Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Citizens Union

Mike Muller

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Mayor Bloomberg introduced a bill yesterday that would force retailers to keep cigarettes out of view from customers. It would not affect advertising, which falls under First Amendment protections. Speaker Quinn said she is very open to the idea. A Health Department study found that 80 percent of stores selling cigarettes devote most of their space behind the register to tobacco displays. A British study found that simply noticing tobacco on display raised the odds kids would try smoking by threefold. A second proposed bill would raise penalties for retailers who evade tobacco taxes and create a minimum price of $10.50 per pack. Retailers complain they will lose a lot of business.

 

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Focus On Three Encounters In Stop-And-Frisk Trial (NY Times)

State Budget To Include $9 Minimum Wage (Associated Press)

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A witness now says that the boy fatally shot by police in East Flatbush earlier this week had no gun, as the officers claim. A gun was recovered from the scene, however. On Monday night, a group had splintered from a peaceful protest over the shooting and rioted. Local shops along Church Ave. were shuttering early yesterday in fear of more tumult. An offshoot of the Bloods gang has put out a hit on any cop in retaliation for the killing of the boy, who is said to have been a gang member. Both police involved in the shooting are people of color. During a budget hearing yesterday, Councilman Jumaane Williams said more violence could be expected if the police didn't repair their relationship with poor and minority communities, because the unrest was about more than this isolated shooting.

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Courts Rein In Bloomberg’s Power to Make Policy (NY Times)

Minority Groups And Bottlers Team Up In Battles Over Soda (NY Times)

Soda Ban Faces Long Battle Ahead (Wall Street Journal)

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A judge struck down Mayor Bloomberg's sugary drink ban yesterday, calling the limits “arbitrary and capricious” with confusing loopholes and voluminous exemptions. The limits of city authority means some businesses, such as 7-Eleven, would still be able to sell the drinks banned in other stores if it passed. The administration will appeal, and likened the decision to a string of other lower court rulings against the city's initiatives that didn't stand up against appeal. The ruling was a surprise, as the judge had been expected to rule only on a request for a temporary restraining order. The mayoral candidates differed on the ban. For more, read our story on the ruling.

 

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Riot Breaks Out In Brooklyn After Vigil For Boy Shot By Cops (Daily News)

Housing Officials Say They're On Track To Eliminate Repairs Backlog (Daily News)

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Last year, debt at the state's public authorities reached $244 billion, rising from $215 billion the year before, according to a report by the state comptroller. That includes $58 billion worth of bonds issued on behalf of state government. Spending jumped from $44 billion to $56 billion during the same period. The 1,169 state and local authorities range from the MTA to the Rensselaer County Water and Sewer Authority. The public typically has no vote on their indebtedness.


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Government Lends To Rebuild In Flood Zones (WNYC)

Victim Of Illegal Stop-And-Frisk Gets $14,000 Settlement (Daily News)

City Elections Board Opts For Scanners in Primary, Runoff (WNYC)

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Employment at New York City’s law firms has declined over the past two decades, even as legal services jobs nationally—and overall private sector employment in New York—has increased significantly, according to this new report by the Center for an Urban Future. (read the full report)

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