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STATE OF THE STATE
STATE OF THE STATE 2023
A cordial enough start to the year Gov. Kathy Hochul made it clear she’s ready to put the screws to state lawmakers if they cross her on Hector LaSalle.
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By Rebecca C. Lewis
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s friendly tone in her State of the State didn’t address the acrimony over her chief judge pick. A S GOV. KATHY HOCHUL addressed members of the state Legislature to lay out her agenda for the year, she spoke warmly about being able to give her speech to a packed chamber. “It was extraordinary how far we’ve come in that one year since that time when I literally had to address empty seats,” Hochul said, referring to her State of the State in 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions barred the majority of people from attending her address in person. But at the same time she made those remarks, hundreds of citizens who came to Albany to protest on one of the biggest days of the legislative year found themselves barred from entering the Capitol. And it wasn’t the pandemic that resulted in the decision to close the building.
After acknowledging her happiness seeing the crowd, Hochul highlighted the partnership between herself and the assembled lawmakers. “When we are united, there’s no stopping us,” Hochul said, before touting a number of accomplishments achieved last year, from gun control laws to abortion access. “I
Progressive lawmakers, unions and others have come out in opposition to Hector LaSalle.
thank the Legislature for being partners as we addressed those challenges in 2022,” Hochul said to applause from the gathered lawmakers. Despite her cozy comments, her relationship with a bloc of state senators got off to a rocky start this session as she continues to stand by her nominee to be the state’s chief judge, Hector LaSalle. More than a dozen state senators have vowed not to support LaSalle, who would be the state’s first Latino Court of Appeals chief judge, citing a judicial record they deemed too conservative. Much like last year, Hochul strived to strike a congenial tone in her State of the State, touting partnership and working in tandem with lawmakers in direct contrast with her predecessor. But after winning her first election for governor, Hochul has made it clear through her actions, if not her words, that she’s ready to flex her authority in order to achieve her agenda.
That agenda was arguably less sweeping than last year’s, when she faced her first session as governor with a surplus of federal cash and needed to differentiate herself from former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. That’s not to say that Hochul did not have some bold goals this time around. She proposed putting the screws to local governments in order to get them to build more housing to meet her goal of 800,000 new units in 10 years with a threat that the state would override local zoning laws if municipalities don’t hit a required number of new developments. After caving to pressure from suburbs last year to abandon a proposal to legalize accessory dwelling units, Hochul’s decision to go toe-to-toe with local leaders was representative of her stronger position with a full term ahead of her.
But Hochul won that term in no small part thanks to organizing by progressive groups like the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party – both of whom put out statements criticizing her speech – and her State of the State offered little indication that she’ll return the favor by offering support for their priorities. As housing advocates staged their rally outside security checkpoints, Hochul declined to mention any part of their agenda, including “good cause” eviction and a rental voucher program, as part of her grand housing plan. “Tenants and homeless New Yorkers have the solutions and we’ve brought our demands to Governor Hochul’s doorstep,” the Housing Justice for All coalition said in a statement. “It’s time for the Governor to listen to us instead of shutting us out and doing the bidding of rich real estate donors yet again.”
Replacing the now-expired 421-a tax break for developers to build affordable housing was also critical to Hochul’s housing plan. She said in her speech she planned
