| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro | Under former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city moved, gradually, away from the competitive admissions practices at its public schools in a push to increase diversity where Black and Latino students are severely underrepresented. Mayor Eric Adams is changing all that. In the most concrete example yet, schools Chancellor David Banks announced Thursday that middle schools will again be able to use grades to determine which students to admit. And for high schools, the top 15 percent of students in each school and citywide will get first priority at selective schools. It's a big reversal of the policy under de Blasio, who shifted to a lottery system for middle school admission earlier in the pandemic, a move cheered by integration advocates. Banks also made official the new administration's retreat from de Blasio's never-realized plan to scrap a high-stakes test for admission to specialized high schools like Stuyvesant, which are highly segregated. Previously, the new administration rolled back a plan to end selective gifted and talented classes in elementary schools, "Parents have asked us to increase opportunity, not take it away," Banks said. "If you're working hard and you're making the grade, you should not be thrown into a lottery with just everybody." The retreat from competitive admissions was controversial, especially among Asian American parents, who argued their kids were being shut out despite their hard work. The policy change drew praise from pols like state Sen. John Liu. But for those who have long fought to get more Black and Latino students into the city's top schools, it's a big step backwards. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams calls it a "regression." "Restoring middle-school screens will reinforce segregation in our schools. "It elevates the notion that some children deserve 'good schools' while the vast majority do not," said city Comptroller Brad Lander. IT'S FRIDAY. 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? Speaking at a Hispanic heritage month breakfast reception. WHERE'S ERIC? Delivering remarks at the 17th annual City University of New York's Black Male Initiative Conference, holding a public hearing to discuss bills on opioid overdose nightlife prevention and gun safety, making a taxi medallion-related announcement, meeting with Nelson Mandela's grandson Ndaba Mandela, holding a roundtable with leaders of the South Asian community, appearing live on Fox 5 and presenting a proclamation at The Town Hall's Centennial Concert, honoring the legacy of Bob Dylan's debut in April 1963.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | Mayor's migrant tents being built by Trump border wall contractor, by POLITICO's Joe Anuta and Sally Goldenberg: A contractor tapped by Mayor Eric Adams to erect a migrant tent shelter in The Bronx received hundreds of millions of dollars to build former president Trump's border wall, a City Council member told POLITICO. The arrival of more than 15,500 such travelers — many from Venezuela and Colombia — has set off an operational and political maelstrom for Adams, who has been sparring with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott while struggling — sometimes in vain — to meet the city's legal obligation to provide shelter to those who request it. Last week, Adams announced a 1,000-bed tent facility in a remote section of The Bronx that wouldn't comply with right-to-shelter laws — but would buy him some time to find them longer-term housing. "Food Vendors Protesting at City Hall Say Things Are Worse After New Law Was Supposed To Make Them Better," by The City's Tanaz Meghjani : "Street vendors angry about a long delay and a broken process for receiving promised new permits on top of what they say is a sharp rise in ticketing marched outside City Hall on Thursday. The protesters, joined by a handful of City Council members, called for new laws to protect them and demanded better treatment from agencies in the Adams administration. The number of food vending permits was scheduled to increase for the first time in decades on July 1, after legislation passed in early 2021 mandated 445 permits be released each year for the next 10 years. That will eventually double the current number of mobile food vending permits, which had been capped at 5,100 for decades, leading many outdoor entrepreneurs to pay a steep price to work using someone else's license." "Scandal-Scarred Deputy Mayor Cuts Commissioner Out of Loop to Meet With Police Brass," by The City's Greg B. Smith, Yoav Gonen and Katie Honan: "When Philip Banks was named deputy mayor for public safety in January, Mayor Eric Adams dodged questions about his longtime pal being named an unindicted co-conspirator in a high profile police corruption case… Since then, Banks has made few public appearances and has answered no questions. Behind the scenes, however, he has been very busy. As deputy mayor for public safety, Banks is officially responsible for overseeing agencies that include the Fire Department and Department of Correction. The NYPD is not in his portfolio because the police commissioner is supposed to report directly to the mayor. But daily schedules obtained by THE CITY show his activities for the first five months of the Adams administration, from January through May, include six sit-downs with top NYPD chiefs — without Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell." "NYC Proposal Offers Cash for Spotting Parking Violations in Bike Lanes," by Bloomberg's Fola Akinnibi and Skylar Woodhouse: "It's a familiar experience for pedestrians and bicyclists — a car or truck parked in a bike lane or on the sidewalk forces a detour into the street — and into traffic. When vehicles block these travel paths, it's not just an annoyance and safety hazard. It's illegal. Now a New York City Council member is pushing a bill that would give civilians the power to report bike lane scofflaws, as well as vehicles that block entrances or exits of school buildings, sidewalks and crosswalks. New Yorkers who submit evidence of a parking violation can earn 25% of a proposed $175 ticket. The Department of Transportation would review the evidence to determine whether an infraction has occurred, according to the bill's text."
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | Lower court orders Assembly maps to be drawn again by Independent Redistricting Commission, by POLITICO's Anna Gronewold: A Manhattan judge ruled Thursday that New York's failed Independent Redistricting Commission should draw new maps for state Assembly districts. The decision from Supreme Court Justice Laurence L. Love, which is almost certain to be appealed, ordered the commission to repeat its entire drawing process for the Assembly lines by April 28, 2023. That means the 10-member panel would need to put out a draft plan in early December and then commence another round of public hearings across the state before offering a final plan for legislative approval. If upheld, the decision would set a standard for the rest of the decade that has been murky after both the commission and state Democrats bungled the redistricting process for state Senate and congressional lines, leaving them to be drawn by a court-ordered special master. New York pays Kodak twice: Once to make alcohol for hand sanitizer, and now to dispose of it, by POLITICO's Joseph Spector: Talk about a Kodak moment. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, New York paid $1.4 million to Eastman Kodak in Rochester for isopropyl alcohol used in the production of NYS Clean hand sanitizer — the brainchild of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who turned to prison labor to make the free product amid a national shortage. Now New York is paying Kodak again — this time $2.3 million — to dispose of 700,000 gallons of unused and expired sanitizer and extract the isopropyl alcohol for other manufacturing uses. The spending is the culmination of a two-year saga in which the state made so much hand sanitizer between March 2020 and October 2020 that it couldn't even come close to distributing the whopping 11 million bottles. "Syracuse federal judge remains skeptical of NY gun law as he considers whether to quash it," by Syracuse.com's Douglass Dowty: "A federal judge in Syracuse on Thursday cast doubt on the constitutionality of several controversial portions of New York's recent gun law as he heard arguments over whether or not to quash it from being enforced. Why can't religious congregations decide whether or not to allow guns into their houses of worship? Why are guns presumptively banned from private property without explicit permission from owners? How can the government order someone to provide their social media accounts to apply for a legal gun license? Those were among the concerns that U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby honed in on during hourlong arguments Thursday over whether he should temporarily ban the state from enforcing the new gun law, which took effect Sept. 1." "There's plenty of competition for New York's first retail pot licenses," by Buffalo News' Samantha Christmann: "There's a lot of competition for the first retail cannabis licenses in New York. The state received more than six applications for every license it will hand out in the first round of licensing. That's 903 applicants in all for the 150 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses it plans to issue. Just 11 licenses will be given for use in Erie, Niagara, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties during this round of licensing. That works out to one recreational dispensary for roughly every 450 square miles, if they are spaced evenly. But the field will only get more crowded and more competitive as time goes on." "All the ethics snafus dogging Kathy Hochul," by City & State's Erik Lazo: "Gov. Kathy Hochul, like previous governors before her, is not afraid to wield the power of the office to her advantage. 'She's using her position as governor to raise enormous amounts of campaign contributions, which is also consistent with her predecessors,' said Blair Horner, executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, a good government group. Hochul has been able to raise $34 million by June, according to the New York Times, within a very short period of time, leading to speculation that she could be amassing the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in state history. 'She's embraced that sort of American worldview, that you raise as much as you can and that diminishes the electoral threat,' Horner said. Though she stepped into the office promising 'a new era of transparency,' ethical questions about her fundraising and leadership have dogged Hochul from the start. 'The longer she's been governor, the less willingness and openness we've seen and that is certainly cause for examination, if not concern,' said Tim Hoefer, president and CEO of government watchdog group Empire Center for Public Policy." #SpookyAmerica: Here's your comprehensive guide to Upstate's local ghost tours and haunted historic places.
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | "Openly gay candidates Robert Zimmerman and George Santos face off in historic Congressional race," by CBS News' John Dias: "Parts of Queens and Long Island are making political history even before Election Day. For the first time in U.S. history, two openly gay candidates are facing off in a General Election for Congress, hoping to take over Democrat Tom Suozzi's old seat in District 3. As CBS2's John Dias reports, the candidates are far from the same person. Mainstream Democrat Robert Zimmerman and conservative Republican George Santos are polar opposites. One of the only things they may have in common is that they're both gay." " Rose challenges Malliotakis to 'no lying' election contest," by Brooklyn Paper's Ben Brachfeld: "Former Congressmember Max Rose is suggesting the unthinkable: for two politicians, at each other's throats for the chance to represent a coveted swing seat in Congress, to refrain from lying for five entire weeks. Rose, the Democratic nominee for his old Staten Island and southern Brooklyn seat in Congress, on Thursday announced he signed a pledge not to lie or mislead in any campaign material until the Nov. 8 election — and he hopes his opponent, incumbent Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, will do the same." WOULD YOU TAKE CUOMO'S MONEY? Members of the New York congressional delegation were divided over whether they would accept donations from a new PAC launched by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with responses ranging from "sure" from Rep. Jerry Nadler to "he should be in prison" from Rep. Elise Stefanik. Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Grace Meng and Adriano Espaillat were maybes, while Reps. Yvette Clarke and Nicole Malliotakis said no.
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — An EMS lieutenant was fatally stabbed while on duty in Queens. — City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams' office said curbside outdoor dining will still be allowed under legislation the Council is crafting, despite Adams' statement that she is personally opposed to it. — The Department of Education kicked a Streetsblog reporter out of a press conference for asking about children being hit by cars on their way to school. — An Albany woman is suing Planned Parenthood, Albany Medical Center and St. Peter's Health Partners after an unsuccessful abortion left her dealing with pain, blood loss and trauma. — The MTA now has a signature sandwich . — A pair of hikers were rescued from a swamp outside of Rome, New York — where the lost duo struggled to find an exit as their shoes kept getting swallowed by the mud. — Poughkeepsie has the worst fiscal stress rating in New York. — Council members passed a bill to create a "One Stop Shop" portal for small businesses, streamlining the permit and licensing process.
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: POLITICO's Sally Goldenberg … Craig Minassian of the Clinton Foundation and Minassian Media … AP's Curt Anderson … Hildy Kuryk of Artemis Strategies … JJ MItchell of The Overcoats … Adie Mitchell … Steve Russolillo … Hillary Dolinsky … Anastasia Goodtsein … Charlotte Ross
| | Real Estate | | "Cyberattack cripples Suffolk County real estate industry," by The Real Deal's Harrison Connery and Orion Jones: "A hack that shut down Suffolk County government servers over 20 days ago has crippled the local real estate industry. The cyberattack has disabled access to county websites, servers and databases since Sept. 8, making it impossible to verify property titles or file records with the county. That, in turn, has stopped most transactions from going through. Corcoran broker Sheri Winter Parker said confusion over the situation and when it might end means 'my phone is ringing with nonstop texts and emails.' A hacking group known as BlackCat has claimed credit for the attack and demanded payment to restore access to government servers, according to The Suffolk Times. The hackers claim to have stolen four terabytes of data, including on individual residents, much of it from the clerk.county.suf domain." | | | | 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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