| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by Opportunities for NY | When most New Yorkers were finding it nearly impossible to get tested for Covid-19 last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's relatives were getting the fast track to scarce coronavirus tests. The revelations, first reported by the Times Union, are the latest to rock the Cuomo administration, already under attack for sexual harassment allegations and an effort to conceal data on coronavirus nursing home deaths. High-level Health Department officials were dispatched to test the governor's mother, his CNN anchor brother Chris and at least one of his sisters. Government officials, including Port Authority boss Rick Cotton and MTA chair Pat Foye, also got priority access to testing. But it's the tests for the governor's family that are raising the biggest alarms. A top New York Department of Health doctor, Eleanor Adams, was enlisted to test multiple Cuomo family members, according to the Washington Post, and their samples were rushed to the Wadsworth lab in Albany, sometimes driven by state troopers. At the time, the state's lab was only able to run several hundred tests a day. Employees had to stay late into the night to process tests of those close to Cuomo, per the Post. Meanwhile, as New Yorkers fell sick by the thousands, they were discouraged from even trying to get tested. State and city officials have since blamed the acute lack of testing for allowing the disease to spread so explosively. Cuomo was already facing an impeachment probe where any and all allegations of impropriety were said to be on the table, so this may be added to the list. Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin calls it one more reason the governor "should immediately resign in disgrace." 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? Holding a media availability. ABOVE THE FOLD: "After years of false starts, New York state lawmakers said Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to legalize the sale of marijuana for recreational use by adults starting next year. State Sen. Liz Krueger said lawmakers were finalizing a bill that would create a new state regulator for cannabis products and decriminalize the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. New Yorkers will be allowed to cultivate marijuana for personal use and the state will study a new system for determining whether drivers are inebriated because of marijuana use, she said. The bill is set to be taken up next week by the state Assembly and Senate, lawmakers said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has proposed legalizing marijuana in the state budget that is due by next week. He put marijuana legalization into his budget proposals in 2019 and 2020, but it was taken out after disagreements with Democrats who dominate the state Assembly and Senate." Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind | | | | A message from Opportunities for NY: New York needs to fund its budget gap by the end of March. We can choose a bold solution: expand downstate gaming through an open and transparent process for ALL THREE downstate casino licenses. THREE licenses will spark 200,000 new jobs and an immediate revenue infusion of $1.5 billion. Visit opportunitiesforny.comto learn more. | | |
|  | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "SENATE MAJORITY Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has finally made her appointment to New York's ethics commission — a move that could end up causing major headaches for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo . Stewart-Cousins' appointment to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics is Juanita Bing Newton, a former longtime judge on the Court of Claims and an ex-state Supreme Court justice. She recently retired as dean of the New York State Judicial Institute, the educational arm of the court system that provides mandatory education to the judges and attorneys… But now, if the bipartisan legislative bloc holds at future meetings, Stewart-Cousin's appointment could bring the eight votes needed for JCOPE commissioners to pass a wide range of motions opposed by the Cuomo appointees." Times Union's Chris Bragg "GOVERNOR Andrew Cuomo would not say on Wednesday how the two women currently in his employ and have come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment are being protected, besides saying that his administration is following the 'rules.' 'I won't have any comment on it, and any conditions they have on that review are being followed,' Cuomo says about the two ongoing investigations into his alleged behavior. 'But there are rules and conditions about how people who make complaints are handled, and we are following those.'" Spectrum's Morgan McKay "THE STATE SENATE on Wednesday gave final legislative approval to repealing a law that has provided hospitals and nursing homes immunity from all but the most egregious malpractice during the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure would end immunity for incidents that happen after the bill becomes law, but the measure wouldn't apply retroactively to past cases. The bill would become law when and if Cuomo signs it. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Allesandra Biaggi (D-Bronx), passed the Senate unanimously. In the Assembly, it was sponsored by Assmb. Ron Kim (D-Queens) and was approved on March 4. 'This immunity stripped thousands of grieving families of their right to seek legal recourse,' Biaggi said. She cited a report by state Attorney General Letitia James that said the immunity measure, which was first enacted by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, may have provided an incentive for facilities to cut corners to increase profits. "'The immunity provisions were always destined to protect corporate leadership,' Biaggi said, 'not front line workers.'" Newsday's Mike Gormley "LINDA LACEWELL, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services and an adjunct professor at the NYU School of Law, is one of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aides accused of changing a state report to conceal the number of nursing home residents who died during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. NYU Law students now say Lacewell is unfit to teach at NYU Law ... Over 100 NYU Law students have signed a petition asking the NYU Law administration what actions they have taken or will take to address Lacewell's alleged involvement in the scandal. '[Lacewell's] actions are egregiously unethical on their face and are a betrayal of the principles she teaches and the students who have learned from her,' the petition reads." Washington Square News' Ruqaiyah Zarook #UpstateAmerica: How to truly get an Upstater to pay attention? Close the Wegmans. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are shifting in Washington and across the country, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops, and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO cast doubt on the Cuomo administration's coronavirus data on Wednesday, saying "political considerations" may be influencing the state's numbers. New York City and New York state have reported significantly different numbers throughout the pandemic, providing different counts on everything from the number of Covid-19 deaths to the positive test rate. In recent weeks, an embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been touting declines in the spread of the virus. But the city's data shows infections in the five boroughs have essentially plateaued, at a higher level than the state data reflects — a sign health officials and others say is indicative of a surge on the horizon. "The state of New York has their own methodology, and we don't always agree that it's the most rigorous methodology. Sometimes I am concerned that it might be a more subjective methodology, or there might be political considerations in the data," de Blasio told reporters. "I believe our numbers are more accurate and more consistent. And I know our numbers are based on objective science. And I can't say that about the state." POLITICO's Erin Durkin — "Two city elected officials are calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to pause the state's continued reopening because they fear a surge in coronavirus cases due to the variants. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Councilmember Mark Levine held a virtual press conference on Wednesday questioning the state decision to reopen sports arenas and arts and entertainment venues to limited capacities at the beginning of next month." Gothamist's Sydney Pereira "NEW YORK CITY will tap a massive infusion of federal pandemic recovery funds to make free preschool for 3-year-olds available in every school district , officials announced Wednesday. With an expected $4.5 billion in stimulus money headed for the nation's largest school district, Mayor Bill de Blasio can now build on what has been the most popular and arguably most successful policy of his administration: universal pre-K. The city plans to add up to 16,500 seats for 3-year-olds in the 2021-22 school year, bringing enrollment up to 40,000 by this fall. "This is to me unquestionably one of the highest priorities we can have in this city and certainly one of the highest priorities within education. If you get early childhood education right, everything else works," de Blasio said at a press conference." Chalkbeat's Christina Veiga "MORE PEOPLE were buried on Hart Island in 2020 than any year during the AIDS epidemic — and the city is on pace to inter one in 10 of its COVID-19 victims in the potter's field. An exclusive analysis of city data, public records and interviews with dozens of local officials indicates at least 2,334 adults were buried on Hart Island in 2020 — 2 ½ times the figure recorded in 2019 and about 1,000 more than in 1988, the peak year for AIDS burials. The analysis of Hart Island burials by the Columbia Journalism School's Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and THE CITY also shows how COVID-19 ravaged New York's poorest neighborhoods and struck the sick and elderly in communities of color hardest." The City and Columbia Journalism School's Stabile Center of Investigative Journalism "CARLOS MENCHACA, the City Council member from Sunset Park and Red Hook, has ended his candidacy for mayor of New York City . After revealing lackluster fundraising numbers last week and citing challenges gaining traction in a crowded field, Menchaca told Gothamist/WNYC he would exit the race on Wednesday. He said it became a choice between fulfilling his duties as a Council member or dedicating himself to fundraising for his struggling campaign. 'I decided to put all of my energy in really fighting in the budget negotiations and close out this year as a City Council member representing those, not just vulnerable communities, but very vibrant voices in the future of the city,' he said." Gothamist's Cindy Rodriguez "THE GLOVES ARE OFF! While accepting a mayoral endorsement from New York City's largest municipal labor union, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams touted himself as the only blue-collar candidate running for the city's top post and blasted a rival for never holding a job in 'his entire life.' Adams, who appeared Wednesday with DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido in Queens, launched the broadside against entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang a day after a new poll showed Yang maintaining a lead in the race for City Hall... Yang's campaign co-manager Chris Coffey defended the former presidential hopeful, painting Adams' rhetoric as divisive and inaccurate." New York Daily News' Michael Gartland FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Former Assemblymember Michael Blake is endorsing Assemblymember Dan Quart for Manhattan district attorney. Quart is running in a crowded Democratic primary to replace Cy Vance, who recently announced he won't run for re-election. Blake, a DNC vice chair, said Quart has a "deep commitment to criminal justice reform," citing his support for bail reform and repealing the 50-a police discipline secrecy law. — The Latino Victory Fund plans to announce a slate of 11 City Council endorsements today along with its backing of Nathalia Fernández in the race for Bronx borough president. The national political action committee is backing incumbents Carlina Rivera, who is rumored to be in the running for speaker, in Manhattan, Diana Ayala in Manhattan and the Bronx, and Francisco Moya in Queens. The organization is also backing a crop of hopefuls including Tiffany Cabán in Queens, Carmen De La Rosa and Shaun Abreu in Manhattan, Jennifer Gutiérrez in Brooklyn and Marjorie Velázquez, Amanda Farías and Pierina Sanchez in the Bronx. If elected, Abreu, Velázquez and Cabán would be the first Latino and Latinas to represent their districts, according to the fund, and Fernández would be the first woman elected to the borough president's office. — Joe Anuta DEBATES! POLITICO will be co-hosting three NYC debates in June with NBC 4 New York/WNBC and Telemundo 47/WNJU in the races for mayor and comptroller. Moderators include City Hall Bureau Chief Sally Goldenberg, WNBC political reporter Melissa Russo, WNBC news anchor David Ushery and WNJU morning news anchor Allan Villafana. | | | |   | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — 75 percent of restaurants and bars reported that their 2020 revenue dropped by more than half compared to the previous year. — The NYPD launched a new system allowing New Yorkers to file police reports online. — The woman who falsely accused a Black teenager of stealing her cell phone at a Manhattan hotel is being sued by the boy's family. It didn't help that she assaulted the kid. — The Brooklyn DA had 857 prostitution-related cases dismissed. — A dispute between Rivers Casino and the Saratoga Harness Horesmen continues. — Pontiac Nursing Home wants Oswego Mayor William Barlow to stop criticizing the facility and is hinting it may sue. — Unbanked households face hefty fees in cashing their stimulus checks. | | | | Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today. | | | | |
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Bari Weiss is 37 … AP's Steven Sloan … Nick Kalman of Fox News … Katey McCutcheon of Sunshine Sachs … Marneé Banks of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership … NYT's Felice Belman … Rachael Baitel … Emily Schillinger of the American Investment Council … Chas Danner … Andrew Revkin … FT's Henry Foy … Michael Ortiz of Sequoia Capital … NY1's Emily Ngo | | | | A message from Opportunities for NY: New Yorkers need job opportunities NOW that put food on the table. Our State can fund its budget gap with massive cuts to services OR expand downstate gaming through an open and transparent process for ALL THREE remaining licenses. New York State voters already approved the THREE remaining downstate licenses back in 2013. The hard part is done, New York State simply needs to release the bids which will:
- Generate 200,000 new jobs, including 70,000 local union jobs;
- Bring $1.5 billion in immediate state revenue; and
- Achieve $900 million in recurring revenue for our State.
To learn more, visit opportunitiesforny.com | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "THE FORMER HEAD of one of the largest homeless shelter networks in New York — who was already under investigation after several women accused him of sexual abuse — was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from contractors. The executive, Victor Rivera, the former president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, enriched himself for years by accepting bribes from contractors doing work for his nonprofit, a major shelter provider for the city, according to papers filed in Manhattan federal court. Prosecutors said that Mr. Rivera, 61, laundered some of the money through entities he controlled, including a consulting company owned by one of his relatives." The New York Times' Amy Julia Harris
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