| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by CVS Health | The high court has spoken, and the maps are out. Throwing all of New York politics for a loop, the Court of Appeals struck down new districts for Congress and state Senate, ruling they were improperly gerrymandered. The upshot: The June primary will likely be delayed until August for congressional and state Senate seats. National Democrats' hopes of keeping control of the House is taking a blow. And there will be a few months of general disarray, with candidates campaigning for offices in districts that may not exist by election time. (The primary for governor and other offices looks like it will stay put, at least for now.) The ruling caught many by surprise, despite two lower courts finding that the maps were no good. Not since 1960 have a set of redistricting maps been thrown out in New York, and the judges who did it were all appointed by Democratic governors. In a 4-3 ruling, they found that the congressional maps, which could have helped Democrats pick up three seats, were "drawn with an unconstitutional partisan intent." And they ruled that the Legislature violated a set of voter-approved 2014 constitutional amendments to reform the redistricting process, which were supposed to toss the decisions to an independent commission, and lacked the authority to push through its own plan. Now, a court-appointed special master — Carnegie Mellon postdoctoral fellow Jonathan Cervas — will be tasked with coming up with new maps. There will be a hearing in the town of Bath on May 6. If all goes according to plan, Cervas will release draft maps by May 16 and a final plan by May 24. In the meantime, the congressional and state Senate incumbents who thought they were safe are back to biting their nails. Insurgent candidates are waiting to see if the districts they're eyeing will remain ripe for challenges. And while an August primary might offer an extra couple months to campaign, we can kiss those mid-summer vacations goodbye. IT'S THURSDAY. Go Tartans! 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? Discussing budget investments in education with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, speaking at the Asian American Bar Association of NY dinner, and speaking at the Hispanic Federation's gala. WHERE'S ERIC? Speaking at a Hometown Heroes plaque dedication and the Hanson Place Seventh-Day Adventist Church affordable housing groundbreaking, attending the wake for Firefighter Timothy Klein, speaking at a New York City Service mayoral recognition ceremony, and appearing on WBAI 99.5 FM's "Driving Forces."
| | A message from CVS Health: New Yorkers want the lowest prescription drug costs possible and CVS Health's pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) team is delivering for them. With big drug companies continually increasing the price of prescription drugs, we negotiate lower prescription drug costs for employers, consumers and working families across the state. That saves New Yorkers and employers tens of millions of dollars each year so they can continue to provide affordable coverage that keeps their employees healthy. Learn more. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | "Adams now says he will release his tax returns," by Gothamist's Elizabeth Kim: "Mayor Adams said he will make his tax returns public, after more than a week of noncommittal responses that have sparked criticism. During the taping for a podcast hosted by former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, Adams was asked directly whether he would disclose his tax returns upon filing them. 'Yes, yes,' the mayor replied. 'I pay a lot of taxes and New Yorkers are going to see how much I pay.' His answer before a live audience at Cooper Union was his most definitive yet on the subject, capping a week and a half of vague responses. Elected officials are not legally required to share their filings but mayors have traditionally provided at least redacted versions for the public to view." "New hires for Rikers likely to fill spots of those fired by NYC Mayor Eric Adams," by New York Daily News' Michael Gartland: "Mayor Adams offered more insight Wednesday into why he plans to hire nearly 600 new correction officers as part of his budget — and it doesn't bode well for some of the rank-and-file officers already employed by the city's Department of Correction. During a meeting with the Daily News editorial board, Adams said he wants to fire correction officers who are still technically on the job, but not physically at work because they're faking sickness or injury. 'We want to terminate those who are abusing the sick leave procedures,' he said. A day before, during the rollout of his administration's executive budget, Adams told reporters that the 578 new Correction Department hires the city is planning are being made to address staffing levels needed to address the rollback of solitary confinement." "Key council committee approves change to salary transparency law," by NY1's Anna Lucente Sterling: "New York City's salary transparency law will likely be updated after a key council committee on Wednesday approved changes, such as including hourly positions under the rule. The 5-1 committee vote amending the bill passed in December, known as Local Law 32, would also push back the implementation date from spring to fall. The full City Council is expected to vote on the changes Thursday. Earlier this month, a hearing was held in which business leaders and advocates for pay equity sought to sway City Council members to make changes to the bill. One of the proposed changes discussed in the April 5 hearing included exempting businesses with fewer than 15 employees. The current law applies to businesses with four or more employees. The council committee decided to keep that language intact." "Mayor Adams: Slow return to offices will complicate NYC's economic recovery," by New York Post's Bernadette Hogan and Nolan Hicks: "The Big Apple's road to recovery will be long — and complicated. City Hall projected in budget documents released this week that it expects at least 20 percent of the five boroughs' office space will remain empty through at least 2026. That's double the pre-pandemic vacancy rate, which sat at about 10 percent — and the first time the vacancy rate has soared above 15 percent for a sustained period of time since the crippling recession of the early 1990s. And Mayor Eric Adams told The Post's Editorial Board on Wednesday that ongoing resistance from employees to returning to working in Manhattan's massive office towers will complicate the city's rebound from the coronavirus pandemic."
| | | | 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 ALBANY'S READING | | "Gov. Hochul faces 'clusterf–k' of resistance to remove indicted Brian Benjamin from primary ballot," by New York Post's Zach Williams: "State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins asked a top lieutenant to withhold sponsorship of legislation that would have given Hochul a way to boot her now indicted pick for running mate, ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, off the June primary ballot. The powerful Senate majority leader has resisted the idea of allowing Hochul to rid herself of the ballot albatross despite her ongoing pleas to legislative leaders. The stonewall by the Democratic leader Stewart-Cousins included asking state Senate Finance Committee Chair Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) to refrain from introducing a bill into the Senate proposed by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) nearly two weeks ago, Krueger told The Post." — Adams threw his support behind Hochul's attempt to remove Benjamin from the ballot. " Will MTA Mask Rule End Soon? What We Learned (and Didn't) From Hochul's Rare Board Meeting Showing," by NBC New York: "Hochul wasn't explicitly asked about face masks on transit when she made an in-person appearance at an MTA Board meeting in Manhattan to thank transit workers who helped protect the city during the Brooklyn subway shooting earlier this month. (She also had some major transit news: free MTA bus rides to LaGuardia, anyone?) The only reference to face masks came from Hochul herself as she began her remarks by describing her commute to the MTA board office on Broadway in Manhattan. She simply noted the high share of people complying with the still-in-effect order. Wednesday marked the first time ever that a sitting New York governor attended an in-person board meeting of the MTA, which is run jointly by the city and state." — MTA chair Janno Lieber dismissed concerns about declining compliance with the mask mandate, insisting riders are more concerned with "other issues." " Officials watch and wonder as the hottest U.S. coronavirus hot spot swells to two dozen counties," by The New York Times' Adeel Hassan and Lauren McCarthy: "The orange spot first appeared on the national risk map in early April, marking three counties in central New York as having 'high' community levels of the coronavirus, the only such cluster in the country. By mid-April, the orange had spread to include 10 upstate counties, with a penumbra of yellow around them. Now it's up to two dozen orange counties, stretching across upstate New York and spilling into Pennsylvania and Vermont. There are smatterings of orange and yellow counties elsewhere in the country now as well, but the hot spot that started in central New York is the biggest, darkest blotch on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mostly pristine national map, and it may grow bigger still when the map is updated on Thursday evening." FROM ROCHESTER: "City's latest anti-violence effort would provide $5M for coordinated, grassroots efforts," by Democrat & Chronicle's Brian Sharp: "The city's latest effort to curb the ongoing surge in violence would seed grassroots organizations with $5 million in federal rescue plan dollars. Mayor Malik Evans' goal is to marshal the community's collective know-how, elevating effective but often underfunded grassroots efforts in a coordinated approach to reduce violence. 'The prescription for peace will not be found in City Hall,' the mayor said. Instead, the city is hoping innovative ideas emerge from what is being called the Rochester Peace Collective. The city would coordinate and support various community partners that could leverage additional funding together." — Rochester police will no longer be allowed to deploy tear gas, flash-bang grenades, use so-called sound cannons or conceal their identities when responding to protests, Mayor Malik Evans announced. " After deadly blazes, lawmakers seek to boost fire safety in New York," by Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "Bills meant to strengthen fire safety laws across New York state are being advanced by state lawmakers following deadly blazes over the last year. The measures include proposals that would require space heaters to have safety features like thermostats and automatic shutoffs, as well as be tested by state agencies. Lawmakers are also pushing for a bill that would provide a tax credit for the installation of fire sprinkler systems. And another bill would create a private right of action for tenants who allege building owners have failed to keep and maintain self-closing fire-safety doors." #UpstateAmerica: A very specific cracker made in Buffalo is "pretty much everything" to Gwyneth Paltrow.
| | | |   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Trump appeals New York contempt ruling, $10k per day fine," by The Associated Press' Michael R. Sisak : "Former President Donald Trump has appealed a New York judge's decision to hold him in contempt of court and fine him $10,000 per day for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued in the state attorney general's civil investigation into his business dealings. Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the appellate division of the state's trial court, making good on her pledge to challenge Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron's ruling, issued Monday. Habba questioned the legal basis for holding Trump in contempt, arguing in court papers that he responded properly to the subpoena and that the attorney general's office had failed to show his conduct 'was calculated to defeat, impair, impede, or prejudice' the investigation and refused to engage in "good-faith discussions" before seeking to have him fined." "New York grand jury hearing evidence in DA's investigation into Trump Organization expires this week," by CNN's Kara Scannell: "A special grand jury seated to hear evidence in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the Trump Organization's finances is set to expire at the end of the week and will not be extended, people familiar with the investigation tell CNN. The six-month special grand jury, which was empaneled in October, heard evidence late last year from several witnesses, including reporters to whom former President Donald Trump boasted about his personal wealth. Presentations to the grand jury were halted earlier this year after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was sworn into office and raised concerns about the strength of the evidence." "Donald Trump swore under oath that he didn't sic security on Trump Tower protesters in 2015. Michael Cohen is poised to contradict him," by Insider's Laura Italiano: "A partial transcript has been released revealing Donald Trump's sworn account of a demonstration outside Trump Tower on September 3, 2015 — a day when his security guards tangled violently with protesters of Mexican heritage who held cardboard signs reading 'Make America Racist Again.' Trump swore under oath that he did not sic his security staff on the protesters, or direct them to grab the signs, according to excerpts from an October deposition that were released Tuesday night as part of a lawsuit scheduled for trial in the Bronx next month. But Michael Cohen has a very different account of Trump's actions that day, the protesters' lawyer said in a filing that accompanied the transcript." — "Donald Trump worried 'dangerous' fruits could be thrown at him by protesters, a new deposition reveals"
| | | | JOIN US ON 4/29 FOR A WOMEN RULE DISCUSSION ON WOMEN IN TECH : Women, particularly women of color and women from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, have historically been locked out of the tech world. But this new tech revolution could be an opportunity for women to get in on the ground floor of a new chapter. Join POLITICO for an in-depth panel discussion on the future of women in tech and how to make sure women are both participating in this fast-moving era and have access to all it offers. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The Q70 bus to LaGuardia Airport will be free starting on May 1. — City schools are now providing four at-home Covid testing kits to all students each week and encouraging families to use them regularly. — After Adams called out cops for standing around on their phones, the Police Benevolent Association blamed the NYPD for issuing the phones in the first place. — Adams suggested scrapping New York's longstanding cryptocurrency licensing rule, raising eyebrows from financial watchdogs. — "Bellucci Vs. Bellucci : New York's next great pizza feud is here" — All of the state's Democratic county executives have endorsed Gov. Kathy Hochul. — A hearing officer has recommended that the New York Racing Association suspend trainer Bob Baffert for two years in the aftermath of a doping scandal. — What happened to Kenton Buckner, who quit as Syracuse police chief a year ago? It's a mystery. — The board of Catskill Regional OTB says the state's claims about mismanagement aren't true. — One of the victims of the Brooklyn subway mass shooting said he is unable to walk and in excruciating pain. — NYU students and faculty staged a walkout to protest the potential hiring of a biologist facing allegations of sexual harassment. — Adams is holding back on his campaign commitment to dedicate 1 percent of the city's budget to public parks.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan … Josh Schwerin of Saratoga Strategies … Scott Mayerowitz … Jason Schwartz … Katie Ryan Burke … Austen Wells … Robert Murstein … Genay Jackson MAKING MOVES — Daniel Francis is joining Finsbury Glover Hering as a director in the New York office, part of an expansion of the energy and sustainability team. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and the Environmental Defense Fund. … Stephanie Marrone is now director of marketing and communications at Phillips Nizer LLP. She most recently was director of business development and marketing at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. … … Bryan Donohue is now COO of Bond Schoeneck & King in Buffalo, N.Y. He most recently was COO of Freed Maxick CPAs. ... Elisabeth Bernard is now chief HR officer at Paul, Weiss. She most recently was chief HR officer at Proskauer Rose. MEDIAWATCH — Jay Root is joining The New York Times as an investigative reporter in the Albany bureau. He has been a reporter for the Houston Chronicle.
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Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | | "West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side faces a mortal threat: The wrecking ball," by WNYC's Arun Venugopal: "Since the late 19th century, the West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side has served as a base for New York City activism and community service, where congregants and community members have taken up causes ranging from fighting anti-Chinese immigrant bigotry and advancing civil rights, to feeding people during the AIDS crisis. That thread through history could soon end, at least for the venerable building, built in 1890. A plan proposed by church officials and a real estate developer would see the red sandstone structure, once described as 'one of the best examples of a Romanesque Revival style religious structure in New York City,' face the wrecking ball — that is, if a city panel agrees to undo the building's landmark status." | | | | 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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