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What to watch for this week in New York politics:
This week begins with President Donald Trump in New York City for the 100th Veterans Day parade and many eyes watching to see what steps former Mayor Michael Bloomberg takes toward running for the Democratic nomination for president.
After much of the New York political world spent the last several days in Puerto Rico for the annual SOMOS conference, with a good deal of buzz around Bloomberg announcing new plans to explore a presidential run, this week begins with Veterans Day celebrations and commemorations, with a great deal of government business to follow. There is an MTA Board meeting this week as well as a rare state legislative hearing on the MTA, this one focused on the proposed $51.5 billion five-year MTA capital plan, which was passed by the MTA Board and awaits approval by the Capital Plan Review Board, which includes representatives of the governor, mayor, and legislative majority leaders.
The week also begins with additional attention on how the subways are being policed -- video of a churro vendor being given a summons by NYPD officers went viral over the weekend, leading to a great deal of criticism, including from a number of elected officials. The incident comes after several other recent ones captured on cell phone video that have raised questions about how the NYPD and MTA police are policing the subways and about Governor Cuomo's plan to hire 500 new MTA police officers, which Mayor de Blasio has endorsed.
De Blasio will get back into the town hall game this week, holding one in southeast Queens. This week also includes a variety of important City Council committee hearings and a full-body Council Stated Meeting, at which bills are introduced or passed. And NYCHA's federal monitor Bart Schwartz will give a public speech at the end of the week.
Those are just a few highlights, there's a lot more to be aware of -- see our day-by-day rundown below.
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The run of the week in detail:
Monday, November 11
Monday is Veterans Day. At noon, the 100th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade will kick off at Madison Square Park in Manhattan. President Trump, Mayor de Blasio, and others will speak at the opening ceremony ahead of the parade. A group called “Veterans for Impeachment” will protest Trump ahead of his remarks.
At 8 a.m. Monday, “Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray will deliver remarks at a breakfast reception in honor of Veterans Day at Gracie Mansion.” At 10:30 a.m., de Blasio “will deliver remarks at the Opening Ceremony of the Veterans Day Parade.” The mayor will march in the parade, then hold a media availability at about 12:45 p.m. In the evening, de Blasio will appear on NY1’s Inside City Hall with Errol Louis, in the 7 and 11 p.m. hours.
At 7:15 a.m. Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will appear on the PIX-11 morning news. At 5:30 p.m., Adams will appear on News 12 “Ask the BP.”
At noon at the Broadway Junction subway station in Brooklyn, “Transit riders, street vendors, progressive advocates, and elected officials will join in solidarity Monday, demanding that MTA resources not be diverted to policing from bus and subway service, and that existing enforcement efforts focus on serious crime rather than criminalizing low-income food vendors and teenagers traveling home from school.” The protest, organized by Riders Alliance and others, will feature State Senator Julia Salazar and comes after the arrest of a churro vendor over the weekend, which garnered a great deal of attention and pushback on social media, including from several high-profile elected officials. Participants will “demand an end to Governor Cuomo's plan to hire 500 new MTA police officers and harsh policing practices targeting low-income food vendors.”
Tuesday, November 12
At 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will appear on Fox 5 Good Day New York.
At 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, MTA Board committee meetings will begin.
At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will speak at Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center's 2019 Pitch Event. At 11 a.m., Adams will speak at Center for New York City Neighborhoods' press conference on protecting homeowners, at Kings County Court. At 11:30 a.m., Adams will host a press conference with the Anti-Defamation League to announce a new anti-hate initiative, at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the NYC Board of Correction will hold its next public meeting at 125 Worth Street.
At 9:10 a.m. Tuesday, "Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the Flight 587 18th Annual Memorial Service." At 1 p.m., "the Mayor will deliver remarks at the US Coast Guard Fast Response Cutter Naming Ceremony to honor Port Security Specialist Second Class and NYPD Officer Vincent Danz and Machinery Technician First Class and FDNY Firefighter Jeffrey Palazzo, who died in the line of duty on 9/11." And at 2:15 p.m., "the Mayor will deliver remarks at the opening of the permanent Dr. Sun Yat-sen monument" in Columbus Park.
At 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, schools Chancellor Richard Carranza will visit a dual-language Mandarin program at PS 163 Flushing Heights in Queens.
At the City Council on Tuesday:
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Parks and Recreation, the Committee on Contracts, and the Subcommittee on Capital Budget will jointly hold an oversight hearing to improve the efficiency of Parks Department capital projects.
--At 11 a.m., the Committee on Land Use will hold a hearing.
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on Technology, the Committee on Public Safety, and the Committee on Fire and Emergency Management will jointly hold an oversight hearing on New York City’s next generation 9-1-1 system.
At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, the Assembly Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, the State Senate Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, and the State Senate Standing Committee on Transportation will jointly hold a public hearing on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) 2020-24 Capital Program.
The Food Policy 2019 Pitch event where contestants create “one food policy or food initiative that would change or fix the food system in NYC” will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Hunter College. Judges will include Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams; Michael Hurwitz, GrowNYC Greenmarket Director; Kim Kessler, Assistant Commissioner, NYC DOHMH; Karen Pearl, President, God’s Love We Deliver; and Stephen Ritz, CEO, Green Bronx Machine.
Crain’s New York Business will host its Hall of Fame Luncheon at noon Tuesday. Honorees will include Daniel Doctoroff, President and CEO, Sidewalk Labs; Michael Dowling, President and Chief Executive, Northwell Health; Roger Ferguson, CEO, TIAA; William C. Rudin, CEO and co-chairman of Rudin Management Co.; Charlotte St. Martin, President, Broadway League; and Arthur Sulzberger, Chairman, The New York Times Co.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will speak at a screening of 'College Behind Bars' at the Apollo Theater. At 8 p.m., Williams will be honored at the Brooklyn Music School 110th Gala.
Wednesday, November 13
At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Fair Elections for NY coalition will hold a rally at Westchester Community College outside a meeting of a state campaign finance commission meeting to “send a clear message to leave fusion voting alone” as the commission proceeds with its work.
At the City Council on Wednesday:
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Health, the Committee on Housing and Buildings, the Committee on Public Housing, and the Committee on Education will jointly hold an oversight hearing on LeadFreeNYC and the enforcement of the city’s lead laws.
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Civil Service and Labor will hold an oversight hearing to examine automation within the city labor force.
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing to track agency cooperation with investigations and related legislation.
--At 12 p.m., the Committee on Justice Systems will hold a hearing on legislation that would require “the office of nightlife to report on multi-agency response to community hotspots operations and the mayor’s office of criminal justice to ensure reporting on inspections overseen by the office of special enforcement.”
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts will hold an oversight hearing to update on Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on Transportation will hold a hearing on legislation for the establishment of a Hart Island public travel plan.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday in Albany, the Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education and the Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation will jointly hold a public hearing on the environmental footprint of colleges and universities in New York State.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday in Manhattan, the State Senate Standing Committee on Judiciary and the Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary will jointly hold a public hearing on court consolidation.
The State Senate Standing Committee on Education and the State Senate Standing Committee on Budget and Revenues will jointly hold a public meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Seaford Middle School, Seaford, to “hear stakeholder input regarding the components of the Foundation Aid formula in relation to student, district and community needs with a goal of greater equity in school financing.”
At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the State Senate Standing Committee on Social Services, the State Senate Standing Committee on Codes, and the State Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction will jointly hold a public meeting in Spring Creek Educational Campus, Brooklyn, to examine the prevalence of youth violence. State Senator Roxanne Persaud, Chair of the Senate Social Services Committee, and colleagues will host a roundtable discussion on the matter with high-school-aged youth at the venue just before the hearing.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and New York Attorney General Letitia James will jointly host a “Justice for All” town hall meeting in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to discuss important justice and safety issues. Co-hosts also include Assemblymember Latrice Monique Walker, City Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie.
At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) will hold its monthly board meeting at the Grand Street Settlement House.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, City Council Member Adrienne Adams, in conjunction with Council Members I. Daneek Miller and Donovan Richards will co-host a town hall with Mayor Bill de Blasio at August Martin High School, Jamaica, Queens.
Thursday, November 14
At 9 a.m. Thursday, the MTA Board will meet.
At the City Council on Thursday:
--At 10:30 a.m., the Committee on Finance will hold a hearing on multiple bills.
--At 1:30 p.m., a City Council Stated Meeting will occur, prefaced by the usual pre-stated press conference led by Speaker Corey Johnson.
At 11 a.m. Thursday in Albany, the Assembly Standing Committee on Codes and the Assembly Standing Committee on Correction will jointly hold a public hearing on Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) and Pretrial Services.
State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud will host an info session with the Legal Aid Society at 6:30p.m. Thursday at P.S. 13 Roberto Clemente School in Brooklyn to discuss the new state rent regulations.
Friday, November 15
At 8:15 a.m. Friday, New York Law School will host a CityLaw Breakfast featuring Bart Schwartz, NYCHA Federal Monitor and Chairman of Guidepost Solutions, to speak about NYCHA.
At 10 a.m. Friday, Mayor de Blasio may make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show.
At 10 a.m. Friday in Albany, the Joint State Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention will hold a public hearing to “hear from stakeholders on strategies for reducing overdoses, improving individual and community health, and addressing the harmful consequences of drug use.”
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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 Max
@GothamGazette
