News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER gets BIDEN face time — DOWNING goes BIG with policy

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER gets BIDEN face time — DOWNING goes BIG with policy — MARKEY’s ‘EVERYWHERE’

May 11, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It's Senate budget-unveiling day.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DOWNING FOCUSES ON POLICY — Ben Downing knocked doors for Elizabeth Warren in Iowa and New Hampshire. Now he's emulating her policy-heavy campaign in his gubernatorial bid.

Downing will unveil his second of roughly a dozen proposals today — a sweeping plan to reduce poverty by overhauling the state's approach to combating hunger and homelessness, and by growing job opportunities in 20 communities with the highest poverty rates.

"We seem to dance around the issue of poverty — talk about it through the lens of education, achievement gaps, talk about it when we talk about health care, environmental justice, criminal justice reform," the former state senator told me. "This is about trying to break down silos where they exist and address the shortcomings of existing programs while we take the efforts to the next level."

Downing wants to end child poverty and hunger by 2030, cut overall poverty and hunger in half in the same timeframe, and halve the number of unhoused residents by 2027.

They're ambitious goals , ones Downing aims to achieve by doubling the earned income tax credit, establishing a partial match of the federal child tax credit, making universal school meals permanent, and bolstering housing and rental assistance programs. He supports the millionaires tax currently making a comeback and says he's working on a "comprehensive tax reform" plan.

Going big on policy has its pros and cons — just ask Warren. But right now Downing needs to drum up name recognition before other major candidates make their moves.

"I suspect this is going to be a big and robust field and debate," Downing told me. "I can only control what I can control, and that's what we're doing right now, by rolling out a clear vision for how we build a fairer, stronger Massachusetts."

BAKER'S BIDEN TIME — Gov. Charlie Baker's one of just six governors — three Democrats and three Republicans — who scored invites to share coronavirus vaccination best practices with President Joe Biden this afternoon. GOP Govs. Spencer Cox of Utah and Mike DeWine of Ohio are also on the virtual guest list.

The GOP attendees have one thing in common: They've angered their own parties at times when it comes to handling Covid.

Baker has routinely bucked the reopening trends that have marked the approaches in many Republican-led states. Cox signed a bill limiting his own emergency powers as part of a deal to hold off a Republican-led legislature pushing for an earlier end to the state's mask mandate. DeWine's rules and restrictions drew protests last spring, and by year's end, some in his own party were trying to impeach him.

The Republican trio's more measured responses to the pandemic are a far cry from the charge of "Neanderthal thinking" Biden leveled at the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi in early March after they moved to lift their mask mandates. Baker only recently loosened his outdoor mask mandate, and Ohio has similar guidelines to Massachusetts.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker talks Massachusetts' vaccination efforts with President Joe Biden and other governors at 1 p.m. Acting Boston Mayor Janey joins health chief Marty Martinez at 1 p.m. to provide a coronavirus update. Senate Ways and Means Committee releases its fiscal year 2022 budget proposal.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Mass. reports 446 coronavirus cases, 14 deaths, and 54,137 vaccinations," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts reported 446 new confirmed coronavirus cases Monday, while the seven-day average edged down to 770 from 775 the day before. The Department of Public Health also reported that the high-stakes campaign to vaccinate people got another 54,137 shots into people's arms."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Charlie Baker says Aug. 1 is Massachusetts 'outside date' for 100% reopening, giving businesses hope for an earlier return," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker said his Aug. 1 target to allow businesses to fully reopen after more than a year of pandemic restrictions is an 'outside date,' giving hope to a rebound earlier this summer."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is OK'd for kids ages 12 to 15: FDA," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Children 12 and older can start making plans — with their parents or guardians — to get in line for the coronavirus vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the Pfizer vaccine for those who are 12 to 15."

– "In visit to Quincy's Manet Health, Baker pushes local vaccination shift as key for unvaccinated," by Joe Difazio, Patriot Ledger: "As more and more people in Massachusetts get vaccinated, Gov. Baker said the state's shift to a local vaccination model will be key to reaching people who haven't yet gotten a shot. Baker said that by the end of the week about 3 million people in Massachusetts will be fully vaccinated."

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

– "AG touts COVID-19 resiliency, community partnerships in Merrimack Valley," by Allison Corneau, Eagle-Tribune: "Attorney General Maura Healey advocated for residents and small businesses in the Merrimack Valley on Monday during a tour of Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen."

– "Chelsea launched a guaranteed income experiment to give money directly to residents. Here's how they spent it," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "A report released Monday by the Harvard Kennedy School's Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston found that roughly $1.5 million — or 73.3 percent — of the $2.1 million distributed through the Chelsea Eats program was spent at grocery stores, markets, restaurants, and other places where food is the primary product. Supporters say the results add to emerging research from similar guaranteed income experiments that recipients use the money for basic necessities like food."

– "Mass. churches amassed over $82M in small business PPP loans; Roman Catholic dioceses alone collected over $20M," by Isabel Contreras, Boston University Statehouse Program/MetroWest Daily News: "Massachusetts churches, including Catholic and Christian religious organizations, received upwards of $82 million in forgivable loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, according to Small Business Administration data released last month. The Roman Catholic Dioceses of Worcester, Fall River and Springfield, along with the Archdiocese of Boston, collected over $20 million in PPP loans, distributed among different churches and administrative departments under their jurisdiction. Boston's Archdiocese, led by Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley received the most within this group, with over $8 million in PPP aid."

– "A Pandemic Silver Lining: Fewer Kids Are Getting Sick," by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "Numbers confirming a mild flu season for adults and kids are already out. Now, a study in the journal Academic Pediatrics shows a dramatic drop in all pediatric sick visits in the early months of the pandemic."

FROM THE HUB

– "Boston police say there is no way to guarantee overtime savings sought by Janey," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "With city authorities looking to rein in Boston police overtime costs, department brass told lawmakers Monday that they could not guarantee the desired savings in next fiscal year's budget because injuries to officers — which require overtime shifts to fill — cannot be predicted."

– "Who shot Delois Brown? $10,000 reward for killing of Boston grandmother," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Boston religious leaders are calling for "not one more Delois Brown in the city" and are putting up a $10,000 "cash bounty on the head" of the person who shot and killed the 73-year-old grandmother while she sat on her Dorchester porch last month."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Boston traffic deaths: Fatalities of drivers, passengers and motorcyclists up in 2020 amid speeding spike," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "More drivers, passengers and motorcyclists died in Boston crashes in 2020 than in any of the previous four years, a likely result of a speeding spike with fewer cars on the road due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report released Monday."

– "T board calls for $10 fine for fare evasion," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "The MBTA oversight board called for making fines for fare evasion among the lowest in the country – at least until fares based on the income level of the passenger are implemented. The current fines for fare evasion at the T are $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $600 for the third or subsequent offenses. T staff, as part of an internal review, recommended reducing the fines to $50 for first, second, and third offenses and $100 for all subsequent offenses."

– "AAA: Expect gas prices to rise again this week due to recent cyber attack," by Kara Walsh, WWLP.com: "A recent cyber attack is pushing gas prices higher in Massachusetts. AAA says gas prices rose by six cents a gallon over the past week to an average rate of $2.86."

– "New MBTA cars will stay off the tracks for now," by Mark Gartsbeyn, Boston.com: "The new Red and Orange line MBTA cars will stay off the tracks after engineers found a manufacturing problem that may have led to an Orange Line derailment in March."

DAY IN COURT

– "Business owners rejected by SJC now want Supreme Court to review Baker's use of emergency powers during COVID pandemic," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "A group of business owners who unsuccessfully sought last year to overturn Governor Charlie Baker's emergency powers during the pandemic is petitioning the Supreme Court to review the case, according to its lawyer, potentially extending what's been a yearlong challenge to the Republican governor's authority."

– "Jasiel Correia trial: Case is now in the hands of the jury," by Jo C. Goode, Dan Medeiros, Linda Murphy and Lynne Sullivan, Herald News: "Jasiel Correia II was 'a mayor of old school corruption' who was happy to find a new illegal revenue stream shaking down marijuana vendors when the money he took from investors in his SnoOwl app company dried up, according to federal prosecutors' closing arguments on Monday. Not so, argued defense attorney Kevin Reddington, who said his client was dealing with savvy businessmen who invested in the company he started fresh out of college, and that the federal government brought in a "conga line" of questionable witnesses who had much to gain as co-conspirators who were granted immunity or plea deals ."

MARKEYCHUSETTS

– "'Joe Kennedy was the best thing that ever happened to him.' Reelected and reenergized, Ed Markey is suddenly everywhere," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Fresh from reelection and a rebranding as a hip, progressive fighter attuned to Democratic youth, the 74-year-old has started his new six-year term in an unusual place for him: seemingly everywhere."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "McGovern, Pressley reintroduce bill to bolster housing access for grandparent-led families," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley on Monday called on the federal government to bolster access to safe and affordable housing for the millions of grandparents who raise children across the country. The Massachusetts Democrats reintroduced the Grandfamily Housing Act, which would create a nationwide pilot program to help nonprofits and local authorities make housing modifications and invest in staff to "help grandparents navigate the complexities of raising a grandchild," the lawmakers said in a statement to MassLive."

FROM THE 413

– "Western Mass. expected to see busy summer for tourism -- and a lot of competition," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "There's a sense of optimism in the tourism and hospitality industry in Western Massachusetts, said Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. Especially after a particularly strong April school vacation week for local attractions."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Many municipalities miss the mark on diversity," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: "The South Shore's demographics have shifted over the last decade, and more minorities than ever live in towns along its coast. But the racial makeup of town employees hasn't kept pace, leaving residents with local governments that look less and less like the communities they serve."

– "Rival doughnut shops fight over 'Ma's Donuts' name," by Brian Amaral, Boston Globe: "The dispute has gotten caustic: Fake Yelp reviews alleging mold and cockroaches. Anonymous phone calls that are so nasty they can't even be described in private without blushing. The subject of talk-radio banter and a cease-and-desist letter. Ma's Donuts and More in Middletown, R.I., just wants people to know they're not thieves. Ma's Donuts and Coffee shop in New Bedford, Mass., just wants to reopen. Everyone is exasperated over three little letters and an apostrophe."

MEDIA MATTERS

– "7News's Juliana Mazza was reporting on a stolen dog in Cambridge. Then she and her photographer saw the suspect with the pup," by Dialynn Dwyer, Boston.com: "7News reporter Juliana Mazza was covering the story of a stolen dog in Cambridge on Saturday when she and her photographer spotted something — a man walking nearby with the missing pup."

TRANSITIONS – Victoria McGrane is now deputy metro editor for the Boston Globe. Tweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Phil Sanzo, Bryan Barash, Greg Piatelli, Nicole Landset Blank and Kasey Poulin.

NEW EPISODE: THANKS FOR THE MEM-MURRAYS – On this week's Horse Race podcast, co-host and soon-to-be POLITICO Morning Score author Stephanie Murray says goodbye to the pod and reflects on her time on the #mapoli beat with fellow hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela. With the future of workplaces post-pandemic still uncertain, Miles Howard discusses his Boston Globe article making the case for turning vacant offices into affordable housing. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and SoundCloud.

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