New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The inaugural session of early voting in New York began on Saturday and continues throughout this week. Find hours for each day in New York City here; find your poll site here. Early voting goes through Sunday, November 3, then there is one day with no voting before Election Day, November 5. See what's on your ballot here.

This week will be a very busy one at the City Council, starting with a full Council vote on discipline for Council Member Andy King, a Bronx Democrat, for a variety of abuses of his power. He's facing suspension by the Council, among other punishments, while he vows to fight the charges, which have been substantiated by an outside investigator and the Council's ethics committee, led by Council Member Steven Matteo, a Republican from Staten Island. King is facing the drafted punishments that the full City Council will vote on Monday, but also calls for his resignation from Speaker Corey Johnson, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and others.

The week will also feature several important oversight hearings and hearings on key pieces of legislation, as well as a full Council Stated Meeting to pass legislation, which is expected to include Speaker Corey Johnson’s legislation to mandate a five-year master plan for city streets with more bike and bus lanes and pedestrian plazas and Council Member Antonio Reynoso’s bill to create private waste-hauler zones and limits on franchise agreements.

Tuesday is the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy hitting New York City. The Council will hold an oversight hearing on the city's rebuilding and resiliency efforts since, as well as on related legislation. [Read our three-part series, "7 Years After Sandy"] 

The week will also see more discussion of weekend events involving the NYPD, including an incident in Brownsville that left an officer in a coma and the alleged perpetrator dead from police gunfire, and a brawl between police officers and civilians on a Brooklyn subway platform.

On a related note, we're waiting this week for the promised release by the NYPD of its official policy on release of footage from body-worn cameras that are now being worn by all patrol officers. Early this month an NYPD spokesperson told Gotham Gazette that the policy would be released by the end of October.

It was a busy weekend for Governor Andrew Cuomo, who on Friday announced he was issuing “a proclamation declaring October 27, 2019, the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa., as a "Day of Action to Combat Anti-Semitism." The proclamation was presented Sunday at Central Synagogue in Manhattan, where Mayor Bill de Blasio gave remarks as part of the day of action.

On Saturday Cuomo participated in “the second in a series of conferences to raise awareness about the state's Red Flag gun safety law that went into effect this year” and “launched a grassroots effort to bolster his "Make America Safer" campaign -- a four point plan to curb gun violence on the national level. The Governor has called on Democratic presidential candidates to endorse the "Make America Safer" pledge -- and today Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and March for Our Lives joined the Governor's call for candidates to sign the pledge.” The four planks are: “outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity magazines; create a mental health database to prevent the dangerously mentally ill from purchasing a firearm; pass universal background checks closing the private gun sales loophole; pass Red Flag legislation preventing individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others from purchasing a firearm.”

Also on Saturday, Cuomo “announced an early voting public awareness campaign....New Yorkers can text "Early Voting" to 81336 to receive early voting information via text message. Additionally, the campaign includes a new web page where New Yorkers can easily find their polling place for early voting. The Governor also announced the launch of a social media campaign throughout the early voting period to raise awareness and inform New Yorkers about early voting.”

Cuomo then tweeted with excitement that on Sunday he “toured the Moynihan Train Hall construction site.”

There are a variety of 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?
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, October 28
On Monday Mayor Bill de Blasio will "deliver remarks at the Queens County Democrats Pre-Election Party," which is closed to press. In the 7 and 11 p.m. hours, de Blasio will appear on NY1's Inside City Hall during his usual weekly segment.

At the City Council on Monday: at 1:30 p.m., the Council will hold a meeting on a resolution to discipline Council Member Andy King for a variety of abuses of power.

At 9 a.m. Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will speak on a panel at the Catskill Watershed Farm-to-Chef Forum at Pace University. At 8 p.m. Brewer will speak at the NoHo-Bowery Stakeholders annual meeting.

At the State Legislature on Monday:
--The State Senate Standing Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities will hold a public hearing to discuss eating disorders, treatment, and recovery at 10 a.m. Monday at Clarkstown Town Hall in New City.
--The State Senate Standing Committee on Codes will hold a public hearing on the implementation of Discovery Reform at 10 a.m. Monday in Albany. 
--At 1 p.m. Monday, the State Senate Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing at SUNY New Paltz to examine the “cost of public higher education and its effects on student financial aid programs, state support, TAP/GAP, student borrowing and other challenges to affordability and accessibility.”

At 1:30 p.m. Monday, Comptroller Scott Stringer will host a roundtable with Rockaway Jewish Community Stakeholders. At 5 p.m. Stringer will host a pop-up town hall outside the Forest Hills-71 Ave subway station in Queens. At 6:30 p.m., Stringer will host a Diwali celebration in Queens.

At 2 p.m. Monday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host a press conference outside the Jay Street-Metrotech subway station “to call for modified assignment and increased NYPD de-escalation training after Jay Street-Metrotech Station incident.” At 6:30 p.m., Adams will join the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) for a “What’s On Tap” young professionals event.

On Monday afternoon Ben Max of Gotham Gazette and Jarrett Murphy of City Limits will tape the latest Max & Murphy podcast with guest James Oddo, the Staten Island Borough President. The episode will be available Monday evening. 

At 5:30 p.m. Monday at Foley Square, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will join “the 'National Day of Outrage' Protest.” “The Public Advocate will join the Arc of Justice, Justice League NYC, G.M.A.C.C., and a coalition of advocacy groups for the event as part of a national day of action demanding justice for Atatiana Jefferson and others. The groups will march from Foley Square to 1 Police Plaza.”

At 5:30 p.m. Monday at Queens Borough Hall, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will brief the Queens Borough Board, chaired by Borough President Melinda Katz, on the JFK redevelopment program.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Regional Plan Association is hosting "Outer Borough Transit," a presentation from RPA and panel discussion featuring State Senator Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Latrice Walker, Samara Karasyk of Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Nick Sifuentes of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and moderator Ben Max of Gotham Gazette. The event will take place at Brooklyn Historical Society.

On Monday at 6:30 p.m., the New York City Bar Association will host a panel discussion on the 2019 charter revision ballot proposals. Speakers will include Charter Revision Commissioners Sal Albanese and Sateesh Nori; Indiana Porta, the Director of Outreach and Counsel for the 2019 Charter Revision Commission; and Jonathan Darche, Executive Director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board.

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence Education Fund will host its 2019 Annual Benefit and Silent Auction at 6:30 p.m. Monday. Honorees include author Angie Thomas; Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie; Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins; State Senator Brian Kavanagh; and Youth Over Guns, NYAGV’s youth advocacy group. 

Tuesday, October 29
Tuesday is the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy hitting New York City.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host the fifth annual “Surviving & Thriving: Domestic Violence Awareness Day of Empowerment” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Borough Hall. It will include a discussion on a domestic violence agenda, led by Brooklyn City Council Member Farah Louis.

At the City Council on Tuesday:
--At 12 p.m., the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management will hold a hearing on multiple bills. 
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on Governmental Operations, the Committee on Immigration, and the Committee on State and Federal Legislation will jointly hold an oversight hearing in preparation for a complete count of the 2020 Census.
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on Resiliency and Waterfronts and the Committee on Environmental Protection will jointly hold an oversight hearing on the seventh anniversary of Superstorm Sandy and hear related bills.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, the Assembly Standing Committee on Health will hold a public hearing on Youth Tackle Football.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals will hold its next public hearing.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics will hold a meeting in Albany.

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the State Public Campaign Financing Commission will hold a public hearing at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center in Buffalo.

At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Manhattan, the State Senate Standing Committee on Investigations and Governmental Operations, Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations, and the Legislative Commission on Governmental Administration will jointly hold a public hearing on New York State’s response to federal government shutdowns. 

The State Senate Standing Committee on Education and the State Senate Standing Committee on Budget and Revenue will jointly hold a public meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Syracuse Center for Excellence 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 6 p.m. Monday, the New York State Assembly Manhattan delegation will hold a town hall with tenants on the NYCHA Crisis, at the Johnson Houses Community Center. Attending state Assembly members will include Robert J. Rodriguez, Yuh-Line Niou, and Harvey Epstein. NYCHA representatives will also be on hand.

Wednesday, October 30
At the City Council on Wednesday:
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Finance will hold hearings on multiple bills including one that would authorize five existing Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) throughout the City to increase the amount they expend annually.
--At 1:30 p.m. the Council will hold a Stated Meeting to pass and introduce bills. Speaker Corey Johnson will host the usual pre-Stated press conference at 12:30 p.m.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Joint State Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention will hold a public meeting in Buffalo to “hear from stakeholders on strategies for reducing overdoses, improving individual and community health and addressing the harmful consequences of drug use.”

At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the State Senate Standing Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing at SUNY Buffalo to examine the “cost of public higher education and its effects on student financial aid programs, state support, TAP/GAP, student borrowing and other challenges to affordability and accessibility.”

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host “Meet the Judges: A Discussion with Invited Jurists About Law Related Topics” at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Borough Hall. Speakers will include Theresa Ciccotto, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, Civil Matters; Deborah A. Dowling, New York State, Supreme Court Justice, Civil Matters; Cheryl Gonzalez, Supervising Judge, Kings County Housing Court; Lorna Mcallister, New York City, Civil Court Judge; Lisa S. Ottley, New York State, Supreme Court Justice, Civil Matters; Harriet Thompson, Surrogate, Kings County, Surrogate Court; Carolyn Wade, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, Civil Matters; and Craig Walker, Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, Criminal Term. It will be moderated by Robin K. Sheares, Acting Justice Supreme Court. 

Thursday, October 31
Crain’s NY Business and Tech:NYC will together present the Future of New York City Tech Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday in Manhattan. Speakers will include Daniel Ramot, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Via; Laura Fox, Citi Bike General Manager, Bikes and Scooters, Lyft; Rachel Haot, Executive Director, Transit Innovation Partnership; James Patchett, President & CEO, New York City Economic Development Corporation; Rohit Aggarwala, Head of Urban Systems, Sidewalk Labs; Diniece Mendes, Director, Office of Freight Mobility, New York City Department of Transportation; City Council Member Keith Powers; Jessica Schumer, Executive Director, Friends of the BQX; and others.

At 9 a.m. Thursday, the New York City Board of Correction will hold a public meeting in Manhattan.

The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy will host an “Urban Food Policy Forum: New York City & State Budgets and Food Spending” at 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Speakers will include Marrisa Martin, Executive Director, The Advocacy Institute; James Parrott, Senior Director for Fiscal and Economic Policy, Center for New York City Affairs; and Liz Accles, Executive Director, Community Food Advocates. The panel will be moderated by Craig Willingham, Deputy Director, CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute.

At the City Council on Thursday:
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Health and the Committee on Hospitals will jointly hold an oversight hearing on health access in New York City and the roll out of NYC Care, and will discuss related bills. 
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations will hold an oversight hearing on upcoming capital projects in libraries and will hold hearings on multiple bills. 
--At 1 p.m., the Committee on General Welfare will hold a hearing on multiple bills in relation to the Administration for Child Services (ACS).

At 1 p.m. Thursday, the State Senate Standing Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing at SUNY Oswego in Syracuse to examine the “cost of public higher education and its effects on student financial aid programs, state support, TAP/GAP, student borrowing and other challenges to affordability and accessibility.”

Friday, November 1
At 10 a.m. Friday, Mayor de Blasio may make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show. 

At 12 p.m. Friday, the State Senate Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing at the Nassau Community College to examine the “cost of public higher education and its effects on student financial aid programs, state support, TAP/GAP, student borrowing and other challenges to affordability and accessibility.”

***
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 Ben Max & Gia Ramesh
@GothamGazette

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 83 -- $81.3 billion, with New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Commissioner Michael Schmidt [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

Appointed to be the new Commissioner of the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance by Governor Cuomo earlier this year, Mike Schmidt joined the podcast to discuss the work of his department, his priorities for improving how effectively it collects tens of billions of dollars in taxes and the customer experience with government, and more.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think: Ben Max of GG (@TweetBenMax), Maria Doulis of CBC (@MariaDoulis). Listen below or download wherever you get your podcasts!

Senator Benjamin at Thursday's press conference (photo: @BrianKavanaghNY)

New York State Senator Brian Benjamin, a Manhattan Democrat who is exploring a possible 2021 run for city comptroller, introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow New York City to create a “rainy day fund” to weather fiscal emergencies.

Currently, the city lacks the authority to set aside revenue in such a dedicated pot, one result of the city’s fiscal crisis of the 1970s. But a question on this year’s general election ballot in the city could change the City Charter to facilitate the creation of such a savings account, though it would also need state action to go into effect. That’s where Benjamin’s bill would come in.  

After years of unprecedented expansion following the 2008-2009 recession, New York City’s budget has grown significantly. For the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30, 2020, it is a whopping $92.8 billion – a $20 billion increase since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office – with about $6 billion set aside in reserves to combat potential emergencies or revenue shortfalls. Those reserves include $1.15 billion in the general reserve, $250 million in the capital stabilization reserve, and about $4.6 billion in the Retiree Health Benefits Trust Fund.

But the city is required to balance its budget each year, which means that dedicated savings cannot be carried over from one year to the next in order to save for a potential recession. Each penny in the budget must be spent. That arrangement was a result of the Financial Emergency Act passed by the state 1975 when the city was facing insolvency and the state stepped in to impose new fiscal controls.

“The last recession that we had in 2009, there were about 14,000 municipal workers who were let go, taxes that were raised,” Benjamin said at a Thursday news conference at the steps of City Hall. “This is a very important issue so we have got to make sure that we are doing the right thing to protect our future, to protect our citizens in a responsible way.”

Benjamin’s bill would authorize the city to build a municipal contingency and tax stabilization reserve fund. He raised the widely shared concern that the current economic expansion will eventually come to an end and that the city could face a recession, the signs of which have begun to show. In that situation, the city could be forced to make cuts to programs and social services as well as potentially make significant layoffs in the municipal workforce, which has grown to more than 344,000 full-time employees under de Blasio.

Benjamin approximated that a potential rainy day fund should hold anywhere between $10-15 billion, particularly emphasizing that the city needs to stop using the Retiree Health Benefits Trust fund as a reserve for other possible uses. Benjamin’s estimate is close in line with what City Comptroller Scott Stringer suggested in his assessment of the city budget earlier this year.

As it stands, the city already faces projected outyear budget gaps of $3.5 billion in fiscal year 2021, $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2022, and $3.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, though those gaps can quickly be closed if the billions in set-aside savings are not used, typically-conservative revenue estimates are exceeded, and other actions are taken by the city’s budget office. A slower economy or a recession would complicate matters, however.

When asked, Benjamin denied that he introduced the proposal because he may run for city comptroller. Instead, he said it was a “proactive move” so that the city can avoid cutting services to its most vulnerable residents and districts like the upper Manhattan one that he represents. He also pointed to this year’s election and the several ballot proposals that will be presented to voters once early voting begins on Saturday.

One of the 19 proposals, contained within five overarching questions, would amend the charter to allow the use of a rainy day fund. Benjamin, who did not take a position on the question itself, said he hoped to pass his bill in the early days of the next state legislative session, which starts in January, so it can allow the city to follow through on the ballot proposal if it is approved. That would also be in time for budget season for the city and state governments.

“If the citizens of New York City decide that there would be a rainy day fund, that they authorize it on ballot question number four, the state has to act as well,” he said. “So we want to get ahead of that by introducing this now.”

Specifically, Benjamin’s bill makes amendments to the state’s General Municipal Law, removing limits on the amount of money in the budget that could be placed in a rainy day fund and defining the conditions under which the city could dip into it in the case of an economic recession. It also changes the Financial Emergency Act so that a rainy day fund does not count towards balancing the budget. He also said the bill would contain safeguards so the state, which would be far more vulnerable to a recession, cannot dip into the city’s reserves in the case of a shortfall.

Though Benjamin said the bill does not have a sponsor in the Assembly yet, he was backed by one colleague, Senator Brian Kavanagh, who represents parts of lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn. “This is an important issue to ensure that the city, if the voters choose, has the opportunity to smooth out their finances so that the city's revenue can be used in good times and in tougher times to provide core services for people,” he said at the news conference.

Caitlin Girouard, a spokesperson for Governor Andrew Cuomo, said in an email, “We will review the bill.” A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not respond to a request for comment.

Also in support of the bill were Jonas Shaende, chief economist of the Fiscal Policy Institute; Cathy Gray, co-president of the League of Women Voters New York; and Iesha Sekou, CEO of Street Corner Resources, a nonprofit service-provider. Separately, the Citizens Budget Commission has been arguing for passage of question four to move a rainy day fund closer to reality, and several city officials have expressed support for it in correspondence with Gotham Gazette, including Comptroller Stringer, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. There does not appear to be any organized opposition to ballot question four.

At the press conference, Sekou noted that organizations like hers that depend on city funding to provide services are the first on the chopping block when the city hits hard times. “Our main work is to provide support services to interrupt and de-escalate violence, and we have been successful with that. But in the event of a recession, that work can unwind, get undone, because we won't have the money when the rainy day comes to keep the work going,” she said. 

[Read: State Senator Brian Benjamin Explores Run for City Comptroller]

Meaghan Winter

In a new book, a case for why Democrats should pay more attention to statehouses.

With all eyes, polls, and headlines on the 2020 presidential race, local elections can be easily forgotten.

“We are on a precipice,” author Meaghan Winter said about the current challenges facing the Democratic Party. Writing from the viewpoint of a progressive, Winter shows in “All Politics is Local,” her newly-released book, why the 2020 state-level elections are crucial for Democrats to secure a long-term political strategy.

“We can’t understand what’s happening unless we’re aware of how power is being consolidated at the state level,” Winter said during a press conference at the New York University school of journalism in which she discussed the book. In it, Winter examines how Republicans have focused on statehouses to secure policy priorities, while Democrats have failed to do so, and have invested in riskier, high-profile federal bills.

At the start of this year, Republicans had control of 31 of the 50 state legislatures, while Democrats held 18 (Minnesota was the only divided legislature and Nebraska is the only state with a “nonpartisan” legislature). There were also 21 states where Republicans held the legislature and the governor’s office, as opposed to 14 Democratic.

Winter began her career as a social worker after graduating from Kenyon College in Ohio, but moved back to her native New York to pursue writing. Now a freelance writer for publications like New York Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Slate, and a communications fellow at CUNY, Winter said her experience as a social worker allowed her to see how public policy affects people directly, something that is reflected in her book. “What may seem like fine print, it can be extremely dramatic for people,” Winter said, referencing homelessness.

In 2016, she was one of the few reporters covering efforts by abortion rights advocates to fight off a proposed bill in Missouri’s statehouse that would make all abortions illegal. She was there working on an Investigative Fund reporting grant, as it was then called, now Type Investigations. Winter noticed that other key legislation, potentially impacting millions of people, on issues ranging from voter identification to stand-your-ground to healthcare laws were being debated or moved, and got little to no media attention.

The lack of adequate coverage is a product of market forces working against local news reporting in favor of national stories, Winter said, referring to the downfall of local coverage as many outlets struggle to survive and find sustainable funding models.

“Republican, conservative, and libertarian strategists have chosen to exert power through state-houses because they can do so in obscurity,” said Winter, whose book analyzes that highly-organized right-wing strategy while serving as a guide for progressives on how to fight back.

A women’s rights reporter, Winter realized how powerful state regulations can be in many “life or death” issues, such as environmental policy and access to healthcare. A pattern emerged in states where conservative stakeholders control debates on these key topics through domination of elected bodies from the school board up to the legislature and governor’s office. “For decades, the right has been implementing their plans nationally, but state by state,” Winter said. “Democrats are now attempting to do the same.”

She stressed the importance of noticing how issues are interconnected: the divisive rhetoric of some political leaders on topics like immigration and gun rights, for example, is a way to shift away attention from pragmatic issues, like finance and taxation, according to Winter. “It’s not about one person,” she said, explaining that what a single person might say should not distract the public from what people really believe or need. “It’s about the entire culture, and how much that culture then leads to political power.”

Connecting abortion, racism, gun rights, and climate change, her book shows how Republicans have replicated their strategies over time and in different regions, focusing on the states where she reported: Missouri, Florida, and Colorado. In each one, she shows how big money donors and civic organizations have often quietly influenced policy.

New York stands as a national example, Winter says, of how progressives mobilizing at the local level can lead to larger victories. The 2018 primaries in New York, with intensive grassroots organizing, voted out six of eight Democratic State Senators who often voted with Republicans as the Independent Democratic Conference in exchange for funding for their districts and leadership positions. Later, the “blue wave” midterm election had the highest turnout in the state since 1994, and culminated in the flipping of several seats from red to blue, giving Democrats their first functional Senate majority in decades.

With Democrats in control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office, the party passed a long list of stalled progressive policies, on everything from abortion rights to bail reform to gun control to enivornmental proection, and more, such as greatly strengthened tenant protections for millions of residents of rent-regulated apartments.

The revolutionary law that upended traditional power dynamics is a progressive example of how strategies can be replicated: the New York reform came four months after Oregon lawmakers passed statewide rent control. California has also passed stricter regulations, while Illinois is studying similar measures. Likewise, New York City’s 2017 salary history law, which bans interview questions about previous incomes, which can reinforce gender and racial pay gaps, is having national influence. The state recently followed suit to expand the prohibition beyond its biggest city, with that law taking effect in 2020. Since New York led the way, other states to pass similar laws include California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, and New Jersey.

Reporting the relationship between local and national lawmaking can be difficult, unless reporters are following the theme closely, Winter argues. Many times, as is the case with the ban on salary history questions that can lock in unequal pay, the changes might not be obvious to audiences. “The national implications are not necessarily splashy, overnight change, they’re longer term and more diffuse than the headlines that day,” Winter said. Still, she says, local bills represent meaningful advances towards equality.

Despite advances in solidly blue New York, progressives are behind schedule compared to Republicans in developing local campaigns to win governor’s offices and state legislative seats in the 2020 elections, Winter argues. Yet, she is hopeful that new forms of activism and on-the-ground movements will produce substantial changes going forward.

“Having a few brave voices can totally shift what people say and what people think is possible,” said Winter, referring to the impact of Congressional Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York’s 14th Congressional District, who has had an unprecedented impact in framing the narrative around important issues such as immigration and inequality. Ocasio-Cortez has also introduced progressive legislation like the Green New Deal and an anti-poverty plan, while her candidacy brought attention to the potential impact of local organizing. Her strategy was simple, Winter said, “she showed up, knocked on every door, and talked about things that mattered to people that lived next to her.”

***
Fernanda Nunes is a freelance journalist and student at New York University School of Journalism. On Twitter @fernandasenun.

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week will see continued analysis of the major political event of last week: the City Council’s vote to approve the construction of four new borough-based jails to replace the Rikers Island jail complex by the end of 2026.

As the week begins, we’re also awaiting the discussion at the MTA Board this week after news broke on Friday, first from Politico New York, that MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford had submitted a resignation letter, but then rescinded it. In response to the revelation Byford issued a statement saying he isn’t “going anywhere,” and is committed to continuing to save the subways and buses. The news also comes as the next five-year MTA capital plan, with more than $51 billion in planned expenditures, much of which was informed by Byford Fast Forward plan, was recently passed by the MTA Board and awaits approval from the Governor, legislative leaders, and Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Cuomo had a busy weekend of announcements, including: announcing that the “new southbound off-ramp from the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87) to Albany Shaker Road in Colonie, Albany County is now open” and announcing “$10 million for two signature features of what will be the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park in Buffalo,” then attending the Bills football game.

Cuomo also “directed state agencies to investigate an apartment building in the Bronx following allegations of bed bug infestations and drug related crime. The Governor directed the State Department of Health to send an inspection team into the building to perform an environmental health assessment to ensure health standards are being met. The Governor also directed the state Office of Rent Administration to investigate whether rent-regulated units in the apartment complex are being adequately maintained…”

De Blasio had a quiet weekend with family in Connecticut after celebrating the passage of the jails plan at the end of this past week.

Two of the leading Democratic presidential candidates had big appearances in the city this weekend: Bernie Sanders held a rally in Queens with, according to this campaign, more than 25,000 attendees at which he was endorsed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other New York elected officials, including State Senators Michael Gianaris and Jessica Ramos; and Joe Biden received a warm welcome from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) at its annual “Teacher Union Day” celebration in Manhattan. (The third candidate of the three who have been far ahead of all others in the field in polling thus far in the primary, Elizabeth Warren, held a big Manhattan rally a few weeks ago.)

There’s a lot happening this week, from the MTA Board meeting to several interesting hearings being held by the City Council and the State Legislature, a hearing of the state campaign finance commission, and much more -- 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?
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, October 21
On Monday at 6:30 p.m., "Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the Diwali Celebration at Gracie Mansion." In the 7 and 11 p.m. hours, the Mayor will appear on NY1’s Inside City Hall.

Monday will see the monthly MTA Board committee meetings.

At 10 a.m. Monday, "Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Announces Opening of Affordable Housing Development for Seniors" in Buffalo.

At 11 a.m. Monday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer will make an announcement at his Manhattan office.

At 11 a.m. Monday in Manhattan, the State Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation and the Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation will jointly hold a public hearing on recycling.

At 11 a.m. Monday, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will speak "to the Men's Resource Center at Kingsborough Community College" and "discuss his path to public service and current key initiatives." At 7 p.m. Monday, Williams will attend a town hall meeting with District Leader Olanike Alabi.

On Monday at 11 a.m. in Albany, the State Senate Standing Committee on Aging and the State Senate Standing Committee on Social Services will jointly hold a public hearing to “assess the impact of proposed changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and methodology used to determine Official Poverty Measures (OPM), respectively, on New York programs that assist populations served by the human services sector.”

At 4:30 p.m. Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will speak at the CUNY Board of Trustees Manhattan borough hearing at Hunter College. At about 7:45 p.m., Brewer will be honored at the New York Professional Advisors for Community Entrepreneurs’s 2019 Fall Fundraising Reception.

The Eleanor’s Legacy fall reception celebrating New York women will take place at 6 p.m. Monday in Manhattan and will feature New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

State Senator Andrew Gounardes will host a “climate and resiliency town hall” on Monday evening, with representatives of various government agencies, at 6:30 p.m. at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn.

Tuesday, October 22
The Workmen’s Circle will host its latest “Breakfast with Champions” event featuring New York Attorney General Letitia James from 8-9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Workmen’s Circle Headquarters in Manhattan.

At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Board of Corrections will hold a public meeting at 125 Worth Street.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals will hold its next public hearing, in Manhattan.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the New York State Public Campaign Financing Commission will a public hearing at the Suffolk County Legislature’s William J. Lindsay County Complex.

At 11 a.m. Tuesday at the City Council, the Committee on Standards and Ethics will hold an oversight hearing in relation to Rule 10.80, which deals with Council member conduct. It is unclear which Council member(s) may be the subject of the hearing.

The Manhattan Institute will host a book forum for “How the Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence and the Battle Over School Choice” by Robert Pondiscio, senior fellow at the Fordham Institute, at noon Tuesday. The book focuses on the Success Academy charter school network.

At noon Tuesday in Manhattan’s Oculus Plaza, just before the New York Department of Health hears “testimony from stakeholders to inform legislative recommendations for safe staffing standards in hospitals and nursing homes,” elected officials, patients, members of the Communications Workers of America and New York State Nurses Association, and others “will rally outside the task force hearing to demand any legislation establish safe staffing ratios to ensure patient safety.” Participants are expected to include Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Council Member Carlina Rivera, and others.

“New York City state legislators, higher education leaders, and local organizations will host a forum on the state of NYC’s higher education and discuss solutions to ensure every young New Yorker -- regardless of ZIP code, income, or any other factor -- can get a quality, affordable higher education. Titled “Breaking Barriers: Equity in Higher Education in New York City,” the roundtable will include a presentation of a blueprint for closing higher education gaps from #DegreesNYC, a project dedicated to achieving equity in postsecondary access and completion in New York City.” Speakers will include State Senator Robert Jackson; New York State Regent Lester W. Young; Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation; and Cass Conrad, CUNY University Dean of K-16 Initiatives.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) will hold a public meeting at the Michael J. Petrides High School on Staten Island.

Community Board 8 Manhattan will host “Criminal Justice Reform: Ending Mass Incarceration in NYC,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hunter College. Panelists will include Cheryl Roberts, Executive Director of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice; Marvin Mayfield, New York State Organizer at Just Leadership; Karume James, Public Defender and Supervising Attorney at The Bronx Defenders; Abigail Swenstein, Public Defender at The Legal Aid Society; Keith Powers, NYC Council Member and Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee. The panel will be moderated by Billy Freeland, Secretary at Community Board 8.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Public Advocate candidates Jumaane Williams, the Democratic incumbent, and Joe Borelli, a Republican City Council member, will debate on NY1.

Wednesday, October 23 
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, the MTA Board will meet.

At the City Council on Wednesday:
--at 10 a.m., the Committee on Economic Development will hold a hearing on multiple bills related to the New York City tourism economy. 
--at 11 a.m., the Committee on Land Use will hold a hearing on several matters.
-- at 1 p.m., the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management will hold an oversight hearing on the New York City Department of Sanitation’s 2019-2020 Snow Plan and to discuss related legislation.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the State Senate Standing Committee on Health and the Assembly Standing Committee on Health will jointly hold a public hearing on the New York Health Act at the Bronx Library Center.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Assembly on Standing Committee on Insurance and the Assembly Standing Committee on Local Governments will jointly hold a public hearing on Municipal Health Insurance Alternatives and Affordability at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

On Wednesday at noon, “Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Amida Care, and the National Black Leadership Commission on Health will host a press conference at Brooklyn Borough Hall to recognize New York State's first ever PrEP Aware Week. (PrEP is a treatment regimen over 99% effective in preventing HIV transmission and a crucial part of the NYS plan to End the HIV Epidemic by 2020.)”

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli will host an Italian Heritage Reception in Tuckahoe.

Thursday, October 24
City & State NY will hold its 2019 Government Procurement Conference on Thursday to help attendees “learn and foster business partnerships between Government, Prime Contractors, MWBEs and more.” It will feature remarks by Dan Symon, Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, and panelists will include State Senator James Sanders; Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte; City Council Member Helen Rosenthal; City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy Jr.; Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services; Sean Carroll, Chief Procurement Officer at the New York State Office of General Services; and Michael J. Garner, Chief Diversity Officer at the MTA.

At 9 a.m. Thursday, The Regional Planning Association will host a breakfast event to release its new “report on fixing the NYCHA crisis. Join RPA staff for a discussion around the key recommendations and findings of the report as well as the next steps needed to repair the condition of public housing for over 400,000 New Yorkers who live with this growing catastrophe on a daily basis.”

At the City Council on Thursday: at 10 a.m., the Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Police Safety jointly hold an oversight hearing on “Vision Zero, cyclist safety, and Police Department enforcement” while also discussing several related bills.

At 10 a.m. Thursday in Manhattan, the Assembly Standing Committee on Judiciary, the Assembly Standing Committee on Social Services, and the Assembly Standing Committee on Children and Families will jointly hold a public hearing on the rights of children in court.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Families for Safe Streets will host a special clergy forum titled “The Epidemic of Traffic Injuries and Deaths: The Role of Faith Communities,” from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday at Borough Hall.

The State Senate Standing Committee on Codes will hold a public hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday in Albany on the bill to repeal section 50-A of the Civil Rights law, “provisions relating to personal records of police officers, firefighters, and correctional officers.”

At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, State Comptroller Tom DiNappoli will release his Jackson Heights Economic Snapshot.

At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, the State Senate Standing Committee on Higher Education will hold a public hearing at Brooklyn College to examine the “cost of public higher education and its effects on student financial aid programs, state support, TAP/GAP, student borrowing and other challenges to affordability and accessibility.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will appear at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Center for Community and Ethnic Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY “to discuss his top legislative priorities and upcoming initiatives that touch each corner of New York City.”

“Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will host an Impeachment Forum and community ‘Speak Out’ event on Thursday, October 24th at 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Vladeck Hall at the Amalgamated Housing Corporation” in the Bronx.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Citizens Union will host its 2019 Gotham Greats Awards dinner, honoring William J. Mulrow, Senior Advisory Director, Blackstone Group; Mary Jo White, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton; Harry J. Wilson, Founder and CEO, MAEVE Group; and Errol Louis, political anchor, Spectrum News NY1.

Friday, October 25
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 Manhattan, the State Senate Standing Committee on Consumer Protection and the State Senate Standing Committee on Internet and Technology will jointly hold a public hearing on protecting consumer data and privacy on online platforms.

***
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 Ben Max & Gia Ramesh
@GothamGazette

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 82 -- 5, The 2019 Charter Revision Questions on Your Ballot, with Gail Benjamin and Carl Weisbroad of the 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

There are 19 proposals to change city government and elections in five "yes" or "no" questions on this year's ballot in New York City. They were put on the ballot by a Charter Revision Commission. The chair of the commission, Gail Benjamin, and one of the commissioners, Carl Weisbrod, joined the podcast to discuss the commission's work and the proposals voters can approve or disapprove over the next few weeks.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think: Ben Max of GG (@TweetBenMax), Maria Doulis of CBC (@MariaDoulis). Listen below or download wherever you get your podcasts!

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

The big news this week is likely to be the details of the final deal to secure City Council passage of the plan to build four new jails, one in each borough other than Staten Island, to replace the Rikers Island jail complex, which is slated to fully close by 2026. The plan passed the City Planning Commission in early September and is slated this week for a vote in the City Council land use committee, then the full Council, where it is expected to pass, though it may receive an usually high number of "no" votes given how easily most Council bills and land use items move through once they are called for a vote.

The final details of the plan -- namely the exact sizes of the jails and community investments in social services and other things that will accompany the building of the jails -- are still being negotiated by the administraiton of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the office of City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and the four Council members -- Diana Ayala (Bronx), Stephen Levin (Brooklyn), Karen Koslowitz (Queens), and Margaret Chin (Manhattan) -- whose districts are slated to be home to the jails. Notably, only Ayala is not term-limited out of office after this Council four-year session, which concludes at the end of 2021.

The closure of the Rikers jails and the building of new, modern facilities closer to courthouses and the communities of the incarcerated has been the subject of much debate and negotiation for several years. This week will bring a major milestone, whether the plan passes the Council or, less likely but still plausible, somehow falls apart at the last minute. Rikers closure stands to be a key part of the legacies for de Blasio, Johnson, the four Council members, and former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who really made it one of her highest priorities during her tenure and got de Blasio to agree to commit to the broad goal. Johnson then helped bring the four local Council members to agreement on siting the jails.

All four facilities are set to replace existing jails, though in Queens the facility has been largely dormant for some time. The Bronx facility will replace the floating "barge," while the Brooklyn and Manhattan complexes will replace currently-functioning but antiquated jails. There has been ongoing pressure from the "No New Jails" coalition to see Rikers closed without new jails being built, but the "Close Rikers" campaign, the "Lippman Commission" empaneled by Mark-Viverito, and others have called that push unrealistic, in large part because they say those detained deserve more modern facilities that by design help in the rehabilitative process and make exiting jail as quick as possible for those awaiting trial.

The week also begins with the city reeling after tragedies including a mass shooting, leaving four dead and several other wounded, in Brooklyn at an alleged illegal gambling club and another death of a cyclist killed by a car driver, which occurred Sunday in Queens. Responses to those two events will continue this week.

There's a lot more than that to watch this week, with many issues to keep tabs on and events to be aware of -- 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?
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, October 14
Monday is Columbus Day. Many elected officials, including Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, and others will march in the Columbus Day Parade in Manhattan.

At 8:10 am., Governor Cuomo will be a guest on Fox 5 Good Day With Rosanna Scotto.

In the 7 and 11 p.m. hours, Mayor de Blasio will appear on NY1's Inside City Hall.

At 9:30 a.m. Monday, supporters of the Fair Elections for New York campaign will host a rally and press conference ahead of the 10 a.m. New York Public State Campaign Financing Commission meeting at the Gateway Center, Westchester Community College, Westchester, NY, to urge the commission to release an interim report, consisting of draft recommendations, by early November, ahead of its December 1 deadline for a final set of proposals.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer has several Monday events: at 11:30 a.m. he'll march in the Columbus Day Parade; at 1:15 p.m. he'll appear on Yahoo Finance; at 7:45 p.m. he'll deliver remarks at the Woodlawn Heights Taxpayers and Community Association meeting in the Bronx.

At 5:30 p.m. Monday Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will appear on News 12 Brooklyn for his usual "Ask the Borough President" segment. At 7:30 p.m., Adams will hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the Crown Heights mass shooting at the intersection of Utica Avenue and Michael Griffith Street. The vigil will include "clergy leaders, anti-gun violence advocates and elected leaders...At the vigil, Borough President Adams and other participants will call attention to the pervasive double-standard around mass shooting incidents, where shootings in urban areas are treated with less urgency than those in suburban and rural communities, despite accounting for most of the gun violence in the U.S. He will also highlight the role that handguns play in driving the gun violence crisis in the country."

At 6 p.m. Monday, Community Voices Heard (CVH) will celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary at their annual Shirley Chisholm Lights of Freedom awards ceremony at the Museum of the City of New York, to honor those who have championed the fight for racial, social, and economic justice this year. Honorees include licia Garza, Omari Shakur, Ford Foundation, Barbara Terrelonge of DC37 and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Comptroller Scott Stringer and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will be among those attending the reception.

Tuesday, October 15
Crain’s New York Business will host a business forum with Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, Department of Sanitation, City of New York, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the New York Athletic Club. It will be moderated by Matthew Flamm of Crain’s and Courtney Gross of NY1.

ABNY will host a breakfast event with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at The Hilton Midtown.

The New York State Democratic Committee annual meeting will take place Tuesday at the Hilton Huntington on Long Island. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will be among those who speak.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, City Council Members and New Yorkers will rally Restrict Flavored Tobacco on 10-Year Anniversary of Menthol Loophole at the steps of the City Hall. Participants will include NYC Councilman Cabrera; NYC Councilman Levine; André M. Richardson, Campaign Manager of Flavors Hook Kids NYC; Mike Davoli, American Cancer Society; Pastor Graham-Brown at Bronx Baptist Church; Gabe Galluci, Director of Governmental and Political Affairs at the Council for School Supervisors and Administrators; Darold Burgess, Ingersol Houses TA President; David Best, Current President of Community Education Council District 19; Derek Salud, Youth Group Organizer at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine; Nikki Lucas, Founder and President of The People First Education Fund and People First Democratic Club; Pastor Addie Banks, The Groundswell Group, WEPA Coalition; Phillip Lynn, The Groundswell Group, WEPA Coalition; Chris Banks, East New York United Concerned Citizens; Shanequa M. Charles, Miss Abbie’s Kids Inc.; Kujegi Camara, SCWEN; Reverend Kevin McCall, Founder of Crisis Action Center; Jesse Heindrich, PS9 PTO; Bishop Curt Courtenay, Emmanuel Church of God; Charles B. Wang Community Health Center.

At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Joint State Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction and Overdose Prevention will hold a public hearing at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts to “hear from stakeholders on strategies for reducing overdoses, improving individual and community health, and addressing the harmful consequences of drug use.”

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, "Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Tours Hofstra University's New School of Business." At 11 a.m. "Hochul Delivers Remarks at Statewide Small Business Entrepreneurship Roundtable Discussion" at Hofstra. At 6 p.m., "Hochul Greets Families at Senator Tim Kennedy's Single Moms Club Women's Health Forum During Breast Cancer Awareness Month" at Lafayette Parent Center in Buffalo.

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will hold a "press conference to unveil $500,000 capital grant for Green-Wood Cemetery’s Education & Welcome Center."

At 11 a.m. Tuesday, State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte and a host of other elected officials, organizations, and affected families, will hold a public meeting at the steps of City Hall, to commemorate “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day,” proposed to help reduce the number of pregnancy and infant loss.  Attendees will include Assembly members Michaelle Solages and Richard Gottfried; City Council Member Farah Louis; Brooke Smith, Baby Resource Center; Wendy Wilcox MD Chairperson NYC Health + Hospitals; March of Dimes; Star Legacy Foundation.

At 1 p.m. Tuesday, the New York City Planning Commission will meet at 120 Broadway for a review session.

The 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission will hold an information session about its ballot proposals, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Queens Borough Hall.

As part of “Archtober,” New York City’s Architecture and Design Month, the Center for Architecture and UN-Habitat’s Urban October will host “Off the Rails: Megadevelopment and the Future of the City,” from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts. Speakers will include Zaire Dinzey-Flores, Associate Professor, Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies and the Department of Sociology, Rutgers-New Brunswick; Winifred Curran, Professor, Geography, DePaul University; Betty Y. Chen, Principal, BYC Projects, and former New York City Planning Commissioner. It will be moderated by Louise Harpman, Professor, NYU Gallatin.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, "Mayor de Blasio will deliver remarks at the Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Reception at Gracie Mansion."

The 12 Democratic presidential candidates who met the national committee criteria will participate in a primary debate on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. on CNN.

Wednesday, October 16
Center for Urban Policy Symposium will host a breakfast panel titled “Are Creative Industries the Future of Middle Class Jobs in NYC?,” from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at The New School. Speakers will include Anne del Castillo, Commissioner, Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment; Laura Callanan, Founding Partner, Upstart Co-Lab; Andrew Essex, Founder of Plan_A; former CEO, Tribeca Film Festival; Winston C. Fisher, CEO, AREA15; Partner, Fisher Brothers; Alain Sylvain, Founder & CEO, Sylvain Labs. 

Empire Center will host the Gov. Hugh L. Carey policy forum titled “Medicaid Migraine: Retaking Control of New York’s Surging Health-Care Costs,” from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Albany Institute of History and Art. Speakers include Bill Hammond, Health Policy Director, Empire Center; Rose Duhan, President and CEO, Community Health Care Association of New York State; James Lytle, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips; Kathy Preston, Executive Vice President, New York Health Plan Association; Lara Kassel, Coordinator, Medicaid Matters New York.

At the City Council on Wednesday:
--at 9:30 a.m., the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings and Dispositions will hold a hearing.
--at 10 a.m., the Committee on Land Use will hold a hearing.
--at 10:30 a.m., the Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will hold a hearing.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the NYC City Planning Commission will hold a public meeting at 120 Broadway. 

Wednesday in Yonkers, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be the first of a series of “roundtables” hosted by the State Senate Education Committee and Committee on Budget and Revenues “to hear from stakeholders regarding the components and disbursement of Foundation Aid. Senator Shelley Mayer, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, will lead these hearings in partnership with Senator Brian Benjamin, Chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Revenues, and will focus on how Foundation Aid meets student, district and community needs with the goal of achieving greater equity in school financing.”

The State Senate Standing Committee on Internet and Technology will hold a public hearing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at 250 Broadway to examine the gig economy, including “hearing from stakeholders within the gig economy to identify the needs of workers and employers operating outside the traditional employee-employer dynamic and determine possible legislative avenues - including S.6538 – The Dependent Worker Act’s impact on the workforce.”

The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY will host a panel discussion on the “Public Charge” Rule from 2-3:00p.m. Wednesday. Speakers will include Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs; Steven Banks, Commissioner, Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services; Chris Keeley, Senior Director for Legal Affairs and Labor Relations , NYC Health + Hospitals; Sarah Nolan, Supervising Attorney, LegalHealth at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). It will be moderated by Jehangir Khattak, Center for Community and Ethnic Media, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

The New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Free Expression in the Digital Age will host “FOIL and the Future of Local Journalism: Rethinking Access to Information in a Digital Age” from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, at Syracuse University College of Law. Panelists include Jeremy Boyer, executive editor, Auburn Citizen; Diane Kennedy, president, New York News Publishers Association; John Lammers, senior director of content, Advance Media New York; Kristin O’Neill, assistant director, The Committee on Open Government; Kathryn Sheingold, assistant solicitor general, Office of the Attorney General; and others. It will be moderated by  David McCraw, Task Force co-chair, deputy general counsel for The New York Times.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, the City Council will host its Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.

The 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission will hold an information session about its ballot proposals from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lower Gallery in the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx.

Thursday, October 17
At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board will host a public meeting at the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building.

At the City Council on Thursday:
--at 10 a.m., the Committee on Finance will hold meetings on multiple bills. 
--at 1:30 p.m., a City Council Stated Meeting will concur, where bills are first introduced and bills that have passed committee will be voted on by the full Council. The meeting will be prefaced by a press conference hosted by Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

At 10 a.m. Thursday, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) will hold a public meeting at its offices at 100 Church Street.

The State Senate Committee on Codes will hold a public hearing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at 250 Broadway about issues related to personnel records of police officers, firefighters, and correctional officers, and the possibility of reforming or repealing section 50-a of the civil rights law.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, the Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Assembly Standing Committee on Local Governments, Assembly Standing Committee on Cities and Assembly Subcommittee on Women Veterans will jointly hold a public hearing on the delivery of veterans’ services and programs in New York State at the Legislative Office Building in Albany.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and Energy Innovation along with The Earth Institute  will host a forum titled “Should Storm surge barriers be built to protect NY & NJ from flooding,” from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Columbia Law School. Speakers include Col. Thomas Asbery, Chief New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Paul Gallay, President, Riverkeeper, among others. It will be moderated by Prof. Michael B. Gerrard, Director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia Law School.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host a Latino Heritage Celebration, featuring Domingo Zapata, at borough hall.

The 2019 New York City Charter Revision Commission will hold an information session about its ballot proposals, from 6:30-8 p.m. at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Thursday evening is this year's Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, which always draws many top officials and newsmakers, including the governor and the mayor. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will be the keynote speaker.

Friday, October 18 & the weekend
At 10 a.m. Friday, Mayor de Blasio may make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show.

Starting at 10 a.m. Friday in Buffalo, the State Senate Committee on Education and the State Senate Standing Committee on Budget and Revenues will hold their second in a series of public roundtables and hearings, to “hear from stakeholders about the components of the Foundation Aid formula in relation to student, district and community needs with a goal of greater equity in school financing.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont, will host a large campaign rally in on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Queensbridge Park in Long Island City.

“The United Federation of Teachers, as part of its national union’s presidential endorsement process, will host Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at the UFT’s annual Teacher Union Day” on Sunday, October 20, in New York City.

***
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 Ben Max & Gia Ramesh
@GothamGazette

(photo: William Alatriste/City Council)

A state commission charged with creating a plan for ensuring a complete count of New York residents in the 2020 Census has finally released its report, nine months after it was due and with continued ambiguity over how state census funding will be distributed.

The New York State Complete Count Commission, made up of executive and legislative branch appointees, spent months holding hearings across the state to solicit input on the challenges posed by the decennial census and how the state should respond. The commission was co-chaired by New York State Secretary of State Rossana Rosado and Jim Malatras, president of the Rockefeller Institute of Government and a former top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo.

This year’s state budget included $20 million for census efforts and the commission’s report, approved in a unanimous vote on Tuesday morning, is meant to be a roadmap for allocating that funding and avoiding an undercount, which could lead to less federal funding for the state, a loss of possibly two seats in the House of Representatives, and a whole host of other ancillary effects over the course of a decade.

Many of the concerns the report outlines were already apparent to advocates and observers: That New York is home to potentially 4.8 million hard-to-count individuals (particularly children under the age of 5) and that several communities lack language access, that the new online methodology could lead to lower responses among seniors or those lacking computer literacy, that the Census Bureau is having trouble recruiting workers and that communities of color and immigrants are particularly wary of the process, owing in no small part to the Trump administration’s unsuccessful efforts to add a citizenship question.

That question threat, in particular, has “created a lot of controversy, and had a potential chilling effect and created consternation in many of our communities, especially our foreign-born communities,” said Malatras, at Tuesday’s meeting where commissioners video-conferenced in from across the state. “Besides California, New York State has the highest percentage of foreign-born communities and people in the nation. So, in particular, it hits our state hard.”

The report also noted worries about data protection because of the digital-focused questionnaire, and omissions of home addresses from the Census Bureau’s records.

The challenges are by no means small. There are more than 200 languages spoken across the state but the Census Bureau will only provide video and printed guides in 59 languages and will translate the online questionnaire into only 12 other languages besides English. As many as 113,000 New Yorkers will have no language support from the Census Bureau, the report notes.

About 13.5% of households across the state also lack access to the internet at home, which could depress their self-response rate. The federal government has also yet to provide a waiver to the New York Census office to hire non-citizens as enumerators, who go door-to-door surveying residents in communities where the self-response rate is low. Advocates and officials agree that in immigrant-heavy communities, non-citizens are often the most effective at gaining people’s trust and soliciting responses.

Failing to meet these challenges could mean that New York State could see a drop in self-response rates to 58%, down from 62% in 2010 when the national average was 76%, according to Census Bureau estimates.

The report lays out several recommendations for a strategy the state should follow. It includes an analysis of hard-to-count census tracts, identifying where the state should expend its resources. The commission recommends a targeted communications campaign for communities at risk of an undercount and additional support for areas that lack internet connectivity and populations that rank low on digital literacy.

It also pushes for expanded translation services and building trust with immigrant communities. The report notes that if federal immigration authorities seek to misuse Census data, the state’s Liberty Defense Project should be pressed into action to provide legal assistance to immigrants.

Acknowledging that certain sections of the population fly under the radar, the report specifically urges the state to ensure an accurate count of people experiencing homelessness. It also pushes for ensuring that individuals in group-living situations – students in dormitories, seniors in nursing homes, inmates in correctional facilities – are counted.

The commission laid out a detailed plan for how the state can support municipalities with their efforts to conduct census outreach including providing aid to local complete count committees, collaborating with “trusted voices” like nonprofit service providers, labor, and faith-based organizations, enlisting all state agencies in the census effort, collaborating with the philanthropic community and establishing Census Assistance Centers in hard-to-count census tracts.

One place the report falls short is on details of how the $20 million in state funding will be spent. It’s unclear in what form that funding will be utilized.

“We are reviewing the report and the insight it provides on how the State, local governments and our partners can work together so that every New Yorker is counted in the 2020 Census,” said Freeman Klopott, a spokesperson for the state Division of the Budget, in an email.

At the hearing, Malatras acknowledged that the commission’s work had been delayed – it was only appointed after its first report was already due. “What we have to do today is we get this report to the state so they can release those resources that they provided in the budget,” he said. The commission is also meant to release a second and final report in January that details progress on its recommendations, he pointed out.

Commissioner Henry Garrido, executive director of labor union DC37 (who was appointed when Commissioner Hector Figueroa of 32BJ SEIU unexpectedly passed away -- the report includes a dedication to Figueroa) raised concerns about mistrust in immigrant communities and the question of hiring non-immigrants. Though Malatras admitted that “there was no clarity” on the use of the federal waiver, he urged local authorities to move ahead either way. “So we're going to go forward as if it would be okay to hire,” he said.

He also noted that, with a lack of support from the federal government, the state would have to step up. He pointed to the Department of Labor, in particular, noting that it has a robust census outreach plan in place already and said that the state would use SUNY and CUNY as recruiting centers for census outreach workers. 

Commissioner Jose Calderón, president of the Hispanic Federation, raised the issue of the release of state funds. “We are already really late in the game,” he pointed out, wondering about the process and timeline on which the money would be awarded to community-based organizations. “It is those trusted sources that are going to help us deliver on the promise of getting a complete count in New York State,” he said.

Calderón’s worries were echoed by other commissioners including Esmeralda Simmons, founder and executive director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. “It's a roadmap,” she said of the report, “but unfortunately, it doesn't get us to our destination.”

She said CBOs have been waiting for months for funding to assist their work and the report provides few details on that front. “Everyone's waiting for recommendations on how the money is going to be spent, and how it's going to be utilized,” she said. “And we all know state government is not usually that swift. I appreciate all the actions that are anticipated but we have said none of that in this report. We've talked about no plan on how to get the money out there.”

Malatras sought to downplay those concerns, insisting that the next report due in January will address any funding issues and that it wasn’t within the commission’s authority to dictate whether the state dole out funding through a competitive bidding process or through agencies. “We want to make sure there's maximum flexibility for the state Legislature, the executive and others to say this is how they want to do it,” he said.

Simmons later pushed a motion to send a message of urgency in writing that the $20 million in census funding “be appropriated by the most efficient and expeditious method using state entities.” The motion was unanimously approved.

[Read: As City Rolls Out Census Funding for Outreach Efforts, State Lags Behind]

New York City Hall

What to watch for this week in New York politics:

As the week begins New York City is reeling from two tragic weekend events: attacks on apparently homeless men in Manhattan by an alleged suspect, also apparently homeless, who killed four and cricially injured a fifth person; and the killing of a 10-year-old Brooklyn boy riding his bike by an apparently unlicensed driver of an SUV. Many government officials, advocates, and others are expressing their remorse while some are also calling for new action to provide services and housing to homeless people and to make the city's streets safer for pedestrians and bikers. Such reactions and calls for action will continue into Monday and beyond.

There are a variety of 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, October 7
Mayor de Blasio will make his weekly appearance on NY1's Inside City Hall on Monday evening.

The New York Board of Regents will meet Monday and Tuesday in Albany.

At 10 a.m. Monday in Kimlau Square, there will be a community vigil in response to the weekend murders in Chinatown. Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou is among those who've organized the event. Comptroller Scott Stringer will be among those participating.

At the City Council on Monday: at 10 a.m., the Committee on Technology, the Committee on Housing and Buildings, and the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing will meet jointly to discuss multiple bills related to facial recognition technology and biometric data collection in businesses and residences.

At 10 a.m. Monday, “Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) President Judith A. Salerno, MD, MS will unveil the results of a borough-wide survey of nearly 2,000 older Brooklynites and recommendations to improve their quality of life, as part of their “Age-friendly Brooklyn” joint initiative to ensure that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy and contribute to the borough. They will announce the report’s key findings during Active Aging Week, a weeklong campaign created by the International Council on Active Aging that promotes healthy lifestyles for seniors. It will take place at Saint John’s Recreation Center in Crown Heights.” Also participating will be “NYAM President Judith A. Salerno, Age-friendly Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights ambassadors, Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson, New York City Department for the Aging, AARP New York, Brooklyn Community Foundation, Brooklyn-wide Interagency Council on Aging, Assembly Member Tremaine Wright, Council Member Robert Cornegy, Jr., Bay Ridge Center, Fort Greene Council, Myrtle Avenue Aging Improvement District, NY Statewide Senior Action Council, JCC of Greater Coney Island, Catholic Charities, RAICES, local seniors.”

At 11 a.m. Monday, The Straphangers Campaign, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and TransitCenter will release their first-annual “Cozy Awards" at the B54 Eastbound bus stop on Myrtle Avenue and Vanderbilt, highlighting bus stops along bus routes in New York City that are spaced less than a block apart.

At 11:30 a.m. Monday, "Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Highlights National Disability Employment Awareness Month at Seeing Impaired Employer Alphapointe Manufacturing Plant" in Queens. At 1 p.m., "Hochul Marks Statewide Breast Cancer Awareness Month" at Staten Island University Hospital. At 7:15 p.m. "Hochul Delivers Remarks at Waterfront Alliance's Heroes of the Harbor Award Dinner and Boat Parade" at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. At 8:30 p.m. "Hochul Addresses Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senator Shelley Mayer's Hispanic Heritage Month Reception" at United Community Center of Westchester.

At noon Monday, New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy, Staten Island GOP Chairman Brendan Lantry, and other Staten Islanders will hold a “Stop the Madness!” anti-impeachment event targeting Rep. Max Rose outside Rose’s district office on New Dorp Lane. “This event is part of a nationwide effort to hold vulnerable Democrats like Rep. Max Rose accountable for their extreme and politically-motivated actions. The New York “Stop the Madness” campaign is kicking off in NY-11 and will feature several events in district across New York State.”

At 1 p.m. Monday, Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), and Nydia Velazquez (NY-07), will join numerous local elected officials and community groups at the City Hall steps to announce the introduction of their Improving Helicopter Safety Act of 2019. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will also be among those participating. This event was cancelled.

At 2:30 p.m. Monday, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Assemblymember O'Donnell, and Councilmember Mark Levine will join advocates at 237 West 107th Street to call on the Department of Homeless Services and the de Blasio administration to immediately halt the plan to transition a 107th Street shelter from women-only to men-only.

Tuesday, October 8
Crain’s New York Business will host the 2019 Renewable Energy Forum from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the NYC Seminar and Conference Center. Speakers will include Chris Cavanagh, Director, National Grid; Eileen Cifone, Manager, National Grid; Rafael L. Espinal Jr., Council Member for District 37, New York City Council; Scott Frank, Managing Partner, Jaros, Baum & Bolles; John J. Gilbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rudin Management Co.; Zachary Schechter-Steinberg, Vice President of Policy, REBNY; Neil Skidell, Managing Director Green Solutions, The PAR Group; Robert Wilson, Vice President, Special Projects, Northeast Gas Association. 

At the City Council on Tuesday:
--At 10 a.m., the Committee on Youth Services meet to discuss legislation to establish a universal youth employment program. 
-- At 1 p.m., the Committee on Civil and Human Rights and the Committee on Aging will jointly meet to discuss multiple bills to combat age discrimination in the workforce. At 11:30 a.m., Council Member Margaret Chin and age justice advocates and older working New Yorkers will hold a rally at City Hall before Chin chairs the joint Council hearing on her package of legislation regarding age discrimination. 
--At 1 p.m.,  the Committee on Immigration and the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction will jointly hold an oversight hearing to address mental health needs of immigrants in New York City.

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the commissioners of the New York City Board of Elections will meet at 42 Broadway in Manhattan.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will host an info session on The Extended Use Hardship Pilot Program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Borough Hall.

Wednesday October 9
Wednesday is Yom Kippur (which begins Tuesday evening). Few if any political events are expected.

Thursday, October 10
New York City Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been will appear at a Citizens Budget Commission Trustee Breakfast on Thursday at 8 a.m.

On Thursday and Friday, Transportation Alternatives will bring together leading industry and policy experts, advocates, and elected officials for the fifth annual Vision Zero Cities Conference, taking place at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall. Speakers include city Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, both on Thursday.

At the City Council on Thursday: the Committee on Land Use will hear multiple land use applications at 11 a.m.

On 10 a.m. Thursday in Rochester, the State Senate Standing Committee on Health and the Assembly Standing Committee on Health will jointly hold a public hearing on The New York Health Act.

At 4 p.m. Thursday, the Civilian Complaint Review Board will meet in Manhattan.

Brooklyn State Senator Andrew Gounardes will host a Community Property Tax Forum on lowering property taxes from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at the JCC/JCH on Bay Parkway. He’ll be joined by Manhattan State Senator Brian Benjamin and others.

Friday, Oct 11
Friday is the last day to register to vote in this fall’s elections, which in New York City includes charter revision ballot proposal questions, a special election for Public Advocate, the Queens District Attorney election, and more. Early voting begins October 26. Election Day is November 5.

At 10 a.m. Friday, Mayor de Blasio may make his weekly appearance on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show.

The State Senate Standing Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities will hold a public meeting on domestic violence and its effects on the community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Nyack Library, 59 South Broadway, Nyack, New York.

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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

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 81 -- $7.3 Trillion, with Linda Lacewell of the State Department of Financial Services  [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

$7.3 trillion - the assists of the more than 3,000 insurance and financial institutions regulated by New York State Department of Financial Services. Besides being the largest data point in this podcast’s history, the figure reveals how important DFS is as a regulator. DFS Commissioner Linda Lacewell spoke at a recent Citizens Budget Commission event to discuss her office's work.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think: Ben Max of GG (@TweetBenMax), Maria Doulis of CBC (@MariaDoulis). Listen below or download wherever you get your podcasts!