| | | | | |  | | By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Deanna Garcia | Presented by Equinor | Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams made their first joint appearance since the new mayor took office, announcing plans for stepped up NYPD patrols on the subway and state-sponsored teams of social workers to coax people experiencing homelessness off the transit system. Stylistically, this was a sea change. It was just a few short months ago that then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was stirring up worry about crime on the subway and accusing then-Mayor Bill de Blasio of failing to rein it in, and de Blasio was in turn blasting Cuomo for "fear-mongering." But Hochul asserted in her first State of the State speech this week that "the days of the governor of New York and mayor of New York City wasting time on petty rivalries are over," and yesterday she and Adams attempted to prove it with their joint event at lower Manhattan's Fulton Street station. Adams even blessed Hochul with his high compliment, calling her a fellow politician with "swagger." On the substance, the new plans aren't entirely different from approaches that have been tried before. The city has sent outreach teams into the subway to attempt to convince people to move to shelters — without a ton of success — and police presence has been increased before . So we'll have to see how much these new initiatives will move the needle on creating a better ride for straphangers, who have still not returned to the trains in full force since the pandemic set in and are also grappling with line suspensions and service delays because of Covid-driven staff shortages. Adams says there will now be an "omnipresence" of cops in the subway, moving through train cars rather than loitering on platforms. For the state's part, they'll be sending in teams of eight to 10 social workers and medical professionals to address the needs of homeless New Yorkers. Adams said this will free up police to focus on crime and not act as "street sweepers," clearing men and women off the system. While transit advocates have generally cheered the absence of hostility between the mayor and governor as of late, not all reaction to the new measures has been positive. NYCLU head Donna Liberman said Adams and Hochul have "unabashedly emboldened the NYPD when New Yorkers have taken to the streets and the polls to fight for exactly the opposite outcome." IT'S FRIDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: EDurkin@politico.com and agronewold@politico.com, or on Twitter: @erinmdurkin and @annagronewold WHERE'S KATHY? Holding a Covid-19 briefing in Manhattan. WHERE'S ERIC? Visiting a Sanitation garage in Manhattan. WHERE'S ANDREW? Scheduled to appear virtually in Albany City Court at 1:30 p.m. | | | | A message from Equinor: Can a wind turbine generate more than electricity? We believe it can. At Equinor, we're planning to power 2,000,000 New York homes with homegrown, renewable energy that will also boost the economy and generate jobs. And we will do more. Equinor is a broad energy company with an ambitious net-zero target for 2050. We're pursuing the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind offshore wind developments in the US and quickly becoming a leader in this growing industry. | | |
|  | WHAT CITY HALL'S READING | | Adams' solitary confinement stance sets up fight with City Council, by POLITICO's Erin Durkin: Mayor Eric Adams has set up his first big policy fight with the new City Council, vowing to reverse a ban on solitary confinement at Rikers Island even as the majority of the Council pushes to end the practice. Adams maintains that he supports "punitive segregation" and not "solitary confinement." But the city's jails board, and the plan passed last year to end the policy, use the two terms interchangeably to describe the practice of locking an inmate in a cell for most of the day as punishment for a violent offense. "There is no distinction. They're literally synonymous," said City Council Member Tiffany Cabán of Queens, who sent a letter to Adams along with 28 other Council Members denouncing his stance on a practice they call "torture." "As Omicron Infects Workers, Subway Service Suffers," by The New York Times' Michael Gold and Ashley Wong: "As a dizzying surge in coronavirus cases spurred by the fast-spreading Omicron variant has disrupted life in New York City and undermined its economic recovery, its subway system — the nation's largest — has confronted a staggering worker shortage that has hampered its ability to keep trains running. On any given day this week, 21 percent of subway operators and conductors — about 1,300 people out of a work force of 6,300 — have been absent from work, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the city's subways, buses and two commuter-rail lines." — "'Another Gut Punch': New York City Restaurants Want More Aid After Omicron Sets Back Recovery," by Gothamist's Danny Lewis " 'It's Not Sustainable': NYC Public School Administrators, Teachers Struggle With Staffing Shortages," by WNYC's Jessica Gould and Gothamist's Max Rivlin-Nadler: "Faced with high absentee rates among students and teachers, principals at public schools across New York City are scrambling to staff classes and keep their doors open. Depending on who you ask, the result is barely controlled chaos, or an exercise in creative problem solving during a crisis. Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, suggested it's both. 'Everyone is making it work whatever way they can, fixing things on the fly,' he said in an interview Wednesday. 'It's amazing to see people stepping up. But it's still not ideal, academically or for safety. It's just where we are.'" — "NYC schools failed to provide students with adequate remote learning access: lawsuit," by Chalkbeat's Reema Amin: "When the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to go remote in March 2020, Queens mom Marie struggled to help her then-seventh grader access coursework using her phone or computer. Because her daughter had fallen so far behind, she was mandated to go to virtual summer school. Despite obtaining an internet-enabled iPad for summer classes, the seventh grader could not get Zoom or other applications to complete assignments. School officials repeatedly told the family there was nothing they could do, she said." — A group of city and state lawmakers sent a letter to Adams pushing for a temporary remote learning option. "Brand-new beep Antonio Reynoso bans parking from Borough Hall plaza," by Brooklyn Paper's Kirstyn Brendlen: "Six days into his tenure as Brooklyn Borough President, before his new website has launched or any policy decisions have been made, Antonio Reynoso has one thing to say: keep your cars off my plaza. Or, perhaps, our plaza. 'The Borough Hall has been rid of cars and returned to the people,' the former councilman Tweeted on Wednesday. 'If you don't know, now you know.' New signs posted around the plaza warn motorists against parking on the wide concrete plaza sandwiched between Court Street and Columbus Park in front of Borough Hall, at risk of being towed. … His predecessor, now-mayor Eric Adams, infamously allowed his employees to park their private vehicles all over the plaza during his eight-year tenure as beep, going so far as to outright refuse to ask them to park elsewhere." MAKING MOVES — Mayor Eric Adams is rounding out the real estate wing of his administration with appointments expected for a City Hall-based housing adviser, a president of the Economic Development Corp. and head of the City Planning Commission. Jessica Katz , who leads the Citizens Housing & Planning Council, is under serious consideration to oversee the new mayor's residential development agenda. Though Adams hasn't detailed his affordable housing goals yet, Katz's portfolio will likely include overseeing the financing of low-income rentals across the city — a pillar of the former de Blasio administration's agenda — as well as the beleaguered public housing authority. Carlo Scissura , a longtime friend of Adams' who runs the New York Building Congress, is likely to lead the economic development arm of the city — an agency that was premier under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg but not as central to de Blasio's agenda. Former City Council Member and president and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy Dan Garodnick is expected to run the City Planning Commission, which handles land use changes like major neighborhood rezonings. — Sally Goldenberg and Janaki Chadha | | | | BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now. | | | | |
| | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | "Cuomo to make virtual court appearance Friday as judge weighs dismissing grope case," by Daily News' Denis Slattery: "Andrew Cuomo is still getting his day in court, albeit virtually. The former governor will appear before a judge via video on Friday after prosecutors decided not to pursue forcible touching charges against the disgraced Democrat. Albany County District Attorney David Soares announced earlier in the week that his office was dropping the ex-governor's groping case despite finding alleged victim, Brittany Commisso, 'cooperative and credible.' Judge Holly Trexler asked all parties in the case to appear before her as she weighs a formal dismissal of the misdemeanor complaint, which alleged Cuomo fondled Commisso's breast while the two were at the Executive Mansion in late 2020." "State gives four sportsbooks OK to launch mobile betting Saturday," by Newsday's Ryan Gerbosi: "New York-based sports bettors may be able to submit their first legal wagers via mobile devices on Saturday. In a Thursday news release, the New York State Gaming Commission announced that four of the nine sportsbooks granted licenses for mobile betting in New York have met all statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to begin operations. The four sportsbooks can launch their mobile operation no earlier than 9 a.m. on Saturday, after which the individual companies can determine when they will accept wagers based on their own capabilities and readiness. BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings and FanDuel are the four sportsbooks eligible to launch on Saturday. BallyBet, BetMGM, PointsBet, Resorts World and Wynnbet also received licenses last year, but have not yet been given the greenlight to take bets. The commission's release says the remaining books will be approved on a rolling basis as requirements are met." "Nassau County Exec Tells Schools, Indoor Venues To End Mask Mandates," by Gothamist's Jake Offenhartz: "Newly-elected Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said he will defy Governor Kathy Hochul's statewide mask mandates, halting enforcement for indoor venues while calling on individual school boards to craft their own policies about face coverings. 'We don't need people in Albany telling us what we should be doing in Nassau County,' Blakeman said at a press conference Thursday. 'The message is: the wearing of masks is optional.' The move will likely set up a legal stand-off between Blakeman and Hochul, who ordered a mask mandate for schools over the summer, and recently reinstated a rule requiring indoor businesses to require either vaccinations or masks. The order fulfills a campaign pledge by the Republican official to ignore mask mandates, tapping into growing frustration with pandemic-related restrictions, but health experts warn such a move flies in the face of logic and will put people at risk." "Hochul's taxpayer-funded air travel may violate ethics rules," by Times Union's Chris Bragg: "On Oct. 4, Gov. Kathy Hochul flew from Albany to New York City on a state-owned airplane. She went to Brooklyn to sign a bill, then in the afternoon held three, back-to-back campaign-related 'events' before flying back to Albany in the evening. Although a major part of the day was dedicated to Hochul winning a full term of office in November's election, her political campaign did not reimburse taxpayers for any portion of the day's travel. During Hochul's first 45 days in office, on at least three separate days, the governor's use of state aircraft has raised questions about whether there has been any misuse of taxpayer resources, according to a Times Union review of public records. During that time, Hochul attended 64 'private events' related to her gubernatorial campaign, including donor meetings and fundraisers, allowing her campaign to raise a record-setting $10 million during her first three months in office." #UpstateAmerica: The Canajoharie man who has appeared in court 13 times in two years in an effort to keep his emotional support pig believes a new law prohibiting farm animals in the village was not a coincidence. | | | | A message from Equinor:   | | |
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Mayor Eric Adams wants to get a dog. — Jon Kaiman, the former North Hempstead town supervisor, declared his candidacy for Rep. Tom Suozzi's congressional seat. — State legislators introduced a bill to limit outdoor lighting at night to protect migratory birds. — Two state lawmakers want to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection with an annual day of remembrance in New York dubbed "Democracy Day." — Erie County Medical Center is preparing to welcome a 23-member federal Department of Defense medical response team as it struggles with capacity issues. — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Reps. Brian Higgins and Chris Jacobs urged the White House "to keep the northern border open to vaccinated individuals" despite the recent Covid-19 surge. — Phil Banks, who is said to be in line as Adams' deputy mayor for public safety but hasn't yet been named to a post, informed the NYPD internal affairs chief he would be replaced. — The state AG is investigating CareCube, a company accused of wrongly charging people for Covid tests. — The Association of Supreme Court Justices want New York courts to go virtual again due to an uptick of positive Covid-19 cases among court workers, attorneys and defendants. — New York City officials are urging that people use mass transit for Friday morning's snowy commute, while the Department of Sanitation deploys 1,600 plows. | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Katie Couric … ABC's Cecilia Vega … Yohannes Abraham … Adam Entous … Jann Wenner … Fox Business Network's Dagen McDowell … Conor Skelding ... Britta Ritter-Armour … Linda Douglass … APCO's Tim Kraus … The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf … NBC's John Reiss … Cherie Short of the Giving Groupe MAKING MOVES — Ron Zacchi is now director of LGBTQ+ affairs at the New York State Executive Chamber. He most recently was director of external affairs at the NYS Division of Human Rights. MEDIAWATCH — Per a statement: "WNYC [has] announced that Janae Pierre has been named host of the daily news podcast Consider This. … Pierre joins from WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, where she hosts All Things Considered and does general assignment reporting." | | | | A message from Equinor: The energy transition is the defining challenge opportunity of our time. Our world needs energy to keep moving forward — but it must be affordable, reliable, and accessible. How will we do it? By accelerating the energy transition . At Equinor, we're growing our renewable energy portfolio and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. 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. But for us, that's only the beginning. By the time the global population reaches 9 billion in 2050, our goal is to have net-zero emissions. Discover more about Equinor at www.equinor.com/USA. | | |
| | REAL ESTATE | | "Judge Orders NY To Reopen Pandemic Rental Aid Portal," by Law360's Emma Whitford: "A New York agency tasked with distributing federal rental aid must once again accept applications across much of the state, a judge ordered Thursday, reinstating one significant pandemic-era eviction defense shortly before another is set to expire. In a three-page preliminary injunction order, Judge Lynn R. Kotler gave New York's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance until early next week to reopen the application portal for the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERAP, which stopped considering applications across much of the state in mid-November as available funds dwindled. Noting the impending Jan. 15 expiration of a state law that has stayed most eviction cases across New York for the past year, Judge Kotler said that ERAP applicants benefit from an automatic eviction stay while their paperwork is being processed." "Ex-deputy mayor Vicki Been sells West Village townhouse for $18.8M," by New York Post's Jennifer Gould: "Now that's an investment! Vicki Been, de Blasio's ex-deputy mayor for housing and economic development and a former commissioner of NYC's department of housing preservation and development, and her husband, NYU's Richard Revesz, have quietly sold their ultra-posh West Village townhouse for a whopping $18.8 million, The Post has learned. 'We needed to downsize, and of course we are staying in New York City,' Been said."
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