| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to raise the legal age to buy guns in New York to 21, after 18-year-old shooters in both Buffalo and Texas used semi-automatic weapons to carry out deadly mass shootings. Hochul said that "at minimum" she will seek to ban people under 21 from buying AR-15 style rifles, the weapons used in both tragedies, hoping to get it through the Legislature before its session ends next week. The proposed age restriction comes on top of a package of gun plans she unveiled last week after the Buffalo supermarket shooting, including a tightening of the state's red flag law. "That person's not old enough to buy a legal drink," Hochul said. "I don't want 18-year-olds to have guns. At least not in the state of New York." State police will be conducting daily check-ins at schools throughout the remaining weeks of the school year, she said. Hochul also said she's prepared to call a special session if the Supreme Court strikes down a law sharply limiting who can carry guns in public, as seems likely. New York City Mayor Eric Adams took a somewhat different tack, focusing on the role of parents as he released statistics showing that 20 guns have been found at city schools this academic year, a 300 percent increase from last year. He urged parents to talk to their kids about guns, calling it a "missing piece" of the solution that has been ignored. "This is not saying parents are responsible for the crimes we're seeing," Adams said. "Just the opposite. These guns are being placed in the hands of their babies because of people who are dangerous to our city. We want to arm them with tools and ways to identify this problem." And watch out for this: Adams recalled a 2011 video that resurfaced during his mayoral campaign where he demonstrated how parents could search their kids' rooms for guns and drugs, for which he said "I was mocked over and over again." He said he plans to release a new version of the video, updated to focus on monitoring kids' social media accounts.
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May 25, 2022- East Greenbush, NY- Governor Kathy Hochul delivers remarks at meeting of The Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns and hold a press briefing at New York State Intelligence Center (Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul) | Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | 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 New York City with no public events scheduled. WHERE'S ERIC? Hosts an event kicking off Fleet Week, observes 21-second moment of silence with Attorney General James for Victims of Tuesday's Mass Shooting in Texas, makes a public safety-related announcement with James, makes an economic development-related announcement, makes an education-related announcement with DOE Chancellor Banks and attends event Hosted by the Friars Club.
|  | What City Hall's reading | | 1 dead, 8 hospitalized from Legionnaires' outbreak in the Bronx, by POLITICO's Amanda Eisenberg: One person has died and eight people are hospitalized following a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, the city health department announced Wednesday. Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia, is caused by bacteria that grows in warm water and is often found in places like cooling towers and humidifiers. Four cooling towers tested positive for the virus, and the city health department has ordered that they be disinfected. "We are saddened to hear about a death in a person who contracted Legionnaires'," city Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan said in a statement. "In Response to Covid, Manhattan Borough President Seeks to Mandate Improved Indoor Air Quality Standards," by Gotham Gazette's Samar Khurshid: "Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is planning to introduce legislation to mandate improved indoor air quality standards to preempt future disease outbreaks and limit successive waves of COVID-19. Levine, who previously served on the City Council and made a name for himself during the pandemic as chair of the Council's health committee, is working with Council Member Keith Powers, a fellow Manhattan Democrat, and has requested the Council's legislative division to draft the bill. … Levine first announced his proposal at a recent CityLaw breakfast hosted by New York Law School." "City panel recommends relaxing street vending rules, but not lifting permit caps," by amNewYork's Kevin Duggan: "A city panel on street vending published a new report outlining steps to cut red tape and decriminalize the sidewalk sellers Wednesday. The so-called Street Vendor Advisory Board released its study of the industry as required by a 2021 city law with a set of recommendations, most of which will still need to be enacted through changes in the law by the City Council or the State Legislature in Albany. The proposals seek to overhaul decades-old rules and frameworks around street hawking, but vendor advocates said they fall short of scrapping caps on the coveted permits needed to legally operate the businesses. The recommendations include repealing criminal misdemeanor penalties for vending." "Q Train Killing Threatens Subway's Fragile Comeback," by The New York Times' Emma G. Fitzsimmons, Ana Ley, Ashley Wong and Patrick McGeehan: "Transit officials in New York City celebrated a major milestone last week: The subway system logged 3.6 million trips in a single day, a pandemic-era record. Three days later, a Goldman Sachs employee on his way to brunch was fatally shot on the Q train in an unprovoked attack. The killing was the latest in a series of violent episodes — including a shooting on a train in Brooklyn that injured at least 23 people in April and the fatal shoving of a woman at Times Square station in January — that have made subway riders worried about their safety at a fraught moment for the transit system. Ridership fell early in the pandemic, and some riders are still worried about being on crowded trains next to people without masks; many commuters have not returned to offices or are coming only a few times a week; and the system has suffered huge revenue losses and could run out of federal pandemic funding after 2023." — A subway panhandler recounted how the alleged Q train killer gave him his gun. There were talks about the suspect surrendering to Mayor Eric Adams himself, though it didn't come to fruition. — Subway ridership is as high as 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels in some working class neighborhoods. — More than 1,400 people living on the subway system have moved into shelters. "Farms say NYC foie gras ban would be devastating in lawsuit," by The Associated Press: "New York City's planned ban on the sale of foie gras is being challenged in court by two upstate farms that claim it would leave them financially devastated. The two major foie gras producers, Hudson Valley Foie Gras and La Belle Farm, said the law enacting the ban set to go into effect Nov. 25 should be declared "invalid and void" in a lawsuit filed Friday in state court in Manhattan. Proponents say the production of foie gras — the fattened liver of a duck or goose — is cruel to the animals because it involves force feeding."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Antonio Delgado sworn in as New York lieutenant governor: 'What we need is public servants,'" by USA Today Network's Sarah Taddeo: "In his first speech as lieutenant governor, Delgado made an impassioned plea to national lawmakers to tighten gun laws after a pair of mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas left more than two dozen people dead in recent days. He vowed to serve New Yorkers as lieutenant governor in a way that would prioritize their needs, not political aims. 'We have enough politicians — We really do. What we need is public servants. Our children's lives are on the line. The legitimacy of our democracy and the very fabric of our nation is on the line,' he said. Delgado will join Hochul on the June 28 primary ballot, where he'll face two challengers for his brand new role. Diana Reyna and Ana María Archila are running for the seat in connection with Rep. Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, respectively, both of whom are running against Hochul for governor." — "Two Hudson Valley county executives face off in special election," by Times Union's Timmy Facciola: "In the Aug. 23 special election to fill the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Antonio Delgado, residents of New York's 19th Congressional District will have a choice to make: Two veteran politicians on either side of the Hudson River, with a history of working together and a competitive respect for one another. The winner of the election — which pits Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan, a Democrat, against the Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro — will carry out the remainder of the term of Delgado." " Adams-backed NY Assembly candidate Hercules Reid loses special election," by New York Post's Sam Raskin: "A state Assembly candidate in Brooklyn who Mayor Eric Adams strongly endorsed lost his race Tuesday by a wide margin, preliminary results show. Hercules Reid — a former aide to Adams who ran on the 'Education is Key' ballot line — was beaten handily by front-running Democratic nominee Monique Chandler-Waterman in the special election, according to unofficial Board of Election results. With 99% of ballot scanner votes tallied in the low-turnout election, Reid earned 18% of the vote while Chandler-Waterman's received 79.5% of it in the Brooklyn district, which includes East Flatbush, Canarsie and surrounding neighborhoods." "States are battling to bring Hollywood to Main Street — and paying big," by POLITICO's Joe Spector: "The money is part of $420 million in film tax breaks New York gives out annually, and it highlights an escalating war between states intent on attracting Hollywood productions with massive incentives. It's an endeavor many economists see as financially foolish, but still features states like California, New York, Georgia, New Mexico, New Jersey and a handful of others. While 35 states now have some form of film-tax breaks, studios often go to the highest bidder, industry officials said. And the studios' shopping spree has fueled some states in recent months to increase their tax breaks to outmaneuver their neighbors, creating significant criticism for the huge amount of public money going to offset costs for a lucrative industry. "The only thing they look at is their spreadsheet and where they are going to save money," said Laurent Rejto, the director of Hudson Valley Film Commission in New York, estimating last year the region was in consideration for 20 productions but ended up with only two. "Judge tosses challenge to New York law that opens gun industry up to civil lawsuits ," by CNN's Tierney Sneed: "A federal judge Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit from gun industry groups challenging a New York law that permits civil lawsuits against companies for conduct found to have endangered public safety. US District Judge Mae D'Agostino — a Barack Obama appointee for the Northern District of New York — rejected the arguments that the challengers had made that the state law violated the US Constitution. The judge concluded that the New York law did not preempt a 2005 federal law limiting the liability gun manufacturers and dealers can face." #UpstateAmerica: A new restaurant in Watertown promises a side of sarcasm with your burge. Hopefully it's well done. The sarcasm, we mean.
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Sen. Schumer slams Republicans for blocking gun restrictions after Texas school massacre: 'Imagine if it were your kid,'" by New York Daily News' Michael McCauliff and Dave Goldiner: "Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) angrily lashed out at Republicans for ignoring pleas for gun control even as the nation was rocked by another bloody mass school shooting. The powerful Democrat accused GOP lawmakers on Wednesday of being in the 'vise-like grip' of the National Rifle Association and blocking common-sense measures that could prevent more massacres like the killing of 21 people, including 19 children in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday." " The race for New York's 10th Congressional District begins," by City & State's Candace Pedraza: "At the first candidate forum for the newly redrawn 10th Congressional District, six contenders for the open seat in Manhattan and Brooklyn discussed a wide range of issues, with a particular focus on the LGBTQ community in New York City. Hosted by the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City at The LGBT Center in the West Village, the forum on Wednesday night was attended by Rep. Mondaire Jones, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, former New York City Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman and Elizabeth Kim."
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Defense attorneys for the man accused of killing 10 people in Buffalo want a judge to order Erie County District Attorney John Flynn to stop making public statements about the case. — "The Diocese of Rochester has proposed to settle its federal bankruptcy case by paying nearly $148 million to survivors of child sexual abuse." — The state plans to distribute robots to elderly residents to help with tasks and serve as companions. — "Those Mom & Pop Weed Bodegas May Be Doomed" — The new head of NYC transit is reviving an Andy Byford-era group station manager program. — Fleet week is back after a two-year pandemic hiatus. — A nonprofit received a grant to teach the Lakota language. — Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell has been holding security briefings with major employers. — A veteran NYPD officer was charged with defying the judge's order after his arrest for domestic violence.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Devon Spurgeon … Commerce's Mike Harney … Vox's Noel King … NBC News' Tom Ranzweiler, celebrating in Portugal … Miriam Cash of Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) office … Covington & Burling's Ben Cavataro … Bloomberg's Derek Wallbank … Cheryl Cohen Effron ... Dina Ellis Rochkind ... Jonny Dach … Gwen Rocco … Yardena Schwartz … Sabrina Alvarez-Correa … Margo Tercek … (was Wednesday): Micha Tomkiewicz FIRST IN D.C. PLAYBOOK — Angela Greiling Keane is joining Bloomberg in July as news director for Bloomberg Government. She is a managing editor for States at POLITICO.
| | Real Estate | | "Discrimination Weakens Tool for Reducing N.Y. Homelessness, Lawsuit Says," by The New York Times' Mihir Zaveri: "A voucher program designed to reduce homelessness in New York City has been hamstrung by the discriminatory practices of landlords and real estate agents who have turned away people relying on subsidies to pay rent, according to a lawsuit filed on Wednesday. The lawsuit, which accused more than 120 real estate companies, brokers and property owners across the city of engaging in the illegal practice, comes as New York City is struggling to move people out of shelters or off the streets and into homes, and reflects how voucher discrimination may be undermining nationwide efforts to address homelessness and segregation." "It Looks Like the Good Cause Eviction Law Is Dead (for Now)," by Curbed's Kim Velsey : "Every day, the New York housing market seems to unleash some new indignity on renters — bidding wars, 70 percent rent increases, long, sad lines to see small, sad walk-ups. If ever there were a moment to pass Good Cause Eviction in Albany — a bill that would protect tenants from excessive rent hikes and guarantee lease renewals or the right to remain to those in good standing — it would seem to be now. But the moment is slipping away. There are only a few days left in the legislative session, which ends on June 2, and despite having 'this clear housing shortage, price gouging, and a really popular bill, we're hitting a wall,' said Cea Weaver, the campaign coordinator of Housing Justice for All, the tenant group that has been leading the statewide push for the bill. It's probably toast." "Born Out of Neighborly Love, West Side 'Open Hearts' Spread Shelter Support Citywide," by The City's Rachel Holliday Smith: "It started two years ago with cheerful chalk messages scrawled on the sidewalk of West 79th Street in Manhattan, welcoming homeless men who had moved to the Lucerne Hotel. The shelter residents there had previously, at first, been greeted by the Upper West Side with insults, fear and threats. Fed up with the flood of anti-homeless rhetoric, neighborhood volunteers banded together to try to counter it. They called themselves the Open Hearts Initiative, and organized donation drives, volunteer-led services like counseling and political rallies in support of the shelter." | | | | 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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