Adams is at the mercy of the state

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Jun 02, 2023 View in browser   By Janaki Chadha, Danielle Muoio Dunn and Zachary Schermele Presented by New York City Mayor Eric Adams listens to Gov. Kathy Hochul deliver her State of the State address in the Assembly Chamber at the state Capitol on Jan. 10, 2023. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo New York Mayor Eric Adams is at the mercy of the state Legislature for much of his housing agenda. But with just four days left in the legislative session, the proposals he’s pushing face slim odds. A wide-ranging housing deal remains elusive, with one-off approvals of so-called low-hanging fruit also unlikely. Legislative leaders were not optimistic Wednesday that a broader housing agreement could be reached by the end of next week. But they still threw cold water on the idea of picking off and moving individual proposals. It's far from settled what a housing “Big Ugly” — where contentious issues are rolled into one unwieldy end-of-session bill — would look like. For now, the legislature has formed a 20-member working group on housing to try to reach consensus, according to several people familiar with the matter, some of whom were skeptical the group will actually move the needle. The two housing committee chairs, Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, are part of the group. Other members include Sens. Michael Gianaris, Julia Salazar and Liz Krueger, and Assemblymembers Kenny Burgos, Jaime Williams and Ed Braunstein. For Adams, failing to win any of his Albany housing priorities — from the ability to convert old office buildings into housing, to an extension for buildings covered by the expired 421-a tax break — would be a major loss for his goals. The 421-a extension is one of the less controversial housing issues being discussed, according to people familiar with conversations in the legislature. But its fate now appears to be tied to agreement on other measures, including some form of tenant protections — potentially something in the vein of the controversial “good cause” eviction bill. “The urgency is now,” Adams said Thursday with his top housing aides, unions and advocates at a development site in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The neighborhood was rezoned in 2021 for a projected 8,000 housing units, about 3,000 of which were affordable. But much of that is at risk of not getting built without the 421-a extension, developers, City Hall and housing advocates say. Other projects that won City Council approval through the city’s lengthy land use process are in the same boat, like the 1,050-unit River Ring project by Two Trees in Williamsburg. HAPPY FRIDAY.  WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City, Onondaga County and Albany, delivering remarks at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Nappi Wellness Institute. WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, meeting with Macquarie Group CEO Shemara Wikramanayake. He will also deliver remarks at a flag-raising ceremony for Italy and at a Department of Citywide Administrative Services government “Hiring Hall” event. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I’m just low maintenance; I’m the easiest person to deal with.” — Mayor Adams at a housing event in Brooklyn, taking an off-topic question about negotiating with union leaders. A message from Uber: Uber riders have already paid $629 Million in Congestion Pricing fees while personal cars and Amazon trucks haven’t paid a cent. Even all electric Uber Green cars are charged for Congestion Pricing while gas trucks pay nothing. 14,500 Uber riders have opposed increasing fees on Ubers. Learn More.   ABOVE THE FOLD CONGESTION PRICING FIGHT — Uber is doubling down on its push for an exemption from the state’s congestion pricing plan. The company has spent $500,000 on a digital ad campaign to make its case, and on Friday, Uber and Lyft drivers will rally outside Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Manhattan office to push for the carve-out. Congestion pricing would charge vehicles extra to enter central Manhattan at peak times. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has promised not to charge taxi and for-hire vehicles more than once per day, as part of the environmental review that the Biden administration has tentatively approved. But the ride-hail giant says it’s already required under a 2019 law to pay a congestion fee for rides through Manhattan south of 96th street — and shouldn’t face another. Expect these kinds of debates to heat up as the MTA prepares to finalize the tolling structure, which could be operational next spring. — Danielle Muoio Dunn   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW.     What City Hall's reading “Mayor Adams Loves to Tell a Good Story. It Might Even Be True,” by The New York Times’ Emma Fitzsimmons: “Since beginning his run for mayor in 2021, Mr. Adams has made an art form of telling stories about himself that are nearly impossible to verify, often adding fresh details to well-worn anecdotes. Many of his stories seem intended for dramatic effect to help him connect to voters, rather than mislead them, as Representative George Santos did in misrepresenting his education, work history and background. But when Mr. Adams’s tendency to hyperbole strays into policy, there are more serious implications.” “NYC Mayor Eric Adams, a Critic of Remote Work, Cedes Some Ground,” by Wall Street Journal’s Jimmy Vielkind: “Thousands of employees at New York City agencies will be allowed to work remotely two days a week starting this month, City Hall officials said, a boon to workers who had yearned for flexibility even as Mayor Eric Adams pushes to revive the city’s office districts.” “A son of Harlem is now an outsider looking in,” by WNYC’s Michelle Bocanegra: “As he vies to represent the City Council’s 9th District, Salaam, often dressed in crisply pressed clothes, a watch and a jacket, is easy with his admission that he lacks experience in elected office. Salaam and the other teens captivated a city in the grips of anxiety around public safety. He has leaned into his past, through activism and speeches prior to his run for the Council, and now as a candidate trying to build momentum ahead of the June 27 Democratic primary, challenging Harlem’s storied political machine.” “NYC grand jury impaneled to hear case against former Marine Daniel Penny for Jordan Neely chokehold death on subway,” by Daily News’ Molly Crane-Newman   A message from Uber:   WHAT ALBANY'S READING “Watchdog: Legislature planning last-minute weakening of campaign finance reform law,” by Buffalo News’ Chris Bragg: “Three legislative sources confirmed that major changes were being considered to the publicly-funded elections program, which, in its current form, would match small-dollar campaign donations to candidates with generous taxpayer funding.” “'Smells like Jim Crow law': Federal judge furious over asylum seeker executive orders,” Rockland/ Westchester Journal News’ Asher Stockler: “[White Plains federal judge Nelson] Román warned that he was disinclined to let the hearing devolve into squabbling over political issues. But the fundamental nature of the disagreement — whether these executive orders were racist — inevitably led the argument to become personal and heated. ‘That is the most dishonest response I've ever received,’ Román said at one point, following an unsatisfactory answer from Assistant Rockland County Attorney Larraine Feiden about whether the orders interfered with the migrants' right to travel.” “MTA and 40,000 transit workers reach tentative deal for 10% wage hike,” New York Post’s Nolan Hicks   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.     AROUND NEW YORK — Airbnb is taking New York City to court for limiting short-term rentals. — A lawsuit filed in the state Supreme Court alleges a pattern of sexual abuse by a former art teacher at a small upstate prep school. — New York’s infant mortality rate largely fell between 2016 and 2019. Except for Black babies, per new state data. — Suffolk County has settled a lawsuit alleging police brutality with a Long Island resident. — Assembly lawmakers have cold feet about letting New York City set its own speed limits. SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jeanine Pirro … Daniel Herz-Roiphe … Ben Sheridan … (was Thursday): Marvin G. Goldman … Rabbi Moshe Weinberger … Nicole Goodkind MEDIAWATCH – “The New York Times’ Elizabeth Holmes Profile Is Causing Drama in the Newsroom: ‘What the Hell Happened Here?’” by Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein MAKING MOVES — The White House sent over to the Senate Sean Patrick Maloney’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the OECD. A message from Uber: If you own a townhouse on the Upper West Side, you don’t pay any Congestion Pricing. If you’re a renter in the Bronx you already pay $2.75 in Congestion Pricing on every Uber trip into Manhattan’s congestion zone. Over 165,000 Uber trips start in outer borough low income neighborhoods and end in Manhattan. 14,500 Uber riders have opposed increasing fees on Ubers. Learn More.   Real Estate “LIC Office Tower Opus Point Reveals New Renderings After City Council OK,” Commercial Observer’s Rebecca Baird-Remba: “The City Council unanimously approved an upzoning for the project on May 11, paving the way for a 400,000-square-foot office tower with a mix of retail and community facility space on the lower floors, according to the developer. The new zoning nearly doubles the amount of permitted office and community space, but the amount of residential development allowed on the site has not changed.” “Iconic Times Square Irish pub Rosie O'Grady's to shut down,” Crain’s Eddie Small   Follow us on Twitter Danielle Muoio Dunn @muoiod   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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