| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold with Jonathan Custodio | Presented by Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) | Kathryn Garcia is surging in the mayor's race, and with that surge is coming new scrutiny of her record. Among the new critics: Rival Andrew Yang, who until very recently was praising Garcia effusively, promising to hire her to help run City Hall, and ranked her second on his ballot. He's singing a different tune now, faulting her for the "piles of trash" that plague the city. Yang's turnabout can be explained by the fact that the former sanitation commissioner was little threat to him when she was mired at the bottom of the polls. But after winning the endorsement of the New York Times and the Daily News, she has jumped to the top tier, even first place in one survey. Now several candidates are weighing whether they should make Garcia a target in tonight's televised debate, our Danielle Muoio and Sally Goldenberg report. If they do, those piles of trash could be a focus: an outside analysis conducted by the state comptroller released in September, just as Garcia was leaving her post to run for mayor, concluded that under her purview, the sanitation agency did not keep streets sufficiently clean and used outdated record-keeping systems. Some contend she could have improved New York's poor recycling rate , which falls behind most other major U.S. cities. Though environmental advocates generally praise Garcia's tenure at Sanitation, the city has made little progress toward its goal of slashing 90 percent of the waste it sends to landfills. Those are nerdier knocks than some we've seen on the campaign trail, but Garcia's core appeal is that she's a competent manager who can make nuts and bolts services work right. Live by the trash, die by the trash. 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 yet. WHERE'S BILL? Hosting a media availability and delivering remarks at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. DAYS TO THE PRIMARY: 20 | | | | A message from Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA): Unscrupulous Auto Brokers are Ripping off New Yorkers. Time for Albany to Act. Joined by UAW Local 259 and Teamsters Local 202, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) is calling for A1932A/ S4332 to pass now; long-overdue automobile broker reform so the market, for the first time, works only for consumers. New York's Franchise Dealership System protects consumers and supports over 120,000 jobs statewide. Albany: Protect New York Consumers. Pass Auto Broker Reform Now. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | Yang, Adams trade attacks on the campaign trail, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin and Jonathan Custodio: Eric Adams labeled his mayoral rival Andrew Yang a "joke" on Tuesday, while Yang went after Adams as a "business as usual" candidate in the pocket of Mayor Bill de Blasio. The attacks were the most pointed and personal yet between the two men, who have traded off first place in most recent polls as the campaigns head into the home stretch before the June 22 primary. "Why's he still in this race?" Adams said at a press conference in the Bronx, when asked about Yang's recent criticism of his campaign finance tactics. "He's a joke, and it's not funny anymore." ... Yang, who had tried to stay above the fray of negative campaigning when he was secure in his lead, launched a broadside against Adams in a speech he billed as a major address to make his closing argument to voters. — The United Federation of Teachers urged members not to rank Yang or Adams anywhere on their ballots. " Morales' Mayoral Campaign Turmoil is 'Déjà Vu' for Some of Her Former Non-Profit Staff," by The City's Samantha Maldonado: "For more than a week, Dianne Morales' mayoral campaign has been steeped in turmoil, with multiple staff departures, a unionization movement and a work stoppage amid complaints of poor pay and a toxic work environment. Morales, in an interview with NY1 last week, called the situation 'a beautiful mess.' But a former staff member at Phipps Neighborhoods, a social service nonprofit Morales ran for a decade, used another phrase: 'It's déjà vu.' Although Morales, her campaign staff and union members have provided scant details about the internal strife, reports have resonated with some of her ex-colleagues, especially those who worked at Phipps when she took over as CEO in 2010." — The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club rescinded its endorsement of Morales over the staff turmoil in her campaign and endorsed Maya Wiley instead. "Kathryn Garcia accused of letting pay inequity continue as sanitation commissioner ," by New York Post's Julia Marsh: "Mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia says she supports pay equity, but during her six years as city Sanitation commissioner she presided over a two-tier system that funneled women and minorities into lower-wage enforcement jobs while white, male counterparts did similar work for higher pay and better benefits, a federal discrimination complaint charges. 'She has a good campaign going, but in the department when she was working with Sanitation, she didn't help with women or help with equal work or equal pay,' Dameka Dowdy told The Post... Dowdy, a 48-year-old Bronx resident, is one of 13 Sanitation enforcement agents who've filed a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claim against the agency claiming unequal pay." "NYPD unions slam mayoral hopeful Maya Wiley's new anti-cop campaign ad," by New York Post's Larry Celona, Tina Moore, Sam Raskin and Aaron Feis: "NYPD union leaders and cops on Tuesday slammed Democratic mayoral hopeful Maya Wiley as 'out of touch' and 'dividing the city' with her new campaign ad claiming the department doesn't value the lives of black New Yorkers. 'Maya Wiley is a de Blasio flunky and will soon be put on a shelf with other loser politicians who attempt to live off a government paycheck,' said Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association union, in a statement... At a campaign event in Washington Square Park, Wiley responded to the criticisms. 'There's simply no such thing as a public servant that gets to say, 'Yeah, those laws don't apply to me,'' she said." "COVID rate hits lowest in NYC since testing began; senior centers to reopen," by New York Daily News' Michal Gartland: "The rate of people testing positive for COVID in New York City hit the lowest level it's reached yet Tuesday — an 'extraordinary milestone' that Mayor de Blasio vowed would continue to usher in the city's recovery. As of Tuesday, 0.83% of people who were tested for coronavirus in the five boroughs received positive results … De Blasio announced Tuesday that senior centers will be fully reopening in two weeks as well, with the resumption of outdoor senior activities set to begin immediately." " NYPD took hours to respond to mass looting, despite quickly cracking down on protests," by The Intercept's John Bolger: "Today, The Intercept is publishing emails from NYC Emergency Management, or NYCEM, which represent the real-time intelligence the mayor's office and first response agencies had during the entire 11-day period of last summer's civil unrest. Emergency Management, formerly called the Office of Emergency Management or OEM, coordinates interagency response to city crises. The reports provide detailed documentation of the size, location, and tenor of the protests. The emails also provide rare documentation of the two nights of rioting that gripped Manhattan and the Bronx — revealing what the city knew and when. The reports reveal that not only was the city conscious of the looting shortly after it began just after midnight the night of May 31, but also that the police department did not mount an organized response for four hours." | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO WEST WING PLAYBOOK: Add West Wing Playbook to keep up with the power players, latest policy developments and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing and across the highest levels of the Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Cuomo refuses to release records related to his 'American Crisis' book," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office is refusing to release a multitude of public records related to his $5.1 million book deal, with his attorneys invoking one law that keeps records of the state's ethics panel secret and another designed to keep law enforcement records hidden if releasing them could interfere with an investigation. The first explanation is notable because Cuomo's office recently released the very type of records it's now asserting must be suppressed. The latter reason is striking because the Executive Chamber is not a law enforcement agency and the records being sought, including time and attendance records of his top aides, were not compiled 'for law enforcement purposes' as the statute is written. Last Friday evening, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, Cuomo's office denied three Freedom of Information Law requests submitted by the Times Union. A state ethics commissioner on Monday called Cuomo's legal argument for suppressing one type of records 'Absurd.'" "Cuomo to Host $10,000-a-Ticket Campaign Fundraiser in NYC," by Bloomberg's Shelly Banjo: "Governor Andrew Cuomo will host a campaign fundraising event in New York City this month, charging $10,000 a person to toast the three-term Democrat as he confronts state and federal investigations into sexual harassment and abuse of his office. The 'Summer Reception' will occur June 29th, according to an invitation posted on the governor's campaign website that didn't specify where the event will be held. Cuomo's office, as well as Ryan Belcher, a campaign official listed on the invitation, and Gita Tiku, the campaign's finance director, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment... The snapshot will may indicate whether Cuomo is still a viable candidate to run for a fourth term after allegations he sexually harassed aides." — In other campaign news: " N.Y. gov candidate Andrew Giuliani refuses to wear mask indoors while campaigning despite being unvaccinated," by the Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt: "Despite opting against getting the coronavirus vaccine, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Giuliani keeps making campaign appearances in various indoor settings without a face mask on in apparent violation of New York's public health restrictions. In the past two weeks alone, Giuliani has posted photos of himself on Twitter appearing maskless and shoulder-to-shoulder with staff indoors at a bagel shop, a diner and a pizzeria in upstate New York... Speaking to the Daily News on Tuesday, Giuliani said he still hasn't gotten vaccinated and reiterated the same dubious reason for deciding against it. 'I have not been vaccinated. I have the antibodies,' Giuliani said." " Anticipating Pushback From Finance, Enviros Move to Regulate Energy-Intensive Crypto Mining", by NY Focus's Peter Mantius: "Following a surge in power-hungry Bitcoin mining that set environmentalists scrambling, New York lawmakers have introduced multiple bills regulating cryptocurrencies late this legislative session. Anna Kelles (D-Ithaca), a first-term Assemblymember from the Finger Lakes, is leading the charge with her push for a three-year state moratorium on energy-intensive digital asset mining. The proposed halt follows a flurry of media coverage, touched off by a New York Focus investigation, of a Bitcoin mining operation at a gas-fired power plant on Seneca Lake. The Connecticut private equity firm that restarted the once-mothballed plant in 2017 has touted plans to ramp up its energy consumption. Environmentalists warn that dozens of other aging plants could follow on the heels of Greenidge Generation Holdings by converting to data centers to reap huge mining profits." "Albany mayoral candidates face each other in forum," by Times Union's Kenneth C. Crowe II: "Crime and policing dominated the mayoral candidates forum Tuesday night as the city grapples with gun violence and the fallout from Black Lives Matter demonstrations and escalated confrontations - including much discussion on when tear gas should be used. The forum brought together Mayor Kathy Sheehan and her challenger Rev. Valerie Faust in the June 22 Democratic primary, plus Republican candidate Alicia Purdy who will face the winner in the November general election." " Democrats Seek New Gun Laws in New York to Curb Shootings," by New York Now's Dan Clark: "Democrats in New York are making a new push for stronger gun control laws in the remaining days of this year's legislative session, including a provision that would allow individuals to sue gun manufacturers in the aftermath of a crime. ... 'We have seen New York state move swiftly in other crises, and now we are looking for this state Legislature to do the same in this critical month' said Assemblymember Diana Richardson, a Democrat from Brooklyn. Part of the package would create more hurdles for individuals seeking to purchase a gun, which Democrats said would help cut down on unlawful gun ownership while protecting firearm users who obtain their weapon legally." #UpstateAmerica: The plot thickens: The Albany Police Athletic League Board has invested roughly $300,000 in the electrical infrastructure in Washington Park for the now-endangered Capital Holiday Lights display and would rather it stayed where it is. The growing controversy and proposed solutions around this one have the potential for some real Parks and Recreation situations over the coming months. | | | |   | | |
| | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Trump Jr. accuses NY AG James of 'persecution' in Trump Organization probe," by New York Post's Samuel Chamberlain: "Donald Trump Jr. accused New York Attorney General Letitia James Tuesday of leading a 'political persecution' against his father, former President Donald Trump, with her office's investigation of the Trump Organization. 'I think it's a political persecution, and I know that because she literally campaigned on it,' the 45th president's eldest son told Fox News' 'Tucker Carlson Tonight', referring to James' 2018 campaign to be elected state AG." | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — New York City and other counties are suing McKinsey & Company over the consulting firm's role in marketing opioids. — State Sens. Diane Savino and Liz Krueger, and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried say certain changes to the pot program need to get going. — The Police Benevolent Association endorsed Liz Crotty for Manhattan DA. — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer toured Capital Region video game developer Velan Studios in an effort to promote federal funding to make the region "the Hollywood of gaming." — Broadway will now be back in August instead of the September date previously planned. — A homeless man with dozens of prior arrests was arrested on hate crime charges for punching an Asian woman and knocking her to the ground in an unprovoked attack in Chinatown. — Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa got into it with some squeegee men. | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | Biden and the Boroughs | | "Amtrak And Gateway Leaders: We Love That Andrew Cuomo Hates This Project Now," by Streetsblog's Dave Colon: "It's a Gateway to confusion. Just as the federal government finally approved the environmental impact statement for the multi-billion-dollar construction of two new cross-Hudson train tubes followed by the rehab of the existing century-old tubes, Gov. Cuomo suggested last week that he won't pay New York's share of the project. Not to worry though, said representatives for Amtrak and the Gateway development team itself, Cuomo's threat to tank the project just shows he cares." | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Frank Rich … JP Schnapper-Casteras … Rich Ashooh ... Mike Lynch of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office … Ben Sheridan ... Alex Hornbrook … Audrey Gelman FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Nate Morris, founder and CEO of Rubicon and a former major fundraiser for the Bush 2004 campaign, has struck a book deal with Crown Publishing and negotiated by Bob Barnett. The book, which will be edited by Paul Whitlatch, will tell his life story growing up in Kentucky, his experiences at his company (which counts Marc Benioff, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Henry Kravis as investors) and his ideas on how to improve the U.S. heartland. WEEKEND WEDDING — Brooke Hamroff, who works on content strategy and programming at Instagram, this weekend married Noah Putter, who recently graduated from Wharton MBA and is soon starting a new job in health care private equity. The wedding was at the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn, and the couple met through their sisters, who set them up in 2015. Pic via Jonathan Scott Studios @jspstudios WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Lucy Jackson, director of partnerships and strategy at consuming lending fintech Petal Card, Inc. and a U.S. Treasury alum, and Christopher Dennen, senior director of corporate strategy at Optum, on May 25 welcomed Jackson Robert Dennen. Pic ... Another pic | | | | A message from Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA): Albany Can't Pretend They Weren't Warned. It's Time to Stop the Scams.
In January, DA Melinda Katz charged a Queens auto broker for stealing identities to buy and lease 11 cars worth more than $350,000, swindling New Yorkers out of their money and ruining their credit.
The shady and under-regulated automobile brokers market needs fixing. Hundreds of automobile brokers ignore laws requiring them to register with the NYSDMV and protect consumers private information.
Joined by UAW Local 259 and Teamsters Local 202, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA) has been calling for reform for years. Unlike auto brokers, New York's Franchise Dealership System is highly regulated to protect consumers, and supports over 120,000 jobs statewide.
A1932A/S4332 protects New Yorkers by requiring auto brokers to work only for consumers, strengthening the registration process, increasing disclosures, penalties, and enforcement provisions.
Albany: Protect New York Consumers. Pass Auto Broker Reform Now. | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "NYC mayoral candidate Maya Wiley wants to expand housing vouchers for city residents," by New York Daily News' Shant Shahrigian: "The city would offer housing vouchers to more New Yorkers, under a new plan from mayoral candidate Maya Wiley. In an echo of the 'rent is too damn high' rallying cry from years past, she decried the high cost of living at a press conference in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on Tuesday. 'How many of you can pay the rent?' she said. 'How many of you know someone who is afraid of eviction? 'COVID just made it worse,' added Wiley, a former top legal aide to Mayor de Blasio." " NYC's 'Hollowed Out' Enforcement Units Struggle to Keep Pace on Housing Discrimination Cases," by City Limits' David Brand : "Tammie Davis set alerts on five real estate apps to find out whenever a Brooklyn apartment in her price range went on the market. She filled a notebook with the hundreds of homes she inquired about or visited over the past couple years, ever since her Canarsie landlord sought to evict her in 2019. Still, she says, she couldn't find someone willing to accept her Section 8 subsidy...The ubiquitous practice, known as source of income discrimination, constitutes the most common form of illegal housing bias in New York City, according to annual reports. "
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