| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by The Black Car Fund | New York's new districts for congressional and state legislative seats got tossed out. A state judge struck down the maps yesterday in response to a lawsuit from Republicans, throwing the state's political process into a bit of chaos just as candidates face a deadline next week to submit petitions to get on the ballot and the Legislature scrambles to complete a budget that's behind schedule. The ruling by Supreme Court Justice Patrick McAllister found that the maps were illegally drawn to favor Democrats — a rewrite that would likely hand them three additional congressional seats . Not only that, he said the Legislature never had the authority to enact the maps in the first place, since the line were supposed to be drawn by an independent commission that essentially punted. "The petitioners were able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the map was enacted with political bias and thus in violation of the constitutional prohibition against gerrymandering," McAllister wrote. The judge ordered the Legislature to come up with new maps by April 11. And they must have bipartisan support, he said. If that doesn't happen, he said he'll retain an outside expert to draw up a new set of maps. That could get pretty hairy, as the judge acknowledged — delaying the primary set for June 28. Democrats are hoping that in the end, none of this will matter much. They plan to appeal and say the decision is likely to be stayed while the appeal proceeds. A victory for Republicans was always more likely at the lower court level because the suit was filed in Steuben County, a Republican stronghold. But former Rep. John Faso, who has helped organize the Republican effort, tells our Bill Mahoney they shouldn't get cocky: "They very arrogantly ignored the will of the people and the constitutional prohibitions against gerrymandering and I think they shouldn't arrogantly assume that the appellate courts are going to agree with them either." IT'S FRIDAY, the state budget was due at midnight but no one seems to care. Few budget bills have been introduced and lawmakers headed back to their districts. They aren't scheduled to reconvene until Monday, so go enjoy a totally stress-free weekend! 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? In Albany with no announced public schedule. WHERE'S ERIC? Holding a Covid-19 briefing.
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund: The Black Car Fund kept NY moving during COVID by doing what it's done for 20 years: providing invaluable benefits to for-hire drivers and their families. Through the Black Car Fund, tens-of-thousands of professional drivers in NY are eligible for free telemedicine, vision, and dental coverage as well as insurance, prescription, urgent care, and diagnostic imaging discounts. Now the State can renew all of those benefits at no cost to taxpayers.
Learn more here. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Adams has banked on Hochul for state budget wins during a rocky ride in Albany, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta: Mayor Eric Adams' first foray into the state budget has been a rocky reintroduction to Albany for the former state senator. City Hall has hitched its political fortunes to Gov. Kathy Hochul, and as a result is poised to come away with several wins including changes to bail reform. Yet relying on the governor as his proxy could prove a risky bet: Some of the new mayor's highest priorities like mayoral control of schools will be booted out of the budget and into the legislative session where Hochul will have far less power. And Adams' efforts with the Assembly and Senate, whose influence will soon rise against a waning executive, have been hampered by a staff shortage and a spotty outreach strategy. "Lawmakers pushing for local control of NYC casino sites," by WNYC's Jon Campbell: "State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul appear likely to roll the dice on casinos in the New York City area, but only if local officials get significant say over where they are located, according to key legislators. Democrats in both the Senate and Assembly have signaled they are open to beginning the approval process for the state's three remaining casino licenses this year, which Hochul first proposed in January as part of her state budget plan. But lawmakers have made clear they want to see some semblance of local control over the casino sites, perhaps by creating an oversight panel consisting of the affected borough presidents or county executives, council members and representatives from the local community board." "Critics say Mayor Adams didn't learn lesson from 9,000 homeless encampments torn down by de Blasio," by New York Daily News' Nicholas Williams, Molly Crane-Newman, Michael Gartland and Leonard Greene: "While Mayor Adams explains the move as an effort to fix the 'dysfunctional city' he inherited from his predecessor, critics — including homeless people and their advocates — are saying the mayor is employing the same tactics with no real plan to address the bigger problem. Indeed, data obtained by the Daily News shows that more than 9,000 encampments were dismantled under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio. Now, de Blasio's 'encampments manager' Shane Cox is carrying out similar policies under the new mayor and the only thing that appears to be different, homeless people say, is the explanation." "Mission creep: Emails show how wealthy donors exerted influence over Washington Square Park," by Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz: "Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and former publisher of the New Republic, wanted to get involved in solving 'the crisis' at Washington Square Park. In an email to his Greenwich Village neighbors last March, Hughes detailed a list of illegal activity he'd recently encountered: public drinking and fighting, a pedestrian plaza 'overtaken' by vendors, skateboarders who 'circle children and the elderly around the arch.' 'I'm sure I'm like a lot of other people who want to be organized by a group of people to apply political and social pressure (or money) to change these things,' he concluded, according to emails obtained by Gothamist. 'What's the plan?' Hughes, who recently sold his townhouse in the neighborhood for $19.5 million, was invited shortly after that exchange to join the board of the Washington Square Park Conservancy, a small nonprofit that raises money for the park." "'A senseless crime': Brooklyn shooting leaves 12-year-old boy dead, and cops in desperate search of shooter ," by amNY's Dean Moses: "Detectives are searching for the suspect involved in a Brooklyn shooting on Thursday night that left a 12-year-old boy dead. Authorities said the youngster was with a 20-year-old woman in the driver's seat and an 8-year-old girl in the backseat, eating dinner inside a parked Toyota at the corner of East 58th Street and Linden Boulevard in East Flatbush, when they were caught in a hail of gunfire that rang out at about 7:45 p.m. on March 31. …Mayor Eric Adams joined police officials in the pouring rain on East 56th Street and Linden Boulevard to mourn the loss of life. Standing beneath an umbrella as rain cascaded around them, each official showcased their disdain over the heartbreaking attack that took the life of a child."
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Gov. Hochul, lawmakers to miss New York budget deadline," by Gothamist's Jon Campbell: "New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's first state budget will not be on time. The state's fiscal year will begin Friday without a spending plan after rank-and-file lawmakers were allowed to leave the Capitol Thursday despite having no deal in place. Hochul and legislative leaders continued to joust over issues such as bail reform and casinos in New York City, failing to reach a consensus before the midnight deadline. For years, late budgets had been held up as a symbol of government dysfunction in Albany. But state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat representing Yonkers, told reporters that Hochul and legislative leaders were nearing agreements on major issues and would still have a 'timely' agreement – though lawmakers aren't currently scheduled to return to session at the Capitol until Monday. 'I will say that we're close on a lot of the issues,' she said. 'Can I say everything's locked down? No. But we are very close on a lot of the issues.'" — "Analysis: A late New York state budget, conducted behind the scenes ," by Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "Blair Horner has been a fixture at the state Capitol in New York for decades, watching a generation of state budgets be negotiated and debated. And the longtime good-government advocate at the New York Public Interest Research Group called this budget one of the more secretive ones. "It's as secretive a budget as I've ever seen, and I've been here for a lot of them," he said. "There's no even pretense for any kind of public discussion, there's no gaggle outside of the governor's office where reporters can ask tough questions." — "NY lawmakers failed to get baseline data to analyze bail reform impacts," by New York Post's Craig McCarthy: "They didn't do their homework! The lawmakers in Albany who initially passed the controversial bail reforms failed to require that state agencies perform a baseline analysis of its impacts — making it impossible to determine what effect the law has had on crime in the Big Apple, The Post has learned. … The enacted legislation required the state agencies that oversee the court system and criminal arrests to track cases, but only after the law took effect. It included no provision to create a baseline for comparison by reviewing cases before the legislation kicked in — and the agencies have refused to produce one in response to media requests. "You can't accurately make good tweaks unless you have a comprehensive dataset to compare it against," said Chris Herrmann, an assistant professor at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice who once served as a crime statistics expert at the NYPD." — "Another round, or last call? Lawmakers lobbied on to-go drinks as state budget deadline nears ," by Buffalo News' Stephen T. Watson: "As of right now, I think the majority of us are going to continue to pray for it and push forward with it and advocate for it," said Jimmy Butera, owner of Butera's Craft Beer & Pizza in Hamburg and president of the local chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association. 'I urge all of our lawmakers here locally to give us something because the last 24 months has been devastating for so many.' But to liquor stores, an influential group in Albany, alcohol-to-go siphons sales away from an industry primarily populated by small-business owners operating on a slim profit margin." "Majority of NY voters oppose Hochul's $850M giveaway for Buffalo Bills stadium: poll," by New York Post's Carl Campanile : "A majority of likely voters oppose having New York put up $850 million in taxpayer subsidies to finance construction of a new Buffalo Bills stadium, a new poll reveals. The survey, conducted by the firm co/efficient for Big Dog Strategies, found that 55% of likely voters disapproved of the stadium deal while only 22% approved of the plan announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday, with nearly one-quarter undecided." #UpstateAmerica: "I am not changing a damn thing." Tonawanda's historic Louie's Hot Dogs, 1951-2021, is reopening today, thanks to a cousin who will take over the business.
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund:   | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Amazon hired Global Strategy Group to oppose a unionization effort at its Staten Island warehouse. — City-run vaccination sites began offering fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines to eligible New Yorkers. — Books borrowed years or decades ago have been returned to the public library since it eliminated late fines. — The family of Delrawn Small said the Police Benevolent Association is attempting to derail a planned disciplinary trial for the officer who killed him. — The city Board of Elections has hired outside counsel to defend it in a lawsuit challenging noncitizen voting. — A lawsuit charges that New York state has failed to provide children on Medicaid with the mental health care they are entitled to. — Bob Linn, an appointee of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, is stepping down from the MTA board. — Almost a dozen New York State prisons, including Attica itself, have banned a history book that chronicles the 1971 Attica uprising, according to a new federal lawsuit. — The city brought a lawsuit against one of the building owners on the worst landlords watchlist. — Forlini's, one of Manhattan's most famous red sauce joints, is closing its doors. — Hochul has punted again on a decision about a permit renewal for Greenidge , a gas plant on Seneca Lake that's been fueling a cryptocurrency mining operation. — The Albany County District Attorney's office withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in criminal forfeiture funds from the state and misspent other money, according to an Albany County Comptroller's audit.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) … Rachel Maddow … NYT's Michael Crowley … Edelman's Pranav Shankla … Treasury's Antonio White … Max Segan … Julia Hahn … Sean Weppner MEDIAWATCH — Rachel Holliday Smith is now an associate editor for The City. She has been a reporter for the site… Jen Carlson, a longtime editor at Gothamist, is leaving the publication. — The New York Sun is back. MAKING MOVES — Andrew Williams has joined the New York League of Conservation Voters as deputy state policy director, and Nia Rhodes Jackson has joined as senior director of programs. Williams previously worked in the labor movement for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters as their New York state political coordinator, and Rhodes Jackson is the former director of visitor experience for a park conservancy and in environmental education for multiple organizations. … … Trivette Knowles is joining the newly formed state Office of Cannabis Management as the public affairs press officer and community outreach manager. Knowles was Andrew Yang's chief of staff and most recently in the office of Assemblymember Nikki Lucas.
| | | | A message from The Black Car Fund: The Black Car Fund kept NY moving during COVID by doing what it's done for 20 years: providing invaluable benefits to for-hire drivers and their families. Through the Black Car Fund, tens-of-thousands of professional drivers in NY are eligible for free telemedicine, vision, and dental coverage as well as insurance, prescription, urgent care, and diagnostic imaging discounts. The Fund also provided 20,000 PPE kits with masks, hand sanitizer and gloves for drivers to keep them on the road, serving New Yorkers. That's why NPR called The Black Car Fund "the future of benefits". Now the State legislature is considering an extension of the Black Car Fund's successful programs--at no cost to taxpayers. At this critical moment, it is imperative that our lawmakers recognize what a game-changer this help has been for New York's for-hire drivers.
Learn more here. | | | | | Real Estate | | Proposal to replace 421-a highly unlikely to be in the budget, by POLITICO's Janaki Chadha: A controversial tax break for developers is facing an uncertain path in Albany as state legislators oppose efforts to pass a replacement program in the state budget. Real estate interests and unions have been working doggedly in recent days to get lawmakers on board with the proposal — pushed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and supported by Mayor Eric Adams. But the Democratic state Legislature has been resistant, particularly the state Assembly, and it's looking highly unlikely the governor's proposal will get done in the state budget. Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz — a rare voice in his chamber in support of the program — acknowledged the proposal, known as 485-w, has been met with widespread opposition when it's been discussed internally over the past week. "The majority of the conference was not in favor of 485-w, that was clear when we spoke," Cymbrowitz, chair of the body's housing committee, said in an interview. "Landlords' profits drop nearly 8%, most in 17 years: rent board ," by Real Deal's Suzannah Cavanaugh: "A report by the city's Rent Guidelines Board released Thursday showed rent-stabilized buildings' net operating income fell 7.8 percent in 2020, the largest dip in 17 years. Profits plunged as rental income declined 3.8 percent year-over-year after the Rent Guidelines Board froze rents for one-year leases in the period. Owner groups warn that the withering returns show the city's stabilized housing stock could be on the brink of "collapse" as landlords struggle for revenue to cover maintenance costs." "New Yorkers Plan to Cut Time Spent in the Office by Half, Survey Finds," by Bloomberg's Matthew Boyle and Olivia Rockeman: "Most New Yorkers who worked from home during the pandemic plan to cut their time in the office by nearly half and spend less money in the city annually, illustrating the challenges the city faces as companies adjust to hybrid schedules. The average New York City office worker intends to reduce time in the office by 49% and slash annual spending in the city by $6,730, down from an estimated $12,561 before the pandemic, according to Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University." | | | | 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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