Columbia University: The place for politicians and protesters

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Apr 24, 2024 View in browser   By Jason Beeferman Presented by  With help from Shawn Ness. New from New York Happening now: Columbia University is now a gathering place for protesters and political leaders. A new push for wage parity between upstate and New York City. The sanitation union is calling for better health care for their workers.  A new leader for the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. The chaos at Columbia University has attracted the visits of national and local politicians. | Courtesy of Rep. Anthony D'Esposito's campaign COLUMBIA CONFABS: It’s the hottest spot in town — for politicians, too. Columbia University is roiled in chaos. And Republicans nationally, along with some of New York’s further-left elected officials, see an opportunity to seize on the turmoil as they visit the campus one by one or in small like-minded groups. The pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University touch on a range of issues that particularly resonate with the Grand Old Party’s mainstream: a “woke,” out-of-touch college campus; a perception of disorder in urban centers; and the unfair demonization of Israel. The hot-button issues are particularly underscored in New York, where more Jews call the city and state home than anywhere else outside of Israel. There’s also a slew of suburban House races in swing districts where the Israel-Hamas war has already proven to be central. It has beckoned all sorts of leaders, mainly Republicans, to the university’s doorstep. As of late: Reps. Mike Lawler, Anthony D’Esposito and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani have shown up outside the campus.  Rep. Elise Stefanik and the rest of New York’s GOP House delegation have called on Columbia’s president to resign, and she said its federal funding should be pulled. Sens. Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley said Gov. Kathy Hochul should send in the National Guard. And this afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson is headed to campus, doubling down on his call that the university’s president Minouche Shafik needs to step down. Reps. Nicole Malliotakis and Virginia Foxx are also expected to be there with him. Hochul blasted Johnson’s visit to New York, saying the speaker is “politicizing” the events on the campus. The governor contrasted Johnson’s visit with her private meeting with Columbia officials and students — but she also posted a two-minute video about the meeting soon after. In response, a Johnson spokesperson said maybe he wouldn’t have to visit if Hochul and other Democrats haven’t “completely failed in their duty to protect Jewish students and combat the rise of antisemitism in their party.” It’s not just Republicans heading to the Morningside Heights neighborhood, though. Reps. Dan Goldman, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Jared Moskowitz of Florida and Kathy Manning of North Carolina have made the trip to Columbia to denounce antisemitism spewed in and around campus. Working Families Party councilmembers Tiffany Cabán, Alexa Avilés, Shahana Hanif and Sandy Nurse also visited but used it as an opportunity to pen an op-ed in City & State where they emphasized how the campus protests are peaceful. “If you only go by the recent statements from Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and President Joe Biden, you might conclude that a student protest against the mass killing in Gaza is worse than the killing itself,” the group wrote. GOP consultant Dave Catalfamo disagreed that the politicians’ presence at the campus should be viewed in political terms: “I know that we shouldn’t abide by that kind of hate speech, and I don’t really care about the politics, honestly. The politics takes care of itself on this.” — Jason Beeferman   A message from Google: New York businesses count on digital ads. Millions of business owners across the U.S. use digital ads to grow their businesses, including thousands right here in New York. It’s how they reach the right customers, effectively and affordably. Supporting digital ads supports the businesses that count on them, like ENSPIRE Magazine in the Bronx and Kirrin Finch in Brooklyn. Learn more.   From the Capitol A new analysis has rejuvenated those that want wage parity with New York City and the rest of the state. | Julia Nikhinson/AP WAGE MAZE: An effort to increase New York’s minimum wage and unite the upstate hourly pay floor with the New York City area has so far faltered this year. But now left-leaning advocates believe they have new fodder: The Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations has updated their statistical analysis of the economic impact of the proposed $21.25 wage. The school’s Wage Atlas found the higher wage would lead to an $80 billion increase in combined earnings and boost consumer demand. It also asserts the move would lead to the creation of 75,000 jobs in the state. Business organizations have viewed minimum wage increases dubiously and have warned that hiking the wage any further would lead to job losses, increased automation and further financial strain for small businesses. The wage in New York City, Westchester County and on Long Island stands at $16 and is set at $15 in the rest of the state. The wage will hit $17 in the New York City area and $16 north of Westchester by 2026, and future increases will be set to the rate of inflation. But those increases could be suspended if unemployment in the state rises — another sore point for left-leaning advocates, lawmakers and labor unions who have tried to reverse that provision. — Nick Reisman   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     FROM CITY HALL Mayor Eric Adams held a rally this morning to promote the city's budget. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office BUDGET BATTLES AHEAD: Mayor Eric Adams reversed only a small portion of the $7.2 billion in cuts and saving initiatives he’s made over the last year in his $111.6 billion executive budget released today. That’s leaving advocates for public libraries, early childhood education and parks to gird for further fights ahead of the June 30 deadline for fiscal year 2025. Leaders of the city’s three library systems, for example, said they were “deeply disappointed” in the budget, claiming that most branches would only be open for five days a week if the cuts are kept in the budget. But Adams’ messaging was entirely celebratory, announcing the budget with a rally outside City Hall, focusing on things that have improved in the city — “crime is down, jobs are up” — since Adams took office. While focusing on a few, limited spending initiatives, he defended the cuts and conservative forecasting. “All of this and much more is possible,” he said, “because we ignored the critics and made hard choices when we had to.” — Jeff Coltin OH, RATS, PART 2: As a continued increase of leptospirosis cases causes concern among New York City sanitation workers, the president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association is demanding more protections for them. “Our sanitationmen and women come in every day to keep the city clean. They deserve to know they and their families will be protected if they get sick on the job,” President Harry Nespoli said in a statement. Leptospirosis is an infectious disease that can target the kidney, liver, brain, lungs or heart and can be fatal and is largely spread via rat urine. Twenty-four people were diagnosed with the disease in 2023, and five of them were sanitation workers. Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato is sponsoring a bill that would provide more benefits for sanitation workers and their families, and Nespoli is urging the Legislature to adopt the measure. — Shawn Ness   A message from Google:   On the Beats Marguerite Wells will be the new executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York. | Hans Pennink/AP NEW RENEWABLE ADVOCATE: The Alliance for Clean Energy New York, a leading voice for renewable energy developers in the state, has selected a longtime booster of the industry as its new leader. Marguerite Wells will head up the organization as executive director, the group announced today. “Her experience and expertise in the field of large-scale renewables in New York state is extensive,” said Keith Silliman, chair of the board of directors for ACE NY and director of regulatory compliance at Cypress Creek Renewables. “She will help guide us forward as we push to get shovels in the ground in order to meet our climate goals.” Wells got her start in the renewables business in the state developing a small community wind project outside Ithaca that would have sold the power to Cornell University. Local opposition and delays stymied the project. Wells went on to work for Invenergy after the project fell apart in 2016. Most recently she led Invenergy’s New York development efforts, overseeing a 2-gigawatt pipeline of projects, according to ACE. She also co-owns a small solar grazing business. Wells starts April 30. — Marie J. French   A message from Google: “Digital ads are a key part of our success,” says Michael from Frederick Benjamin Grooming in Manhattan. “We can instantly see what’s working and what’s not. We can pivot on targeting. We can pivot on creative.” Like many small businesses across the state, Frederick Benjamin Grooming counts on digital ads to help a specific kind of consumer discover their unique offerings. “Without my ads, men with textured hair wouldn’t discover brands like ours.” Hear more stories about how local businesses count on digital ads. Learn more.   CASH RULES: Sales tax collections between January and March increased slightly in New York compared to the same time period last year, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office said. The amount of money collected by the tax reached $5.6 billion — a 1.6 percent bump from a year ago during the same three-month span. Much of that money came from New York City, the comptroller’s office said. Sales tax revenue is critical for local governments — it’s their top revenue source, even more than property taxes. “The numbers from the city signal a healthy tax base and a return to its pre-pandemic role as a major driver of sales tax growth in the state,” DiNapoli said. “Collections outside the city were relatively flat, resulting from a variety of economic influences.” — Nick Reisman   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE.     AROUND NEW YORK —  The collapse of three critical offshore wind projects is hammering New York’s ability to meet its climate goals. (POLITICO) — President Joe Biden granted clemency to two New Yorkers, one from the Capital Region and another from the Hudson Valley. (State of Politics) — Donald Trump and ex-wife of Chris Cuomo both secured positive verdicts in unrelated cases by the state Court of Appeals. (Times Union)   Follow us on Twitter Joseph Spector @JoeSpectorNY   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

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