| | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin , Anna Gronewold and Julian Shen-Berro | Presented by Equinor | New York City's new plan to house asylum seekers is getting underway: A sprawling tent city will open today on Randall's Island, where hundreds of migrants are expected to sleep head to toe on tightly-spaced cots . Reporters got a tour of the new facility, a collection of hangar-sized white tents spanning more than 84,000 square feet. It will house about 500 men to start, but that number could quickly grow to 1,000. Once, the city said the idea was to have people staying in these tents for no more than 96 hours, but it's sounding more like migrants could end up there for longer . Officials said there is no limit on how long asylum seekers can stay at the emergency facility. The tents went up on Randall's Island after a previous plan for a camp at Orchard Beach in the Bronx was called off mid-build because of flooding there. Already, the city has spent at least $650,000 on the plans, with half of that going to tear down the never-used Orchard Beach camp. City officials added features attempting to blunt some of the criticism they've received from opponents who believe the arrangements are inhumane: There will be a rec room with TVs, Xboxes and foosball tables, and a cafeteria stocked with cholula hot sauce, and laundry facilities. Still, the facility won't meet standards set by the city's right to shelter law, which requires, among other things, beds to be placed three feet apart. Isolation trailers will house anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 upon arriving at the site. Migrants will be free to come and go as they please, but will have to abide by a 10 p.m. curfew. Meanwhile, city schools are also grappling with an influx of migrant children, looking for more bilingual educators. City Comptroller Brad Lander called for at least $34 million in additional school funding for the new students. The tent city is expected to remain open as long as buses continue to transport asylum-seekers to the city, sent by the state of Texas and the city of El Paso. "We have no control over that," Emergency Management commissioner Zach Iscol said. IT'S WEDNESDAY. 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 the New York State Police Academy Graduation Ceremony. WHERE'S ERIC? Attending the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials – New York's legislative breakfast, hosting a roundtable discussion with the Muslim Domestic Violence Coalition and delivering remarks at the grand opening of 50 Hudson Yards and Urban Upbound's 18th anniversary gala. ABOVE THE FOLD — Same day, 2nd poll: This one shows narrow lead for Hochul versus Zeldin , by POLITICO's Bill Mahoney: Two polls Tuesday showed the race for New York governor getting closer than perhaps many had initially expected in the deep-blue state. A Siena College Research Institute poll early Tuesday found Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul held an 11-percentage-point edge over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin in a state where Democrats have won every statewide race over the past two decades. That was down from a 17-point lead a month ago. Then an even closer poll came out in the afternoon: A Quinnipiac University survey found Hochul with a razor-thin 50 percent to 46 percent lead over Zeldin — putting Zeldin within striking distance of a potentially major upset.
| | | | A message from Equinor: Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? Yes, it can. At Equinor, our work to power 2,000,000 New York homes with homegrown, renewable energy is only part of the story. The Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects are also boosting the economy, generating jobs, and launching tomorrow's clean energy infrastructure today. Equinor is a broad energy company, committed to become net-zero by 2050. We're proud to be a leader in this growing industry. | | | |  | What City Hall's reading | | " NYC's Plan to Close Rikers Behind Schedule In Dispute Over Design Changes ," by Bloomberg's Fola Akinnibi: "New York City is behind schedule on one of the first projects in its plan to close the troubled Rikers Island jail complex, the latest sign of dysfunction at the city's Department of Correction, which has had 16 people die in its custody so far this year. A new ward at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where people in custody with serious health needs will be moved from Rikers, is facing delays because of changes that were requested by the Department of Correction months after designs were finalized and construction had begun, according to people familiar with the project. The unit, which was slated to be completed in spring 2023, is the first new facility in the transition to the borough-based jail system that will replace Rikers." " Eric Adams, Julie Won at odds over massive Innovation QNS project ahead of NYC Council public hearing ," by New York Daily News' Chris Sommerfeldt and Bahar Ostadan : "Mayor Adams and Council member Julie Won are at odds over the controversial Innovation QNS project -- the largest proposed rezoning in Queens history -- ahead of a crucial public hearing Wednesday. If approved by the Council, the $2 billion rezoning would essentially create a new neighborhood on the Astoria waterfront, allowing for construction of a dozen new residential and commercial towers containing nearly 3,000 apartments, as well as two acres of green space, new stores, restaurants and a movie theater. But the current plan is on shaky ground with sharp opposition from the area's council member, Julie Won, who argues there aren't enough affordable apartments in the proposal. The council, which is expected to vote in November, typically defers to the view of the council member from the affected neighborhood." " Report: New York Remains a Tale of Two Cities for Public Space Equity ," by Streetsblog's Gersh Kuntzman: "See the city in a whole new light — an unflattering one. Today, Transportation Alternatives and the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are unveiling Spacial Equity NYC, a new tool that allows users, at the touch of a few buttons, to peer deeply into New York's failures and analyze them across class, racial, geographic and demographic lines. The resulting portrait reveals alarming inequities in how public space — including streets, sidewalks, and green spaces — is distributed in this city. One of the starkest findings is the one that street safety advocates have been decrying for years: Poorer neighborhoods have more traffic injuries than richer ones." " More than 60,000 Rent-Stabilized Apartments are Now Vacant — and Tenant Advocates Say Landlords Are Holding Them for 'Ransom.' " by THE CITY's Sam Rabiyah: "During a worsening housing affordability crisis, New York City landlords are keeping tens of thousands of rent-stabilized units off the market — a phenomenon tenant activists call 'warehousing.' An internal state housing agency memo obtained by THE CITY shows that the number of rent-stabilized homes reported vacant on annual apartment registrations rose to over 61,000 in 2021 — nearly doubling from less than 34,000 in just a year as the city emerged from COVID lockdown. That's higher than the official count in the NYC Housing and Vacancy Survey, conducted in 2021 by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of the city's housing agency, which tallied 42,860 vacant rent-stabilized apartments citywide."
| | | | NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID . | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | " Amazon workers reject union bid in Schodack ," by Times Union's Rick Karlin: "Employees at Amazon's Schodack fulfillment center overwhelmingly voted against unionizing, rejecting the chance to be represented by the newly formed Amazon Labor Union. Tuesday's vote count was closely watched across the U.S. where unions are attempting to make inroads into the service industry and companies are trying to stop their advances. Results of the multi-day vote on unionizing were counted at a National Labor Relations Board office and were completed around shortly before noon. It appears 406 votes were cast in opposition to unionization and 206 votes were cast in favor." " N.Y. Leaders Seek to Criminalize the Spread of Violent Videos ," by The New York Times' Jonah E. Bromwich and Jesse McKinley: "Making or sharing videos of mass shootings or other extreme violence online should be illegal under state and federal law, New York's leaders said on Tuesday as they released a new report on the livestreamed racist massacre in Buffalo. The 49-page report, compiled by the state's attorney general, Letitia James, after a request from Gov. Kathy Hochul, described how internet platforms influenced the suspect, who is accused of killing 10 people, all of them Black, during the mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket on May 14. The suspect had written that he planned to livestream the killings to spread the white supremacist ideology that motivated his massacre, and hoped to inspire others to follow with other racist attacks." " N.Y. Dem head alleges Zeldin campaign unlawfully coordinating with Super PACs ," by New York Daily News' Denis Slattery: "The head of the state Democratic party filed a complaint this week alleging Lee Zeldin's gubernatorial campaign is coordinating with outside groups spending big money to unseat Gov. Hochul. In a complaint sent to the state Board of Elections, Dem party chairman Jay Jacobs argues that the Republican candidate's campaign is breaking election law by working too closely with a pair of deep-pocketed super political action committees. 'Zeldin seemingly has access to information about the super PAC and its activities before they have made any public statements,' Jacobs wrote to state Board of Elections enforcement counsel Michael Johnson. The two groups, Safe Together NY and Save Our State NY, are largely funded by billionaire Ronald Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics fortune and longtime backer of conservative causes." " Biden official says Syracuse's I-81 could be a model for other federal projects ," by WRVO's Ellen Abbott: "A high-level Biden administration official in Syracuse Monday said central New York can be a template for using federal infrastructure funds approved by Congress earlier this year. Monday marked White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu's first visit to Syracuse. And he said he was impressed after a report from community stakeholders about the I-81 project." TEEN VOGUE: Tish James on Her Decision to Get an Abortion, the Post-Roe Future, and the Midterms #UpstateAmerica: Ted's Fish Fry is closing its doors at its north Troy location after 60 years . Guess any future union-busters will have to find somewhere else for lunch.
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. We all have a role to play. At Equinor, we're doing our part by helping accelerate the energy transition. We're growing our renewable energy portfolio and lowering emissions from production. We're already on the way to powering about 2,000,000 New York homes with energy from the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects. We're creating jobs, building tomorrow's infrastructure, and sparking new economic activity. But for us, that's only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | " Pat Ryan, Colin Schmitt talk housing, abortion, migrant flights in Spectrum News 1 debate ," by Spectrum News' Abbey Carnivale: "The winner of the race in New York's 18th Congressional District could determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives in the coming November elections and Spectrum News 1 hosted the only televised debate in the race at Marist College on Tuesday. Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan, who won a special election in August to fill the remainder of the term in the 19th District, is facing off against Republican state Assemblyman Colin Schmitt. Each candidate responded to questions on some of the most talked about topics in the district and country, like inflation and the economy."
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Hochul signed legislation to strengthen gun restrictions against domestic violence suspects and add privacy rules for victims. — Elected officials are criticizing a plan by the NYPD to encrypt their radio transmissions . — A Queens man was charged with manslaughter for pushing a subway rider in front of a train. — Government watchdog Reinvent Albany published a new report on the pitfalls of overusing executive emergency power. — An Upper West Side 3-year-old is trying to ride every subway line. — A 19-year-old was stabbed by a group of teens during a fight at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. — Buffalo was sued over its new Common Council boundaries. — Coats, winter clothes and hygiene products are among the items most needed to support migrants, community aid groups say. — New York's film and TV studio space is expanding , even as streaming businesses struggle.
| | | | 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 . | | | | | | | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT's Carl Hulse … Fox News' Steve Doocy … Rex Smith … Edelman's Jeremy Gosbee … Steven Greenhouse … Commerce's Michael Carey … Will Cadigan of CNN … Ray Day of the Stagwell Group … Katie Rayford of Slate … Sarah Wheaton … Nicole Pavia … Greg Weston MAKING MOVES — Brian Whitehurst is now head of regulatory affairs at Lukka. He was previously New York assistant attorney general for crypto and fintech regulatory compliance. … Olivia Lapeyrolerie is the new chief communications officer at the NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. She was previously vice president at SKDK and was first deputy press secretary under Mayor Bill de Blasio. … Alexandra Silversmith has been named vice president for government affairs and external relations at NYC & Co. She was previously executive director of the Alliance for Coney Island.
| | Real Estate | | " Building workers at Tribeca's luxury 'Clock Tower' condo go on strike ," by WNYC's Gwynne Hogan: "Residents of the landmarked Tribeca Clock Tower Building are wealthy enough to own multi-million dollar condos, but for a while at least, they'll be taking out their own trash. Fifteen building workers who act as porters, concierges and maintenance workers at 108 Leonard Street began a strike Tuesday morning, alleging the building's property manager is refusing to bargain with their union. The building owners voluntarily recognized the workers' union in the spring of 2021, when they sought representation from 32BJ SEIU. Negotiations have since come to a grinding halt, according to a union spokesperson and records from the National Labor Relations Board." | | | | 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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