By Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman

With Timmy Facciola

Mayoral candidate Zellnor Myrie’s proposal is to build 700,000 new housing units in the next decade. | Courtesy of NYS Senate Media Services

NEW YORK MINUTE: Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams are appearing together this morning at the groundbreaking of the American LGBTQ+ Museum — which will be housed in a new wing of the New York Historical Society on the Upper West Side.

While Adams has continued to praise Hochul effusively, she’s mostly kept her distance from the mayor since his September indictment.

BUILD BABY BUILD: Zellnor Myrie is releasing his blueprints and laying down a foundation to be the most pro-housing candidate in the 2025 mayoral race, hoping to seize on the city’s small but growing Yes In My Backyard or YIMBY movement.

That of course threatens to put him at odds with the city’s far more established anti-development voters, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take.

Previously just “exploring” a run, Myrie is officially in for the Democratic primary scheduled for June, he tells Playbook. But more than just a change in phrasing — he’s releasing the race’s first detailed housing plan titled Rebuild NYC: A Mandate for One Million Homes.

“I very much want it in our backyard,” Myrie said in an interview with Playbook. “That is, I think, foundational to what we are putting forward.”

Myrie’s proposal is to build 700,000 new housing units in the next decade and preserve 300,000 more, a construction rate not seen in the city since the boom of the 1920s — and double Adams’ current “moonshot” goal. Housing production is dependent on economic conditions mayors don’t control, and can be quite costly when the city foots the bill.

He’d do it with a “Mega Midtown” upzoning, finding “new neighborhoods” like building on the Aqueduct Racetrack and ramping up construction on NYCHA land.

POLITICO’s Janaki Chadha has a report on the details of the big swing.

The plan is earning applause from advocates for new housing.

"Our housing shortage is a policy choice. Four years ago it would have been inconceivable for a major candidate for Mayor of New York City to propose a housing plan this ambitious,” said Annemarie Gray, executive director of housing advocacy group Open New York.

In that race, the YIMBYs liked Kathryn Garcia — “not because of any particular proposal, but just because of a general competence and vibe,” explained Stephen Smith, executive director of the Center for Building North America, who posts on social media as @MarketUrbanism.

Now? “This is the pro-housing, non-corrupt NYC mayoral candidate for those who are interested in such things,” YIMBY substacker Matt Yglesias posted on X in September, with a link to Myrie’s campaign site.

Myrie’s plan would be a massive political challenge, given opposition to building new housing — but this would be a roadmap, Smith said. “If somebody could achieve it, then the plan looks like what you'd see to get there.”

Housing — and affordability, more broadly — could become central to the race in the way that crime, as an issue, dominated conversation in the last one.

And Myrie seems more comfortable leaning into this issue than touting his left-of-center record on criminal justice at a time when many city voters are still registering fears about crime.

Mayor Adams will have his own plan to tout, with the City Council expecting to pass the City of Yes for Housing plan on Thursday. Myrie took issue with it with the housing target getting reduced in negotiations.

“City of Yes, it has been a good start, but it is far from sufficient,” he said. “I think that the notion that this city cannot do big things, that we can’t build more is fundamentally un-New York.” — Jeff Coltin

HAPPY TUESDAY: 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? Attending the memorial service for Omer Neutra and delivering remarks at the groundbreaking of the American LGBTQ+ Museum groundbreaking ceremony.

WHERE’S ERIC? Delivering remarks at the American LGBTQ+ Museum’s official groundbreaking, and later holding his weekly off-topic press conference.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I guarantee that the representatives and senators from all those red states are supportive of their local institutions.” — CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, sharing his optimism with THE CITY that a Republican trifecta in Washington won’t mean a reduction in federal funding.

Rep. Jerry Nadler serves as dean of the New York congressional delegation. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

NADLER UNDER PRESSURE: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Monday formalized his bid to unseat Rep. Jerry Nadler as the top Democrat on the influential House Judiciary Committee, revealing a generational, intraparty rift on how best to take on Donald Trump.

Nadler has been here before, portrayed as too old for his office and too stubborn to accept a changing of the guard.

In 2022, when former Rep. Carolyn Maloney faced him in a primary forced upon the political titans by redistricting, she agreed with a New York Post editorial calling him “senile” and predicted he wouldn’t finish his term.

Nadler, in Congress since 1992, handily defeated her then, won reelection this year and is about to finish his term.

But what the 77-year-old’s next term looks like depends on the committee clash. Raskin in a letter to his Dem colleagues said he respected Nadler but stated, “This is where we will wage our front-line defense of the freedoms and rights of the people, the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI.”

Nadler, the dean of the New York delegation, did not immediately respond. His Upper West Side allies were glad to do so on his behalf.

Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal noted that Raskin is 61, not that much younger than Nadler. She added that Nadler stood up to Trump, the New York developer, long before he served as the manager of Trump’s first impeachment.

“He’s sharp and he’s up to the job,” she told Playbook. “He’s been fighting with Trump and winning for many, many years, for decades, starting with Riverside South here in my district, where Trump wanted to tear down the highway so that the people who lived in the buildings would have a better view of the Hudson.”

Former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, a candidate for New York City mayor who’s also been floated as a Nadler successor, said, “Why you would mess with the best judiciary chair since Peter Rodino is beyond my comprehension.”

Both Rosenthal and Stringer said they believe Nadler would know when it’s time to step down, even if it’s hard.

“He’s going stay in Congress as long as he knows he can make a contribution,” Stringer told Playbook, quipping, “You know, the next congressman from the West Side is just graduating high school right now.” — Emily Ngo

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The CARE coalition includes Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the Vera Institute of Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant ARC and New Yorkers impacted by immigration enforcement. | Chase Sutton/POLITICO

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: A second Trump presidency means renewed efforts in New York to resist his agenda.

At a rally this morning in lower Manhattan, a coalition of elected officials and immigrant advocacy groups plan to demand $165 million in state funds for legal services and infrastructure — and unveil multiple state legislative proposals to combat Trump’s mass deportation plans, Playbook has learned.

They are relaunching their Campaign for Access, Representation and Equity for Immigrant Families for the 2025 state legislative session. The CARE coalition includes Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the Vera Institute of Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant ARC and New Yorkers impacted by immigration enforcement. — Emily Ngo

More from the city:

— A complex insurance operation with ties to Adams’ ex-chief of staff, Frank Carone, has landed in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors. (POLITICO Pro)

— The City Council is funding the development of a Latine Studies curriculum for local public schools in the wake of Trump’s election. (Daily News)

— The casino plan for the Citi Field parking lot would actually double the parking, adding four structures with a total of 13,750 spaces. (Hell Gate)

A message from Uber:

“I want to see what the court actually does with these cases, because it’s clear now… this was politics,” Andrew Cuomo said about hypothetically pardoning President-elect Donald Trump. | Richard Drew/AP

OH, PARDON ME: Andrew Cuomo sidestepped a question Tuesday as to whether he would pardon President-elect Donald Trump if he were governor again.

Instead, Cuomo slammed the political motivations of the justice system in a radio interview with John Catsimatidis, the billionaire magnate and donor.

“I want to see what the court actually does with these cases because it’s clear now … this was politics,” he said, adding that “there is a distrust of the system.”

The incoming president was found guilty earlier this year in a Manhattan case that stemmed from charges he paid hush money to a porn star. Sentencing in the case was delayed indefinitely last month following Trump’s White House victory.

Trump’s attorneys have also called for his business fraud case brought by Attorney General Letitia James to be dismissed.

Cuomo’s appearance Monday on WABC came after President Joe Biden issued a broad, unconditional pardon for his son Hunter.

Cuomo, who resigned in 2021, has been considering a run for elected office again, either as governor or for New York City mayor amid Eric Adams’ legal woes. — Nick Reisman 

FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Two lawmakers want stronger safeguards against the infiltration of potential foreign adversaries in state government roles.

The proposals by state Sen. Jake Ashby and Assemblymember Matt Slater would block citizens and entities from adversarial countries from buying property in the state and, separately, create a bipartisan commission to investigate foreign influence.

The measures were introduced after the arrest of Linda Sun, an aide to Cuomo and later Hochul. Sun was accused of using her government connections to act as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government. She has pleaded not guilty.

Her arrest, however, has highlighted what officials worry is a vulnerability: Foreign entities seeking to unduly influence domestic politics at the state and local level.

“I’m not alone in wondering how and why Linda Sun for so long had been operating as an agent for the Chinese government allegedly during her time in Congress, the Cuomo administration and the Hochul administration,” Ashby told Playbook.

Ashby and Slater are both Republicans, making the legislation unlikely to pass without the backing of a majority of Democrats in the Legislature.

But Ashby believes the issues raised by the Sun case are so important that Democrats should support the bills.

“If nothing is done on this it’s a profound example of dereliction of duty,” he said. “It’s calling for our action and if we do not respond in any way on this, I think we’re really putting many New Yorkers at risk.”

Sun held a variety of jobs in state government and rose to a prominent position in the Cuomo administration. She was later fired by the Hochul administration in 2023.

Hochul’s office did not respond to a message seeking comment. — Nick Reisman

SUPERFUND PRESSURE BUILDS: Hochul is facing more pressure to sign the Legislature’s highest-profile climate bill of this past session — including from a potential primary challenger.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat from the Bronx who’s exploring a run for governor, has joined a chorus of Congress members backing the Climate Superfund measure. The bill would charge large fossil fuel companies for sales of oil and gas to fund investments geared at adapting to worsening storms, rising seas and other impacts from climate change.

“It is time for the biggest polluters to take responsibility for their contributions to climate change and help fund the solutions,” Torres said in a statement. “Together, we can work towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all."

Proponents of the bill say costs would not be passed on to consumers because the charges to companies are based on historic sales. Opponents, including the state’s business community, argue it would raise costs and warn it would be subject to legal challenges.

Officials in Hochul’s administration have expressed concerns about the legal risk in the past, but a sponsor of the bill has said she’s optimistic the governor will sign the bill before the end-of-year deadline for action.

Mayor Eric Adams also backed the measure earlier this year in a previously unreleased letter to the governor. The New York Businesses for Climate Justice Coalition, including Kickstarter, sent a letter backing the bill this week, as well. — Marie J. French

More from Albany:

— A Republican-led House subcommittee found Cuomo may have tried to inappropriately influence a witness. (POLITICO)

— Rep. Ritchie Torres wants a probe of alleged bid rigging for a Medicaid program. (New York Post)

— State aid to schools could be revamped under the auspices of a Hochul-backed report. (Newsday)

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— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is facing a new leadership test as Dems fight for committee posts to battle Trump. (CNN)

— Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer will shuffle his leadership roster to give Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker new posts. (Axios)

— A staffer for Rep. Joe Morelle lost his job after he was arrested on suspicion of bringing ammunition into a U.S. House office building. (Axios)

— Adams and Hochul have not slowed spending ahead of potential Trump cuts. (THE CITY)

— Pet stores are closing as a new state law takes effect. (Times Union)

— Tickets from Suffolk County’s red light camera program issued before Dec. 1 must still be paid. (Newsday)

A message from Uber:

Study Shows Uber Drivers making over $52k while NYC Heroes Get Left Behind

A new study reveals a growing wage divide in New York City: Uber drivers are making an average of $52,900 a year after expenses, while city employees like EMTs and sanitation workers starting salaries are below $44,000. Since 2020, rideshare drivers have received five pay increases through TLC mandates while many frontline city workers face stagnant wages amid rising living costs. This gap underscores an evolving dynamic in NYC’s workforce, where gig workers see consistent earnings growth while essential city roles lag behind. This pay disparity is raising questions about the city’s priorities and the need for equitable wages in public service amidst the affordability crisis.

Read the full story to see how gig work earnings are reshaping NYC’s labor landscape. Learn More.

Edited by Daniel Lippman

WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Former Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and her husband welcomed Zoe Rui-Yi Letechipia Niou on Oct. 28.

WEDDING – Alexander Krinitski, a senior account executive at Trustpilot, on Nov. 23 married Maya Bronstein, an account director at communications firm M Booth, in a ceremony and reception in Miami. The couple met on Hinge. Pic … Another pic

MEDIAWATCH: New York magazine senior writer Kevin T. Dugan has joined The Wall Street Journal, covering the culture of Wall Street … Sara Germano has joined The Information as a sports reporter. She was previously sports business correspondent at the Financial Times.

MAKING MOVES: Gaby Guilmart, former deputy political director for the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, joined Tusk as a senior vice president … Adam Roberts, former policy director for the Community Housing Improvement Program has joined Kasirer as vice president of legislation … The Broadway League has promoted Jason Laks to president. Laks has been general counsel and executive vice president of labor relations. (The New York Times)... James Martin is joining the public affairs firm Bamberger & Vlasto. He was previously with the Harris campaign and Hochul’s office.

OUT & ABOUT: The Building Trades Employers Association hosted its 2024 Leadership Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street last Tuesday. Honorees included John DeLollis of the Association of Wall-Ceiling & Carpentry Industries of New York, James Mahoney of the International Ironworkers Union, Roger McClean of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Michael Capasso of C.A.C. Industries and W&W Glass. SPOTTED: BTEA President and CEO Elizabeth Crowley, Building & Construction Trades Union’s Gary LaBarbera, Turner Construction Company’s Peter Davoren, state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Brian Kavanagh, State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon, NYC Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers and Queens DA Melinda Katz.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum … Assemblymember Jeff Dinowitz … Tenants PAC’s Michael McKee … Deloitte’s Jazmin Kay … former City Council Member Stephen Levin of Solar One … Allen Cappelli … MTA Construction & Development’s Joe O’Donnell … Local 338’s Nikki Kateman … WBAI’s Jillian Jonas … Ali Zelenko … Jesse Lee … Mandi Critchfield of Senate Finance … Robby Mook … Elizabeth Edelman … (WAS MONDAY): Nancy Haberman … Una Clarke (9-0)

Missed Monday’s New York Playbook PM? We forgive you. Read it here.

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