| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin and Anna Gronewold | Presented by CVS Health | New York City Mayor Eric Adams is coming home with some wins as the state legislative session finally wrapped up Saturday morning, but also plenty of frustrations. In that, he isn't much different from past mayors, as our Joe Anuta and Anna Gronewold report. Except things were supposed to be easier this time around: Adams had served in the state Senate himself, and presumably knew what he was doing in Albany. Add to that a first-year honeymoon period and a friendly governor. But several lawmakers and aides said that the city's high-profile losses were sealed by unrealistic expectations and outreach from the mayor and his team that was too inconsistent and came too late. In the win column for Adams: He got a major public housing overhaul that will allow NYCHA to create a public land trust to raise billions of dollars for repairs. And an expansion of the hours for speed cameras , although not the authority the city wants to control the camera program on its own. He's also getting an expansion of the earned income tax credit and billions in child care funding. But Adams came up short on several key priorities: He got only a two-year extension of mayoral control of city schools, with a costly mandate he has resisted for the city to bring down class sizes, plus a weakening of his authority over a panel that sets educational policy. The 421-a tax break, a key part of city housing policy, has been left for dead. While lawmakers made tweaks to bail reform, the major overhaul the mayor wants allowing judges to detain suspects they deem dangerous isn't happening. Adams has been, shall we say, a little sensitive about the perception he isn't doing well in Albany, and chose to lean into the positive with an event celebrating the NYCHA deal this weekend. He said he doesn't get why people think he had a bad year in the state Capitol. Well, there's always next year. Even Adams' fans in Albany stopped short of calling his efforts this year a success, but suggest he could do better with a full staff in place ahead of time. "He's not the first mayor to have that relationship with Albany, nor will he be the last," said Sen. Andrew Gounardes. "So I can understand the frustration. And that's just a reason to come back next year and try even harder." IT'S MONDAY. 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? Signing gun legislation in the Bronx. WHERE'S ERIC? Holding a "fireside chat" with Mastercard employees, making a public safety announcement, speaking at an NYU hospitality industry conference, and hosting a Puerto Rican community roundtable.
| | 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 IS READING | | "Class Sizes Set to Shrink in New York City Schools, but at What Cost?" by The New York Times' Lola Fadulu: "The bill reignited a half-century-old debate that has pitted teachers and parents who believe smaller class sizes are better for children against city officials, who point to evidence suggesting there are better and more cost-effective ways to improve education. … But it is unclear how class size reduction might affect student outcomes in New York City schools, said Douglas Ready, a professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University. An analysis of multiple studies found that the academic benefits of small classes are mixed." " If New York City Gets Las Vegas-Style Casinos, What Else Will It Get?" by the New York Times' Nicole Hong: "Before too long, New Yorkers and the millions of tourists who visit the city every year may have a new way to test their luck — and part with their money — amid the bright lights and skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan: hands of blackjack or spins of the roulette wheel inside a new casino with all the trappings of Las Vegas, down to the incessant ringing and fluorescent flashing of a sea of slot machines. This vision is one of many possibilities after state lawmakers in April approved up to three full-service casinos in the New York City area, a potentially seismic development that officials have touted as a way of attracting new jobs, tax revenue and visitors." ADAMS BLAMES BUSINESS INTERESTS FOR RECENT BAD PRESS: Mayor Eric Adams has a theory for why he has received negative press as of late — he's challenging the profit margins of companies that exploit Black people, he told a congregation in Brooklyn Sunday morning. It is worth noting that recent critical stories have focused on the mayor's troubles accomplishing all of his legislative goals in Albany, and that Adams' bad press pales in comparison to the routinely hostile coverage concerning his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. Nevertheless, in addressing attendees of a health-focused discussion at Cornerstone Baptist Church, Adams said his haters are turned off by his attack on their monetary interests. "People have been making money off of us," he said as he promoted his "upstream" philosophy of fixing systemic problems before people are ensnared in the criminal justice system. "Now I come along — I am not fighting against policies, I am fighting against their profit." Adams often touts his personal victory over diabetes with a healthy lifestyle and criticizes companies that peddle junk food. He boasted to congregants that he doesn't have a "six pack," he has "a case" and recommended common-sense changes to diet. "So that's why you see all of those negative stories in the paper about me. That's why you hear all those attacks," Adams said in concluding his remarks. "So when you have all those folks that are running around that look like us and buy into that philosophy, I need for you to say in a very Godly way, Negro if you're not going to help him, leave him alone and let him do his job. ... You need to go get out of his way and let him accomplish this task that God put him in the place to do." — Sally Goldenberg
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "With little notice, Legislature passes $10B tax break," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "The bill would provide large, private businesses up to $10 billion in state tax credits over 20 years to promote the growth of new, 'green' semiconductor manufacturing projects. It was introduced by legislators last Tuesday at the request of Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, and passed the Senate by Thursday, the final day those lawmakers were in Albany. On Saturday morning around 8 a.m. — after the Assembly had been voting on bills continuously for 20 hours — sleep-deprived lawmakers who were enduring the grueling schedule passed the measure in their chamber before adjourning their work. Watchdog groups have questioned why the bill, regardless of its merits, was hastily pushed by Hochul's office.'" THE CLEAN SLATE ACT failed again in the final hours this year. Assembly sponsor Catalina Cruz (D-Queens) tweeted her disappointment Saturday : "I am thankful to the @cleanslateny Coalition for their work, as well @SenatorMyrie and my incredible Assembly colleagues who committed to voting yes during this process. We will not give up until we get it done." New York lawmakers pass first-in-nation cryptocurrency moratorium , by POLITICO's Marie J. French: The New York Legislature early Friday approved a two-year, limited moratorium on digital currency mining at fossil fuel power plants. The Senate, after a last-ditch push by environmental advocates, voted on an Assembly measure to have the first-in-the-nation partial ban in the final hours of the legislative session. … The battle over the bill will now move to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk. The governor has not staked out a position and has punted on a renewed permit for an existing gas-powered cryptocurrency mining operation in the Finger Lakes region that spurred the push for the bill. — NYPA-owned renewables bill fails in Assembly, by POLITICO's Marie J. French: A sweeping measure to reshape the renewable energy landscape in New York with fierce grassroots backing from socialist organizers failed to make it across the finish line this year. The "Build Public Renewables Act" passed the Senate this week but didn't make it to the floor of the Assembly before lawmakers left early Saturday, despite a concerted, no-holds-barred social media and call-in campaign by supporters to pressure Speaker Carl Heastie and shore up support. " Gov. Hochul announces rebate checks for property taxpayers just ahead of primary," by New York Post's Zach Williams: "Gov. Kathy Hochul is sharing some good news with property taxpayers, but the timing of her announcement has critics wondering whether she's leveraging her official power for personal political gain ahead of the June 28 Democratic primary. 'Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature are providing you this Homeowner Tax Rebate check that you can use to help pay your property taxes,' reads the letter accompanying a check shared with The Post. The tax rebates are also coming much earlier than in past years." " How a New York County Used the State's 'Red Flag' Law to Seize 160 Guns," by The New York Times' Andy Newman, Benjamin Weiser and Ashley Southall: "An examination by The New York Times of more than 100 red flag cases filed in Suffolk County since the law took effect in August 2019 shows how New York's law has defused dozens of dangerous situations in the sprawl of Long Island's suburbs and beach towns, according to current and former officials. The red flag law is hardly a panacea. It does not mandate treatment for the troubling behavior that led to the order, and its effect on gun-death statistics is difficult to discern. But those who have put it into action said it is a crucial tool." #UpstateAmerica: How far is too far, Buffalo? A vendor at University of Miami's Mark Light Field offered a chicken wing milkshake in honor of visiting Canisius College.
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | TRUMP'S NEW YORK | | Trump's endorsement stumper: Family friends or fierce ally, by POLITICO's Joseph Spector: Now Trump has a decision to make in his native New York: Does he endorse any of them ahead of the Republican gubernatorial primary on June 28? As Trump looks to play kingmaker across the country by boosting GOP candidates with his coveted endorsement among GOP candidates, perhaps no race is as personal and as vexing for him as the Republican primary in New York — a battle that will test Trump's loyalties and friendships. The decision is likely between Zeldin or Giuliani, and the working theory among those who speak to Trump is that he'll probably sit out the primary and help the candidate who wins to try to retake the governor's mansion in Albany — a seat Trump himself seriously considered running for in 2014.
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | New York Rep. Chris Jacobs ends reelection bid following support for gun control, by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: Jacobs' departure from the race will likely lead to a scramble among Republicans in what will now be an open contest in New York's reddest seat. Jacobs, a resident of suburban Buffalo, has spent the past two years representing a seat in the northwest corner of the state. Hours after new maps were released on May 21, he announced plans to run for a new district along New York's border with Pennsylvania, which most closely resembles the seat that was recently vacated by Republican Tom Reed. In the aftermath of a shooting at a supermarket near his district, he declared he would support measures such as a ban on semiautomatic rifles and a new minimum age of 18 to purchase firearms. That quickly led to an uproar among his fellow Republicans. — Carl Paladino is running for the seat. "How New York's Redistricting Became a Civil War for Democrats ," by New York magazine's David Freedlander: "Bill de Blasio was having lunch at Caffè Reggio in the West Village on the third Monday in May, sinking in to what he assumed would be a post-mayoral life of writing and commentary, when his phone started blowing up. State lawmakers were at a silent vigil for the Buffalo shooting victims when their phones started pinging. Alessandra Biaggi, a state senator from the Bronx and Westchester who had spent most of this year running for Congress in a district that was almost entirely on Long Island, was at home on her computer and thought, Okay, what am I supposed to do now?" — "State to pay $147,000 for 'special master' and team's political maps," by Times Union's Joshua Solomon — Rep. Ritchie Torres introduced a bill that would require more public hearings if an entity other than a state legislature draws congressional maps.
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Adams said he won't take a heavy-handed approach to illicit marijuana sales. — A federal lawsuit has disrupted the fragile peace over a debt-relief deal for taxi medallion owners. — Officials are prepping for more sharks this season with increased surveillance. — New Yorkers are sharing tips about how to find baby formula. — The subway system was irresistible, and fatal, for two French graffiti artists. — A bill passed by state lawmakers will require phone and digital electronics makers like Apple to make repair instructions and parts available to both consumers and independent technicians. — City public school families will receive $375 per child in food benefits. — A bill allowing New Yorkers to sue over helicopter noise passed the Legislature. — Shootings dropped but overall major crime increased in May compared to the same month last year. — The Queens Pride parade returned after a pandemic hiatus.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: CBS' Weijia Jiang … Bloomberg's Justin Sink … ABC's Katherine Faulders ... NBC's Natalie Morales ... former Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) … Sarah Gadsden … Finsbury Glover Hering's Anna Epstein ... WSJ's Lydia O'Neal … Donna Fenn … (was Sunday): Rob Engstrom … Maya Bronstein … Suze Orman … Andrea Peyser … Aaron Moser … (was Saturday): Mort Zuckerman … Daniel H. Weiss … NBC's Emily Gold … ProPublica's Justin Elliott … CNBC's Lori Ann LaRocco … Gena Wolfson ENGAGED — Brian Wanglin, a lawyer with FP1 Strategies, and Justice Gilpin-Green, a producer for NBC's "Meet the Press," got engaged on Saturday at Katama Beach on Martha's Vineyard. The couple met at a dinner party in 2019 hosted by Daniel Strauss and Claire Tonneson. Pic … Another pic — Katie Hunt, co-founder of The Fund and Showfields and a Hinge alum, recently got engaged to Gregg Pichler, project manager at Habitas. The couple met via a mutual friend's post on Instagram, and he proposed at The Whitby where they stopped for a drink on their way to the opening night for Showfields' newest curation, Rebirth, and celebrated by dancing the night away at House of X at The Public Hotel. Instapics WEEKEND WEDDING — Benjamin Case, an attorney who works in human rights, recently married Sara Harris, a medical student. The two met at a baseball game. Pic ... Pic of them cutting the cake
| | A message from CVS Health: CVS Health manages prescription drug plans for millions of New Yorkers.
Every day, our PBM is helping the people of New York reduce their prescription drug costs while improving their health outcomes. This means patients can access and afford medications while getting personalized support along the way.
Through end-to-end coordination of care, we work hard to keep costs down and improve medication adherence — because we know that people who take their medications as prescribed have better results.
Healthier happens together.
Learn more. | | | | | Real Estate | | "Penn Station Project Foes Fund Assembly Candidate Who Vows to Halt Redevelopment," by The City's Katie Honan : "Property owners in the path of planned redevelopment tied to a Penn Station makeover are pouring tens of thousands of dollars to help elect a candidate for state Assembly who has vowed to stop the project. Real estate mogul Arnold Gumowitz is the sole funder of Support the West Side, an independent expenditure group that has devoted $49,000 so far to support just one candidate, Layla Law-Gisiko — one of four Democrats vying to succeed retiring Assemblymember Dick Gottfried." " How Refugees Transformed a Dying Rust Belt Town," by The New York Times' Susan Hartman: "For refugees building new lives in America, home is safety, comfort — everything. It's a place to try and figure out an unfamiliar world — and make choices. A place to celebrate traditions with family — and embrace new ones. And for many, it's a place to begin healing from the trauma of war and persecution. ... Utica had been home to companies like General Electric that provided thousands of jobs. But like in other manufacturing towns across the country, plants started downsizing, and eventually closed. Utica's population, which stood at 100,000 in 1960, plunged. By the 1990s, arson had destroyed many homes. But Bosnians, who fled the Balkan conflict and arrived with educations and building skills, bought hundreds of the run-down houses in East Utica, which had been predominantly Italian." | | | | 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