New York City Hall
What to watch for this week in New York politics:
This week after the election does not look like it will be too quiet, though Mayor Bill de Blasio will be away on a family vacation in Connecticut all week, Monday through Friday. Still, there is a lot going on, including the ongoing attempts to fight a Republican effort to overhaul the federal tax code that has many in New York very concerned; two City Council speaker candidates forums (Monday and Tuesday); and a variety of City Council hearings, as well as a "stated meeting" of the full Council at which bills are passed and new bills introduced. One bill likely to move through committee and the full Council this week would allow online voter registration in New York City.
On Sunday at City Hall, de Blasio, Senators Kirsten Gillebrand and Charles Schumer, and many others rallied against the GOP tax plan, which would drastically reduce corporate taxes as well as federal deductions people can take for their local and state taxes. Since New York is a high-tax state, New Yorkers no longer able to deduct their local and state taxes from their federal taxes would significantly add to New Yorkers' tax bills. Some Republicans, including in New York, are against the plan, and GOP members of Congress who are undecided are being lobbied from both sides.
As always, there are many events to be aware of this week - see 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?
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday
Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is in Germany on Monday and Tuesday for a climate change conference.
Governor Andrew Cuomo leaves New York on Monday for California, where he is set to hold multiple fundraisers.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul has two public events Monday: at 11 a.m. she will deliver remarks at New York University Veterans Incubator Ribbon Cutting, at Veterans Future Lab in Brooklyn; and at 6:30 p.m. she will be in Buffalo to congratulate inductees at the inaugural Business First WNY Hall of Fame Ceremony, art the Buffalo History Museum.
On Monday, schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña is Mott Haven Community High School, where she will "visit a new AP class, a Career and Technical Education class, and a recording studio at a transfer school in the Bronx."
At 10 a.m. Monday, the Assembly Standing Committees on Small Business and Economic Development will meet jointly in Albany for an oversight hearing regarding “the economic development programs that leverage state funds to translate technology advancements into viable long-term business development and economic growth.”
At 10 a.m. Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council Member Corey Johnson, and the National Supermarket Association will hold a rally at the City Hall steps to call for an end to Manhattan’s commercial rent tax.
On Monday at noon outside Governor Cuomo’s Manhattan office, “climate activists and concerned New Yorkers will form a picket line outside Governor Cuomo’s Manhattan office and call on him to halt all fracking infrastructure projects in the state, and begin a rapid transition from fossil fuel to 100 percent renewable energy....This New York City event is part of a statewide week of action to launch a major new campaign to push Governor Cuomo to move New York away from fossil fuels as fast as possible.”
At 6 p.m. Monday, the Association for a Better New York will host a panel discussion at New Lab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, exploring “policies and actions New York can do today to position itself as the most attractive and competitive place for major employers” such as Amazon, but also “beyond Amazon.” The panel will consist of Juliette Michaelson of the Regional Plan Association, Bishop Mitchell Taylor of Urban Upbound, Serkan Piantino of Spell, and Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management. The panel will open with remarks from Michael Rudin of Rudin Management Company.
At 6 p.m. Monday evening there will be a forum for City Council speaker candidates focused on "the candidates’ policy priorities, strategies to alleviate poverty in New York City, and proposals to strengthen the human services sector," and co-sponsored by FPWA, Catholic Charities, United Neighborhood Houses, UJA - Federation of NY, Human Services Council; and hosts The New School's Center for NYC Affairs and Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy. It will be moderated by Bill Ritter of ABC News.
At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Brooklyn Historical Society will host “Digital Democracy: How Technology Impacts Politics.” Matthew McGregor, who worked for Barack Obama, will discuss “how a mastery of technology, from real-time data analytics to quick draw social media, is the driving force of political campaigns today.”
At 7:15 p.m. Monday, Public Advocate Letitia James will attend the Higher Heights' "Moving to Higher Heights When #BlackWomenLead" at the Rainbow Room.
Tuesday
At the City Council on Tuesday:
--The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet at 9:30 a.m.
--The Committee on Governmental Operations will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss a proposed law relating to online voter registration. [Read: Online Voter Registration on Verge of Passage in New York City]
--The Committee on Youth Services will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “DYCD’s neighborhood development area (NDA) opportunity youth program.”
--The Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Maritime Uses will meet at 11 a.m.
--The Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions, and Concessions will meet at 1 p.m.
On Tuesday at 8 a.m. at NYU Wagner, "The Center for an Urban Future will hold a high-level symposium...Scaling Up Successful Workforce Development Programs in NYC." A "panel of experts that will analyze why so few of New York City’s most successful workforce development programs ever manage scale up and serve more New Yorkers." Panelists will be Plinio Ayala, President & CEO, Per Scholas; David Fischer, Founding Executive Director, NYC Center for Youth Employment; Angie Kamath, University Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Development, City University of New York; Abby Jo Sigal, Founding CEO, HERE to HERE; Stacy Woodruff, Director, Workforce Field Building Hub, Workforce Professionals Training Institute; and moderator Christian González-Rivera, Senior Researcher, Center for an Urban Future.
At 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, City & State will host “Front Page Roundtable Series: Real Estate” at the New York Institute of Technology, discussing urban issues of land use, zoning, planning, and development, among other things. City & State editor Jon Lentz and Real Deal reporter Kathryn Brenzel will moderate a panel consisting of Council Member David Greenfield, chair of the Land Use Committee; Council Member Jumaane Williams, Chair of the Housing and Buildings Committee; Purnima Kapur, Executive Director of the Department of City Planning; and Molly Park, Deputy Commissioner for Development at HPD.
On Tuesday, "Public Advocate Letitia James will host a tenant rally and release the 2017 Worst Landlord Watchlist. Following the rally, Public Advocate James will tour buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn on this year’s Watchlist." The rally will be at 10 a.m. at Foley Square.
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction will meet at 321 S William St in Newburgh, Orange County to “examine the issues facing communities in the wake of increased heroin abuse.”
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Senate Public Forum on Climate Change and Community Protection will meet at CUNY Law School in Long Island City, Queens to “provide an open forum for experts in the climate change community to craft the most accurate version of a comprehensive act relating to climate change and community protection.”
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Public Advocate Letitia James will join the Association for a Better New York for their “What’s On Tap” happy hour series, at the Dark Horse in the Financial District.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Make the Road NY, JustLeadershipUSA, the Working Families Party, Citizen Action, Vocal NY, and Change the NYPD will host a forum for City Council Speaker candidates focusing on “police accountability, closing Rikers, and criminal justice reform” at Columbia University’s Horace Mann Hall. Dr. Christina Greer, Fordham University political science professor, will moderate.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Riders Alliance will hold a meeting discussing “next steps in our campaign to fix the subway.”
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, City Council Member Dan Garodnick, State Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and others will host a public forum on the Reproductive Health Act, currently held up in the State Senate. The forum will take place at the CUNY Graduate Center’s Proshansky Auditorium.
Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:
--The Committee on Health will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss a proposed law relating to “the documentation of annual water tank inspections and the reporting of such inspections.”
--The Committee on Consumer Affairs will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing regarding “Enforcement of Local Law 17 of 2011 and the Regulation of Pregnancy Service Centers.”
--The Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss proposed laws relating to “the inclusion of information on registration of rent-stabilized units and housing affordability programs on real property tax bills” and to “requiring the Department of Finance to provide new homeowners with information about real property taxes and exemptions.”
--The Committee on Land Use will meet at 11 a.m.
--The Committees on Public Safety and Oversight & Investigations will meet jointly at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing “examining the office of Inspector General for the NYPD.”
At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Senate Standing Committee on Civil Service will meet at 250 Broadway in Manhattan to discuss “the denial of accidental disability applications from those who participated in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery and clean up.”
Thursday
The full City Council will meet at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be prefaced by a press conference hosted by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, the Daily News and City & State will host the “Politics of Food Conference” at the New York Institute of Technology, convening “over 250 top chefs, policy makers, innovators and leaders from diverse fields to uncover and assess the most important issues and trends affecting the nourishment of our New York.” New York State Agriculture Department Commissioner Richard Ball will deliver keynote remarks. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will sit on a panel at 10 a.m. on “nutrition and sustainability.”
At 6 p.m. Thursday, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal and State Senator Brad Hoylman will host a panel discussion on childhood sexual assault, and how “New York State can better help protect your children from harm.” The event will take place at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Friday and the weekend
No events on our radar as of Sunday night.
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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
