New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
Mayor Bill de Blasio had a busy weekend, speaking at several events on Saturday and Sunday, wearing governmental and campaign hats at different times. De Blasio will hold City Hall in Your Borough this week in Manhattan, with many top administration personnel working out of an upper Manhattan space at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. This will be de Blasio’s fourth City Hall in Your Borough week, with only Brooklyn still left. Several events have already been announced, while others will become apparent day by day when advisories are made public -- see below for some details, including two evening town halls and a constituent resource fair.
Governor Andrew Cuomo continued his recent focus on storm devastation in the Caribbean this weekend. The governor toured Puerto Rico after having previously gone to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Cuomo held several briefings about the Puerto Rico crisis and made an announcement about New York aid on Sunday in Manhattan, with celebrities and other partners. De Blasio also coordinated a city response to the devastation in Puerto Rico, sending city personnel to assist both before and after the island was hit by Hurricane Maria, along with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who is from Puerto Rico.
Along with continued storm response efforts and the northern Manhattan-based City Hall in Your Borough programming, is is a very busy week in New York politics. See below for a full day-by-day rundown, including a variety of City Council hearings and much more.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
At the City Council on Monday:
--The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet at 9:30 a.m.
--The Committee on Transportation will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing on “taxi medallion values,” and to discuss a proposed law “to create a task force to study taxicab medallion values.”
--The Committee on Environmental Protection will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss proposed laws relating to “public access to noise mitigation plans” and “responses to noise complaints,” as well as to discuss a resolution “calling on the United States Congress to pass and the President to sign legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce the threshold for what constitutes a significant noise impact.”
--The Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions will meet at 1 p.m.
De Blasio will begin City Hall in Your Borough Manhattan week with three public events: he'll appear live on The Danny Jones Show on 580 AM at 9:15 a.m. At 10 a.m., "the Mayor will hold a photo spray before a cabinet meeting." And at 1 p.m., "the Mayor will make an announcement regarding the City parks system" at Joseph Sauer Park.
The de Blasio administration has other events happening to start Manhattan week: At 10 a.m. "Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Srinivasan, New York Landmarks Foundation Chair Davis, Senator Benjamin, Council Member Perkins and community groups will unveil the Mount Morris Park Historic District Marker, commemorating the history of a neighborhood that was home to a number of prominent black residents." At 120th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. "After, Social Services Commissioner Banks and Acting Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs Mostofi will visit a legal clinic, where providers from Catholic Charities will be taking appointments from Dreamers ahead of the October 5 renewal deadline." "The Department of Consumer Affairs, Mayor's Office of International Affairs, and Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs table at the Colombian Consulate to distribute information to immigrants about rights and City resources." At 1 p.m., "Commissioner for the Aging Corrado will host motion activity event and informational for Falls Prevention Awareness Day." At 2:15 p.m., "Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships Director Fialkoff, Mayor’s Fund Executive Director Bloch, and NYC Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity Director Klein will visit one of the 15 community-based organizations integrating the Connections to Care model for mental health supports into their work." And at 2:30 p.m., "Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio, Social Services Commissioner Banks and Mayor’s Food Policy Office Director Turk host a press conference about the success of La Puerta Estrecha’s Washington Heights food pantry as part of the NYC Food Assistance Collaborative program to increase food assistance by 10 million pounds a year in 12 high-need neighborhoods."
At 8:30 a.m. Monday, the Board of New York City School Support Services will hold a public meeting at 321 West 44th St.
At 9 a.m. Monday, schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will deliver a keynote address at the NY State School Board Association Leadership Summit in Saratoga Springs. At 6 p.m., she will attend a receivership hearing at August Martin High School in Queens.
On Monday morning at Criminal Court in Manhattan, “Reform Party mayoral candidate Sal Albanese will act as Reform Party Chairman Curtis Sliwa’s attorney...as Sliwa must answer a desk appearance ticket in New York Criminal Court for his arrest in July as he tried to personally serve Mayor de Blasio with legal papers at Gracie Mansion. Sliwa was serving the papers in response to efforts by Mayor de Blasio and others to have Albanese thrown off the ballot.”
At 10:30 a.m. Monday, Governor Cuomo will deliver remarks at the Business Council of New York State's Annual Meeting in Bolton Landing.
“On Monday, September 25, 2017 at 11:00 am in front of the proposed Riverside Galleria project near the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Valley Road, Borough President James S. Oddo will discuss the latest example of a project that does not comply with General City Law 36, and why this could have a major impact on traffic along the Arthur Kill Road corridor and end his support for the project.”
On Monday at 11 a.m. “Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, U.S. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, NY State Senator Marisol Alcantara, NY State Assembly Member Carmen de la Rosa, and Fidel F. Del Valle, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge of the NYC Office of Administrative Trials & Hearings (OATH) will hold a press conference to announce an upcoming educational event for Upper Manhattan residents and business owners which will focus on how to respond to summonses from regulatory and law enforcement agencies in New York City.” Both the press conference and the educational event they are announcing will take place at the YM&YWHA ("the Y") of Washington Heights & Inwood, with the educational event Tuesday from 6-8 p.m.
On Monday at 1 p.m. at City Hall, ""Puerto Rican activists, members of Hedge Clippers and elected officials are calling on a moratorium to debt payments to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority known as PREPA after the devastation left by Hurricane Maria. Members of the community in NY are asking that the safety of Puerto Ricans be put before any payments to creditors." Participants will include State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Hector Figueroa, president of 32BJ Service Employees International Union.
At 5 p.m. Monday, NYC Indivisible will hold a “Rally to Save the ACA,” joining Indivisible groups nationwide to urge the senate to vote against the newest effort in congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Citizens Union and the New York Law School will host a panel discussion on the New York Constitutional Convention, “Process and Possibilities.” The panelists will include Art Chang, of the Sanctuary State Project; Danielle DeMatteo, of Forward March NY; Ross Sandler, of the New York Law School; and Brandon West, of New Kings Democrats.
Tuesday
Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day. Agencies and advocacy groups will be holding voter registration drives throughout the city.
NYC Votes will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. with YMCA to announce “a full roster of events in partnership with the YMCA of Greater New York and other organizations to celebrate National Voter Registration Day (NVRD)...Other organizations joining these efforts include the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Human Resources Administration, the New York Public Interest Research Group, Dominicanos USA, the League of Women Voters of New York City and the City University of New York.” The press conference will occur at the McBurney YMCA, 125 West 14th Street.
At the City Council on Tuesday:
--The Committee on Contracts will meet at 9:30 a.m. to discuss a proposed law “requiring city agencies to accept procurement invoices electronically.”
--The Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss a proposed law relating to “notice of the recording of certain real estate instruments,” as well as a resolution “calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation to require all real property conveyances to be memorialized by a deed recorded in the office of the clerk of the county where such real property is situated.”
--The Committee on Health will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing on “The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Compliance with Local Law 37: Pesticide Use by City Agencies.” The committee will also discuss a resolution “recognizing September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in New York City,” and several proposed laws relating to regulation of “non-tobacco smoking products” and on “the use of pesticides by city agencies.”
--The Committee on Land Use will meet at 11 a.m.
--The Committee on Recovery and Resiliency will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing on “Build It Back Enrollment.”
--The Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing on “High Rise Fires And What New York City Can Learn From the London Tragedy.”
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, City & State will host “Achieving 30% Aspirational MWBE Goals” at the NYU Kimmel Center. City & State editor in chief Jon Lentz will moderate a panel consisting of Jonnel Doris, Director of the Mayor’s Office of MWBE; Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department Small Business Services; Council Member Robert Cornegy; Wendy Garcia, Chief Diversity Officer for the Comptroller’s Office; and Charles E. Williams III, a partner at Peckar & Abramson.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the Senate Standing Committee on Consumer Protection will meet in Albany “to investigate how best to protect consumers, such as seniors and internet users, from the theft of their personal information” in the wake of the Equifax breach.
At noon Tuesday, Crain’s will host its 2017 “50 Most Powerful Women in New York” luncheon at Cipriani 42nd St. Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen will deliver opening remarks. Afterward, there will be a panel consisting of Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the Governor; Cathy Engelbert, CEO of Deloitte US; Dr. Laura Forese, Executive Vice President and COO of New York Presbyterian; and Sheena Wright, President and CEO of United Way of NYC.
At 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Assembly Standing Committee on Labor will meet in Albany “to examine New York State’s Workers’ Compensation Permanency Impairment Guidelines.”
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, City Council Member Donovan Richards will join the Association for a Better New York for its “What’s on Tap” series at District Social in Midtown.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Manhattan College will host a debate on whether to hold a constitutional convention. The debate will be between Arthur Schwartz, an election law attorney who supports the convention, and John O’Malley, the legislation director for CWA and who opposes the convention.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Mayor de Blasio will hold a town hall meeting at the High School of Art and Design in East Midtown with City Council Member Dan Garodnick, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, State Senator Liz Krueger, and Assemblymember Dan Quart.
Wednesday
The full City Council will hold a stated meeting at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, prefaced by a press conference by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
Also at the City Council on Wednesday: the Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss resolutions “approving the new designation and changes in the designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the Expense Budget,” and concerning the “increase in the annual expenditure” for several business improvement districts and the logistics of hearings for proposed laws increasing annual expenditures for these BIDs.
At 11 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall, "Council Member Constantinides, joined in support by health and environmental advocacy organizations, announces the introduction of his legislative package to raise awareness of asthma. The bills raise awareness of asthma prevalence through annual reports, as well as increase availability of treatment for children with asthma."
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the MTA will hold a public board meeting.
At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mayor de Blasio and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will host a resource fair at the Malcolm X Center in Harlem as part of its Upper Manhattan installment of City Hall in your Borough. From 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., “Top representatives from City Hall, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs, the Department of Transportation, Department of Finance, NYPD, Economic Development Corporation, Department of Education, Department of Health, Small Business Services, Department of Parks and Recreation, among others, will be available to answer Manhattan residents’ questions.”
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Panel for Educational Policy will hold a public meeting at the High School for Fashion Industries in Chelsea.
Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:
--The Committees on Youth Services and General Welfare will meet jointly at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing on “safe and accessible shelters for homeless youth” and to discuss several proposed laws relating to homeless services for “runaway and homeless youth.”
--The Committee on Civil Rights will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing “examining the rise in discriminatory harassment claims received by the Commission on Human Rights.”
--The Committee on Governmental Operations will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “Agency Responses to Failures to Pay Civil Penalties: The Implementation of Local Law 47 of 2016.”
At 8 a.m. Thursday, City & State will host “On Sustainability” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. The event will “gather leaders in sustainability, energy, government, advocacy and business to discuss the green initiatives in New York, reducing the carbon footprint, water resiliency and protection, zero food waste and more.” Editor-in-chief Jon Lentz will moderate a “keynote commissioners panel” consisting of Rick Chandler, of the Department of Buildings; Kathryn Garcia, of the Department of Sanitation; and Vincent Sapienza, of the Department of Environmental Protection. Several other panels consisting of government officials, advocates, and business leaders will convene throughout the day.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, Crain’s will hold a “Business Breakfast Forum” with Marisa Lago, Chair of the City Planning Commission and Director of the Department of City Planning, for a conversation on “the city’s controversial rezonings, including Midtown East, industrial districts, affordable-housing mandates and why neighborhood planning is more than just zoning.” Erik Engquist of Crain’s and David Levitt of Bloomberg will moderate.
At 8:15 a.m. Thursday, the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School will host Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg on the “New York City Department of Transportation Strategic Plan 2016,” at 185 West Broadway, as part of its CityLaw Breakfast Series.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, the Campaign Finance Board will hold a public meeting.
At 11 am. Thursday, the Assembly Standing Committees on Health, Social Services, and Aging will hold a joint hearing in Syracuse to “examine the safety and quality of residential units and public spaces in residential adult care facilities.”
At 1:15 p.m. Thursday, the New York City Bar Association will host “Alternatives to Incarceration Programs in Manhattan Supreme and Criminal Court,” a panel discussion with Manhattan Supreme Court judges Juan Merchan and Patricia Nunez; Nicole Ortsman-Dauer, Chief of the Alternatives to Incarceration Unit in the Manhattan DA’s office; Shanti Narra, of the Manhattan Legal Aid Society; and Miriam Popper, of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Members Carlos Menchaca and Julissa Ferreras-Copeland will host a celebration of Mexican Independence Day in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, Mayor de Blasio will host a town hall meeting at the Johnson Community Center in East Harlem with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, State Senators Brian Benjamin and Jose M. Serrano, and Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez.
Friday and the weekend
At 6:30 p.m. Friday, the Gotham Center will host “A Tale of Two New Yorks: The Bloomberg and de Blasio Years” at the CUNY Graduate Center. City Limits’ Jarrett Murphy will talk to Chris McNickle, author of “Bloomberg: A Billionaire’s Ambition,” and Joseph Viteritti, author of “The Pragmatist: Bill de Blasio’s Quest to Save the Soul of New York,” about the city’s history and trajectory under the current and previous mayor.
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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
