| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by CVS Health | Scott Stringer's mayoral campaign hemorrhaged support this weekend, with one endorser after another abandoning his campaign over sexual misconduct allegations. The Working Families Party, one of Stringer's biggest gets to date, pulled out Friday evening, with its director saying it could no longer support a candidate who "failed to acknowledge and consider his responsibility" after a former volunteer accused him of groping her. Then a group of progressive lawmakers whose support was crucial to Stringer's campaign — state Sens. Alessandra Biaggi, Gustavo Rivera and Julia Salazar, Assemblymembers Yuh-Line Niou and Catalina Cruz, and Rep. Jamaal Bowman — dropped the hammer with a one-line statement: "We are rescinding our endorsement of Scott Stringer's mayoral campaign." A nearly identical statement appeared Saturday night from a different group of backers: Rep. Adriano Espaillat, City Council Members Mark Levine and Diana Ayala, Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa, and Sen. José Serrano. Also fleeing the campaign are Sunrise Movement NYC and a coalition of Muslim organizations that had just given Stringer their blessing less than a week earlier. But Stringer isn't quitting, and is vowing to press forward all the way to the June primary. He sought some redemption at a series of Brooklyn churches Sunday, where he talked about being "knocked down," but not out: "I'm going to stand straight up. I'm going to make my case." He looked forward to his appearance in the first Democratic debate next week, now feeling the need to convince people that he'll be there at all. "You lose some old friends, you've got to make new friends," Stringer said in response to his canceled endorsements. And who, we asked, will those new friends be? "We'll see on Election Day." IT'S MONDAY. 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 yet. WHERE'S BILL? Appearing on Telemundo and holding a media availability. | | A message from CVS Health: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, CVS Health has been there. We're nearly 300,000 caring employees ensuring millions of Americans can access health care services. We opened thousands of COVID-19 test sites, administered millions of tests and expanded access to COVID-19 vaccines throughout the country. 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 | | Yang describes himself as serial entrepreneur, but he often worked for someone else, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta: In 2015, President Barack Obama named Andrew Yang an ambassador of global entrepreneurship as part of a White House program to promote economic activity around the world. The award is a keystone in Yang's backstory as a serial entrepreneur with deep experience in the startup world — a history he draws on as a leading candidate for New York City mayor. Yang has pitched himself as someone with fresh ideas and an aversion to political ideology. But a look at his resume shows the reality is less clear cut... These firms were often created by someone else — a distinction that complicates a key part of his campaign persona. — Kathryn Garcia called it "totally sexist" that Yang, Eric Adams and other candidates keep talking about making her their No. 2. "You shouldn't need me. To be quite clear: I don't need you guys, to run this government." " 80K City Workers Expected Back in NYC Offices Monday," by NBC New York's Brian Price: "New York City's road to recovery takes another significant milestone step on Monday when an estimated 80,000 municipal workers are scheduled to return to their offices for the first time in over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered most buildings last March. Mayor Bill de Blasio had announced the May 3 return of thousands of city employees in yet another signal that the city hurtling toward a full reopening. It comes almost two months before the citywide reopening he hopes to see by July 1. But not everyone is ready to head back. Hundreds of city employees protested outside City Hall on Saturday the decision to go back into the office." "NYC Indoor Dining To Expand To 75% Capacity Starting May 7th," by Gothamist's Ben Yakas: "Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that indoor dining would be expanded to 75% capacity in New York City, bringing the city in line with the rest of the state, starting May 7th. In addition, hair salons, barber shops and other personal care services will also expand to 75% capacity beginning May 7th. And NYC gyms and fitness centers will expand to 50% capacity beginning May 15th. 'There's no doubt that restaurants have been among the pandemic's hardest hit businesses, and New York City's thriving restaurant industry has found it challenging to keep staff and maintain profits,' Cuomo said." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Manhattan district attorney candidate and Assemblymember Dan Quart is launching his first TV ad, featuring a sexual harassment survivor and advocate touting his record. "Women were being harassed. It happened to me. And then they silenced us. We pushed back. So many told us to stay silent," says Leah Hebert, a founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group, who says Quart was among the first legislators to support their cause. "He had nothing to gain and everything to lose. Dan Quart stood up to people with power. He fought aggressively for victims." The ad will start running Tuesday with a $54,000 ad buy. Quart's campaign is the second in the crowded DA race to run ads on TV. | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Andrew Cuomo's Loudest Supporters: 'Women for Governor Cuomo,'" by Wall Street Journal's Khadeeja Safdar and Katie Honan: "When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo began facing calls to resign over allegations of sexual harassment, billboard messages, rallies and social-media posts suddenly appeared in support of him. The reason: die-hard Cuomo fans who have joined forces in several Facebook groups to strategize ways to show their support for the governor. One of the biggest is 'Women for Governor Cuomo,' a private fan club of about 1,100 members who are mostly women over age 55. One of its members has even earned thanks from the governor for her efforts of support. Some of the women have urged followers in the private group to call state officials, respond to Mr. Cuomo's accusers and rivals on Twitter, attend rallies and contribute thousands of dollars for pro-Cuomo advertising." "Analysts see promise, risk in the big-spending state budget," by Newsday's Michael Gormley: "'I think it's silly,' Richard Ravitch, the former lieutenant governor, said of the new budget's large increase in spending and the further taxing of wealthy New Yorkers. Ravitch was a key player in saving New York City and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from financial ruin beginning with the 1970s fiscal crisis. 'I'm a liberal Democrat and I ain't moving anywhere. But I know a lot of people are … and that's not good for New York City. This is not a time for a liberal agenda.' Some other fiscal analysts outside Albany remember those hard decisions by Ravitch and Gov. Hugh Carey during New York City's fiscal crisis and wonder if the lessons have been forgotten." "Workers' new right to pot off-the-clock won't extend to all," by Times Union's Rebekah F. Ward "Ever since the Nixon-era Controlled Substances Act, marijuana has been a Schedule I drug under federal law, defined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as 'drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.' There are 113,900 federal workers in the state of New York, according to the state comptroller's office, with nearly 7,000 in the Capital Region. They include postal workers, law enforcement officers, doctors, computer technicians, court employees and maintenance crews. The rights of non-federal employees are less clear, and many employers and labor unions are still reviewing the guidelines to see what will be allowed." — The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission will no longer test cab drivers for marijuana now that it's legal. #UpstateAmerica: A Belvidere farmer is refusing to give up "the best farmland in Allegany County" to make way for a $500 million cheese factory, but eminent domain might take away his say. | | | |   | | |
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Chuck Schumer calls on Gov. Cuomo, MTA to resume 24/7 subways," by New York Post's Reuven Fenton and David Meyer : "The MTA must resume 24/7 operations after nearly a year of nightly shutdowns attributed to COVID-19, Sen. Chuck Schumer said on Sunday. 'The City That Never Sleeps has a name that we have to live up to everywhere, including within our subway service,' the Senate Majority Leader said during an appearance outside the Lexington Av./53rd Street station in Manhattan." — "A Push to Unlock Subway Bathrooms as the City Gets Moving Again," by The City's Jose Martinez: "All MTA-maintained subway bathrooms — covering 76 stations, 16% of the entire system — have been closed for more than a year as part of the MTA's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. The shutdown of restrooms in the subway, combined with a shortage of businesses that allow people to use their facilities during the pandemic, have highlighted the city's long-standing lack of access to places that offer relief." " New York Faces Likely Congressional Redistricting Fight After Latest U.S. Census," by Wall Street Journal's Jimmy Vielkind: "New York politicians are preparing for a contentious redistricting process after the U.S. Census Bureau said last week that the state's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives will decrease by a seat. The once-in-a-decade act of drawing new lines for the state Senate, Assembly and Congress is in the hands of a new bipartisan commission. It was created in 2014 to try wringing some of the politics out of a famously political process. This is also the first time in 50 years that redistricting will unfold with one party — Democrats — in full control of New York's government. That could lead to district lines that advantage that party, observers said, as part of a process that will unfold over the next year." "New York lawmakers lobby for projects as earmark process, once tainted by scandal, returns," by Times Union's Emilie Munson : "Highway overhauls. New sidewalks. Electric buses. Broadband expansion. Scientific equipment. For the first time in a decade, members of Congress have the power to earmark billions in federal funding for specific local projects, reviving a process once pockmarked by corruption scandals. New York representatives submitted lengthy wish lists this week to congressional leaders hoping to nab a few million here and there for their preferred projects. U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, is seeking $4.8 million for floating solar panels in the Cohoes reservoir. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, asked for $27 million for a drinking water project at Fort Drum. U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, requested $430,000 for a gun violence prevention project in Ulster County. "N.Y. lawmakers say thousands of undocumented residents unable to access COVID aid because of IRS backlogs," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt : "Thousands of undocumented New Yorkers are stuck in a bureaucratic limbo where they can't tap into a pandemic relief pot specifically set aside for them because of massive application backlogs for a certain type of tax IDs, according to a group of Democratic lawmakers. As part of this year's state budget, legislators in Albany carved out a $2.1 billion 'Excluded Workers Fund,' which offers economic relief for New Yorkers who have not been able to receive federal unemployment benefits, stimulus checks and other coronavirus-related aid because of their immigration status." | | | | JOIN TUESDAY FOR A CONVERSATION ON SMALL BUSINESSES AFTER COVID-19: About one in six small businesses in the U.S. closed their doors since the pandemic began. The ones that remained open are getting by with fewer employees after laying off workers or a hiring freeze. What is ahead for small businesses in 2021 as they try to weather the ongoing economic uncertainty? And how does President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package intend to support small-business owners? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation with White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein and Joyce Beatty, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, on what small businesses need to survive and thrive beyond the Covid economic crisis. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Queens Borough President Donovan Richards will endorse Eric Adams for mayor. — De Blasio rode a bus for one stop before jumping in a waiting car, which was illegally parked in the busway he had just inaugurated. — A man was charged with attempted murder for shooting two people at Peter Luger Steak House. — "A Long Island man who only ever made one mortgage payment has deftly used the courts to stay in the house for 23 years — for free." — National groups of dog owners and kennels are again battling a bill in Albany that would ban the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits at pet stores. — E-ZPass tolls are going up on five Hudson River bridges. — A missing Bay Ridge tortoise that set off a search has been found. — Tech jobs have seen some of the highest growth in the city even as other sectors shrunk during the pandemic. — A 72-year-old woman was struck by an NYPD vehicle while waiting for a bus in Staten Island. — Alleged Riverdale synagogue vandal was granted supervised release by a Bronx judge. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC/MSNBC's Willie Geist … Ben Ginsberg … Andy Miga … Chris Bodenner … Booz Allen Hamilton's Stephen Labaton … SKDKnickerbocker's Stephen Krupin ... (was Sunday): Mika Brzezinski ... WSJ's Matt Murray … CNN's Poppy Harlow … MSNBC's Jesse Rodriguez … former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker ... New York state Assemblymember David Weprin ... Reuters' Marton Dunai … BofA's Bess Evans … S&P Global's Katie Thompson … former Rep. Robert L. Turner (R-N.Y.) turned 8-0 ... Rick Stengel … Julianna Goldman … ... (was Saturday): Liz Stark … Molly Levinson of the Levinson Group … Seth London of Ground Control Partners … Andy Mills … ProPublica's Caroline Chen … Abby Huntsman … Abe Foxman | | 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 many still staying home, we increased access to prescription delivery, virtual visits and mental health services. Now, we're offering vaccines in nearly 6,000 stores across 49 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. 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 | | "'We're Suffering': How Remote Work Is Killing Manhattan's Storefronts," by The New York Times' Peter Eavis and Matthew Haag: "A big shift toward working from home is endangering hundreds of locally owned Manhattan storefronts that have been hanging on for life to return to the desolate streets of Midtown and the Financial District. The fate of these stores, and by extension the country's two largest business hubs, will hinge in large part on how long landlords will keep offering the rent breaks that have kept many retailers afloat. Landlords themselves are under growing financial pressure as office vacancies soar and commuters and visitors stay away." " A Sidewalk Clock Standing Proudly in Queens Gets a Restoration," by The New York Times John Freeman Gill: "On a busy strip of Jamaica Avenue in Queens, where vendors hawk cellphone cases outside shops selling off-price wigs, tattoo services and fungal-nail care, stands one of downtown Jamaica's most dignified residents. This street-corner denizen is an ornate cast-iron sidewalk clock, more than a century old, attired with archaic formality like a proud codger who still wears his threadbare suit every day, even as the world passes him by. The battered old clock hasn't told time in years, it has endured at least two bouts of unfortunate facial reconstruction and until recently no one had any firm idea of its origins." "Influencer co-working, Knicks practice space: The future of NYC real estate?" by The Real Deal's Sydney Winnick: "Wondering what could become of unused commercial space in Manhattan? Hype house-esque influencer co-working spaces and an esports facility were among the ideas pitched by students in Columbia University's Real Estate Development Program. … Donning Steve Jobs-inspired black turtlenecks, the students made a mock pitch seeking a $266 million investment for the conversion of Manhattan's empty Pier 40 into a Knicks practice facility... The students estimated the development would cost around $930 million and have a potential upside of 18 to 21 percent. The judges were intrigued by the students' case study of why Kevin Durant ultimately joined the Brooklyn Nets over the New York Knicks: He reportedly preferred the location of Nets' practice space at Industry City in Brooklyn over the Knicks' in Tarrytown, Westchester."
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