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What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The week begins with a holiday and Mayor Bill de Blasio flying back from Nevada, where he was campaigning on behalf of Bernie Sanders for president after endorsing the Vermont senator. After a tortured 2016 process that led to a humiliating endorsement of Hillary Clinton in that year’s Democratic primary over Sanders, de Blasio attempted his own run for president this time around, quickly bowing out of the race after

Council Member Steve Levin & Speaker Corey Johnson (photo: John McCarten/City Council)

February 12, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The City Council's Plan to Reduce Homelessness

City Council Member Stephen Levin joined the show to discuss the City Council's new report and plan to reduce homelessness in New York City. Levin, chair of the Council committee with oversight of

(photo: John McCarten/City Council)

The City Council is set to pass legislation requiring two city agencies to collaborate on a plan to ensure more older New Yorkers who are eligible for food assistance are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps.

It is one of four bills related to food access passed by the Council’s Committee on the General Welfare during a Monday hearing, just ahead of the full Council meeting on Tuesday where the legislation is expected to

Council Speaker Johnson at a food pantry (photo: John McCarten/CityCouncil)

The City Council is expected to pass a package of food policy legislation on Tuesday, central components of an agenda laid out by Speaker Corey Johnson last August to strengthen relevant governance and food policy planning, while combating inequality and waste in the food supply chain.

One bill, sponsored by Council Member Vanessa Gibson, would require the Mayor’s Office of Food Policy to develop a ten-year plan to address food access and build a sustainable

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The week begins with a great deal of attention on the shootings of two NYPD officers in separate weekend incidents in the Bronx, allegedly committed by the same assailant. Both officers, one who was sitting in an NYPD van and the other who was in an NYPD precinct house, are in stable condition (the officer shot on Saturday night was released from the hospital on Sunday).

NYPD officials and others are calling

Saving for college (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

Across every borough, neighborhood, and community in New York City, families are united behind one wish: that their children will have the access and opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Making this wish a reality, however, is more complicated.

Increasingly, current household income determines a child’s future. Nationally,...

(rendering via the Mayor's Office)

The New York City Council is crafting legislation to mandate the creation of a comprehensive plan for the city that would guide long-term decisions on land use, zoning, and investments in infrastructure. The effort is being led by Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Members Brad Lander and Antonio Reynoso.

Last year, the City Council urged the 2019 Charter Revision Commission to propose to voters an

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What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week 

The week begins with anticipation of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2020 State of the City address, likely his next-to-last as mayor, which he’ll deliver on Thursday, but much of the week will be dominated by national politics. The Iowa caucuses, the first Democratic contest of the presidential election, are on Monday; President Donald Trump will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday; and

(photo: John McCarten/City Council)

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson on Thursday released a plan that he said takes a “smarter, more strategic, holistic, long-term” approach to addressing the city’s homelessness crisis, seeking to end what he called the siloed policies of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and calling for more funding from the city and state to both help homeless individuals find permanent housing and prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place.

“This is, without exaggeration, a humanitarian crisis in the wealthiest city in

Mayor de Blasio on Rikers Island (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

In the wake of a series of damning reports showing a rise of violence and use of force in city jails -- even as the inmate population has plummeted and city government has significantly increased its spending on the Department of Correction -- lawmakers are looking at ways to address the problem, beginning with court-mandated reforms, which seem to have fallen by the wayside.

The City Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice will be holding an oversight

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What to watch for this week in New York politics:

As the week begins, the New York political world is reacting to the announcement by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. that he will not be running for Mayor in 2021. First reported by the New York Times on Sunday, Diaz Jr. said he didn’t feel that his heart was really in the early stages of the race

Thursday's rally (photo: Samar Khurshid)

About 1 million foreign-born New York City residents who have permanent residency status or are legally authorized to work in the United States could become eligible to vote in municipal elections under a new bill introduced before the New York City Council on Thursday.

Sponsored by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, a Manhattan Democrat, the bill (Intro. 1867) would extend the franchise to green card and work permit holders who can show they have lived in the five boroughs for at least 30 days. The bill is the latest

DVS Commissioner Hendon (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

At a City Council oversight hearing on Tuesday, the new commissioner of the city’s Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS), James Hendon, outlined two main priorities for the next chapter of his department’s work and its efforts to help the city’s hundreds of thousands of military veterans.

Testifying before the Council’s Committee on Veterans, Hendon, who was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in October 2019, said he is focused on internal restructuring of DVS and outreach to the

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

A very busy week in New York politics will begin with a variety of tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and be highlighted by Governor Andrew Cuomo's executive budget presentation, which he will give on Tuesday in Albany, showing how he proposes the state closes a $6.1 billion projected deficit for the fiscal year beginning April 1. Cuomo has recently received some good news related to state tax receipts and has

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week begins with continued focus on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recently-unveiled 2020 State of the State policy agenda, anticipation of Cuomo’s executive budget plan that’s due by January 21, and the ongoing debate over reforming the state’s bail reform laws passed last year.

The City Council has its first busy week of hearings this year, and the state Legislature is in session on Monday, Tuesday, and

(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

The New York City Council recently voted to ban flavored e-cigarettes. Mayor Bill de Blasio will reportedly either sign the bill or let it pass into law. The City Council also considered a bill banning menthol-flavored traditional cigarettes but did not vote on the measure.

Still, energized by their legislative victory, anti-smoking

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What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The week begins just after a very well-attended solidarity march against anti-Semitism over the Brooklyn Bridge, with participation from Governor Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Hochul, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, Attorney General James, Mayor de Blasio, and many other elected officials, Jewish leaders and leaders of other faiths, and other New Yorkers. The march was in response to a major spike in anti-Semitic hate

(photo: William Alatriste/City Council)

January 1, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: 2020 Vision - Previewing the Year Ahead in New York Politics

Jeff Mays of the New York Times, Dana Rubinstein of Politico New York, and Brendan Lyons of the Albany Times Union joined the show to preview 2020 in New York politics, with the first segment focused on New York City politics, Mayor de Blasio, and more, and the second segment

(photo: Mayoral Photography Office)

1. Will Donald Trump be removed from office? Will he win a second term as president? What will be the results of any known or unknown investigations into Trump world, from Congress to New York Attorney General Letitia James to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York or elsewhere?

2. How will Mike Bloomberg fare in the 2020 presidential race? What impact will he have on the race (even if he isn’t the Democratic nominee)?

3. Who will key New York Democratic

(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

December 25, 2019 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The Top 10 Stories of 2019 in New York Politics

The hosts break down the 10 biggest stories of 2019 in New York politics, from all-Democratic control in Albany to Mayor de Blasio's short-lived presidential campaign, from a federal monitor for NYCHA to a 'transformative' year at the MTA, Corey Johnson's quest to 'break

(photo: MTA)

There is a reason why Access-A-Ride is better known as “Stress-A-Ride” for the approximately 170,000 New Yorkers who depend on it. 

The bill for Access-A-Ride will hit $616 million this year and the MTA is seeking additional funding from the City of New York. It’s mind-boggling to think this service can cost the cash-strapped agency so much for such low-quality service. That’s why before anyone kicks in additional funding, the MTA must fundamentally transform the way it runs its paratransit program and bring it into the 21st century.

New

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Governor Andrew Cuomo launched his 2020 agenda, under the “Making Progress Happen” banner, on Sunday an initial legislative proposal that he will formally include in his January State of the State speech and policy book. Cuomo’s first plan builds on his lengthy gun control record with a proposal to prevent individuals from obtaining a New York State gun license if they have committed a crime in another state that is

(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

“To be the fairest big city, you need a fair tax system. For too long, New York City taxpayers have had to grapple with a property tax system that is too opaque, too complex, and just feels unfair,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in May 2018 after announcing the creation of a commission to examine the issue. “New Yorkers need property tax reform, and this advisory commission will put us on the road to achieve it,” he said.

When the New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform releases its

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week begins with a great deal of focus on two pieces of Albany business: the law passed earlier this year to allow undocumented immigrants access to driver's licenses is set to take effect on Saturday (December 14), though it is the subject of litigation and protest, including from some county clerks who say they won't honor the law.

Meanwhile, one week after Assembly Democrats were in the capital for

Mayor de Blasio with Census Director Julie Menin and others (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares to send out questionnaires for the decennial population count beginning in March, city officials are working to make sure that New York City residents respond en masse. On Friday, the city is announcing a list of 155 organizations that will receive some part of a $19-million funding pot to conduct outreach in hard-to-count communities and populations across the city.

The city’s Complete Count Fund makes up nearly half the $40 million