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What to watch for this week in New York politics:
This week we’re still assessing the outcomes of last week’s primary elections, while also kicking into full gear with the general election that is upon us, though it has far fewer competitive or interesting races.
It’s also a busy week at the City Council, where current Council members who won their primaries will no doubt have more bounce in their steps knowing they are good for another four years. Virtually all of the incumbents running for reelection either weren’t being challenged at all or won their primaries. The only exception might be Council Member Margaret Chin, whose race is too close to call.
The United Nations General Assembly will be in session this week, which will inevitably cause gridlock in parts of Manhattan. President Donald Trump will be in town for the General Assembly and meetings with foreign leaders. Trump is due to arrive in the city on Sunday and stay for most of the week. Expect protests.
Meanwhile, on Monday Mayor de Blasio will deliver the keynote address at C40 Talks, an event hosted by the C40 network of cities fighting climate change. He'll also be hosting and speaking at the “Global Mayors Summit” to discuss refugee policy and will later appear at a Local 3 union rally in Foley Square.
The Jewish High Holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins Wednesday at sundown, slowing things down in terms of political activity as annually happens. But, there are a number of events to be aware of - see our day-by-day rundown below.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At the City Council on Monday:
--The Committee on Transportation will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss proposed laws relating to new regulations regarding sidewalks and curbs
--The Committees on Parks & Recreation and Waterfronts will meet jointly at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “the role of the Parks Department in regulating recreational waterfront access.”
--The Committee on Courts and Legal Services will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “New York’s integrated domestic violence courts.”
--The Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “getting to zero waste by 2030,” as well as to discuss a proposed law with the aim of achieving that goal.
At 11:30 a.m. Monday, Make the Road NY, the New York Immigration Coalition, and 32BJ SEIU will hold a rally at the Dag Hammarskjold Tower, one block from the UN, to demand that the Trump administration extend Temporary Protected Status for individuals unable to return to their home countries.
At 11:50 a.m. Monday, Mayor de Blasio will kick off climate week by delivering the keynote address at "C40 Talks: How Mayors Are Getting the Job Done," hosted at the New York Times Building by C40, "a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change."
At noon Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will hold a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall to announce the winner of his “$1 million smart gun design competition,” which aims to reduce gun violence deaths.
At 2 p.m. Monday, Mayor de Blasio will host and deliver the keynote address at “the first-ever Global Mayors Summit on migration and refugee policy and practice.” Mayors from around the world will converge on the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan to discuss issues surrounding refugee and migration policy as the UN General Assembly takes place.
On Monday beginning at 3 p.m. in Manhattan's Cadman Plaza, "Governor Cuomo, and national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will join thousands of union members in support of IBEW Local 3 against Charter Communications/Spectrum in their fight for a fair contract. More than 1800 members of IBEW Local 3 are entering their sixth month of a strike against corporate greed." Ralliers will then "march across the Brooklyn Bridge in a show of solidarity." Mayor de Blasio is scheduled to address the Local 3 workers at Chambers Street and Centre Street at approximately 3:50 p.m., after which he will head to Foley Square to deliver remarks at the Local 3 rally.
At 4 p.m. Monday, Comptroller Scott Stringer will host a "United Nations Climate Week Investor Panel and Reception" at the Banque Nationale de Paris Innovation Lab. At 5 p.m., Stringer will deliver remarks at the IBEW Local 3 demonstration at Foley Square.
At 5:30 p.m. Monday, the Campaign Finance Board’s Voter Assistance Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting at the CFB’s headquarters in the Financial District. Voters are welcome to testify about their primary day voting experiences.
Tuesday
The Joint Commission on Public Ethics will meet on Tuesday in Albany.
At 7 a.m. Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio will appear on MSNBC's Morning Joe. At 8 p.m., the mayor "will sign Int. 1688, establishing New York City’s Office of Nightlife" at House of Yes in Brooklyn.
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, City & State will host “Protecting New York’s Water Supply” at New York Law School. The forum aims to “educate New Yorkers and policymakers on how to protect New York’s water from Legionnaires Disease and other health risks and how to preserve superior quality water supply.” Panelists include City Council Member Dan Garodnick; John Letson, vice president of plant operations at Sloan Kettering; and Brad Considine, director of strategic planning at the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease.
At 9 a.m. Tuesday at The New School, "The Center for an Urban Future will hold a high-level symposium...Assessing NYC’s Plan to Create 100,000 Good Jobs...The symposium will include keynote remarks from Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, and a panel discussion featuring: Dan Garodnick, Member, NYC City Council & Chair, Economic Development Committee; Kevin P. Ryan, Chairman & Founder, MongoDB, Zola, Workframe and NoMad Health; former Chairman of BusinessInsider and GILT; Marlene Cintron, President, Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation; Seth Pinsky, Executive Vice President, RXR; former President of NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC); Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director, Center for an Urban Future; Moderator: Winston Fisher, Partner, Fisher Brothers; Co-Chair of the NYC Regional Economic Development Council."
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat will hold a “Moment of Truth forum” on “where America stands on immigration, discussing the future of immigration reform in the wake of the Trump administration’s announcement that it would end DACA. The event will take place at the Hispanic Federation Headquarters in the Financial District. Espaillat will be joined by fellow New York City Reps. Yvette Clarke and Nydia Velazquez, as well as Reps. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Raul Grijalva of Arizona. Public Advocate Letitia James and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will both also speak.
There will be a public City Planning Commission hearing Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. at the municipal building on the Bedford Union Armory development project and environmental impact statement, as part of the ULURP process.
At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, schools "Chancellor Fariña will attend a ribbon cutting and deliver brief remarks at PS 201 to unveil the school’s new STEAM Lab and Broadcast Studio." At 11 a.m., Fariña "will join First Lady McCray to announce unprecedented commitment to support LGBT youth in New York City," at the LGBT Center in Manhattan. "In the evening, Fariña will attend a town hall meeting of District 27’s Community Education Council."
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals will hold a public hearing at 250 Broadway.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the Assembly Standing Committees on Aging, Social Services, and Health will meet at 250 Broadway in New York for a public hearing to examine the safety and quality of residential units and public spaces in residential adult care facilities, commonly known as adult homes, including: enforcement of health and safety standards; privacy of residents; and residents’ access to supportive and social services, health care, meals, and transportation.”
At noon Tuesday, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will attend a rally in support of the federal DREAM Act with Latino members of Congress and immigrant New Yorkers, at Trump Tower.
"Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will make an announcement on the opioid epidemic" on Tuesday at noon at 120 Broadway.
At noon Tuesday, Comptroller Scott Stringer will tour local businesses with the Bayside Village Business Improvement District in Queens.
At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Board of Elections will hold a commissioners’ meeting.
On Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. in the Bronx, ""Council Member Cohen and Assemblyman Gjonaj will stand with community leaders and concerned parents to protest the proposed single men’s homeless shelter at Sam’s Carpet on Webster Avenue in Norwood. The proposed site is directly across from P.S. 20. The community is gathering to voice their frustration with the placement of the shelter and lack of community involvement in choosing the site."
At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara will sit down with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer for a discussion on “Public Corruption and the Rule of Law” at CUNY Law School. 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout will deliver opening remarks.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council member Ben Kallos will hold a town hall meeting at Sloan Kettering Hospital.
On Tuesday at 6 p.m., State Senator Velmanette Montgomery is hosting a town hall meeting on the Constitutional Convention at Business Outreach Center, 85 S. Oxford Street, in Brooklyn. Public Advocate Letitia James will speak.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Teens Take Charge will host its second “Education Roundtable” at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, engaging students on issues of education policy in conversations with elected officials and educators. Panelists will include Assemblymembers Michael Blake and Carmen de la Rosa, State Senator Brian Benjamin, City Council member Brad Lander, DOE COO Ursulina Ramirez, Young Men’s Initiative deputy director Ifeoma Ike, and District 8 superintendent Karen Ames.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City & State will host its final stop on its borough series, on Staten Island, honoring 25 individuals “who live or work in Staten Island in five key sectors.” The event will take place at Staten Island’s Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield. Republican mayoral nominee Nicole Malliotakis and Staten Island Borough President Jimmy Oddo will give remarks.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Assemblymember Victor Pichardo will host a Know Your Rights forum at the Davidson Community Center in Morris Heights in the Bronx.
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
--The Committee on Juvenile Justice will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “violence in New York City Secure Detention Facilities.”
--The Committee on Aging will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss several proposed laws. They relate to “providing assistance to seniors with bed bugs in their homes,” “requiring the department for the aging to provide certain information to households with users of life-sustaining equipment and individuals with a medical hardship,” “establishing a temporary task force on post-incarceration reentry for older adults,” and “an interagency program coordinator for the aging.”
--The Committee on Education will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “adult education programs and adult literacy,” as well as to discuss a proposed law relating to “requiring the mayor’s office of operations to report on adult literacy programs offered by the city or pursuant to a contract with the city.”
--The Committee on Cultural Affairs will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding a “Comprehensive Cultural Plan.”
--The Committee on Technology will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding the “Annual Open Data Plan” as well as to discuss a proposed law relating to “amending open data standards.”
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the City Planning Commission will hold a public meeting at Spector Hall.
Thursday
At 1 p.m. Thursday, Families United for Racial & Economic Equality (FUREE) will hold a “Protect Public Housing Rally” in front of NYCHA headquarters at 250 Broadway.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the NYC Climate Action Alliance, in tandem with the New York City Bar Association and the New York League of Conservation Voters, will hold a panel discussion on the city’s 80x50 initiative, to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, at Fordham University’s McNally Amphitheatre at Lincoln Center. Speakers include Mark Chambers, of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability; Marcia Bystryn, of the NYLCV; Peggy Shepard, of WE ACT; Amy Turner, of the NYC Climate Action Alliance; and Richard Yancey, of Building Energy Exchange.
Friday and the weekend
From Sunday until Tuesday, the Business Council of New York State will hold its 2017 Annual Meeting at the Sagamore Resort at Lake George.
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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).
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by Ben Brachfeld and Ben Max
@GothamGazette
