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The Week Ahead in New York Politics, January 9


New York City Hall

New York City Hall


What to watch for this week in New York politics:

This week in New York politics will be dominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is giving six regional State of the State addresses. Before we turn to New York politics, though, there's also a lot to watch for in national politics this week: President Barack Obama is giving his farewell address Tuesday night and cabinet nominations by President-elect Donald Trump face confirmation hearings throughout the week.

We're also watching for continued fallout from the Friday release of an intelligence report indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian interference into the U.S. presidential election, with a preference for Trump. While the report did not delve into whether Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chair, had any direct affect on the outcome of the election, Trump has continued to insist that it did not have any affect, while also lying by saying that the intelligence community also said that. Trump is scheduled to hold his first press conference in months on Wednesday in New York City (he has announced and cancelled other press conferences so it is to be seen if he follows through on this one).

In New York, Cuomo kicks off his State of the State tour Monday morning in New York City, with Mayor Bill de Blasio among those set to attend -- see details below. Cuomo's tour is being criticized by a number of state legislators who say he should be sticking with the 90-year tradition of giving a State of the State address to the Legislature in Albany.

The two legislative majority leaders won't be attending any of Cuomo's speeches; the Legislature is in session in Albany on Monday and Tuesday, while Cuomo will give an address in Albany on Wednesday. Cuomo is also due to release his Executive Budget by January 17. It is unclear if he will give a budget presentation of any kind. Proposals made during State of the State speeches often have corresponding budgetary needs, of course, and Cuomo and legislative leaders are known for moving new policy matters through the budget procecss -- a new state budget for fiscal year 2017-2018 is due by April 1.

(Ahead of Cuomo's 11 a.m. speech, you can hear Gotham Gazette's Ben Max on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show previewing the speech -- 93.9FM or wnyc.org)

[Read: Under Clouds, Cuomo Launches State of the State Tour with New Proposals]

Other than attending Cuomo's speech, de Blasio starts his week with an afternooon press conference on FDNY statistics (see details below) and his usual Monday appearance on NY1's Inside City Hall. Comptroller Scott Stringer is also among those slated to attend Cuomo's speech in the city.

Meanwhile, there are a number of events around the city this week, including a busy week at the City Council -- see our day-by-day rundown below.

***Do you have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics?
e-mail Gotham Gazette editor Ben Max: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.***

The run of the week in detail:

Monday
Governor Cuomo starts his three-day, six-stop State of the State tour Monday with two stops:

  • At 11 a.m., Cuomo will deliver his New York City State of the State Address at the 1 World Trade Center, 64th Floor.
  • At 3 p.m., Cuomo will deliver his Western New York State of the State Address at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts.

Ahead of Cuomo's Buffalo speech, "advocates and leaders [will] hold a news conference to discuss how local residents are getting screwed by his nuclear bailout deal. The nuclear bailout deal is estimated to cost nearly $8 billion and will force Buffalo residents to pay higher energy bills over the next several years." The press conference will be held in Buffalo at 11 a.m.

The New York State Legislature will be in session on Monday afternoon in Albany.

The New York State Board of Regents will meet on Monday and Tuesday at 89 Washington Avenue in Albany.

At 10:30 a.m. Monday, "Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY13) will hold a press conference...at the intersection of Vermilyea Avenue and 204th Street following last week’s arrest of 32 individuals accused of running a drug marketplace on Vermilyea Avenue in Inwood. Rep. Espaillat will be joined by local and state officials, community leaders and officers from the New York Police Department – 34 Precinct." Espaillat will be joined by State Senator Marisol Alcantara, Assemblymember Carmen De La Rosa; City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, NYPD representatives, and community activists.

At the City Council on Monday: The Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Civil Service and Labor will hold a joint meeting at 1 p.m. to discuss a proposed law on “the reporting of information on the workforce of contractors performing construction work for the city.”

After attending Gov. Cuomo's Monday morning speech, at 1:30 p.m., Mayor de Blasio "and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro will host a press conference to make an announcement on 2016 FDNY statistics" at 75 Canal Street. Later, in the 7 and 10 p.m. hours, the mayor's latest Inside City Hall appearance will air on NY1.

Tuesday
Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State tour continues Tuesday with two stops:

  • At 10:30 a.m., Cuomo will deliver his Westchester State of the State Address at the SUNY Purchase Performing Arts Center.
  • At 1 p.m., Cuomo will deliver his Long Island State of the State Address at Farmingdale State College’s Roosevelt Hall Student Union.

The New York State Legislature will be in session on Tuesday in Albany.

At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Empire Center will hold “Diagnosis: Disruption - HCRA, the ACA and NY's Coming Healthcare Storm.” This event will be “a forum on the future of the state’s healthcare system examining both the pending expiration of New York’s Health Care Reform Act and the looming repeal of Obamacare.” There will be two panels at this event--one on “Putting ‘Reform’ Back in the Health Care Reform Act” (moderated by Casey Seiler, the State Editor of the Times Union) and one on “Managing New York Healthcare Under President Trump” (moderated by David Sandman, the President of the NYS Health Foundation).

"Hundreds of New Yorkers will flood the halls of the Capitol on Tuesday, kicking off this year’s legislative session with a message to our state’s leaders: working families need an agenda that protects them and boosts quality of life, not one that will simply make the rich even richer. The community leaders and activists, representing dozens of issue advocacy, community, faith, and other organizations from across New York will release a new legislative platform that will both defend against Trump’s radical agenda and make progress in creating a fair and equitable community for everyone. Throughout the day, participants will meet with legislators to discuss the struggles facing working families in New York. The day of action will culminate with a rally at the Million Dollar Staircase to release the full issue platform." Participating groups include: ALIGN, Alliance for Quality Education, Citizen Action of New York, Community Voices Heard, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Long Island Progressive Coalition, Make the Road NY, National Institute for Reproductive Health, New York City Coalition for Educational Justice, New York Civic Engagement Table, New York Communities for Change, NYS Labor-Religion Coalition, Strong Economy for All Coalition, VOCAL-NY.

The city Board of Correction will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) will hold a Board of Directors Meeting.

“The New York City Department of Finance (DOF) will provide an update about its benefits programs during a meeting of the Queens Borough Cabinet, chaired by Borough President Katz, on Tuesday, January 10, at 9:30 am at Queens Borough Hall.”

On Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Queens, “Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer will drop off over 1,000 boxes and cans of food collected through his annual food drive to the Center of Hope International “Bread of Life” Food Pantry in Long Island City, run by Bishop Mitchell Taylor.”

At 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, the Alliance for Quality Education will have a rally in Albany to push state government to increase funding to schools. This rally will take place at The Well, Legislative Office Building. Senate Democratic Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Education Chair Catherine Nolan will be among the participants.

At the City Council on Tuesday:

  • The Committee on Land Use will meet at 11 a.m.
  • The Committee on Economic Development will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight hearing on the economic impacts the increased security for President-elect Trump has on local businesses and New York as a whole. City Council Member Dan Garodnick will chair the hearing, which will also feature the city Department of Small Business Services, NYPD, Fifth Avenue BID, local business owners, 56th street property owners, and others.
  • The Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss a proposed law and two proposed resolutions targeted at helping people in the LGBTQ community.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday at PS 13 in Brooklyn, “Council Member Espinal, CEC 19 & CB 5 Co-Host Public Hearing to Receive Community Input on Proposed New 1,000 Seat School; a Major Commitment of the East New York Neighborhood Plan.”

On Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña will attend a town hall meeting of District 10’s Community Education Council at P.S. 86 in the Bronx.

At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, there will be a Mental Health Advisory Committee Meeting.

At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, City Council Member Laurie Cumbo will begin her Community Exchange Series with “a panel and expo to teach you everything you need to know about Affordable Housing and Area Median Income (AMI).” This event will take place in the EOJ Auditorium at Medgar Evers College.

"Tuesday evening, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer and the Stand for Tenant Safety Coalition will host a town hall meeting and training on “construction as harassment,” disruptive construction in residential buildings with the intention or effect of harassing and displacing tenants." 6:30 p.m. at the MBP's office at 1 Centre Street.

On Tuesday evening in Albany, City & State NY is hosting its annual State of Our State reception.

Wednesday
Governor Cuomo will conclude his State of the State tour Wednesday with the final two stops:

  • At 11 a.m., Cuomo will deliver his Central New York State of the State Address at the John H. Mulroy Civic Center in Syracuse.
  • At 2 p.m., Cuomo will deliver his Capital State of the State Address at the University at Albany’s Performing Arts Center, Main Theatre.

At the City Council on Wednesday: The Committee on Finance will meet at 11 a.m. to discuss a proposed law on “the sale of tax liens and notice to property owners when property tax bills are available online.”

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Civilian Complaint Review Board will meet.

At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Brooklyn Historical Society will hold “Civic Responsibility Then and Now: A View from the Archives.” This event will look at what it means to be civically engaged in the modern age, while at the same time going into “archives to consider the varied approaches to Civil Rights tactics over the course of our nation’s history.” BHS Director of Public History Julie Golia and BHS Oral Historian Zaheer Ali will be speakers at this event.

Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday:

  • The Committee on Consumer Affairs will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss a proposed law “requiring certain security measures at nonbank ATMs.”
  • The Committee on Higher Education will meet at 10 a.m. for an oversight hearing on “infrastructure disrepair and decay at the City University of New York.”
  • The Committee on Finance; the Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services; and the Committee on Aging will hold at joint meeting at 1 p.m. to discuss the proposal to amend two local laws on exempting certain senior citizens from rent increases.

“The next public meeting of the New York City Campaign Finance Board will be held on Thursday, January 12, at 10:00 AM.”

Friday and the weekend
At 8:30 a.m. on Friday, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce will hold an “MCC Chairman's Breakfast Featuring a Conversation with Former U.S Attorney General, Eric H. Holder, Jr.” Holder and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Chair Ken Biberaj “will be discussing the important issues facing the private sector from regulatory enforcement and criminal justice to cyber security and national security issues.”

On Friday at noon at Brooklyn Law School, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will speak at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's annual State of the State event.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, State Senator James Sanders, Jr. will host a debate on whether the Obama Administration was fruitful or fruitless. Guest speakers will include Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt and Dr. Ron Daniels. This event will take place at the Black Spectrum Theatre, which is at 177 Baisley Blvd. in Jamaica.

[Read: Under Clouds, Cuomo Launches State of the State Tour with New Proposals]

The weekend of January 13-16 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Our next Week Ahead will published Monday evening, January 16.

***
Have events or topics for us to include in an upcoming Week Ahead in New York Politics? E-mail Gotham Gazette executive editor Ben Max any time: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (please use "For Week Ahead" as email subject).

***
by Brendan Birth and Ben Max
@GothamGazette



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