The Primary Day protest vote

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Apr 02, 2024 View in browser   By Emily Ngo, Shawn Ness, Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin Presented by With help from Shawn Ness Many Democrats have voiced their support for President Joe Biden, but many others are backing a campaign urging voters to cast blank ballots in today's primary. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP NEW YORK MINUTE: The calendar has turned to a new state fiscal year, but a budget is yet to be found. State lawmakers are back in Albany to restart the negotiations after a quiet holiday weekend. How quiet? Only staff-level meetings were held; a huddle between Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie didn’t happen. — Nick Reisman SENDING A MESSAGE: Yes, these Democrats are casting blank ballots in today’s presidential primary instead of voting for President Joe Biden. No, that doesn’t mean they want former President Donald Trump to win. The Leave It Blank movement is New York’s iteration of the Uncommitted movement in Michigan and elsewhere protesting Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. It was boosted in recent days by the left-leaning Working Families Party, a decision that co-director Ana María Archila said was one of its hardest ever to make. “We think the main enemy of Democrats this year is the lack of enthusiasm,” Archila told Playbook. “And in order to address that, we need to remind people that their votes really matter.” Leave It Blank co-founder Brittany Ramos DeBarros considers it momentum. “That represents tens of thousands of New Yorkers across the state who are hearing about Leave It Blank and recognizing that they have an option to use their ballot to send a message,” DeBarros told Playbook. That message? A permanent cease-fire. “I’m concerned that the president’s actions to aid and abet this genocide are going to harm his ability to defeat Trump this November,” Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani told Playbook. The WFP is the most influential among the dozens of groups endorsing the movement. The number of voters pledged to campaign is in the thousands and eight elected officials back it, according to DeBarros. Perhaps the biggest name missing is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has defended Biden’s successes but also recently said, “If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes.” Biden, 81 and a moderate, was already struggling with younger, more progressive voters. The war has been an accelerant, inspiring protests like the one last week as Biden spoke from the stage of a Manhattan fundraiser. Biden’s surrogates say the Democrats are a big tent party. “The president believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans,” a Biden campaign spokesperson said. “He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East.” Biden does have some younger or progressive-leaning elected officials in his corner. “I think he’s working diligently to get a cease-fire in the Gaza region, and he’s working to get humanitarian aid,” Assemblymember Kenny Burgos, a Bronx Democrat, told Playbook. Some — far from casting a blank ballot — will be on the ballot supporting him as delegates. “As unhappy as we may be about certain situations,” Council Member Diana Ayala told Playbook, “why would we want to encourage that type of division in politics?” Leave It Blank’s actual reach isn’t expected to be known until the vote is certified in a few weeks. — Emily Ngo and Shawn Ness HAPPY TUESDAY: Happy Primary Day, New Yorkers. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.   A message from Amazon: As the largest job creator in the U.S. Amazon is committed to helping their employees thrive with benefits starting on day one and free, on-the-job skills training. When MJ started at an Amazon fulfillment center, “health care started on day one for me and my kids,” she said. See the impact of comprehensive benefits.   DO WE HAVE A BUDGET YET? No. WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a media availability, going on ABC’s “GMA3,” having a roundtable discussion with African American and Jewish community leaders, delivering remarks to celebrate the launch of the New York Somoy newspaper. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Good luck finding something to do in Albany.” — Former WNBA star and NCAA analyst Rebecca Lobo roasting New York’s capital city during the LSU-Iowa game. ABOVE THE FOLD Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera has the defense of a major national labor group during budget negotiations. | Mike Groll/AP WAGE BATTLE: A national labor group is coming to the defense of Building and Construction Trades Council President Gary LaBarbera amid the ongoing negotiations for a wage deal with real estate. A deal for a wage agreement between labor and developers is considered essential for lawmakers and Hochul to move forward with a new version of the 421a tax abatement for new construction. In a statement obtained by Playbook, North America’s Building Trades Unions blasted proposals that have been floated as the talks continue, including the potential impact of an average wage. “A good housing policy must require that workers constructing housing can earn the means to afford to live in the units they build,” the group’s president, Sean McGarvey, said. “Any wage standard must be transparent and meaningful, especially when developers receive public tax breaks,” he added. The statement is the latest sign a broad wage agreement remains stuck in neutral — potentially making it more difficult for state officials to come to a sweeping housing deal as part of the now-late state budget. Zach Steinberg, the vice president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said the organization is hopeful that negotiations will continue toward a housing deal. “We've worked hard, in good faith, to craft a proposal that provides a wages and benefits package that’s significantly improved from 421a, and also incentivizes the development of as much permanently below market rate housing as possible for New Yorkers amid a deepening housing crisis,” he said. — Nick Reisman CITY HALL: THE LATEST Public Advocate Jumaane Williams threatening to sue NBA refs for their treatment of Knicks' star guard Jalen Brunson, and Comptroller Brad Lander's team auditing his fashion crimes were some of many April Fool's Day jokes. | Ted Shaffrey/AP CONFEDERACY OF FOOLS: Comptroller Brad Lander’s staff audited his fedora fashion crimes — and demanded reform. While Public Advocate Jumaane Williams threatened to sue NBA referees for being too hard on Knicks star Jalen Brunson. Monday was April Fool’s Day, and in the continued absence of a state budget deal, pols and political players poked some fun. Council Member Erik Bottcher shared a nightmare-inducing image of helicopters airdropping 20,000 snakes into Manhattan, for his scheme to naturally reduce the city’s rat population. Brooklyn Bridge Park and Riverside Park joked about annexing one another. Assemblymember Ron Kim tricked some folks with a campaign sign for ex-Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim — no relation — while Transportation Workers Union Boss John Samuelsen briefly got Hochul’s hopes up by announcing a three-month sabbatical to join a slap fighting league. These jokes can backfire, though. The state of New York’s Twitter account dripped with sarcasm, posting, “New Jersey seems like a great place to live.” The Garden State pointed out that New Yorkers ARE moving to Jersey. And with housing production lagging, and no deal to change that, housing advocate Will Thomas quipped that the tweet “accidentally reveal[ed] New York State’s de facto housing policy.” — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — All of Mayor Eric Adams' unpopular budget cuts could be reversed, the council argued in a new report furthering a long-running dispute with City Hall. (POLITICO Pro) — The city is scrambling to hire more workers, but it can take months just to complete the hiring process for these good-paying union jobs. (PIX11) — The state Education Department blew past a deadline to release a report assessing the effectiveness of mayoral control over New York City schools. (New York Post)   A message from Amazon:   NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY Many labor groups, including New York State United Teachers, want to whittle away Tier 6 pensions. | Katelyn Cordero/POLITICO SHED A TIER: Chipping away at the much-maligned Tier 6 pension has been a key priority for public-sector labor unions this budget season. The issue has been a deeply mobilizing one for influential labor groups including the New York State AFL-CIO and the New York State United Teachers. They have argued the pension tier has made recruitment harder, and the latest volley came from NYSUT President Melinda Person in a video pushing the change. The retirement plan first created a decade ago was meant to slow the accelerated costs of public pensions. Now Democrats in the state Legislature want to make the tier a little more generous with a move that would change the final average salary calculation from five years to three. Even the politics of Tier 6 have been scrambled: Republicans in the state Senate last week tried to force a vote to get changes to the retirement tier (the Senate GOP a decade ago backed the creation of the tier in the first place, which had been a major policy goal of then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg). Fiscal hawks, however, are aghast at the potential to weaken what had been a cost savings for taxpayers. All told, it could add $400 million annually to costs, about half of which will affect New York City. “The bottom line with all these changes being talked about is they’re not going to change the employment competitive landscape,” Patrick Orecki, the director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, said. “The benefits for Tier 6 are just about better than anywhere in the private sector.” — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — The Citi Field casino bid needs state Sen. Jessica Ramos’ support — but new dueling polls suggest they are far from a deal. (POLITICO Pro) — New York lawmakers and Hochul are wrestling with who will foot the bill for the $2 billion renewable energy transition. (Newsday) — A half-dozen people in a state prison are suing the state in a bid to view the solar eclipse. (Times Union) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond, preventing state authorities from seizing his assets while he appeals a civil fraud verdict. (POLITICO) — Prosecutors are pushing for relatives to be included in the gag order placed on Trump. (Daily News) — Why’s New York even having a presidential primary? Blame Andrew Yang. (Gothamist)   A message from Amazon: Amazon fulfillment centers create on average 3,000 local jobs with comprehensive benefits and free technical training so hourly employees get the support they need to succeed. Amazon’s local investment in cities and towns across the U.S. helps employees and whole communities thrive. Learn how Amazon supports employees and their communities.   SOCIAL DATA Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Dr. Richard Dal Col will be the next president of health management and provider & network strategy at MVP Health Care. SPOTTED at the B’nai Mitzvah reception for Aidan and Miller Weinberg (the twin sons of Jackie Brot Weinberg and Evan Weinberg) at Oheka Castle in Huntington, N.Y. on Saturday night: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), NY State Assemblyman John Zaccaro, Jr., Mike Smith, Phil Munger, Ornela Beshiri, Craig Kaplan and Anne Hess. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: NYT’s Emily Steel … former acting AG Jeff Rosen … USTR’s Brian Janovitz … Commerce’s Patrick Zimet … CNN’s Liz Brown-Kaiser … Edelman’s Ryan Kuntz … Sarah Cammarata … (WAS MONDAY): Former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito … Noah L. Schwartz ... Jonathan P. Friedman ... Nancy Kassop YOUR NEW YORK NUMBER OF THE DAY More than $700 million Estimated lost revenue from fare and toll evasion in 2023, according to the MTA, as noted in a Citizens Budget Commission report today on how policies to reduce evasion are critical to transit sustainability.   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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