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Presented by Equinor: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Joseph Spector | | | | 
Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) spoke at a rally Monday, March 27, 2023, in support of raising taxes on the rich to pay for programs and services. | Joseph Spector/POLITICO | The halls of the state Capitol were packed Monday — including with Mayor Eric Adams and his entourage — as advocacy groups and lawmakers made their final pitches for the state budget technically due Friday. And we use “technically” loosely. While Saturday is the start of the state’s fiscal year, there appears to be little hope of an on-time deal. Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to officials familiar with the discussions, has dug in hopes of getting changes to the state’s bail law — which is her push to remove “the least restrictive standard” so judges can more easily set bail in violent cases. Hochul, according to multiple officials, made it clear in recent days that the sides need to make progress on bail as they pursue other agenda items, which led to a brief breakdown in talks as Assembly leadership balked at the request — a divide first reported by City & State. Progressive lawmakers, meanwhile, rallied in a series of events Monday on the Million Dollar Staircase to push for raising taxes on the rich rather than hiking transit fares, increasing tuition at public colleges and boosting the payroll tax on businesses in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority region – which Hochul has proposed. She has vowed not to raise income taxes to fund her agenda. “It all comes down to the budget that's due April 1. We hear that it might be a little late,” Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens) said at a rally. “We don't know, but this week every single one of your voices count that much more so that we can ensure that we are raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers.” Another wrinkle in budget talks: Hochul got a new list Friday for chief judge candidates. And the deadline for her to make a selection is between April 8 and April 23 — which, at the rate the Capitol is going, might fall right in the middle of budget negotiations. After her first pick, Hector LaSalle, was rejected defiantly last month by Senate Democrats, Hochul’s next choice comes at a sensitive time when it could very well become a bargaining chip. But the new roster doesn’t appear as contentious as the one last December that led to LaSalle’s repudiation. “I think it's a strong list with a lot of good choices,” Senate Judiciary Committee chair Brad Hoylman-Sigal said Monday. “ We stand ready to assist the governor if she's seeking input from us. Until then, we'll wait and hope for the best.” IT’S MONDAY: It’s budget week in Albany (maybe). Stay with us each afternoon as we keep you updated on the latest New York news at the state Capitol, City Hall and beyond.
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Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) urged lawmakers to support good cause eviction measure as part of the budget during an event at the state Capitol on Monday, March 27, 2023. | Joseph Spector/POLITICO | NEW LEADERS: The state Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, a board established last July to ensure compliance with the state’s ethics and lobbying laws, has new leadership. The 11-member commission tapped Frederick A. Davie to serve as the first chair and Leonard B. Austin as vice chair. Both were working as interim chair and vice chair since September as the new commission takes over for its much-maligned predecessor, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics. “I am honored my fellow Commissioners selected me for this role,” Davie said in a statement. “Belief in good government has long been an integral part of my life; and every New Yorker should have confidence in their government. The Commission is steadfast in its commitment to restoring the public’s trust in state government by leading with integrity and transparency.” — Eleonora Francica PUSH FOR “GOOD CAUSE” PROPOSAL: One week to go for a budget deal, and the efforts continued among Democrats to pass the “good cause” eviction measure that provides protections for tenants and limits rent increases. Some lawmakers and advocates rallied on Monday morning in Albany, asking Hochul to include in the final budget protections against tenants’ evictions, a proposal that was already part of the Senate and Assembly’s one-house budgets and could be part of a larger housing deal that Hochul wants, POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha reported Friday. The coalition argued that a lack of stable housing leads to an increase in crime. Their argument was backed by a new report released by Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, which shows a cause-effect relationship between spikes in eviction rates and crime. “Housing instability is connected to less public safety,” Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) said. “And those who are evicted and on the streets and in shelters are also victims of crime.” — Eleonora Francica and Joseph Spector
| | | | A message from Equinor:   | | | | | From City Hall | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams arrived in Albany, N.Y. at the state Capitol on Monday, March 27, 2023, to discuss his agenda for the city ahead of a budget deal for the fiscal year that starts April 1. | Joseph Spector/POLITICO | “HOW MANY STOPS”: City Council members clashed with representatives from the NYPD and city law department over a package of bills aimed at making the department more transparent about its interactions with New Yorkers. Some of the proposed legislation, known as the “How Many Stops Act,” would require the department to report more information about lower-level encounters that its officers have with civilians. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called those interactions “indistinguishable” from higher-level stops more commonly known as stop-and-frisk. Michael Clarke, the department’s director of legislative affairs, disagreed with that characterization. He said the department opposes the legislation, which he said would be detrimental to building community-police relations and would also hamper missing persons investigations. He indicated the department opposes most of the bills on the table. — Zachary Schermele BUS LANE FIGHT: A majority of City Council members is calling on Albany lawmakers to pass legislation that would expand camera enforcement of bus lanes and make the program permanent. “Too often, buses are slowed to a crawl when designated lanes are obstructed,” 34 members of the City Council wrote in a letter to the state legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul, adding camera enforcement “helps improve the speed and performance” of buses that “hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers rely on each day.” The letter has not been previously reported. Hochul and the Senate have backed the policy as part of the state budget process, but the Assembly left the measure out of its one-house budget proposal. The city is home to one of the nation’s few automated enforcement programs. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has long pushed to expand the program so it can enforce more violations that are captured by bus cameras, which are only installed on some bus routes. — Danielle Muoio Dunn
| | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining opportunity of our time. Our world needs affordable, reliable, and accessible renewable energy. We all have a role to play, and Equinor is doing our part to accelerate the energy transition. We’re growing our renewable energy portfolio and lowering our emissions from energy production. We’re already on the way to powering 2,000,000 New York homes with energy from the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind projects. We’re partnering with local communities, creating jobs, building tomorrow’s infrastructure, and sparking new economic activity. But that’s only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, we aim to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | | | | | EDUCATION: The Department of Education unveiled an expanded partnership with Special Olympics NY to enable more students with disabilities to access sports. More than 1,700 students in District 75 schools — schools that serve students with significant challenges like autism spectrum disorders and emotional disabilities — will now be able to participate in Special Olympics track and field, volleyball and basketball during the school day. An extra 200 high school students with and without disabilities will partake in an after-school unified basketball league and 200 middle school students with and without disabilities will participate in a unified bocce league. SONY has committed to providing $50,000 in funding and supporting the training of educators and coaches and giving sports equipment and team uniforms. The city is contributing an extra $300,000. Schools Chancellor David Banks said that with support from SONY, they are now able to “open the door” for so many students to be able to participate, including many “for the very first time.” — Madina Touré HIGHER EDUCATION: The City University of New York is hosting CUNY Week, a week of college fairs, panels and information sessions for prospective undergraduate students and parents to attend in person and remotely from March 27 to April across the university. There are 44 events available from 13 undergraduate CUNY colleges on top of the CUNY Virtual College Fair and four centrally hosted sessions. Earlier this month, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez announced that the university is waiving the $65 application fee for New York City public high school seniors who apply between March 1 and April 15 to attend a CUNY college in the fall of 2023. Attendees of the sessions who are graduating from city public schools between January and August and have not yet applied to CUNY will still be able to apply to its colleges for free until April 15, using the fee waiver. “As prospective students connect with their future classmates, faculty, staff and alumni, the University’s legacy of uplifting our students and our City for 175 years will undoubtedly show,” Matos Rodríguez said in a statement. “This is the perfect time to consider joining the CUNY family, especially if you are a New York City public high school senior, who can currently apply for free.” — Madina Touré
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NAACP leader Hazel Dukes is expected at the Capitol on Tuesday to rail against expanding charter schools. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo | NAACP TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST HOCHUL’S CHARTER PROPOSAL: The NAACP New York Conference president is coming to the state Capitol on Tuesday to denounce the Hochul’s plan to lift the regional charter cap and revive “zombie charters.'' The proposal was shot down by the Senate and the Assembly in both one-house bills, bringing the issue to the forefront of education budget discussions. Hazel Dukes, who has supported Hochul’s initiative for a ban on menthol cigarettes, will stand alongside Alliance for Quality Education to urge the governor to reconsider her proposal. The rally will take place at 11 a.m. outside the Assembly Chambers in the New York State Capitol. — Katelyn Cordero RIGHT TO COUNSEL: City Council members slammed the Adams administration on Monday for declining to say whether housing court cases should be slowed down as the city struggles with a lack of attorneys for a program meant to guarantee legal representation to low-income tenants at risk of eviction. “I’m afraid to say that this initiative is in tatters in its current state,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler, referring to the city’s 2017 “right to counsel” law. “The vast majority of eligible tenants are not receiving the legal representation that they need and deserve to keep them in their homes.” Restler asked Raniece Medley, civil justice coordinator at the city’s Office of Civil Justice, whether the Office of Court Administration should hear cases if tenants don’t have the lawyers they’re supposed to be guaranteed. Medley responded, “the administration is not prepared to answer that, they’re reviewing that at this time.” She declined to state a position on a resolution introduced by Council Member Shaun Abreu calling for the approval of state legislation that would require anyone eligible for “right to counsel” be granted an adjournment until they can secure an attorney. Restler shot back: “Silence is complicit…so this mayor and this administration is responsible for the people who are being evicted from their homes today who should have a lawyer.” — Janaki Chadha
| | | — Last Thursday, 40 puppies arrived at JFK after being saved from China meat farms. Some of them are now in Syracuse with their new owners. (Upstate New York) — Even after promising more accommodations for New Yorkers with disabilities, MTA and disability advocates are still at odds. (THE CITY) — In Saratoga County, a jail guard was charged with official misconduct and reckless endangerment after being arrested for leaking confidential information to a prisoner. (Times Union) — According to a new report, home sales in Central New York decreased by 50 percent in February. (Syracuse.com)
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