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The Week Ahead in New York Politics, February 27


New York City Hall

New York City Hall


What to watch for this week in New York politics:

After a somewhat slow Presidents Day week in which both the City Council and State Legislature were out of session, this week is a busy one, with the Legislature meeting in Albany and a variety of City Council hearings, including the start of preliminary budget hearings.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is back in town after a trip to Atlanta where he was whipping votes for Keith Ellison for Democratic National Committee chair (Ellison lost to Thomas Perez, but will serve as deputy chair). The mayor's trip occurred just after he spent four hours on Friday with federal investigators in relation to the ongoing investigation into the mayor and his associates over whether government favors were promised or given to donors to the mayor's campaign or political nonprofit. De Blasio is set to make his weekly appearance on NY1's Road to City Hall Monday evening. The mayor will outline his much-anticipated new homeless-fighting vision on Tuesday afternoon - see details below.

Otherwise, there's a lot happening this week - 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
At the City Council on Monday:

  • The Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will meet at 9:30 a.m.
  • The Committee on Governmental Operations will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss several proposed laws.
  • The Committee on Transportation will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss several proposed laws, including a law related to a proposed pilot program for reserved parking spaces in municipal lots, as well as laws pertaining to taxicab licenses.
  • The Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting, and Maritime Uses will meet at 11 a.m.
  • The Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Elections will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss the mayor’s nominations of Jeffrey Friedlander and Malini Cadambi Daniel to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board and the New York Equal Employment Practices Commission, respectively.
  • The Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations will meet at 1 p.m. for an oversight meeting regarding the city’s cultural plan.

At the State Legislature on Monday: The Assembly Committees on Health, Aging, and Labor, and the Task Force on People with Disabilities, will meet at 11 a.m. to conduct a public hearing to “examine the growing need for home care and personal care, and to examine the obstacles to recruiting, employing, and retaining an adequate home care workforce.”

At 8 a.m. Monday, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will appear on the WPIX-11 morning news.

At 8 a.m. on Monday, the Queens Chamber of Commerce will host “Post Election Affordable Housing City Forums” at 1301 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, discussing the future of affordable housing under President Trump and Dr. Ben Carson as HUD Secretary.

Public Advocate Letitia James has several public events Monday: at 9:15 a.m., James will deliver remarks at 80 New York Avenue Tenant Demonstration in Brooklyn; at 10:30 a.m., James will deliver remarks at Congress Member Serrano and State Senator Serrano's Black History Month Celebration at Hostos Community College in the Bronx; and at 7 p.m., James will host a Lunar New Year Celebration at P.S. 124 in Manhattan.

On Monday at 11 a.m. on the southeast corner of 40th Street and 7th Avenue, "Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz will be joined by colleagues, community leaders, and MTA supporters at this conference hosted by the Riders Alliance to voice their opposition to the proposed state budget cut of $ 65 million to the MTA. Assemblyman Dinowitz, chair of the Committee on Corporations Authorities and Commissions, which oversees the MTA, penned a letter to Governor Cuomo opposing the proposed budget cut. He will attend this press conference to stand up for his community, all those who depend upon the MTA, and to make sure promises made to keep the MTA adequately funded are kept."

At 11 a.m. Monday at The Door in Manhattan, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance will announce $58 million in grants for youth and family programs to prevent crime. "In Total, Grants to Fund 100 Community Organizations in Four Neighborhoods: East Harlem, Central/West Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Lower East Side."

Tuesday
At the City Council on Tuesday:

  • The Committee on Public Safety will meet at 9:30 a.m. to discuss a proposed law “requiring the police department to share collision reports digitally.”
  • The Committee on Health will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss several proposed laws.
  • The Committee on Contracts and the Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management will meet jointly at 10 a.m. to discuss “the potential for a work stoppage at Sims Metal Management and its potential impact on residential recycling.”
  • The Committee on Finance and the Committee on Education will meet jointly at 10 a.m. to discuss oversight regarding school planning and siting, as well as a proposed law “requiring the department of education to report information on school applications, offers of admission, enrollment, and school seats available.”
  • The Committee on Land Use will meet at 11 a.m.
  • The Committee on Public Housing and the Committee on Recovery and Resiliency will meet jointly at 1 p.m. to discuss “Sandy recovery and resiliency projects in NYCHA developments.”
  • The Committee on Environmental Protection will meet at 1 p.m. to discuss the “installation of solar water heating and thermal energy systems on city-owned buildings.”

On Tuesday, the New York State Legislature will be in session.

Also at the State Legislature on Tuesday:

  • The Senate Standing Committee on Energy and Telecommunications and the Assembly Standing Committee on Energy will hold a joint hearing at 10 a.m. to discuss the impact of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown
  • The Senate Standing Committee on Aging and the Assembly Standing Committee on Aging will hold a joint hearing at 10 a.m. to discuss “education, awareness, and prevention of elder abuse.”

At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Queens Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee will hold a meeting at the Queens Chamber Conference Center to discuss two proposed transportation projects: QueensRail and QueensWay.

At 9 a.m. Tuesday, "The workers who sort and process all of NYC's residential recycling will rally at City Hall ahead of a City Council hearing on a potential strike at the facility. The workers at Sims Municipal Recycling in Sunset Park are unionizing with Teamsters Local 210 and are calling on Sims to bargain a contract. A strike would bring chaos to the Department of Sanitation’s recycling operations." Participants will include Sims Recycling Workers, Teamsters Local 210, City Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Transform Don't Trash NYC, ALIGN, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

On Tuesday at 11 a.m. at City Hall, "Public Advocate Letitia James will announce legal action to ensure that all New Yorkers with disabilities have safe and reliable access to sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, as required under the Americans with Disabilities Act." James will be joined by Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY), Bronx Independent Living Services, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), and Harlem Independent Living Center.

On Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. in Albany, "dozens of New York City parents will join with elected champions to rally in support of public charter schools being given equal treatment in the upcoming state budget. Parents will share their personal stories about their children’s life changing experiences in New York City’s charter schools and call on state leaders to treat their public schools fairly. Assembly Members Marcos Crespo and Robert Rodriguez will stand with charter families in front of the Great Western Staircase." The event is being organized by Families for Excellent Schools.

At 12 p.m. on Tuesday, City & State New York will hold its NYC Power 100 Luncheon. This is a “list ranking New York City’s most influential personnel,” and the luncheon will be the first place where this list is released.

Also at noon Tuesday, "Chancellor Fariña will visit Manhattan Bridges High School and make an announcement regarding bilingual education programs."

At 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Manhattan Institute will host “Treating Serious Mental Illness In NYC: Can They Get The Help They Need?” Speakers Speakers include DJ Jaffe of the Mental Illness Policy Org, Dr. Gary Belkin of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Judge Matthew D’Emic of the Brooklyn Mental Health Court, and Muzzy Rosenblatt, CEO and President of BRC. NY1 anchor Errol Louis will moderate.

On Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. at Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies in Manhattan, "Mayor de Blasio will deliver a speech outlining his vision and plan to combat homelessness." The mayor will not take press questions afterward, but, "Immediately following the speech, Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio and Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks will host a technical briefing to further discuss the Mayor’s plan," according to the mayor's office.

At 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo will hold a public cabinet meeting at the Capitol.

At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the NYC Campaign Finance Board’s Voter Assistance Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting at 100 Church St.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the City Department of Education will holds its 2016-17 Educational Policy Meeting at Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn.

At 6:30 pm on Tuesday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer will host “Trailblazers” at Mist Harlem, honoring African-American leaders Michael A. Hardy, EVP of the National Action Network; Bill Thompson, the former Comptroller; and LaKeesha Walrond, the executive pastor at First Corinthian Baptist Church.

At 6:30 pm on Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton will take part in a discussion with the New School’s Maya Wiley on “key issues impacting civil rights, social justice, and criminal justice reform in NYC and nationally.” The event will be held in the John L. Tishman Auditorium at the New School’s University Center.

The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics will meet on Tuesday in Albany.

Wednesday
At the City Council on Wednesday:

  • The The Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Elections will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss the mayor’s nominations of Jeffrey Friedlander and Malini Cadambi Daniel to the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board and the New York Equal Employment Practices Commission, respectively.
  • The Committee on Finance will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss “approving the new designation and changes in the designation of certain organizations to receive funding in the expense budget.”
  • The City Council will have a full-body Stated Meeting Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. As always, this will be prefaced by the pre-stated press conference led by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

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

At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Crain’s New York will hold a breakfast forum with Stephen Banks, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services. At this event, Banks “will discuss the de Blasio administration's homelessness programs, public-assistance reforms and efforts to address poverty and income inequality.” The moderators will be Erik Engquist, Assistant Managing Editor of Crain's New York Business, and Nikita Stewart, reporter for The New York Times.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, the Brooklyn GOP will host two declared Republican candidates for mayor, Paul Massey and Michel Faulkner, for the mayoral election’s first mayoral candidate forum. The candidates will “present their vision for a better New York City;” the candidates will also have meet-and-greets with attendees. The forum will take place at Dyker Beach Golf Course & Catering in Brooklyn.

Thursday
At the City Council on Thursday: The Committee on Finance will meet at 9:30 a.m. for a preliminary budget hearing.

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

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams will hold a public hearing at Brooklyn Borough Hall regarding zoning in Crown Heights.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer will hold a public hearing on the Greater Midtown East Rezoning Proposal at Guttman Community College, 50 West 40th St on the ground floor.

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo will continue her “Community Exchange Series.” At this event, Cumbo will talk about “Imagining the Future of Crown Heights through the Eyes of our Youth.” This event will take place at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer will host a Lunar New Year celebration at Flushing Town Hall, honoring Louie Liu, VP of the Brooklyn Community Improvement Center; Katherine H. Kim, executive director of YWCA Queens; JD Kim, managing director of the Korean Advocacy Council; and Yuh-Line Niou, NYS Assembly Member from the 65th District.

Friday and the weekend
At the City Council on Friday:

  • The Committee on Civil Service and Labor will meet at 10 a.m. to discuss seveal proposed laws.
  • The Committee on Higher Education will meet at 11 a.m. for a preliminary budget hearing.

***
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 Ben Brachfeld and Ben Max
@GothamGazette



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