| | | | |  | | By Emily Ngo, Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin | With help from Jason Beeferman
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In the District 47 City Council race between Justin Brannan, above, and Ari Kagan, responding to the Israel-Hamas war could be key. | William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit | The backdrop of the most bitter showdown of the City Council elections is the district with some of the New Yorkers most impacted by the Israel-Hamas war. Voters are watching ahead of the Nov. 7 election how Democrat Justin Brannan and Republican Ari Kagan respond to the bloodshed in the Middle East and its fallout in New York. District 47 in southern Brooklyn, after all, is home to sizable Arab and Jewish communities. Both City Council members say they want peace. Neither is calling for a cease-fire, Kagan rejecting it much more forcefully than Brannan. “If someone beats me up, if someone kills members of my family and then says, ‘One second, before I leave, it’s ceasefire now.’ How would you feel about it?” Kagan asked Playbook rhetorically. “I understand the need to obliterate Hamas,” Brannan said in an interview. “But I think we also have to face the reality that there’s going to be the loss of innocent lives and nobody wants that.” Brannan accuses Kagan of exploiting tensions for political gain. “It’s certainly much easier to be divisive at a time like this and try to score points, which is what Ari is doing,” Brannan said. “It’s much harder to embrace the humanity and the complexity, which is: Yes, you have to condemn Hamas, you have to call out antisemitism, you also have to separate Hamas from everyday Palestinians, both in Gaza and here in New York.” Kagan charges that Brannan is no friend of Israel, leaning on him especially hard for not immediately condemning a pro-Palestinian rally earlier this month in Bay Ridge. “If someone brings to Bay Ridge or Coney Island or anywhere the sign of the Star of David being thrown in the garbage … or the chant ‘from the river to the sea,’ not just ‘free Palestine,’ but ‘from the river to the sea,’” Kagan said, “I will condemn it no matter what the boundaries of my district are, regardless of the vote.” Early voting is underway with this incumbent-versus-incumbent face-off as the marquee City Council race. The Israel-Hamas war is expected to impact the vote more in District 47 than elsewhere in the city, including races to watch in Brooklyn’s District 43, in Queens’ District 19 and the Bronx’s District 13. The district where Brannan and Kagan are running includes a large Palestinian population in Bay Ridge, though it doesn’t include the Russian and Ukrainian Jewish communities of nearby Brighton Beach. – Emily Ngo HAPPY HALLOWEEN. IT’S TUESDAY. Playbookers: what’s your favorite novel that takes place in the world of New York politics? Your answer might end up in a future story — email, or DM us: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City and Albany, and making an announcement on hate crimes and hate speech via livestream. WHERE’S ERIC? Holding an in-person media availability session and speaking at Robin Hood’s Halloween Block Party. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We will not tolerate antisemitism on this campus” – Cornell President Martha Pollack on antisemitism threats at Cornell University that prompted a visit Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
|  | ABOVE THE FOLD | | | | 
Closing the gap between the state’s spending and revenue may be easier than thought, a new report suggests. | Mike Groll/AP | MIND THE GAP: New York’s state budget gap is looking a bit easier to close. The Hochul administration on Monday formally unveiled its midyear budget report, finding the gap between revenue and spending has been reduced from $9.1 billion to $4.3 billion. Why? New York has not been spending as much money as anticipated. A change in federal rulemaking for the Medicaid program has also smoothed over some rough patches in the budget. “It’s certainly good news — $4.3 billion is much more manageable,” Patrick Orecki, the director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, told Playbook. “There might be more upside in the tax receipts as we close out the year.” Still, a budget gap has to be filled next year when the spending plan is due by April 1. Hochul has signaled she does not want to raise taxes to do so. Hochul on Monday echoed the comments made by budget chief, Blake Washington, who has recommended pulling back some migrant-related spending. Nearly $2 billion in migrant assistance has been committed by the state so far. "We've already spent more than we've anticipated," the governor told reporters in the Bronx at an unrelated event. "This is just a warning we cannot pay for unlimited hotel rooms for people," she added. Progressive advocates like Rebecca Garrard of Citizen Action hope to convince the governor and the Legislature otherwise next year to stave off spending reductions for migrants. “That is a choice that doesn’t have to be made,” Garrard said. “Wealth taxes that should be implemented.” – Nick Reisman
| | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING | | | 
Floyd Bennett Field's migrant shelter is finally up and running, with the first families set to arrive later this week. | Jason Beeferman/POLITICO | LIVING ON A RUNWAY: After months of negotiation from state, federal and city officials, Floyd Bennett Field will finally open to up to 2,000 migrants — some who could be as young as 3 months old — with 128 families set to arrive at the site this week. But the site — located on a shuttered airport runway on federal parkland in Brooklyn about 10 times the size of Roosevelt Island — is perhaps the latest indication of just how desperate the city is to house a steady flow of migrants. “We built sites now in parks, parking lots and now, literally, an airport runway,” said Dr. Ted Long, a senior vice president of New York City Health + Hospitals. Floyd Bennett Field, which reporters toured Monday with city officials, has been a sought-after migrant housing site for state and city lawmakers since early May, but has faced fierce opposition from residents in nearby communities as well as Republican City Councilmember Joann Ariola. Ariola launched a lawsuit in September with other Brooklyn politicians hoping to stop the site’s opening. The suit is still being battled in the courts. The shelter includes four tents of “semi-congregate” shelters for families, with each tent including 148 cubicle-like living spaces equipped with up to six cots. The shelter's location amid a vast expanse of land will present challenges for migrants looking to reach work or school. Transit options are scarce, and migrants will be offered a shuttle every 90 minutes that will go to a bus stop and a subway station. The living spaces are about a one- to two-mile walk to the nearest city road, depending on your route. “We’re out of room, and we're doing everything we can to keep up with it,” Emergency Management commissioner Zach Iscol said. “We're very grateful to the governor, and to the White House for giving us this piece of land. It's not ideal, and we are doing the best we can with what they have given us in order to house more people.” – Jason Beeferman More from the city:
— The left can’t find anyone to challenge Eric Adams, and progressives are talking candidly about their 2025 anxiety. (New York mag) — Three New York City correction officers falsified records to hide their failure to conduct required cell checks before detainee Anthony Scott hanged himself in 2021. (New York Daily News) — NYPD spent $2.7 billion on technology. A court ruled for it to release the details. (POLITICO Pro)
| | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | WHAT ALBANY'S READING | | | |  New York’s politicians are asking President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to lift sanctions on Cuba. | AFP via Getty Images | NEW COURSE FOR CUBA: 25 state lawmakers have signed onto a letter urging President Joe Biden to lift sanctions on Cuba that were reimposed by former President Donald Trump. The letter sent Monday to Biden as well as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pointed to the economic and cultural value of lifting the restrictions. “Within New York, we know that there is a tremendous value to normalizing relations with Cuba,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter obtained by Playbook. “In particular, New York has an opportunity to collaborate with universities and medical schools in Cuba for the betterment of the people residing in both countries.” In 2015, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo traveled to Cuba with a delegation of New York officials when the Obama administration began a thaw in relations with the Communist-led country. Trump reversed course through restrictions on travel and commercial activity. – Nick Reisman More from Albany:
— A mailer to Democratic voters is raising eyebrows on Long Island for its aggressive language. (Newsday) — Despite recent legislation to lessen medical debt burdens, some New Yorkers still have concerns. (New York Focus) — New York teacher retirements are slowing, but another next wave is looming. (POLITICO Pro)
| | THE STATE OF MARIJUANA | | |  Players from across New York’s cannabis industry voiced criticisms with the state’s weed program at a Monday hearing. | AFP via Getty Images | WEED HEARING: Monday’s marathon cannabis hearing in Albany was loaded with criticism of the state program from cannabis regulators, growers, retailers and lawmakers. Office of Cannabis Management officials touted small hemp farmers who serve as the backbone of the cannabis market and talked about the need for opening up more retail stores. “More stores in the future doesn’t help the 2022 crop,” Democratic state Sen. Michelle Hinchey responded. “Many of them may be out of business by the time we get more stores open.” The unregulated market was a major concern for regulated businesses and lawmakers who hosted the hearing amid ongoing concerns about New York marijuana laws. Operators pushed back on OCM’s estimates that there are “at least a thousand” unregulated dispensaries in the state. Joanne Wilson, CEO of Manhattan dispensary Gotham NYC, estimated that there are 4,000 in the city alone. Chris Alexander, the state agency's executive director, told lawmakers that it has initiated 300 enforcement actions and about 16 had gone through the administrative process. “Seems like a startlingly low number,” countered Democratic state Sen. James Skoufis. With litigation preventing most licensees from opening up shop, even the ones that had managed to start sales described struggles. Coss Marte, CEO of CONBUD in Manhattan, estimated that there are more than 60 unlicensed stores in a 1,000-foot radius of his dispensary. He recently learned that due to regulations, he cannot advertise the fact that his store is an adult-use dispensary in Spanish or Chinese, a disservice to the community he operates in. “Other shops have sandwich boards … neon lights,” he said. “I have frosted windows.” Dispensary operators all described how customers complained about the price of regulated cannabis compared to what they could get from unlicensed shops. Matt Robinson, CEO of Essential Flowers Legacy Dispensers in the Albany area, described how he is barred from advertising his business on cannabis platforms like Leafly and Weedmaps, but can find plenty of illicit operators on those websites. “We’re just stuck between a rock and a hard place,” he said of those in New York’s cannabis industry. “We’re drowning out here.” – Mona Zhang
| | AROUND NEW YORK | | — Israel’s emergency medical service will receive a $88 million gift led by Mike Bloomberg. (New York Times) — An extremely detailed look at where New York City neighborhoods begin and end. (The New York Times) — A former prison worker pleaded guilty to forging more than two dozen doctors notes. (Times Union)
| | SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN | | IN MEMORIAM: Peter Bojmal, citywide interagency coordinator for New York City Emergency Management, has died (NYCEM on X) MAKING MOVES: Leslie Labruto is joining the Environmental Defense Funds’ EDF + Business team as managing director of sustainable finance. She was previously founding director of 100x Impact Accelerator at the London School of Economics. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Dan Rather (92) … POLITICO’s Betsy Woodruff Swan and Michael Kruse … Jane Pauley … Frank Bruni … ProPublica’s Marilyn Thompson … Susan Orlean … NBC’s Elias Miller … Sam Tanenhaus … Cathy Cavender … George Bogden … Piper Perabo
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