New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

As the week begins, President Donald Trump administration continues to take shape, with key cabinet nominees in limbo as the Senate considers them. Trump has promised a wave of early executive orders to rescind orders President Obama issued. He began this effort soon after being sworn in on Friday, but is expected to increase the volume significantly early this week. Over the weekend, Trump and his spokespeople continued to lash out at critics, denounce the media, and tell lies.

Here in New York, state legislative budget hearings kick off this week as the Legislature considers Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal. This week will see further deconstruction of Cuomo’s agenda and budget, in formal hearings and beyond.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s preliminary budget plan is due by the end of the day on Tuesday, and we’re expecting a presentation from the mayor that day. De Blasio’s initial plan comes just after Cuomo’s Executive Budget and as everyone waits to see what kind of budget actions President Trump and a Republican-led Congress have in store. A state budget is due by April 1; a city budget by July 1.

The mayor will head to Albany a week from Monday, on January 30, to testify at a state budget hearing. This Monday, de Blasio begins his week with two public events -- see details below. Gov. Cuomo has three public events on Monday, details also below.

There's also a busy City Council schedule this week, and a great deal more happening in the city and Albany -- see our day-by-day rundown below.

***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
e-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***

The run of the week in detail:

Monday
Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the New York Building Congress Annual Conference at 12:30 p.m. Monday in Manhattan. In the 7 and 10 p.m. hours, de Blasio will appear on NY1’s Inside City Hall.

At the City Council on Monday:

• At 1 p.m., the Committees on Governmental Operations and Contracts will hold a joint Oversight Hearing on DCAS’ solar power purchase agreement.
• At 1 p.m., the Committee on Environmental Protection will meet to discuss a proposed law on flood mitigation in southeast Queens.

At 3:45 p.m. Monday, Public Advocate Letitia James will deliver remarks at City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez's Big Brothers, Big Sisters National Mentoring Month Event at Morris Jumel Mansion.

Governor Cuomo is in Clinton, Onondaga, Niagara, Erie and Albany Counties making a series of announcements: at 10 a.m. at Plattsburgh International Airport; at 12:15 p.m. at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse; and at 2:45 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls.

The New York State Legislature will be in session on Monday in Albany.

At 11 a.m. on Monday in Albany, the Assembly Standing Committees on Local Governments and Cities will have a budget oversight hearing to “examine the allocation of funds to the Municipal Restructuring Fund and the Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition in the State Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Budget.”

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER [Beginning at 10 p.m. on Monday, the NYC Department of Homeless Services will have its once-a-year Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). This is a “HUD-mandated citywide community volunteer effort to count each homeless person living in public spaces across the five boroughs during the coldest time of the year.” Many elected officials typically join in the count, helping to rally volunteers at the outset.] TO BE RESCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY

Tuesday
At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Crain’s New York will have a forum with all five New York City borough presidents. “[A]ttendees will hear firsthand what the borough presidents envision for their boroughs and the city, and their top priorities for 2017.” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and Staten Island Borough President James Oddo will be the panelists. The moderator will be Erik Engquist, the Assistant Managing Editor of Crain's New York Business.

Mayor de Blasio will outline his preliminary budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall.

At the City Council on Tuesday:

• At 9:30 a.m., the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet.
• At 10 a.m., the Committee on Technology will meet for an oversight hearing on the data and verification plan from the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics.
• At 11 a.m., the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses will meet.
• At 1 p.m., the Committee on Education will meet for an oversight hearing on teacher recruitment and retention. [Read our preview: Teacher Recruitment, Retention Will Be Focus of City Council Hearing]
• At 1 p.m., the Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions will meet.
• At 3:30 p.m., the Committee on Youth Services will meet for a tour of the Beacon Program at M.S. 2 in Brooklyn, at 655 Parkside Avenue.

At 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, there will be a joint legislative budget hearing on higher education at Hearing Room B in the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

The New York State Legislature will be in session on Tuesday in Albany.

At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Governor Cuomo will make an announcement at SUNY Rochester Educational Opportunity Center.

Lieutenant Governor Hochul will highlights Governor Cuomo's State of the State and Budget Proposals at two events Tuesday: 11 a.m. at Marist College and 4:30 p.m. at the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Brooklyn, City Council Member Rafael Espinal will host a “Know Your Rights” town hall "in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs and other citywide agencies" at the Ridgewood Bushwick Youth Center.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, Public Advocate Letitia James will participate in ""Challenges Facing Women Elected Officials" panel at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn.

Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:

• At 10 a.m., the Committees on General Welfare and Aging will hold a joint oversight hearing on reducing the city’s food insecurity.
• At 1 p.m., the Committee on Public Housing will hold an oversight hearing on “the public ecosystem of NYC: public housing and the public workforce.”

The MTA will have a board meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, there will be a joint legislative budget hearing on workforce development at Hearing Room B in the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a “State of the State Presentation with Hon. Kathy Hochul.” Lieutenant Governor Hochul will be speaking at Brooklyn Law School.

At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Crain’s New York will hold “After the Inauguration: The New U.S. Administration and Its Impact on EU-U.S. Economic Relations.” This discussion will include Ambassador Miriam Sapiro, Partner and Head of Finsbury’s Washington DC Office; and Sven C. Oehme, President, American Business Forum on Europe.

Thursday
At 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Association for a Better New York will have a “University Presidents Panel Breakfast.” These college presidents “will discuss how New York City's institutions of higher learning are preparing the workforce of the future.” The panelists include Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University; Andrew Hamilton, President of New York University; Dan Huttenlocher, Dean and Vice Provost of Cornell Tech; Peretz Lavie, President of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; and James B. Milliken, Chancellor at The City University of New York. Rachel Haot, Managing Director of 1776, will be the moderator.

At the City Council on Thursday:

• At 10 a.m., the Committees on Public Safety and Transportation will hold an oversight hearing on Vision Zero, and discuss multiple proposed laws.
• At 11 a.m., the Committee on Land Use will meet.

On Thursday at 12 p.m., the Manhattan Institute will hold “The New Brooklyn: What It Takes To Bring A City Back.” This speaker will be Kay Hymowitz, a William E. Simon Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

At 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Vera Institute of Justice will hold “Prisoner Reentry as a Social Institution and the Making Up of the “Ex-offender.”” Ruben Miller, an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan, will talk about “how U.S. crime control policies have produced a new form of citizenship for the criminalized poor, changing the nature of American public and private life and transforming the shape of American democracy.”

At 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at CUNY Journalism School will host a Newsmakers 2017 Q&A with city Comptroller Scott Stringer. In conversation with Errol Louis, Stringer “will discuss the health of the city's economy, the budgetary risks it faces under a Trump presidency, its financial plan, the spending of city agencies with minority- and women-owned businesses, homelessness and the cost of hotel room shelters to the city, affordable housing, and immigrants' contributions to the city.”

At 6 p.m. Thursday, City Council Member Andy King will host a workshop “for community-based organizations that would like to apply for discretionary funding from his office,” at the Williamsbridge NAACP ECE Center in The Bronx.

On Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Comptroller Scott Stringer will host a Southeast Queens Town Hall. At the Robert Ross-Johnson Family Life Center in Jamaica, the event is in partnership with Congressman Gregory Meeks, State Senator James Sanders, Jr., State Senator Leroy Comrie, State Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, State Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, State Assemblywoman Michele Titus, and State Assemblyman Clyde Vanel.

Friday and the weekend
On Friday at 10 a.m. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will deliver her 2017 State of the Borough Address.

At 10 a.m. Friday, NYC Votes will hold its “2017 Citywide Debates Information Session.” This event will be “an opportunity for potential sponsors to learn more about the Program's details, ask questions, and meet other potential sponsors.”

On Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., City Council Member Laurie Cumbo will continue her Community Exchange Series, this one on how to form a 501(c)(3) organization and at Medgar Evers College.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., Staten Island Borough President James Oddo will hold a “Direct Connect Sunday.” His version of a “state of the borough,” Oddo’s event is a “comprehensive look at how we’re working every day to help make Staten Island a great place to live and work and play.”

On Sunday at 3 p.m., U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat will have a New York City swearing-in ceremony at Yeshiva University. Espaillat represents New York's 13th Congressional District.

***
Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).

***
by Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette