worries, uh Daniel uh Laval because people mix us up all the time. Good day, everybody. I'm here today uh to speak on behalf. Oh, let me just start from the beginning. So my title is Chief of My Chak Mamia Halehi, and I'm here today on behalf of Upstream Pittsburgh and the Environmental Justice Table, representing residents and community members from environmental justice communities across the city of Pittsburgh. I'm speaking today in response to bills 39 and 40, which propose amendments to the Pittsburgh Home World Charter related to the budget approval times and public hearing notices, notice requirements, and which would be placed before voters in the May 2026 primary. We recognize the intent behind these proposals, particularly the need for timely governance and the reality that Pittsburgh has lost both newspapers of general circulation. However, for environmental justice communities, how these changes are designed and implemented matters deeply because notice access and participation are not abstract principles. They determine whether residents and community members can meaningfully engage in democracy at all. For communities that already face barriers, such as limited internet access, language access needs disabilities, irregular work schedules, and historic exclusion from decision making public notice requirements are often the only bridge to participation. When those requirements are altered, especially in response to institutional changes like the loss of newspapers, the risk is not neutral. Without strong safeguards, the risk falls disproportionately on the same communities that are already underrepresented. Transparency cannot be reduced to a matter of administrative administrative efficiency and inclusion cannot be sacrificed in the name of expediency. If public hearing notices are no longer anchored to traditional print media, this then the city has an obligation to replace, not weaken those channels. That means investing in multiple accessible community-centered forms of notice, including neighborhood-based outreach, trusted community organizations, accessible digital platforms, and clear timelines that allow residents and community members time to understand and respond. Similarly, with respect to budget approval rules, environmental justice communities need assurance that changes intended to ensure timeliness do not inadvertently compress uh opportunities for public input, limit community oversight and reduce transparency in how public dollars are allocated, especially when those dollars directly affect housing, infrastructure, environmental health, and basic needs. Putting these questions before voters is appropriate. But only if voters, particularly those from historically marginalized communities and aboriginal American indigenous communities, are given clear, accessible, and honest information about what these amendments would change and how their voices will be continue to be protected. Today we urge City Council commit publicly to enhance not diminish public notice standards, ensure the environmental justice communities and indigenous communities are actively engaged in outreach and education around the these referendums and affirm the efficiency in government will not come to at the expense of the democratic access or public trust. Environmental justice is about fairness and process as much as fairness and outcome. Thank you very much. Also, I want to let the record reflect that we've been joined by Councilman Mosley. Are there anyone in attendance wishing to speak? Please raise your hand at this time. Let the record reflect that Councilman Deborah Gross was also on line with us. That is actually the intent of what we're doing here. With that, having exhausted the business of this meeting, we are adjourned.