| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by AT&T | Kathryn Garcia is getting in to the mayor's race, and she's not mincing words about the mess she'll face if elected: "The next mayor is going to inherit a shitshow — a deficit that is in the multiple billions of dollars, worse than the 1970s," she said. The former city sanitation commissioner is set to launch her mayoral campaign today, our Sally Goldenberg reports. A regular Ms. Fix-It for Mayor Bill de Blasio for everything from the NYCHA lead scandal to the pandemic-driven hunger crisis, she's leaning hard into the policy wonk lane, and coming out of the gate with a number of specific plans. "I've been the go-to crisis manager. I know how to get it done," she says in a launch video. Garcia is proposing a city residency requirement for new NYPD officers, an expansion of the city's bus and bike lane infrastructure, and turning Rikers Island into a renewable energy zone when the massive jail complex there closes. She also pledges to reinstate the city's late lamented compost program. Her launch will emphasize her deep experience in the bowels of city government, a departure from the more emotional messages of other candidates. Still, she's far from the only candidate with a no-nonsense manager pitch. And voters who have tired of Mayor Bill de Blasio may not welcome her long service with him, especially if they have complaints about dirty streets and other lapses of municipal governance. But the folks picking up the trash, at least, are backing their old boss: Harry Nespoli, head of the sanitation workers union and the Municipal Labor Committee, will be endorsing her as she kicks off her campaign. "She listens. You know what it is to get a politician or a commissioner to really listen?" Nespoli tells Sally. "It's very rare." IT'S THURSDAY. 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? In Albany with no public events scheduled. WHERE'S BILL? Doing his 10-ish a.m. daily briefing from City Hall. ABOVE THE FOLD: "HELP IS ALMOST HERE. New York will receive its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine doses as early as this weekend, with nursing home residents, staff and high-risk health care workers set to be first in line for shots, Gov. Cuomo said Wednesday, as the pandemic's toll on the state continued to worsen. The initial shipment comprises 170,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine that will be distributed across the state based on the number of nursing home residents and associated health workers in each region, according to Cuomo. The caveat is that the Food and Drug Administration must first grant emergency approval for the Pfizer vaccine, but Cuomo said he expects that to happen as early as Thursday. "It could arrive as soon as this weekend," he said in a virtual briefing from Albany. New York City, the state's most populous area by far, will receive 72,000 doses, the largest chunk of the initial delivery." New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt | | | | A message from AT&T: AT&T's and WarnerMedia's New York family is here for your family: supporting reentry pathways for formerly incarcerated New Yorkers, helping sustain culture in New York, funding arts and technology education for students in need, and providing childcare for kids to safely learn and play. Learn more about some of the local organizations we're working with at https://northeastregion.att.com/states/newyork/. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | ON A BROOKLYN STREET CORNER outside a polling site on Election Day, a man who had voted for President Donald Trump leaned into a blue van adorned with American flags to talk politics. The driver, a man named Mike Gee who claims hospitals are fabricating the extent of Covid-19 to collect relief money, said he was keeping an eye on the voting station because he suspected fraud. The passerby, a Borough Park resident named Abraham, voted "all the way" for Trump, he said, pleased with the outgoing president's handling of Covid-19. Abraham wore a blue paper mask and carried an oxygen tank that doctors provided him after he was hospitalized weeks earlier. He, his wife and two of his five children were all diagnosed with the coronavirus, he said. Trump sailed to victory in this neighborhood last month, securing 79 percent of the vote — a nearly 18-point improvement from his winning margin four years ago. With more than 650,000 absentee and military ballots finally certified last week, the outgoing president easily held onto his Election Day lead in the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. Out of 65 Assembly districts across the city, Borough Park was among just five where Trump emerged triumphant. But an extensive analysis of election returns conducted by POLITICO showed Trump's decisive loss in the deep blue city he once called home belied a trend that influenced several down-ballot races and could shift how candidates campaign in upcoming elections: Trump improved his performance in almost every part of the city. POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg, Joe Anuta and Amanda Eisenberg. "AS A GROUP of City Council members sues the city over the rollout of ranked-choice voting, the co-chair of the body's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus says he's planning to introduce legislation to halt the new voting method until after next year's mayoral election. 'We recognize that there was a Charter amendment that took place. What we are saying is that it should not supersede public health and safety,' Councilman I. Daneek Miller told the Daily News on Wednesday, adding that ranked-choice 'potentially disenfranchises communities.' The councilman said he wants to introduce legislation to slam the brakes on the process by the end of the year. 'I am absolutely of the belief that we have the right and the authority of the Council to legislate the delay,' Miller said." New York Daily News' Shant Shahrigian "RECENTLY ELECTED New York State Supreme Court Justice Lizette Colon is a generous donor to the Brooklyn Democratic Party — thanks to a loophole in strict state ethics rules that largely ban political contributions from judges and judicial candidates. In nearly a hundred separate contributions since 2002, Colon has given over $21,000 to the Kings County Democratic Committee, campaign funds of district leaders who make key party decisions and other power players in Brooklyn Democratic politics. Recipients of her donations over the years include county party chairs Rodneyse Bichotte and Frank Seddio, and local power brokers like Borough President Eric Adams and the late City Councilmember Lewis Fidler...She's not alone. Of the 24 judges elected to Supreme Court in New York City last month, 20 have donated to the county party organizations that nominated them or to the politicians who lead those organizations." New York Focus's Sam Mellins "IN A NEW YORK MAYORAL RACE already transformed by the pandemic and mounting racial justice issues, a coalition of more than 80 wide-ranging organizations has released a report to remind the crowded field: Don't forget about housing. The 77-page report, assembled by a mix of nonprofit groups, tenant organizers and developers, lays out an ambitious $4 billion a year public investment plan for affordable housing — roughly twice the current administration's allotment, before Covid budget cuts. Some of the boldest proposals include converting struggling hotels and illegal basement apartments into permanent affordable housing, and pushing for more density in what were once considered untouchable neighborhoods like SoHo in Manhattan, Forest Hills in Queens, and Riverdale in the Bronx. 'Very literally, now is the time to double down,' said Rachel Fee, the executive director of the New York Housing Conference, a policy and advocacy nonprofit that convened the group." New York Times' Stefanos Chen | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION & NEW ADMINISTRATION HEADING INTO 2021: President-elect Biden is pushing full steam ahead on putting together his Cabinet and White House staff. These appointments and staffing decisions send clear-cut signals about Biden's 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, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | COMPTROLLER TOM DINAPOLI has set a target of getting the state's $226 billion pension fund's portfolio to net-zero emissions by 2040 and outlined the most detailed path to date on reviewing — and potentially divesting from — fossil fuel companies.The fund's new plan, announced Wednesday, builds on DiNapoli's previous commitment to review the fund's portfolio for climate risks, and has been fully embraced by advocates and legislators who had called for full-scale divestment. The 2040 decarbonization target is 10 years sooner than any other U.S. pension fund, according to advocates, marking a major victory and makes New York's one of the largest funds in the country pursue this level of divestment. "New York State's pension fund is at the leading edge of investors addressing climate risk, because investing for the low-carbon future is essential to protect the fund's long-term value," DiNapoli said in a statement. POLITICO's Marie J. French ON DAY 284 of the coronavirus crisis in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo used Zoom for the first time to hold one of his Emmy-winning daily briefings . He began to speak about vaccines and federal aid and infection rates — but his line was muted, and none of the participants could hear what he had to say. That problem was eventually fixed, but when he was joined by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio a little over 20 minutes later, the mayor similarly said whatever he had to say into a silent ether. It has taken a while, but it's time to welcome Cuomo to the full 2020 experience. Wednesday's briefing marked a new direction in the governor's efforts to update New Yorkers and drive discussion about the pandemic. During a marathon streak of daily briefings from March through June, Cuomo spoke in person and usually in the Capitol. At the start of that run, reporters sat squeezed together while being told that masks weren't terribly effective. That all changed over the ensuing weeks, but an in-person daily briefing at 11:30 a.m. became a fact of life not only for the governor, his top aides and the press corps, but for a national television audience as well. POLITICO's Bill Mahoney "MASSACHUSETTS Gov. Charlie Baker and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — both praised and reviled for their coronavirus wins and missteps — were being honored for their pandemic leadership at a virtual event Wednesday evening. Baker, a Republican, and Cuomo, a Democrat, have led states that were among the hardest-hit places during the first wave of infections last spring. The Edward M. Kennedy Institute credited Cuomo and Baker with taking actions that helped slow the spread of the disease, including pushing people to wear masks in public and take other precautions. The institute, naming both governors as recipients of its Award for Inspired Leadership, praised them for actions beyond their handling of the pandemic." CBSN Boston "NEW YORK GOV. Andrew Cuomo said the state will need to raise taxes to bridge its current budget deficit , even if Congress approves more funding as part of a coronavirus relief bill. The Democratic governor's comments on Wednesday were his most definitive this year about raising revenue to cover a deficit exacerbated by Covid-19 and economic restrictions the state imposed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Cuomo didn't specify which taxes the state would look to increase, and his aides didn't answer subsequent questions. Layoffs and borrowing will also be part of the discussion, he said. State lawmakers adopted a $178 billion budget in April that depended upon additional federal aid that hasn't materialized. The spending plan gave the Cuomo administration unilateral authority to withhold state payments to contractors, schools, municipalities and social-service providers if the U.S. Congress didn't act." Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind — Assembly Democrats discussed raising the income tax rates on billionaires and millionaires, imposing a stock transfer tax and a pied-a-terre tax on second homes, and legalizing and taxing marijuana and sports betting as potential cash sources. "NEW YORK OFFICIALS warned Wednesday that the state's hospitals need to brace for a mounting caseload , as the number of people needing hospitalization for Covid-19 is expected to rise through mid-January. Just shy of 5,000 people were hospitalized for Covid-19 across New York, a level not seen since mid-May, according to data released by the state Wednesday. Roughly 20% of those hospitalized were in an intensive-care unit. During a media briefing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said the hospitals are going to have to be "flexible and nimble" to handle the coming caseload, including solidifying plans to balance the number of patients across and between hospitals in a region, and even before people arrive at a hospital. Hospitals have been asked for weeks to prepare for an influx of patients." Wall Street Journal's Melanie Grayce West and Joseph De Avila #UpstateAmerica: Schenectady lawmakers have rejected pleas to let residents keep chickens in their backyards. | | | |   | | |
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "BEN CARSON, CHRIS CHRISTIE AND DONALD J. TRUMP are not the sturdiest candidates to conquer the coronavirus: older, in some cases overweight, male and not particularly fit. Yet all seem to have gotten through Covid-19, and all have gotten an antibody treatment in such short supply that some hospitals and states are doling it out by lottery. Now Rudolph W. Giuliani, the latest member of President Trump's inner circle to contract Covid-19, has acknowledged that he received at least two of the same drugs the president received. He even conceded that his 'celebrity' status had given him access to care that others did not have. 'If it wasn't me, I wouldn't have been put in a hospital frankly,' Mr. Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer, told WABC radio in New York. 'Sometimes when you're a celebrity, they're worried if something happens to you they're going to examine it more carefully, and do everything right.'" The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg | | | | JOIN FRIDAY - A PATH TO CLEANER SKIES: Before the pandemic, increased demand for air travel resulted in rising global emissions. Then, Covid-19 changed everything. As airlines start to recover from the resulting financial fallout, what is happening with the use of cleaner jet fuel, investments in technology, and international pacts to cut the airline industry's carbon footprint? Join POLITICO for a conversation on the future of air travel, climate change, and sustainability, as well as an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — A judge ruled that former correction union head Norman Seabrook must serve his sentence in prison. — Indoor restaurants and bars are the fastest growing source of Covid-19 infections in New York and the fifth or sixth biggest category overall, state officials said. — Large city employers will be required to provide 56 hours of paid sick time, up from 40. — A day in the life of a contact tracer. — Wedding planners have taken a big hit during the pandemic. — Morgan Stanley is distributing $2 million to 2,000 struggling street vendors. — The Brooklyn Cyclones are staying put as a Mets affiliate amid a minor league shakeup that nixed the Staten Island Yankees. — A humpback whale was spotted near the Statue of Liberty. — Republicans want Cuomo to delay minimum wage hikes scheduled to take effect at the end of the year. — Rep. Elise Stefanik gave retiring Sen. Betty Little a tribute on the House floor on Wednesday. — Shootings and burglaries have risen sharply across New York City bodegas. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Symone Sanders, incoming senior adviser and chief spokesperson for the VP … POLITICO's Erin Durkin … Ivan Seidenberg is 74 … Mercury CEO Kieran Mahoney (h/t Jon Haber) … CNN's Alex Koppelman and Kristin Wilson Keppler … Marc Mezvinsky is 43 … Mike Shields, founder of Convergence Media and a CNN political commentator … "Dateline NBC" correspondent Andrea Canning … Misha Belikov … David A. Ulevitch ... Roy Bahat ... Joseph Chetrit MAKING MOVES — Per POLITICO Influence: "Andrew Lowenthal, chief of staff to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), plans to leave the Hill to join the Managed Funds Association. He'll be an executive vice president and head of global policy for the trade group. A longtime aide to Maloney, Lowenthal also has years of experience on K Street. He co-founded the lobbying firm Porterfield, Lowenthal, Fettig & Sears (now known as Porterfield, Fettig & Sears) in 2006 before returning to Maloney's office last year." | | | | A message from AT&T: For years, AT&T's and WarnerMedia's New York family has been there for your family, supporting organizations that create opportunity for low-income communities and communities of color. Over the past decade, we've contributed over $10 million to programs that connect underserved populations to the arts and technology education and training they need to help them succeed in college and in their careers.
This year, when the pandemic struck, we were there for our neighbors; supporting the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a New York City institution, through COVID-related shutdowns; contributing $500,000 to the YMCA to set up free, in-person childcare for working families across the five boroughs, and; helping the Osborne Association to connect families with incarcerated loved ones. Learn more about these and some of the other organizations AT&T and WarnerMedia are supporting at https://northeastregion.att.com/states/newyork/ | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "THE FLUSHING megaproject is a go. Citing a deal with unions representing hotel and building service employees, two City Council panels on Wednesday approved a development district that will transform Flushing's waterfront. The City Council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises and then its Committee on Land Use voted in favor of the Special Flushing Waterfront District, meaning the proposal heads to the full Council on Thursday. Council members credited a deal reached between the development team and 32BJ and the New York Hotel & Motels Trades Council as paving the way for approval, which will allow several projects costing about $2 billion in all. The agreements guarantee that the developers will hire union labor, though details were not immediately available." Real Deal's Kathryn Brenzel "FOR THE PAST five years (until this summer), writer Kate Knibbs lived in a two-bedroom Clinton Hill apartment with her husband and a roommate. But when her lease was up in July — when Manhattan vacancies were skyrocketing and Brooklyn rents sliding — her landlord told her the rent was increasing from $3,250 to $3,300. Knowing that it was a renter's market, Knibbs attempted to negotiate the price down, pointing to similar apartments going for far less. 'We had a really rough spring and we didn't really wanna deal with moving on top of that,' Knibbs said. Her landlord didn't budge, so they decided to move out — but she hasn't exactly moved on. Knibbs kept checking StreetEasy to see if her old apartment had rented already and for how much. That's when she realized the apartment had been listed for $2,583 per month, $720 less than the landlord had been asking them for. Knibbs is one of a new brand of real-estate obsessives in New York: the spite watchers who keep coming back to a listing looking for proof that they were right about what the rent should have been." Curbed's Valeria Ricciulli
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