News: Same as it ever was

Monday, April 24, 2023

Same as it ever was

Apr 24, 2023

Presented by Resorts World New York City

Good morning, welcome to Week 4 of no state budget.

The Senate and Assembly are due in Albany at 11 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively, and will likely pass their fifth extender this year so state workers can continue to get paid.

The bad news is that they are unlikely to pass much else.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office says staff worked hard all weekend and progress is being made. So do members of the Legislature and their aides. But we still do not have any finalized deals, budget bills, or hint of when the three parties will make a kumbaya announcement of an agreed-upon framework.

If there’s any good news, it’s that budgeteers across the Hochul administration were busier this weekend than during the past few, indicating that items are finally moving in the after-hours chaos mode of the budget sausage-making process. Now that a broad housing plan has been discarded and a tentative agreement on bail changes has been struck, the smaller issues are getting some play.

There’s been some talk about Hochul’s proposals to expand the number of charter schools allowed to open in New York City, particularly by reviving some “zombie charter” licenses that are taken but no longer in use. But while Hochul’s office still considers the charter school cap an open issue, both the Senate and Assembly have resisted any moves.

And, as POLITICO reported Friday, officials would likely need to agree on how many zombie charters even exist. Authorizing entities in the State Education Department and the SUNY Charter Schools Institute currently have different takes.

As the budget process drags on, there have been some interesting attempted additions. The Senate and Assembly, for instance, offered some language at a three-way meeting last week to set the cost for members or family wishing to purchase a member’s chair at the discretion of the Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of Assembly. One member of the administration commented that they are starting to see some “batshit crazy” legislation come up, and that could just be because people are bored.

But at the end of the day, it’s looking less and less likely this budget will carry any headline-grabbing items that might justify the long wait. It’ll be filled with health care and education funding, tiny compromises and broken dreams.

So what’s taking so long?

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

WHERE’S KATHY? In Erie County, New York City and Albany with no announced public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? Making an announcement about the future of Governors Island, speaking at the New York City Police Department Academy graduation ceremony and speaking at the Jay Harama Older Adult Center.

A message from Resorts World New York City:

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WHAT ALBANY'S READING

“How Hochul’s Housing Dream Died: Backlash Surged Beyond the ’Burbs,” by THE CITY’s Greg David: “The collapse of Gov. Kathy’s Hochul’s ambitious plan to deal with New York’s housing crisis has left pro-building advocates and those who prioritize helping tenants uncertain of what to do next. Those who have spent the last four months lobbying Albany leaders to act on housing said it is unlikely any of the proposals would be considered in the two months remaining in this year’s legislative session. And everyone is frustrated and pointing fingers at the Assembly and state Senate. ‘It was to be the year for housing, and it ended with nothing,’ said Rachel Fee, executive director of the New York Housing Conference, which strongly supported the governor’s proposals.”

— “Death of a housing plan: Who’s to blame?,” by The Real Deal’s Erik Engquist: “Breaking down the suspects in the Hochul Housing Compact homicide.”

“Black Smokers at Center of New York Fight to Ban Menthol Cigarettes,” by The New York Times’ Luis Ferré-Sadurní: “Altria and R.J. Reynolds, which produce top-selling menthol brands and are the two largest cigarette makers in the United States, have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an army of top lobbyists who have argued to members of Ms. Hochul’s staff and dozens of lawmakers that such a ban would be ineffective public policy. The companies have also funneled at least $135,000 since 2020 to a convenience-store trade group that is fighting the ban.

Their opponents, a coalition of public health groups and a national antismoking organization, have spent over $1 million on ads in newspapers, on television and even in Times Square, disparaging tobacco companies and trying to pressure lawmakers to back Ms. Hochul’s proposal.”

“Changes in store for New York’s Court of Appeals with Wilson in charge and Halligan on the bench,” by Daily News’ Denis Slattery: “After months of delays and political infighting among Democrats, the Court of Appeals finally has a full bench, a new chief judge and, some hope, a new direction.”

“Two years after marijuana legalized, drug-impaired driving remains a concern,” by Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons: “The number of motorists charged with driving under the influence of narcotics, including marijuana, has risen steadily over the past five years in New York. In 2021, the year the state legalized marijuana, more than 10 percent of the impaired-driving tickets that were issued involved drug use, records show.”

#UpstateAmerica: “He's 102. He lives in Amherst. And he just won the 'Nobel Prize' of statistics.”

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What City Hall's reading

“The majority of NYPD’s officers are non-white. Will they elect their first Black union boss?” by WNYC’s Matt Katz: “But in what will be the first open race for PBA president this millennium, there’s a challenge to the union establishment’s chosen heir. Corey Grable, the PBA’s financial secretary for transit and the only other declared candidate, started campaigning for the job months before Lynch’s announcement. If elected, he’d be the first Black president of an organization that has long had overwhelmingly white leadership. As recently as the mid-1990s, the PBA’s executive council was entirely white. Even today, the top leaders of all five NYPD unions are white.”

“Eric Adams smashes city’s rats at annual Inner Circle charity show,” by New York Post’s Bernadette Hogan and Patrick Reilly: “Mayor Eric Adams took his fight against the city’s vermin on stage Saturday night, smashing ‘rats’ with a hammer in a comedy sketch during the annual Inner Circle charity show in Manhattan. Hizzoner took to the stage at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown and put on a painter’s suit and glasses — spoofing the late comedian John Gallagher who famously smashed watermelons during his act.”

— Anthony Weiner was there with Huma Abedin.

Gun Violence Death maps

ANALYSIS: Gun Violence Is Actually Worse in Red States. It’s Not Even Close, by Colin Woodard for POLITICO Magazine: “In reality, the region the Big Apple comprises most of is far and away the safest part of the U.S. mainland when it comes to gun violence, while the regions Florida and Texas belong to have per capita firearm death rates (homicides and suicides) three to four times higher than New York’s.”

“NYCHA’s Rodent Eviction Campaign Shows Tough Road Ahead for Rat Czar,” by THE CITY’s Greg B. Smith: “NYCHA’s rat-related promises are spelled out in the January 2019 agreement between the authority, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Manhattan federal prosecutors who documented how NYCHA for years covered up scandalous conditions in so many of its 177,000 public housing apartments.”

A message from Resorts World New York City:

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

“Bragg Agrees to Let Ex-Prosecutor Testify About Trump Case in Congress,” by The New York Times’ Jonah E. Bromwich: “A former prosecutor who once helped lead an investigation of Donald J. Trump will testify before Congress next month, ending for now a legal dispute between Republican lawmakers and Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, who had sought to block the testimony.”

GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat.

AROUND NEW YORK

— A magnitude-3.6 earthquake shook Jefferson County.

— Mentally ill detainees on Rikers Island and in other city jails have become more likely to deliberately hurt themselves in recent years.

— New York City’s newest Asian-majority City Council district will play host to one of the more competitive races in this year’s local election cycle.

— The City Council is considering a bill to create a second intake office in Brooklyn or Queens for families in need of emergency housing to enter the shelter system.

— Genealogists say the Department of Health is hindering ancestry work.

— Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center hired a firm to investigate allegations of racism. It’s kept the findings secret.

— Reminder: Check yourselves for ticks “every 15 minutes.”

A message from Resorts World New York City:

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Mike Gwin … Vanity Fair’s Abigail Tracy … Steve Zelinger … Edelman’s Luis Betanzo ... Megan Hannigan … (was Sunday): John Oliver … Clarine Nardi Riddle of Kasowitz Benson Torres and No Labels … Bloomberg’s Paula Dwyer … Vice News’ Jesse Seidman … Alex Swieca ... Alexis Kleinman ... Joshua Kriegman ... Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer … Alex Lupica … Cory Bennett …

… (was Saturday): NYT’s Helene Cooper and Elisabeth Goodridge … CNN’s Arlette Saenz … Dahlia Lithwick … NBC’s Matt Korade … McKinsey’s Elizabeth Anderson Ledet and Allie Medack ... MSNBC’s Natalie Munio … Ruth Porat ... Sam Altman ... SKDK’s Josh Dorner … Stars and Stripes’ Bob Reid … Glenn Simpson … Edward Lifshitz ... Shayndi Raice ... Zachary Krooks … Erica Hinsley … (was Friday): Ephrat Livni … Tavi Gevinson

IN MEMORIAM — “New York Post reporter Conor Skelding loses battle with cancer,” by the N.Y. Post’s Jorge Fitz-Gibbon: “He was 31. Skelding, a native of Chicago, joined The Post in April 2021 after several years as a reporter with Politico and Reorg.”

MEDIAWATCH — “Bloomberg is contemplating life without its founder,” by FT’s Robin Wigglesworth

“‘F--k Him, He Loses’: The Inside Story of How Disney’s Attempt to Buy BuzzFeed Fell Apart,” by Ben Smith, in an excerpt from his new book, “Traffic” in May’s Vanity Fair

— Brian Kosciesza is now a line producer for ⁦‪MSNBC’s “Symone.”

SPOTTED at a Churchill Tommy Gun Society dinner with special guest NYC Mayor Eric Adams on Friday night hosted by Jamie Weinstein and Michelle Fields at their house in D.C.: Abby Phillip, Josh Dawsey, Daniel Lippman, Ben Jacobs and Elaina Plott.

COMING ATTRACTIONS — Per a statement from the Canadian government: “The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, [on Friday] announced he will travel to New York City, United States of America to participate in the Global Citizen NOW summit to advance collective efforts in addressing some of the most pressing global challenges and building a better and more equal world for everyone.”