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Council Votes to Curb Deportations

The City Council overwhelmingly voted for two bills yesterday that will further restrict the city's cooperation with federal immigration authorities in an effort to prevent unnecessary deportations. The laws would stop the city from honoring detainment requests except for immigrants with previous felonies, who are on gang or terrorist watch lists, have outstanding criminal warrants, or have committed misdemeanors such as sexual abuse, gun possession and assault. However, the law would prevent holding immigrants charged or having been found guilty of most misdemeanors. The impact of the laws is unclear as they echo recent guidelines from the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement chair. "Current policy is eroding the trust between immigrants and local law enforcement and that frustrates the stated purpose of ‘Secure’ Communities,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn in a statement. “If immigrants believe that the police will hand them over to immigration authorities, they are less likely to report crimes, and this can only have a negative effect on public safety. We have seen too many families torn apart by current detention and deportation practices


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Bronx Defenders Offer Legal Aid (NY Times)

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The New York City Parents Union is adding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's name to their lawsuit that aims to stop city schools from losing $250 million in education aid.

The group won a temporary junction to stop Gov. Andrew Cuomo from putting in place the cuts that were triggered by the failure of the Bloomberg Administration and the United Federation of Teachers to work out a deal on teacher evaluations.

In allowing the injunction, a state judge ruled last week that children should not be punished for a failure to reach a deal. 

The Parents Union says Bloomberg's attorney informed them today that the Mayor is going forward with the $250 million in cuts. So now the group has added Bloomberg, the New York City Department of Education and Chancellor Dennis Walcot to the lawsuit and asked the judge to extend the temporary injunction to them. 

"We are appalled that Mayor Bloomberg has decided to cut $250 million from New York City's public schools despite the fact that parents have obtained an injunction against Governor Cuomo and New York State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr., stopping them from taking education funds due to the lack of agreement between New York City and the UFT on a teacher evaluation system," said NYC Parents Union President Mona C. Davids in a statement. "Is Mayor Bloomberg above the law?"

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The New York City Immigration Coalition may have its work cut out for itself this year: Its 10-point agenda is ambitious and will require action from Albany as well as cooperation from law enforcement.

The groups top policy priority is expanding access to college by passing New York State's version of the DREAM Act. The State's DREAM act which is backed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn would open up tuition assistance to students regardless of their immigration status.

Despite massive grassroots pressure, Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not make the DREAM legislation a part of his State of the State Speech in January. The Democratic-controlled Assembly has passed a version of the DREAM Act in the past and seems poised to do so again.

The Senate is a different story. The breakaway Independent Democratic Conference has indicated major support for the legislation but Senate Republicans have generally been opposed to the measure and have prevented floor votes. To add to the difficulty advocates face, it is unclear how many in the Democratic conference actually support the legislation.

Democratic Sen. Joe Addabbo said at a debate in October that he felt his constituents had a hard enough time finding money sending their children to college so he could not support the DREAM Act. His Republican opponent, Councilman Eric Ulrich, said at the time that he supported "some version" of the legislation.

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to see the state adopt the city's ban on large sugary beverages, but that isn't Gov. Andrew Cuomo to-do list. 

During a press conference this afternoon, Cuomo bluntly responded to a quesiton about the drinks ban saying: "We're not considering it. I haven't really studied it ether." 

It seems a bit of a switch for Cuomo, who had positive things to say about the ban in June 2011. 

"Obesity is a major problem that we desperately need to address,” Cuomo said on former Gov. David Paterson's now-cancelled radio show in June 2011. “So I don’t see that this can do any harm.”

The soda industry wants to do its best to make sure the restriction on the sale of large sugary beverages does not move beyond New York City. 

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At an education forum for the mayoral candidates last night, a few issues separated them along party lines. All the Democrats supported the teachers union’s push for smaller class sizes and more education funding, while the Republicans supported merit-based pay for teachers. None of the candidates said whether teachers should receive retroactive pay raises when their next contract is negotiated. Meanwhile, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion officially announced he's running for mayor. And Working Families Party officials weresubpoenaed about their ties to a company that provided campaign assistance to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, among other city candidates, in 2009.


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Fracking Rules To Miss Deadline; Review Lingers (Associated Press)

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Roosevelt Island Safety Officers Accused Of Excessive Force (WNYC)

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Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind is under fire for wearing a blackface costume to a party this weekend celebrating the Jewish holiday Purim. He was dressed as a "black basketball player." Purim has a costume tradition similar to Halloween. Hikind initially called the criticism "absurd," but eventually apologized after mounting outrage. Then in a radio interview following the recantation, he asked the host if it would be alright if he "played a gay person next year."

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Reclaiming Storm-Torn Homes, Step By Uncertain Step (NY Times)

To Curb Suits, City Now Opts To Fight Them (NY Times)

Pact, For Now, In Mayoral Campaign Donation Limit Case(Associated Press)

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NYC2013: Seven mayoral hopefuls gathered to discuss transportation policy at a forum on Friday night. Christine Quinn, the presumptive Democratic frontrunner, suggested she would like to see the city have more control over mass transit. Rival Democratic candidate Sal Albanese went further, suggesting he'd fight for control of it. Some of the presumed candidates rehashed the idea of a commuter tax to raise funds for the mass transit system. (The New York TimesThe New York PostCapital New York)

Notably absent from the forum was Joh Lhota, the Republican candidate who resigned from his job overseeing the mass transit system to run for mayor. Organizers said they couldn't reach him; a Lhota spokeswoman told the Times they didn't even try.

The next night, Quinn was booed at another mayoral forum by Upper East Side residents angry about her ongoing support of a waste transfer station in the neighborhood, even though the facility now sits in a flood zone. "I am not changing my position," Quinn declared. (The New York Post)

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE IN HARLEM: Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Friday that the National Urban League was planning to move to Harlem and to open a museum about the American civil rights movement. Local leaders had proposed an annex of the Jazz at Lincoln Center, along with other amenities, at the same site, currently a garage (DNAInfo).

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Judge Blocks Cuomo's School Aid Cut

State Supreme Court Justice Manuel Mendez temporarily blocked Gov. Andrew Cuomo's from witholding $260 million in aid to New York City schools saying that students should not be punished because the Bloomberg administration and the teachers union could not reach a deal on teacher evaluations. The judge says funds can't be witheld until the lawsuit is resolved but the Cuomo administration has said it plans to appeal. Cuomo set a January deadline for the city to come up with a teacher evaluations deadline but last-minute negotiations brokedown and both sides have been playing the blame game ever since. Cuomo has since said he will impose a teacher evaluation system on the city if negotiations aren't successful by June. The judge noted this saying, "There are alternate means of achieving [evaluation] goals while preserving federal grant funds without the long term effects of financial sanctions on the students," he wrote.




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Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office has provided this handy cheat sheet for the Gov's 30 day amendments to his budget proposal. Take a look and see if there is anything that stands out. Doesn't look like the Cuomo administration is restoring funding to the state's spinal cord injury research program I wrote about this week--not that anyone was expecting that. 

Here are the amendments: 

Implement teacher evaluation system in New York City. Under the Governor’s leadership, the state passed a comprehensive teacher evaluation system for every district across New York State. Though 99 percent of districts were able to reach an agreement on a plan with their local teacher unions, submit it to the state, and have their plan approved by the State Education Department before their January deadline, New York City failed to so. As a result, it lost $240 million in state aid and is in danger of losing additional funds if an evaluation system is not in place this year.

In the event the City and its collective bargaining units fail to reach agreement on a teacher evaluation system by the end of May, an expedited arbitration process, led by the Commissioner of Education, will occur. Following hearings and a review of evidence, the Commissioner, by June 1st, will make a final, written determination on the structure of a teacher evaluation system for New York City schools. This legislation will ensure that New York City students and educators will not see another school year go by without the timely feedback, professional development, and accountability that a robust teacher evaluation plan will provide.

Simplify, Streamline and Reduce Costs of hunting, fishing licenses. New York is Open for Fishing and Hunting is a plan to streamline hunting and fishing licenses and reduce fees to support tourism opportunities and benefit sportsmen and sportswomen throughout the State. The proposal would reduce fees paid by hundreds of thousands of hunters, anglers and trappers while maintaining support for the State’s fish and wildlife programs.

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Supreme Court Justice Manuel J. Mendez has awarded the New Yok City Teacher's union an injunction temporarily stopping Gov. Andrew Cuomo from taking $250 million in education funding from New York City schools. The Cuomo administration plans to appeal. 

Cuomo warned the Bloomberg administration and the city teacher's union that they would lose millions in funding if they did not agree on a teacher evaluation structure by last month. Negotiations collapsed at the last minute and both sides have been playing the blame game ever since. Cuomo has refused to restore funding despite please of state legislators. He did however announce that the state will impose a evaluation system on the city by June 1st if a deal can't be reached in order to prevent the city from losing out on more school aid. 

Cuomo was facing considerable pressure from city legislators to stop Cuomo from using education aid to force an evaluation deal. The Assembly which has a considerable number of Democrats from New York City including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver from Manhattan saw this as a sticking point in budget negotiations. 

Budget negotiations continue at the state capital. Lawmakers have predicted an early budget agreement this year. 

With Mendez's injunction the parents union hopes it may be able to stop city schools from losing any funding at all. 

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New Yorkers won't be forgetting about Superstorm Sandy and its aftermath anytime soon — and neither will elected officials.

Both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have separately announced programs to help residents and businesses dealing with the new normal caused by the hurricane. 

Cuomo announced today the fourteen-day extension of the transitional sheltering assistance program through FEMA.  The program covers hotel stays for those whose homes were destroyed by the storm. Those in need of assistance can register here. Cuomo said in a statement that the state will continue to request extensions from FEMA for "as long as New Yorker's need it." 

Meanwhile, Bloomberg delivered on a promise from his State of the City adress and has signed an executive order that waives a number of fees for businesses recovering from Sandy. 

“As I said last week, we need our businesses to recover from Hurricane Sandy as quickly as possible, and we’ll make sure government doesn’t stand in their way,” said Bloomberg in a statement. “Reinvesting in our hardest-hit areas is key to rebuilding our economy and creating jobs in the neighborhoods that need them most.”

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Make that three candidates in the race to succeed Christine Quinn to represent such notable Manhattan neighborhoods as Chelsea and Greenwich Village in the City Council. 

Andrew Meadows, a member of Community Board 2, told The Villager ahead of an expected official announcement on Friday that he is going to run for the spot Quinn has to give up because of term limits (she also happens to be running for mayor). A 36-year-old openly gay Cuban American, Meadows worked on Quinn's re-election campaign in 2009 and has been a member of various local political clubs. 

Villager reporter Lincoln Anderson writes: 

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Diabetes runs on both sides of his family — his father died of the disease at age 53 — which compelled Meadows to enter the healthcare field, specializing in the disease. But he lost his job in the economic downturn a few years ago, which is how he wound up volunteering with Quinn. Now he is in estate management, overseeing a handful of real estate holdings.

Given his family background, health is an important campaign issue for him. Others include education and school safety; caring for seniors; improving public transportation; preserving and expanding affordable housing; fighting for civil rights — especially for the transgender community; and also ensuring quality, accessible healthcare.

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The Governor's proposal on teacher evaluations is an important step to ensure that New York City's children will receive the resources they need to get a high quality education. While I am still hopeful that the city and the UFT can come to an agreement, putting in place a default mechanism to provide compulsory arbitration on this issue will prevent further budget cuts to our schools. I commend the Governor for developing an innovative solution so our teachers and schools can focus on what they do best - educating our children.

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With the school bus strike over, the price tag has emerged, costing the city about $20 million in reimbursements to parents for travel. That number is expected to rise as more parents file for reimbursement, which they are urged to do within a month. And yet, the city still saved $80 million by not paying the regular bus companies. School bus service will be back up and running tomorrow morning. Disruptions along the lines of the first day of school should be expected.

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SCHOOL BUS STRIKE ENDS

The city's largest school bus drivers union ended its monthlong strike on Friday after five Democratic mayoral candidates released a joint letter pledging that they would be more open to extending job guarantees to the workers. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had refused to negotiate with the union. The strike had disrupted the lives of thousands of city families, but Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181 argued the action was necessary to fight for job protections. 

ELECTIONS 2013

Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson criticized his opponent in the Democratic primary, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, telling The New York Post that there has been "a pattern of questions surrounding Christine Quinn’s entire tenure as speaker." He made the remark in response to a question about the Mason Tenders District Council's endorsement of Quinn (Daily News). Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia says he'll run for Congress against Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican, to represent New York's 11th district (Staten Island Advance). 

In the Press...

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Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has called on the Federal Emergency Management Administration to help pay for the removal of mold growing in homes that were flooded during Superstorm Sandy.

De Blasio also called yesterday for the creation of a hotline for mold-related inquiries, expanding mold inspections and the establishment of a health surveillance network to monitor respiratory illnesses in areas affected by the storm.

De Blasio, a presumptive candidate for mayor in 2013, posted his four-point plan for dealing with mold on his website.

Gotham Gazette reported earlier this month that public health officials and recovery workers are increasingly concerned about the health risks posed to residents living in homes where mold has been growing.

The city's health officials have been monitoring the situation in storm-ravaged areas.

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Former Green Party presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader has some advice for Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The governor has said he has no "Plan B" for paying for Hurricane Sandy relief if congress doesn't come through, but Nader suggests Cuomo stop refunding the stock transfer tax that he says would net the state $16 billion in revenue.

Here is Nader's letter to Cuomo: 

 

Dear Governor Cuomo,

The people of New York are working to recover from the devastation left in Hurricane Sandy’s wake. But as you know, much remains to be done. While some tragic losses can’t be mended, we can – and should – do our best to rebuild, to limit the suffering inflicted and the displacement endured, and to do our best to prevent such destruction from natural disasters in the future.

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The National Rifle Association proposed a plan today to position armed men around schools in reaction to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. New York officials are not pleased with the proposal, judging from their reactions:

The NRA's Washington leadership has long been out of step with its members, and never has that been so apparent as this morning. Their press conference was a shameful evasion of the crisis facing our country. Instead of offering solutions to a problem they have helped create, they offered a paranoid, dystopian vision of a more dangerous and violent America where everyone is armed and no place is safe. Leadership is about taking responsibility, especially in times of crisis. Today the NRA's lobbyists blamed everyone but themselves for the crisis of gun violence. While they promote armed guards, they continue to oppose the most basic and common sense steps we can take to save lives - not only in schools, but in our movie theaters, malls, and streets. Enough. As a country, we must rise above special interest politics. Every day, 34 Americans are murdered with guns. That's why 74 percent of NRA members support common sense restrictions like criminal background checks for anyone buying a gun. It is time for Americans who care about the Second Amendment and reasonable gun restrictions to join together to work with the President and Congress to stop the gun violence in this country. Demand a plan. — Mayor Michael Bloomberg

The NRA’s response to the tragic events in Newtown is deeply disturbing and underscores just how far out of touch they are from reality and the concerns of most Americans. The answer to gun violence on our street corners, in our shopping centers and in our schools is not more guns. The answer is stronger gun laws and a dramatic expansion of mental health services.

New York can and must be a leader in developing a solution. I am hopeful in the coming weeks the Senate will join together with the Assembly and Governor Cuomo to pass meaningful legislation that will begin to change the culture of gun violence in our society. — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver

Seven days after those teachers and children were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut the NRA has broken their silence. I wish they had kept their mouths shut. All they did today was add more pain and heartache to those Newtown families. Their remarks are some of the most stupid, asinine, insensitive, ridiculous comments I have ever heard made in the public arena. All these remarks tell us is that the NRA does not seem to care about protecting our children. I do not understand how even with all of those little coffins being rolled out in Newtown, that the NRA believes the answer is more guns. All that would have happened if there were armed guards in Sandy Hook Elementary is that we would now have dead armed guards. Why do we need an army style gun in that school, a gun we send to Afghanistan? I think the NRA’s comments today were a clear and blatant attempt to throw salt in the wounds of families who lost their loved ones. As a human being, I am surprised and tremendously disappointed in what the NRA did today. — Council Speaker Christine Quinn

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State Looks For Quick Action on Gun Laws 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to toughen New York's gun laws and according to The Times Union Cuomo wants to do it as soon as next week. A source told the times union that a gubernatorial aide presented Senate Republicans with a draft of proposed gun legislation on Wednesday but Republicans turned it down. Republicans deny turning down any legislation. A myriad of Assemblyman have confirmed they were asked to stay in Albany on Wednesday in case a special session came to fruition this week but now all eyes or on Dec. 28. Cuomo has said he will address the issue of gun violence in his Jan. 9 State of the State Address but with the action in Albany it seems like something could happen much sooner. Cuomo has said he wants to eliminate loopholes in the state's assault weapons ban. Meanwhile, the Times Union reports that the same venue Cuomo will give his State of the State address in next year will also scheduled to host a gun show two weeks after the speech




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