With assist from Shawn Ness
In 2016, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo threw one other stone in his tit-for-tat battle with Mayor Invoice de Blasio — he deployed a whole lot of New York state troopers on de Blasio’s turf of New York Metropolis.
De Blasio blasted Cuomo for it.
Eight years later, with a really completely different mayor and governor relationship, historical past appears to be repeating itself, considerably.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement right now that 1,000 state personnel — together with 750 nationwide guard troops — might be deployed to town’s subways comes two weeks after the mayor referred to as on her so as to add NYPD time beyond regulation funding into her government finances. Adams stated it will allow him to place extra officers within the metropolis’s subways and restore a now-shuttered Subway Security program.
However as a substitute of boosting the NYPD’s presence inside the system, she stepped in and introduced in her personal state officers — with out altering NYPD funding. It echoes one other transfer by Cuomo in 2019 amid a criminal offense surge within the subways.
The choice by Hochul to rebuff Adams’ request suggests a uncommon second of discord for the 2 executives, who’ve largely loved the kind of amicable intergovernmental relations that eluded their predecessors.
However they stated every thing is okay.
“I’m working in sync with the mayor of New York to guard folks on the subways,” Hochul assured reporters throughout her announcement right now when requested the place the mayor was.
Hochul’s workplace had prolonged an invite to Adams to be current on the occasion along with her, however Adams stated he had a funeral to attend.
“We admire the governor’s continued dedication to a secure subway system, and the steps introduced right now will preserve us transferring in the fitting course,” Adams’ workplace stated in a press release.
“As we proceed to surge NYPD officers into the system, now we have been in conversations with the governor’s group about figuring out extra funding to help this and different efforts to make sure New Yorkers are secure and really feel secure.”
Immediately’s announcement had been on the books no less than since Monday morning, when the governor previewed it throughout a gaggle with reporters.
The transfer by Hochul to deploy the state cops and spend $20 million for psychological well being disaster response groups comes after she revealed she discovered of Adams’ extra NYPD finances request through information experiences and never from the mayor’s workplace itself.
“I’ve a robust relationship with the mayor. He got here to me with 5 requests. I granted all 5 requests inside the finances,” Hochul stated two weeks in the past, referencing the asks for migrant funding, a housing package deal, enforcement for unlawful hashish outlets, a rise within the debt ceiling and a four-year extension of mayoral management of metropolis faculties.
“I solely grew to become conscious that he had this request simply from information experiences. It has not come to us as a finances request,” she added on the time.
Immediately, she answered his clarion name for extra subway security funding, simply not in the best way he needed. — Jason Beeferman
BLAKEMAN SUES JAMES: Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman is suing Lawyer Common Tish James after she despatched a cease-and-desist letter to him final week when he issued an government order banning transgender girls from competing on girls’s sports activities groups on county-owned property.
The letter, which James despatched to Blakeman on Friday, stated that he had 5 days to rescind the manager order or face authorized motion. James believes that the manager order is unconstitutional and that it’s gender-based discrimination. Blakeman and his group disagrees, saying it’s authorized as a result of it offers transgender girls different avenues to compete.
“To be clear, the Govt Order doesn’t impose a blanket prohibition on transgender people from collaborating in sporting occasions held at Nassau County amenities,” the lawsuit stated. They consider that transgender girls, who had been as soon as organic males, who compete on girls’s groups are an unfair benefit in addition to pose critical damage dangers to different teammates.
Blakeman stated throughout a press convention this morning that they’ve many plaintiffs with daughters who wish to be a part of the lawsuit.
“Let’s take the New York Metropolis Marathon, for instance. The New York Metropolis Marathon has two classifications: female and male. I don’t see the legal professional common attacking them,” Blakeman stated. “Fairly frankly, there’s a cause for these classifications; as a result of males are larger, stronger and sooner, and it wouldn’t be a good competitors for females.”
Blakeman stated he welcomes transgender girls competing, so long as it’s in opposition to different males and never in county-run amenities, like parks.
There was no instant remark to the lawsuit from James’ workplace. — Shawn Ness
HOUSING SHORTAGE: Metropolis officers pressured the necessity for state laws to deal with the extreme housing scarcity throughout a Metropolis Council listening to right now on the outcomes of the most recent housing and emptiness survey — which discovered a citywide rental emptiness fee of simply 1.4 p.c, with low-cost flats even scarcer.
“We urgently want motion from our companions in Albany to enact a housing agenda to permit us to construct and protect extra housing,” Ahmed Tigani, first deputy commissioner of the housing company, instructed Council members.
The housing survey performs a key function within the continuation of rent-regulation — one other topic of the listening to Wednesday. State legislation requires the Council to find out periodically whether or not there’s a housing emergency within the metropolis, outlined as a rental emptiness fee below 5 p.c, so as to keep the system.
Tigani stated rent-regulation has “helped be certain that now we have as a lot low-cost housing as we do, and has helped many New Yorkers stay of their properties.”
In the meantime, a landlord group, the Neighborhood Housing Enchancment Program, referred to as the survey “problematic” and criticized the continued willpower by the Council that town is in a housing emergency.
“The truth that this housing ‘emergency’ has been ongoing for 60 years implies that the established order isn’t working,” Jay Martin, government director of the group, stated in a press release. — Janaki Chadha
ONLINE LEARNING WOES: Metropolis training officers vowed to enhance on-line studying after college students and educators had been locked out of digital school rooms throughout a snowstorm final month.
“Whereas we perceive that technological glitches are an unlucky actuality, we take this incident very severely and are devoted to ongoing enhancements to our programs,” Intekhab Shakil, the Division of Training’s new chief data officer, stated at a Metropolis Council listening to.
Adams and faculties Chancellor David Banks suffered a setback because the nation’s largest faculty system underwent its first substantial check of a no-snow-day strategy. They insisted computing big IBM, which offers a key a part of the system, ought to have been ready.
This faculty yr, the DOE began making ready to transition to digital studying a number of weeks sooner than in previous years in anticipation of maximum climate, in accordance with Scott Strickland, who not too long ago served as appearing chief data officer.
As soon as town determined to pivot to on-line studying Feb. 12 — a day earlier than the distant studying day — the DOE’s Division of Tutorial and Data Know-how (DIIT) notified related distributors, together with IBM, Strickland stated. The DOE additionally met with superintendents.
The variety of DOE customers logging in earlier than 8 a.m. to start their distant studying day “exceeded the capability of the system to deal with that peak load,” Strickland defined.
“New York Metropolis Public Colleges and IBM acknowledge that the beginning of the distant studying day didn’t go easily, and each groups are working collectively to attenuate the potential for this occurring once more sooner or later,” he stated. “Our college students, households and employees deserve higher.” — Madina Touré
STATE OF THE UNION…AND NEW YORK — Hudson Valley Rep. Marc Molinaro bashed President Joe Biden and Hochul’s border insurance policies forward of tomorrow’s State of the Union handle — that Hochul might be attending as a visitor.
“Tomorrow, the president may merely repeal his government orders which have fueled, emboldened and made worse this disaster,” Molinaro stated. “Governor Hochul in New York may finish sanctuary metropolis coverage with the stroke of a pen. In the event that they cared, they’d.”
Molinaro, who’s bringing two upstate New York county sheriffs, joined Republican management for his or her weekly celebration press convention right now. The Republican members, together with Home GOP Convention Chair Elise Stefanik, referred to as on Biden to deal with the border points in his handle. — Mia McCarthy
HIGHWAY FUNDING: A bipartisan group of lawmakers spoke in entrance of no less than 600 of native freeway officers to unfold the phrase on “critically vital” freeway funding.
The lawmakers and advocates are asking for proposed $100 million in freeway funding cuts be restored, in addition to a further $150 million in funding to maintain tempo with the price of native development.
Assemblymember Invoice Magnarelli, chair of the Transportation Committee, stated that he has executed all he can to extend Consolidated Native Avenue and Freeway Enchancment Program (CHIPS) funding, set up the state touring routes program and to assist the “Pave Our Potholes” program.
“We all know it is not sufficient. Sadly, this yr’s government finances seeks to rollback the will increase we made final yr for CHIPS and the state touring routes,” Magnarelli stated. “I’m advocating with my colleagues, and everybody right here, to revive these cuts and supply one other improve to chips and excessive winter restoration.”
Freeway development prices rose by 53 p.c in 2023, in accordance with the Federal Freeway Administration.
“And I do know over time, the extra investments you make, the longer these roads final, and higher expertise, higher development strategies,” Angelo Santabarbara, a former civil engineer turned Albany-area Assemblymember, stated. “So completely each greenback that goes into these roads helps our economic system.” — Shawn Ness
OVERTIME PAY: 4 psychiatrists at state amenities and employed by the Workplace of Psychological Well being every obtained over $300,000 every in time beyond regulation pay, in accordance with the Empire Middle and SeeThroughNY.
Huyphuc Pham, a psychiatrist within the Bronx, obtained essentially the most in time beyond regulation pay, totaling $350,933.
The state’s authorities payroll grew by $1.2 billion from $18.2 billion. It’s the greatest single yr bounce in current historical past, the fiscally conservative group stated.
The group attributed the rise to 3 companies: SUNY, the place payroll grew by $257 million; the judicial department that grew by $243 million; and the Division of Navy and Naval Affairs, whose payroll jumped $203 million. — Shawn Ness
GHOST GUNS: James has lastly gotten the $7.8 million judgment and everlasting injunction she sought from Indie Weapons LLC for illegally promoting ghost gun components in New York.
Ghost weapons are untraceable and unregulated firearms which can be assembled after shopping for particular person parts of weapons. They don’t have serial numbers engraved on them. In New York, promoting an unfinished body or receiver is a felony.
“These lethal weapons are designed to be untraceable and might simply find yourself within the palms of individuals in any other case barred from proudly owning weapons,” James stated in a press release. “Indie Weapons refused to observe New York and federal legislation and tried to flood out streets with ghost weapons — however now they’re paying the value for these dangerous actions.”
Immediately’s announcement comes after James sued Indie Weapons and 9 different related sellers in June 2022.
James’ workplace stated it caught the corporate, in addition to 5 different others, promoting unfinished frames and receivers to undercover investigators. — Shawn Ness
SUNY CAMPUS DECARBONIZATION PUSH: The successful coalition of environmental teams and labor unions that has secured progress on enabling utility thermal networks is again with one other request this yr.
The Improve NY coalition is pushing lawmakers to incorporate $90 million to kickstart development of two emissions-free heating and cooling networks at Buy School and College at Buffalo.
Proponents see the funding as the subsequent step to show out their thesis about large-scale thermal networks, which may join a number of buildings with pipes and pumps that make the most of power from wastewater, geothermal boreholes, lakes and different sources to offer heating and cooling providers.
The Improve NY marketing campaign — backed by the Constructing Decarbonization Coalition, the New York State Pipe Trades Affiliation, New York State AFL-CIO and others — sees these networks as a key piece of decreasing emissions from buildings, offering jobs for fossil gas system employees whose positions are in danger because the state transitions away from reliance on pure gasoline and giving utilities a shot at a brand new enterprise mannequin.
“We have a whole lot of work to do on our state buildings and amenities and campuses, and thermal power networks are going to be one of the price efficient methods through which we’re going to have the ability to obtain that,” Lisa Dix, the New York director of the Constructing Decarbonization Coalition stated at a Metropolis & State summit. — Marie J. French
CHARGED UP: State lawmakers need new rules to deal with lithium ion batteries, which have been blamed for inflicting fires and deaths throughout New York.
The Democratic-led Meeting right now permitted a package deal of measures meant to deal with the difficulty, together with a invoice inserting a moratorium on retailers from promoting lithium-ion batteries or chargers till security requirements are met. Lawmakers additionally wish to require chargers to incorporate a tag that gives shopper security data.
And legislators need regulators to develop security assets for the general public.
There have been 250 fires and 18 deaths in New York Metropolis during the last yr which have been blamed on the batteries.
“These tragic deaths are extremely preventable,” Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie stated. “I’m proud that this package deal offers the training and security rules wanted to maintain customers secure whereas giving our firefighters a lot wanted extra help.” — Nick Reisman
— Assemblymember Robert Smullen’s son died after being hit by a automobile in February. (State of Politics)
— The appearing head of the state Workplace of Youngsters and Household Companies might be stepping down. (Capitol Pressroom)
— Vulto Creamery, an upstate cheese maker, pleaded responsible to a listeria outbreak that left two lifeless and eight others hospitalized. (Each day Information)