| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze | The latest trash fight to break out at City Hall came to a head Thursday, as the City Council abruptly pulled legislation that would have watered down a landmark law to reduce the amount of garbage processed in overburdened neighborhoods. For city government watchers, a few things about the legislation that had been quietly scheduled for a vote were pretty odd: the bill had only one sponsor, whereas other pieces of legislation often accumulate dozens before they're brought up for a vote. And it was fast-tracked for passage while the head of the relevant committee, Sanitation chair and Brooklyn borough president nominee Antonio Reynoso, was out of the country on vacation. The law, passed in 2018 after a yearslong fight, capped the amount of garbage that could be handled by private transfer stations in north Brooklyn, southeast Queens and the south Bronx. Those areas had historically dealt with most of the city's trash, and the truck traffic and pollution that goes with it. Council Member I. Daneek Miller, a longtime opponent of the original law, proposed a bill that would roll back the cap for two waste transfer stations in his southeast Queens district. Environmentalists opposed the move, and backlash built after our Danielle Muoio first reported on the effort to push it through quietly. Council Member Inez Barron petitioned her colleagues to oppose the legislation before the scheduled vote. And just as quickly, the vote was off. "There's not consensus today," Speaker Corey Johnson said. "There are members who still have concerns, and we do things by consensus, so we're still looking at the bill." This debate isn't over. At least Reynoso, a big backer of the original "waste equity" law, will have a chance to get back from his trip and weigh in. Miller says he hopes to proceed with an amended version of the bill, which would have allowed more trash to be sent to stations that commit to upgrades to ship the garbage out by rail instead of truck. "The trucks are still there, the odor is still there, the asthma is still there," Miller said. "We need to be better." 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 CNN Newsroom and playing volleyball at Orchard Beach. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | "Former Councilmember Chaim Deutsch Sentenced to 3 Months for Tax Fraud," by Brooklyn Paper's Ben Brachfeld: "Former southern Brooklyn Councilmember Chaim Deutsch was sentenced Thursday to 3 months in prison and 1 year of supervised release, along with $107,000 restitution to the government and a $5,500 fine in relation to federal tax fraud charges. The former pol appeared alongside his attorney, family, and friends before US Magistrate Judge James Cott at Manhattan federal District Court to face sentencing, after pleading guilty in April to evading nearly $83,000 in taxes he owed between 2013 and 2015 as the owner of real estate firm Chasa Management." Stop and frisk foes renew legal fight, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit that ruled the NYPD's use of stop and frisk unconstitutional filed a new motion asking a judge to beef up monitoring of the police department, charging they've been shut out of the legal process to rein in the controversial tactic. In 2013, a federal judge ruled that the widespread use of stop and frisk violated the constitutional rights of Black and Latino New Yorkers, who were disproportionately targeted by the stops. A federal monitor was appointed to oversee reforms. In the eight years since, the number of stops has dropped precipitously. But Black and Latino residents are still the large majority of those stopped by police. "The monitorship that was supposed to bring an end to decades of race-based stop and frisk has lost its way," said Darius Charney, a lawyer with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents plaintiffs in the class action case. "For the last three years, these very communities have been shut out of the stop and frisk reform process." In court papers filed Thursday, plaintiffs ask for changes to the monitoring process including regular court hearings and a new advisory board. " MTA Shuffle Puts Construction Vet in Driver's Seat, Leaves Vacancy at Transit," by The City's Jose Martinez: "Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to reshape MTA leadership didn't unfold exactly as he wanted — but he is, for now, installing one of his picks atop the turbulent transit agency. Janno Lieber will serve as acting chairperson and CEO, Cuomo said Thursday, even as he pushes state legislators to split the top jobs. The governor had proposed dividing the titles between Lieber, currently head of MTA construction and development, and Sarah Feinberg, the outgoing interim chief of New York City Transit. Lieber, a respected construction and federal government veteran credited with keeping transit improvement projects going during challenging times, has been with the MTA since 2017. He previously led Silverstein Properties' efforts to rebuild the World Trade Center site for over a decade. He takes the job as the MTA struggles to recover from a pandemic that last year sunk ridership by more than 90% and from worker shortages that have affected subway and bus service." "New York City Council Puts New Limits On Food Delivery Apps," by WNYC's Beth Fertig: "New York's City Council overwhelmingly approved a series of bills Thursday aimed at limiting the scope of third-party delivery apps, following concerns they're taking advantage of restaurants devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, even though they also helped them survive. The council extended until February 17, 2022 a cap imposed during the pandemic of 15% for deliveries and 5% for other services, such as marketing. The cap was set to expire next month. That would have allowed apps to charge commission as high as 30-35% combined, depending on services. 'Small businesses should not be pressured into accepting these fees in order to remain viable and competitive,' said Queens Council Member Francisco Moya, who sponsored the bill." — The Council passed legislation to extend employment protections to domestic workers. OP-ED — " Diagnosing the Morales Campaign Meltdown," by Alexis Grenell for the Nation: "The complete meltdown of Dianne Morales's New York City mayoral campaign was like a live-action parody of Tolstoy's opening line from Anna Karenina: 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Family really shouldn't have had anything to do with it, but it sprang to mind precisely because Morales herself invoked the F-word in one of her many multi-paragraph servings of BS: 'I sat with campaign staff — many of whom I consider family — for hours to listen to concerns on a myriad of issues.' Anytime someone likens the employment relationship to a family, it should set off alarm bells. Seeing a supposedly anti-capitalist campaign engage in rhetorical manipulations long derided as the tools of the oppressor confirmed that it was all a farce. Put simply: You don't have to pay your family. Domestic workers — the very Black and brown immigrant women Morales repeatedly claimed to represent — have specifically rejected that framing because it's how their employers have historically denied them formal workplace protections." | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Sex-harass accuser says lawyer who quit on Gov. Cuomo's team should be 'disbarred,'" by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Bruce Golding: " One of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sexual-harassment accusers said his outgoing lawyer should be 'disbarred' over her key role in the scandal that's under investigation by the Attorney General's Office and part of an impeachment probe. Former Cuomo aide Lindsey Boylan responded to special counsel to the governor Judith Mogul's resignation in a tweet that trashed her efforts on Cuomo's behalf and called for the revocation of her law license. 'Judith Mogul has left her work defending and enabling serial sexual harasser and abuser @NYGovCuomo,' Boylan wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. 'Next she should be disbarred.'" "Cuomo held onto $15 million for vaccine hesitancy since April," by Times Union's Joshua Solomon: "Nearly four months after the state agreed to spend $15 million directly to address vaccine hesitancy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo finalized deals with organizations working within communities where cases of COVID-19 are skyrocketing because of relatively low vaccination rates. The money was specifically planned for expected vaccine hesitancy in the state's $212 billion budget passed in April. Tucked away in it was $15 million for 'services and expenses related to public education, communication efforts and outreach to communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and in communities with vaccine hesitancy.'" "'Urgency and frustration': NY education commissioner laments late COVID rules for schools," by USA Today Network's Gary Stern : "In a memo to school leaders released late Thursday, state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa expressed frustration that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's staff has not yet released health and safety guidelines for the opening of school this fall. 'While the nature and extent of COVID-19 and its variants are still dynamic, it is essential that schools receive whatever guidance the Governor and the (Department of Health) intend to offer about the 2021-2022 school year as soon as possible to provide time for you to take necessary measures to safely welcome students in September,' Rosa wrote. #UpstateAmerica: If you're an Upstate American with a swimming pool, you alone bear the burden of stopping an invasive beetle species from coming for the maple trees. | | | | 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 | | Bipartisan infrastructure deal delivers $38B for big infrastructure projects in NY and NJ, by POLITICO's Danielle Muoio: The bipartisan infrastructure framework hammered out in Washington will deliver big money for a slate of New York projects. The $550 billion proposal includes $38 billion for major infrastructure projects along the Northeast corridor, including the proposed Gateway Program, Second Avenue subway extension and Penn Access plan to improve commuter rail access in the Bronx, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office. It also includes more than $10 billion for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The news comes as New York and New Jersey transit leaders look to advance a slate of projects in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which wiped out transit ridership across the nation. State officials have been particularly eager to execute on the Gateway Program to improve the rail connection between New York and New Jersey after it faced delays by the Trump administration — though there's been some political infighting over how much the states should pony up. | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Lineups were announced for four outer borough "homecoming" concerts. — A judge ruled that the president of the NYPD sergeants union can face discipline over offensive remarks. — The Transit Museum will reopen Aug. 14 for the first time since the pandemic began. — Danny Meyer's restaurants will require proof of Covid-19 vaccination to dine indoors. — A bill introduced in the City Council would lower the maximum number of children in each classroom. — The city plans to issue new mask rules on Monday. — Almost a dozen people were arrested at a protest against the relocation of homeless people from hotels to shelters. — A proposed Major League Soccer stadium in the South Bronx is in limbo. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) … NYT's Jim Rutenberg … Michael Glassner … Freeman Klopott … CNN's Rebecca Kutler … Chelsie Gosk of Airbnb … Heidi Crebo-Rediker … Bud Selig … Lisa Kudrow … former CFTC Chair Tim Massad | | REAL ESTATE | | "Billionaire Developer Mulls Closing NYC Tourist Hot Spot After 14-Year-Old Leaps to His Death," by The Daily Beast's Noah Kirsch and Cheyenne Ubiera: "A popular tourist attraction in New York City may shut down for good after a 14-year-old boy leapt to his death on Thursday—all while his loved ones apparently looked on. Police say the teen jumped from the eighth story of the Vessel sculpture in New York City's Hudson Yards shortly before 1 p.m. The victim, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, police told the New York Daily News. Stephen Ross, the billionaire behind Hudson Yards, says the development's marquee art installation might close for good following the latest suicide at the structure. 'We thought we did everything that would really prevent this,' Ross told The Daily Beast. 'It's hard to really fathom how something like that could happen. But you know, I feel terrible for the family.'" "Wegmans To Open At Former Astor Place Kmart Location," by Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz: "Wegmans, an upstate supermarket chain, will take over the former Kmart site in Astor Place, the company announced on Thursday. It will be the first to open in Manhattan and the second in New York City, after the grocer and its devoted following descended on the Brooklyn Navy Yard two years ago. Deep breaths, Wegmaniacs: the future supermarket isn't scheduled to open until the second half of 2023, as the developer, Vornado Realty Trust, works to convert the current ghostly iteration of the borough's last Kmart into a space worthy of what some consider to be the world's best grocery store." | | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment