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The Week Ahead in New York Politics, August 10


New York City Hall

New York City Hall


What to watch for this week in New York politics:

LEGIONNAIRES' FALLOUT: Monday morning at City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio will hold a bill-signing ceremony, beginning at 10 a.m. (full details below), and then, around noon, "the Mayor, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and elected officials will host a press conference to introduce new legislation to reduce future risk of Legionnaires' disease, and provide an update on the containment of the outbreak," according to the mayor's public schedule.

The Legionnaires' outbreak - the worst one the city has seen in many years - seems to be abating, with no new cases diagnosed since August 3 (just over 100 people have been treated for the disease in this outbreak) and no deaths reported over the past few days (the death toll stands at ten), according to the mayor's office on Sunday evening. There is ongoing investigation, cleaning, and scrutiny over the handling of the outbreak and the response has become another touchpoint in the ongoing drama between de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo. At the end of last week, Cuomo announced he was sending state teams to do inspections and deployed his health commissioner. He refused to say that the city had been doing its job and indicated that it was necessary for the state to step in because the city was not handling the outbreak well. Federal CDC officials gave the city credit for taking all due actions. While de Blasio is introducing legislation this week, Cuomo is promising statewide regulations (Legionnaires' is not just a problem in the Bronx or in New York City).

POLLS & POLS: Meanwhile, on Sunday the mayor and the governor were both marching in the Dominican Day Parade. Before the parade, Cuomo was honored by elected officials and others: "Cuomo was honored at two Dominican Day Breakfasts in New York City before marching in the Dominican Day Parade. The Governor was presented with the Juan Pablo Duarte Award for his commitment to the Dominican community at a breakfast hosted by Senator Adriano Espaillat. The Governor also received an award for his leadership in combatting worker exploitation at a breakfast hosted by Assemblyman Guillermo Linares," according to the governor's office. Virtually all of the city's top Democrats (Cuomo, AG Schneiderman, Public Advocate Tish James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, etc.) were at Espaillat's event other than the mayor.

Last week was a busy, and tough, one for de Blasio, including announcements on action to combat violence committed by people with severe mental illness and that his Legionnaires' Disease legislation would be coming, as well as that a new FDNY labor deal had been struck, and more. There were also new poll numbers released by Quinnipiac, including on public approval of de Blasio and Cuomo, among others, with some tough numbers for the mayor. More issue-related results from the latest Quinnipiac Poll are due out Monday morning.

SPECIAL ELECTIONS: We're just a few weeks away from the special election in City Council District 23, where the September Democratic primary to replace Mark Weprin, who resigned to work for Gov. Cuomo, will all but determine the next rep for the Queens district. It's a crowded primary field and, along with the other races on the ballots of New York City voters, will kick off a packed series of voting opportunities over the next 14 months, culminating with the November 2016 presidential election. Read our full rundown here.

SPEAKING OF THE CITY COUNCIL: The New York City Council is back in action this week, with several committee hearings and the lone full-body Stated Meeting of August (on Thursday). The Council will likely be passing through new legislation aimed at preventing Legionnaires' Disease outbreaks, like the one currently occurring in the Bronx, and other legislation. [Read our look at City Council legislation on the table to regulate city airspace in terms of helicopter and drone use]

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
At 6 a.m. Monday on a press conference call, Quinnipiac Polls' Maurice Carroll will discuss the latest results, including New Yorkers opinions on Uber, bridge tolls, and Wal-mart, among other things. Keep an eye out for those poll numbers and related stories, along with more analysis of the results released last week by Quinnipiac about Mayor de Blasio and other city officials and issues.

At 9:30 Monday morning, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will speak at Black Girls Code summer camp kickoff, at Pace University. At about 11:30, Brewer will attend High School for Media and Communications mural unveiling celebration, at the George Washington Educational Campus.

At 10 a.m. at City Hall, Mayor de Blasio "will hold public hearings for and sign Intros. 849 and 235, in relation to the naming of 51 thoroughfares and public places and renaming of Court Square in Queens, amending the official map of New York; Intro. 558-A, in relation to an annual report on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards for accessible design; Intros. 89-A and 830-A, in relation to the City's Adult Protective Services program; Intro. 847-A, in relation to a study on the impact of growth in the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries; and Intro 425-A, in relation to communications resiliency...Immediately following the public hearing, the Mayor, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and elected officials will host a press conference to introduce new legislation to reduce future risk of Legionnaires' disease, and provide an update on the containment of the outbreak."

Also at 10 a.m. Monday, Public Advocate Letitia James will attend the funeral for Magnus Mukoro at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn. At about 12:15 p.m. Monday, James will speak at a "Human Trafficking Roundtable" at Queens Borough Hall.

And at 10 a.m. the Department of Consumer Affairs is hosting a public hearing and "opportunity to comment on proposed sidewalk cafe insurance rule."

At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Comptroller Stringer will distribute the first copies of the Haitian Creole Edition of the Immigrant Rights and Services Manual, at Flatbush Caton Market in Brooklyn.

At 1 p.m. Monday, "Governor Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus hold criminal justice roundtable discussion of Executive Order 147 and other community issues," according to Cuomo's public schedule. It is a closed press event, but "a media Q&A will be held following this briefing, at approximately 1:45 p.m."

At about 5:15 p.m., Cuomo and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will be honored by the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee "for their work to combat sexual assault and rape on college campuses," at the Grand Hyatt, Manhattan.

At 5:30 p.m. the Department of Education is hosting a public meeting of the contracts committee of the Panel for Educational Policy.

Tuesday
At the City Council on Tuesday:

  • The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will hold a hearing on several land use items. Please see agenda for details.
  • The Committee on Housing Buildings will hold a hearing on Introduction 145-2014 in relation to the installation of fire sprinklers in certain establishments that provide services for animals,  Introduction700-2015 in relation to required disclosures by persons making buyout offers, Introduction 757-2015 in relation to amending the definition of harassment to include certain buyout offers, and T2015-3428,  in relation to regulation of cooling towers.
  • The Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Maritime Uses will hold a hearing on several land use items. Please see agenda for details.
  • The Committee on Consumer Affairs will hold a hearing on Introduction 287-2014, in relation to price displays on all signs posted by gas stations other than signs on dispensing devices, Introduction 586-2014,  in relation to signs, posters or placards that advertise gas prices, and Introduction 682-2015, in relation to conduct in connection with offers to induce a person to vacate a dwelling unit.
  • The Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions will hold a hearing on several land use items. Please see agenda for details.

At 3 p.m. there will be a "Grow Your Small Business With Tech" workshop with speeches from Comptroller Scott Stringer and Maya Wiley, counsel to the Mayor.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a Compliance only training session for the 2017 election cycle at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. "Compliance trainings cover campaign finance laws and CFB rules. C-SMART trainings provide an overview of the CFB's web-based application, which campaigns must use to manage and disclose financial activity. The candidate, treasurer, campaign manager and any individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training."

On Tuesday evening in Manhattan, 350 NYC, the local affiliate of 350.org, an environmental group, is holding a forum on climate change and fossil fuels: "We will explore various financial strategies for how we can keep fossil fuels in the ground to prevent catastrophic climate change. Should institutions divest from fossil fuel companies? Or, should they remain invested in these companies to influence their policies as shareholder activists?" Confirmed speakers include City Council Member Helen Rosenthal; State Senator Liz Krueger, and Scott Zdrazil, Director of Strategy and Corporate Engagement, Office of New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. Many co-sponsors of the event include Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition; Sierra Club, NYC Group; and Greater NYC for Change.

On Tuesday evening in the Bronx, there will be another town hall on the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak, led by Public Advocate Letitia James and many Bronx elected officials like Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Assembly Member Michael Blake.

Wednesday
At 9:30 a.m. the Department of Consumer Affairs is hosting an open house training series on NYC paid sick leave.

At 10 a.m. the New York City Department of Probation, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City's Young Men's Initiative are sponsoring the 2015 Brooklyn Youth Anti-Violence Summit.

At 11 a.m. the City Council Committee on Land Use is meeting.

At 6 p.m. the New York League of Conservation Voters Young Professionals will be holding a happy hour event. City Council Member and Chair of Environmental Protection Committee Costa Constantinides will be a guest speaker.

The New York City Panel for Educational Policy will meet Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in Manhattan.

At 6:30 p.m. the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board will host a public board meeting.

At 7 p.m. BetaNYC will host its weekly hacknight, this time at Civic Hall and in partnership with Code for America Brigade program, Microsoft Civic and Accela.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a C-SMART only training session for the 2017 election cycle at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. "Compliance trainings cover campaign finance laws and CFB rules. C-SMART trainings provide an overview of the CFB's web-based application, which campaigns must use to manage and disclose financial activity. The candidate, treasurer, campaign manager and any individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training."

Thursday
At 9 a.m. there will be a "Capital Region Campaign School 2015" hosted by Emily's List and NYSUT, the teachers union, and open to "progressive women candidates, future candidates and campaign staff."

The next public meeting of the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be held on Thursday at 10 a.m. The meeting will be located at 100 Church Street, 12th Floor, in the CFB's Board Room in Lower Manhattan.

At 10 a.m. the City Council Committee on Finance is "approving the new designation and changes in designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the Expense Budget."

At 1:30 p.m. City Council is holding its lone August full-body Stated Meeting.

At 2 p.m. the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and American Society of News Editors are hosting a "community dialogue on pedestrian safety and traffic policy in New York City and the media's role in covering the issue."

Friday and the weekend
We're keeping an eye out for weekend events as the week begins.

***
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 Erika Wang and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

Note: this article has been corrected to remove mention of the City Council possibly passing through new mandatory inclusionary zoning rules this week. That will not be happening.



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