AOC looks to get Archila over finish line for lieutenant governor

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Wednesday Jun 22,2022 08:33 pm

Jun 22, 2022

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, right, arrives with her guest, Ana Maria Archila of New York.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, right, arrives with her guest, Ana Maria Archila of New York, to hear President Donald Trump deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 5, 2019. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

As expected, liberal firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez today threw her support and political apparatus behind Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Ana Maria Archila, raising the profile of a key race that could upend the traditional workings of Albany.

Archila is looking to be the first Latina elected to statewide office in New York and has also vowed to run an independent office not tethered to the governor in a simply ceremonial role.

Former Lt. Gov. and Gov. David Paterson used to joke: “ The job of lieutenant governor is to wake up and call the Governor’s Mansion at 6:30 am. If he answers, you go back to sleep.”

As POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney wrote last week, Archila and Diana Reyna are in a pitched battle to win Tuesday’s primary and to beat Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed to the job in May. They have both talked about making the job more of an advocate for policy changes, saying the position can be a bully pulpit for a progressive agenda in Albany.

Archila said in a statement that Ocasio-Cortez “models every day the type of leadership that I plan to bring to the lieutenant governor’s office: that we must stand up with working people to demand affordable housing, fair wages, access to health care, and a livable planet, and that we must be willing to stand up to the billionaires and the powerful who get in the way.”

The pair already had a relationship: She was Ocasio-Cortez’s guest at the State of the Union address in 2019 after Archila got national attention for confronting Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake over the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh.

The New York Times said Ocasio-Cortez will host a campaign rally Monday with Archila. Two other members of the state's congressional delegation have also spurned Delgado, their former House colleague, and went with Archila: Jamaal Bowman and Nydia Velázquez.

For his part, Delgado — who has the institutional Democratic support, most of the labor backing and millions of dollars to spend on ads — has also been rolling out endorsements, such as former colleagues Reps Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clarke.

With Hochul viewed as a heavy favorite to win her primary, Delgado could benefit from voters coming out to support her and her running mate, who run separately in the primary but as a ticket in November.

But, as the old saying goes, it will come down to who can get more supporters to the polls.

IT’S WEDNESDAY: New York Playbook PM heads into the final week before New York’s primaries for governor and state Assembly. Stay with us as we keep you up-to-date on the latest New York news from the campaign trail, in Albany and in City Hall. Summer is here, and the news keeps heating up!

From the Capitol

REGENERON GROWS: Regeneron, the Westchester County-based biotech company, announced a $1.8 billion expansion at its Tarrytown headquarters that the company expects will create 1,000 jobs over the next five years. The state will chip in up to $100 million in Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits based on the number of jobs created.

The announcement was the latest positive news for Regeneron, which has been one of the state’s economic success stories as its largest biotech company with also a strong presence in the Albany area. It was founded in 1988 by CEO Leonard Schleifer and scientist George Yancopoulos. It most recently gained recognition for its monoclonal antibodies, called REGEN-COV, that were used to fight Covid-19.

"New York is a leader in the life sciences industry in part due to the decades of investment and many groundbreaking scientific advancements at Regeneron," Hochul said in a statement after attending the company’s announcement.

LIFEGUARDS GET RAISES: To fight a shortage of lifeguards this summer at state-owned beaches and pool, New York will increase their pay by 34 percent upstate, from $14.95 per hour to $20 per hour, and 21 percent for lifeguards at downstate facilities, from $18.15 per hour to $22 per hour. Hochul said the increase will hopefully attract more candidates, after last year lowering the age to join the ranks to age 15.

ON THE BEATS

EDUCATION: Zeta Charter Schools — a charter school network serving students in prekindergarten through fifth grade across six campuses in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan — announced that the city and the Department of Education agreed to give 31 Bronx children a pre-K seat at their siblings’ school at Zeta South Bronx Elementary.

The DOE initially denied Zeta the seats days before their April 4 admissions lottery was scheduled to close, according to the network. “This is a huge win for the Bronx community, and it would not have been possible without the persistent advocacy of Zeta families who rallied, wrote letters, and made their voices heard for months,” Emily A. Kim, founder and CEO of Zeta Charter Schools, said in a statement. “We are beyond thrilled to welcome the new Pre-K class to Zeta South Bronx this fall.” — Madina Touré

— LaGuardia Community College is looking to offer recent high school graduates career exploration workshops. The school’s Career Start program is focusing on first-generation college students with remedial needs and will give them intensive math instruction along with guidance in helping formulate an academic plan during the summer before they register for classes for the first time.

LaGuardia is working with the Department of Education Career and Technical Education High Schools to recruit students. Last summer, 20 students participated in Career Start. This summer, the school is aiming to serve up to 50 students through the program. “The research is clear: College students are much more likely to complete a credential in a timely manner if they have a clear understanding of the courses they need to take,” Kenneth Adams, LaGuardia’s president, said in a statement. “By presenting coherent program maps that align with students’ goals for careers and further education, we greatly improve their chances of achieving academic and professional success.” — Madina

REAL ESTATE: Mayor Eric Adams announced the opening of 183 income-restricted apartments, along with new retail and arts space, at the former site of the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the South Bronx. He spoke at a ribbon-cutting today of his own experience being detained at age 15 at the jail facility, which closed in 2011 and was notorious for its poor conditions. “Nothing could be more significant, that I was housed here as a juvenile in Spofford and now we’re building housing to prevent people from being housed in a juvenile correctional facility,” Adams said. The full redevelopment effort, which began under his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, will ultimately include 740 affordable housing units, an early childhood education center and a one-acre landscaped public plaza. — Janaki Chadha

JOBS: New York said there are 15,000 summer jobs posted to its Seasonal Job Bank, whether it is working at an amusement park or a summer camp. New Yorkers can access the Seasonal Job Bank here.

TRANSIT: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and accessibility advocates reached a class action settlement agreement that will require the MTA to add elevators or ramps to create a stair-free path of travel at 95 percent of the currently inaccessible subway stations by 2055.

The MTA said the schedule is to to make accessible 81 stations by 2025, another 85 stations by 2035, another 90 stations by 2045 and the last 90 stations by 2055.

The MTA has 493 subway stations, and 31 are fully accessible to customers with disabilities, via elevators and ramps, the agency said.

"No New Yorker should have to worry about whether or not they can safely access public transportation," Hochul said in a statement.

The Campaign Trail

GOP ON THE MOVE: If you happen to run into a Republican gubernatorial candidate on the street, don’t be surprised: they are crisscrossing the state after last night’s final TV debate among the four hopefuls.

Andrew Giuliani was in Syracuse and Binghamton, and his famous father was outside the state Capitol telling reporters how New Yorkers should elect his son next Tuesday in the GOP primary.

Meanwhile, former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino was making his way along the New York Thruway with stops in Syracuse and Utica after attending the GOP debate in Rochester on Tuesday night.

Businessman Harry Wilson and Rep. Lee Zeldin were also making their way across the state.

FINAL PITCH: On the Democratic side, Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi is unveiling his closing ad. The multi-million-dollar buy will be running across the state as Suozzi looks to pull a major upset and beat Hochul in the primary. His campaign said the ad “ends on a positive note to highlight Suozzi's devotion to public service.”

It ends: “Tom will make New York safer, while lowering taxes and fixing schools to make it more livable, that old fashion thing called serving the public. So if you're ready to vote, Tom's ready to serve.”

AROUND NEW YORK

— The driver in the fatal Times Square attack in 2017 was deemed not responsible due to mental illness.

— A state judge said the state Education Department commissioner acted legally when she said Cambridge Central School District’s “Indian” mascot must be replaced.

— A former Mount Vernon police sergeant claimed at his trial that he feared his fellow cop and lover was going to violently attack him if he didn't use force during a domestic altercation.

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