The Plenary has defended that the commission given to Kathryn Gustafson should be the subject of public consultation.
In the Hemicycle, it has also been agreed to «build or acquire houses in order to reach the 1,000 announced at the beginning of the current mandate.»
Likewise, a motion presented by the Socialist municipal group against LGTBIfobia has been approved.
«The City Council of València, integrated into the Central Park Society and in coordination with it, will continue to promote the commission given to the landscape architect and author of the Central Park project, Kathryn Gustafson, so that its update will be the subject of a public participation process.»
This agreement has been approved as an alternative to a proposal from the socialist group, with the votes of the government team and without the support of the opposition. During the debate, the voice of the «Green Corridor» Platform has also been heard, which, «backed by more than 40,000 signatures,» has «demanded that the undergrounding of the train tracks allow the construction of a large garden and not a highway.»
On behalf of the Socialist Municipal Group, Councilor María Pérez has proposed that «the City Council promote a process of public participation so that citizens can express their needs and that Gustafson’s team also redesign the urbanization project of the area and include housing facilities.» The socialist motion has also requested that «an existing mobility report that guaranteed access to housing be recovered.»
In the same vein, Councilor Sergi Campillo from Compromís has argued that «with this action, the City Council has a golden opportunity, as it was with the conversion of the old riverbed into the current Turia Garden, to design this area of València with a climate vision and turn it into a friendly space for the neighborhood.» «With the project defended by the government team, València will have a car avenue and not a green corridor,» he lamented.
On his part, Councilor Juan Giner from the Urbanism department has assured citizen participation in this project, «which will guarantee a green space compatible with the basic needs of security, accessibility, and mobility of the area.» «We work to provide a solution to the neighborhoods in the south of the city, with green areas, safe access, and the necessary public facilities,» he concluded.
Motion against LGTBIfobia
The Plenary has also approved, with the votes in favor of PSPV-PSOE and Compromís, the motion presented by the Socialist municipal group against LGTBIfobia and has rejected, with the votes against the government team and one abstention, the motion presented by Compromís to urge the mayor to show her rejection of the cuts in the Valencian trans law.
Before the joint debate of these two motions, several representatives of affected groups have intervened in the Plenary to show their rejection of the «regressive» amendments of Law 8/2017 of the Valencian Community that will be voted on tomorrow in the Valencian Courts. Thus, the president of the State LGTBi+ Federation, Paula Iglesias, after recounting various cases of harassment and violence against trans people, has called for a «real commitment» from administrations and public policies through which «the collective is protected against the current rise of hatred that is mainly directed against young trans people.»
On the other hand, Juan Francisco Fernández, general coordinator of Lambda, has directly addressed the mayor, María José Catalá, regarding the vote on the law modification tomorrow, which «represents a direct attack on the rights of trans people, especially minors, introduces illegal conversion therapies, institutionalizes the right to discriminate, and turns it into a trans apartheid.»
Likewise, Javier Gil from Samarucs has denounced in the Plenary «the fear that trans people victims of LGTBIfobia experience because having an identity is a risk,» as they «can be harassed or assaulted at the gym, on the street, or at work, and to go unnoticed they have to pretend.» In his intervention, Gil has also cited data on hate crimes, the second cause at the national level, as well as the tripling of crimes related to gender identity.
Raquel Viguer from the Chrysallis association, who has also intervened in the Plenary representing families with trans children, has narrated through real cases the difficulties faced by minors and adolescent trans individuals, «the mockery and harassment» they are subjected to in their daily lives. Viguer has indicated that the amendments that are intended to be introduced in the law have been prepared without consulting experts, endanger transgender health, eliminate the accompaniment protocol for trans students, one of the most important actions available, and will imply greater vulnerability and lack of protection.
Finally, Chelo Valls, representative of Orriols en Lucha and CCOOPV, has emphasized that the amendments to be voted on tomorrow in Les Corts go against trans people and minors, sexual diversity, gender identity, educational programs, and human rights. Likewise, Valls has stated that «they put harassers and harassed on the same level» and has requested that tomorrow «people be above the voting discipline and that their rulers protect them.»
After these interventions, Nuria Llopis, from the Socialist group PSPV-PSOE, has stated that «unfortunately, LGTBIfobia is still present» and has proposed to the Plenary «to strengthen municipal protection mechanisms; publicly condemn the regressive modification of Law 8/2017 of the Valencian Community; promote permanent awareness campaigns, especially in the educational environment; reinforce the Office of Non-Discrimination with more resources; and establish a system of collecting own data and indicators at the municipal level on hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.»
On the other hand, Luisa Notario, representing Compromís, has pointed out that «we should be talking about advances in rights, but once again we are talking about setbacks and it is because the PP, hand in hand with Vox, has started the largest campaign of cuts in rights that will have consequences in people’s lives.» As Notario explained, Law 8/2017 placed us at the forefront of human rights, and now it will be dismantled and leave trans people in a vulnerable situation.» The Compromís councilor has also asked the mayor «to take a stand because they are going to equate trans rights with transphobia and has concluded that they cannot be a bargaining chip to keep Mazón and thus cover up their incapacity in the management of the dana.»
Similarly, Rocío Gil, representative of the Popular municipal group, who has regretted not being able to present an alternative motion because an agreement could not be reached, has highlighted «the firm and unequivocal commitment of the government team to the LGTBIQ+ community and respect for gender self-determination» and has stated that «all people who wish to do so will be able to register for the Gay Games in total freedom.» In her speech, Gil has explained the actions that the City Council of València is carrying out in defense of LGTBIQ+ activity and rights.
Finally, the Vox spokesperson, José Gosálbez, in his speech, has defended the reform of the law, as he has stated that with the amendments «it has been emptied of ideological content and totalitarian impositions and now equality and freedom are guaranteed.»
Right of first refusal and withdrawal
Subsequently, the Plenary has decided that «the City Council, within the framework of the +Housing Plan, will continue, directly or indirectly, to build or acquire houses in order to reach the 1,000 announced at the beginning of the current mandate.»
This proposal from the government team has been approved, without the support of the opposition and as an alternative to a motion from the Compromís Municipal Group that has requested, for example, that «the City Council commit to exercising its right of first refusal and withdrawal, preferably to acquire, the building in the La Torre neighborhood where a real estate investment company aspires to purchase 134 houses.»
«We want the City Council to incorporate these houses into the public social rental park and urge the Generalitat to defend the right of first refusal and withdrawal as a legal tool to curb speculation and guarantee access to decent housing for the citizens,» defended the spokesperson for Compromís, Papi Robles.
The spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group, Borja Sanjuan, who has joined this proposal, has lamented that, «currently, in València, houses are treated as raw material, as if it were wheat or coal,» and has stated that «if the City Council intervened, vulture funds would not come to speculate.» «What this motion proposes is a legitimate defense policy to defend that the city is not a Monopoly board,» affirmed the socialist councilor.
The Councilor for Urbanism, Juan Giner, has stated that «when talking about the critical housing situation and the difficulties that citizens face in accessing housing, we must talk about the state problem generated by the Housing Law approved by the central government.» On the other hand, the councilor has spoken about the investment made by the local government in the last two years (44.3 million euros) and the municipal measures taken to facilitate access to housing.
Homeless people
During the plenary session, there has also been a debate on the situation of homeless people in the city, in line with the motion presented by the councilor of the Compromís Municipal Group, Lucía Beamud. The motion proposed, among other measures, the «implementation and annual evaluation of all actions approved in the Social Intervention Strategy with homeless people in the city of Valencia 2022-2027,» and the creation of a permanent commission on settlements and homeless people in the Council of Social Rights.
Before the debate, representatives of different social organizations in support of the Compromís motion, and against the evictions of homeless people, have taken the floor. David Calabuig, from the Intercultural Candombe Association and former worker at the El Carmen low-demand shelter, has denounced «the dismantling of settlements without offering a real alternative solution, given that both the CAST and the CAI are overwhelmed and do not have places to offer.» On the other hand, two homeless individuals have intervened in the Plenary, through Intersindical Valenciana, and have announced the upcoming creation of the first Homeless People’s Association in Spain, which will start operating in València shortly.
Councilor Lucía Beamud has denounced «the dismantling of municipal social services,» and has emphasized that «poverty is not a decoration that can be removed and taken to the outskirts of the city.» On her part, Councilor Maite Ibáñez, from the Socialist municipal group, has criticized «the lack of social responses» and that only «police raids» are offered. In addition, she has stated that «Social Services staff can’t take it anymore, there are 123 vacant positions not filled.»
The Councilor for Social Services, Marta Torrado, has rejected all these criticisms and has accused Compromís and PSPV of «using misery in a twisted way to drown the City Council because people don’t matter to them.» Torrado has assured that the municipal government will double the resources dedicated to homeless people compared to the previous government, and has announced the upcoming allocation of 650,000 euros for actions in substandard housing and settlements, as well as the upcoming use of 80 new shelter places. The motion has finally been rejected, as it did not obtain enough votes, since PP and Vox voted against.
Motions for Palestine
Representatives of the Palestinian community in València have participated this Tuesday as guests in the City Council Plenary to raise «a cry for peace» and denounce the «genocide» that Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip, which has caused «more than 60,000 deaths.»
Originally, the Socialist Group had presented a motion «in support of the Palestinian people and for the defense of human rights in Gaza,» in which they requested, among other points, that the City Council of València strongly condemn «the genocide committed by the State of Israel in the Gaza Strip, for constituting a systematic violation of International Humanitarian Law and a collective punishment that has caused tens of thousands of civilian deaths.»
To this initiative, the Compromís Group had proposed a complementary motion, in which they urged the Plenary to condemn the «genocide, murders, and bombings committed by Israel,» as well as to point out as «accomplices» those who do not condemn the «genocide.»
The two motions presented by the opposition groups were rejected with the votes of the government team made up of the Popular and Vox groups. Therefore, the text presented by the Popular group and defended in the hemicycle by Councilor Paula Llobet has been approved, in which, among other points, they defended «València’s commitment to human rights» and proposed to «strongly condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,250 civilians, as well as the kidnapping of hundreds of people.»
In this line, the City Council has requested «the Government of Israel to immediately cease all military activities against the Palestinian civilian population and respect International Humanitarian Law.» In addition, the Plenary has demanded that «Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza immediately release Israeli and foreign civilians held as hostages, and Israel release arbitrarily detained individuals.»
FUENTE
