| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by Harry's | Starting today, indoor dining will again be closed across New York City. Less than two and a half months after restaurants were allowed to open their dining rooms at reduced capacity, surging hospitalizations for Covid-19 prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to order the new shutdown. The major reversal in the city's reopening comes as the second wave of the pandemic in New York — and yes, we're now officially in one — continues to worsen. All three of the city's public health metrics blew past their targets on Friday for the first time since tracking began, with hospitalizations passing the 200-mark. "This is now clearly a second wave in New York City that has reached every part of the city," said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who supported the ban on indoor dining. Cuomo said he was acting in part due to new CDC guidance highlighting the risks of indoor restaurants, where masks cannot be worn and infections have been known to spread beyond six feet, though he will allow them to remain open in other parts of the state. Outdoor dining and takeout will still be allowed. Some restaurants, if they've managed to weather the last nine months, see the latest round of closures as a death blow. While some business owners quibble with the data behind the restrictions, for many, the most galling thing has been the lack of help for an industry every leader likes to hail as the city's lifeblood. "The restrictions begin on Monday with zero economic support for small businesses that are already struggling to survive," said Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance. The city and state cry poverty, but pressure for some form of bailout for restaurants that keep dropping like flies is likely to increase. One proposal calls for the state to stop collecting sales tax from restaurants and treat that money as grants, and to waive or refund fees for licenses. IT'S MONDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S ANDREW? No public schedule available by press time. WHERE'S BILL? Appearing on CNN's New Day and on NY1's Inside City Hall. ABOVE THE FOLD: "On Monday, New York State's presidential electors will gather at the state Capitol in Albany to officially cast votes for Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice President of the United States. The list of 29 electors certified by the New York State Board of Elections includes a who's who of the state Democrats, including statewide elected officials, labor leaders, party loyalists and mayors of major cities. Notably absent from the list is New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. While the event is largely ceremonial, a sort-of politico-prom traditionally with a luncheon and the formal signing and casting of electoral ballots which are then sent to Congress, the event will be scaled back this year as the COVID-19 pandemic surges across the state. Still, being invited to convene there is a sign of power, prestige, and respect conferred by the leaders of the state party. And being left out could be seen as the opposite. "The list of electors was approved by the members of the New York State Democratic Committee at a meeting in September, but the nominations are made by Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, who said leaving de Blasio off the list was a deliberate decision. 'Frankly, none of us in the state party felt that, given that he had run for the office of president against Joe Biden, it just might not be wise,' Jacobs told Gothamist / WNYC. It's not that he thought de Blasio wouldn't vote for Biden, he said, 'It just would be putting him in an unusual position, having to vote in an electoral college, for somebody that he had run in opposition to.'" WNYC's Brigid Bergin | | | | A message from Harry's: Introducing Harry's new, sharper blades: From past experience with other brands, we've grown used to razor innovations often leading to higher price tags. Not this time around. Men's grooming startup Harry's just came out with their sharpest blades ever—without raising prices, breaking the traditional pattern of upcharging used by many razor companies. Learn more about Harry's new, sharper blades and how you can give them a try, 100% risk-free. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "REPRESENTATIVE Max Rose, the brash Staten Island Democrat who recently lost his re-election race, appears all but certain to run for mayor of New York City , confirming for the first time that he is exploring a bid and casting his potential candidacy as a sharp rebuke of the de Blasio administration. Mr. Rose's entry into the race at a moment of extraordinary crisis for New York would test whether a relatively moderate Democrat could catch fire in a crowded field that may be defined by debates over both ideology and matters of competence. Mr. Rose has little background in navigating the byzantine corridors of city bureaucracy, and on Thursday, his team took the unusual step of registering a mayoral campaign committee with the city's Campaign Finance Board, with no announcement or much public elaboration. In his first extensive remarks since then, Mr. Rose positioned himself as a blunt, populist possible contender who hopes to frame his background outside of city government as a source of fresh perspective rather than a mark of managerial inexperience." New York Times' Katie Glueck — Rose's base on Staten Island and in southern Brooklyn has some of the lowest turnouts in Democratic primaries. No Staten Islander has been elected mayor since the city's consolidation in 1898. "TEACHERS AT P.S. 63 anticipated their Bronx school would shut down this week when they learned from a company conducting on-site COVID-19 tests that three students were positive for the virus. Two cases are supposed to trigger a building shutdown for at least 24-hours to investigate any possible links. But the building stayed open, and while some classrooms were closed, families didn't hear about it until well into the night, a staff member at P.S. 63 told Chalkbeat. 'I feel like they're just making it up along the way and it doesn't make sense,' the staffer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, said. 'This type of inconsistency is going to get people sick.' New York City launched its so-called Situation Room this fall with the goal of quickly alerting school communities to positive COVID-19 cases. Ever since, the program has been riddled with glitches — long waits for test results, failures to let 'close contacts' know that they may have been exposed, conflicting guidance for principals, and confusing letters to families." Chalkbeat's Amy Zimmer and Christina Veiga "MARCIA MORENO still had her suitcases packed. She'd planned to visit family in Costa Rica, though those plans were put on hold indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 84-year-old had immigrated to Staten Island from Costa Rica in her twenties and raised her family in the borough's New Dorp neighborhood. "She was gonna go," said her 59-year-old daughter Anayancy Houseman. "She loved to travel." Moreno was living alone and diligently isolating for most of the pandemic, her daughter said. But she fell in October, and was sent to a rehab facility where she was diagnosed with COVID in late November. She was transferred to Staten Island University Hospital a few days later… "Her mother died in the hospital bed on December 4th, one of a growing number of Staten Islanders who've succumbed to the virus , as hospitalizations and cases continue to rise in the borough. 'I just wish that people would think about how people die and how they die alone. I saw my mother so I had to go into quarantine. So I haven't had anybody hug me [since],' said Houseman. 'She suffered. It's an ugly death.' Staten Island residents now account for nearly a quarter of the all confirmed COVID deaths in the last week, despite making up just five percent of the city's population." WNYC's Gwynne Hogan — Hart Island will be home to a memorial to the pandemic's casualties. "PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden has his eye on two New Yorkers for the federal government's top transportation job, according to sources with knowledge of the decision. Interim NYC Transit President Sarah Feinberg and former city Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg are both being vetted by the incoming administration for transportation secretary, sources said. Both officials held high-ranking roles at the U.S. Department of Transportation during President Barack Obama's administration — and both have long histories with Biden." New York Daily News' Clayton Guse "CITY HALL AND the NYPD knew in advance that an Orthodox synagogue would hold a massive funeral in Williamsburg Monday, and begged leaders to comply with COVID-19 restrictions — to no avail, The Post has learned. In pleas before the event, Mayor de Blasio's representatives, including Pinny Ringel, the mayor's liaison to the Orthodox Jewish community, asked the Yetev Lev D'Satmar temple at 152 Rodney St. to hold the funeral more safely outside, or at least require that everyone wear masks. The Satmar sect leaders refused, agreeing only to announce that masks were available at the door, sources revealed. When officials threatened to shut down the funeral, the synagogue leaders dared them to do so, saying in essence: 'Go ahead, make a spectacle,' a source said...The city did nothing to halt or break up the potential super-spreader event, which drew an estimated 5,000 mostly maskless mourners, according to witnesses." New York Post's Susan Edelman | | | | BIG SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: In the runup to Inauguration Day, president-elect Joe Biden's staffing decisions are sending clear-cut signals about his priorities. What do these signals foretell? Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter is breaking big news and analyzing the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "A FORMER AIDE to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who is now running for Manhattan borough president accused him of sexual harassment in a series of tweets Sunday, saying he made inappropriate comments about her appearance. Lindsey Boylan tweeted that the Democratic governor 'sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched.' 'I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years,' she continued. Asked for comment, Cuomo's press secretary Caitlin Girouard said, 'There is simply no truth to these claims.' Boylan, 36, worked for the Cuomo administration from March 2015 to October 2018, serving first as executive vice president of Empire State Development, and then as a special adviser to Cuomo for economic development. She did not provide details of the alleged harassment and didn't immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. Boylan later tweeted, 'To be clear: I have no interest in talking to journalists. I am about validating the experience of countless women and making sure abuse stops.'" Associated Press' Karen Matthews — Boylan served as Cuomo's deputy secretary for economic development and a special adviser, according to her LinkedIn profile. Boylan abruptly resigned her state job following scrutiny of her own conduct in the workplace — including allegations of harassment, according to personnel documents obtained by The Post. — A handful of Cuomo's female aides say they can't recall a time where he's been an inappropriate boss. "WITH coronavirus cases surging, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York has shifted his strategy sharply away from tackling local clusters and toward protecting the state's health system in a bid to avoid a return to the worst days of spring, when hospitals were stretched to the limit. The virus statistic that had transfixed New Yorkers — the rate of tests that come back positive — is no longer the primary driver of state action, as it was when Mr. Cuomo sought to quash viral outbreaks in designated areas. That effort did not stem a rising tide of infections statewide, and the focus now is on hospital capacity. Far from hastening a broad new round of business closings, the governor's shift is likely to delay by weeks a potential return of the most stringent restrictions from earlier in the year. " New York Times J. David Goodman and Jesse McKinley — New York Post: 'Surprising no one, Andrew Cuomo's review panel finds no issues with Pfizer vaccine' IT WAS ALMOST two years into President Donald Trump's term when Gov. Andrew Cuomo descended beneath the Hudson River to tour the decrepit rail tunnels that connect New York and New Jersey. In a video he would later send to the White House, Cuomo made one plea: fund the Gateway project, a $13 billion proposal to build a new crossing under the river and repair the existing tunnels, which were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy... Two years later, just as Gateway's prospects are buoyed by the election of "Amtrak" Joe Biden, Cuomo is the one accused of jeopardizing the endeavor after pushing a new report that calls into question a fundamental justification for the project: whether building a new tunnel is even necessary, or if a patch-up job for existing tunnels will suffice." POLITICO's Danielle Muoio and Samantha Maldonado CUOMO TO WASHINGTON? is in headlines again. Several outlets reported Friday that the governor was a top contender for Biden's attorney general pick. Here's what Cuomo has said to that, and did again as recently as Tuesday during a radio interview: "...when Andrew Cuomo says, this is what I'm going to do, that's what he does. When he said to the people of the state of New York, I'm going to be with you. I have no intention to run for president or vice president, or go to the administration, I'm just going to get us through covid, and help us rebuild, that's my commitment, that's what he meant." "SYRACUSE MOTHER Darlene Medley discovered in 2018 after a routine health screening that her two-year-old twins, Rashad and Devon, had lead poisoning. 'My twins are completely different and I know it's because of the lead,' Medley said in an interview. 'The way Rashad spoke before the lead was really good — if you see him now, he's four but he talks like a two year old. This landlord poisoned my most precious things.' Now, Medley remains in the same home with her sons, weary of the hazards, not on speaking terms with her landlord after dealing with multiple unsuccessful eviction threats, facing ongoing problems with mice, and with few options left in the city of Syracuse … Lead poisoning in New York City attracted attention last month when a federal monitor revealed that 9,000 of the city's public housing units likely contain lead paint. But lead poisoning is even more prevalent upstate, in old housing like Medley's gray-shingled home in Syracuse, where one out of ten children have elevated blood lead levels." New York Focus's Morley Musick #UpstateAmerica: Albany's best, and worst, restaurant customer has died. From Times' Union's Steve Barnes: "Ullom looked like Ben Franklin. He ate and drank like John Falstaff. He wanted. Things. Done. Certain. Ways. He could be abrupt, awkward or even rude in conversation. He'd mutter under his breath if rowdy young people crowded around where he was seated at a bar, their loud pursuit of shots and sweet cocktails fouling his communion with good food and wine. More than one jazz musician who botched a solo saw Ullom, from his front-row seat, with his hands clapped over his ears." | | | |   | | |
| | ... 2020 VISION ... | | "THE FEDS will be keeping a close eye on the razor-close and yet-uncalled congressional race in New York's 22nd Congressional District. The House of Representatives has notified several county board of elections that they'll be sending envoys up to observe recounts slated to start Monday. The contest between incumbent Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi and Republican Claudia Tenney is the state's only race that has not yet been certified by the state BOE. The contest has been tied up in court since Election Day, with Tenney currently leading by a razor thin, 12-vote margin. Several upstate counties were ordered by Oswego state Supreme Court Justice Scott DelConte last week to go back and fix any errors associated with at least 2,000 challenged absentee and discarded affidavit ballots." New York Post's Bernadette Hogan "IN THE LAST election of 2020, early voting for the special election to replace former Bronx Councilmember Andy King begins on Saturday . The election is for District 12, which covers the northeast section of the Bronx, including Baychester, Eastchester, Co-Op City, Edenwald, Wakefield, and Williamsbridge, and was prompted after an extensive investigation into years-long allegations of ethics violations led to King's expulsion earlier this year. King's ouster was the first time a Council Member was removed without being convicted of a crime. Early voting is scheduled to take place until December 20th, and the special election day is December 22nd." Gothamist's Gloria Cruz | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "STATE PROSECUTORS in Manhattan have interviewed several employees of President Trump's bank and insurance broker in recent weeks, according to people with knowledge of the matter, significantly escalating an investigation into the president that he is powerless to stop. The interviews with people who work for the lender, Deutsche Bank, and the insurance brokerage, Aon, are the latest indication that once Mr. Trump leaves office, he still faces the potential threat of criminal charges that would be beyond the reach of federal pardons. It remains unclear whether the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., will ultimately bring charges. The prosecutors have been fighting in court for more than a year to obtain Mr. Trump's personal and corporate tax returns, which they have called central to their investigation. The issue now rests with the Supreme Court." New York Times' William K. Rashbaum, Ben Protess and David Enrich | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "SENATE DEMOCRATS are in the final stretch of negotiating a COVID-19 relief package that will include roughly $4 billion for the MTA, Sen. Chuck Schumer told the Daily News on Sunday. The New York Democrat and Senate minority leader said he'd have a hard time facing constituents if he doesn't come home with a bailout by year's end. 'There are 20 Republicans who don't want to spend any money on anything,' Schumer told The News during an afternoon bus ride along Manhattan's East Side, adding those blocking relief since March are 'running out of steam.' 'That's been the biggest holdup, but now we get a whole bunch of senators who say they need dollars and that's helpful,' he said." New York Daily News' Clayton Guse | | | | HAPPENING TUESDAY - CONFRONTING INEQUALITY IN AMERICA TOWN HALL : The pandemic-induced recession has put over 40 million Americans at risk of foreclosure and eviction and caused a steady decline in Black homeownership. What solutions need to happen to make housing more inclusive and fair? Join POLITICO for its fourth town hall in the series "Confronting Inequality in America." Our latest town hall explores "The Housing Gap" and will convene policymakers, lawmakers, advocates and mortgage industry leaders to discuss various approaches for eliminating housing inequality as we begin to recover from the Covid-19 recession. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — NYPD officers fatally shot a man who opened fire outside the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has extended the border closure between the United States and Canada for non-essential travel. — Six demonstrators in New York City were injured when a car drove into a protest against ICE. — Drug deaths in Saratoga and Rensselaer counties have almost doubled during the pandemic. — Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz is still getting hostile threats over shutdowns in response to the region's worrisome coronavirus infection rates. — Niagara Falls is showing some indicators 2021 tourism will get a big bump over this year's. — City Council Member Adrienne Adams has been appointed chair of the public safety committee, replacing Donovan Richards who is now Queens borough president. — Christmas tree vendors say business is booming, driven in part by New Yorkers buying their first trees because they won't be traveling to see family this year. — The New York Liberty Bell survived the fire that engulfed the church where it was housed. — The 21 Club is shutting down indefinitely. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: James Comey is 6-0 … John Paulson is 65 … Trey Ditto, CEO of Ditto PR … Kirsten Powers, CNN senior political analyst and USA Today columnist … Raffi Williams, press secretary and senior comms adviser at the Federal Housing Finance Agency … CNN's Abigail Crutchfield … Ryan Boles … Business Insider's Zach Tracer … Schuyler Ebersol … Mark Kornblau, EVP of comms at NBCU News Group … Promontory's Elizabeth Vale and Stephanie Allen … … (was Sunday): Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service and a Fox News contributor, is 48 (h/t Ben Chang) … former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke turned 67 … NBC's Haley Talbot … Jeffrey Schneider, principal at The Lead PR … Trish Regan ... … (was Saturday): Lanny Davis turned 75 … Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist, turned 4-0 … ABC's Becky Perlow … Liz Claman … AP's Seth Borenstein MEDIAWATCH — Ashley Semler has been hired by CNN's D.C. bureau as a producer. She most recently worked at the BBC in New York. | | | | A message from Harry's: Harry's just came out with its sharpest blades ever. But what do sharper blades mean for you? Well, guys who shave four times a week say that, with Harry's new blades, their eighth shave is as smooth as their first. And yet, Harry's didn't raise prices—not even a little. Harry's new, sharper blades are (still) just $2 each for an 8-pack. But you don't have to take our word for it. Snag a Trial Set and decide for yourself. (And remember: if you don't love your shave, just let them know and get a full refund. That's their 100% Quality Guarantee at harrys.com). | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "THE PANDEMIC is pummeling New York City's commercial real estate industry, one of its main economic engines, threatening the future of the nation's largest business districts as well as the city's finances. The damage caused by the emptying of office towers and the permanent closure of many stores is far more significant than many experts had predicted early in the crisis. The powerful real estate industry is so concerned that the shifts in workplace culture caused by the outbreak will become long-lasting that it is promoting a striking proposal: to turn more than one million square feet of Manhattan office space into housing. Nearly 14 percent of office space in Midtown Manhattan is vacant, the highest rate since 2009." New York Times' Matthew Haag and Dana Rubinstein "IN LONG ISLAND City, it's the scar that won't heal. Two years after Amazon pulled out from a proposal to build a massive headquarters along the Queens waterfront, the site is a vacant eyesore — and, to many locals, the squandered economic opportunity is even more painful amid the coronavirus pandemic. 'The site just sits there empty. It's terrible,' said Donna Drimer, owner of the Matted LIC art gallery and gift store. 'We're in the middle of a pandemic. People say, 'If we only had Amazon.' We got nothing.'" New York Post's Carl Campanile
| | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment