| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been unable to stem a surge in crime in the months since he took office, despite making it his nearly single-minded focus. On Wednesday, he identified what he believes is one of the chief culprits: ghost guns, the untraceable, assemble-at-home firearms that have flooded city streets. Adams is calling for the biggest manufacturer of ghost guns to be stripped of its federal license. In a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, he said the company, Polymer80, has violated a slew of federal laws and that its ghost guns are often found at crime scenes across the five boroughs. "They have played fast and loose with the laws," Adams said at a police headquarters press conference, with a table full of seized ghost guns to make the point. The problem, he said, is that as quickly as cops can remove guns from the streets, they're being replaced by more firearms. But the mayor was also on the defensive about who he insists is not to blame for failing to rein in the surge in crime, namely the NYPD. "New Yorkers should be living in a safe city right now, based on the actions of the police department," he said, blaming instead both the proliferation of guns and the release of criminal suspects by courts. When the city battled high crime decades ago, he claimed, "Every newspaper in the city was with us. Every lawmaker was with us." Now? "The opinion-makers and the opinion-shapers have abandoned our police." (It was pointed out to Adams that his version of history leaves out a few things, including that during those bad old days, he himself was a leading critic of the police department from within his ranks. He maintained that he wasn't criticizing the police so much as criticizing bad practices — which of course is what today's critics say they're doing as well.) But at the end of the day, despite the factors outside his control, New Yorkers tend to hold the mayor accountable for the rise or fall in crime – especially when that mayor campaigned extensively on a promise to fix it. So Adams is hoping against all odds that, despite their longstanding reluctance, that the feds will step in to help him with the gun problem. IT'S THURSDAY. 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 public events scheduled. WHERE'S ERIC? Making an education announcement, speaking at dyslexia awareness day, signing legislation, and speaking at the opening of Hard Rock Hotel New York. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You're an idiot and I told you so." Assemblymember Andy Goodell to the New York Post quoting his wife's response after his 2009 BMW was stolen from the state Capitol garage, likely because he had left his keys in the vehicle.
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | "Civilian watchdog substantiates complaints against 145 NYPD cops during 2020 George Floyd protests," by New York Daily News' John Annese: "The city's police watchdog, nearing completion of its investigations of NYPD misconduct during the 2020 George Floyd protests, said it has now substantiated complaints against 145 cops. The Civilian Complaint Review Board said Wednesday it's recommending 88 officers face 'charges and specification' — the highest form of discipline available — and that 78 get administrative trials. The CCRB has closed 316 cases stemming from the 321 complaints made during the protests, standing up 267 allegations against 145 officers. The types of misconduct include use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy and untruthful statements." "Mulgrew wins UFT re-election with lowest victory margin since taking office," by Chalkbeat's Alex Zimmerman: "United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew easily secured a fifth term, despite renewed efforts to oust the union's longtime leadership, UFT officials announced Wednesday. Mulgrew was elected with 66% of the vote, 20 percentage points less than his vote share in 2019 and his lowest margin of victory since he won his first full term in 2010 with 91% of the vote. Camille Eterno, his main competitor, earned about 34% of the vote." " Spanish Is NYC's Second Language But Latino Political Power Sputters," by The City's Gabriel Sandoval: "Since before Oscar García Rivera became the first Puerto Rican elected to the state Assembly in 1937, Latinos have struggled to establish a firm grip in New York politics. 'We're lacking in political muscle,' said Gerson Borrero, a veteran political analyst and former editor-in-chief of El Diario. 'We have become puppets. We have become citizens of the system rather than the leaders.' Just 9% of state lawmakers have roots in Latin America, according to a tally by THE CITY. The 150-member Assembly has 13. The 63-seat Senate has six. Of those 19 elected officials with Latino heritage, all but two commute to Albany to work on behalf of constituencies in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Manhattan. Meanwhile, Latinos represent roughly 29% of the population across the five boroughs, but there has never been a single one elected to a citywide or statewide office." "How Wall Street's Slump Will Hit All New Yorkers Hard," by The City's Greg David: "New York City's job recovery continues to lag behind the rest of the nation by a worrisome amount: The country has recovered 95% of the jobs lost in the pandemic recession, while the city has regained less than 75%. Only 8% of private sector office workers are back at their desks five days a week, a new survey by the Partnership for New York City showed this week, with economic activity in business districts a fraction of the pre-pandemic level. Now the meltdown in the stock market threatens the two sectors that have served as a bulwark for the city's economy and its government finances: Wall Street and tech." "Surprise Delete of 'SpeakerCoJo' Twitter Triggers Look at City Archive Policy," by The City's Katie Honan: "When former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson's official Twitter account abruptly vanished in January, social media observers and good-government watchdogs were left wondering if he had scrubbed four years of pithy political posts to make way for a career as a lobbyist. Turns out Johnson's work account, @NYCSpeakerCoJo, was deactivated in mid-January by his replacement, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens). The account was removed 'for the avoidance of confusion,' according to a spokesperson for Adams. 'The former Speaker's government Twitter account was archived and deactivated, since his term had expired and he was no longer Speaker — plainly speaking, the content remains available for public access but the dormant account is just no longer active,' the spokesperson, Mandela Jones, said."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Gov. Hochul commits to join 2 debates in New York Democratic primary," by Daily News' Tim Balk: "The governor's ready to tangle. Gov. Hochul committed Wednesday to participate in a pair of Democratic primary debates, including an NBC New York showdown two days before the scheduled start of early voting. The governor enjoys an enormous lead in the Democratic gubernatorial primary race, according to opinion polls, and the debates seem to offer more upside to her long-shot opponents. Hochul's campaign declined to say last month if she would join the NBC debate on June 16. But the campaign confirmed Wednesday that she has agreed to join the NBC tilt and a WCBS-TV/Channel 2 debate set for June 7. A moderate former congresswoman from Buffalo, Hochul faces challenges from Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Long Island centrist, and city Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a progressive." — "Top Democrats Want Tom Suozzi Out of Governor's Race. He's Still Running," by The New York Times' Nicholas Fandos: "Representative Thomas R. Suozzi is not the kind of person to be swayed by the advice of fellow Democrats. But as he runs for governor of New York this year, he sure has gotten his share. There was Representative Hakeem Jeffries, a favorite to be the next Democratic House speaker, who counseled him not to give up his House seat on Long Island. Eliot Spitzer, the former governor who trounced him in a 2006 primary, warned he had no clear lane to victory. Even Hillary Clinton weighed in, urging Mr. Suozzi to forgo a messy primary and help Democrats fight to keep the House majority. It doesn't take a political science degree to understand the argument. Gov. Kathy Hochul is enjoying a double-digit lead, a mountain of campaign cash rivaling the Adirondacks and the full muscle of a Democratic establishment eager to see New York's first female governor win a full term." "'Quid pro quo': Developer flips on indicted ex-Hochul No. 2 Brian Benjamin," by New York Post's Ben Feuerherd and Zach Williams: "The Harlem real estate developer charged alongside disgraced ex-Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin flipped on the forced-to-resign pol and pleaded guilty to a number of charges in a secret federal court hearing, newly unsealed court records reveal. During the April 11 hearing in Manhattan federal court, Gerald Migdol admitted he set up fraudulent campaign contributions for Benjamin's failed 2019 bid for city comptroller in an effort to unlock public matching funds from the city for the Harlem Democrat. 'I entered into a quid pro quo agreement with Brian Benjamin, who was then a state senator,' Migdol told Magistrate Judge Ona Wang, according to a transcript of the hearing unsealed this week. 'Specifically, he offered to obtain a $50,000 state grant for my charitable organization in exchange for campaign contributions that I agreed to give him and procure for him. In furtherance of the agreement, calls were made, and texts and emails were sent to and from Manhattan,' he added." "New York judge upholds state Assembly maps in redistricting challenge," by Spectrum's Nick Reisman: "A New York state Supreme Court judge in Steuben County on Wednesday upheld the lawmaker-drawn district maps for the state Assembly, arguing there was not enough time to draw new lines before a June 28 primary. The ruling from state Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister is in contrast to the rejection of the maps for the U.S. House of Representatives as well as for the state Senate in New York, which were found to be unconstitutional. A court-appointed expert has been tasked with redrawing the congressional and state Senate maps by May 20. Primaries for those elections have been moved from June 28 to Aug. 23. But McAllister found a range of issues with rejecting the maps in the state Assembly given the need to provide timely access to military and overseas ballots for those races." TODAY: Sen. Andrew Gounardes of Brooklyn and Assemblymember Nathalia Fernandez of the Bronx are announcing the "21st Century Anti-Stalking Act." This bill would allow people being harassed online to more easily obtain restraining orders when necessary by expanding family court jurisdiction. Current law requires someone go to family court and prove a previous intimate relationship with the accused in order to get a restraining order, but sponsors say that online dating and other platforms allowing anonymous users makes this stipulation obsolete if someone is experiencing predatory behavior or sexual harassment online. #UpstateAmerica: Residents of Waterloo (birthplace of Memorial Day) are voting for a new school mascot to replace the district's Native American imagery.
| | | | DON'T MISS 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. | | | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | "Judge: Trump must pay $110K, meet conditions to end contempt," by The Associated Press: "A New York judge said Wednesday he will lift his contempt of court order issued against Donald Trump if the former president meets certain conditions, including paying $110,000 in fines racked up for being slow to respond to a subpoena issued by the state's attorney general. Judge Arthur Engoron said he will conditionally lift Trump's contempt finding if, by May 20, Trump submits additional paperwork detailing efforts to search for the subpoenaed records and explaining his and his company's document retention policies. The judge also requires that a company Trump hired to aid in the search complete its work."
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Cathy Young mentioned as possible congressional candidate as Reed exits," by Buffalo News' Robert J. McCarthy: "Republican leaders from throughout the sprawling 23rd Congressional District will meet by videoconference Wednesday to sort out the still-developing political disarray complicated by Tuesday's unexpected resignation of former Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning. Now they must deal with a parade of potential successors that once again includes former State Sen. Cathy Young of Olean. She was previously mentioned as a candidate for the Reed seat until preliminary reapportionment lines thrust Rep. Claudia Tenney of Oneida County and her brimming campaign fund into the Southern Tier district's GOP field."
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — The mayor thinks Gracie Mansion is haunted. — The city is planning to expand the number of transfer high schools that serve students learning English. — The suspect who was shot by cops after shooting an NYPD officer in the Bronx has died. — Lufthansa Airlines apologized after passengers traveling from New York to Hungary said they were barred from a flight because they were Jewish. — Adams endorsed his former aide Hercules Reid for an Assembly seat in Brooklyn over the Democratic party's nominee. — The state Labor Department cited the MTA for failing to keep proper records on attacks on transit workers. — The Clark Street subway station has reopened with new elevators, but businesses there are still struggling after a six-month closure. — Well, this could get ugly: The state Lottery published the wrong Mega Ball number on Tuesday. The jackpot was worth $86 million. — Attorney General Tish James said New York parents should be on alert for the price gouging of baby formula due to supply shortage. — The wife of Zhiwen Yan, a Queens delivery worker who was killed, is calling for justice.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Matthew Hiltzik of Hiltzik Strategies … NYPD deputy commissioner John J. Miller … CNN's Natasha Bertrand … Jonathan Kaplan of the Open Society Foundations … Paul Begala … Forbes' Alexandra Levine … Penny Lee of the Financial Technology Association … CBS' Elizabeth Campbell … Liza Donnelly FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Jonathan Westin is stepping down after a decade as executive director of New York Communities for Change, and will be replaced by Olivia Leirer and Lucas Sanchez as co-executive directors. "It's the right time for this leadership transition," said Westin. "I'm proud of the successful campaigns we've run to improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers in communities of color. Our relentless organizing and advocacy enabled us to win the Fight for $15, the strongest rent laws in a generation, COVID relief funds for tenants and excluded workers, a gas ban to tackle the climate crisis, and much more." Leirer and Sanchez said they plan to focus on good cause eviction legislation, a state-level gas ban, more financial relief for excluded workers, and criminal justice reforms. MAKING MOVES — Artist and businesswoman Angela Johnson DeCarlis is the new president of the board of the non-profit Utica Monday Nite For the Arts. MEDIAWATCH — Per Talking Biz News: "The Wall Street Journal has hired USA Today senior consumer travel reporter Dawn Gilbertson to be its new travel columnist. … The Wall Street Journal has hired MarketWatch.com reporter Jacob Passy to cover the travel beat."
| | Real Estate | | "New York construction industry 'flaggers' allege rampant wage theft," by City & State's Amir Khafagy: "Victor Ballast was looking for a job. It was January of 2018, he had four children and a wife to support, and he'd had trouble finding work since moving back to the Bronx from Florida. A friend suggested he look into becoming a flagger, a worker who helps keep construction highway projects safe by directing traffic around work sites. Another friend said he was making $42 an hour as a flagger and was in a union. Ballast enrolled in a flagger certification course and jumped into the industry with both feet. Ballast started working on Con Edison construction sites for the Manhattan-based Griffin Industries LLC. At just $13.50 an hour, the pay was far lower than he'd expected, and he received no benefits." | | | | 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 | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment