A rally around every corner

From: POLITICO New York Playbook PM - Tuesday Mar 21,2023 09:00 pm

Mar 21, 2023

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At least 10,000 healthcare workers filled the MVP Arena in Albany on March 21, 2023, to rally for higher pay and more state aid for programs and services.

At least 10,000 healthcare workers filled the MVP Arena in Albany on March 21, 2023, to rally for higher pay and more state aid for programs and services. | Katelyn Cordero/POLITICO

The rumble of cheers and chants heard through the state Capitol Tuesday meant one thing: The state budget deadline is nearing.

On one end of the Million Dollar Staircase, pharmacists in white coats rallied for a new prescription billing plan through Medicaid that Gov. Kathy Hochul is supporting.

Down the block from the Capitol, the MVP Arena was nearly full — as it was last weekend for March Madness. But this time it was packed with unionized home care workers from 1199SEIU pushing for more state aid and a pay raise. And Rakim, one of the greatest rappers of all time, performed!

"We're hoping that today's rally, which is the biggest that Albany has seen in a long time, that this puts the exclamation point on the emergent need for fairness," Ken Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association said in an interview, saying more money is needed for the ailing system.

Back at the Capitol, there seemed to be a a rally or press conference around every corner.

While faith leaders pushed Hochul and lawmakers to pass the Right to Counsel fund, which would provide legal help for all tenants, some Democratic senators backed an effort by the Riders Alliance and transit workers unions to add $300 million to the budget for more subway and bus service in New York City.

Another event was the 5 Borough Housing Movement’s call for the Legislature to lift the “floor area ratio” cap on buildings and expand office-to-residential conversions, including an incentive to ensure affordable housing is included.

Meanwhile, advocates for the arts spoke on the fourth floor of the Capitol in support of $140 million for the New York State Council on the Arts, as well as restoring $50 million in capital funding for arts infrastructure.

Wait, there’s more: Expect additional rallies in the coming days ahead of the March 31 deadline for an on-time budget deal. There’s a whole list of them planned through the week.

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

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From the Capitol

Cars cross the Hudson River on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, traveling eastbound from South Nyack to Tarrytown, N.Y.

New York announced it is moving ahead with plans to expand some of the roadways in Westchester County off the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. | Bill Sikes/AP Photo

CUOMO BRIDGE: Hochul announced Tuesday work will start on a $13.9 million project along South Broadway Route 9 in the village of Tarrytown to extend the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge side path south to Lyndhurst Mansion.

It will also include the construction of a 270-foot-long pedestrian bridge over the New York Thruway near the $4 billion bridge to improve access and enhance safety for pedestrians and cyclists who use the path on the bridge over the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland counties.

"Expanding pedestrian and cycling access along the Hudson River is essential to connecting communities for recreation and commuting," Hochul said. "This partnership between the Thruway Authority and the Department of Transportation will provide fantastic new services to residents of Tarrytown and the visitors of the Hudson Valley -- creating safer, more connected communities." — Joseph Spector

WHO IS FUNDING HOCHUL: An media storm trying to build support for Hochul’s budget agenda is coming from perhaps an unlikely source: former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, the New York Times’ Nicholas Fandos reported Tuesday afternoon:

“He has given $5 million in seed money to help fund a blitz of television advertising, social media influence campaigns and rounds of mailers targeting individual state lawmakers amid the budget fight with the State Legislature, according to two people briefed on his giving. Two more people, who also insisted on anonymity, confirmed the gift but not the amount."

Bloomberg was one the largest backers of Senate Republicans in Albany when they were in the majority, but he has, the article points out, stayed on the sidelines during the Hochul administration. Now he appears to be aiding her moderate Democratic agenda as she tries to win over a reluctant state Legislature in the budget deal. — Joseph Spector

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From the Capitol

UNITED NATIONS: Mayor Eric Adams took the opportunity to tout a drop in hate crimes while speaking before the United Nations on Tuesday. The body was commemorating International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“I'm proud to say that since I took office, New York City is leading the way in the fight against racial discrimination. Our first in the nation office for the prevention of hate crimes is seeing success,” Adams said. “This year alone, hate crimes are down across New York City by nearly 70 percent.” — Joe Anuta

On the beats

HEALTH BUDGET: The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is slated to see its budget dip to $1.9 billion in the upcoming fiscal year as it struggles to fill 600 staff vacancies and as Adams rolls out an ambitious, three-pronged mental health agenda. That is down from the $2.2 billion adopted budget for the current year, according to a City Council analysis.

Yet Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan thanked Adams, who appointed him, for the resources dedicated to the department. City Council Member Charles Barron noted the bit of awkwardness during a Council hearing Tuesday on the health budget.

“Are you thanking the mayor for that?” Barron asked. “You’re thanking the mayor that cut you?”

“I’m going to answer this by saying we’ve all had to absorb cuts,” Vasan responded.

The department is budgeted for a 369-person headcount reduction under Adams’ preliminary budget for the 2024 fiscal year. — Maya Kaufman

BUILDINGS AWARDS: NYSERDA doled out more money to new multifamily buildings making strides in low-carbon technology.

The authority awarded $13.5 million to 14 demonstration projects across the state as part of the third round of the “Buildings of Excellence Competition.” Winning developers agree to provide cost and design data so NYSERDA can analyze and distribute it to help promote more new multifamily buildings to reduce emissions. Fifty six percent of the units to be constructed are for low and moderate income residents. The program is funded by utility ratepayers as part of the Clean Energy Fund. — Marie J. French

REAL ESTATE: Roughly nine months after the expiration of a tax break seen as key to rental housing development, New York City saw its third straight month of fewer than 30 multi-family foundation filings with the Department of Buildings, according to a new report from the Real Estate Board of New York. There were 22 such filings in February, compared to an average of about 73 filings per month over the first half of 2022. The tax break, known as 421-a, expired last June after state lawmakers — who argued the program didn’t produce enough affordable housing — declined to approve a new version. — Janaki Chadha

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Around New York

— Judges accused a group of New York prosecutors of illegally excluding jurors based on their race and religion. (WNYC)

— Beacon is the third municipality in New York to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings. (Times Union)

— Saranac Lake, New York, is in tge running for the ‘Strongest Town in North America’ title. (Upstate New York)

— New York attorney general warned Passover observers to pay attention to false car washing discounts. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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