| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East | About one in ten New Yorkers have so far scored at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Yet, a quick look at a new set of maps the city released tracking vaccinations by ZIP code will show that those shots are not being distributed equally to city residents. Instead, some of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic also have the lowest rates of vaccinations. Take Corona, Queens — by many accounts the epicenter within the epicenter as the virus ravaged the city last spring. Just 3 percent of its residents have received their first shot, one of the lowest rates in the city. Parts of central Brooklyn, southeast Queens, and the South Bronx have similarly low rates. At the other end of the spectrum, there's Breezy Point, an affluent enclave in Queens where 27 percent of adults have had their first dose of the vaccine. A preponderance of first responders may help explain the high rates there and in a handful of other neighborhoods, but ZIP codes popular with well-off professionals on the Upper East and Upper West sides of Manhattan are also doing quite well. The city made an effort to prevent the vaccine map from turning out the way it has, by placing a large majority of its vaccine centers in the 33 neighborhoods hardest hit by the disease. But people are willing to travel to get the potentially life-saving shot, and the physical location of the sites doesn't match up with who's getting inoculated. Instead, many of the city's priority neighborhoods have low rates. With appointments hard to come by, people who have the relative luxury of being able to spend hours at a computer refreshing a maze of different city, state and private websites are faring best, which may not change until supplies expand dramatically or the process is revamped. IT'S WEDNESDAY. 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? Holding a media availability. | | | | A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: For far too long, we have tolerated poor quality and profiteering in New York's nursing home industry. Albany needs to pass reform now to make sure nursing home owners are spending taxpayer money the way it's meant to be spent – on providing residents with the hours of quality care they need. We need your voice to make sure our loved ones are receiving quality care. Learn more about how you can help at https://investinqualitycare.org/take-action/ | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | NINE OUT OF 10 leading Democratic mayoral candidates say NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea should not hold that position under the next administration. But with candidates running on promises of police reform, and a push already underway to strip the department of long held duties and authority, the Democratic contenders offered a variety of differing approaches they'd take toward the NYPD, according to a series of policy questions POLITICO put out to each campaign. The new mayor's first test will be choosing a commissioner — an appointment that will carry high stakes after months of tension between protesters and police. Several candidates made specific pledges, including naming a woman, a person of color or someone who's not a former cop to the job, though none provided names for their top picks. They are also split on whether to take final authority for disciplining problem officers away from the NYPD commissioner. Many attacked Mayor Bill de Blasio for losing control of the agency, and said they would manage with a firmer hand if they make it to City Hall. POLITICO's Erin Durkin — "Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration will not support an effort by the City Council to remove the police commissioner's final authority over disciplinary matters , breaking with progressive lawmakers and reform advocates who are working to roll back the longstanding power. The revelation came during a City Council hearing on Tuesday concerning a portion of the sweeping police reform package introduced by the body late last month. Bills to end qualified immunity for officers in certain cases and to give the council a role in selecting the police commissioner will also be opposed by the administration, according to the mayor's representative at the hearing, Chelsea Davis. The mayor's swift rejection of the proposals comes as New York City faces a state-imposed deadline to adopt a set of reform practices by the end of March." Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz NEW YORK CITY can publish police officers' disciplinary records, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday — shooting down a lawsuit by law enforcement unions that sought to block the release. The state legislature voted in June to repeal a law that kept police disciplinary files secret as part of a police reform push driven by protests after the death of George Floyd. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling to allow the release of the records, which also cover firefighters and correction officers. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to create a public, online database of police disciplinary records shortly after the law shielding those records from public view, known as 50-a, was repealed. But unions representing police, fire and correction officers sued, arguing that their members would be harmed by the release of unsubstantiated complaints, and temporary court orders put a freeze on the disclosures. POLITICO's Erin Durkin "MAYORAL CONTENDER Maya Wiley still hasn't qualified for public matching funds through the city's Campaign Finance Board, a snag that could signal lean times ahead for her campaign. The board, which oversees the city's public financing system, announced the news at a Tuesday hearing — about a month after Team Wiley said it would meet the threshold to receive matching funds. In mid-January, her campaign indicated that Wiley had raised $715,000 from 7,000 donors, with at least $280,000 of that qualifying as match-eligible — that's more than the $250,000 threshold the city requires to qualify. That would have brought her to a total of about $3 million in total cash raised at the time." New York Daily News' Michael Gartland "FIVE MONTHS after dropping out of the race for mayor of New York City to focus on his mental health, Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, said on Tuesday that he was considering a late entry into the city comptroller's race . Mr. Johnson said that he had been approached by several elected officials and City Council members who said he should consider running to be the city's fiscal watchdog, and that his desire to contribute to the city's recovery spurred his interest. Scott M. Stringer, the current city comptroller, is a leading candidate in the race for mayor, leaving the position open. 'I wouldn't be considering this if I didn't feel good about where I am personally and the work I've done over the last six months in focusing on myself and my own well-being,' Mr. Johnson said in an interview." New York Times' Jeffery C. Mays and Emma G. Fitzsimmons "THE SECOND special election held in Queens this month is shaping up as the first test of the city's new ranked choice voting system. Nine candidates are running to replace former District 31 Councilmember Donovan Richards, who vacated his seat earlier this year after being sworn in as Queens borough president. Early voting began Saturday for the district, which covers parts of Southeast Queens and the Rockaways, encompassing Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Laurelton, Rosedale and Springfield Gardens. Turnout so far is very low — about 500 voters out of 95,000 eligible to cast ballots. The nonpartisan election is scheduled for Feb. 23. But the contest likely won't end that night." The City's Christine Chung FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Assemblymember Deborah Glick will endorse attorney Maya Wiley for mayor today at an event in Greenwich Village. Glick, who was the first openly LGBTQ member of the state Legislature, cited the former mayoral counsel and MSNBC commentator's job creation and homelessness plans, calling Wiley "a changemaker who is ready to take on the toughest challenges New York face." | | | | GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what's really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what's about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we'd be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that he would amend his proposal to regulate and tax recreational marijuana in hopes that the drug could be legalized as part of the state budget due by April 1. The amended proposal would allow for delivery services and reduce the penalty for people who unlawfully sell marijuana to a person under the age of 21. It would also add specificity to a social-equity fund that the Democratic governor said would help revitalize communities that have been most harmed by the war on drugs. He said the amendments reflected conversations with lawmakers. Mr. Cuomo first expressed support for legalizing marijuana during his 2018 re-election campaign, but he and the Democrats who control the state Assembly and Senate haven't been able to agree on a framework for legalizing the drug. All parties said the chances for an agreement are higher this year, as the state searches for revenue to fill a projected $8.2 billion budget deficit and as New Jersey and Connecticut move toward legalizing cannabis...Aides to the governor didn't publicize the exact language of his proposed amendments, which must be filed with the Legislature by Thursday." Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind "NINE Democratic members of the New York State Assembly on Tuesday accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of federal obstruction of justice in a letter seeking support to strip him of his COVID-19 emergency powers. The move followed last week's exclusive Post report that revealed Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa admitting to Democratic lawmakers that Cuomo's administration covered up data about the total number of nursing home residents killed by the coronavirus. The letter, sent Tuesday to members of the Assembly, said, 'It is now unambiguously clear that this governor has engaged in an intentional obstruction of justice, as outlined in Title 18, Chapter 73 of the United States Code.'" New York Post's Carl Campanile, Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding — A growing number of Democrats are throwing their support behind calls to end Gov. Andrew Cuomo's emergency powers, but achieving that goal might not be as simple as just doing away with those powers . If Cuomo's ability to issue emergency declarations were taken completely off the books, hundreds upon hundreds of executive orders managing vaccinations, requiring masks, limiting large gatherings, helping nonprofits or providing tax relief would disappear along with them. The Legislature could eventually reenact most of these through the typical lawmaking process. But for the duration of the pandemic, it would be left in the position of holding sessions practically every day to deal with key questions, such as when indoor dining capacity in New York City can increase from 25 percent to 50 percent. "I don't think the Legislature is capable of making every little minute decision," said Assemblymember John McDonald (D-Cohoes). "But I do think the Legislature needs to be more involved. How that plays out, I'm not 100 percent sure … It would be ideal if there was actually a strong working relationship between the executive and the Legislature, where there could be some kind of review board or mechanism where the executive can talk about what they're doing, and get either a tacit or explicit sign-off." POLITICO's Bill Mahoney "AS THE STATE looks to close three correctional facilities — the Watertown prison in northern New York, the Gowanda prison outside Buffalo and the Clinton Annex, which is part of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora near the Canadian border — there's been a promise that there will be no layoffs. The closures will save the state $89 million annually and eliminate about 2,750 beds, according to the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. For advocates of criminal justice reform, this is a win-win. Prison closures are a byproduct of a changing system, some say, and a nod toward a more refined and effective criminal justice system. But for those who work in the facilities, it means a major life change and possible relocation for themselves and their families. And for the communities that rely on prison infrastructure for other resources, it presents a problem they fear the state won't quickly solve." USA Today Network's Georgie Silvarole "ONEIDA County's two elections commissioners have decided to resign from their jobs amid mounting pressure over a series of mistakes in the 22nd Congressional District election. Carolanne Cardone, the Democratic elections commissioner, submitted her resignation on Tuesday, Oneida County Legislature Chairman Gerald Fiorini said today. Rose Grimaldi, the Republican elections commissioner, plans to submit her resignation on Wednesday, Fiorini said. Both commissioners received a letter this week requesting their resignations from the state Board of Elections in Albany. Otherwise, the state board would have asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fire them, Fiorini told syracuse.com." Syracuse.com's Mark Weiner #UpstateAmerica: Real life Parks and Rec? Nearly 40 vehicles have struck a low-hanging bridge in Glenville over the past three years and town employees have been dispatched at least 50 other times to help tractor-trailers turn around to avoid it. It's cost $50,000 in overtime and each hit takes three hours to resolve. The bridge... is still there. | | | |   | | |
| | Scranton on the Hudson | | "IT WAS THE ELEPHANT in the Oval Office, but somehow, President Biden and Gov. Andrew Cuomo didn't discuss his COVID-19 nursing home scandal when they met last week. The controversy 'was not a focus of their conversation or a topic,' White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during her daily briefing Tuesday. The governor visited the White House after an explosive Thursday night report from The Post revealed that top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa admitted that the state concealed the number of nursing home deaths due to concerns that the numbers would 'be used against us' by the Department of Justice. Psaki said Tuesday that the meeting with Biden and Cuomo, which included a handful of officials from other states and cities, focused on the president's proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill." New York Post's Steven Nelson | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "IN THE NAME of fairness, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his Democratic allies once welcomed the creation of a nonpartisan redistricting commission that would redraw congressional maps free of political influence and avoid contorted gerrymandering. But now that the commission is stepping up its work, New York Democrats seem to be having second thoughts . The state may lose House seats and, under the old rules, Democrats would have had the power to redraw lines in their favor. Some Democrats want to make it easier to overrule the commission. As the once-a-decade redistricting conflicts heat up across the country, both Republicans and Democrats are wrestling with how far to press their advantage in a fight as consequential as any election. For Republicans that means building on the success of 10 years ago — even as some population and political trends work against them. For Democrats, it's a test of their commitment to the changes they've long argued are needed to create a level playing field. 'If I'm a Democratic leader and I've recently come into power, I'm not sure why I'd want to constrain myself when the other party is playing hardball,' said Jonathan Cervas, a redistricting expert at Carnegie Mellon University." The Associated Press' Nicholas Riccardi | | | | TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — State Attorney General Tish James sued Amazon Tuesday evening, arguing that the company provided inadequate safety protection for workers in New York City during the pandemic. — Mount Sinai Health System canceled thousands of its patients' vaccine appointments, some on the books for months. — Amy Cooper, the white woman arrested after calling police on a Black bird watcher in Central Park last year, had her criminal case dropped after completing counseling. — Visitors to Manhattan federal courts must now wear two masks. — New York summer camp operators think they'll be good to go this season. — DON'T DO THIS: A Saratoga County man admitted to painting the mysterious orange blazes on the Cascade Mountain trail in the fall of 2019 so he could find his way back down the mountain. — Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has a lot of baggage for her third term run. — A Brooklyn restaurant worker says she was fired for her uncertainty about getting the Covid-19 vaccine. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: DHS' Sam Vinograd … Axios' Lachlan Markay … Cliff Sims … Betsy Fischer Martin … McClatchy's Kristin Roberts … CNN's Dianna Heitz … Cara Camacho … Kelsey Rohwer … Howard Megdal … Edith Honan … Curtis Tate MAKING MOVES — Pamela Puchalski will be the new executive director of Open House New York. MEDIAWATCH — "Vox Finds Its Next Top Editor at The Atlantic" — NYT: "Swati Sharma, a managing editor of The Atlantic, will be the next editor in chief of Vox.com … Ms. Sharma, 34, is scheduled to start in her new role next month. … Ms. Sharma said in an interview that she was not looking to reinvent Vox, which has a staff of roughly 90 newsroom employees. … 'The work I want to do at Vox with the team in place is figure out how to keep sharpening it, making it more distinctive,' Ms. Sharma added." — Tribune Publishing, which owns the New York Daily News, will be acquired by hedge fund Alden Global Capital, which has a history of deep cost-cutting at its other newspaper properties. MORE NY PLAYBOOK: Look for the new New York Playbook PM in your inbox starting Feb. 22. Just like you read our morning Playbook, Playbook PM by Anna Gronewold in Albany and our top-notch political team in the city will bring you the news you need to know from the Capitol and New York City Hall. It will publish at the height of the legislative session and the New York City mayoral race, telling you the latest political news from around the Empire State. | | | | A message from 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East: New York State is experiencing a nursing home crisis. The heroes who take care of our loved ones in New York's nursing homes are trying desperately to take care of their residents without sufficient resources and support, leaving residents without the hours of care they need. And the hours of care a nursing home resident receives is directly correlated with resident outcomes. As NY Attorney General found, the underlying poor conditions in nursing homes worsened the COVID-19 pandemic's toll. Instead of hiring enough staff and providing enough equipment and other resources, operators are cutting corners and hiding profits by using multiple corporations to operate the same home.
New York lawmakers can act now and join states like Massachusetts and New Jersey in making sure that the nursing home industry is spending taxpayer dollars on patient care, not profits. Learn more about how you can fight for nursing home reform at https://investinqualitycare.org/take-action/ | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | A NEW BOOK by former City Council Member Dan Garodnick chronicles the multi-year saga to preserve middle-income housing at the sprawling Stuyvesant Town apartment complex in Manhattan — covering the twists and turns that led to the 2015 affordable housing deal and the decades-long work of tenant activists he argues made that success within reach. The book, "Saving Stuyvesant Town," spans the series of ownership changes that rocked the communities of Stuy Town and neighboring Peter Cooper Village, beginning with the 2006 decision of longtime owner MetLife to sell the property to Tishman Speyer and BlackRock in a record $5.4 billion deal. "This is the story of a committed group of residents coming together against big real estate to preserve a middle class community," Garodnick said in an interview about the book. "I think this story serves as a blueprint for other communities on the brink." POLITICO's Janaki Chadha
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