$2B sought for affordable housing

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Mar 11, 2024 View in browser   By Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman Presented by AARP With help from Irie Sentner “There is this fundamental right to live in a city like New York City. Cities like New York are cities of opportunity,” said Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who chairs the Housing and Buildings Committee. | Gerardo Romo/NYC Council Media Unit FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: New York City must build on its legacy of permanently affordable housing — and $2 billion in capital investments over four years is a good start, left-leaning elected officials will announce today with a “Homes Now, Homes for Generations” campaign, Playbook has learned. “There is this fundamental right to live in a city like New York City. Cities like New York are cities of opportunity,” Council Member Pierina Sanchez, who chairs the Housing and Buildings Committee, told Playbook. “And if we don’t provide spaces for people to come and live and stay — and stay for generations — then we’re failing that.” Sanchez and Progressive Caucus members will be joined by the city comptroller, the public advocate, housing groups and labor unions today at City Hall to urge capital commitments this budget cycle to expand the Open Door and Neighborhood Pillars programs that finance moderate-income homeownership and rent-stabilized units, respectively. The effort comes amid stark housing and affordability crises. One metric underscoring the urgency of the moment is the city’s record-low 1.4 percent vacancy rate. In Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislators are weighing a tax incentive for developers to replace the expired 421-a provision, which will likely be tied to enhanced tenant protections in state negotiations. Political will has been a major hurdle in achieving sweeping housing policy reform. As an example, Hochul has scaled back the Housing Compact vision she pitched last year in order to improve the chances of passage this year. The real estate lobby has been unwilling to embrace the “good cause eviction” proposal in Albany, and tenant advocates are leery of resuming 421-a without something like it. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams seeks to open the door for development with his “City of Yes” proposals to relax zoning rules, which will be debated over the course of this year. But progressive Democrats say the government must open its wallet as well if new housing is to be truly affordable. “We need housing at a wide range of income levels, but private market solutions by themselves won’t fix the crisis,” City Comptroller Brad Lander told Playbook, citing the Mitchell-Lama Program as a model. The “Homes Now, Homes for Generations” coalition’s focus is protecting low- and moderate-income families, including Black and Latino New Yorkers. “We need housing now, but we also need housing that you can grow into,” Council Member Sandy Nurse told Playbook, stressing the need for larger, multi-family homes. Sanchez added, “Without income diversity, our city will fail. We cannot sustain a city without low- and middle-income New Yorkers.” — Emily Ngo HAPPY MONDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   A message from AARP: Too many New York seniors are being put on a wait list to receive vital services at home. They’re left waiting for months—and being forced into costly taxpayer-funded nursing homes because they can’t get the help they need to remain in their own homes. Governor Hochul and the state legislature must end the wait list so our seniors can access crucial services like meal delivery and transportation.   WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Making a small-business-related announcement and meeting with Vietnamese Vice President H.E. Vo Thi Anh Xuan. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “He said many things that I fully disagree with. … But he is a part of Black history, you know?” — Rep. Jamaal Bowman of Westchester County, asked about Louis Farrakhan’s inclusion in a local mural during an interview conducted last year but unearthed recently as Bowman faces a competitive primary. Responding to the Daily News, Bowman condemned Farrakhan’s “horrific, despicable antisemitic” rhetoric. ABOVE THE FOLD State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is sounding the alarm on the state's outmigration's impact on New York's tax base. | Richard Drew/AP SHRINKING EMPIRE STATE: State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office is raising a fresh alarm over New York’s outmigration: the erosion of the state’s tax base. DiNapoli, along with Business Council president Heather Mulligan, in a Daily News op-ed outlined how the nation-leading population loss could start to play a major role in harming the state’s financial picture. State government draws the lion’s share of its revenue from the personal income tax. And with fewer filers paying New York taxes, services that everyone relies on could be impacted. And one long-term impact could have a broad effect on New York’s economic well-being. “Population loss can mean fewer workers in your workforce and potentially ultimately fewer jobs as well,” Deputy Comptroller Maria Doulis told Playbook in an interview. New York’s population loss has been a decades-long problem. But outmigration was exacerbated during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic when the state lost more than 533,000 people between 2020 and 2023. Even if the outflow of people has slowed, the issue will have the political impact of loss of representation in Washington. The state lost one seat in the House following the results of the 2020 Census. There have been myriad prescriptions for dealing with the issue. Hochul has pointed to the population problems facing New York as she pitched state lawmakers on a sweeping housing package to address the cost of living in the state. Left-leaning Democrats want to tax the wealthy to aid low- and middle-income people. On the right, Republicans have called for a reversal of criminal justice policies they argue have made the state less safe. But it’s clear there’s no one silver bullet to address outmigration. “I think it’s a range of factors that matter and ensuring New York does not go far out of line on any of these factors is important for keeping this an attractive and competitive place to be and live,” Doulis said. — Nick Reisman CITY HALL: THE LATEST Council Member Shahana Hanif said she has “uplifted” her call for a boycott of Iftar events hosted by Mayor Eric Adams due to his response to the Israel-Hamas war. | Emil Cohen/NYC Council Media HOLY MONTH BOYCOTT: Council Member Shahana Hanif told Playbook as Ramadan began Sunday that she has “uplifted” her call for a boycott of Iftar events hosted by Adams and other elected leaders who haven’t voiced support for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. She is joined by Majlis Ash-Shura: the Islamic Leadership Council of New York in additionally calling for Muslims to bar those elected officials from visiting houses of worship. “I hope you will make clear where our community stands — we are crystal clear in our demand for a permanent, lasting ceasefire,” Hanif of Brooklyn wrote on Instagram, noting that the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 31,000. “The violence must end.” State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani of Queens asked the mayor last month at an unrelated hearing in Albany, “How many more Palestinians have to be killed for you to call for a cease-fire?” Adams said he has been clear he wants an end to the conflict. He did not use the phrase “cease-fire.” “I saw what happened on October 7th,” he responded. “I saw the despicable act of Hamas. I saw our babies were killed. And so, no innocent family should die on the Palestinian side or on the Israeli side.” The mayor wished Muslim New Yorkers a “Ramadan Mubarak” on social media Sunday night. — Emily Ngo More from the city: — Adams’ weakened support among Latino voters poses an obstacle as he prepares for reelection. (POLITICO) — Adams is chipping away at the right to shelter policy as the migrant crisis overwhelms New York City. (Newsday)   A message from AARP:   NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY In a joint interview with MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, Gov. Kathy Hochul insisted the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops and State Police troopers is meant to be preventative and not lead to a return of stop-and-frisk policies. | Courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul's office SUBWAY SAFETY: Hochul on Sunday continued her defense of beefing up safety measures at subway stations across the city. In a joint interview with MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber on WBLS, the governor insisted the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops and State Police troopers is meant to be preventative and not lead to a return of stop-and-frisk policies. “I support civil liberties,” she said in the interview. “I support the opportunity for people to go about their lives without any harassment. We don't ever want to go back to that over-policing era.” But Hochul's plan to expand safety efforts — including randomized bag searches of people entering stations — has come under criticism from the political left and right. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams accused Hochul of “militarizing the subway.” Republican Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis accused the governor of making a calculated political move with the deployment. Still, Hochul did not appear daunted. The deployment, for now, hasn’t been given an end date. “I want to just make sure that people know the intent of this is to keep people safe and change the psychology of fear around the subways and get back to some sense of normalcy, which is so important to me that people feel safe and secure,” she said. — Nick Reisman MIGRANT COSTS: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pressing the state government to pony up all of New York City’s migrant-related costs. Cuomo on Sunday at the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx said that since the city is bearing the brunt of the problem, the state should step up more than it has over the last two years. “Why should the New York City taxpayers pay this alone?” Cuomo said. “If I was asking, I would say the state should pay 100 percent of the cost because New York took care of 100 percent of the problem.” The comments come as the state budget is being negotiated in Albany. Hochul has backed a $233 billion plan that includes $2.4 billion for migrant-related costs, including emergency housing and legal services. The proposed spending is $500 million more than what has been spent over the last year. Adams, meanwhile, has called for the state to pick up at least half of the costs for migrants. About 180,000 migrants have arrived in New York over the past two years. Suburban and upstate county officials have approved orders blocking migrants from being placed in motels and hotels. “They want the problem in New York City and they don’t want the rest of the political problem in the rest of the state,” Cuomo said. Cuomo, who resigned in 2021 following allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, has weighed a run for mayor himself, but he has indicated he would not run if Adams were a candidate in the race. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — New York lawmakers and advocates are making a push to ban unfair business practices, with the goal of strengthening consumer power. (Times Union) — Licensed cannabis dealers in New York want to be able to sue illegal operators. (Newsday) — A renewed push is being made this year to deploy mental health teams and reduce the role of police when people are facing a crisis. (Spectrum News) KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION Former state Assemblymember Mike LiPetri is the Nassau County Republican Committee's pick to challenge Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, three people familiar with the process told Playbook. | Pool photo by Craig Ruttle NASSAU NOD: The Nassau County Republican Committee has picked former state Assemblymember Mike LiPetri as its candidate to challenge Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, three people familiar with the process told Playbook. Nassau GOP Chair Joe Cairo had yet to make his designation public as of late Sunday, but he relayed the news Friday to contender Greg Hach, who in turn blasted a press release calling LiPetri “an Anti-Trump, @MrSantosNY connected, career politician turned lobbyist.” Neither LiPetri nor a Nassau GOP spokesperson responded to Playbook requests about the endorsement and Hach’s charge. Hach, an Air Force veteran and attorney, and Jim Toes, who leads a financial services organization, said they plan to stay in the Republican primary to represent the Queens and Nassau County district. Suozzi bested the Nassau GOP apparatus last month in a heated special election against GOP nominee Mazi Pilip. — Emily Ngo NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Critics call Attorney General Tish James vindictive when she celebrates publicly after winning big cases, but advocates say she’s just doing a good job. (New York Times) — New York state campaign finance reform has led to more competition in primaries. (Times Union) — MAGA and moderate Republicans are fighting over Mike Sapraicone’s U.S. Senate nomination. (Newsday)   A message from AARP: New York seniors can't wait for vital services. Lawmakers must end the wait list. Too many New York seniors are being put on a wait list to receive vital services at home. They’re left waiting for months—and being forced into costly taxpayer-funded nursing homes because they can’t get the help they need to remain in their own homes. Governor Hochul and the state legislature must do more to help our seniors get care at home—where they want to be. Ending the wait list and expanding access to crucial services like meal delivery and transportation would not only help our seniors, but it would be invaluable to New York’s 2.2 million family caregivers who work tirelessly to keep their loved ones at home. Lawmakers: End the wait list so our seniors can remain at home.   SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rupert Murdoch (93) … Miguel Almaguer … Sam Donaldson … MSNBC’s Christina Arvanites and Erin Clifford … Alice Stewart … Jasmine Budnella, VOCAL-NY director of drug policy … Qorvis’ Brad Klapper … CNN’s Emily Riley … Abby Rogers … Michal Grayevsky … (WAS SUNDAY): CNN’s Jim Sciutto and Mike Callahan … CNBC’s David Faber … NYT’s Danny Hakim … POLITICO’s Brad Dayspring … Murong Yang … Alina Cho … Josh Altman … (WAS SATURDAY): Kimberly Guilfoyle … Raj Shah of the Rockefeller Foundation … Charlie Gibson … Michael Kinsley … Michelle Merlin … Leah Nylen … NBC’s Doug Adams … Didem Nisanci … Haley Sweetland Edwards … Eric Fischl ... Neal Shapiro ... Nouriel Roubini ... Gordon Platt ... Howie Fialkov ... Jessica Tarlov … (WAS FRIDAY): Robert Wolf ... Roger Price … Zack Fink YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY 75 percent Reduction in smoky pollutants that will soon be required of New York City pizzerias and matzah bakeries that use older wood- and coal-fired stoves, the New York Post reports   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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