Trash wars: Revenge of the carters

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Wednesday Mar 09,2022 09:04 pm

Mar 09, 2022

Presented by AARP

Private waste haulers have been fighting New York City’s regulatory efforts for years. And now they’ve scored a rare victory — at their behest, the city has delayed implementation of commercial waste zones.

A refresher: The City Council passed a law in 2019 to divide the city into 20 zones, with private companies competing against each other to service each individual zone. To win a zone, the companies have to promise to increase recycling, improve safety and work conditions and create transparent billing practices.

Designed to clean up an industry that faced renewed scrutiny after a string of fatal crashes, the plan was one of the biggest environmental fights of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.

Fifty companies are eligible to compete for a zone after making it through the first round of a competitive solicitation process. They will now have until July 15 to make their best case, as opposed to the original April 15 deadline.

“We’re committed to the Commercial Waste Zone plan — but we’re committed to getting it right,” said Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for the city sanitation department. “Adding a few months will allow greater time for businesses still recovering from pandemic impacts to get in their best possible responses to the [request for proposals].”

Many in the industry argue there are good reasons to proceed with caution. Waste levels in Manhattan still aren’t what they used to be because of the pandemic and it’s unclear who will lead the sanitation department. The department’s current commissioner, Edward Grayson, is a holdover from the de Blasio administration.

Jessica Tisch, the former commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications who also worked for the NYPD under de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg, is a contender for the role, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But nothing is settled and Grayson continues to have strong support within the department. A City Hall spokesperson said, “we do not comment on pending appointments, and no appointments are confirmed until they are formally announced.”

Environmental advocates want to see things move forward.

“Any time there’s a delay it raises concern that things can slip further,” said Eric Goldstein, city environment director at the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council. “It’s troubling, but hopefully only temporary.”

A message from AARP:

More than 15,000 nursing home residents have died of COVID-19 – so far. That’s unacceptable. Yet long before COVID-19, chronic issues like understaffing and poor infection control put residents at risk. It’s time to strengthen oversight and put the safety and well-being of nursing home residents first. New York lawmakers must increase support for the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program in the state budget. Learn More.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY: It’s get over-the-hump day, and we’re back with your afternoon check-in to spill the day’s tea — as we know it thus far — during one of the busiest seasons in New York politics.

From the Capitol

ON THE THIRD FLOOR: The Senate and Assembly are in for a four-day work week and scheduled today’s sessions for 3 p.m. and noon, respectively. The Senate planned a vote on the confirmation of Daniel Tietz as commissioner of the Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance. Senators also planned to take up an agriculture package of bills that would convert the Office of Community Gardens into the Office of Urban Agriculture, increase the number of New York food products purchased by state agencies, and require NYSERDA to provide guidance and educational materials on agrivoltaics.

TARGETING TEXAS: Attorney General Letitia James joined 29 national, state and local advocacy groups in asking the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a federal investigation into Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott’s recent directive to treat care for transgender children as child abuse. James and the coalition contended the order last month “is discriminatory, potentially unlawful, and does untold harm to trans youth in Texas.”

“Let me be very clear: Gender-affirming treatment is not child abuse. It is a critical form of healthcare that allows trans children to lead healthy and happy lives,” James said in a statement.

HOCHUL OFFERS SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE: New York has the largest population of Ukrainian immigrants in the nation, so the Russian invasion has hit home in the Empire State. Gov. Kathy Hochul visited the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr in Manhattan today and vowed that New Yorkers will support their Ukrainian neighbors.

“We not only stand with Ukraine,” she said, “we reject any business from our state with Russian interests or the Russian state, because that is part of a global effort to bring that nation to its knees and regret the day they ever attempted to subjugate the great country of Ukraine.”

She also urged refugees to come to New York for help and support. “It's not just New York City, because there are homes and churches and relief services awaiting in every corner of the state, because I've made sure that they are ready,” she said. — Meghan Brink

A message from AARP:

ON THE BEATS

EDUCATION: A new bill in the state Legislature seeks to bar New York’s colleges and universities from using legacy preferences in admissions, just as progressives around the country are mounting similar efforts to end the practice.

The legislation , sponsored by Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Latrice Walker, both Democrats from Brooklyn, would prohibit private and public colleges from favoring applicants whose family members previously attended the same school, a practice that has come under criticism in recent years. The bill would also bar early decision admission policies, another practice that critics say is disproportionately favorable to wealthy students.

“What this bill will do is it'll say that colleges and universities in New York can no longer base their admission to students solely on a legacy preference,” Gounardes said on Wednesday.

The legislation also proposes a penalty for schools that refuse to comply — 10 percent of tuition collected from the previous year’s freshman class, according to the bill’s language. Penalty funds would be distributed as student awards under the Tuition Assistance Program.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is co-sponsoring a bill by a similar name on the national level. It would ban legacy admissions for any institution that participates in federal student aid programs. Connecticut lawmakers are also considering a bill to end legacy admissions at private and public colleges. — Michelle Bocanegra

HEALTH CARE: New York City Health + Hospitals is looking to double the number of people enrolled in its signature NYC Care program, which connects people to primary care. The public hospital system is staffing up for the program, which helps 100,000 uninsured and underinsured patients.

The program aimed to move people away from pricey emergency room visits. The hospital system wants to enroll 200,000 people, although officials have not provided a timeline for offering care to those individuals. — Amanda Eisenberg

ENTERTAINMENT: The new home of the New York Philharmonic in Lincoln Center — David Geffen Hall — will finish construction this October. Hochul and Adams attended an event today at Lincoln Center during which Katherine Farley, the chair of Lincoln Center, announced that the new theater will be completed two years ahead of schedule after reaching its funding goal of $550 million. The project has created an estimated 6,000 jobs and generated $600 million in economic development. The theater will include a new welcome center, large lobby, venues for smaller performances, new rehearsal spaces, and added concession and gathering spaces. — Meghan Brink

AROUND NEW YORK

— Standing at 1,066 feet, the unfinished Brooklyn Tower is the first super skyscraper outside of Manhattan.

— New York State lawmakers are seeking gas tax breaks while prices rise.

— Bronx tenants, who are threatened with eviction, are forced to face housing court without lawyers.

— The American Addiction Centers’ survey revealed that 3.2 million New Yorkers are “ gray area drinkers.”

— A $100 million project plans to bring roughly 320 homes to Grand Island.

A message from AARP:

More than 15,000 New York nursing home and long-term care residents have died of COVID-19 – so far. That’s unacceptable. Yet, long before COVID-19, chronic issues like understaffing and poor infection control put residents at risk. New York seniors deserve better. It’s time to strengthen oversight and put the safety and well-being of nursing home residents first.

New York lawmakers must increase support for the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program in the state budget. Nursing home residents don’t need another study of this program – which is supposed to act as their voice; residents need an expanded and adequately-funded Ombudsman program. Learn More.