New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
Mayor Bill de Blasio is back in Albany this week - this time, he's not taking in Governor Cuomo's budget address, he's testifying about it. This will be on Tuesday as de Blasio and other city officials testify in front a joint legislative budget hearing,
First, the week starts with a major City Council hearing Monday morning at 10 a.m., at which the new, eight-bill Criminal Justice Reform Act will be heard - details below.
The HOPE Count of homeless people living on the street is scheduled for Monday evening. Mayor de Blasio and other officials, including HUD Secretary Julian Castro, will kick off one volunteer group at 10:30 p.m. in Manhattan. This weekend's snowstorm could delay this event, check back here and elsewhere for any changes on Monday.
On Tuesday, de Blasio and other city officials head to Albany to testify - other officials giving testimony and fielding questions from Assembly members and state Senators will include Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Council Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. Many are watching to see what de Blasio and others prioritize in their testimony and how de Blasio is received by Albany lawmakers. City officials get to respond to Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget in front of the legislature - how de Blasio approaches Cuomo's budget could lead to a significant response from the governor, something else to watch for. We know that the governor has several proposals that the mayor has praised, including on the minimum wage, paid family leave, and supportive housing, along with several he has concerns about, including proposed cuts to funding for CUNY and Medicaid. Other topics likely to come up include mayoral control of city schools, the expired 421-a real estate/affordable housing tax break, and homelessness.
As always, there's a great deal happening all over the city, with many events to be aware of - read 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
The New York State Legislature is in session on Monday and will have a joint legislative budget hearing about “Health/Medicaid” at 9:30 a.m.
At the City Council on Monday:
Representatives from Gov. Cuomo's administration are again fanning the state Monday to give presentations of the Governor's 2016 State of the State agenda, including events in Hudson, Elizabethtown, and elsewhere.
At the Hope Program in Brooklyn, there will be a press conference about the Fair Chance Act’s enforcement at 10 a.m. Monday attended by City Commission on Human Rights officials, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and City Council Member Jumaane Williams.
At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be in Manhattan to speak at the Harvard Club during an event in which “Mortimer Zuckerman will announce the Zuckerman Scholars Program in STEM Leadership, a transformative program to support next generations of leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
At 10:30 a.m. Monday at Queens Borough Hall., Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will hold a public hearing “to obtain the views and recommendations of the Queens Community Boards, residents and stakeholders on the proposals contained in the Mayor’s FY 2017 Preliminary Budget.”
At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Speaker Mark-Viverito will speak at the New American Leaders Project 'States of Inclusion' at the Ford Foundation. And at 5 p.m. Mark-Viverito will host "Melissa Meet Up" on training on the discretionary funding process at the Council District 17 office in the Bronx - there is currently no sitting Council member in that district after the resignation of former Council Member Maria Del Carmen Arroyo.
At 6 p.m. at The Hilton Albany, the Business Council of New York State, Inc. will have its 2016 Legislators’ Reception.
City Council Member Costa Constantinides will give his State of the District address at 7 p.m. at Astoria’s PS 122 Elementary School on Monday.
The annual HOPE Count (the Department of Homeless Services’ count of street homelessness in the city) is scheduled to be taken by DHS and partners Monday night. More than 3,000 people are volunteering for the count, which starts at 10 p.m. and will end at 4 a.m. on Tuesday. Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro “will kick-off a HOPE count volunteer training session at PS 116 in Manhattan” at 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday
The New York State Legislature is in session on Tuesday and will have a joint legislative budget hearing at 10 a.m. regarding “Local Government Officials/General Government.” This is the hearing de Blasio, Stringer, Mark-Viverito, and Ferreras-Copeland will testify during.
At the City Council on Tuesday:
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, there will be a panel called “Food Policy for Breakfast: Universal School Meals: A Research Agenda” will be held by the New York City Food Policy Center at the CUNY Graduate Center. Community Food Advocates Executive Director Liz Accles, PhD. candidate Renalta Peralta of Columbia University’s Teachers College and Randi Herman of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators will be featured speakers, and Professor Jon Poppendieck, the center’s policy director, will moderate.
Wednesday
At the New York State Legislature on Wednesday: a joint legislative budget hearing on “Elementary & Secondary Education” at 9:30 a.m.
At the City Council on Wednesday:
At 8 a.m., City & State will holds its 2016 NYC Legislative Preview forum at Baruch College. Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, City Council Members Julissa Ferreras, Dan Garodnick, and Jumaane Williams are among those who will speak.
At noon on Wednesday at City Hall, “elected officials, community leaders, and residents will hold a rally calling on the administration to stop the inequitable placement of homeless shelters in Southeast Queens. The rally will come one day ahead of residents’ court date on their action seeking an injunction against the City.” The participants will include state Sen. Leroy Comrie, members of the NAACP, local community board, National Action Network, and other groups.
At 3 p.m. Wednesday at Civic Hall, there will be a green infrastructure grant workshop for the Department of Environmental Protection. Those participating “will get an in-depth understanding of the eligibility requirements and application process.”
At 6:30 p.m., the Brooklyn Historical Society will host a discussion about Bensonhurst’s growing Asian communities and their implications for city politics. City Council Member Mark Treyger, Professor Peter Kwong of the CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College, City Limits Executive Editor Jarrett Murphy, and Brooklyn Chinese-American Association President Paul Mak will speak on the panel.
Thursday
At the New York State Legislature on Thursday: a joint legislative budget hearing on “Environmental Conservation” at 9:30 a.m.
At the City Council on Thursday:
At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, New York State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan will speak about “the New York State budget and his priorities for the current session and beyond” at an Association for a Better New York breakfast.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will hold a public land use hearing at Queens Borough Hall’s conference room at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
At 1 p.m. Thursday, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other political, nonprofit and economic development leaders will speak at a forum called “Cities Building Community Wealth” organized by the Surdna Foundation, the Democracy Collaborative and the CUNY School of Law, which is hosting the event.
At 2 p.m. Thursday, New York Law School will will host a presentation by the Center for New York City Law, the Center for Real Estate Studies, and the New York City Tax Commission called “New York City Property Tax 2015-2016.”
At 3 p.m. Thursday, City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett will speak about the Health Department’s agenda and participate in a Q&A session with Errol Louis of NY1 and CUNY J-School, Jarrett Murphy of City Limits, and Vania Ambre of The Haitian Times, at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s Center for Community and Ethnic Media.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Dr. Christina Greer, a Fordham political science professor, will moderate “What Is Going to Happen? A Discussion of the 2016 Primaries: Pitfalls, Predictions, and Popularity” with Alexis Grenell, a City and State columnist and Democratic political strategist and Jessica Proud, a partner at the November Team and a Republican strategist. The event is at Fordham University’s McMahon Hall Lounge.
Friday and the weekend
At the City Council on Friday:
On Sunday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will host her State of the Borough event at 2 p.m. at the New School. The event will be “youth- and culture-focused” and host panelists including Dr. Sumie Okazaki, Francisco Nunez, and Kharry Lazarre White.
Assemblymember Michael Blake will deliver his State of the District address at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Dreamyard in the Bronx.
***
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 Ryan Brady and Ben Max
@GothamGazette
photo: Stanley Kubrick via Museum of the City of New York
Gotham Gazette's Week in Review, Friday January 22
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: City Council Members and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, via @ydanis; City Council Member Donovan Richards, Gov. Cuomo, Bronx BP Diaz Jr., via @drichards13
TOP FIVE STORIES OF THE WEEK:
1. $82 Billion Budget: On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio unveiled his $82.1 billion preliminary budget for fiscal year 2017, which begins July 1. De Blasio didn’t outline any major new initiatives, but rather stressed fiscal responsibility, building reserves, and warned of possible trouble ahead, citing concerns over the stock market and the possibility of losing state aid. The budget includes over $740 million in new agency spending, mostly for programs de Blasio previously announced, like plans to address the homelessness crisis. [Read: De Blasio Releases Cautious $82 Billion Preliminary Budget & What to Watch for as City Budget Season Begins]
2. 421-A: Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio seem to have found something they agree upon after stakeholders failed to reach a deal necessary to renew the 421-a tax abatement program, which incentivizes affordable housing development. After 421-a expired last Friday, Mayor de Blasio said he is “deeply disappointed” and intends to push the issue in Albany this session. Cuomo has also expressed disappointment over the expiration and agrees that it was critical to the city’s affordable housing plan, though many blame Cuomo for its end. [Read: De Blasio Calls for Albany to 'Make Right' on Program at Center of Rift with Governor]
3. Grocery Worker Retention Act: On Tuesday, the City Council passed the Grocery Worker Retention Act, which requires new owners of large grocery stores to retain the workforce that existed under the store’s previous ownership for 90 days. The bill, which passed 40-7, sparked a rare level of dissent on the City Council floor, with several Council members explaining their opposition to the bill during the vote. [Read: Grocery Worker Bill Provokes Rare Level of Council Dissent]
4. Horse-Carriage Controversy: On Sunday, the Mayor and the City Council Speaker announced an agreement with Central Park horse-carriage drivers to reduce the number of horses and restrict them to Central Park, where they will eventually be housed in stables created by the city. Yet the plan has been met with widespread criticism, with pedicab drivers (whose area of operation would be restricted under the deal) protesting outside City Hall, carriage drivers vowing to fight the plan, and park advocates criticizing the use of park land to build stables for a private industry. The City Council held a lengthy and contentious hearing on the new plan on Friday, with even the carriage drivers now saying they are unhappy with the deal as written - its future is unclear.
5. Cuomo’s Ethics Package: In Albany on Tuesday, leaders from three good government groups (Citizens Union, New York Public Interest Research Group, and Common Cause) gave their evaluation of ethics proposals Governor Cuomo included in his State of the State and budget address last week. They called for follow through and pushed the governor to add budget transparency to the list. [Read: Good Government Groups Rate Cuomo's Ethics Package]
THIS WEEK’S NUMBERS:
$82.1 billion preliminary budget unveiled by Mayor de Blasio on Thursday, Gotham Gazette reports.
231 people killed in traffic crashes in 2015, down from 257 in 2014, DNAinfo reports.
95 horses will remain in Central Park under the much-debated deal between the city and the carriage-drivers union, down from about 220, the New York Times reports.
$176 million in federal funding will be given to New York City to build a new flood protection system around lower Manhattan, the New York Times reports.
$79,223 yearly pension is still being collected by former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, despite being convicted on federal corruption charges last November, the state comptroller's office confirmed Wednesday.
$5 million has been given to Governor Cuomo from contributors over the past six months, all while he continues to call for closing the “LLC loophole,” the Times Union reports.
THE GLORY AND THE GOAT:
It was a good week for Westchester County district attorney Janet DiFiore, who was unanimously confirmed as the new chief judge of the state Court of Appeals this week.
It was a bad week for Success Academy Charter Schools leader Eva Moskowitz, as the parents of 13 children have filed a lawsuit against the city’s largest charter school network, claiming Success Academy discriminated against students with disabilities and pushed some students out of the schools. it is the 22nd lawsuit filed against Success Academies, Moskowitz said Friday morning during a speech.
THE FLASH:
Around this time 232 years ago, on January 21, 1784, the state legislature met for the first time at City Hall. New York City remained the state capital until 1796, when Albany was chosen as the new capital.
Around this time 108 years ago, on January 21, 1908, New York City passed the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public places. One woman spent a day in jail for breaking the law after refusing to pay the fine. Two weeks later, Mayor George McClellan Jr. vetoed the measure.
GOTHAM GAZETTE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
'Dangerousness' Aspect of Cuomo's Bail Plan Troubles Reformers, by David Howard King
De Blasio Releases Cautious $82 Billion Preliminary Budget, by Ben Max
Once Rife with Problems, City Budget Process Now a Model for State System in Need of Reform, by David Howard King
De Blasio Calls for Albany to 'Make Right' on Program at Center of Rift with Governor, by Ben Max
Concerns of ‘Voter Fatigue’ as New York Schedules Four 2016 Election Days, by Meg O’Connor
Grocery Worker Bill Provokes Rare Level of Council Dissent, by Ben Max
Good Government Groups Rate Cuomo's Ethics Package, by David Howard King
What to Watch for as City Budget Season Begins, by Samar Khurshid
Overdue DOE Capital Plan To Be Released, by Samar Khurshid
Cuomo’s Preparatory Commission Should Prioritize Fixing ConCon Process, by J.H. Snider (opinion)
New York's Education Policy in Historic Disarray, by Bruce W. Deartsyne (opinion)
The Wisdom of Primaries, by Theodore Hamm (opinion)
DOE Language Access Expansion Builds Bridges to City Families, by Steven Choi (opinion)
Move Martin Luther King Day to November, by John Martin (opinion)
Stand Against Racism, Protect Asian-American Women's Health, by Margaret Chin and Miriam Yeung (opinion)
MORE FOR THE WEEKEND:
On the anniversary of Citizens United, Senator Liz Krueger and Anthony Cresswell, an organizer with the New York for Democracy Coalition, appeared on the Capitol Pressroom on WCNY to make the case for a constitutional amendment that would overturn Citizens United and related cases.
Continuing the conversation on the rising number of reported rapes in New York City and what the city can do to prevent sexual assault, Kathleen Basile of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control appeared on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC to discuss the “buddy system” and other, more effective methods of assault prevention.
First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris and City Budget Director Dean Fuleihan spoke about Mayor de Blasio’s $82.1 billion budget proposal with Errol Louis on NY1’s Inside City Hall.
***
NOTE TO READERS: we hope you enjoy this new Gotham Gazette weekly feature - please share it if you do; on Twitter, use our handle @GothamGazette.
If you have feedback on this feature for us, you can email editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Watch Sunday evening for our latest Week Ahead in New York Politics, which gives you a preview of key issues and events to be aware of for the week about to start. In the meantime, catch up on the latest original reporting from Gotham Gazette here. And have a great weekend!
***
by Meg O'Connor and Ben Max
De Blasio presents his budget (Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office)
New York City's fiscal year begins July 1. As the city moves toward a fiscal year 2017 budget agreement between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council by June 30, the mayor began the process on Thursday when he unveiled his preliminary budget, which comes in at $82.1 billion.
De Blasio didn't outline any major new initiatives, instead focusing on fiscal discipline, building reserves, and making "targeted investments," including in major areas the city has already announced new programs and significant monetary investment.
De Blasio took pains to stress the need for caution given some larger economic warning signs and an inevitable slowdown of a what has been a bullish economy yielding strong job gains and massive overall revenues for the city. Still, the budget has grown by more than 10 percent since de Blasio took office - in no small part due, though, to the fact that the mayor came into office with none of the municipal unions under current contracts and has negotiated about 94 percent of the workforce into deals.
De Blasio admitted it was a relatively "boring" budget, but said "it's a good boring," explaining that "a lot of what we're focused on is moving the agenda we started in the first two years: the affordable housing plan, the Equity and Excellence agenda for our schools...the neighborhood policing plan – I mean, we don't need to always have splashy new things when we feel that the choices we've made are going to have a huge impact if we implement them right. So this year's going to be a lot about implementing the pieces that are already underway and making sure they reach people – Vision Zero, obviously."
While saying the administration is adding funds to back his ongoing housing, education, and other equity-focused initiatives, de Blasio also highlighted new spending "such as $12.1 million in expense funds for 327 new Traffic Enforcement Agents that will improve traffic flow and safety, and $868 million in capital to reduce school overcrowding through 11,800 new seats."
The city is adding money to fund an increase in the minimum wage for city employees, its increasing homelessness-fighting efforts, the new mental health roadmap that First Lady Chirlane McCray is spearheading, and additional school literacy coaches, park security agents, and correction officers.
De Blasio explained that along with several hundred million dollars in added spending, the budget shows $1 billion in savings, including about $400 million from debt consolidation and $500 million from agency cuts.
Still, de Blasio said he's strongly considering instituting a PEG - program to eliminate the gap - for his Executive Budget, which would require all his agencies to identify potential savings of a set amount, followed by the mayor deciding what to cut. About half the City Council recently recommended that the mayor use a PEG, which he has eschewed thus far over his three years, but was a mainstay of prior mayors.
"We think $5 billion is a very healthy number given a typical – if you'll forgive the phrase – a typical economic downturn," de Blasio said of what the city now has in reserves, which he said is an unprecedented number. "They're the most substantial reserves the city has ever had."
The city could need more than $5 billion, though, if there is a significant economic downturn. The mayor said he's "going to be looking at the Executive Budget in terms of the question of agency savings" through a PEG.
Of the mayor's budget, the president of the Citizens Budget Commission, Carol Kellermann, said in a statement to Gotham Gazette, "It raises spending without significant offsetting savings and/or increases in reserves. The Mayor acknowledged and warned of the risks to the budget in the event of a downturn and said that there will be a serious effort at agency savings between now and the Executive Budget. We look forward to hearing about the results of that effort."
De Blasio argued that he was striking the right balance. "You know, the trick here is we have to protect against future dangers while continuing to build our economy," he said, "and obviously addressing the quality of life and the needs of New Yorkers. When we build our economy, that brings in revenue."
"I'm a lot more concerned than I was this time a year ago," de Blasio said about economic risks, even though he had expressed fairly strong concerns last year, citing the potential effects of terrorism, a slowdown of the Chinese economy and the U.S. stock market, and more.
Some of where the city heads in its process will of course be dictated by the state budget - which is due by April 1. Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his Executive Budget last week, including several items pleasing to de Blasio and many New York City leaders and advocates, but also a few key potentially costly provisions.
Those possible cuts include to the funding the state sends back to the city for CUNY and Medicaid payments. Gov. Cuomo has indicated that his plans on those two fronts "won't cost the city a penny" and that he was putting ideas forward to collaborate on finding efficiencies in these two cases where the city and state run the programs together.
"I'm not saying we don't have to worry about it," de Basio told reporters of the possible cuts in state aid to the two programs. "I'm saying I am taking the governor at his word, and I will hold him to that word...He said he wants to find collaborative process to find reforms and savings."
De Blasio heads to Albany on Tuesday, where he will testify at a joint legislative budget hearing of Senate and Assembly finance committee members.
Soon, the City Council begins several weeks of preliminary budget hearings, leading up to its official response, which will come in an April letter. Other watchdogs, both in and outside of government, will weigh in throughout the process - including Comptroller Scott Stringer, who will release his preliminary budget analysis within the next few weeks.
The mayor will take into account these and other factors, and release his Executive Budget in late April or early May, leading to another round of City Council budget hearings, negotiations, and a deal.
***
by Ben Max, Gotham Gazette
@tweetBenMax