| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by Uber Driver Stories | The friendly phase of the New York City mayor's race is officially over. The candidates are attacking each other — and in particular, attacking Andrew Yang, the frontrunner in recent polls. It was an especially rancorous day on the campaign trail Thursday. Our first topic: Busways. After Yang said at a forum earlier in the week that the city should be "open to re-examining" the car-free bus route in Flushing, Queens, City Comptroller Scott Stringer staged a press event on the 14th St. busway dedicated to slamming his rival's comments. Stringer accused Yang of "pandering," saying: "The first sign that somebody pushes back on innovative transportation infrastructure, Mr. Yang takes it all back." In a speech to the Association for a Better New York, Yang proposed tax incentives to lure commuters back into Manhattan, essentially the reverse of the old commuter tax. That too drew fire from Stringer. "Giving tax breaks to Fortune 500 companies is not going to bring the workers back," he said, accusing Yang of practicing "municipal Reaganomics." Shaun Donovan also scoffed at the idea, saying, "Giving bottomless tax breaks to commuters and their employers is not going to get us out of this mess." And attorney Maya Wiley's camp is ramping up their attacks on Yang's plan to hold off on spending some of the city's stimulus cash — going as fa r as to compare him to Donald Trump. "Our city deserves a serious leader, not a mini-Trump who thinks our city is a fun play thing in between podcasts," said Wiley spokesperson Julia Savel. Yang seems to be taking the bashing in stride, dropping a music video for his campaign and heading to Yankee Stadium for Opening Day. (He's actually a Mets fan, but the Mets game was cancelled due to coronavirus cases on the Nationals. Yanks lost 3-2.) "We'll leave it to other candidates to run their negative campaigns as they wish and let's see which vision folks choose come June," said his spokesperson Jake Sporn. IT'S FRIDAY. 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? Appearing on WNYC's Brian Lehrer show. | | A message from Uber Driver Stories: Meet Fallon. Delivering with Uber Eats helps her pay for college while allowing her the flexibility to fit her schedule around studies. Fallon chooses Uber because, unlike most other gigs, she can control her hours and spend more time focusing on her future. Watch her story in her own words below. | | | |  | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | THE BUDGET countdown is now enumerating the number of days it is late, and few involved in the process are attempting to insist that a final deal might be struck in the coming hours. The Capitol remained quiet on Thursday, even by Covid-19 standards, as negotiations continued past the 11:59 p.m. deadline lawmakers missed on Wednesday night. But the chambers are easing into some more definitive movement, and the Senate could potentially vote on some bills as early as Friday morning. Lawmakers were reportedly close to finalizing the health care portion of the budget, with language expected as early as late Thursday, several sources told POLITICO. The legislation is likely to contain provisions addressing the Medicaid global cap, home care changes and a two-year delay of a planned Medicaid drug carve-out. It is unlikely to include many of the proposed health care cuts included in the governor's budget proposal. … Revenue remains the major outstanding issue, as the Democratic majorities grapple with how to spend higher than expected income tax revenues and an influx of federal aid. POLITICO's Anna Gronewold, Shannon Young and Michelle Bocanegra "WHEN Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sought approval to publish a book last July, his government counsel wrote a letter to New York's ethics oversight agency. In that letter, Cuomo's special counsel, Judith Mogul, noted past state ethics opinions laying out "guardrails" a state employee must follow when seeking to earn outside income from writing a book. Among the nine longstanding rules cited by Mogul: No 'state property, personnel or other resources may be utilized.' 'The governor will abide by all nine of the established requirements discussed above,' Mogul wrote to the Joint Commission on Public Ethics on July 10. 'Specifically, he will write the book entirely on his own time, without the use of state resources or personnel.' On Wednesday evening, however, the New York Times reported that Cuomo did use a number of state personnel to work on the book, 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,' which was published in October 2020. Cuomo reportedly used more junior aides for duties like helping with the manuscript. Also involved were more senior aides including Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, who was involved in pitching and editing the book, the Times reported." Times Union's Chris Bragg — From USA Today Network's Jon Campbell: "Public officer's violations can be punished by a fine of up to $10,000 and the value of any 'compensation or benefit received as a result of such violation.' Cuomo fetched offers of more than $4 million for his book deal, according to The New York Times. Among the conduct in question:
- Cuomo repeatedly conducted television interviews, Q&As and other virtual events promoting the book from the Executive Mansion, the state-owned property provided to the governor for use as his residence.
- At least three senior staff members — Melissa DeRosa, Stephanie Benton and Rich Azzopardi — were involved in the crafting or promotion of the book, though Cuomo's office says all volunteered their time.
- Cuomo mentioned his book during several official COVID-19 briefings and news conferences, including those on Aug. 19, Nov. 15, Nov. 23 and Dec. 23."
CUOMO has signed legislation significantly limiting the use of solitary confinement in New York prisons. The legislation, NY S2836 (21R), which has been a top priority for criminal justice reformers, was approved by the Legislature in March. Only inmates who commit certain dangerous offenses will be able to be placed in solitary. And their stay will be limited to 15 days, after which they'll be moved to a special rehabilitation unit that will let them spend seven hours outside of a cell each day. "Solitary confinement has been established by the United Nations as a method of torture," Assembly sponsor Jeffrion Aubry (D-Queens) said in a release. The new law "will not eliminate this practice, but will be regulated in a way which we think is conducive to the long-term betterment of both those who are incarcerated as well as the communities they return to." POLITICO's Bill Mahoney — The New York Times' Troy Closson: "In his approval of the law, Mr. Cuomo wrote that 'amendments are necessary' in order to protect people living and working in correctional facilities. He said those changes would involve addressing 'all possible circumstances' in which incarcerated people may need to be separated from the general population, including when they commit "multiple violent acts." He did not offer additional specifics." #UpstateAmerica: A New York state trooper rescued a missing toddler from a mountaintop in Bristol. "My heart just dropped, I was so excited. I ran up and she hugged me immediately and she wouldn't let go." | | | | JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, 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 our latest newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | FORMER NEW York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg had a knack for attracting top-tier staff and commanding loyalty in the City Hall he ran for more than a decade as well as the campaigns he waged to get there. But as those staffers take up positions in opposing camps for this year's Democratic mayoral primary, the Bloomberg alumni are lobbing grenades at each other, on the trail and online, as the candidates grow more restive by the day — referring to their former trenchmates as tone-deaf, disingenuous and one candidate's supporters as a "clown car."...Chris Coffey, who spent twelve years in Blomberg's City Hall and mayoral campaigns, is the co-campaign manager for frontrunner Andrew Yang. The firm he works for, Tusk Strategies, is headed by Bradley Tusk, Bloomberg's 2009 campaign manager. City Comptroller Scott Stringer's campaign manager is Micah Lasher, Bloomberg's director of state legislative affairs. The former mayor's longtime press secretary Stu Loeser is working on former Wall Street exec Ray McGuire's campaign, while Menashe Shapiro, who worked on Bloomberg's mayoral and presidential campaigns, is a consultant to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. POLITICO's Erin Durkin "IVAN TORRES HAS been smoking weed in New York City for more than four decades. As arrests began to soar in the late 1990s, he said he was one of the tens of thousands of Black men charged for low-level marijuana possession, earning a criminal record that followed him for much of his adult life. On Wednesday afternoon, hours after Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill officially legalizing marijuana in New York, the 62-year-old sat on a bench in Bed-Stuy and smoked his first ever legal spliff. 'I never felt like I was doing anything wrong,' he told Gothamist. 'Things have definitely changed for the better.' The passage of marijuana legalization has prompted similar exhalations of relief and bliss from New Yorkers across the city. Some have predicted that recreational cannabis will usher in a Roaring Twenties-style summer of hedonism. Others simply wondered what took so long." Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz and Scott Heins — The NYPD issued new orders to cops telling them not to arrest people for smoking pot and saying that the smell of marijuana cannot be the sole reason to search a car. | | | |   | | | | | Scranton on the Hudson | | "PRESIDENT Biden is unlikely to propose reinstating state and local tax deductions in his second tax-and-spending package despite pressure from several fellow Democrats, according to people with direct knowledge of the planning...A commonly held view at the senior level of the Biden administration is that capping SALT — which Trump did to save money and punish his blue-state enemies — was actually good policy. Senior Biden officials have soured on SALT deductions for two main reasons: It would undercut their working-class message and would cost them a fortune. Reinstating SALT would reduce revenues by an estimated $70 billion to $80 billion a year, roughly half the annual amount that Biden has proposed to raise by hiking corporate rates." Axios' Jonathan Swan and Hans Nichols | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "NEW YORKERS who lost loved ones to COVID-19 will soon be able to collect upward of $9,000 from the federal government to cover funeral expenses and other costs associated with the coronavirus death of a relative, a couple of Democratic lawmakers announced Thursday . Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who have lobbied for the creation of a funeral cost reimbursement program for months, said they'd gotten word that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will launch the initiative on April 12." New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt | | | | THE LATEST FROM INSIDE THE WEST WING : A lot happened in the first two months of the Biden presidency. From a growing crisis at the border to increased mass shootings across the country while navigating the pandemic and ongoing economic challenges. Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads to find out what actions are on the table and the internal state of play inside the West Wing and across the administration. Track the people, policies and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — George Soros has committed $500 million to Bard College. — A replica of the 'Schitt's Creek' sign in Stockport is bringing (mostly) laughs for Route 9 travelers. — Open streets groups want funding and more improvements to the program. — Smorgasburg will take over the former Hester Street Fair space. — A federal bankruptcy judge temporarily blocked dozens of Child Victims Act cases against Buffalo-area Catholic parishes and schools from advancing in State Supreme Court. | | A message from Uber Driver Stories: As a woman of color, Fallon's number one priority is to better herself through her education. And that means finishing her bachelor's degree in business.
At first, Fallon tried to go down the traditional route of working part-time. But she says it didn't offer the flexible schedule that she needed.
"I like the flexibility of driving with Uber," she says. "I can drive when I want to."
With Uber, Fallon can choose when, where, and how long she wants to drive. If she has an exam that needs her attention, she doesn't have to worry about asking her boss or requesting time off—she can take the time she needs on her terms.
To see more stories like Fallon's, click here.
*Driver earnings may vary depending on location, demand, hours, drivers, and other variables. | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Our own Danielle Muoio ... Vox's Meridith Webster … 270 Strategies' Lynda Tran, a CBS News contributor … Deloitte's Kelsey Kilgore … former acting A.G. Jeff Rosen (63) … NYT's Dana Rubinstein and Emily Steel … Commerce's Patrick Zimet … NBC's Liz Brown-Kaiser … WNYC's Jim O'Grady … Edelman's Ryan Kuntz … Josefa Velásquez … former New York congressional candidate Nate McMurray … NBA's Danny Kanner | | REAL ESTATE | | "EVEN AMID multiple scandals, a weakened Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to railroad through a city-changing land deal that would reshape Manhattan's skyline. And the project's detractors, until very recently, were few and relatively muted. How is he doing it? With his still-considerable political muscle and an almost irresistible carrot: the dream of finally fixing everyone's least favorite transit hub — Penn Station. The Empire Station Complex plan sets out to eventually overhaul the transit hub with revenue generated by a massive real estate deal in the surrounding blocks. A key hurdle for the project, at least in the short-term, rests in the state budget negotiations as Cuomo tries to ram a $1.3 billion bond deal past some reluctant lawmakers." The City's Josefa Velasquez and Rachel Holliday Smith MANHATTAN OFFICE SPACE availability surged during the first quarter of 2021 amid the continued impacts of Covid-19 on the commercial real estate market, according to a new report from Savills. The availability rate in the borough rose to 17.2 percent, or its highest level in decades, as direct and sublease space "continued to flood the market," the commercial real estate services firm said in the report. This was up from an 11.5 percent availability rate during the first quarter of 2020. "Abundant short- and long-term options are driving price reductions, many owners proposing historically aggressive rates, concessions and flexibility to secure tenants amid so much competition," the report said. — Janaki Chadha "DOZENS OF families in Brooklyn's largest public housing complex have been without cooking gas since January — infuriating tenants still dealing with construction to repair damages caused by Superstorm Sandy. The gas outage at the Red Hook Houses has forced households in 96 apartments, spanning three buildings, to cook on electric hot plates provided by the New York City Housing Authority. Some apartments have many as eight or nine people, and residents say it's next to impossible to whip up decent meals for families on the one portable burner...In March, more than 40 residents filed a civil lawsuit against NYCHA in Brooklyn Housing Court demanding the housing authority restore gas service, provide rent reductions and reimburse tenants' legal fees." The City's Gabriel Sandoval
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