From: City & State <editor@cityandstateny.com>

From: City & State <editor@cityandstateny.com> To: cj Subject: First Read Tonight Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2019 22:03:18 +0000 The must-read roundup of the lop New York political news. editorials. and Email not displaying correctly? schedules. View it in your browser. City & State New York First Read Tonight WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2019 WEATHER: A wintry mix across the state. New York City, low 31; Albany, low 27; Buffalo, low 34. FROM CITY & STATE: * In the fall of 2018, New York City Transit said it was turning a corner on subway performance — and in a way, that's not wrong. This graph provides context for just how much subway service is improving — and how ridership has fluctuated at the same time. * Gov. Andrew Cuomo is once again pushing for an internet sales tax to collect revenue from online transactions on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Here's why it's more likely to pass this year — and how it would actually work. * Who is the front-runner in the race for New York City public advocate? What will be the key factors in the race? Will the victor go on to run for mayor? See what the experts have to say in this week's "Ask the Experts" feature. NEW THIS AFTERNOON: * Former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was hand- picked for that post by Mayor Bill de Blasio, now says the mayor is running the city on autopilot and "seems to lack focus" as she runs for public advocate, the New York Post reports. * New York City Councilmen Ydanis Rodriguez and Ruben Diaz Sr. are working on a bailout plan for taxi medallion owners who said that their livelihoods have been destroyed by ride-hailing apps, the Post reports. EFTA00105323 * Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump who was to report early next month to begin serving a three-year prison sentence, was granted a two-month delay before he must surrender to the authorities, The New York Times reports. * With Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposing the legalization of electric bikes and scooters in New York, and the New York City Council considering several bills to achieve the same goal, electric scooter companies Bird and Lime are ramping up their lobbying efforts, Gotham Gazette reports. * SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson, who has made it a priority to get SUNY to adopt renewable energy sources, serves on the board of directors of an energy company criticized for a controversial coal plant in Puerto Rico, the Times Union reports. * More news below ... ************ Have you followed City & State's Public Advocate endorsement tracker? Jumaane Williams has received more endorsements than any other candidate in the race and secured the most grassroots contributions to date. He's been an advocate for the public his entire life, and is now asking for your vote on February 26th to officially make him the next Public Advocate. View his new campaign commercial, featuring his most important endorser by clicking here. ************ * Parents and advocates praised a recent move by the New York City Commission on Human Rights that classifies bias on the basis of hair or hairstyle as racial discrimination, but they are calling for additional measures to tackle other forms of unconscious bias, Politico New York reports. * Lisa Cater, whose claims of sexual harassment against former state economic development official Sam Hoyt made headlines around the state in 2017, said she will not appeal the decision of a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss her civil suit, The Buffalo News reports. * Black and Hispanic students constitute more than two-thirds of New York City's public school enrollment, but black and Hispanic authors and characters are largely absent from elementary school reading lists, the Daily News reports. * State Sen. Daphne Jordan introduced a bill last week that would create a panel within the state comptroller's office to study the economic impact of EFTA00105324 upstate New York severing ties with New York City and its surrounding counties, the Daily News reports. ************ Kick off NYC's annual Open Data Week with NYC School of Data, a jam-packed day of community-led workshops, demos, keynotes, lightning talks, & networking. On Saturday, 2 March, join hundreds of civic technologists, designers, educators, NGOs, & government officials gathering to discuss the future of civic technology, open data, and service design. Free on site childcare. For more information, click here. ************ NATIONAL POLITICS: * U.S. Attorney General William Barr is preparing to announce as early as next week the completion of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, with plans for Barr to then submit a summary of Mueller's confidential report to Congress, CNN reports. * President Donald Trump is preparing to establish a panel to examine how climate change affects national security, and will include an adviser whose views are sharply at odds with the established scientific consensus on human- caused global warming, the Times reports. ************ City & State's annual NYC Power 100 list will be announced in the February 25th issue of the magazine. On Thursday February 28, City & State will be hosting a luncheon to honor those who made this year's list...and you're invited. This is a great opportunity for everyone in the NYC government affairs space to come together to celebrate the most powerful members of the community. The NYC Power 100 Luncheon is the event where established NYC powerhouses meet rising stars and innovators. Get your tickets here before it's too late. ************ IN DEPTH: * For years, the Child Victims Act failed again and again, and for years then- Assemblywoman Margaret Markey continued to push for it in the state EFTA00105325 Legislature, driven by her son's own abuse at the hands of a priest, the Times writes. * In an interview with The City, state Sen. Michael Gianaris spoke about why he thinks the Amazon deal failed, what might be in store for Long Island City without the company and his plans to change the state's system of corporate tax breaks. * The number of young people serving in the state Legislature has been skyrocketing, and they are having a significant impact on how the state handles everything from sexual harassment to economic development deals, Politico New York writes. *As legislators in Albany gear up for a fight over establishing a single-payer health care system, immigration advocates are pushing for an expansion of the existing state-run health insurance program, the Essential Plan, to include undocumented immigrants, Documented writes. *Amazon's about-face in New York City was not a temper tantrum but a calculated move to preserve, even enhance, the company's leverage in trying to extort taxpayer-funded handouts for projects across the country, The New Republic writes. ************ Join the growing success of the CSNY Resource Directory! Our directory has been receiving strong and consistent visitor numbers throughout its first month. Stand out among your competitors and attract government leaders to your organization with an upgraded listing. Don't miss out on this cost effective and influential way to market your company. Click here for more information. ***********• TONIGHT'S SHOWS: 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. — "Inside City Hall" airs, NY1. 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. — "Capital Tonight" features a discussion of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed cuts to Medicaid and Assemblyman Stephen Hawley on his bill to split New York into two states, Spectrum News. TOMORROW'S SKED: 9 a.m. — State Sen. Rachel May holds a regional hearing on the Climate and Community Protection Act, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Gateway Center, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse. EFTA00105326 11 a.m. —Assembly members Richard Gottfried, Linda Rosenthal, Harvey Epstein, Jo Anne Simon and Robert Rodriguez call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to fund subway station elevators, 25th Street and Eighth Avenue, Manhattan. 11 a.m. — State Sen. Jessica Ramos and labor leaders rally against Amazon's labor practices, Amazon distribution center, 26-15 Boody St., Queens. 11:30 a.m. — The Rev. Al Sharpton meets with U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sylvia's Restaurant, 328 Malcolm X Blvd., Manhattan. 11:30 a.m. — Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. delivers his State of the Borough address, Health, Education and Research Occupations High School, Samuel Gompers Campus, 455 Southern Blvd., Bronx. 11:30 a.m. — Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco III speaks to the Rockland Business Association about the proposed recreational marijuana legalization bill, Hilton Pearl River, 500 Veterans Memorial Drive, Pearl River. 12 p.m. — Rep. Tom Suozzi, Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announce the formation of the Long Island Apprenticeship & Workforce Development Task Force, Composite Prototyping Center, 121 Express St., Plainview. 2 p.m. — Rep. Grace Meng, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky hold a ribbon-cutting for One Flushing, an affordable housing project, 133-45 41st Ave., Queens. TOP TWEET: Buried lede in this piece: New Yorkers, as a people, are out of their fucking minds. They are perfect. God bless them, every single one https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz3G05KXgAEEzwW.png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz3G3ZUWkAIHK93.png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz3G3ZaX4AEZnoq.png https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dz3G3aEX0AEyYnD.png — Noah Horowitz @NoahHurowitz Click here to read this week's edition of City & State Magazine EFTA00105327 ;,"', February 18, 2019 edition of City 8, State NY Magazine Subscribe to the Magazine Follow on Twitter Friend on Facebook Follow on Instagram GI; City State First Read is the morning and evening email newsletter from City & State. covering politics and government in New York tl 2019 City and State NY. LLC. Our mailing address is: 61 Broadway. Suite 1315. New York. NY 10006 unsubscribe from this list EFTA00105328