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New from New York
Currently happening:
- Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams continued their post-budget happy tour.
- Police are unhappy the budget didn’t take further steps to toughen bail laws.
- Adams said Donald Trump might want to look at the crime stats before blasting his native city.
- State regulators are hoping for a redo to solicit new offshore wind developers.
- And the latest from the Trump trial in Manhattan.
Gov. Kathy Hochul took another victory lap today.
She joined Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Mayor Eric Adams, and labor leaders to celebrate the approval of a wide-ranging housing package — a remarkable turnaround from last year, when the governor and Legislature failed to reach consensus on the thorny issue.
The plan passed over the weekend, designed to spur residential construction and protect tenants, includes policies Hochul has tried to enact for two years now to address the housing shortage.
They include policies to boost residential construction, like a new property tax break for rental housing and reforms to allow denser development in the city, which were also among Adams’ Albany priorities.
“We all know past leaders did not want to take this on,” Hochul said at an event hosted by the building service workers union 32BJ SEIU, which pushed for a housing deal this year. “I’m proud to say, that legacy of inaction has ended last week with this landmark, years-in-the-making deal in Albany.”
“I was the first governor in half a century to touch the lightning rod and put housing front and center,” she continued, praising partners in the Legislature.
Stewart-Cousins said Hochul had a “clear” vision and “understood there were a few things that we all could agree on and a few things that if we compromise on, we could come to this day.”
One of the major compromises was on a tenant protection measure known as Good Cause eviction, which lawmakers approved in revised form in the housing package.
The policy, which effectively caps rent increases in market-rate housing, came with several carve-outs that angered tenant activists who pushed the proposal.
Hochul had been cool to the initial legislation, but today highlighted that piece of the agreement, which she said will help address price gouging of tenants.
“They’re held captive,” Hochul said of tenants. “The landlords can raise the rent any way they want — now, they can’t, now they will not be able to, there will be limits on what they can do and people can plan for that.”
Adams, who has praised Hochul’s work on the city’s behalf in the budget, called the larger package “such a victory for us.”
“We have an obligation now to put shovels in the ground, build housing so you don’t have to leave your city,” the mayor said. “I can finally tell my son, ‘Go get your own apartment.’”
MORE HELP FOR POLICE: A key law enforcement organization does not believe the state budget did enough to strengthen public safety — especially for cops themselves.
The New York State Sheriffs Association today pressed state lawmakers to approve a package of measures that include mandatory life sentences without parole for cop killers, allowing judges to consider dangerousness when weighing bail and making all gun crimes qualifying offenses for denying a defendant’s pretrial release.
“It’s time to end what’s become an open-season on police officers in New York,” Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond, the president of the sheriffs association, told reporters during a Capitol news conference.
Hochul was able to win public safety victories in the budget, including measures to address retail theft by boosting penalties for those who assault store workers and allowing prosecutors to aggregate retail crimes when considering charges.
Hochul has also touted the millions of dollars she sought for law enforcement in New York in a direct rebuke of calls to defund the police.
“When I became governor, there were still people recklessly calling to defund the police, even when we had a huge surge in gun crimes — instead of defunding, we supported and properly funded law enforcement,” she told reporters last week.
But DuMond believes the budget should have gone much further — especially when it came to addressing the law that limited when cash bail can be considered for criminal defendants.
He pointed to the spate of police killings in the last several weeks, including cops in New York City and Syracuse.
“An attack on a police officer is an attack on civilization,” he said. “It’s a form of terrorism.” — Nick Reisman
POLITICO reports.
Lawmakers and education advocates have expressed concerns about the involvement of the Rockefeller Institute and the shortened timeline. The state Education Department indicated that it would have required at least 18 months for the study if conducted as initially proposed, but will now offer technical support.
The study will involve collaboration between the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the state Education Department, the state Budget Division, and other necessary state agencies, as outlined in the budget.
Recommendations from the study are expected to be fiscally sustainable, utilize recent and updated data to determine school aid needs, and evaluate each component of the formula for potential adjustments.
“We are swiftly moving forward to set up public hearings across the state, gather essential data, and engage in discussions with key stakeholders and partners,” stated Bob Megna, the institute’s president and former state budget director. — Katelyn Cordero
ADAMS TOUTS CANNABIS CRACKDOWN: New York City plans to increase enforcement against approximately 2,800 unlicensed cannabis vendors in the city shortly after the state budget is finalized, according to Adams.
The budget agreement included provisions allowing municipalities to combat illicit cannabis sales. Adams commended the provisions that enable regulators to revoke licenses for lottery, beer, and cigarette sales for bodegas that also sell cannabis.
Moving forward, the city has the authority to padlock unlicensed cannabis vendors if they pose an immediate threat to public safety, such as selling to minors, explained Tiffany Raspberry, a senior adviser to Adams.
In cases without imminent threats, the city may issue violations and fines. If a storefront continues to sell cannabis after 10 days, the city can padlock the shop.
“They are the inner circle dress rehearsal, and then they go into actually [having] show night,” Adams remarked regarding the city’s preparations for cracking down on cannabis. — Mona Zhang
— A new study revealed that employees of color in New York City earn less than their white colleagues. (Daily News)
— Reduced ticket prices for MMA matches are among the lesser-known aspects of the state’s budget. (Times Union)
— If Trump is incarcerated, the Secret Service may be required to accompany him. (New York Times)
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