Hochul visits Long Island for housing push

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Thursday Mar 02,2023 09:35 pm

Mar 02, 2023

Presented by

Gov. Kathy Hochul toured Patchogue in Suffolk County, Long Island, on March 2, 2023, with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (right) and Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri to tout her plan to build 800,000 new homes in the next decade.

March 2, 2023 - Patchogue, NY - Governor Kathy Hochul tours small businesses in Patchogue. (Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul) | New York Governor's Office

It’s no secret that Long Island is difficult political territory for Gov. Kathy Hochul — a dynamic that likely isn’t helped by her sweeping plan to force the towns and villages that populate the region to build significantly more housing.

So she visited Patchogue in Suffolk County on Thursday to offer a defense of the controversial agenda, as part of what’s shaping up to be a statewide tour to build support for her push ahead of budget negotiations this month.

On Wednesday, she visited converted housing units in Albany to stress the urgency of the plan, which would impose production targets on municipalities across the state, with a particular focus on the suburbs around New York City. The plan, which allows the state to override local zoning in some cases, has been fiercely opposed by many Long Island lawmakers.

In Patchogue, Hochul sought to appeal to homeowners who might be opposed to the push, pointing to the difficulties faced by young people searching for housing in a region where home prices have increased 66 percent since 2013. She has argued adding housing supply is essential to bringing down costs.

“You wouldn’t be able to afford the house you’re living in right now if you had [to do it] all over again,” Hochul said. “And you know what that means? That your kids can’t afford to live in the same neighborhood, your own kids will never be able to grow up around you, someday grandparents.”

She added: “New Jersey has built four to five times more housing in the same time frame per capita than we have here on Long Island, so your kids may be growing up in New Jersey whether they want to or not, because they want to stay in this region.”

The Democratic governor's trips have been followed by press releases touting the local officials who support her proposal.

She plugged other initiatives in her remarks Thursday, like investments in school aid, her proposed tweaks to the bail laws, and the progress she’s made fixing potholes in the region. Hochul lost Long Island to hometown Rep. Lee Zeldin in last year's election, and Republicans swept all four House seats there, as well as picked up some state legislative seats.

“I took care of your potholes, you know that, right?” Hochul said. “If you see a pothole, give me a call, but I think I wiped out about a half a million of them last summer.”

IT’S THURSDAY: Stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news in Albany, City Hall and beyond.

A message from Con Edison:

As part of our Clean Energy Commitment, Con Edison is building a resilient, 22nd-century energy grid that’s primed to provide 100% renewable power. Specifically, we are developing clean energy hubs to connect and deliver up to 6,000 megawatts of offshore wind and investing $800 million into the installation of new transmission lines. Our efforts are expanding access to the renewable sources that will deliver hundreds of megawatts of clean, reliable energy to New Yorkers.

From the Capitol

New York State Attorney General Tish James looks on during a press conference.

Attorney General Tish James said Thursday she will go after price gouging through new state rules. | David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

PRICE GOUGING: New York Attorney General Tish James announced Thursday she is proposing new rules to address price gouging. The rules, she said, “would protect consumers and small businesses from corporate profiteering” and would be an update from the 2020 regulations that gave her office the ability to adopt new rules.

The rules, James said, would make it easier for her office to investigate and combat price gouging by setting standards on price increases during emergencies. The measure is open to a 60-day public comment period before it becomes official.

“Soaring costs of essentials have pushed hardworking New Yorkers to the brink and forced hard decisions around kitchen tables,” James said in a statement. “The rules proposed by my office will bolster our efforts to crack down on price gouging and ensure that large corporations do not take advantage of New Yorkers during difficult times.” — Joseph Spector

WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS: A bill moving through Assembly this week was the “Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act (S. 215 / A. 2878) that is expected to at least head to the full chamber for a vote. The measure would expand the ability of people convicted of a crime to fight their cases because New York generally only allows those who pleaded guilty to file a claim of innocence if DNA evidence emerges, a difficult threshold to meet.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry, would allow other non-DNA evidence to be considered in a wrongful conviction case; provide a right to post-conviction discovery and establish a right to counsel for those with wrongful conviction claims. New York is one of just five states in the U.S. that does not provide a right to an attorney in post-conviction cases, advocates said Thursday. — Joseph Spector

A message from Con Edison:

On the beats

Adams

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a plenary luncheon at the annual winter meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 2023. (Francis Chung/POLITICO) | Francis Chung/POLITICO

MENTAL HEALTH: A three-part agenda unveiled Thursday by Mayor Eric Adams calls for new initiatives to help New Yorkers with mental health and substance use concerns — but details were sparse on how the city will pay for them.

One of the few projects with a specific budget is a $7 million expansion of the city’s clubhouses, where people with serious mental illness can socialize with one another and be connected to job opportunities and resources. City and state lawmakers seized on the lack of dollar figures when they were briefed on the administration’s plan last week, POLITICO reported at the time. — Maya Kaufman

EDUCATION: Adams said Thursday the city will invest $12 million to kick off a telehealth program for all New York City public high school students. During his State of the City address at the end of January, Adams announced that the city would offer the students telehealthcare and community-based counseling as part of a new student mental health program.

At the time, Adams said that the program — which he said would kick off this year — will be the “biggest student mental health program in the country.” The city also plans to kick off suicide prevention pilot programming at NYC Health + Hospitals for youth who are going to emergency departments for suicide attempts as well as community-based suicide prevention programming to assist Black and brown youth. — Madina Touré

SPORTS BETTING: The state Gaming Commission this week moved ahead with new regulations that would limit the type of advertising and marketing for online sports wagering companies.

The commission, a memo reads, has raised concerns “about advertising and marketing of sports wagering to audiences at college and university campuses, where exposure to gambling messaging is likely to be directed to those under the minimum age for wagering.” The changes will need to go through a 60-comment period before they can put on the books. The proposal includes not allowing any sports wagering licensees to contract with a third party for advertising, marketing and branding or post anything that contains “false, deceptive or misleading statements.”

It would also prohibit the use of trademarks on materials intended primarily for underage; ban advertising on college and university campuses; and disallow any depiction of underage persons in advertisements. — Joseph Spector

A message from Con Edison:

Our work includes the creation of peak-demand reduction strategies, new substations, and local transmission initiatives like Reliable Clean City projects—a trio of electric transmission projects that will connect all New York City boroughs to a supply of increasingly renewable electricity. All together, these projects help transition New York away from fossil fuels and prepare our grid to deliver 100% clean energy to all customers by 2040. See New York’s energy future here.

Around New York

— New York City will opt for counselors’ and medical professionals’ intervention over police, Adams said. (The New York Times)

— New York is doubling the number of dispensary licenses for social equity candidates, even if the general licensing process has yet to open. (Times Union)

— According to a recent John Jay College’s Data Collaborative for Justice report, Manhattan’s jail admissions in 2021 reveal a racial disparity. (THE CITY)

— Adams announced a plan to decrease overdose deaths. (WNYC)

Follow us on Twitter