Source: Politics<\/p>\n
DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 41\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n SPENDING SPECIFICS: Crucial state budget details \u2014 including aid for New York City, the structure of a surcharge on high-value second homes and the contours of major pension changes \u2014 are yet to be fully ironed out.<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul last week announced a “general agreement” for a $268 billion spending plan<\/a> \u2014 but without specifics on many items. The closed-door discussions remain underway in Albany and none of the nine remaining budget bills have been printed.<\/p>\n The state budget is now destined to be at least six weeks past its March 31 due date. Yet Hochul is counting on voters to appreciate her policy wins and not focus on what has been an at-times messy process.<\/p>\n Hammering out these final specifics won’t make or break a final deal. But the fine print will matter for how much New York plans for its massive tax-and-spend plan \u2014 impacting some 19 million people.<\/p>\n Here’s what’s to still expect when you’re expecting a budget.<\/p>\n New York City aid: More help for the Big Apple is on the way from Albany. Lawmakers and Hochul are discussing additional foundation aid, potentially changing the formula for how public education spending is determined, and more cash for homeless students. At the same time, enabling legislation for pension amortization is being considered.<\/p>\n Those measures are designed to help New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani close what’s left of a $5.4 billion budget gap. And they come on top of the additional $1.5 billion Hochul agreed to earlier this year.<\/p>\n The governor told reporters Monday morning her office has been working well with the Mamdani administration to fix the city’s budget woes.<\/p>\n “There’s quite a bit that needs to be OK’d by New York state,” she said. “I spent last night talking to the mayor, Friday night talking to the mayor. It’s been a great level of cooperation.”<\/p>\n Pied-\u00e0-terre structure: Lawmakers are yet to see any detailed budget language for Hochul’s proposed surcharge on non-primary second residences worth $5 million and above. How that surcharge is structured \u2014 including how much it will rely on a home’s assessed value \u2014 will matter for how many residences are actually captured by the tax.<\/p>\n Overhauling Tier 6: Overhauling the Tier 6 pension category is a potentially costly endeavor. Hochul and lawmakers are now considering what’s being called a “skinny” version of a plan originally pushed by unions, according to two people familiar with the talks.<\/p>\n The change would lower the retirement age for teachers to 58 after 30 years of service, but it would not alter how much they contribute from their paychecks. For the rest of the public workforce, contributions of no lower than 3 percent of a worker’s take-home pay is under consideration, but no change would be made to their retirement age.<\/p>\n The move is expected to cost $500 million combined for the state, local governments and school districts. That’s far less than the $1.5 billion proposal advanced earlier this year by the New York State AFL-CIO.<\/p>\n Buffer zones: As POLITICO Pro reported earlier<\/a>, lawmakers and Hochul have weighed a 50-foot protest buffer zone that would allow local officials to expand it as they see fit. Having those zones around houses of worship is largely agreed to, but working through the specifics remains a sticking point. \u2014 Nick Reisman<\/p>\n HANTAVIRUS IN NEW YORK: Three New Yorkers were aboard a cruise ship at the center of an international hantavirus outbreak, state Health Commissioner James McDonald said in a statement this afternoon. The three passengers were sent to the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, where they are expected to be subject to a 42-day monitoring period, according to McDonald.<\/p>\n “While the Department is working in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments to gather information, at this point it is unclear how long they will stay in Nebraska and whether, or when those individuals intend to return to New York,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, it is important to emphasize that there is no immediate risk to the public. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as needed,” he added.<\/p>\n When asked about the threat of the virus to New Yorkers, Hochul said the state health agency is working with the CDC, and she is monitoring the federal government to make sure officials have the capacity to handle any potential outbreak.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to make sure that the CDC is capable of handling something that could be larger than they are predicting, and I say that because I know that over a year ago, there were significant cuts to the CDC,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cWe have outstanding resources here in the state of New York\u2026so I\u2019ve activated them to start preparing New York for worst-case scenarios and hope they do not come.\u201d<\/p>\n She noted that the state is putting together a plan to address any spread of the virus, but she does not believe it will turn into another coronavirus pandemic. She said she will begin doing briefings if it spreads beyond the three individuals flown in from the ship. \u2014 Katelyn Cordero\u00a0<\/p>\n GOV\u2019S SOCIAL ACCOUNT GETS PLAUDITS: The state government\u2019s eyebrow-raising, joke-telling, irreverent social media accounts were honored with a Webby Awards \u201cHonoree\u201d award last week, Hochul\u2019s office told Playbook.<\/p>\n The accounts, which go under the handle @NYGov on Instagram and X, are separate from the \u201cGovernor Hochul Press Office\u201d account, which drew the ire<\/a> of Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy last week when it mocked him for his age.<\/p>\n @NYGov, also known as \u201cState of New York\u201d on X, most recently posted messages like \u201cit\u2019s hole filling season\u201d to spread the word<\/a> about the state\u2019s pothole reporting hotline on X, or “UNALIVE THOSE FLYS” as an Instagram PSA<\/a> on the invasive spotted lantern fly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that government is for the people, and in order to reach people, we need to communicate like them,\u201d said Milly Czerwinski, a digital content strategist who works in Hochul\u2019s comms shop and runs the account. \u201cNYGov\u2019s oddity and authenticity has broken down the traditional bureaucratic barriers to reach millions of people. Being weird works \u2014 this award is proof of that.\u201d \u2014 Jason Beeferman<\/p>\n CCR-CHI COMPLAINT: City Councilmember Chi Oss\u00e9 filed a misconduct complaint today against an NYPD officer who arrested him, advancing a case that stands to drive a further wedge between the police department and Mayor Mamdani.<\/p>\n The complaint, which Oss\u00e9 shared with POLITICO, alleges the officer used excessive force during the April 22 arrest in Brooklyn, where the Council member and others were protesting the planned eviction of a woman who claims she\u2019s the victim of deed theft<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Civilian Complaint Review Board, which investigates and prosecutes cases of police misconduct, has received Oss\u00e9\u2019s claim and is reviewing it, a spokesperson confirmed.<\/p>\n Oss\u00e9, a democratic socialist and ally of Mamdani, told POLITICO he believes the arresting officer violated his civil rights. \u201cMy rights were violated, but more importantly, my responsibility to my community and constituents demands a fact-finding,\u201d said Oss\u00e9, who claims he suffered a concussion from being slammed to the ground.<\/p>\n The NYPD previously said Oss\u00e9 and three other protesters were only arrested after refusing verbal commands to stop blocking access to the property where the eviction was set to be executed.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Mamdani \u2014 who called video of Oss\u00e9\u2019s arrest “incredibly concerning<\/a>\u201d last month \u2014 said in response to the Council member\u2019s complaint that “the mayor respects the independence of the CCRB and will allow the disciplinary process to play out based on the evidence, established procedures, and the NYPD\u2019s disciplinary matrix.”<\/p>\n Mamdani, a longtime NYPD critic, faces a fraught situation in responding to Oss\u00e9\u2019s complaint.<\/p>\n If he doesn\u2019t back up his fellow democratic socialist, Mamdani is likely to anger his allies on the left. On the flipside, if he condemns the arresting officer, he risks drawing the ire of NYPD leaders, including Commissioner Jessica Tisch, as well as the department\u2019s rank-and-file cops.<\/p>\n Read more about the CCRB and Oss\u00e9 from Chris Sommerfeldt in POLITICO<\/a>.<\/p>\n CASE CLOSED: Council member Vickie Paladino has reached a settlement with the City Council to resolve disciplinary charges focused on her controversial social media posts.<\/p>\n The takeaway? The Council has withdrawn its disciplinary charges, and Paladino is dropping her lawsuit challenging the proceedings.<\/p>\n The agreement, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday, effectively dismisses the charges and cancels an ethics hearing that could have led to censure, fines or expulsion. As part of the settlement, Paladino must delete three posts cited in the case. She must also remove \u201cCouncil Woman\u201d from her personal X account display name within 48 hours of court approval to communicate to the public a clearer separation between her official posts, which are subject to some of the Council\u2019s rules and regulations, and her personal opinions, one member familiar with the parameters of the settlement told Playbook.<\/p>\n The case stemmed from a string of inflammatory posts starting in December where, in a deleted post, she called for the \u201cexpulsion of Muslims from western nations,\u201d prompting the committee to look into her conduct.<\/p>\n In February, she posted that New York was under \u201cforeign occupation\u201d following Mamdani\u2019s appointment of a top immigration official. Paladino questioned whether the administration included \u201cone single actual American\u201d and later described a photo of Muslim sanitation workers praying as part of an \u201cIslamic conquest.\u201d<\/p>\n The Council\u2019s Rules and Ethics Committee had charged Paladino with disorderly conduct and violations of its anti-harassment and discrimination policy in March.<\/p>\n Paladino sued to block the proceedings, arguing she was being targeted for her conservative views and that the discipline violated her First Amendment rights.<\/p>\n As part of the settlement, Paladino must issue a statement saying she did not intend to make colleagues or staff feel \u201cunwelcomed or unsafe.\u201d Council member Sandra Ung, who chairs the ethics committee, issued her own statement Monday afternoon saying the resolution \u201cstrikes the balance\u201d between protecting staff and lawmakers\u2019 free speech rights.<\/p>\n Both sides agreed to issue limited public statements and refrain from further comment. \u2014 Gelila Negesse<\/p>\n EYES ON AI: Rep. Pat Ryan is backing state Assemblymember Alex Bores<\/a> to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, making him the latest member of the New York delegation to weigh in on one of the state\u2019s most competitive primary elections.<\/p>\n In making his endorsement, the Hudson Valley Democrat cited the high-profile AI fight that\u2019s become a central theme of the race as a key reason for backing Bores.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to be the next member of Congress for the New York 12th District,\u201d Ryan said at an event in Midtown with Bores today. \u201cIf you have any doubt, you don\u2019t have to take my word for it \u2014 follow the money. Look at the incredible unprecedented amount \u2026 It\u2019s because these tech billionaires are terrified, they\u2019re terrified of Alex specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n The millions of dollars in spending by a pro-artificial intelligence super PAC against Bores \u2014 an alum-turned-critic of data analytics company Palantir and a sponsor of the AI safety RAISE Act<\/a> in the state Legislature \u2014 has also drawn an influx of money from regulation-friendly AI and tech-affiliated groups to boost him<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bores\u2019 campaign said that both he and Ryan \u201cshare a belief that the next Congress must take decisive action to regulate artificial intelligence before this transformative technology outpaces the rules meant to govern it\u201d \u2014 a debate that continues to rage on<\/a> in Washington and globally<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bores is viewed as one of the top contenders for the 12th District, which covers a large swath of Manhattan. He\u2019s up against Assemblymember Micah Lasher, Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg and anti-Trump commentator George Conway, as well as a handful of lesser-known challengers. Public polling has been sparse in the race, and internal polls from earlier this year don\u2019t show a clear front-runner. \u2014 Madison Fernandez<\/p>\n \u2014 CLOCK\u2019S TICKING: Mamdani has less than a month to fill two longstanding vacancies on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board \u2014 and the appointments could be key for his mission to make the city\u2019s buses \u201cfast and free.\u201d (THE CITY<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 NECK AND NECK: Hochul made a joint campaign appearance with Rep. Dan Goldman who\u2019s running for reelection in New York’s 10th congressional district, with a primary challenge from Mamdani-backed Brad Lander. (Gothamist<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u2014 SARCONE DOGGED: The top prosecutor in the U.S. attorney\u2019s office for the Northern District of New York is accused of misconduct, according to the watchdog organization Campaign for Accountability. (POLITICO Pro<\/a>)<\/p>\n Missed this morning\u2019s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\nFrom the Capitol<\/h3>\n
FROM CITY HALL<\/h3>\n
FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL<\/h3>\n
IN OTHER NEWS<\/h3>\n