12 minute read
FIRST READ
State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs is facing opposition in own his party amid a string of losses by Democrats across New York during the midterm elections.
ELECTION FALLOUT
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As the final election results rolled in, Democrats’ hold on New York political power shrank even further – as did state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs’ popularity. An analysis by the Times Union of the gubernatorial results showed that every county in New York moved further to the right compared to the 2020 presidential election. Many pundits across the country – and the state itself – argued that by losing several congressional seats, New York Democrats cost the party control of the House of Representatives. This has prompted finger-pointing among New York Democrats as party members try to understand why the blue state was one of the only places where Republicans’ anticipated “red wave” actually ended up taking
TERF WAR
A group of anti-transgender feminists – called “trans-exclusionary radical feminists” in some circles – and transgender rights activists clashed in front of City Hall, with at least nine people arrested during the demonstration and resulting counterdemontration, according to the New York City Police Department. While anti-trans protests have largely taken place in conservative states, last week’s protest showed that New York is not immune to transphobic rhetoric from far-right groups.
“That’s pretty gangster.”
– Rep. Jamaal Bowman, on both Democratic leaders in Congress being from New York, via CBS News
– New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres-Springer, on the city’s new deal to build a soccer stadium in Queens, via The New York Times place. Jacobs in particular has been the subject of much of the outcry. More than 1,100 party leaders, organizations, individuals and local officials, including influential Democrats like state Sens. Liz Krueger and Brad Hoylman, signed a statement urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to replace Jacobs as party chair. Not everyone blamed Jacobs though – Hochul has continued to defend the embattled leader and over 40 Democratic Party county chairs signed a letter of support for him. There was at least one bright spot for New York Democrats: The party managed to fend off Republicans from taking the U.S. Senate, securing longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer another term as majority leader.
RIKERS’ FUTURE
As conditions at Rikers Island have continued to deteriorate, The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project and other lawyers for people detained in the jail complex urged a federal judge in a letter to take operations oversight away from New York City and give it to a third-party administrator. A group of at least seven New York City Council members also asked the judge to implement a federal takeover. A pivotal hearing on the matter was held in which New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Correction asked the judge to block advocates’ requests, arguing that the city has yet to meet
the legal threshold needed to lose their control over the facility. The judge granted the city’s request, giving the city until April to complete its reforms.
NYC BUDGET GROWS
Following months of pressure to find savings in light of the billions of dollars in potential budget gaps looming in the years ahead, Adams and his administration announced midyear modifications to the New York City budget intended to save the city $2.5 billion over the next two fiscal years. The revised plan increased this fiscal year’s budget from the originally agreed upon $101 billion to around $104 billion, though it remained balanced, according to city officials. The city attributed the $2.5 billion in savings to streamlining inefficiencies within the city’s bureaucracy. Leaders also promised to formally request the federal government to reimburse the city $1 billion for the influx of migrants who’ve arrived in recent months. Questions about these cuts centered on how much money the city has spent on emergency housing for asylum-seekers, with the controversial tent center erected on Randall’s Island being shut down soon after it opened. City leaders have yet to disclose how much that facility cost, and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to the city’s budget office demanding answers.
New York City announced that the Randall’s Island emergency center for migrants is being shut down not too long after it was put up in a far-flung parking lot.
State budget director leaves for new gig in Puerto Rico
Gov. Kathy Hochul will have to find a new budget czar now that longtime Albany fiscal whiz Robert Mujica is stepping down. He’ll relocate to Puerto Rico, where he has been nominated as the next executive director of the island’s controversial fiscal control board.
Mujica has served as the state budget director since 2016, originally serving under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. When Hochul began clearing house of Cuomo appointees upon taking office, she spared Mujica, whose budget prowess is well respected by both Republicans and Democrats. Before that, he worked for nearly 20 years for the state Senate Republicans as secretary of the Finance Committee and later as chief of staff for their majority.
“My new position will also be the opportunity of a lifetime and I am humbled and honored to go to the place of my family and heritage to work with (Gov. Pedro) Pierluisi and the people of Puerto Rico to rebuild the economy and restore opportunity,” Mujica said in a statement.
The new job also comes with a significant raise for Mujica, according to Puerto Rican news site El Nuevo Día, which first broke the news. His new salary will be $625,000 a year, dwarfing the $216,186 he made last year as New York’s budget director. When confirmed as the next executive director of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, he’ll serve in the position for three years, beginning in January 2023. Mujica will still work on the next state budget before leaving and will transition out of his current role at the end of the year. “New York State is on strong financial footing with record reserves planned over the next several years, and I look forward to helping put together the Executive Budget for 2024 in the days ahead,” Mujica said.
Mujica will join fellow New Yorker Betty Rosa, the state’s education commissioner, who is a member of the control board. Former President Donald Trump appointed her to the board in 2020 after her nomination by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer.
“Robert’s more than 25 years of service to New York State have been incredibly valuable, and I’m so glad that our neighbors in Puerto Rico will get to benefit from his considerable talents,” Hochul said in a statement. She added: “(He) has built a strong Division of the Budget that is full of dedicated public servants, and we’ll rely on them as we search for a new budget director.” – Rebecca C. Lewis
THE WEEK AHEAD
TUESDAY 11/22
The Assembly Committee on Labor and the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce hold a joint public hearing at 10:30 a.m. to address workforce shortages. INSIDE DOPE
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of people quitting has reached record highs. The committees are seeking to understand how employers are being affected. TUESDAY 11/29
The New York City Council holds an oversight hearing on New York City heliport operations, starting at 10 a.m. in the Committee Room at City Hall. TUESDAY 12/6
City & State New York hosts an event about affordable housing at 9 a.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan.
By City & State
As is tradition in New York politics, the day after the midterm elections was a travel day for many politicians, lobbyists, advocates and journalists to make the annual trip to the Somos Puerto Rico conference. Five members of City & State attended the conference that combined panels, service opportunities and a little fun in the sun. Both Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams attended the multiday event, which typically draws the biggest names in New York politics. Here’s a few of our reporters’ best photos from in and around the hotel and conference area.
A group of New York City Council members hanging out by the pool in Puerto Rico.
Somos Puerto Rico
New York’s political world escapes the cold after a tumultuous Election Day.
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie and Assembly Member Robert Carroll speak on a panel. New York City Mayor Eric Adams The pool became a go-to spot to mingle.
Gov. Kathy Hochul wades through the Somos crowd.
A Q&A with Rep.
HAKEEM JEFFRIES
Politico reported last week that you had talked to senior Democrat leadership, like Rep. Jim Clyburn, and they were clearing the path for you to take leadership of the Democratic conference in the House. Have you cleared the path for yourself within the Congressional Black Caucus, at least? My focus right now is making sure that we count every single vote across the country, since we are still in it, in terms of a path towards the majority. And working to make sure we finish the business of the American people in the remaining weeks of this current congressional session.
What’s the timing on this? Will there be a Democratic Caucus meeting where leadership is discussed? We announced publicly that the organization of the House Democratic Caucus for the next Congress will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 30, beginning with the election of a new caucus chair, who then will preside over any other leadership elections thereafter.
Does New York deserve some blame for the close election? Some people are saying if New York had gone differently, Democrats would have the House clearly. It was a tough night for my colleagues and many of our “Red to Blue” candidates, who are up against a tremendously difficult situation, giving what was happening in the context of the gubernatorial election, in the Hudson Valley and in Long Island. Beyond that, I think (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair) Sean Patrick Maloney has best captured the reality of that night. Sean Patrick Maloney should be given a tremendous amount of credit for doing a great job across the country, even putting himself at risk in order to promote the broader Democratic cause.
Maloney was blaming the New York Post for the losses, a few times. Do you think that New York media had a negative effect on those House races that Democrats lost? The results speak for themselves in the context of voter anxiety with respect to public safety. And it’s going to be an issue that Gov. Hochul needs to decisively address moving forward sooner rather than later. With Jay Jacobs, a lot of people are saying it’s time for change at the top of the state Democratic Party. Do you think it’s time for change, on the state level? The most important step that we can take is for there to be an after-action report that is fact and evidence based to figure out what the state party did well, what went wrong and how we put ourselves in the strongest possible position heading into the 2024 cycle, where the seats in New York are going to matter significantly.
– Jeff Coltin
Our Perspective
Let’s Take the Stress out of Holiday Shopping!
By Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW Twitter: @sappelbaum
The holiday shopping season is already underway, with sales starting earlier than ever, and shoppers are coming back to stores and are ready to hunt for values. But it’s important that shoppers and retailers recognize one of the greatest values they’ll find in these stores; the value brought by retail workers to the holiday shopping experience. Retail workers are the face of the stores they represent and they’ll help shoppers find the perfect gifts, let them know where to find the best deals, and aid with returns and exchanges. The value they provide for both retailers and shoppers should be recognized by all of us as they help make our holiday season a great one for our families.
It’s a challenging time and season for retail workers. They aren’t seeing their wages keep up with the increased cost of living amid higher grocery bills and increasing rents and utility costs. Staffing issues persist at many stores, stretching workers thin and adding to their responsibilities at the worst possible time. Supply chain issues continue to affect the availability of high-demand items, adding to customer frustration.
Big crowds, irritable customers, busy days, and the need for workers themselves to take care of their own holiday obligations can all weigh heavily on workers’ shoulders. Too many shoppers and employers don’t appreciate the pressure that retail workers are under this time of year.
And, especially for retail workers in nonunion stores, the stress of the holidays is stacked on top of the daily obstacles they face every day of the year: insufficient hours, insufficient wages, and unpredictable scheduling that makes it difficult to work another job, plan childcare, or attend school. Non-union retail workers may have no control over when they work, regardless of their own holiday plans, and they likely won’t be compensated fairly for working during the holidays. For these workers, it can be a struggle just to survive — to say nothing of providing their families with a joyous season.
Workers are not to blame for shoppers’ frustrations and the challenges of the postpandemic economy and supply chain, and they need support from shoppers and their employers. Stores should provide security, safety protocols and training to handle agitated shoppers this season as well as safe staffing levels to meet the longer demand period. And shoppers need to remember what this season is supposed to be all about — kindness.
When we are doing our holiday shopping this season, let’s take some time to consider the stress the workers who are helping create holiday memories are under. Lend a smile, and some patience to workers and your fellow shoppers. It’s the time of year we can all give a little back and do our best to spread good will.
