| ||||
 | ||||
| By Nick Reisman, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo | ||||
| ||||
With Timmy Facciola | ||||
Rep. Ritchie Torres has recently stepped up his criticism of Hochul, a Democrat who suffers from basement-level favorable ratings. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ||||
Bronx Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres is planning to hit the road. Torres exclusively told Playbook he’ll be traveling New York on a journey that could raise his profile in upstate and suburban areas as he weighs a run for governor. “I will confess that I’m hardly an expert on every county in New York. But I look forward to traveling throughout the state,” he said. “I hope to embark on a listening tour and find out about the needs of New York state.” In an interview, Torres gave a withering assessment of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s political standing and her approach to the job as the state’s chief executive. He drew a comparison to Democrats’ efforts this summer to pressure President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid — a push that only intensified after a poor debate performance with Donald Trump. “I fear that Hochul may be the new Biden,” Torres said. “She may be in denial about the depth of her vulnerabilities in 2026. In the case of Biden, instead of speaking out early, we waited until it was too late. Let’s avoid repeating history and let’s avoid sleepwalking toward disaster and defeat.” Torres has recently stepped up his criticism of Hochul, a Democrat who suffers from basement-level favorable ratings. He worries Hochul is not up to the task of winning a second full term as GOP Rep. Mike Lawler also weighs a bid for governor. Trump’s showing in blue New York — the Republican received 43 percent of the vote against Kamala Harris — alarms Torres. Trump performed better in nearly all corners of the state compared with 2020 – including in Torres’ district. And Hochul herself won in 2022 by only 6 points over Republican Lee Zeldin. “The blue wall in New York state shows real signs of cracking,” said Torres, a moderate who shares Hochul’s staunch support for Israel. His concern with the governor is not based on ideology but with the perception of competence. He took aim at her decision to pause the congestion pricing toll plan in June only to revive it after Election Day. “This reflects the kind of erratic and chaotic governance one would expect from a Trump presidency,” he said. “It’s embarrassing.” Torres is not a declared candidate, and in his interview with Playbook, he also said people have raised to him the possibility of running for New York City mayor. His restiveness comes as Democrats are increasingly sounding the alarm over eroding support among voters. New York City Council Member Chi Ossé this week posted on X that Hochul is in danger of losing in 2026. Still, Hochul has strengths she can draw on less than two years out from her re-election bid. She built out the state Democratic Committee’s political infrastructure to aid swing district House candidates, and the effort worked: Democrats flipped four seats (a figure that includes Tom Suozzi’s February special election win). Hochul is expected to leverage that new political muscle in 2026, drawing on lists of volunteers and voter data in key areas of New York like Long Island. “Gov. Hochul is proud to have led New York Democrats in a successful election cycle, giving Congressman Torres four new Democratic colleagues in Congress,” Hochul spokesperson Jen Goodman said. “The governor remains focused on delivering results for New Yorkers, from driving down crime to lowering costs for working families.” — Nick Reisman HAPPY FRIDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. | ||||
| A message from Uber: Study Reveals Uber Drivers Make More than EMTs: NYC Uber drivers now earn an average of $52,900 annually after expenses, outpacing the salaries of many essential city employees, including EMTs and sanitation workers. Despite delivering vital services, these workers struggle with stagnant wages while Uber drivers have benefited from five TLC-mandated pay hikes since 2020. Read more on the wage disparity impacting NYC’s workforce. Learn More. | ||||
WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no public schedule. WHERE’S ERIC? Calling in for an interview on Good Music, Good Times, and later delivering remarks at the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association Bensonhurst Senior Center’s 19th Anniversary Celebration. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I just want to say I was here on time lol” — City Council Member Kevin Riley, chair of the zoning subcommittee, in an X post after the City of Yes vote was delayed nearly six hours as a deal was negotiated. | ||||
| ||||
“This glass isn’t just half full, it’s 80 percent full,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said. | William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit | ||||
GETTING TO YES: A wide-ranging deal reached Thursday on Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” housing blueprint was celebrated as “historic,” “generation-defining” and the “most significant reform in decades.” The plan amounts to a significant overhaul of zoning rules governing residential development. But the housing gains will be limited – about 5,300 homes a year in a city that needs, by some estimates, ten times that. Still, the plan took no shortage of effort to get across the finish line, illustrating the vast amount of time, work and persuasion required to win even modest reforms. To get to yes, city and state officials coughed up $5 billion for housing and infrastructure, meeting the council’s demand that zoning changes alone would be inadequate. The initial plan called for up to 109,000 homes over 15 years, but that isn’t what came to pass. Changes approved by the City Council limiting the most controversial provisions will bring that number down to 80,000. New York City currently has a rental vacancy rate of just 1.4 percent – the lowest in more than five decades. The reduction in projected homes drew criticism against that backdrop. “Every housing unit cut from this proposal represents another family that will have to leave New York City,” state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who’s running to unseat Mayor Eric Adams, said in a statement. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso also slammed the carve-outs, saying that as a result, “these neighborhoods remain exclusive and the legacies of segregation and exclusionary zoning live on unfettered.” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, one of the plan’s boosters, saw the outcome a different way. “This glass isn’t just half full, it’s 80 percent full,” he said in an interview. “This is a huge victory that could have gone either way,” he added. “There’s going to be an immediate and tangible impact.” — Janaki Chadha | ||||
| Want to know what's really happening with Congress's make-or-break spending fights? Get daily insider analysis of Hill negotiations, funding deadlines, and breaking developments—free in your inbox with Inside Congress. Subscribe now. | ||||
| ||||
|
There are still signs at City Hall of the New York Liberty's championship win. | Jeff Coltin/POLITICO | ||||
TICKER TAPE TICK TOCK: Ticker tape still littered City Hall Park this week thick enough to look like fallen snow — a full three and half weeks since the New York Liberty’s parade up Broadway. The trash was just one example of a simmering power struggle between the Sanitation and Parks departments over which agency is responsible for cleaning up city parks. When Sanitation tried to clean the park on the day of the parade, Parks waved them away, a person familiar with the situation told Playbook. “Here we are a month later, and it’s not done.” Those disputes may be less common in the future — New Yorkers approved a ballot proposal on Election Day that clarified Sanitation’s ability to clean up areas that are legally parkland. Parks cleaned up the ticker tape Tuesday after Playbook raised the issue with the agency. — Jeff Coltin DE-POSIO: Former Mayor Bill de Blasio sat for a deposition Thursday in a lawsuit challenging the Third-Party Transfer Program, alleging the city improperly seized homes from tax-delinquent owners. The lawyers, and the ex-mayor, declined to talk, but the New York Law Journal has an in-depth look at how they got de Blasio to sit for this, three years out of office. Key line: “requiring de Blasio to sit for one limited deposition would not ‘interfere with any greater duties or otherwise unduly burden him’ since he was ‘no longer a government official.’” — Jeff Coltin More from the city: — Muriel Goode-Trufant breezed through her City Council confirmation hearing for the role of the city’s top attorney. (Daily News) — The Biden admin is loosening immigration policies before Trump takes office — including letting migrants bypass in-person check-ins with a new ICE Portal app. (New York Post) — New York City Health + Hospitals hired more than 1,660 nurses this year, but is still $168 million over budget because of temporary staff. (POLITICO Pro) | ||||
| A message from Uber: | ||||
| ||||
“I’m very frustrated,” state Sen. Jabari Brisport told Playbook. “This is not even the same Trump of the first cycle.” | Hans Pennink/AP | ||||
NOT SO SPECIAL: Left-leaning state lawmakers are exasperated because a special session won’t be held before the year ends in order to pass measures responding to President-elect Donald Trump’s White House victory. The Democrats are pressing for bills meant to protect LGBTQ+ and undocumented immigrant communities as well as bolster free speech rights for anti-war demonstrators. New York Democrats spent much of the first Trump term approving long-sought provisions to expand access to voting as well as bills to aid trans people. But some worry Trump 2.0 will be very different – a federal administration without guardrails led by a president who has vowed the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Democratic lawmakers who fall into that category fear an opportunity to make a statement with a special session is being lost. “I’m very frustrated,” Sen. Jabari Brisport told Playbook. “This is not even the same Trump of the first cycle.” Top Democrats in the Legislature — most recently Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins — have said there are no plans to hold a Trump-inspired special session. The Legislature is due to return for the 2025 session in early January — weeks before Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20. “There’s urgency in the moment, and I don’t think we can wait in the moment,” Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas said in an interview with Playbook. Left-leaning Democrats have embraced a package of measures proposed by the New York Civil Liberties Union that include health care data privacy protections and make it harder for the federal government to carry out deportations. “We need a very bold statement of support for vulnerable New Yorkers,” Gonzalez-Rojas said. There’s also some East Coast envy: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called a December special session with plans to “Trump proof” his blue state. Hochul has vowed to work with Trump where she can, but has also launched an effort to limit the impact of any new federal policies on immigrants as well as labor and LGBTQ+ rights. Still, moderate Democrats are not champing at the bit to return to Albany. And some believe a pragmatic approach with Trump is necessary. “To the extent that we can work with him to promote the public good, that's our responsibility,” Assemblymember Chuck Lavine said. “It’s not our job to pick up the pitchforks that have been dropped by his many followers.” — Nick Reisman CAS-IMBY: The team behind Steve Cohen’s proposed gambling den is bragging that five community boards around Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park have voted to support the casino development plan. “Five out of five community boards voted yes to move Metropolitan Park forward — an unprecedented level of support for a Queens’ development project and a break from recent history,” spokesperson Karl Rickett said in a statement. Community boards across the city have been split on casino plans — with those outside of Manhattan faring better than those on the island. — Jeff Coltin More from Albany: — New York officials are considering how to overhaul state tax incentives. (Times Union) — The state pension fund grew by more than 4 percent in the last quarter. (Spectrum News) | ||||
| Policy Change is Coming: Be prepared, be proactive, be a Pro. POLITICO Pro’s platform has 200,000+ energy regulatory documents from California, New York, and FERC. Leverage our Legislative and Regulatory trackers for comprehensive policy tracking across all industries. Learn more. | ||||
| ||||
Rep. Elise Stefanik's path to the vaunted diplomat post is expected to be smooth, an especially stark contrast to Trump’s nomination of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. | Alex Brandon/AP | ||||
STEFANIK’S SENATE OUTREACH: There’s been plenty of gripping and grinning between Rep. Elise Stefanik and Senate Republicans as the upstater makes the rounds on Capitol Hill to help smooth her confirmation as Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik, the outgoing House Republican Conference chair and de facto leader of the New York GOP, met Thursday with Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marsha Blackburn, John Barrasso and Steve Daines. She met earlier in the week with several other senators – and has even made inroads among Democrats, including Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who applauded Stefanik’s staunch support of Israel. Her path to the vaunted diplomat post is expected to be smooth, an especially stark contrast to Trump’s nomination of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew himself from consideration amid the potential release of a House Ethics Committee report into misconduct allegations against him. McConnell referenced Stefanik’s stance for Israel in his praise of her. “In a forum corrupted by authoritarians where cowardly majorities hector the embattled Jewish state of Israel, the next U.S. Ambassador must speak with uncompromising moral clarity,” McConnell said in a statement. — Emily Ngo More from Congress: — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer defended a deal with Republicans over Joe Biden’s judicial nominees. (POLITICO) — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is weighing a challenge to Rep. Jerrold Nadler to be the top House Judiciary Committee Democrat. (Axios) — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed concern about Pete Hegseth nomination for secretary of defense. (Spectrum News) | ||||
| A message from Uber: Study Shows Uber Drivers making over $52k while NYC Heroes Get Left Behind | ||||
| ||||
Edited by Daniel Lippman MAKING MOVES: Zachary Dembner is joining BerlinRosen’s public affairs practice in New York as a vice president with a focus on health and advocacy. He is leaving the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. … Allison Lew has joined New Yorkers United for Child Care as their first senior organizer. In that role, she will help expand the organization's membership of over 6,000 parents, would-be parents, grandparents and elected official partners fighting for free child care for all of NY. … Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Louis Molina brought some staffers over from his former perch at the Department of Correction: former DOC Deputy Commissioner of Human Resources Lynn Grubiak is now chief of staff at DCAS … Patrick Benn is now deputy commissioner of facilities management at DCAS … and former DOC Director of External Affairs John-Carlo Bautista is now DCAS chief of staff for public affairs. EXPANSION NEWS: Public strategy firm Mercury Public Affairs, which has offices in New York, announced that Chicago-based Serafin & Associates is merging into Mercury’s Illinois business, which will expand the firm’s capabilities in the Midwest and nationwide. MEDIAWATCH: NBC New York's Chuck Scarborough will sign off after record-setting 50+ year run. (NBC New York) HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep.-elect George Latimer … Bradford’s Sandra Wilkin … Statewide Public Affairs’ Jim Quent … former Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) … DSS’s Mauricio Pazmino … former state Sen. Cathy Young … NBC’s Scott Wong … U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield … Cassie Spodak … CBS’ Matthew Mosk … Andy Stern … Donny Deutsch … (WAS THURSDAY): Alexander Freeman ... Amir Korangy ... William Samers Missed Thursday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here. | ||||
|
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook | ||||
| Follow us
| ||||
