| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | As students arrive for school in New York City this morning, some teachers will be missing from their classrooms: A Covid-19 vaccination mandate for educators and staff takes effect, with violators placed on unpaid leave starting today after a 5 p.m. Friday deadline to submit proof of their first shot. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor removed the last potential hurdle, denying a request from a group of teachers challenging the mandate to block it from going into effect. The Bronx native's decision allows the requirement to proceed for nearly 150,000 Department of Education employees, the first group of municipal workers subjected to an outright vaccine mandate by Mayor Bill de Blasio. As of Friday, hours before the close-of-business deadline, 93 percent of teachers had received at least one shot. It was 90 percent for all school department staff, and highest for principals at 98 percent. Despite the deadline, the city says employees who get jabbed over the weekend and come in with their vaccination cards today will be allowed to work. Still, plenty will be turned away: de Blasio acknowledged the group of employees placed on leave will likely number in the thousands. De Blasio says the city has thousands of vaccinated substitute teachers ready to fill in, with a previous delay in the mandate used to address staffing issues. But disruptions are not expected to be felt equally across the city. Virtually all eligible staff are vaccinated at some schools while others are facing major gaps. However day one of the mandate goes, the city remains on the hunt for more substitutes. 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 KATHY? Making an announcement in Brownsville. WHERE'S BILL? Holding a media availability, speaking at the Staten Island Ferry commissioning ceremony, and appearing on NY1's Inside City Hall. WHERE'S TISH? On Long Island and the Bronx to kick off her statewide tour to deliver opioid settlement funds to localities. | | | | THE MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE 2021 IS HERE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from one of the largest and most influential gatherings of experts reinventing finance, health, technology, philanthropy, industry and media. Don't miss a thing from the 24th annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, from Oct. 17 to 20. Can't make it? We've got you covered. Planning to attend? Enhance your #MIGlobal experience and subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | Eric Adams sets sights on governing as general election nears, by POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg and Joe Anuta: Eric Adams isn't waiting until the general election to begin designing his potential City Hall. The Democratic mayoral nominee, who is the odds-on favorite to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio on Jan. 1, is convening policy experts and former government hands to give counsel on pressing matters as he campaigns against Republican Curtis Sliwa. Adams has assembled groups to advise him on managing the nearly $100 billion city budget, reviving the economy as private-sector companies grapple with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and growing the city's burgeoning technology sector, to name a few areas. "Eric Adams is out-raising mayoral rival Curtis Sliwa by a staggering amount," by New York Post's Nolan Hicks: "Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams will enter the closing weeks of New York City's mayoral election with a massive edge in the money race against his Republican opponent, Curtis Sliwa. New figures released late Friday by the city Campaign Finance Board reveal that Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, raised $2.4 million between Aug. 24 and Sept. 27 — ending the reporting period with an estimated $7.7 million in the bank. That's more than 10 times as much as the $200,000 that Sliwa — a well-known New York personality and former radio talk show host — raised over the same time period, the filings show. He has $1.2 million in the bank." "1 hour of instruction a day: NYC parents grapple with limited learning for medically fragile students," by Chalkbeat's Alex Zimmerman: "Rodney Lee began looking for alternatives to in-person instruction for his daughter as soon as it became clear that New York City would not offer a remote option for families this year. Ten-year-old Priya suffers from a seizure disorder that could be exacerbated if she contracts the coronavirus. Lee learned that his daughter would be an excellent candidate for 'medically necessary instruction,' a revamped education department-run program that allows students to learn from home if they have health needs, including seizure disorders, that prevent them from safely returning to classrooms this school year. But the Manhattan family soon learned that the program would only offer an hour a day of instruction, far less than what Priya received last school year when she opted for fully remote learning." "Just 10 violations so far under NYC's vaccine mandate for businesses," by New York Daily News' Shant Shahrigian: "The city has doled out just 10 violations to Big Apple businesses since the start of a mandate requiring them to check customers for proof of vaccination for most indoor activities, according to Mayor de Blasio's office." — The vaccine requirement is causing some trouble for underaged partiers, even if they're vaccinated. "Rikers officers will sue NYC over private security push: union head," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | Kathy Hochul wants to clean up Albany. So did the last guy, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: Hochul, who ran for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Cuomo in 2014 and 2018, has promised to build an administration that runs on collaboration and respect. She already has purged many of her former running mate's top advisers, from the Cabinet level on down. But the Democrat, a former lawmaker, is hardly the first leader in New York to make such a pledge. And whether any one person, even a governor, can invent a new way to grind the sausage in a capital seemingly impervious to change is an open question. Few doubt Hochul's intentions, at least not yet. But many wonder if muscle memories developed during the Cuomo years — and earlier — can be retrained any time soon. If a new way is indeed possible, it would require nearly everyone in the state's political sphere to collectively give it a try. "I think this is the big stress test of this wider ecosystem of New York and beyond," said Democratic strategist Jon Reinish, a managing director at Mercury Public Affairs. "It's a conscious decision: Are we going to play by the rules that we've all kind of played around or are we going to make new rules?" " Is Letitia James Running for Governor? Her Decision Is Coming Soon," by The New York Times's Katie Glueck: "Over the course of the past week, she courted business and civic leaders, delivering a much-analyzed speech in which she described a vision for the state that extended well beyond the duties of her current job, and declared that 'there is no upstate or downstate way to make government work.' She schmoozed with Democratic leaders in Brooklyn and the Bronx, addressed a New York League of Conservation Voters gala in Manhattan and campaigned with a Westchester County legislator. But it was behind closed doors at an event on Thursday for Ulster County Democrats in Kingston, N.Y., that she offered what appears to be the most candid assessment to date of her political future: She has a big decision to make, and she intends to make it soon. 'You might be wondering about my future plans — just saying,' Ms. James said, to whoops and applause, according to a recording of the event obtained by The New York Times. 'The question for me really boils down to this: What is the best way that I can make transformational change in the State of New York?'" — "If there is an opportunity and an opening with the AG's office, I would seize it," Zephyr Teachout told the Times Union about her plans if Tish does run. "If she does run for governor, I'll be running." "JCOPE calls special meeting to discuss internal inquiry of Cuomo book deal," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan: "A group of commissioners sitting on the state's embattled Joint Commission on Public Ethics scheduled a special meeting aimed at potentially launching their own internal inquiry into how disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $5.1 million book deal was approved last year. The meeting — called for Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 10:30 am — was requested by JCOPE Commissioner David McNamara and discussed during a Thursday night panel meeting, according to a source." " CUOMO, THE MUSICAL!," by The New Yorker's Andrew Marantz: "In 2010, [Hank] Morris, a former political consultant, pleaded guilty to a violation of New York securities law, for a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme involving the state's pension fund. 'I spent two years, two months, two weeks, and two days upstate in prison,' he said. 'But who's counting?' The man who put him there was Cuomo, then New York's attorney general. ... 'You go through this whole process, you're on the cover of the New York Post in handcuffs, but you never really get to have your say, because the lawyers are always telling you to keep your fucking mouth shut,' he said. The show — which he wrote under the pen name 11R0731, his inmate number — is his say, in two acts." "Three years since horrific crash; limo safety task force still absent," by Times Union's Larry Rulison: "Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Westchester County Democrat, was behind a bill that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law in February 2020 that created a limousine safety task force meant to recommend ways to make the industry safer in the wake of the 2018 limo crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people. The problem is the task force, which is required to submit its final report to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature by Nov. 1, doesn't exist." #UpstateAmerica: Acorns are out and all predictions point to a particularly cold and snowy winter. | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | |
| | Biden and the Boroughs | | "Derailed Biden Infrastructure Package Could Mean Loss of $10B for New York Transit," by The City's Jose Martinez: "A massive federal plan to spend $550 billion on public transit, bridges and highways stalled in Congress late Thursday, spurring transportation watchdogs to sound the alarm about potential long-term impact to big-ticket New York projects. ... The legislation would have been a windfall for transportation projects around the state, including airport improvements, new rail tunnels under the Hudson and East rivers and the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway. The MTA, the nation's largest mass transit agency, stood to gain more than $10 billion — or about 1.9% of the total — from the bill. " | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Sen. Chuck Schumer demands crackdown on 'ghost guns,'" by New York Post's Steven Vago and Sam Raskin: "Sen. Chuck Schumer demanded Sunday that the Biden administration crack down on "ghost guns" — untraceable firearms that buyers assemble themselves — as seizures of the DIY weapons soar in the Big Apple. 'There is absolutely no doubt about it — ghost guns continue to haunt New York, and pose a serious threat to our public safety,' the state's senator said at a press conference. 'We're asking the administration to act: Close the ghost gun loophole as quickly as we can,' he added." | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — A proposed redistricting map could create four legislative districts in the city where the growing ranks of Asian New Yorkers represent a majority or plurality of residents. — The vaccination rate for nursing home employees statewide went from 84 percent the week before a state mandate took effect to 97 percent as of Sept. 30. — The MTA will require newly-hired employees to be vaccinated after Nov. 14. — The FDNY suspended nine firefighters without pay over racist incidents. — A man "surfing" on top of a J train died after falling from the train. — The state AG's office sued one of Syracuse's most notorious landlords over lead paint violations that allegedly caused the poisoning of at least 18 children. — The Broadway production of "Aladdin" canceled additional shows due to a breakthrough Covid-19 outbreak among its cast and crew. — NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea denounced bail reform after the New York Post reported on a man who has been arrested for shoplifting 46 times this year. — Workers at a Queens Chipotle went on strike after the company refused to pay them for a Hurricane Ida closure. — A Watertown woman and her son have been arraigned on charges related to the theft of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 insurrection. — A George Floyd memorial statue was vandalized in Union Square. — Three NYPD cops were arrested in a tow truck bribery scheme. | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Norm Pearlstine … Steve Capus … Sonya McNair … ABC's Santina Leuci … CNN's Pervaiz Shallwani … AP's Holly Ramer … Brynne Craig … Edelman's Trisha Pascale … Rachel Siegel … Rob Shapiro … Kristen Askin … Josh Rothstein of DOJ and a Paul Weiss alum, is 4-0 -- ( pic of his party with friends, including Jeh Johnson) ... … (was Sunday): Rev. Al Sharpton turned 67 … Bradley Tusk of Tusk Holdings … The Daily Beast's Asawin "Swin" Suebsaeng … AP's Darlene Superville and Verena Dobnik … CNN's Maegan Vazquez … Maury Nolen … Edie Emery … Chelsea Radler … Joshua Chaffee … John Lemp … Daniel Marks Cohen ... Dovid M. Cohen ... Benjamin Goldschmidt (h/ts Jewish Insider) ... ... (was Saturday): Annie Leibovitz … NYT's Lynsea Garrison … AP's Tom Krisher … Ed Cox turned 75 … Bloomberg's Lisa Fleisher … Cathy Isaacson … former Comptroller General Dave Walker turned 7-0 … POLITICO's Shannon Young ... NYPIRG's Blair Horner … NPR's David Gura … Mike Corbelle ... Michelle Sara King of the International Trade Administration … Annie Keating MEDIAWATCH — " What They Saw in Ozy: The story behind the story is about the elite investors who plowed millions into a media dream without much due diligence, persuaded by the charm of Ozy's head, Carlos Watson," by NYT's Ben Smith — Rebecca Klein is joining New York Focus as executive editor. She was previously an editor and senior reporter at HuffPost. … Per Variety: "Richard Wolffe, a journalist, author and former MSNBC executive who is co-author of Andrés' cookbooks, will serve as managing director" of José Andrés Media, a new production company. — IN MEMORIAM — "Edward Keating, Times Photographer at Ground Zero, Dies at 65," by NYT's Alex Traub | | REAL ESTATE | | "Housing Boss Earns $1 Million to Run Shelters Despite a Troubled Past," by The New York Times's Amy Julia Harris: "Soon after Jack A. Brown III quit his job at a private prison company, his former employer accused him of fraud. A few years later, after Mr. Brown started a nonprofit to run halfway houses, a federal audit found that it had failed to deliver key services. The New York State comptroller concluded in another review that Mr. Brown had shown 'a disturbing pattern of ethical violations.' None of that history seemed to bother officials in New York City. Since 2017, as homelessness has risen to record levels, the city has awarded more than $352 million to a nonprofit run by Mr. Brown to operate shelters. The money is meant to help homeless people regain their footing in life, but it has benefited Mr. Brown, too. The nonprofit has channeled contracts worth at least $32 million into for-profit companies tied to Mr. Brown, allowing him to earn more than $1 million a year, The New York Times found." "New Supertalls Test the Limits, as the City Consults an Aging Playbook," by The New York Times' Stefanos Chen: "The skyscrapers of New York's so-called Billionaires' Row in Midtown Manhattan have something in common besides eye-watering prices: The city still considers them active construction sites, with a range of safety-related requirements that remain incomplete, sometimes years after occupancy." "Amazon project slayer Gianaris opposes Cuomo's 'AirTrain,'" by New York Post's Carl Campanile: "He wants to ground another of disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo's pet projects. State Sen. Michael Gianaris, a powerful Queens lawmaker instrumental in killing Cuomo's signature deal to have e-tail giant Amazon open a headquarters along the borough's waterfront, is now setting his sights on the 'wrong way' $2.1 billion 'AirTrain' between LaGuardia Airport and Eastern Queens."
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