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Today's Lead: De Blasio, Mark-Viverito To Unveil Expanded Paid Sick Leave


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Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are to premiere their first joint policy push today, with various reports that it will be on the expansion of paid sick leave.

De Blasio and Mark-Viverito are expected promote an broader version later this afternoon at a restaurant in North Brooklyn, signaling the first major — but expected — shift in priorities between the new mayor and the Bloomberg administration. De Blasio, who was swept into office last fall as he promised to address the city's social and economic inequalities, committed to an expansion of the paid sick law during his inauguration remarks.

Last summer, the city introduced its initial version of the law, whereby thousands of businesses with 15 or more workers are required to provide paid sick time off, and the law would only come into effect in 2014 if the local economy could handle it. The New York Times suggests today that the latest version would apply to business with as few as five employees.

The last time a New York City mayor and speaker addressed sick leave, former speaker Christine Quinn pushed the compromised bill through a mayoral veto promised by then Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who couched his opposition on the law's financial burden on small business owners.

Other Stories We're Following

New York City and Mayor de Blasio Still on Honeymoon Phase (WNYC)

Q Poll: NYC wants to keep its horse-drawn carriages (Journal News)

De Blasio Names Ex-Bloomberg Official as Health Chief, but Vows New Approach (NY Times)

De Blasio denies G.O.P.'s Gaspard complaint (Capital)

De Blasio, a Critic of Charter Schools, May Need Them for His Pre-K Agenda (NY Times)

REBNY Considers de Blasio’s City Hall (NY Observer)

City Council Republicans Push For Property Tax Rebates As Values Soar (Daily News)

Watchdog group says big donors fund Cuomo campaign (Wall Street Journal)

Silver Has Nearly $3M On Hand (YNN)

Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell calls for New York City speed limit to be reduced to 20 mph (Daily News)

Today's Lead: A Closer Look At Mark-Viverito's Council


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The City Council only elected its leader last week, but the power shifts within the city’s legislative body are already starting to take shape.

New City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito continues to assure her colleagues that her win — boosted by the Council’s Progressive bloc and Brooklyn delegation — won’t leave former opponents out in the cold. As Capital New York’s Sally Goldenberg reports, however, it’s mathematically impossible for every member to end up with a committee chairmanship; there are 51 Council members and only 43 top spots, most of which will probably go to the Manhattan-based speaker’s closest and earliest allies.

More details about the inner-workings behind Mark-Viverito’s bid for speaker are also trickling out, revealing she raised and spent a healthy amount of money for the internal Council race. Chris Bragg of Crain’s New York reports that Mark-Viverito spent almost $80,000 of the more than $100,000 she raised using a new city campaign account through the state Board of Elections. Filings also revealed who the new speaker worked with to win City Hall’s second most powerful seat, confirming the part that labor allies and Progressive-friendly lobbyists played in securing Mark-Viverito’s new clout in the Council.

The Council meets again on Jan. 22, by which time most of the dust from the negotiations will have settled.

NEW IN THE GOTHAM GAZETTE

Mayor Sets Strategy to End 'Epidemic' of Traffic Fatalities by Chester Soria

New York City will immediately begin using traffic cameras to ticket speeders -- a move spearheading Mayor Bill de Blasio's strategy to reduce traffic-related fatalities. "We think that there's an epidemic here. There's an epidemic of traffic fatalities, and it can't go on," the mayor said yesterday in announcing the creation of a task force charged with developing a plan to make city streets safer. READ MORE

Other Stories We're Following

With $613 Million at Stake, an Albany Rivalry Is Said to Escalate (NY Times)

Black and Hispanic Caucus demand Cuomo rescind his appointment of Kelly as a special adviser (Daily News)

Eric Holder talks crime prevention with de Blasio (NY Post)

Bratton: Stop and Frisk Reform Step One, Check! (WNYC)

City settles $18M RNC protest lawsuits (NY Post)

Mayor De Blasio Calls On Feds To Contribute Funding For 9/11 Museum (CBS News)

Mayor de Blasio Has Decided Not To Return Money From Taxi Cheat (Daily News)

Hospitals warm to Cuomo’s pot plan (Capital)

Despite Letter From NY GOP Chairman, Some Republicans Coming Out For Gov. Cuomo (Daily News)

Cuomo Has $33.3M In The Bank (YNN)

Gianaris: Senate Dems Ready For Nov. Election Battles (Queens Gazette)

A Council education point-person for the de Blasio era (Capital)

US Rep. Grimm’s ex-girlfriend stands by her former man (Daily News)

An upstate plan to keep raw sewage out of Hudson (Capital)

Today's Lead: Cuomo Panel Recommends Expanded Pre-K


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Gov. Cuomo's education panel yesterday released a report that calls for expanding pre-K across the state, among other things. It lays out a series of hurdles to the expansion - including a lack of certified teachers and the need for infrastructure improvements - and pushes for allowing charter schools to offer pre-K. Mayor de Blasio declined to comment on the panel's charter recommendation. Meanwhile, several members of the Black, Hispanic and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, including seven lawmakers from outside of the city, backed the mayor's plan to tax the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K. It's unclear whether the bill pushing his plan will advance in the Assembly, and Speaker Silver said the Council would need to approve a home rule message first. Well designed pre-K classes result in many long term benefits for students, including higher graduation rates and better earning in the workplace.

Other Stories We're Following

Free Rent Over For Charter Schools (Daily News)

Under Investor Pressure, Utility To Study Emissions (NY Times)

Even Supporters Question Cuomo’s Marijuana Plan (NY Times)

Rikers Crime Inflating Insurance Costs For South Bronx Residents (Daily News)

Mark-Viverito Opponents Hope To Work With Her (Capital)

De Blasio Urged To Prioritize Airports (Crain's)

Public Advocate Says Cuomo Tax Plan Favors Corporations, Wealthy (Politicker)



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