New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

It's hot in New York City! "With dangerously hot weather expected through Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio today urged New Yorkers to take steps to protect themselves and help others who may be at increased risk from the heat...an Air Quality Alert is in effect today through 11:00 p.m. Monday." At 11 a.m. Monday in Brooklyn, de Blasio "and members of the administration will hold a press conference at the Office of Emergency Management to discuss safety in the extreme heat."

With things between Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo a bit cooler, the heat is perhaps only rivaled by what's happening between car-hailing company Uber and the City.

Uber Politics: De Blasio and some in the City Council are advocating for a one-year cap limiting the number of new cars that can be added to the Uber fleet (and those of other similar companies), while the city studies the issue. The New York Times editorial board came out against the proposed cap (and reiterated support for the Move NY transportation plan), while de Blasio explained the rationale behind it in a Daily News op-ed. There could be a Council hearing on the bill this week (it's not scheduled as of publication, but could be added last minute, with a committee hearing on Wednesday, then committee and full Council votes on Thursday).

Mayor & Governor: Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have not spoken directly in weeks, as each has indicated as they continue to be peppered by journalists dissecting their relationship. The governor has indicated that, as usual, members of their staffs have been in touch regularly, and that the two will speak directly when necessary.

On Saturday, de Blasio was in Crown Heights with many other elected officials and city leaders for the funeral service for Reverend Clarence Norman Sr., where the mayor made remarks.

On Sunday, de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray were in Queens attending the Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival; the mayor participated in the cook-off and delivered remarks. Meanwhile, Cuomo "held the 2015 Summer Adirondack Challenge to promote summer tourism and showcase recreational opportunities in the Adirondack region...At the Adirondack Challenge, the Governor announced four vital investments to strengthen tourism in Upstate New York...the "I LOVE NY Cash and Travel" lottery ticket; $2 million for campgrounds in the Catskills and Adirondacks; a new Adirondack Park website and mobile app; and an extended, outdoors-specific I LOVE NY marketing campaign."

Monday evening, de Blasio "will depart New York City and fly to Rome, Italy to attend Pope Francis' event, "Modern Slavery and Climate Change: The Commitment of The Cities." He'll return on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the governor could be in the spotlight this week as the fast food worker wage board that he ordered the department of labor to convene is set to issue a recommendation on the minimum wage Wednesday. It appears the wage board could recommend $15 per hour and that the state labor commissioner could accept that recommendation, thus putting pressure on the legislature, especially Senate Republicans, to move the state's minimum wage to $15/hour.

Police Reform: Criminal justice reform is an essential issue for any governor and mayor, and things have been especially intense for Cuomo and de Blasio. The governor recently made a move whereby Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office will take charge of investigations of police killings of unarmed civilians. Friday was the one-year anniversary of Eric Garner's death. The mayor and other city officials participated in a memorial service on Tuesday and reform activists marched and rallied at various points throughout the week and weekend. While the mayor touts NYPD reform, including officer training, some activists say he's done little to address systemic problems. Many await the results of the federal investigation into Garner's death as well as the NYPD's review (NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton has indicated he will not be releasing the department review until the federal probe has concluded).

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 10:15 Monday on Long Island, “Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will announce a new push to ban plastic microbeads in personal care products.”

At 11 a.m. Monday at City Hall, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will make an announcement on the “Unaccompanied Minors Initiative.” At 5:30 p.m., Mark-Viverito, Council Member Daneek Miller, and other Council Members will host an Eid ul-Fitr celebration for the end of Ramadan.

Also at 11 a.m., “Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will join The Bronx Dominican Parade Committee Directors Felipe Febles and Rosa Ayala to officially announce the celebrations and events that will lead up to the 26th Annual Gran Parada Dominicana de El Bronx  (Bronx Dominican Day Parade). The parade “will take place on Sunday, July 26th, along the Grand Concourse from East Tremont to East 166th Street.”

Monday signals a busier week for the City Council than we’ve seen yet in July - leading to the lone July Stated Meeting on Thursday. Monday’s Council schedule:

• At 9:30 a.m. the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet on six land use applications - all sponsored by Council Member David Greenfield.
• At 11 a.m. the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses will examine a land use application on the Bank of the Manhattan Company Building.
• At 12 p.m. the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency will meet on an introduction that would require the New York City Climate Change Adaptation Task Force to “consider the potential impact of climate change on public and private telecommunications infrastructure.”
• At 1 p.m. the Subcommittee on Planning, Disposition and Concessions will meet on three different land use applications for Aerospace Metals and the Acacia Gardens.

City Council Member Corey Johnson and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are hosting “Rat Academy...a free training on safe and effective methods for rat prevention in your building and neighborhood,” 6 p.m. at Hudson Guild's Elliot Center.

At 6 p.m. Monday there will be a forum hosted by the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office on Mitchell-Lama housing. Updates will be delivered by Mitchell-Lamas staff followed by small group discussions.

At 6:30 p.m. a special “police accountability working group” meeting hosted by Brooklyn Movement Center to train community members in “Cop Watch” and “Know Your Rights.” This event is also sponsored by Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and People’s Justice Cop Watch Alliance.

As mentioned, Mayor de Blasio leaves Monday evening for Rome. He will visit the Vatican for an event, “Modern Slavery and Climate Change: The Commitment of The Cities,” at which he will be giving a speech on OneNYC and joining other Mayors for an audience with the Pope. Mayor de Blasio will be returning on Wednesday, July 22.

Tuesday
According to NY1's Zack Fink, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie will embark Tuesday on a tour of Central New York. Heastie will reportedly visit Syracuse, Watertown, Utica and Madison County over the course of the week.

Starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday there will be a “symposium on innovative procurement” hosted by Civic Hall. Minerva Tantoco, New York City’s Chief Technology Officer and Bryan Sivak, former-CTO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be among those attending the event at Civic Hall.

Tuesday at the City Council: at 11 a.m. the Committee on Land Use will meet at City Hall.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a compliance 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 or other individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training.”

At 6 p.m. there will be a forum on the Lower East Side hosted by the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office as part of the “Community-Police Dialogues” series. There will be an opportunity for group discussion. 

Wednesday
At 8 a.m. City & State NY will host “New York Moves: Transportation Conference,” a discussion on all different forms of transportation in New York and “where the biggest investments will be made.” Anthony R. Foxx, the United States Secretary of Transportation; Council Members Brad Lander, Ydanis Rodriguez; Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation and Elizabeth M. McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are a few of the speakers.

Starting at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, "American Elections at the Crossroads: How do we restore voters' faith in elections and get them back to the polls?" featuring keynote remarks by Ann Ravel, chair of the Federal Election Commission, and co-hosted by Brennan Center for Justice, the New York City Campaign Finance Board, and the Committee for Economic Development. Other speakers will include Rose Gill Hearn, Chair of the New York City Campaign Finance Board; Mike Petro, Vice President of the Committee for Economic Development; Letitia James, New York City Public Advocate and City Council Members Eric Ulrich and Brad Lander.  

At 9:30 a.m. the Community Service Society will host a training on “surviving in public housing,” to help tenants in public housing keep their apartments. Compliance with NYCHA lease and filing a grievance are among topics that will be discussed.

Wednesday at the City Council:

• At 10 a.m. the Committee on Aging will meet about a resolution “requiring banking organizations to provide, at minimum, the immediately preceding six months of financial documents following a request for such financial documents to help fight financial exploitation of older adults.”
• At 1 p.m. the Committee on Parks and Recreation examines two bills, one on renaming two thoroughfares and public places and the other mandating the Department of Parks and Recreation to “create an annual report on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards for accessible design.”

At 2:30 p.m. at the Department of Health in Manhattan, the state department of labor fast food wage board is set to meet, likely to announce its recommendations. As there have been for other meetings of the wage board, a rally led by workers and their allies is planned for right beforehand.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a C-SMART 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 or other individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training.” 

At 6:30 p.m. City Council Member Brad Lander will host a town hall meeting on climate change.

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Attorney General Schneiderman, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer co-host a “Know Your Rights” forum on co-op/condo/loft procedures. This forum is held in cooperation with Council Member Chin, Johnson, and Mendez; State Senator Hoylman; Assemblymember Glick and Congressmembers Maloney, Nadler and Velazquez.

At 7 p.m. there will be a civic hacknight in Brooklyn. The Code for America Brigade program, Microsoft Civic and Accela are event partners.

Thursday
At 8 a.m. Thursday City & State NY hosts NYPD Commissioner, William Bratton for a public conversation on policing in New York City.

Thursday at the City Council:

• At 9:30 a.m. the Committee on General Welfare will meet on two proposed bills - one requires the Department of Social Services to "provide semiannual reports to the council regarding referrals to adult protective services" and the other mandates "providing adult protective services training for certain employees of the city of New York."
• At 10 a.m. the Committee on Finance will meet to approve "new designation and changes in the designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the Expense Budget."
• At 10:30 a.m. the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections will meet as a continuation of their July 15 recessed meeting.
• At 1:30 p.m. in City Hall there will be a Stated Meeting. This will be the first stated meeting since the Budget passed, on June 26.

At 6:30 there will be a forum on preventing super-scrapers. This event is co-sponsored by Congressmember Carolyn Maloney; Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer; State Senators Liz Krueger and Jose Serrano; Assembly members Rebecca Seawright, Dan Quart and Robert Rodriguez; and City Council Members Dan Garodnick and Ben Kallos.

Friday and the weekend
As is often the case at this point in the week, especially during the summer, we don't have events listed for Friday or the weekend, but as the week gets going we're sure to see some.

***
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

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Before you read our preview of this week, check out our 'Week in Review' of last week's political news - it's a good, quick read and includes top photos and stories of the week; key numbers to know from the week's news; and other interesting and fun features. We recently started publishing this new feature every Friday.

This week:

Eric Garner's Death One Year Later: Friday, July 17 is one year since Eric Garner died at the hands of police officers who were arresting him on a Staten Island street. Expect many commemorations this week, including renewed calls for policing reform and for disciplinary action against NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, whose chokehold led to Garner's death. The NYPD investigation of the incident has been resolved, but Police Commissioner Bratton says the department is awaiting the federal investigation to conclude before announcing NYPD findings. Among the latest coverage emerging as the one-year mark hits, this weekend the Daily News looked at Pantaleo one year later, while the AP went in-depth on the fallout from Garner's death.

Summer Crime Numbers: Speaking of the NYPD, as the summer continues many are watching to see what New York City crime numbers look like. The De Blasio administration launched its summer crime-fighting initiative aimed at the parts of the city with the most violent crime earlier this year than last, attempting to stem the uptick in shootings and murders that the city had seen in the first six months of 2015. June was a strong month for those stats. Stay tuned this week as more data becomes available.

Cuomo-De Blasio: the governor and the mayor continued their war of words last week, though neither spoke in the kind of terms de Blasio did when he let loose about the governor before leaving on vacation at the start of the month (Example: Cuomo declined to name a single thing de Blasio has done well as mayor when he was asked on WPIX-11). Things may very likely quiet down a bit for the rest of the summer, but you can bet the two will continue to be asked about areas of disagreement and key policies that are at stake as they sort through their relationship and styles of governance.

On Monday, de Blasio will host a press conference to make an announcement in the Bronx - he will be joined by City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (Cuomo's public schedule has him in New York City, with no events listed). This weekend, de Blasio was out and about while Cuomo was mostly out of the public eye, though he did participate in a campaign fundraiser on Long Island (which was met by protestors). On Sunday, de Blasio delivered remarks and marched "in the Inaugural NYC Disability Pride Parade with the Commissioner of the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Victor Calise and members of the administration." He then spoke at "the 43rd Annual Old Timers Stick Ball Game." On Saturday, de Blasio delivered remarks in Central Park at NY CityFest.

Also on Saturday, Cuomo's office sent out a statement from Counsel Alphonso David clarifying the memo of understanding between the administration and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan regarding the continued delay of the ammunition background check database that is outlined in the SAFE Act but has yet to launch. The Friday announcement of the MOU raised many eyebrows and received much criticism from Cuomo's left.

Speaker Mark-Viverito will travel back to Arizona this week - she was there earlier this year to talk with Phoenix lawmakers about the city's municipal ID program - where on Friday she will speak at the annual Netroots Nation conference. According to Capital New York, at the conference Mark-Viverito "will participate in a panel titled "Building Progressive Political Power"" and then "also speak at a forum hosted by the Latino Victory Project, a political action committee that raises money and resources for Latino candidates across the country."

It's looking like another fairly quiet summer week in terms of events scheduled around the city, and with the City Council holding few hearings this month. But, there's several things on the schedule for your attention - see below - and surely more will pop up as the week begins.

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
"The trial of state Sen. Thomas Libous is the latest legal battle for a New York political figure caught in U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's war on corruption." Libous' corruption trial is set to start Monday, as Gannett reports.

On Monday at 10 a.m., Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will attend a press announcement with New York City Dept. of Transportation officials, Columbus Avenue and 86th Street.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is due to give an economic policy speech at The New School on Monday.

Governor Cuomo's fast food worker wage board will meet on Monday.

At 10:30 Monday morning, "Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will make remarks in Plattsburgh to discuss efforts to combat the foreclosure crisis in the North Country and across the state." He will be joined by Peter Racette, Deputy Director of the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York; Michelle Furnia, Director of Finance and Housing, Friends of the North Country; and Assemblywoman Janet Duprey Plattsburgh Mayor James Calnon, among others.

At 11 a.m. Monday there will be a public hearing of the New York City Campaign Finance Board on "proposed amendments to the Campaign Finance Board rules related to public funds eligibility and disclosure statement documentation."

At 1 p.m. Monday, Comptroller Scott Stringer will hold a "press conference to announce findings of audit of the New York City Housing Authority's maintenance and repairs" at Grant Houses, 125th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

At 5:30 p.m. Queens "Borough President Melinda Katz will chair a joint meeting of the Borough Board and Borough Cabinet...The Board and Cabinet will hear a presentation from Assistant Chief Terrence Monahan on the New York City Police Department's (NYPD's) new "One City: Safe and Fair – Everywhere" initiative. The initiative calls for a series of strategic changes to form a new framework for neighborhood policing and for building a true partnership between the police and the community in the fight against crime."

At 7 p.m. many of the city's Democrats will celebrate at the Manhattan Democratic Party's third annual Demmy Awards. "Event is hosted by New York County Democratic Committee Leader and Assembly Member Keith Wright. "The Demmy Awards honors individuals, organizations and democratic clubs who have made significant contributions to the Democratic Party. NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilwoman Inez Dickens, Councilman Corey Johnson and more to be in attendance." This year's honorees include "New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies Executive Director Jennifer Jones Austin and more."

Tuesday
On Tuesday morning, Public Advocate Letitia James will co-host a workshop on avoiding immigration scams with NYIC at the Brooklyn Public Library.

Presumed presidential candidate and former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley "will host an immigration roundtable on Tuesday at 11 AM at the New York Immigration Action Fund, where he will unveil his ideas for fixing our inhumane immigration system."

Also Tuesday at 11 a.m., "UFA President Steve Cassidy, joined by recently hired FDNY firefighters will announce a lawsuit against the NY City Council Speaker for her office's efforts to obstruct debate and open government and for creating a total lack of transparency in City Hall...on the steps of the New York State Supreme Court." The issue at stake is disability pension policy.

At 2 p.m. there will be a workshop hosted by the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence, "ID Theft: Addressing Financial Abuse in Domestic Violence Cases."

At 5 p.m. there will be a "Small Business Risk Education Workshop" hosted by the New York Public Library-SIBL.

At 6 p.m. the New York City Bar Association will host "What It's Really Like to Practice Law As A Woman." Carmelyn Malalis, Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights will be one of the speakers.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) are hosting a series of town hall meetings to discuss the recently released NYCHA Next Generation Plan. There will be a town hall meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Baruch College.

Tuesday evening in Union Square, Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets will hold a "Vision Zero vigil," commemorating traffic fatalities. BP Brewer is expected to attend.

At 7:30 Tuesday evening, there will be an "interfaith worship service commemorating the one year anniversary of Eric Garner's death" at
Mount Sinai United Christian Church on Staten Island. Mayor de Blasio, Public Advocate James, Comptroller Stringer, Speaker Mark-Viverito, and other officials are set to attend. The mayor will deliver remarks.

James will then host an Iftar celebration in Brooklyn.

Wednesday
At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the City Council Rules, Privileges and Elections Committee will meet to consider several commission and board appointments. This is the only hearing on the Council's schedule for the week.

At noon Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Civic Hall will co-host a "Community Open Data Workshop," on how to use "open data for local community planning.

At 7 p.m. there will be a "BetaNYC Civic Hacknight."

Thursday
At 8 a.m. Thursday, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce will co-host a discussion on the state of development, specifically East Side rezoning in Manhattan. East Midtown Rezoning Steering Committee Co-Chairman and Council Member Dan Garodnick will be giving the keynote speech with a panel featuring Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction, and others following. The discussion is sponsored by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Woods Bagot, the Real Estate Board of New York and New York Law School's Center for Real Estate Studies and Center for New York City Law.

At 8:30 a.m. there will be a Manhattan Borough Board meeting hosted by BP Brewer.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will hold a land use hearing at 10:30 a.m.

The second in a two-part symposium on race and law enforcement hosted by Roosevelt House public policy institute of Hunter College is on Thursday at 6 p.m. (Part one occured on Tuesday, July 7.) On Thursday the former Executive Director of Mental health for NYC corrections, Daniel Selling, will be among other speakers attending.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will host Iftar Dinner at 6:30 p.m. to honor the month of Ramadan and leaders in Manhattan's Muslim community.

The City's 2015 NYC BigApps competition begins on Thursday, with a launch event at Civic Hall. "BigApps is a globally recognized competition that recruits the sharpest minds in tech and innovation to tackle New York City's biggest challenges. Launched in 2009 by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), BigApps has awarded over $350,000 in prizes, attracted nearly 500 submissions, and engaged thousands of New Yorkers."

Friday and the weekend
Expect demonstrations and commemorations of the one-year anniversary of Eric Garner's death. One such event will be on Saturday at noon in Brooklyn, a "Rally to Demand Justice for Eric Garner."

Have you read the latest reporting and in-depth articles from Gotham Gazette lately? Take a look here for our most recent articles, you're sure to find something interesting.

***
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

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Don't expect to see much action from the biggest political players this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio may have launched a salvo against Governor Andrew Cuomo before leaving for vacation last week but the Mayor remains somewhere in the "Southwestern and Western United States" according to his official schedule. De Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray, and their children Chiara and Dante are scheduled to return to the city on Wednesday. In the meantime day-to-day operations will be carried through by First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris. 

Meanwhile, Cuomo appears to be quietly recovering from a particularly nasty legislative year that saw him suffer both personal and political hardship. He did travel to Long Island this weekend to officiate the wedding of rocker Billy Joel and his girlfriend Alexis Roderick. Cuomo's official schedule puts him in New York City today. 

Don't fret about de Blasio and Cuomo's relationship - therapists tell the Daily News there is a chance they can work things out. 

Not everyone has the day off Monday. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is set to tour the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in Baldwinsville. 

And David Sweat, the surviving member of the pair of inmates who broke out of an upstate prison causing a massive manhunt and media firestorm, has officially returned to prison after recovering from two gunshots to his torso at Albany Medical Center. Senate Republicans are chomping at the bit to hold hearings on prison funding and security. Expect them to hold the issue over Cuomo and Democrats who back prison reforms. 

It's a slow week coming off the holiday weekend, but there are several items 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

Tuesday
The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a Compliance & C-SMART training session for the 2017 election cycle at 1pm 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 or other individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training." For more information and to RSVP. 

There will be a double symposium on race and law enforcement on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and on Thursday, July 16 at 6 p.m. On Tuesday, among others, Susan Herman, Deputy Commissioner of Collaborative Policing for the NYPD, will be attending.

On Tuesday there will be "A Young Professionals Fundraiser" for Public Advocate, Letitia James at 6;30 p.m. Congress Member Yvette Clarke will be a featured speaker and special invited guests include State Senator Velmanette Montgomery; Assembly members Annette Robinson, Rodneyse Bichotte, Diana Richardson, Latrice Walker and Council member Laurie Cumbo.

At 6:30 p.m. there will be a Brooklyn Borough Board Meeting hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams.

Wednesday
At 9:30 a.m. the Department of Consumer Affairs will be hosting an "Open House Training Series: NYC's Paid Sick Leave Law."

The Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and New York City Housing Authority will host a series of town hall meetings to discuss the recently released NYCHA Next Generation Plan. There will be a town hall meeting on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Hunter College School of Social Work.

At 2 p.m. there will be access to free legal services for "Foreclosure Intervention/Prevention" provided through a partnership between Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and the Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Project, Inc. This occurs every second Wednesday of every month.

The de Blasio family will be returning from their vacation today.

Thursday
At 2 p.m. there will be access to free legal services for "Housing and Elder Law, and Pension matters" provided through a partnership between Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and the Brooklyn Branch of Legal Services NYC. This occurs every second and fourth Thursday of every month.

At 3 p.m. Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson will partake in a Q&A as part of the "Newsmakers Series 2015" at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. 

Friday and the weekend
Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. there will be a celebration hosted at Hunter College for Carl Heastie, the first African American Assembly Speaker of New York State. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Senate Democratic Conference Leader; John Flanagan, Senate Majority Leader; Joseph D. Morelle, Assembly Majority Leader, and numerous others are part of the host committee attending.

***
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 David King
@GothamGazette

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week must be much quieter than last - the city budget is passed; the legislative session in Albany is over; the two escaped upstate prisoners were found (one killed; one shot and captured); and the United States Supreme Court has wrapped up its spring. It's also a holiday week as we head toward Saturday, July 4 - the official holiday is Friday, as you probably know. There is quite a bit happening in New York politics on Monday and Tuesday, as you'll see below. There's also sure to be plenty of examination this week of what happened last week, and with much to consider as people dig further into the city budget, Albany 'big ugly,' and more.

Before looking at what is upcoming, did you read our Week in Review looking at the key things to see and know from last week in New York politics? It's a new feature of ours, a quick end-of-week read to catch you up and also bring you fun items like photos of the week, numbers of the week, and more. Give it a look.

This week we're not only watching for new stories about things that happened last week, but there are also key meetings of the governor's fast food wage board; the city rent guidelines board; and the City Council public safety committee. See details of those events and more below. Also, by Tuesday, The Midtown East Steering Committee, co-chaired by Council Member Dan Garodnick and Borough President Gale Brewer, is set to send their re-zoning blueprint to city planners.

Weekend wrap: the LGBT Pride celebrations continued after Friday's Supreme Court decision dictating marriage equality nationwide (Mayor Bill de Blasio held a celebration at City Hall and performed two marriages Friday afternoon). On Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo officiated a wedding ceremony for the first time since being granted the authority to do so as part of the end-of-session deal in Albany. Cuomo presided over a marriage outside of the Stonewall Inn just before the annual Pride parade, which he, de Blasio, and many other city and state officials participated in.

On Saturday, "Mayor Bill de Blasio, Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, and Council Member Jumaane Williams dedicated a plaque marking the site of the colonial-era Wall Street slave market. Standing in Manhattan Park, the plaque is the first official acknowledgement of this slave market."

Upcoming: on Monday, at 10: 15 at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, "Mayor de Blasio and U.S. Representatives Nydia Velázquez and Jerrold Nadler will host a press conference to make an announcement," according to the mayor's public schedule. At 4 p.m. at City Hall, "the Mayor will hold public hearings for and sign Intro. 318-A, in relation to prohibiting discrimination based on a person's arrest record or criminal conviction; Intro. 125-B, in relation to licensing car wash businesses; and Intros 456-A, 723-A, 724-A, 725-A, 726-A, and 729-A, related to the City's outreach and accessibility efforts for small businesses."

Cuomo-De Blasio Detente?: One key item worth watching this week is how well things cool off between Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo after a tense stretch leading to Albany's end of session and a deal not very favorable to de Blasio and many city-based lawmakers and their constituents. It's likely that this will be a fairly quiet week, though things could flare up again if either de Blasio or Cuomo (or their surrogates) were to criticize the other when talking with members of the media. Where the relationship between the two 'old friends' goes from here is unclear, as it may have been hit by irreparable damage over the past year-and-a-half, especially the past six months. Stay tuned.

Check out our day-by-day rundown below, and have a great week!

***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 8 a.m. Monday morning, "City Council Parks Committee Chair Mark Levine and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal will be joined by DOT and Parks Department officials to kick-off the first day of car free Central Park north of 72nd Street. Last year, Council Members Rosenthal and Levine introduced legislation, Intro 499, which would ban cars in Central Park for a portion of the year and study banning them year-round...Central Park, West Drive and near 92nd Street Enter the Park at 93rd Street and Central Park West."

On Monday at the City Council: a 9:30 a.m. hearing of the public safety committee on a variety of police reform bills - expect this to be a long, intense hearing. Bills being heard deal with outlawing the use of chokeholds by the NYPD (they are currently banned by department policy); new reporting requirements for the NYPD of high-crime neighborhoods and CCRB complaints against specific officers; rules around officers identifyng themselves to suspects and notifying suspects of their rights to refuse a search that is not being requested due to reasonable suspicion; and more.

At noon outside that City Council hearing, according to police reform groups, "there will be a press conference "to call for New York City Council to pass Right to Know Act" featuring Council Members Brad Lander, Ritchie Torres, Jumaane Williams, and Antonio Reynoso, along with representatives from Communities United for Police Reform, Make the Road New York, VOCAL-NY, New York Civil Liberties Union, NYC Anti-Violence Project, Legal Aid Society, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Streetwise & Safe, Picture the Homeless, Arab American Association of New York, Brooklyn Movement Center, and Audre Lorde Project.

At 10 a.m. the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies is hosting the ribbon cutting for their new office and conference center. Bill Chong, Commissioner of the Department of Youth and Community Development; Steve Banks, Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration; Gilbert Taylor, Commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services; Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Council Member Dan Garodnick will be among those attending.

On Monday at 10 a.m., City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will deliver remarks at Broome Street Academy's graduation ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History.

After a month of testimony, the final public deliberations for the fast food Wage Board will be on Monday at 11 a.m. at the New York State Department of Labor. As has been the case with its other hearings, fast food workers and their allies, those fighting for a higher minimum wage, with the goal of $15/hour, will rally beforehand.

At noon on Monday at the Queens Library, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Finance Committee Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer will hold a "press conference to celebrate six day service at all New York City libraries."

Also at noon, "Street vendors and the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center call for lifting the cap on street vendor permits with the premiere of new video, plaza in front of City Hall," according to City & State NY.

At 1 p.m. Monday at City Hall, Harlem Interfaith Commission for Housing Equality will hold a press conference, attended by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

Also at 1 p.m. Monday, "New York City Councilman Mark Treyger joins elected officials, community leaders, clergy members and residents to denounce the recent incidents of gun violence and call on the city to improve safety in Coney Island's residential areas, Surf Avenue and West 30th Street, Coney Island," according to City & State NY.

At 4 p.m. de Blasio and other city leaders will hold a bill-signing ceremony at City Hall.

On Monday at 6 p.m. the Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) will hold its final vote after 4 public meetings with testimony. The meeting was originally scheduled for Tuesday, June 23.

Prior to the RGB meeting and vote, there will be a rally outside of Cooper Union, "After tenants were denied important rent protections by the governor, tenants are turning to the Rent Guidelines Board as their final hope for housing stability. Elected officials and the Rent Justice Coalition are rallying before the final Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) vote to demand rent relief for New York's working families. The RGB vote will impact the city's long term financial stability and the immediate welfare of 2.5 million tenants. The final vote comes after four hearings, where thousands of tenants and dozens of elected officials testified about the need for a rent rollback and the dire consequences of a rent increase." Attendees will include "The Rent Justice Coalition, rent stabilized tenants, elected officials including Council Member Jumaane Williams, Council Member Corey Johnson, Council Member Ben Kallos, Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Council Member Rosie Mendez, Council Member Dan Garodnick, Council Member Mark Levine, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, Assembly Member, Assembly Member Herman Farrell, Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, Senator Bill Perkins, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and others."

At 6 p.m. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will host that borough's feedback session as First Lady Chirlane McCray and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene put together a "Roadmap for Mental Health."

Monday evening's Inside City Hall on NY1 will feature an interview with Council Speaker Mark-Viverito.

Tuesday
As mentioned, the Midtown East Steering Committee is due to submit its rezoning plans to city hall by Tuesday.

Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. there will be a Google Hangout, "#LatinasRepresent Hangout with NYC's Leading Latinas," with Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas. This will be broadcast live.

Also at 10 a.m. Tuesday, and hearing of the City Council's transportation committee to examine two bills related to the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industry.

The Midtown East steering committee is aiming to send their re-zoning blueprint to city planners by June 30. The area covers stretches from East 39th to East 57th street between Fifth and Third Avenue and will be the culmination of nine months of talks.

On Tuesday at 5 p.m. there will be an immigration consultation and legal help provided by the Immigrant Justice Corps Community at the Brooklyn Public Library.

At 5:30 p.m. a Caribbean Heritage celebration will be hosted at City Hall. Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, Council Member Mathieu Eugene and the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus co-chairs Andy King and Rosie Mendez will be attending, among others. RSVP by Monday June 29, 2015.

There will be an event on the "role of data in reporting on race" by The New York Times Company's African Heritage Network and ProPublica at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Marcus Mabry, editor at large for The New York Times will be attending.

At 6 p.m. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will be hosting Manhattan's session on the "Roadmap for Mental Health" being put together by First Lady Chirlane McCray and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Tuesday evening, beginning at 6 p.m. at New York Law School, good government group Citizens Union hosts "Effective Police Accountability; Building Public Trust and Ensuring Public Safety in Our Community...engaging dialogue on how New York can strengthen police accountability, improve public oversight, boost police-community relations, and ensure public safety." Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will give opening remarks, which will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, former Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney and NYPD Deputy Commissioner Arnold Kriss, Communities United for Police Reform's Joo-Hyun Kang, and Philip Eure, Inspector General for the NYPD; and moderated by Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey.

There will be a tenants' forum in Greenpoint on Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. with the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development in partnership with Council Member Stephen Levin. "This is an opportunity for tenants to get information on issues such as rent stabilization protections, HPD code enforcement, housing court, rent protection for low-income seniors and displaced persons, anti-harassment protections, and much more."

Wednesday is July 1, and it looks like political events in the city are halting for the July 4th weekend.

Catch up on a few recent Gotham Gazette highlights:

• The Week That Was in New York Politics, June 22-26, by Erika Wang
• School Meals in the Budget: Applause for Breakfast, Groans for Lunch, by Zehra Rehman
• Cuomo, Legislative Leaders Announce End-of-Session Pact, by Ben Max
• License to Carry: New York’s Complicated, Controversial Gun Laws, by David Howard King
• Mayor & City Council Announce $78.5B Fiscal 2016 Budget Deal, by Ben Max

Thank you for reading Gotham Gazette. Have a great start to July!

***
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 Bernard Agrest, Erika Wang, and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

ALBANY, ALBANY: Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie agreed on a short, retroactive extension of rent regulations through Tuesday. As negotiations continue on the rent regulations and other top of the agenda priority issues like mayoral control of city schools, legislators are due back in Albany on Tuesday. By the time they get there, leaders could already have new deals in place. How long will the extended legislative session continue? Unclear. But, it probably won't be long, especially since Senate Republicans are in no rush to get anything else done. It is looking more and more likely that tenants and their Democratic allies will not be seeing a strengthening of the rent laws and are becoming resigned to the idea that a short-term extension of the current regulations might be the best they can do in the current climate. [Read our look at state lawmakers' blowing deadlines to no one's surprise]

Also: this weekend the manhunt for two prisoners who escaped June 6 from an upstate prison zeroed in on a southwestern New York area, Allegany County. The search continues and the situation is fluid.

TRACKING DE BLASIO: Mayor Bill de Blasio is no doubt uneasily watching Albany and in touch with key players in state government - he has said repeatedly of late that his staff is in consistent communication with the governor's office. The mayor is most concerned with the rent laws, mayoral control of city schools, the 421-a tax break, and perhaps a few other key issues related to the city (like the charter school cap and 'raise the age') that may get resolved as the extended session continues.

On Saturday de Blasio delivered remarks at the street renaming ceremony for Detective Rafael Ramos in Brooklyn and then attended and gave remarks at "the #IamAME Rally and Response hosted by the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York [in Queens] to address the unparalleled tragedy at Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina this week." De Blasio spoke about racism, terrorism, and the need for stronger gun control laws. On Sunday, de Blasio hosted a press conference in Harlem "to discuss the humanitarian situation concerning Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic."

On Sunday evening, city leaders including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Public Advocate Letitia James, and others were set to gather outside Brooklyn's Barclays Center for a vigil honoring the victims of the Charleston shooting.

On Monday, the mayor will appear on Hot 97 radio at about 7:30 a.m. (read this for some context) and, later in the day, he'll "attend the Department of Education's Renewal Schools Working Session" - all this while he and his team continue to negotiate a final city budget deal with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and her budget negotiating team.

CITY BUDGET WATCH: A fiscal year 2016 deal between the de Blasio administration and the City Council is due before July 1, when the fiscal year begins. Last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced they had reached a deal on June 19, and there's good reason to think they could again reach a deal a before the deadline this year - which could mean an announcement this week. Stay tuned!

The big issues still being negotiated include Council requests for additional funding for an additional 1,000 NYPD officers, senior citizen services, libraries, and more.

RIKERS DEAL?: The City and the US Attorney's Office appear close on a deal of reforms at Rikers Island jail complex, incuding a federal monitor to track changes in prisoner treatment and more. There has been more and more scrutiny on both Rikers and related criminal justice issues, like how the bail system works, or doesn't, leading to thousands of people locked up on Rikers who are accused of low-level, non-violent crimes but can't afford the bail set for them.

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
The fourth and final public meeting of the Fast Food Wage Board called by Gov. Cuomo, through his labor department, will be at 10 a.m. Monday in the Legislative Office Building at Albany (and webcast live). "The Wage Board's recommendations are expected by July, and the commissioner will then have 45 days from its receipt to issue an order."

Opposing views: The Business Council of New York State will "submit formal comments, and testify in person, at the June 22 meeting in Albany, NY." The Business Council first announced its objections to the fast food Wage Board on June 5. Meanwhile, hundreds of $15 per hour supporters, including fast food workers and their families, elected officials including State Senator Neil Breslin, and others will hold a 9:30 a.m. press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

At 10 a.m. Monday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will be one of the commencement speakers at the Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn's first graduating class' commencement.

At 10:30 a.m. Monday in Garden City, New York, "Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman will announce the start of a statewide advertising campaign to educate consumers about how to protect themselves against mortgage rescue scams."

Monday morning Council Member Costa Constantinides, Public Advocate Letitia James, and others will be holding a press conference urging a management company to make repairs on the lack of gas and hot water at a co-op complex in Astoria.

Monday at the City Council:

• At 9:30 a.m. the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet to discuss three land use applications.
• At 10 a.m. the Committee on Youth Services will meet to have an oversight hearing on how to better address the issue of youth violence.
• At 11 a.m. the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses will meet to discuss three landmark land use applications.
• At noon, the Committees on Higher Education, Community Development, Youth Services and Immigration will have a joint meeting to discuss how New York City is doing on educating its adult immigrant community.
• At 1 p.m. the Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions will have a meeting to discuss two land use applications.

On Monday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer will deliver remarks at a 5th grade graduation ceremony at 9:30 a.m. and in the evening, at 7:30 p.m., he'll accept an award at the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island 48th Annual Dinner and Awards Reception.

At 5:30 p.m. Monday there will be a public meeting of the Contracts Committee of the Panel for Educational Policy. The Contracts Committee meets before the Panel for Educational Policy meetings to "review specific contract items that are presented for review and approval."

Monday evening, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer "speaks at the LGBT Community Center's 32nd annual garden party kick-off for Pride Week."

On Monday a "Town Hall for Immigrant Businesses" will be held in Flushing, Queens by the Mayor's Community Affairs Unit starting at 6 p.m. Speakers will include Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services, Maria Torres-Springer; Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Amit Bagga; and Magda Desdunes from the Department of Health.

At 8 p.m. Monday in front of the Queens Museum, "Borough President Melinda Katz, District Attorney Richard A. Brown, elected officials, community leaders and advocates will host a borough-wide interfaith prayer vigil for the victims of the Charleston massacre and a lighting ceremony in solidarity with New York State gun violence awareness efforts. The ceremony will include a reading of names of New Yorkers in Queens lost to gun violence. Every night from June 22 through June 30 in "The World's Borough", the front exterior of the Queens Museum will be illuminated in orange, the official color of Gun Violence Awareness Month, and will be visible by all motorists along the stretch of the Grand Central Parkway in front of the Museum (approximately 168,000 motorists daily on average)."

Tuesday
The state Legislature is due back in Albany on Tuesday, which is when the brief retroactive rent laws extender will expire. Will there be deals in place by Tuesday whereby votes are a formality or will there still much negotiating to do?

On Tuesday at 10 a.m., the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission will be holding a public hearing and might vote on designation of the Stonewall Inn at 51-53 Christopher Street. It would be the first "LGBT landmark" in New York City.

Tuesday at the City Council:

• At 10 a.m. the Committee on Civil Service and Labor will have a meeting to discuss the establishment of a retirement security review board to study and report on recommendations for the city to establish a retirement security program for private sector workers.
• Also at 10 a.m. the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services will have a joint meeting to discuss a bill that "would create the office of drug strategy to provide strategic leadership to coordinate a public health and safety approach to address problems associated to drug use and redresses the harms associated with past and current drug use." In addition, the committees will discuss examining NYC's response to heroin use and overdoses as well as a resolution recognizing and honoring the 25th anniversary of the 7/26/90 signing of "The Americans with Disabilities Act" of 1990.

On Tuesday at 1 p.m. the New York City Bar and Public Advocate Letitia James will host a program, "Policing Technology in New York City: Privacy, Law, and the Future," to discuss the technological advancements made available to New York City law enforcement and the importance of oversight and safety. Speakers will include Lawrence Byrne, Deputy Commissioner of Legal Affairs at the NYPD and Ben Rosenberg, General Counsel to Manhattan DA Cy Vance with Asim Rehman, General Counsel to the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD as moderator.

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is offering a "Compliance only" training session, which covers campaign finance laws and CFB rules for the 2017 election cycle, at 5:30 p.m on Tuesday. "The candidate, treasurer, campaign manager or other individual with significant managerial control over the campaign is legally required to attend both a Compliance and a C-SMART training."

On Tuesday at 6 p.m. the Department of Education will hold a public meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy at Long Island City High School. The 2015-2019 five year capital plan amendment, the annual estimate and the list of contracts will be voted on.

Also at 6 p.m. Comptroller Scott Stringer will host an "LGBTQ Pride Celebration and Changemakers Award Ceremony...honoring individuals for their outstanding contributions to the LGBTQ community" in Manhattan on Tuesday night.

Wednesday
The University Neighborhood Housing Program will host its annual forum at 8:30 a.m. on "The Cost of Water: Balancing Fairness, Housing Affordability and Conservation." UNHP's report "Affordable Water for Affordable Housing" will be discussed by panelists including Jim Buckley of UNHP, Laurie Schoeman of Enterprise Community Partners and Jamie Stein of Stormwater Infrastructure Matters Coalition.

On Wednesday morning at Baruch College the AARP will be releasing a "groundbreaking NYC survey on the financial security and retirement savings crisis facing the city's Gen X and Baby Boomer generations," with City & State NY. Speakers include: Joyce Rogers, Senior Vice President and AARP National Representative and John Adler, Director of Mayor's Office of Pensions.

10 a.m. Wednesday morning, the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be having their next public meeting. An agenda will be made available on Tuesday and posted to its Twitter feed, @NYCCFB.

On Wednesday at the City Council:

• At 10 a.m. the Committee on General Welfare will meet for an oversight meeting over the services and policies at the HIV/AIDS Services Administration.
• At 11 a.m. the Committee on Land Use will meet to discuss land use applications.
• At 2 p.m. the Committee on Health will meet to discuss a new law that would require the department of Health and Mental Hygiene to conduct community air quality surveys and publish the results annually.

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

At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board will be at Cooper Union for its last public meeting this cycle. After four previous meetings with public testimony a final vote on rent guidelines for October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016 will be taken at this public meeting.

Thursday
On Thursday at the City Council: At 1 p.m. the Committee on Environmental Protection will meet to discuss a bill that would mandate construction sites within 75 feet of any school (public, private, preschool primary or secondary) should not exceed 45 dB during normal school operating hours and that noise levels at school sites shall be continuously monitored during those hours.

Empire State Pride Agenda will host "Equality @Work Awards" on Thursday at 6 p.m. "Through its Pride in My Workplace program, the Empire State Pride Agenda has been helping New York businesses establish policies and practices that support the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees."

Thursday evening in Brooklyn, it is the 2015 Working Families Party Gala, celebrating "17 years of fighting inequality in New York and honor a rising generation of progressive leaders.

Friday and the weekend
Friday is the last day for the Fast Food Wage Board to receive oral or written testimony. Written testimony can be mailed or emailed.

There will be a Manhattan Borough Service cabinet meeting on Friday at 9:30 a.m. The Borough Service Cabinet meetings focus "on city service delivery and agency responsiveness across the borough."

On Saturday morning at 11 a.m. Citizenship Now! and the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs will assist permanent residents with their citizenship applications. If all naturalization requirements are met then an experienced lawyer and other immigration professionals will provide assistance with filling out the forms.

The New York City Pride parade will be Sunday at 11 a.m.

***
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 Bernard Agrest, Erika Wang, and Ben Max
@GothamGazette

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week will be

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
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday and the weekend
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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).

***
by Bernard Agrest, Ben Max, and Erika Wang
@GothamGazette

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

EYES ON ALBANY: It's crunch time in Albany - and one big sign of how important a week it is: the state Legislature is in session FOUR days this week, as opposed to the three that has most often been the case in the post-budget legislative session that began in early April and is due to end on June 17 (a week from Wednesday). There are seven days of session left on the calendar between this week and next. Are we headed for a "big ugly" end of session deal on a bunch of policies? Or, might it just be a few agreements on extensions of key items - like mayoral control of New York City schools, rent regulations, and the 421-a real estate development tax abatement - with minimal or no tweaks?

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

Welcome to June! A city budget is due by the end of the month. The state legislative session is due to end mid-month. And, it's both Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York City (legislation in 2013 declared it the first city in the United States to have a month dedicated to the cause) and LGBT Pride Month. Look for events and legislation related to each this week and as the month continues.

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

EYES ON ALBANY: The Legislature is back in session on Wednesday and Thursday this week, two of the final 12 days until session is due to end Wednesday June 17. Will there simply be a big end-of-session deal as in years past? Will there be compromise reached to extend New York City rent regulations, the 421-a real estate tax abatement, or mayoral control of city schools? Will there be a deal reached on a hike to the minimum wage - or will Governor Andrew Cuomo continue to move through the wage board he had the Department of Labor convene? Will Senate Republicans agree to some semblance of the DREAM Act or to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18? Will Assembly Democrats agree to the education investment tax credit that the governor and Senate Republicans are behind? Those are among the top questions heading into the final weeks of negotiations. [Read the latest on Albany from Gotham Gazette]

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

EMAIL SUMMIT ANYONE? The much-anticipated, long-awaited e-mail deletion policy summit organized by the Cuomo administration is set for Friday in Albany - will it happen? Will anyone go?

WAGE BOARD: Happening on a much faster timeline is Cuomo's new Department of Labor fast-food worker wage board - the first meeting is set for Wednesday. There are high hopes that this will soon lead to a higher minimum wage for all New Yorkers, not just fast-food workers, but it is unclear exactly where the panel's work is heading, other than that it is very likely there will be executive action on fast-food worker wages. There could, of course, be a new minimum wage deal before legislative session ends...