| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | It's finally time for Kathy Hochul to get political. Fresh off a budget deal that wrapped up over the weekend, the governor hit the campaign trail on Monday with double rallies in New York City and earned official endorsements from both TWU Local 100 and 32BJ SEIU. She's started talking politics, too. Hochul said she is open to the new-old idea that state party chair Jay Jacobs recently floated, which would create an independent third party for Democrats to run on this fall. "This is about winning in November, and so we are going to weigh all of our options," she said. And she said she'd accept the Working Families Party line in November, if offered. The WFP has endorsed Hochul's opponent New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for the June primary. That's fewer than three months away, and it's none too soon to get everyone hyped up. Though she's got a hearty $21 million in her campaign account, Hochul hasn't yet begun airing TV advertisements to counter the millions spent by both other gubernatorial candidates from both parties. It's still unclear how she'll earn broad support from key voting blocs, like Black voters downstate. She's thus far pivoted from directly responding to any of her opponents as they've hammered from both right and left on crime, taxes, and a hefty check from the state that will keep the Buffalo Bills in her hometown. Her focus has been on the state budget, she's said. That answer won't work any more, and Hochul will need to shift modes. She certainly has a lot of practice campaigning, though neither stakes nor position have been quite so high. Her accomplishments in the budget seem the logical place to start. And while the rather murky process and delayed timeline might have earned mixed reviews from political observers, its contents have the potential to satisfy a lot of voters. Take criminal justice, for example. Changes to the state's bail laws were a dominant source of disagreement, and the ultimate fixes don't seem to have entirely satisfied either side. But Hochul on Monday said that her administration was able to deliver "thoughtful, hard-fought negotiated plans to include public safety" when many thought it couldn't be done, and she was proud of the results. What's next for Team Hochul? Likely a lot more salesmanship of the state's $220 billion spending plan. IT'S TUESDAY. 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 Fox 5's Good Day New York and Pix 11's Morning News and making a transportation announcement in Hempstead. WHERE'S ERIC? Working from home. | | | | DON'T MISS ANYTHING FROM THE 2022 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is excited to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage and insights from the 25th annual Global Conference. This year's event, May 1-4, brings together more than 3,000 of the world's most influential leaders, including 700+ speakers representing more than 80 countries. "Celebrating the Power of Connection" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect influencers with the resources to change the world with leading experts and thinkers whose insight and creativity can implement that change. Whether you're attending in person or following along from somewhere else in the world, keep up with this year's conference with POLITICO's special edition "Global Insider" so you don't miss a beat. Subscribe today. | | | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | "COVID-stricken Adams may resume outdoor events as soon as Friday," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "Speaking in a virtual press conference on Monday, Mayor Eric Adams said his doctors have cleared him to participate in outdoor events as soon as Friday, which would be five days after he received his first positive test for coronavirus — as long as he wears a mask. The mayor, dressed in a blue suit and pink tie, spoke for roughly 20 minutes as he stood before a podium at Gracie Mansion. He held the virtual press conference to comment on President Joe Biden's new restrictions on 'ghost guns' as they were discussed publicly on Monday. Aside from sounding slightly hoarse, he appeared healthy. His office said on Sunday that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and would be working remotely as he recovered from the virus, which manifested in the form of a raspy voice. 'I feel fine. No fever, no runny nose, no aches and pains outside of the raspiness in my voice,' Adams said." — "Adams calls ghost guns a 'river' fueling violence in wake of fatal teen shooting in the Bronx ," by New York Post's Nolan Hicks: "Mayor Eric Adams blamed 'ghost guns' — untraceable firearms assembled from kits — on Monday for helping fuel a new wave of violence on the Big Apple's streets after one of the homemade weapons was used in the horrifying slay of a Bronx high school student. 'Ghost guns are one of the biggest threats to public safety that we face today,' the mayor declared…'No one should be able to build a gun in their home in 30 minutes. Unacceptable!'" Adams designates Juneteenth as city holiday, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Mayor Eric Adams officially designated Juneteenth as a paid holiday for city employees. The holiday, which falls on June 19, marks the day formerly enslaved people learned they had been emancipated. City workers will have the day off for the first time this year, Adams announced Monday. "As the second Black mayor of New York City, I know that I stand on the shoulders of countless heroes and sheroes who put their lives on the line to secure a more perfect union. Now is the time for me to do a small part and recognize one of our nation's greatest wrongs," Adams said in a statement. … "It's time for our city to finally do what's right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday. This decision is long overdue, which is why it will immediately take effect this year." "Standing still zone: Two-year-old parking placard abuse probe stuck in bureaucratic time warp, NYC investigator blames COVID," by amNewYork's Kevin Duggan: "The city's Department of Investigation (DOI) and the NYPD have yet to get started on a crackdown against rampant parking placard abuse in the Big Apple more than two years after the agencies were ordered to do so by law — and bureaucrats on Monday blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay. The NYPD should have launched weekly sweeps targeting illegal parking in early 2020, and DOI was going to prepare a report based on the enforcement, but the city's chief watchdog admitted Monday that neither ever happened."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | Hochul: State budget shows 'how women govern differently,' by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed to the just-concluded state budget as "exhibit A" of "how women govern differently" as she and Attorney General Tish James pitched their re-election campaigns with two women topping the state's Democratic ticket for the first time. The one-time primary rivals, who became allies after James dropped out of the race for governor and opted to run for re-election, appeared Monday at a Manhattan luncheon for Eleanor's Legacy, which supports pro-choice Democratic women running for office. "It doesn't have to be a bloodbath or a knock down drag 'em out. We just get the job done," Hochul said of negotiations with herself and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins occupying two of the three roles in a process once known as "three men in a room," alongside Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. "SLA says nuts, lettuce not enough food for takeout booze orders," by Times Union's Steve Barnes: "According to the law (Part P in the online version), food must be included with takeout alcohol orders. The stipulation is for a 'substantial food item.' Trying to prevent a recurrence of the confusion around what minimum quantity of food was acceptable when alcohol-to-go was first allowed in March 2020, which resulted in businesses being scolded for selling $1 orders of 'Cuomo chips,' the SLA on Monday advised the following: Sufficient: full meals, individual entrees, sandwiches, soups, salads, wings, hot dogs. Insufficient: bag of chips, bowl of nuts or candy, 'unreasonably small portion of soup, a serving of canned beans, a handful of lettuce.' 'Obvious efforts to circumvent the law,' the SLA said, including 'charging a small extra fee for an alcoholic beverage in lieu of a food item not actually ordered or delivered, will be treated as a violation of the law.'" 'It's not a success story': East Ramapo families, advocates cast doubt on graduation rates, by POLITICO's Michelle Bocanegra and Deanna Garcia: For a school district that has been mired in controversy for years and placed under the supervision of special state monitors, East Ramapo had something to celebrate when the state unveiled graduation rates earlier this year. The Rockland County district's graduation rate of 77 percent in 2021 marked a 12 percent increase from the previous year. And the rate for English language leaders jumped even higher — up by 25 percent, to a 51 percent graduation rate. Parents and civil rights groups, however, say those figures are not what they appear to be. They contend the numbers do not reflect outcomes for hundreds of students who disappeared from the district's rolls without earning a high school diploma. "These percentages just don't make any sense," said Maria Marasigan, director of organizing and program development at Proyecto Faro. "Buffalo cops who pushed protester Martin Gugino to ground cleared of wrongdoing," by Buffalo News' Dan Herbeck: "Two Buffalo Police officers who knocked a 75-year-old protester to the ground, causing him to suffer a head injury during a 2020 protest and drawing national criticism, were cleared Friday of wrongdoing by an arbitrator. Arbitrator Jeffrey M. Selchick said he found that Officers Aaron Torgalski and Robert McCabe did not violate Police Department regulations and did not intend to injure Martin Gugino during the protest outside City Hall on June 4, 2020. Torgalski and McCabe testified before the arbitrator that they were trying to protect themselves and denied that they were trying to hurt Gugino during the protest. The officers' use of physical force was 'absolutely legitimate,' wrote Selchick, who added that, in his analysis, Gugino was 'definitely not an innocent bystander.'" "Governor's nixing of housing voucher program from NY budget leaves advocates wondering why," by Gothamist's Chau Lam: "Drawn-out negotiations mulling over the state budget may have produced results that some lawmakers in Albany have wanted, like a $7 billion increase in child care subsidies that Gov. Kathy Hochul supported, or a $600 million cash infusion to help build a new football stadium in the governor's hometown for the Buffalo Bills. But what the budget didn't include was funding that state lawmakers have long requested to create a program to provide subsidized housing for 40,000 to 50,000 homeless New Yorkers and those at risk of falling into homelessness. And supporters of the proposal said they felt that Hochul and her team rejected the plan because of their concerns over its long-term costs." #UpstateAmerica: What CAN'T Wegman's do? The Rochester-based grocery chain is one of the nation's 'Best Companies to Work For' for the 25th year in a row. #UpstateAlton: Chef Alton Brown recants, says best wings ARE in Buffalo.
| | FEELIN' 22 | | Cuomo's comeback gets more difficult as he stays out of Democratic primary, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: There's always a chance that he could launch a campaign as an independent by May or start to seek write-in votes in October. And even if he has zero plans to run, there's no incentive for his remaining supporters to end their whisper campaign. But by not running in the primary, Cuomo is now guaranteed to face additional practical, financial and political hurdles should he eventually get in. The deadline for entering that race could have been seen as put up or shut up time, and for many of his critics, it's now time to move on. "I don't think he should still be taken seriously. I also don't happen to think he's going to run," said Mike Gianaris (D-Queens), the deputy leader of the state Senate. "The state is happy to have moved on from him." There was no immediate comment from a Cuomo spokesperson about for the former governor's plans. All he has said so far is "'I have a lot of options open, and I'm considering them." "Andrew Giuliani is test-driving his father's legacy in New York ," by Washington Post's Paul Schwartzman: "'I love his father. Is that the son?' Joan McDonald, 90, a retired clerical worker, asks as she eyes Andrew, 36, who has Rudy's full cheeks and saucer-wide grin. 'We need you back — promise you'll be behind the scenes!' Donna Blonder, a retired teacher, tells Rudy. Blonder, like many Americans, watched the November 2020 news conference in which Rudy claimed a massive voting-fraud conspiracy while a black liquid that appeared to be hair dye trickled down each side of his face." | | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Thousands of apartments that homeless New Yorkers qualified for through city housing vouchers remained unavailable to them last year due to red tape. — Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg plans to expand the hate crimes unit. — The Fearless Girl statue can stay outside the New York Stock Exchange for at least 11 months. — Riders with reduced fares will be able to use the OMNY payment system starting this summer. — Subway ridership has been lagging on Mondays compared to other days of the week. — A California woman who tackled a Black teenager at a SoHo hotel pleaded guilty to a felony hate crime charge. — The Open Orchard project is seeking to restore fruit trees to New York. — The company that wants to bring a hazardous waste landfill to Niagara County argued it will have a $1 billion economic impact amid opposition. — The Child Victims Act look back window has closed, but some abuse survivors say they had no idea it existed or no means to file a claim.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CBS' Rita Braver … Peter Scher of JPMorgan Chase … Vice's Eric Ortega … Alessandra Grace … Shayna Englin of 42 Comms … Tommy Schanzer … Stuart Tauber … Scott Turow … Judge Paul A. Engelmayer (h/ts Jewish Insider) MEDIAWATCH — Chelsia Rose Marcius will be a reporter for the New York Times Metro section covering police and criminal justice. She was formerly at the Daily News. … Michelle Bocanegra has been named a reporter at WNYC. She most recently was an education reporter for POLITICO New York. … The Points Guy has announced a slew of hires: Cameron Sperance as senior hotels reporter, Ryan Wilcox as credit cards SEO writer, Hannah Streck as senior SEO, Kevin Martinez as associate web publisher, Ryan Smith as credit cards writer, Mackenzie Roche as pick-up editor, Bill Fink as senior travel writer, Melissa Klurman as travel reporter and Lynn Brown as features reporter. MAKING MOVES — Andy Browne and Seth Faison have joined Brunswick Group as partners in the New York office. Browne most recently was Editorial Director of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and will lead Brunswick's China Hub. Faison will also advise clients on China-related matters and is a New York Times, South China Morning Post and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria alum. … Sapreet K. Saluja will be the new executive director of New York Cares. She was formerly at Girl Scouts of the USA.
| | Real Estate | | "In Adams, Landlords See Hope for a Rent Hike on Regulated Apts as Bills Pile Up," by The City's Greg David and Rachel Holliday Smith: "Squeezed by higher property taxes, soaring energy costs and unpaid rent during the pandemic, landlords of regulated apartments are hoping for the biggest increase from the city Rent Guidelines Board in at least a decade. Property owners may well get the rent hikes they're looking for when the board votes in June, at the conclusion of what is always a contentious annual public review. Mayor Eric Adams is advancing a much different approach than his predecessor Bill de Blasio, who pressed his board appointees to vote for rent freezes during his tenure. 'My administration is committed to making decisions based on data,' Adams said in a statement last month when appointing two new members of the rent board." Revival of board that was 'death knell' to Amazon deal was left out of state budget, by POLITICO's Danielle Muoio Dunn: Irate after Amazon pulled its plan to build a new headquarters in Queens, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo significantly weakened the regulatory body that sent the tech giant running. Since then, lawmakers have been unsuccessful at restoring the board's power, including the most recent attempt to reinvigorate the panel as part of this year's state budget negotiations. Good government groups warn action should be taken sooner rather than later. The board will eventually be tasked with approving yet another controversial plan, this one centered on financing the repairs and possible extension of Penn Station. The proposal primarily benefits Vornado, one of the city's largest commercial landlords, which would get tax breaks to build up to nine skyscrapers in exchange for funding the project. "Developers Evade Accountability for Construction Death at the City's Most Expensive Apartment Development," Documented's Maurizio Guerrero: "On February 15, 2021, a worker fell from the 17th to the 16th floor while working on an ambitious development called the Aman Hotel and Residences on 5th Avenue in Midtown. The man, who was in his 60s, according to City documents obtained by Documented through a Freedom of Information Law request, was cleaning the area where a laundry chute was being installed. Ian Waldy, the site's general superintendent, spoke to the fallen worker before he was taken in an ambulance to the hospital. He had sustained 'moderate injuries,' according to the Department of Buildings report. Three days later, the worker — whose precise identity could not be confirmed by Documented — died due to his injuries." | | | | 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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