Source: Politics<\/p>\n
With help from Shawn Ness<\/p>\n
DRINKS ON US \u2014 Come celebrate the end of session with POLITICO. We\u2019re hosting a happy hour on Wednesday, May 29, at the Albany War Room Tavern. Join fellow New York insiders for drinks and hors d’oeuvres, meet our editorial team and learn more about our coverage of politics, policy and power in Albany. You can RSVP here<\/a>.<\/p>\n RAMOS ROARS: In a single announcement, state Sen. Jessica Ramos delivered a blow today to one of America\u2019s wealthiest men as he feverishly tries to expand his New York City footprint<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Steve Cohen, billionaire owner of the Mets, is not done yet.<\/p>\n The sprawling platoon that makes up Cohen\u2019s team showed no intention of giving up after the progressive state lawmaker declared her opposition<\/a> to his plans to build a casino at Citi Field. Anyone paying attention to Ramos\u2019 statements in recent months would have surmised she was headed in this direction and prepared for it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we respect Senator Ramos\u2019s point of view, the state never intended any one person to have the ability to single-handedly stop or approve a gaming project,\u201d Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Cohen\u2019s Metropolitan Park project, said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Metropolitan Park enjoys overwhelming support from elected officials, unions, and the local community we are confident that we have the best project in the best location,\u201d Rickett added. \u201cWe have over a year and multiple pathways to secure the required approvals. Our team remains committed to bringing Metropolitan Park to life.\u201d<\/p>\n Rickett also pointed out that gaming is \u201cthe only viable economic engine to make the 23,000 jobs, $8 billion investment and substantial community benefits possible\u201d \u2014 a reference to Ramos\u2019 decision to introduce a bill<\/a> that would free up the land in question for a convention center and hotel, but not a casino.<\/p>\n Cohen needs the state Legislature to alienate the land in question \u2014 a parking lot designated as a park in Ramos\u2019 district. Without her support, the bid becomes harder, but not impossible.<\/p>\n His team could lean into support<\/a> from local businesses and other Queens politicians, and hope it all becomes so overwhelming that the senator changes her mind \u2014 a possibility Ramos effectively shot down today.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one elected official should be the sole arbiter of this $8 billion investment, so I strongly urge Governor Hochul and the State Senate to explore other avenues to bring the Metropolitan Park proposal to life and ensure that Queens continues to get the money we deserve,\u201d Queens Borough President Donovan Richards posted on X today.<\/p>\n Indeed the Mets owner could try to persuade one of Ramos\u2019 colleagues in the Senate to go around her and sponsor a bill to free up the land. But that move \u2014 which has little precedent in a state legislature with local member deference on land use matters \u2014 would mean going to war with Ramos.<\/p>\n A state Senate source who declined to be named for fear of retribution said Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins would be unlikely to move on a bill that would ignore Ramos\u2019 opposition and free up parkland in her district.<\/p>\n Bronx Sen. Nathalia Fernandez\u2019s district includes Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point, the site of another casino bid which also requires a parkland bill. She has been floated as a possible workaround for Cohen\u2019s team, were she to introduce a bill that frees up parkland in the Bronx and the site next to Citi Field at once.<\/p>\n But Fernandez nixed that idea today.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven her respect to her colleagues in the Legislature, if the senator so chooses to introduce any parkland alienation bill, that bill will not include any area outside of her district,\u201d Justin Sanchez, Fernandez\u2019s chief of staff, told Playbook. \u201cToday’s news does not change that.\u201d<\/p>\n Since New York state announced it would award three casino licenses in the New York City area, Cohen has seized every opportunity he could to win one, hiring an army of lobbyists, sending hundreds of mailers and winning over a posse of local politicians. He has spent lavishly in the process.<\/p>\n But standing in his way from the start has been the progressive senator, who is occasionally floated as a primary challenger to Mayor Eric Adams in 2025. After months of hinting, Ramos finally came out publicly against the project today.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a sad state of affairs when casinos are the premiere economic development idea in our state,\u201d she told reporters today from the Capitol\u2019s second floor. \u201cThe business model for casinos, by definition, is to extract wealth from people. \u2026 This is not something that would be beneficial.\u201d \u2014 Jason Beeferman<\/p>\n HOCHUL PUSHES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA BILL: Cooperate with the state in drafting legislation to protect children under the age of 18, or deal with it \u2014 that\u2019s the message Gov. Kathy Hochul is sending to social media magnates.<\/p>\n The push to curtail the use of social media by minors \u2014 one of the most high-profile fights left this session in Albany \u2014 is pitting tech firms against the Democratic governor. And with few legislative disputes left to settle, Hochul is putting a lot of firepower into this one.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not anti-business, we are anti-harm to our children,\u201d Hochul told reporters Tuesday. \u201cThey should see that and work with us on this legislation instead of saying no. So I think we’re making some progress; some of the responsible companies are already taking steps on their own and I commend them.\u201d<\/p>\n The measure is aimed at protecting the mental health of children who view content that the proponents \u2014 including the state teachers\u2019 union \u2014 argue could be addictive and otherwise troubling for them. It has faced backlash from well-heeled social media giants across the country, including Meta.<\/p>\n But Hochul remains optimistic.<\/p>\n She said part of the legislation being drafted would include a more stringent process for proving that users are older than 18, though she did not clarify what those controls would look like.<\/p>\n \u201cCompanies already have to do this for online gaming and tobacco sales,\u201d she said. \u201cYou already have to do this, for them to say you can’t do that, I’m not buying it.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie Samuels, president & CEO of Tech:NYC, said the organization is in “productive discussions with lawmakers and community groups about these bills.” <\/p>\n “But this is an extremely complicated task, and we have to be careful to avoid the fate of every other state that has passed similar bills: yearslong delays in getting support to kids, as rushed legislation remains tied up in courts,” Samuels added.\u00a0\u2014 Katelyn Cordero<\/p>\n KENNEDY, STEIN CLAIM BALLOT ACCESS: Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stopped by the Capitol this afternoon to claim she\u2019d soon be dropping off enough petitions at the state Board of Elections to secure a space on New York\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know from the Democratic primary held a little over a month ago in this state that the bottom has dropped out from the Democratic Party,\u201d Stein said.<\/p>\n The Greens lost their automatic ballot status in 2020, thanks to new rules harming minor parties<\/a>. They now need to submit 45,000 signatures for a ballot line,<\/p>\n Stein declined to say how many they were actually submitting. \u201cWe don\u2019t actually know,\u201d she said. She claimed \u201cthe system is so oppressive\u201d that it makes it impossible to count signatures.<\/p>\n Another candidate who submitted New York petitions today: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who gathered more than 135,000 after a collection process that has faced some accusations<\/a> of misleading signatories. That\u2019s more \u201cthan any presidential candidate has ever submitted in the state,\u201d Kennedy asserted in a tweet.<\/p>\n That also appears to be a high for any candidate. The record was previously claimed by Kennedy\u2019s then-brother-in-law Andrew Cuomo, who gathered 100,000 for his upstart 2002 gubernatorial bid. \u2014 Bill Mahoney<\/p>\n CHARTER WARS \u2014 New York City Mayor Eric Adams is keeping tight control over his newly announced charter revision commission. At a press conference today, his administration said it does not plan to hire any outside staff to assist with the endeavor, which entails cracking open the city\u2019s governing document and suggesting changes that will be put to voters on the November ballot.<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s break with custom \u2014 most mayors have created multiple charter revision commissions \u2014 makes the operation more responsive to City Hall\u2019s desires at a time when the creation of the commission is already widely viewed as an ad hoc response to the City Council’s push for more advice and consent over Adams’ appointments.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really have to have staff if you are at all serious about it,\u201d John Kaehny, head of government reform group Reinvent Albany, said in an interview. \u201c[The mayor\u2019s commission] lacks any sort of seriousness, and the mayor is really giving ammunition to critics who say it is a fatuous political exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n But speaking to reporters, Adams said that past mayors have spent too much money on charter revisions. \u201cI believe in lean, and quick, and getting stuff done,\u201d he said. \u201cWe spend too much money on window dressing. We can do a better job.\u201d \u2014 Joe Anuta<\/p>\n \u2014 Former state Sen. Todd Kaminsky is utilizing a legal loophole to lobby against environmentalists. (Bloomberg<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 The sun will perfectly set between buildings over the next two days in Manhattan. (Daily News<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 An appellate court ruled that the state violated the due process rights of opioid companies, which could mean New York would have to refund millions of dollars. (Times Union<\/a>)<\/p>\n