Source: Politics<\/p>\n
With help from Shawn Ness<\/p>\n
Happening now:<\/span><\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams continued their post-budget happy tour. Gov. Kathy Hochul took another victory lap today.<\/p>\n She joined Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Mayor Eric Adams and labor leaders to celebrate the approval of a wide-ranging housing package<\/a> \u2014 a remarkable turnaround from last year, when the governor and Legislature failed to reach consensus on the thorny issue.<\/p>\n The plan passed over the weekend, designed to spur residential construction and protect tenants, includes policies Hochul has tried to enact for two years now to address the housing shortage.<\/p>\n They include policies to boost residential construction, like a new property tax break for rental housing and reforms to allow denser development in the city, which were also among Adams\u2019 Albany priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know past leaders did not want to take this on,\u201d Hochul said at an event hosted by the building service workers union 32BJ SEIU, which pushed for a housing deal this year. \u201cI\u2019m proud to say, that legacy of inaction has ended last week with this landmark, years-in-the-making deal in Albany.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was the first governor in half a century to touch the lightning rod and put housing front and center,\u201d she continued, praising partners in the Legislature.<\/p>\n Stewart-Cousins said Hochul had a \u201cclear\u201d vision and \u201cunderstood there were a few things that we all could agree on and a few things that if we compromise on, we could come to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the major compromises was on a tenant protection measure known as Good Cause eviction, which lawmakers approved in revised form in the housing package. <\/p>\n The policy, which effectively caps rent increases in market-rate housing, came with several carve-outs that angered tenant activists who pushed the proposal.<\/p>\n Hochul had been cool to the initial legislation, but today highlighted that piece of the agreement, which she said will help address price gouging of tenants.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re held captive,\u201d Hochul said of tenants. \u201cThe landlords can raise the rent any way they want \u2014 now, they can\u2019t, now they will not be able to, there will be limits on what they can do and people can plan for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adams, who has praised Hochul’s work<\/a> on the city’s behalf in the budget, called the larger package \u201csuch a victory for us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an obligation now to put shovels in the ground, build housing so you don\u2019t have to leave your city,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cI can finally tell my son, \u2018Go get your own apartment.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n MORE HELP FOR POLICE: A key law enforcement organization does not believe the state budget did enough to strengthen public safety \u2014 especially for cops themselves.<\/p>\n The New York State Sheriffs Association today pressed state lawmakers to approve a package of measures that include mandatory life sentences without parole for cop killers, allowing judges to consider dangerousness when weighing bail and making all gun crimes qualifying offenses for denying a defendant\u2019s pretrial release.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time to end what\u2019s become an open-season on police officers in New York,\u201d Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond, the president of the sheriffs association, told reporters during a Capitol news conference.<\/p>\n Hochul was able to win public safety victories in the budget, including measures to address retail theft<\/a> by boosting penalties for those who assault store workers and allowing prosecutors to aggregate retail crimes when considering charges.<\/p>\n Hochul has also touted the millions of dollars she sought for law enforcement in New York in a direct rebuke of calls to defund the police.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I became governor, there were still people recklessly calling to defund the police, even when we had a huge surge in gun crimes \u2014 instead of defunding, we supported and properly funded law enforcement,\u201d she told reporters last week.<\/p>\n But DuMond believes the budget should have gone much further \u2014 especially when it came to addressing the law that limited when cash bail can be considered for criminal defendants.<\/p>\n He pointed to the spate of police killings in the last several weeks, including cops in New York City and Syracuse.<\/p>\n \u201cAn attack on a police officer is an attack on civilization,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a form of terrorism.\u201d \u2014 Nick Reisman<\/p>\n \u2018STAY ON MESSAGE\u2019: Former President Donald Trump has made New York City crime<\/a> a backdrop to his presidential campaign \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t bother Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as he\u2019s on the campaign trail, he can look at the bar graph that we showed, that we\u2019re the safest big city in America,\u201d Adams said of Trump at a wide-ranging press conference today \u2014 pointing to an oft-used graphic used to counter claims that New York City has a crime problem.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that as long as we stay on message with that, we\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Adams added. \u201cThis is campaign season, so people are going to be campaigning throughout the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Adams briefly visited the scene<\/a> outside the courthouse last week to check on the NYPD officers assigned there.<\/p>\n But like he did again today, Adams has largely brushed off questions about the massive trial taking place down the street from City Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a system that\u2019s built on due process,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s going to take place in the next couple of days.\u201d \u2014 Jeff Coltin<\/p>\n Judge Juan Merchan did not rule<\/a> this morning on whether former President Donald Trump should be held in contempt for, as prosecutors argue, violating his gag order<\/a> with some of his social media posts (and reposts).<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not clear when that determination will come.<\/p>\n But the next part of Trump\u2019s day in Manhattan criminal court saw the continuation of prosecution witness David Pecker\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n One focus? Setting the scene<\/a> for how the alleged \u201cconspiracy\u201d to influence the 2016 elections began with an arrangement between tabloid boss Pecker and Trump\u2019s then-fixer Michael Cohen to \u201ccatch and kill\u201d stories.<\/p>\n \u201cThey asked me what can I do and what my magazines can do to help the campaign,\u201d Pecker told jurors.<\/p>\n \u201cI said what I would do is, I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump, and I would publish negative stories about his opponents,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Trump is charged with falsifying business records when he allegedly paid hush money to an adult film actress to suppress a story about their affair.<\/p>\n He has called the case a \u201cwitch hunt.\u201d And speaking to reporters after court adjourned today, Trump called the gag order \u201ctotally unconstitutional.\u201d \u2014 Emily Ngo<\/p>\n NEW OFFSHORE WIND BIDS PLANNED: New York is expediting the timeline to secure contracts<\/a> with offshore wind developers after failing to finalize any agreements from an earlier round. NYSERDA is also moving forward with a planned competitive process to bolster the offshore wind supply chain in the state with $200 million in previously allocated funds.<\/p>\n The actions today are yet another attempt by the Hochul administration to keep the state on track to meet its climate goals and to make New York a major economic hub for the nascent industry in the U.S. after three key projects were scrapped last week, as POLITICO first reported.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNew York is solidifying its leadership role in the offshore wind industry, building the supply chain right here in the State to build the industry and drive down costs,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cThis commitment and momentum will help us realize a future where clean energy powers our grid, creates long-term jobs, and boosts our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n The faster timeline \u2014 with a request for proposals expected this summer for new offshore wind projects \u2014 could also help secure more offshore wind to support the state\u2019s 9 gigawatt target by 2035. But the projects won\u2019t be required to be online in time to support the state\u2019s 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 goal.<\/p>\n NYSERDA is seeking input and has also scheduled webinars on the two processes. The offshore wind projects may not be operational until as late as 2034, according to the dates in the request for information. \u2014 Marie J. French<\/p>\n OLDER ADULTS SLAM HOCHUL: A coalition representing older adults in New York is slamming Hochul after she \u201cneglected older New Yorkers in the latest budget\u201d by rejecting a proposal to address the backlog of thousands of older adults waiting for elder care services.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul has effectively decided that as we age, we don\u2019t actually deserve to remain in New York or to access the services the state has promised,\u201d LiveOn NY, a coalition of 120 organizations, wrote in a statement today.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s Office for the Aging routinely funds services for older adults \u2014 like meals on wheels, transportation, toileting and bathing \u2014 but the state doesn\u2019t have enough money to provide those services to everyone who needs them at the same time.<\/p>\n In total, the state says there\u2019s at least 11,400 unfulfilled requests for those services. Advocates estimate the number could be as high as 18,000.<\/p>\n The final budget is increasing funding only to address the backlog by $700,000, POLITICO reported<\/a>. Lawmakers in the Assembly had asked for $42 million more than what the governor proposed, which would have eliminated the waitlist.<\/p>\n New York’s State Office for the Aging spokesperson Roger Noyes defended the budget’s funding.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul’s budget invests in vital supports for older adults across programs and systems,\u201d Noyes said in a statement. \u201cThese investments include funds for community-based services and supports as well as an historic initiative to expand housing, which is one of the top areas of concern raised by older adults seeking to age in place.\u201d \u2014 Jason Beeferman<\/p>\n GO GREENER: Hochul announced today the launch of a new grant program to help out communities that are prone to flooding.<\/p>\n The $60 million grant is designed to help communities become greener by investing in infrastructure to make things like green streets, roofs and permeable pavement, which allows for water to seep into the soil underneath.<\/p>\n \u201cExtreme weather events have become a regular occurrence in our state, and strong and sustainable infrastructure is our first line of defense,\u201d Hochul said in a statement. \u201cWe are aggressively reducing greenhouse gas emissions across New York, and simultaneously need to prepare for coming storms.\u201d<\/p>\n The grant has a few specific goals in mind: reducing and treating stormwater, mitigating flooding, reducing the urban heat island effect and restoring ecosystems.<\/p>\n It would fund up to 90 percent of eligible project costs so long as they don\u2019t cost more than $10 million. \u2014 Shawn Ness<\/p>\n FOUNDATION AID FORMULA STUDY: The state\u2019s final budget includes a $2 million study on the foundation aid formula that will be run by the Rockefeller Institute and due Dec. 1.<\/p>\n The timeline and inclusion of the Rockefeller Institute were a trade-off in budget negotiations to stave off Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s attempts to eliminate \u201chold harmless,\u201d a policy that prevents districts from cuts to school aid, POLITICO reports.<\/a><\/p>\n Lawmakers and education advocates say they are concerned about the inclusion of the Rockefeller Institute and the shortened timeline to get the work done. The state Education Department said it would have needed at least 18 months if it let the study as proposed. Instead it will provide technical assistance.<\/p>\n The study will be done through a collaboration between the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the state Education Department, the state Budget Division and \u201cother state agencies deemed necessary by the institute,\u201d the budget reads.<\/p>\n They will also be able to contract \u201cthird parties\u201d if the Rockefeller Institute wants to, and the committee will be charged with including the input of advocates, school officials and families.<\/p>\n The study will issue recommendations that are \u201cfiscally sustainable,\u201d calculate the school aid needs with recent and updated data and evaluate each component of the formula to decide what should stay in place and what needs to be changed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are moving quickly in accordance with the law to set up public hearings across the state, acquire the necessary data, and initiate dialogue with key stakeholders and partners,\u201d Bob Megna, the institute\u2019s president and the former state budget director, said in a statement. \u2014 Katelyn Cordero<\/p>\n ADAMS TOUTS CANNABIS CRACKDOWN: New York City will step up enforcement on an estimated 2,800 unlicensed cannabis sellers in the city \u201cas soon as the ink dries\u201d on the state budget, Adams said today.<\/p>\n The budget deal included provisions<\/a> to allow municipalities to crack down on illicit weed sellers. Adams praised provisions that also allowed regulators to revoke licenses for lottery, beer and cigarettes for bodegas that sell cannabis.<\/p>\n Going forward, the city has authority to padlock unlicensed cannabis sellers if they pose an immediate threat to public safety, like selling to minors, said Tiffany Raspberry, a senior adviser to Adams.<\/p>\n If there is no imminent threat, the city can issue a violation and fines. After 10 days, if the storefront is still selling cannabis, the city can padlock the shop.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are the inner circle dress rehearsal, and then they go into actually [having] show night,\u201d Adams said about the city\u2019s preparations for a cannabis crackdown. \u2014 Mona Zhang<\/p>\n \u2014 A new study found that New York City employees of color are paid less than their white counterparts. (Daily News<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 Lower ticket prices to MMA matches among some of the less-discussed aspects of the state\u2019s budget. (Times Union<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 If Trump goes to jail, the secret service might have to go with him. (New York Times<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n Police are unhappy the budget didn\u2019t take further steps to toughen bail laws.
\n Adams said Donald Trump might want to look at the crime stats before blasting his native city.
\n State regulators are hoping for a redo to solicit new offshore wind developers.
\n And the latest from the Trump trial in Manhattan. <\/p>\n