News: New poll unpacks Hochul's suburban housing push

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

New poll unpacks Hochul's suburban housing push

Mar 01, 2023

By Anna Gronewold, Sally Goldenberg and Zachary Schermele

Presented by Tobacco Kills NY

Housing activists marching to New York City's City Hall are pictured. | GETTY

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to force the suburbs to produce more housing — or risk the state overriding local zoning rules — was met with fierce opposition from area lawmakers, with one warning of a “suburban uprising.”

But voters aren’t nearly as resistant, at least according to a new poll commissioned by a coalition of housing groups pushing the policies.

A survey conducted by Slingshot Strategies of 400 registered voters across New York, with an oversample of an additional 400 voters in Westchester and Putnam counties, found substantial support for Hochul’s proposal in the suburbs north of New York City.

Of the voters surveyed in Westchester and Putnam, 66 percent offered a favorable view of the governor’s housing agenda, while a majority — 56 percent — said they “strongly” or “somewhat” support the controversial mechanism that would allow the state to circumvent local zoning if municipalities fail to produce enough housing or remove barriers to development.

The vast majority of the voters from the suburban sample were in Westchester, where the political opposition has not been quite as severe as in other suburban areas, namely on Long Island. The plan is a risky political move for Hochul, coming off an election in November where voters in Nassau and Suffolk counties and in much of the Hudson Valley, excluding Westchester, went overwhelmingly for her opponent, Lee Zeldin.

But backers of the housing reforms say the poll results indicate the loudest voices on the issue don’t match public opinion.

Of the voters surveyed statewide, 77 percent agreed New York is facing a housing crisis, 74 percent support reforming the housing approval process, and 65 percent support imposing housing production targets on towns and cities, as Hochul proposed.

“This is proof positive that the vocal opposition is not representative of where the electorate is, and that elected officials who have been concerned about, how do I handle some of these housing proposals that have faced opposition — they can find comfort in the knowledge that this is deeply unrepresentative opposition,” said Evan Roth Smith, founding partner at Slingshot. — Janaki Chadha

IT’S WEDNESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: agronewold@politico.com and sgoldenberg@politico.com or on Twitter: @annagronewold and @sallygold

WHERE’S KATHY? “Highlighting the urgency” of her housing plan at an event in Albany, per schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a breakfast event for the Society of Foreign Consuls. In the evening, he’ll attend Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson’s “State of the Borough” address.

A message from Tobacco Kills NY:

Flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes are much more addictive and dangerous than regular tobacco—and Big Tobacco aggressively markets it to young people and people of color in New York, leading to higher rates of death and illness. It’s time to act. Civil rights and public health leaders are fighting to restrict the sale of dangerous flavored tobacco products in New York. Will you join them?
Go to TobaccoKillsNY.org to learn more.

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

“FDNY’s highest-ranking black woman, spokesman preparing to be fired, sources say,” by The New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan, Joe Marino, Larry Celona and Kate Sheehy: “The FDNY’s highest-ranking black woman and a longtime spokesman are preparing to get the boot in just the latest turmoil to rock the department, sources told The Post on Tuesday. City Fire Department lawyer Terryl Brown — once a front-runner for FDNY commissioner and the top black woman at the agency — was told she was headed for the door on Monday afternoon, well-informed sources said. Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Frank Dwyer was also told that he was on his way out, though neither were given an official termination date, according to the sources.”

“LISTEN: The Philip Banks ‘Episode’ Says a Lot About the Adams Administration’s Media Bubble,” on THE CITY’s FAQ NYC podcast: “The Deputy Commissioner for Public Safety had a rare public “episode” (his term) where he answered a couple of pre-written questions from members of the public—but refused to answer a straightforward one from a reporter.”

“NYC Council candidates hit the streets even as lawsuit to change district lines looms,” by WNYC’s Brigid Bergin: “All 51 Council seats are up for election this year with incumbents and some newcomers competing to represent would-be constituents in newly drawn districts, the result of a process that happens every 10 years following the latest census count. Any primary races will be conducted using ranked-choice voting.”

“Will the NYPD show up to testify this time?” by City & State’s Jeff Coltin: “The NYPD wouldn’t answer questions in December and it wouldn’t answer questions in January. Will representatives for the police department testify at an oversight hearing in March? ‘We haven’t heard anything otherwise,’ City Council Member Kamillah Hanks told City & State, suggesting that the NYPD is expected to show up to tomorrow’s twice-rescheduled oversight hearing on the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group, led by Hanks as chair of the Committee on Public Safety.”

NEW THINK TANK The 5BORO Institute issued its first policy report, Solving the City’s Staffing Crisis: Saving City Government for New Yorkers, which offers a series of recommendations to City Hall, including maintaining a hybrid work option.

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 ALBANY'S READING

BOB (THE OTHER ONE) BACK TO BUDGET: Robert Megna is headed back to the state Capitol to serve in his former position as director of the Division of the Budget. Hochul announced the appointment Tuesday, saying that Megna would get the role officially, not as acting director. But he plans to return to his current role, president of the Rockefeller Institute of Government and senior adviser to the SUNY chancellor, at some point after a long-term director can be found. He was previously the state’s budget director from 2009 to 2015.

Megna will replace acting budget director Sandra Beattie, who took over after the departure of longtime Cuomo budget director Robert Mujica in January. Megna has been a key figure in repairing and reworking strategies across the state’s financial and management systems, particularly those in crisis. — Anna

— Some good Megna context from the Times Union in 2017: “NYS fix-it man Megna at it again”

“Georgia on Her Mind: Hochul Pushes Film Tax Credit Boost as Other States Snag Shoots,” by THE CITY’s Greg David: “New York’s once-thriving film and television production industry has suddenly hit a bump. Work has fallen by 30%, according to some estimates, and sound stages are sitting empty. Meanwhile, across the Hudson River, productions in New Jersey just set a record. And Georgia has built a film and TV business that now tops $4 billion a year.”

“Hochul Calls for Rail Safety Regulations — After Vetoing Keystone Rail Safety Law,” by New York Focus’ Julia Rock: “In the wake of the recent train derailment and toxic chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio, Governor Kathy Hochul called on the federal government to enact stricter regulations on hazmat trains and said that safety is her top priority … Less than three months ago, Hochul struck a different tone with her veto pen. The proposed two-person crew law — which the governor rejected on December 9, 2022 — would have required most freight trains to be operated by at least a conductor and an engineer, a safety measure that both rail unions and bipartisan lawmakers supported.”

STATE OF THE JUDICIARY: “Acting New York chief judge sounds off on LaSalle rejection,” by Spectrum’s Nick Reisman: “But as he concluded his remarks, Cannataro for the first time publicly addressed the fallout from the Democratic-led state Senate’s rejection of Hector LaSalle’s nomination to become the chief judge of New York. He also recognized LaSalle, currently a lower court justice, in the audience. Cannataro quoted both the late Chief Judge Judith Kaye and the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the need to have full ‘judicial independence’ in the face of public criticism.”

#UpstateAmerica: Hudson’s Cafe Mutton has been offering a prune-juice laced cocktail called Poo Driver.

A message from Tobacco Kills NY:

AROUND NEW YORK

— The ongoing redistricting process in the Assembly is a factor in whether a new system of publicly financed political campaigns will get delayed, according to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

— Rockland County Republican Party chair Lawrence Garvey, who wants to be state party chair, is trying to mend fences with the Jewish community.

— Republicans in the state Senate formed a working group to consider ways of combating antisemitism.

— “MTA jobs are a track to generational wealth for Black New Yorkers — but executives remain predominantly white.”

— A Missouri court has rejected Monsanto Company’s request to dig into a recently concluded disciplinary investigation for a prominent University at Albany researcher.

— The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority will take over regulating performance enhancing drugs in thoroughbred racing from the New York Gaming Commission this month.

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SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NBC’s Bridget Bowman … Steve Holmgren … Nigel Duara … Giulia Giannangeli of the House Energy and Commerce Committee

MAKING MOVES — Former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) has joined Actum, the firm launched last year by a crew of former Mercury lobbyists and former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, as a co-chair.

A message from Tobacco Kills NY:

Flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes are much more addictive and dangerous than regular tobacco—and Big Tobacco aggressively markets it to young people and people of color in New York, leading to higher rates of death and illness. It’s time to act. Civil rights and public health leaders are fighting to restrict the sale of dangerous flavored tobacco products in New York. Will you join them?

Go to TobaccoKillsNY.org to learn more.

Real Estate

“Zelig Weiss suffers string of losses in state, federal court,” by The Real Deal’s Keith Larsen: “Judges are losing patience with Zelig Weiss. The Brooklyn developer is battling his former business partner Yoel Goldman and Goldman’s former company All Year Holdings over their partnerships, including the posh William Vale hotel in Williamsburg. But obtaining information from Weiss and his companies has proven to be a Sisyphean task. Now judges, one by one, are putting him on notice.”