| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming | In a one-two punch on Sunday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that school mask mandates and the city's vaccine requirements for indoor dining and entertainment are all expected to end in the coming days. If all goes according to plan — meaning there's no unexpected spike in infections before then — you won't have to pull out your vaccine card if you want to eat inside or go to a theater, museum, stadium or gym starting Monday, March 7. The city's million-plus school children will be allowed to go without masks if they choose on the same day, with a final decision set for Friday. The city's announcement came after Hochul announced her plans to lift the statewide school mask mandate, effective Wednesday. "The day has come," she said. It's the biggest rollback in Covid-19 restrictions in months, and will inspire both relief from those eager to get back to normal and trepidation from those still concerned about the Covid-19 risk in schools and public places. It comes as infections in the city and state have dropped sharply, which in turn followed a massive surge driven by the Omicron variant. Neighboring states have been dropping their regulations one by one, and the CDC on Friday rolled back its mask recommendations for most of the country, including in schools, despite cases remaining above the threshold they had previously set to do so. Whether New York's moves will signal a permanent return to something-like-normal, or a temporary respite before the next surge, remains to be seen. Oh, and for those of you wondering if this will mean Kyrie Irving can play: No, not yet. He's still covered by the city's vaccine mandate for private employers, which will remain in place. 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? Appearing on Pix 11 and News 12, speaking at an Economic Development Council breakfast, announcing a new state park, and appearing on WSYR and Univision. WHERE'S ERIC? Ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, hosting an Asian American Pacific Islander Roundtable, speaking at a Heritage and Culture Society of Africa event, and making a criminal justice announcement in the Bronx. WHAT TO WATCH AT THE GOP CONVENTION: New York Republicans are in Garden City through Tuesday for their nominating convention. The party is expected to back Rep. Lee Zeldin for governor , NYPD Deputy Commissioner Alison Esposito for lieutenant governor, Paul Rodriguez for state comptroller, Joe Pinion to run against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and either Astoria attorney Michael Henry or Croton-on-Hudson's John Sarcone for attorney general. Those picks would mirror the results of the Conservative Party's convention over the weekend, where "public health rules, criminal justice reforms and the purported excesses of woke culture all came under attack," on Saturday, according to City & State's Zach Williams. Conservatives chose Henry for AG. We're watching if Zeldin and other longtime allies of former President Donald Trump — such as gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Giuliani — will continue to actively embrace that relationship as Trump continues to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has earned worldwide condemnation for his invasion of Ukraine. Republican party officials say the topic on the world stage will also take some priority during the convention. Ukrainian-born City Council Member Inna Vernikov has been given a top speaking slot during the day's events. And the New York Post reports the GOP did not allow Russian-American TV station NTV to obtain media credentials.
| | A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming: It's time to expand gaming in downstate New York. In less than a year, expansion of existing gaming facilities would create thousands of family sustaining union jobs, generate billions in revenue for education in New York, and help drive economic growth and a jobs recovery in the hospitality industry. Expanding gaming downstate can bring hospitality jobs back sooner in the communities we need them most. Find out how: www.NYforResponsibleGaming.org | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Soggy salad has replaced mystery meat at NYC schools on Vegan Fridays, by POLITICO's Deanna Garcia and Madina Touré: Sarah Allen would seem like the perfect promoter for New York City Mayor Eric Adams' Vegan Fridays school lunch initiative. The Brooklyn teacher is a vegetarian and shares four daughters with her vegan husband. But she said the new program needs to be meatier — figuratively speaking. "It looks good to have a Vegan Friday for the mayor but it's like for optics rather than what the kids like, what would be good for them, what can they learn from this, how can they kind of grow as eaters," Allen, a kindergarten teacher at P.S. 327, said in an interview. … Teachers, pupils and elected officials said in interviews that Vegan Fridays haven't been a hit so far since there's been no improvement in the overall food quality in lunchrooms. Critics say they are concerned about whether students will continue to get the nutrients they need during the day given that a number of students are not eating the food. "52% of NYC public school students are fully vaccinated. Check your school's rate here ," by Chalkbeat's Christina Veiga, Alex Zimmerman, and Thomas Wilburn: "Just over half of New York City public school students are fully vaccinated, according to data the education department released Friday. In total, 59% of the city's public school students have received at least one vaccine dose and nearly 52% are considered fully vaccinated. The information is required under City Council law, and includes a breakdown of school-level vaccination rates and the number of students who have consented to in-school COVID testing. … The data show that there are wide disparities by school and neighborhood. Schools in Brooklyn's District 23, which includes Ocean Hill, Brownsville and parts of East New York, had the lowest rates of vaccination, with just 38% of students receiving at least one dose." "Adams Plan to Remove Homeless People From the Subway 'Right Away' Has Hit a Delay," by The City's Greg B. Smith : "Last week, two police officers approached two apparently homeless women on the No. 1 train platform at Penn Station, asking them to leave after one of them tossed something from her collection of plastic bags onto the tracks. The interaction quickly escalated into an order — and it wasn't going well. One of the women cursed at the male cop, who repeatedly stated, 'You have to get out. Get out.'" " Rikers inmate found dead, first in DOC custody this year," by New York Post's Gabrielle Fonrouge and David Meyer: "A Rikers Island inmate was pronounced dead on Sunday after being found unresponsive city officials said — marking the first reported death of 2022 at the notorious jail. The unnamed person had been in the jail since Sept. 5, the city said. An investigation is underway in the cause of death. Last year, 16 people died in Department of Correction custody, more than the previous two years combined — and the most since 2016, which saw 15 in-custody deaths, according to records." Lander to propose pension divestment from Russian assets, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: City Comptroller Brad Lander will ask New York City's five pension funds to divest from certain Russian assets, he said Sunday. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Lander said he would analyze what Russian investments the funds representing retired city workers may have and propose ditching them. "The White House is beginning the process of identifying the assets of sanctioned individuals and companies that support and enable [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's actions," he said. "Following an analysis of the funds' holdings against that list and legal review, I plan to bring specific assets to the trustees of the five boards of the New York City Retirement Systems to consider for divestment." — City Council Member Kristin Jordan Richardson of Harlem faced criticism after blaming the U.S. and sympathizing with Russia in tweets on the invasion of Ukraine. — Mayor Eric Adams warned against any backlash against Russians living in New York.
| | | | HAPPENING TODAY: A WOMEN RULE INTERVIEW: Join Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, and Morning Money author Kate Davidson for a conversation exploring President Biden's economic agenda, the administration's plans to tackle financial losses women suffered during the pandemic and what it will take to elevate more women to leadership ranks in the U.S. economy. SUBSCRIBE HERE. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | CONTACT TRACERS CUT — The state Department of Health has cut its number of contact tracers by more than half — going from more than 5,500 individuals to just under 2,400 as of Friday. DOH spokesperson Erin Silk told POLITICO the reduced number "better matches the current burden of cases in the State" and that "[f]urther evaluation of staff required to maintain this public health effort will happen in conjunction with evaluating statewide case data." The state previously announced at the height of the Omicron surge that it would no longer require contact tracing, saying the huge volume of cases made it impossible to keep up. But now that cases are dropping, New York is taking a further step back from efforts to track each case of the virus. "With the daily number of new cases reported to NYS averaging approximately 2800 cases per day over the past 7 days and continuing to decrease, along with changes in contract tracing guidance, the effort is being reduced to match the reduced burden of case investigation and contact tracing," Silk said in an email. Those case numbers exclude New York City data, and the city's contact tracing program will not be affected. — Shannon Young — The number of patients hospitalized for Covid-19 statewide fell below 2,000 for the first time since mid-November. Activist famed for Kavanaugh elevator confrontation to run for New York lieutenant governor's race , by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: Ana Maria Archila, a Queens activist who gained national attention in 2018 for confronting Sen. Jeff Flake in a Capitol elevator to protest Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court, will launch a campaign for lieutenant governor on Saturday and is likely to receive the endorsement of the Working Families Party. That endorsement sets the stage for an alliance with gubernatorial candidate Jumaane Williams heading into the June Democratic primary. The WFP backed Williams over Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month. The WFP recently began a search for a lieutenant governor candidate who could "shake up a culture in Albany that really embraces the status quo," said New York director Sochie Nnaemeka. "Hochul announces New York will not do business with Russia," by Gothamist's Jen Carlson: "On Sunday, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continued, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order that will stop investments and purchases involving Russia. The order will remain effective for as long as the federal government's sanctions against Russia are in place. 'We strongly condemn the action of Putin and Russia for this unprovoked attack,' Hochul said during a press briefing." " NY Republicans gather on Long Island for convention in hopes of changing tide," by Gothamist's Jon Campbell: "By this point, New York Republicans know this refrain by heart. The state is blue and getting bluer, with more than twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans. Both houses of the state Legislature are firmly controlled by Democrats. And no Republican has won statewide office since then-Gov. George Pataki won a third term in 2002. This week on Long Island — a GOP stronghold in the state — Republican leaders will have the opportunity to explain how they intend to change that. … At least five Republican candidates are seeking the party's nod to run for the governor's office, currently occupied by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who won the backing as the preferred candidate at her party's convention early this month. But one candidate, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, has been running away with institutional support, already garnering the endorsement of 60 of 62 county GOP chairs in the state." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A group of state lawmakers backed by the Democratic Socialists of America — state Sens. Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport and Assemblymembers Zohran Mamdani, Phara Souffrant-Forrest, Marcela Mitaynes and Emily Gallagher — will today endorse Kristen Gonzalez for state Senate in a newly-created 17th District in Queens. Gonzalez, a socialist, is up against moderate former City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, who launched a campaign for the seat last week. The new district, one of two added in New York City under the recent redistricting process, covers part of Queens stretching from Long Island City through Glendale and Maspeth as well as a piece of north Brooklyn. DSA itself endorsed Gonzalez over the weekend. #UpstateAmerica: City dwellers who fled to rural parts of the state mid-pandemic are struggling when it comes to DIY home repairs and befriending New York's state animal.
| | | | A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming:   | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Rep. Lee Zeldin called for Russia to be booted from a Long Island compound it owns. — Mayor Eric Adams commissioned a new Staten Island Ferry boat, the Sandy Ground, named for New York's first free Black community. — A Queens Republican is seeking to take advantage of redistricting changes to flip a Democratic state Senate seat. — Adams vowed to take down every single homeless encampment in New York City's subway system. — A woman who works for the city Health Department was hit in the head with a hammer and robbed at the Queens Plaza subway station. — Trayvon Martin's mother told supporters not to "ever give up" at a Harlem event marking the 10-year anniversary of her son's death. — Miguelina Camilo and Christian Amato launched campaigns for the state Senate seat in the Bronx being vacated by Alessandria Biaggi. — A judge took a skeptical stance toward the National Rifle Association's counter-suit against Attorney General Tish James. — Former Rochester police chief and current Republican candidate for Congress La'Ron Singletary has settled his lawsuit with the City of Rochester. — Fears are running high at SUNY Potsdam after a student was killed. — "Special interest maliciousness: Albany lobbying agency hacked"
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Paul Krugman … Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of The New York Times … WaPo's Sarah Ellison ... NYT's Lisa Lerer … NBC's Pete Williams is 7-0 … Amazon's Cara Hewitt … Jessie Lazarus … Shaun Kaminoff … (was Sunday): Chelsea Clinton … Rebecca Sinderbrand … Gary Knell … Fox News' Ashley DiMella … Bruce Kovner … Truist's Nora Carrillo … (was Saturday): Alana Newhouse … Arden Farhi … Jonathan Sporn ... Adam Baer … Reuters' Nicholas Brown ... Peter Scheer ... Ronald Lauder … Emma Goode MAKING MOVES — Mitch Schwartz, former first deputy press secretary to Mayor Bill de Blasio, is joining Moonshot Strategies as a vice president of communications. Kelly Taylor, a long-time City Council staffer who was most recently counsel to former Speaker Corey Johnson, and Elana Leopold, the New York City political director for the New York Working Families Party, are also joining Moonshot. … Everett Eisenstatt is joining Edelman Global Advisory as their chair for North America and global trade lead, starting on Tuesday. Eisenstatt most recently was GM's senior vice president for global public policy. MEDIAWATCH — Per Talking Biz News: "Financial news service MLex has hired Samuel Rubenfeld to cover anti-corruption and bribery. He will start in March. Rubenfeld has been an editor of the Kharon Brief, which reports on global security, since 2019."
| | A message from New Yorkers for Responsible Gaming: It's time to expand gaming in downstate New York. In less than a year, expansion of existing gaming facilities would create thousands of family sustaining union jobs, generate billions in revenue for education in New York, and help drive economic growth and a jobs recovery in the hospitality industry. New York lost thousands of hospitality jobs during the pandemic and state officials project those jobs won't be fully back until 2026. However, expanding gaming downstate can bring those hospitality jobs back sooner in the communities we need them most. Find out how: www.NYforResponsibleGaming.org | | | | | Real Estate | | "Water main break at NYCHA Harlem site leaves 3,000 without heat, water," by New York Post's Georgett Roberts and Rich Calder: "Thousands of residents of a Harlem public housing complex were left without water and heat Friday night into Saturday afternoon due to a water main break. The water main at Rangel Houses burst around 5:30 pm Friday, inconveniencing the complex's 3,000 residents in the heart of winter, tenants said. Service was fully restored around 3 pm Saturday. Such breakdowns are all too common at the 984-apartment New York City Housing Authority site. Water is needed to help run the heating system." " On 'Fittingly Bleak Day,' Grand Prospect Hall is Officially No More," by Brooklyn Paper's Ben Brachfeld: "Gutted! The iconic Grand Prospect Hall has been completely demolished, bringing down with it the dreams of countless Brooklynites as new residential units are set to go up in its place. The Victorian-style banquet hall on Prospect Avenue in Park Slope was built in 1892 and stood for 130 years. It played host to the luxurious shindigs of Brooklyn's upper crust in the early 20th century before being reborn decades later, as a garish and ornate banquet hall made famous by its new owners, Michael and Alice Halkias, for ubiquitous television commercials where the couple promised to 'make your dreams come true.'" | | | | 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 | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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