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Presented by Community Offshore Wind: Your afternoon must-read briefing informing the daily conversation among knowledgeable New Yorkers | | | | |  | | By Zachary Schermele | | | |  Vice President of the United States of America Kamala Harris speaks during the National Action Network convention in New York, Friday, April 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) | Seth Wenig/AP Photo | Vice President Kamala Harris had a simple message for Democrats on Friday: “Don’t fall for the okey-doke.” It was a refrain — one also often used by former president Barack Obama — that she repeated several times during a speech in Midtown at the annual conference for the National Action Network, which is Rev. Al Sharpton’s Harlem-based civil rights group. On the same day, the GOP convened in the Midwest for the National Rifle Association’s yearly gathering despite mass shootings in Kentucky and Tennessee. Harris was eager to sharpen contrasts between the two parties. Her speech was also indicative of the party’s recent messaging shift — led in large part by Black mayors and civil rights leaders like Sharpton — to reclaim public safety as an issue championed by the left. “The right to public safety is not only about the freedom to learn in a classroom without fear of an active shooter,” Harris said. “It is also freedom to drive to one’s mother’s house without being killed by five lawless officers.” Harris was referencing the since-disbanded elite police force in Memphis whose officers killed 23-year-old Tyre Nichols in early January, sparking nationwide outrage and violent protests in New York City. The so-called SCORPION anti-crime unit is just one example of how deriding police brutality — while also championing public safety — can at times put Democrats in a tough spot. In the wake of Nichols’ death, for example, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, defended anti-crime units in New York that he revived when he took office — though he said they have been reformed, and that members of the new units receive proper training to ensure they aren’t overly aggressive. Harris in her speech also railed against the six-week abortion ban quietly signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday night and criticized the recent expulsion of Black lawmakers in the Tennessee state Legislature.
| | | | A message from Community Offshore Wind: Community Offshore Wind is helping New York meet its ambitious emission reductions targets. We’re lifting up communities and bringing widespread benefits across the state, introducing good-paying union jobs, providing access to childcare for those training and working in the offshore wind industry, creating inclusive workforce development programs, and empowering disadvantaged communities to ensure no one is left behind. We have strong roots in New York and are deeply committed to ensuring that New York communities thrive. | | | | | | | 
Gov. Kathy Hochul joined with Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and other legislative and advocate leaders to vow to continue fighting to protect abortion rights during a news conference at the state Capitol on Friday, April 14, 2023. | Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | | ABORTION RIGHTS: Gov. Kathy Hochul held a press conference on Friday afternoon joined by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Attorney General Letitia James, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and several other lawmakers to share the state’s efforts to preserve the right to an abortion in New York. Hochul spoke out against the law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday night banning six-week abortions, and a Texas case attempted to halt the sale of an abortion drug. The group of female leaders vowed to fight back against the decisions to protect women’s rights. “Six weeks is just absurd, an absurd standard that imposed on women in Florida (which) was one of the few places in the South where women in search of an abortion could find a safe harbor,” Hochul, the state's first woman governor, said. She said the state plans to allocate an additional $20 million to its efforts to ensure access to abortions in the state and stockpile abortion medication, whether it be for New Yorkers or women coming from other states. James said the state is looking into a potential legal fight in Texas where a federal judge suspended the FDA’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. A federal appeals court ruled this week that the drug can stay on the market with restricted availability. When asked about concerns that New Yorkers could lose access to the drug, James said no that the state filed an amicus brief in support of the FDA — Katelyn Cordero HOCHUL ON BUDGET TALKS: Better luck next week. That was the message from Hochul on Friday in the Red Room as she made the abortion-rights announcement. “In this room a few hours ago, we had a very productive meeting with Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie, and we're moving in a very fruitful way right now,” Hochul told reporter. “We're making good progress. I know the Legislature will be back soon and looking forward to wrapping this up in the not-so-distant future.” How about the key sticking points that appear to be bail changes and building new housing in municipalities? “We are working very hard to resolve all the key sticking points,” she responded. — Joseph Spector
| | | | A message from Community Offshore Wind:   | | | |  | From City Hall | | “CANCEL MONDAY’S CHARADE”: A group of local and state politicians, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and several New York City Council members, sent a biting letter to GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, urging him to call off a planned hearing in New York City on Monday. The Republican-led congressional committee called the hearing in the wake of former president Donald Trump’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court. The committee said the proceeding will focus on “how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City residents.” In their letter, Levine and the other New York politicians point to newly released NYPD data showing that a number of major crimes, including murders and burglaries, are actually lower than they were at this point last year. “We’re proud to call Manhattan our home, and will not stand by as you trash its reputation to help Trump’s legal team short-circuit a legitimate criminal case,” they wrote. — Zachary Schermele | | | | A message from Community Offshore Wind: The clean energy transition is about more than just energy. At Community Offshore Wind, our commitment to communities is at the heart of everything we do. With strong roots in New York, we will deliver widespread benefits across the state and infuse $15 billion into the state economy. This includes creating job training programs to support union labor, investing in our youth to build the workforce of tomorrow, offering childcare for employees and trainees, and building an inclusive clean energy future that empowers disadvantaged communities. Community Offshore Wind is committed to localizing the offshore wind supply chain proposing the first-ever made-in-New-York offshore wind turbines. We have a goal of uplifting communities with the power of clean energy for all. | | | | | | | 
Assemblymember Deborah Glick questioned whether the state should address the cap-and-trade measure in the state budget. | AP Photo | CAP AND TRADE DIVIDE: A proposal to place an economywide cap on greenhouse gas emissions in New York is becoming a potential sticking point in budget negotiations as the overtime clock continues. Hochul has indicated that legislative sign-off for a rebate from the proposed cap-and-trade scheme, dubbed “cap and invest” is a major priority. But Assembly leadership has maintained it has no interest in getting it done in the budget. “It is a complicated policy that does not belong in the budget,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan), who chairs the Environmental Conservation Committee, on Thursday. “They have said all along they can actually do this without legislative authority or permission except when it comes to rebates, so it’s all very confusing.” The state’s climate law requires action to reduce emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050, with the remainder offset. A climate plan approved in December by a panel set up to chart the path forward backs a cap-and-trade mechanism as a way to achieve those mandates by raising revenue to invest in clean energy projects and gradually reducing the amount of pollution allowed. Getting lawmakers to agree on a measure that could be perceived as raising energy costs could prove difficult outside the context of the budget, where deals can be struck and votes gained on the basis of the entire package. Assembly negotiators have gone further and indicated they oppose any legislation on “cap and invest” even later in session, according to one official familiar with budget negotiations who requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing private talks. Spokespeople for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie did not respond to a request for comment. — Marie J. French CASINOS: A new coalition has formed to fight a proposed casino at Times Square, urging key lawmakers to reject the plan with the competition for three New York City-area gaming licenses set to heat up over the coming months. The new ‘No Times Square Casino’ coalition is made up of groups including the Broadway League, a vocal opponent of the casino plan, the Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood Association and the Manhattan Plaza Tenants Association. The firms behind the Times Square proposal — SL Green, Caesars Entertainment, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation — have convened supporters into a ‘Coalition for a Better Times Square’, with groups including the Actors' Equity Association and the Mason Tenders’ District Council of Greater New York. — Janaki Chadha
| | — Saratoga Springs struggles because of an homelessness crisis. (Times Union) — An Erie County assemblyman has been accused of sexual harassment. (Buffalo News) — The company in charge of dissembling of Indian Point nuclear power plant rejects the discharge of wastewater into the Hudson River. (WNYC) — The government announced a multimillion-dollar program to support new insurance policies and products for climate tech firms. (Spectrum News) — Are you wondering when NYC pools and beaches will reopen? The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation announced the date. (PIX11) | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
