| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by CVS Health | A whole lot of money is about to pour into the New York City mayor's race. While almost all the candidates are operating under strict rules imposed by the city's public campaign financing system, outside groups aren't bound by those. So now three different political action committees are in the works to support frontrunner Andrew Yang, on top of a PAC being formed by Democrats on the left to oppose him. Political consultant Lis Smith is launching one effort to boost Yang's candidacy with the goal of raising $6 million for TV ads, our Sally Goldenberg and Joe Anuta report. She worked for Yang's rival Pete Buttigieg during the Democratic presidential primary, but has recently been rushing to Yang's defense as his competitors pile on. Now she's in talks with potential donors and staff about forming a PAC and has partnered with Declaration Media, a national Democratic firm. Also in Yang's corner are two other groups that filed paperwork recently with the state Board of Elections to boost his candidacy. There's Future Forward NYC, spearheaded by David Rose, a startup investor and close friend of Yang's. while Asians for NY is also supporting Yang along with two City Council candidates. Arrayed against the frontrunner: Our City, a PAC formed by Justice Democrats' Gabe Tobias, is beginning to raise money to counter Yang's rise in the polls . They're hoping to sway the race toward a candidate further to the left and get out the message that Yang is no friend of progressive policies. Then, there's an independent expenditure committee backing former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan with $2 million from Donovan's dad, as well as PACs supporting city Comptroller Scott Stringer and former Wall Street exec Ray McGuire. We've observed before that many voters are not yet paying close attention to the race, but with all this cash on the table their TV sets may soon give them no choice. 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? No public schedule available by press time. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability. | | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CVS Health has been there. We're nearly 300,000 employees ensuring millions of Americans can access health care services. We opened thousands of COVID-19 test sites and administered millions of tests. Now, we're providing the vaccine in designated states. We've been on the frontlines, making health care easier to access and afford. That's health care, from the heart. Learn more. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | THE WORKING FAMILIES PARTY — an organization formerly home to labor unions that in recent years has become activist-driven — selected three Democratic mayoral candidates after a spirited meeting Tuesday night. The political party picked City Comptroller Scott Stringer as its top choice, providing his candidacy a shot of momentum after a series of disappointments as several unions he had been courting endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams instead. Former nonprofit CEO Dianne Morales and former City Hall attorney Maya Wiley, both first-time candidates, came in second and third, respectively — a nod to the ranked-choice voting system debuting this year. POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg — Andrew Yang was heckled Tuesday night when he tried to participate in a bike ride to protest the shooting of Daunte Wright. — Jay-Z, Diddy and Nas are endorsing Ray McGuire, NY1's Gloria Pazmino reports. "NEW YORK CITY will spend $120 million to expand its summer-school program this year by launching a free five-day in-person enrichment program open to all K-12 public-school students to help with learning loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, city officials said Tuesday. The program will offer academic support to students who must retake a failed course or need summer school to graduate or be promoted to the next grade, according to the city's Department of Education. Those students will need to make significant progress during the session to be promoted, department officials said. Broadly, the program will offer summer-camp-style social-emotional and recreational programs in July and August to all interested students, officials said. The program could be used by about 200,000 students, officials said." Wall Street Journal's Lee Hawkins — LONG READ: "Richard Carranza's Last Stand: De Blasio hired an 'equity warrior' as schools chancellor. How parental politics — and the pandemic — left him defeated." — No city schools closed on Monday due to coronavirus cases after the city overhauled the rules. "THE NUMBER OF new coronavirus cases in New York City has remained alarmingly, and stubbornly, high for weeks, even as tens of thousands of people are vaccinated daily. A likely reason is that more contagious variants have displaced the original forms of the virus, public health officials have said, accounting for more than 75 percent of new cases, according to a recent analysis. Each week, the Health Department releases the results of a sampling of up to 1,500 sequenced cases, providing a citywide snapshot of which variants are on the rise. Until this week, the city had not said which variants were more common in which neighborhoods. But newly available ZIP code-level data provides some insight into the mix of variants circulating in the area." The New York Times' Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Otterman and Matthew Bloch THE CITY'S TEACHERS UNION is leaning toward Scott Stringer as its preferred mayoral candidate, multiple union members have said, but rank-and-file teachers already dissatisfied with the union's politics have criticized the endorsement process as opaque and unreflective of their values. The union's finalists — Stringer, Maya Wiley, Eric Adams and Andrew Yang — recently participated in its final town hall after a series of candidate screenings held behind closed doors. The United Federation of Teachers' 3,200-member union-wide Delegate Assembly — chapter leaders and delegates — votes on the candidates. And their final decision could come this week. But some members tell POLITICO the system for endorsing in the nearly 200,000-person union, governed by president Michael Mulgrew, does not capture the genuine sentiment of members. POLITICO's Madina Touré FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Manhattan DA candidate Eliza Orlins is releasing a plan to create an Environmental Justice Unit within the DA's office, which would pursue businesses and individuals who violate environmental laws, including mold and lead paint violations by landlords that rise to the level of a crime. "I will thoroughly investigate these incidents, and prosecute these offenses, particularly when there is evidence that these crimes were committed knowingly by corporate actors," Orlins, a public defender, says in her plan. She would also form a task force to investigate cases of possible fraud or perjury arising from corporate environmental sustainability statements and environmental risk disclosures. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION: Power is changing, in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter "The Recast" breaks down how race and identity are shaping politics and policy in America and we are recasting how we report on it. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear from important new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | NEW YORK'S ONLY NFL team is poised to once again be at the forefront of the state's return to normalcy. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has unveiled a plan to fill all 71,608 seats at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park for Buffalo Bills games this fall. But, he said during a Covid briefing on Tuesday, all attendees will have to be vaccinated. No other large-scale sporting events in New York have imposed similar vaccine mandates. "Our plan is that unless you are vaccinated you will not have entry to the stadium. It is easy, it is safe, we can then guarantee 70,000-plus people at the stadium enjoying the Bills, cheering them on," Poloncarz said. "It was loud last year, I can't imagine how loud it will be next year with 70,000 fans. You can be one of those 70,000 fans by being vaccinated." POLITICO's Bill Mahoney "NEW YORK OFFICIALS have ordered all state-run vaccination sites to stop administering the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine , as federal agencies investigate whether a rare and severe type of blood clot may be linked to the single-shot treatment. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended pausing the J&J vaccine 'out of an abundance of caution' Tuesday after six women who received the shot were diagnosed with blood clots. State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker immediately ordered all state facilities to stop administering the J&J shot as the federal 'health and safety agencies evaluate next steps.'" New York Daily News' Jessica Schladebeck and Dave Goldiner — The state will send mobile vaccine buses to rural farms to vaccinate agricultural workers. "ANDREW CUOMO LIVES, still, in a 40-room Victorian mansion on Eagle Street in downtown Albany, despite the television correspondents descending to narrate his demise. When his father, Mario Cuomo, was New York's governor, the executive residence was a place for gathering, the estate where a once-middle-class Queens family announced its new lot: grand wedding receptions; afternoons by the pool; misadventures with a homemade go-kart that Andrew, 25 when his dad was inaugurated, once drove into a tree on the backyard putting green. The grounds are quieter now... "Once liable to be spotted about town, flashing a thumbs-up from a 1968 Pontiac GTO with a '1' license plate, Cuomo has ventured out recently under only the most prescribed of circumstances . Amid his overlapping crises, which include allegations that he was responsible for and then covered up the Covid deaths of nursing-home residents, aggressively groped an aide at the mansion and sexually harassed a half-dozen others, his news briefings proceed via conference call now, with staff members carefully screening the questions... His bet appears to be that the public performance of gubernatorial activities, from negotiating the state budget to expanding vaccine eligibility to all New Yorkers 16 and up, will overwhelm the multi-scandal pileup in the minds of those who still find him basically competent." The New York Times' Matt Flegenheimer "A DECADE AGO, the bankrupt owner of the Greenidge power plant in Dresden, New York, sold the uncompetitive coal-fired relic for scrap and surrendered its operating permits. For the next seven years, the plant sat idle on the western shore of Seneca Lake, a monument to the apparent dead end reached by the state's fossil fuel infrastructure. But today, Greenidge is back up and running as a Bitcoin mining operation. The facility hums with energy-hungry computers that confirm and record Bitcoin transactions, drawing power from the plant's 106-megawatt generator now fueled by natural gas… Environmental advocates view Greenidge's ambition , if left unchecked, as an air emissions nightmare. And they fear that dozens of other retired or retiring fossil-fueled power plants across New York could follow Greenidge's example, gaining new life by repurposing as Bitcoin miners or other types of energy-intense data centers." New York Focus' Peter Mantius | | | |   | | |
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "SEVENTEEN NEW YORK state Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday said they will not support proposed tax increases to pay for President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan unless it also rolls back a 2017 tax change that hurt high earners in some states. The group urged the full repeal of the provision, which limited to $10,000 the state and local taxes that households itemizing deductions could write off their federal returns. Known as the SALT cap, it was part of the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul signed by President Donald Trump in 2017. 'We stand ready to work with you on this critical issue, and we will not hesitate to oppose any tax legislation that does not fully restore the SALT deduction,' the group, led by Representatives Tom Suozzi and Jerry Nadler, wrote in a letter to House Democratic leadership." Reuters "REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-N.Y.) raised a seven-figure sum for the sixth consecutive quarter, cementing her status as a small-dollar fundraising juggernaut as she weighs a run for governor or a leadership bid in the House. The fourth-term incumbent brought in $1.1 million in the first three months of 2021 from 30,000 donors, with an average contribution size of $25. She ended March with over $2.5 million in the bank. That largesse leaves her well-positioned to grow her profile beyond rank-and-file congresswoman in the coming years. It's also more confirmation that the events from January — then-President Donald Trump's bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 riots and the second impeachment trial — proved lucrative for some of the most vocal players. POLITICO's Ally Mutnick "REP. JOHN KATKO has raised more than $436,000 for his re-election campaign — a personal record for the first quarter — despite backlash he received from Republicans for voting to impeach Donald Trump. Katko's campaign said today it plans to file a report with the Federal Election Commission showing the big quarterly haul left him with $586,014 cash on hand as of March 31. It was not immediately possible to determine how much of the money flowed into Katko's campaign after the Jan. 13 impeachment vote, and who donated to his campaign. An itemized report of donations will not be filed with the FEC until Thursday." Syracuse.com's Mark Weiner | | Biden and the Boroughs | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — About a hundred alums of the state attorney general's office have signed an open letter supporting the nomination of Kristen Clarke , President Joe Biden's nominee to lead the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, who has a Senate confirmation hearing today. Clarke was formerly head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York AG. "At a moment when civil rights are under attack, Kristen's experience and leadership are precisely what we need at DOJ," the letter states, whose signatories include former AG Barbara Underwood, Manhattan DA candidate Alvin Bragg, and Legal Aid CEO Janet Sabel. | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Oswald Feliz and Eric Dinowitz declared victory after ranked-choice voting counts in two City Council special elections in the Bronx. — Coney Island's Mermaid Parade expects to be back in person this year, in late summer or early fall instead of the traditional June date. — De Blasio rode the subway one stop on Tuesday and expressed frustration with the MTA. — An Amazon driver was caught on video stealing the barricades from a Brooklyn open street, leading to the open street's suspension. — Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer is endorsing Eric Adams for mayor. — Left-wing organization Justice Democrats is backing Rana Abdelhamid in her bid against Rep. Carolyn Maloney. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC's Garrett Haake … Kaye Foley of "Last Week Tonight" … Nick Merrill … theSkimm's Carly Zakin … Bloomberg's Emma O'Brian … Amy Brundage of SKDKnickerbocker … USTR's Adam Hodge … CNN's Adam Levine … NYT's Eileen Sullivan … Sasha Issenberg … Micah Fergenson MAKING MOVES — Emerald Snipes, the daughter of Eric Garner, is joining Dianne Morales' mayoral campaign as an organizer on policing issues. Former City Council candidate Elisa Crespo and former congressional candidate Samelys Lopez are joining her campaign as Bronx borough organizers. She's also adding Ramses Dukes as organizing and relational director, Carmen Kunkel-Quesada as field operations manager, and Wesley Vasquez as NYCHA coordinator. … Adem Bunkeddeko will be the new executive director of CORO New York, a leadership training organization. He's a former congressional candidate in Brooklyn. | | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the pandemic, in New York and across the country, CVS Health has been delivering essential care. Thanks to the efforts of our employees, we opened 4,800 COVID-19 test sites and administered over 15 million tests at our stores and through partners in underserved communities. With millions staying home, we increased access to prescription delivery, virtual visits and mental health services. Now, we're providing vaccines in designated states. Every day, CVS Health works to bring quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it's never out of reach for anyone. That's health care, from the heart. Learn more. | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "THIS IS ONE opportunity New York won't miss. The state budget passed by lawmakers last week includes a provision decoupling the city and state tax codes from the federal Opportunity Zones program , a Trump-era policy that opponents say is nothing more than a handout to wealthy real estate investors. Part of the Republican-led 2017 federal tax overhaul, the program was aimed at incentivizing private investment in economically distressed areas." New York Daily News' Denis Slattery "ALL EYES are on Midtown Manhattan as everyone anxiously waits to see if and when office workers and tourists will return to what have been eerily empty streets and whether the businesses that line them will regain customers lost during the pandemic. But other retail corridors across New York are also important barometers of the city's economy, as well as key to its recovery; a survey of five of them, one in each borough, showed signs of resilience . 'On the whole, business districts outside Manhattan are holding up better and some are really thriving,' said Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future. This is not to gloss over the hardship experienced practically everywhere." The New York Times' Jane Margolies "FOR THE PAST seven months, 40-year-old Maricela Catalán has been pleading her case against her former landlord in Bronx Housing Court from her current living room. She has tuned in online 10 times via Microsoft Teams with a hotspot and laptop lent by a tenant organizer to press a claim that landlord Sam Applegrad illegally locked her out of her prior apartment in Mott Haven last year. The city's housing courts have largely shut in-person operations during the pandemic — freezing eviction proceedings entirely until earlier this year and moving urgent cases concerning building conditions almost wholly online . Like more than one in three Bronx residents, Catalán does not have access to broadband at home." The City's Claudia Irizarry Aponte | | | | 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 | | | | |
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