Source: Politics<\/p>\n
With help from Shawn Ness<\/p>\n
Boosting penalties for people who assault retail workers is running into the state budget buzzsaw.<\/p>\n
Legislative Democrats have formally rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s proposal to make it a felony for assaulting a retail worker, a reflection of how the party remains split over criminal justice issues<\/a> and how to address voters\u2019 concerns over public safety.<\/p>\n Hochul, perhaps anticipating opposition from her fellow Democrats, sought to highlight her anti-shoplifting plan with bodega owners and elected official allies today in Albany.<\/p>\n The Red Room news conference dovetailed with Hochul appearing later in the day with Mayor Eric Adams to tout a plan meant to remove \u201cghost cars\u201d from city streets that evade tolls. It was a moment that also served to paper over any perception<\/a> the two Democrats had a rift over her move to deploy National Guard units and State Police troopers at subway stations.<\/p>\n Hochul this month has not shied away from opportunities to hammer away once again<\/a> at crime and public safety issues, which were politically potent for her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin and down-ballot GOP candidates in 2022.<\/p>\n And addressing retail theft offers Hochul a chance to take on a relatively low-stakes issue that New Yorkers experience every time they try to buy toiletries under lock and key at their local pharmacy.<\/p>\n Retail workers \u201care very vulnerable, and they deserve those protections,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n She pointed to the broader impact of retail theft in the wake of the pandemic and the effect shuttered businesses can have on a downtown.<\/p>\n \u201cFoot traffic dwindles, people go online and some businesses just can\u2019t make it,\u201d she said from her second floor office suites.<\/p>\n But on the Capitol\u2019s third floor, the conversation was a different one over retail theft: Many Democratic lawmakers remain skeptical that higher criminal penalties will lead to a reduction in crime.<\/p>\n In the state Senate, Democrats backed Hochul\u2019s proposal for a tax credit for retailers to boost security. But they want to spread the $40 million around Hochul earmarked for a State Police task force addressing retail crime by sending some of that money to local police departments.<\/p>\n Top Senate Democrats insisted they are willing to negotiate with the governor over the issue, even as they questioned whether retail workers themselves wanted stricter consequences for assault.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all very sensitive to the problem of retail theft, and we want to address it,\u201d Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris told reporters. \u201cIt\u2019s not so much an outright rejection as a different way to look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n Assemblymember John McDonald, a Democrat from the Albany area who is supportive of increasing penalties for assaulting retail workers, pointed to the broader aversion lawmakers have with inserting non-fiscal policy into the budget.<\/p>\n Still, that opposition could give way in the budget talks. The spending plan is due by April 1, the start of New York\u2019s fiscal year.<\/p>\n McDonald told Playbook \u201ca majority of the members\u201d he speaks with from different areas of New York are supportive of addressing retail theft.<\/p>\n “They want to see action in regard to penalties in most circumstances,” he said. “But there are members who are vocally against it. This is part of a three-way negotiation.” \u2014 Nick Reisman<\/p>\n BABYLON BAIL REFORM: Republican lawmakers expressed outrage after four suspects were released without bail after they were charged with concealment of a corpse and evidence tampering when the remains for two Yonkers residents were found in various locations<\/a> in Babylon on Long Island.<\/p>\n The suspects instead were given GPS ankle monitors and instructed to report to in-person probation and surrender their passports.<\/p>\n The crime has again sparked a large debate around the 2019 bail reform bill that removed cash bail for most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies and gave judges discretion to consider alternatives to incarceration.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are now on our fourth iteration of the bill, and we’re looking for a fifth and remarkably within one state in the union,\u201d state Sen. Anthony Palumbo, a Long Island Republican, said during a news conference today at the Capitol. \u201cAll 49 states and the federal level have a dangerousness standard that a judge can consider with respect to judicial discretion and as to whether or not they should hold individuals charged with particular crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Palumbo and state Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, a fellow Long Island Republican, are backing bills that would reclassify the dismemberment and concealment of a corpse to a class E felony<\/a> and strengthen the use of GPS monitoring systems<\/a> in the \u201cmost heinous case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone that is willing to cut up human remains and just disregard them and throw them out into the public, for a child on their way to school to find, to me is dangerous, and they’re in danger. They’re a danger to public safety,\u201d Assemblymember Michael Durso, who represents Babylon, said. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n HOCHUL ON HOUSING: Hochul sees a growing appetite among elected leaders to address New York\u2019s housing shortage \u2014 and she\u2019s taking credit for that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad to see that people are now coming around to the idea that housing needs to be built,\u201d Hochul told reporters today, responding to a question about the one-house budget proposals on housing. \u201cThis is a transition from a year or even past years \u2014 people are now saying, it has to happen. That to me is great progress, and I\u2019m really proud of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Senate\u2019s one-house proposal called for creating a new state entity to facilitate housing construction on state-owned land, and it signaled appetite for a new version<\/a> of the 421-a tax break in New York City \u2014 if it\u2019s part of a larger package that includes the \u201ccore principles\u201d of the controversial \u201cgood cause\u201d eviction measure.<\/p>\n Hochul said she doesn\u2019t want to \u201cpre-judge\u201d the one-house resolutions before reviewing them, but emphasized that expanding production must be central to a housing package. Last year, her plan to mandate new housing was rejected.<\/p>\n \u201cI put it out there last year in a bold way, got people talking \u2014 one year later, I think we\u2019re going to get something done,\u201d she said. \u201cSo they\u2019ll be robust discussions about the approach, but walking away from this session without doing something on building more housing will not be acceptable to me.\u201d \u2014 Janaki Chadha<\/p>\n CUOMO CAN\u2019T QUIT: Adams brushed off former Gov. Andrew Cuomo\u2019s New York Post op-ed<\/a> calling to delay congestion pricing \u2014 even while the mayor isn\u2019t completely sold on it himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThe former governor has been all over the place lately,\u201d Adams quipped with a laugh at a wide-ranging press conference today when asked about the thoughts of Cuomo, who\u2019s itching for a political comeback<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cuomo, who signed the law in 2019, says politicians are cowing to extremists by planning to implement a toll for drivers entering half of Manhattan as soon as June, questioning why to do so \u201cwhen the migrant crisis, crime, homelessness, quality of life and taxes are all pressing problems?\u201d<\/p>\n Adams raised his usual concerns in response \u2014 that congestion pricing could overburden certain working class drivers and that the scheme could hurt the city\u2019s economic recovery. But he doesn\u2019t know if that would be the case, pledging to rely on answers from \u201cexperts\u201d with \u201csubstantial research and data\u201d to guide him.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to look at the data. This can\u2019t be just gut, and this can\u2019t just be emotionally driven,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a major shift in how we use our roadways.\u201d \u2014 Jeff Coltin<\/p>\n NO WORRIES: Adams expressed his usual confidence in achieving his Albany agenda today, fresh off a trip to the state capital for the Somos conference.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do this dance every year,\u201d he said at a wide-ranging press conference at City Hall. \u201cAnd each year, we start off the year \u2018Eric is not going to get what he wants in Albany. They\u2019re not going to do anything.\u2019 And then we walk off with all these wins!\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor, who served as a state senator for seven years, has been consistently defensive about his administration\u2019s ability to lobby lawmakers. His asks this year include a four-year extension<\/a> of mayoral control of schools (he got a shorter one two years ago) and laws easing housing production in the city (he came up short last year).<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the beginning of the process,\u201d Adams said, with the budget due in about three weeks. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright. All we have to do is take a deep breath.\u201d \u2014 Jeff Coltin<\/p>\n DIETL IN A HAYSTACK: The mayor\u2019s longtime friend Bo Dietl, who threw him a campaign fundraiser<\/a>, could be in the running for a migrant services contract if he meets the criteria.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to get the best price for New Yorkers,\u201d Adams said at the press briefing, referring to Dietl\u2019s security and private investigation firm. \u201cIf Bo\u2019s price is the best price, then we are going to look and go through the legal aspects of it like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Adams was responding to a POLITICO report<\/a> that found top mayoral aide Tim Pearson delayed the opening of a migrant center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn as he tried unsuccessfully to land Dietl\u2019s firm a security contract at the facility.<\/p>\n While City Hall did not dispute POLITICO\u2019s reporting that Pearson tried to bring Dietl into the fold \u2014 arguing only that the facility\u2019s opening was not delayed \u2014 Adams sought to discredit the story by blaming disgruntled employees and pledging to maintain the same contracting standards.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people who remain administration after administration, and they are just angry,\u201d Adams said. \u201cAnd they call [reporters] up: \u2018Hey, I saw Eric eat a piece of fish.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While the mayor did admit to dabbling in pescatarianism<\/a> after a 2022 POLITICO report, his usual order of branzino and salad<\/a> at Osteria la Baia was gleaned from an employee of the restaurant \u2014 not anyone in city government.<\/p>\n And ironically, it was Dietl himself who even earlier flagged the mismatch between Adams\u2019 public persona as a vegan and what actually appeared on his plate.<\/p>\n In July 2021, when Adams was still Brooklyn borough president but a shoo-in to become mayor, he dined with the former NYPD detective and John Catsimatidis, the billionaire political donor and commentator, at ultra-exclusive Rao\u2019s on the Upper East Side, according to a report in the New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth men told The Post that Adams ordered fish \u2014 with Dietl describing the BP\u2019s dinner as \u2018broiled fish. No olive oil\u2019 and \u2018spinach. No olive oil,\u2019\u201d the Post wrote, while noting an Adams representative disputed the account. \u2014 Joe Anuta<\/p>\n CONGESTION PRICING: State Sen. Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani were pleased with the inclusion of fare-free buses in both the Senate and Assembly\u2019s one-house budgets.<\/p>\n Gianaris and Mamdani previously asked for $90 million<\/a> for the MTA to increase bus frequency and for fare-free rides, which is the exact price point in the Senate\u2019s one-house resolution.<\/p>\n The existing free buses have already resulted in a 20 percent increase<\/a> in ridership on the free routes. It\u2019ll be up to lawmakers and Hochul to decide whether to include the measure in the final budget deal.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, both houses of the Legislature demonstrated their commitment to putting the MTA on the express track to deliver a better system for riders \u2014 and taking an evidence-based approach,\u201d the lawmakers said in a shared statement.<\/p>\n The duo is happy that an \u201cevidence-based approach\u201d is being taken. They cited a 17 percent increase in bus services in London before the congestion pricing program was launched, and that \u201cthe greatest city in the world deserves the same\u201d as the city moves toward its own congestion pricing plan for parts of Manhattan. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n SUNSHINE WEEK: Over 30 advocates for increased government transparency sent a letter<\/a> to Hochul and legislative leaders to make the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) stronger.<\/p>\n The groups are advocating for four different bills: the FOIL Timeline Act<\/a>, the FOIL Reporting Act<\/a>, the Limiting Commercial FOIL Exemption Act<\/a>, and the FOIL Attorneys\u2019 Fees Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sunshine Week is an annual-newspaper inspired event to \u201cbring sunshine\u201d to the government. The letter comes only a few days after Reinvent Albany, another transparency watchdog, published a report<\/a> examining FOIL requests in six different agencies, finding the need for improvement.<\/p>\n Another study found<\/a> that 75 percent of local governments do not make meeting documents public, and 35 percent do not even advertise a meeting agenda.<\/p>\n The FOIL Timeline Act, sponsored by Sen. James Skoufis and Assemblymember Steven Raga, hopes to address the issue of agencies not responding to requests in a timely manner. It would increase the number of days that agencies have to respond to requests to 30 days and give them a max of 60 days to actually supply the requested records. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n ACCESS TO REPRESENTATION: Five major labor unions sent a letter to Hochul to urge her to pass the Access to Representation Act<\/a>, which would provide legal counsel to New Yorkers facing deportation.<\/p>\n \u201cOur immigrant members and their families have a fighting chance of staying here in New York, in their communities, and on the job, if they are represented by a lawyer,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n They are calling on Hochul to include $150 million in the state budget for immigration legal services and to set up infrastructure that supports the needs of migrant New Yorkers.<\/p>\n The letter was signed by the New York State Nurses Association, DC 37, Communications Workers of America and the 32BJ Service Employees International Union.<\/p>\n According to a report<\/a> from Center for Migration Studies of New York, 31 percent of the state\u2019s workforce are migrants.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York faces a labor shortage, with nearly half a million vacant jobs and not enough workers available to fill them. The contributions of immigrant New Yorkers are crucial to the state\u2019s economic strength and future,\u201d the letter said. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n CIVIL RIGHTS CHALLENGE: New York Civil Liberties Union and Palestine Legal \u2014 a Palestinian rights organization \u2014 sued Columbia University<\/a> over the suspension of two pro-Palestinian groups last year.<\/p>\n The organizations filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on behalf of Columbia\u2019s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace, as well as two individual students. They are looking to force the university to rescind the suspensions and reinstitute the clubs, who have called for a ceasefire in Israel\u2019s war against Hamas. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s retaliatory, it\u2019s targeted, and it flies in the face of the free speech principles that institutes of higher learning should be defending,\u201d Donna Lieberman, NYCLU\u2019s executive director, said in a statement. \u201cStudents protesting at private colleges still have the right to fair, equal treatment \u2014 and we are ready to fight that battle in court.\u201d \u2014 Madina Tour\u00e9<\/p>\n \u2014 The IRS launched a pilot program for free tax filing in New York as well as 12 other states. (State of Politics<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 The former chairperson of the Hempstead Village Housing Authority was sentenced to 10 years in jail for fraudulently redirecting $1 million in funds and for accepting $100,000 in bribes. (Newsday<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 State lawmakers are grappling with an increase in police vehicle crashes over the last decade. (Times Union<\/a>)<\/p>\n