Adams is in D.C. for migrant help. Again.

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Jul 27, 2023 View in browser   By Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Hajah Bah Presented by Hundreds of asylum seekers line up outside of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 6, 2023 in New York City. | David Dee Delgado/Getty Images Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of New York’s Congressional delegation are meeting with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in Washington on Thursday. They're discussing asylum-seekers — and they asked Mayor Eric Adams to join them, City Hall spokesperson Fabien Levy told Playbook. Adams has been nearly yelling for federal assistance in increasingly exasperated tones. He’s asked fellow electeds to do the same, and criticized those who, in his eyes, haven’t advocated in the right way. *Cough, cough* Brad Lander. Lawmakers are pushing for federal action more than ever. Seven members of New York City's congressional delegation signed onto an open letter last week asking President Joe Biden to let more migrants work legally. And one of Adams’ closest allies in Albany, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, organized another letter Wednesday for more than 50 state legislators and City Council members, asking Biden to call a federal state of emergency and to expedite work permits. It’s been a year since Adams asked the White House for assistance, saying on July 19, 2022 that the city needed federal funding after about 2,800 asylum-seekers arrived in the city. That number’s now at 90,000 and the Adams administration says it’s spent $1.5 billion providing housing and other services to the newcomers. The mayor’s Mayorkas meeting comes the week after Adams publicly shifted his tone on migrants. Before, it was generally welcoming, even while complaining about the lack of federal and local support. Now, it’s more, “Please don’t come here." And if you’re already here in a shelter, the clock is ticking. So Adams will plead his case, again, in Washington. After that, he’s on to Houston, for the National Urban League Conference. From there, it’s only 300 miles to the U.S.-Mexico border, if he wants to hand out the flyers warning migrants about New York’s high cost of living himself. The National Guard, the New York Post reported, isn’t interested. IT’S THURSDAY. WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at Music Under New York Riders’ Choice Award Ceremony in Times Square and making a housing-related announcement at 3 World Trade Center. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding a briefing on extreme heat in Brooklyn, meeting Mayorkas in Washington with Jeffries and other members of the state’s congressional delegation, and traveling to Houston for the 2023 National Urban League Conference on Friday. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Maybe they should speak to leadership. I have not had a conversation with the mayor in God knows how long. It’s easy to work with folks who are allies. The real work is to work with those who you disagree with,” said New York City Council Member Diana Ayala. She was responding to a New York Post report that Adams’ chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, was trying to make peace with the Council.   A message from Community Offshore Wind: Community Offshore Wind is helping New York meet its ambitious emission reductions targets – and more. We are lifting up communities and bringing widespread benefits across the state, introducing good-paying union jobs, providing access to childcare for those training and working in the offshore wind industry, creating inclusive workforce development programs, and empowering disadvantaged communities to ensure no one is left behind. We have strong roots in New York, and we are deeply committed to ensuring that New York communities thrive.   ABOVE THE FOLD Smoke rises from a construction crane that caught fire in Manhattan on July 26, 2023. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo DOB SCRUTINIZED WITH CRANE COLLAPSE — The New York City Department of Buildings finds itself — again —under the microscope following the partial crane collapse Wednesday that injured at least 11 people in midtown Manhattan. The leadership has been in flux: former Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo took the reins as commissioner in April after Eric Ulrich resigned in November. Ulrich, a former City Council member, could be indicted any day now on bribery-related charges, according to The New York Times. Oddo was on the scene Wednesday alongside Adams to brief the press on the crane fire and collapse. His April appointment came just after the deadly collapse of a parking garage in lower Manhattan. His many challenges ahead include the implementation of Local Law 97, which is intended to reduce carbon emissions but could mean costly retrofits for condo and co-op owners. The buildings department has also been beset by job vacancies. More than 400 unfilled positions made for a 22.7 percent vacancy rate there, according to a December report. — Emily Ngo   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 IS READING Mayor Eric Adams to Name New Chief Counsel Amid Migrant and Rikers Crises, by The New York Times’ Benjamin Weiser: “Lisa Zornberg, a lawyer in private practice and a former senior Manhattan federal prosecutor, will return to public service as chief counsel to Mayor Eric Adams, the mayor said Wednesday.” A probe into illegal donors for Mayor Adams touches a key member of his inner circle: the body person, by Gothamist’s Elizabeth Kim STRETCHED FOR TIME — A mozzarella monger who moonlights as a New York City Department of Sanitation worker earned a warning Wednesday from the Conflicts of Interest Board. He used his city email account to send and receive four missives about his cheese business. Anthony Agostino was not fined, given the minor transgression. He told Playbook he devotes his days to his sanitation job and his nights and weekends to a mozzarella empire so wildly successful that it counts the “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” among its fans. Key to his “fresh mozz”? Organic ingredients that make for “milkier, creamier and more buttery cheese that people truly enjoy,” he said. — Emily Ngo   A message from Community Offshore Wind:   WHAT ALBANY'S READING New York Dems Use Special Account to Raise Corporate Donations, by Sludge’s David Moore: “The donations were made to a ‘housekeeping’ account of the New York Democrats, a party fundraising account that can accept donations of unlimited size under New York State law. "Donations from corporations to other candidates and party committees are capped at $5,000 per year.” Hochul says home building will address ‘affordability crisis’, by Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman   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 New York state Sen. Kevin Thomas debates legislation in the state Capitol on June 2, 2022, in Albany, N.Y. | AP Photpo/Hanns Pennink FRIENDS IN LEFT PLACES — State Sen. Kevin Thomas launched his campaign for the 4th Congressional District on the South Shore of Long Island on Wednesday. On Twitter, he got love from Democratic Socialist legislators including state Sens. Julia Salazar and Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher — along with progressives like state Sen. Gustavo Rivera and New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler. Is that support dangerous in the purple seat he’s hoping to win back from GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito? “He does have a progressive record in the state Senate, so he has progressive supporters. And we’re running on that record,” Thomas campaign manager Alexa Sheryll told Playbook. And donors like it. Sheryll said the campaign raised more than $200,000, including $109,000 on Wednesday alone. — Jeff Coltin Many on the left aren't comfortable with Gillibrand's Wall Street ties and view her as an ideological interloper. | Francis Chung/POLITICO BUILDING HER GILLI-BRAND — Mayor Adams isn’t the only local elected heading to Washington on Thursday. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is convening more than 125 local police officials, sheriffs, emergency medical service providers and firefighters for a first responders summit. D’Esposito, a former NYPD lieutenant who’s joining in the rare bipartisan confab, said the focus is getting federal resources to local offices. “Keeping our communities safe and keeping our cops safe shouldn’t be a Republican or Democratic issue,” he said about working with the Democratic senator. “It should be an American issue.” — Jeff Coltin   A message from Community Offshore Wind: The clean energy transition is about more than just energy. At Community Offshore Wind, our commitment to communities is at the heart of everything we do. With strong roots in New York, we will deliver widespread benefits across the state and infuse $15 billion into the state economy. This includes creating job training programs to support union labor, investing in our youth to build the workforce of tomorrow, offering childcare for employees and trainees, and building an inclusive clean energy future that empowers disadvantaged communities. Community Offshore Wind is committed to localizing the offshore wind supply chain proposing the first-ever made-in-New-York offshore wind turbines. We have a goal of uplifting communities with the power of clean energy for all.   AROUND NEW YORK — Understand the area median income. That's become a buzzword in affordable housing discussions. (Crain’s). — LGBTQ+ migrants are allegedly facing discrimination in NYC shelters. (Documented) — Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, got a vote in the Democratic primary race for Queens district attorney. (Queens Eagle). SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Priscilla Painton of Simon & Schuster … MSNBC’s Denis Horgan … Andrew Grossman … former Commerce Secretary Don Evans … CNN’s Susan Durrwachter … Neil King Jr. … Sofia Gerard … Natalie Raabe … Charlie McKell … Paul Dranginis … Parag Khanna … Nicholas Barnabo … Carolyn Mullen … Jacquelyn Burke MAKING MOVES — New York Jewish Agenda has named Phylisa Wisdom as its executive director. She was previously a director of development and government affairs at yeshiva standards advocacy group YAFFED. Real Estate Construction starts decline for commercial, multifamily buildings in New York City, report says, by New York Business Journal’s Kevin Smith: “A recent analysis valued New York City's construction starts through the first half of the year at about $10.8 billion — significantly more than any other of the U.S.’ top 10 metros.”   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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