NEW LAWS CUOMO SAYS HE WANTS IN 2019: RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA, AN ELECTION DAY HOLIDAY
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday laid out his agenda for 2019, outlining some of the key laws progressives hope will pass in a Democratic-controlled state government.
- Legalization of recreational marijuana? Check.
- Strengthening rent regulation laws? Yes.
- Make Election Day a state holiday? Cuomo says yes.
The governor will deal with a completely new power dynamic in Albany in 2019 with both houses of the legislature under Democratic control. And that means the Democrats will have to deliver. Seemingly feeling that pressure, Cuomo did an about-face on his old position on legalizing recreational marijuana, which he called a "gateway drug" as recently as 2017. Cuomo offered few details about how legalized pot would be regulated, who would do the regulating, and how much revenue the state would gain from retail sales of marijuana. Some have called for the revenue to go to the MTA.
Cuomo also argued for congestion pricing and restructuring the MTA; voting reform that includes making Election Day a state holiday in the hopes of removing some of the institutional barriers that suppress voter turnout; an end to end to vacancy decontrol, the mechanism that allows a rent-regulated apartment to shed its protections for tenants when rent top $2,733 per month; and to pass the Reproductive Health Act, which would codify the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in New York state, within the first 30 days of the new session.
Democrats have hope that most, if not all, of such bills will pass in the legislature given that they will have 40 of the 63 seats in the state Senate in January, and because many leaders have already called for the passage of items on the governor's agenda.
THE TRUMP FOUNDATION AGREES TO DISSOLVE
One part of the legal drama surrounding the New Yorker in the White House is set to be resolved.
President Donald Trump's charitable foundation reached a deal Tuesday to go out of business, even as Trump continues to fight allegations he misused its assets to resolve business disputes and boost his run for the White House.
New York's attorney general and lawyers for the Trump Foundation agreed on a court-supervised process for shutting down the charity and distributing about $1.7 million in remaining funds to other nonprofit groups.
Attorney General Barbara Underwood's lawsuit alleging Trump and his family illegally operated the foundation as an extension of his businesses and his presidential campaign will continue.
The lawsuit, filed last spring, seeks $2.8 million in restitution and a 10-year ban on Trump and his three eldest children — Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka — from running any charities in New York.
In a statement Tuesday, Underwood cited "a shocking pattern of illegality involving the Trump Foundation — including unlawful coordination with the Trump presidential campaign, repeated and willful self-dealing, and much more."
The foundation operated as "little more than a checkbook to serve Mr. Trump's business and political interests," she said.
Lawyers for the foundation have said any infractions were minor.
THE DOCTOR GOES TO NYCHA
Federal housing chief Dr. Ben Carson finally visited the largest housing system in the United States on Tuesday, and it came amid City Hall's concerns that he and the federal government will take over the city's public housing agency.
No news cameras were allowed inside the Queensbridge Houses for the surprise visit by the secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He checked out a boiler and one apartment. His visit was about a half-hour, and he did not take any questions from NY1.
The visit came after Carson sent a letter to NYCHA the prior Friday threatening to put the agency in "substantial default," which would be the first step to taking over the struggling agency. It could lead to something called a receivership.
Carson demanded NYCHA come up with a plan to address all of his concerns by January 31. At the same time, the city must submit a plan in federal court, part of settlement talks with the U.S. Attorney's office.
After that meeting, we asked the mayor whether the prospect of receivership, something de Blasio opposes, came up. De Blasio said the two of them were on the same page.
"I think there was a broad agreement that we will do all together to avert it. That both HUD and the city of New York believe there is a better way, and that better way is come to a settlement," de Blasio said.
BROOKLYN LAWMAKER TWEETS TO GOP LEGISLATIVE AIDE: "KILL YOURSELF!"
A Democratic state senator in Brooklyn was denounced from all sides of the political aisle this week after he tweeted "Kill yourself!" to a spokeswoman for the Republican conference on Tuesday.
What prompted Parker's tweet was Senate GOP spokeswoman Candice Giove tweeting that a parking placard assigned to Parker did not match a vehicle's license plate. The car itself was, according to another tweet, blocking a bike lane.
But Parker didn't stop there. In a subsequent interview with the Daily News and then with other outlets, Parker continued to attack Giove, calling her a "Twitter troll" more than once. He later tweeted, "Candice Giove is on the wrong side of history for every important issue facing New York State!"
The blowup came just weeks before Democrats take majority control of the state. Parker himself is in line to become the next chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. Later Tuesday, he resigned his post as the co-chair of Brooklyn City Councilman Jumaane Williams's campaign for public advocate.
DE BLASIO IS SEEING GREEN
After being lukewarm to the idea in the past, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday night released a report that backed the legalization of recreational marijuana and outlined some ways the city would regulate cannabis if the state legalizes it.
Seeing legalization could be in the pipeline, de Blasio called for:
- The automatic expungement of prior criminal records related to marijuana possession arrests.
- The sale of recreational marijuana to be limited to people who are 21 years of age or older.
- Using marijuana in public places would continue to be prohibited.
- The mayor also seems to be endorsing the idea of a delivery system around New York City as a way to transport marijuana to New Yorkers in the safety of their homes.
The report marks a significant about-face for de Blasio, who for years said he had serious concerns about legalizing recreational pot. Democratic leaders in the state Senate and the state Assembly are in favor of legalization, and there is widespread expectation that the legislature will legalize recreational weed at some point in 2019.
Of course, with de Blasio's sudden embrace of recreational pot, it leads to the obvious question: Has the mayor ever tried it?
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