Adams rolls out gun violence plan

Presented by NY Renews, a project of Tides Advocacy

New York City Mayor Eric Adams laid out an ambitious and controversial anti-gun violence agenda, after spending his first few weeks in office consumed with a series of high-profile crimes that culminated in the shooting death of an NYPD officer.

In a major speech from City Hall, Adams announced he will be deploying new NYPD plainclothes units to high-crime neighborhoods within the next three weeks — making good on his campaign pledge to bring back, in a modified form, the anti-crime unit disbanded during the police brutality protests of 2020. The new units will launch in 30 precincts that represent 80 percent of where violence is reported in the city. Also on tap: more aggressive use of facial recognition technology and random checks for guns at bus and train stations.

Another big plank in his plan — one sure to lead to a legislative fight in Albany — is a call to roll back some of the criminal justice reforms that have been implemented in New York in recent years. He wants judges to have the power to detain defendants they believe to be dangerous before trial, a major change to the bail laws now in place. And Adams wants changes to the state’s raise the age law, which stopped most 16- and 17-year-olds from being charged as adults. Under his proposal, a teen caught with a gun who refuses to tell authorities where they got it would be charged in criminal court.

Adams is already facing blowback from the left, while police unions — inveterate foes of his predecessor Bill de Blasio — have been more supportive, as have some Republicans. The new mayor is making a big bet that the strategies he outlined will manage to staunch a rise in shootings, which so far has shown no signs of abating, and thus deliver on his central campaign promise. “We will not surrender our city to the violent few,” he said.

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WHERE’S KATHY? Holding a Covid-19 briefing.

WHERE’S ERIC? Doing a series of TV and radio interviews to discuss his gun violence plan.

ABOVE THE FOLD — “Sheldon Silver, NY Power Broker Sent to Prison, Dead at 77,” by The Associated Press’ Michael Hill and Michael Balsamo: “Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful figures in state government for two decades before his conviction on corruption charges, has died in federal custody. He was 77. The Manhattan Democrat, who told a judge he prayed he would not die in prison, had been serving a more than six-year sentence in federal prison. He was convicted of using his clout in state government to benefit real estate developers, who rewarded Silver by referring lucrative business to his law firm. Silver’s supporters have said he was in failing health recently and was susceptible to contracting COVID-19. He was furloughed for several days in May before federal authorities denied him home confinement.”

What City Hall's reading

“Street Vendor Tickets Are On The Rise, A Year After City Moved Enforcement From NYPD,” by Gothamist’s Katherine Fung: “New York City’s new approach to street vendor enforcement was meant to alleviate the burden on operators, but recent data indicates those coffee stands, halal carts and hot dog purveyors are actually getting ticketed more than they used to. It’s been more than a year since former Mayor Bill de Blasio shifted responsibility for enforcing vendor regulations from the NYPD to the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Last year, the DCWP issued more than 700 tickets for violations of the city’s vending regulations. The NYPD has also continued to issue a healthy amount of tickets to vendors, despite the new policy.”

“Adams says it ‘makes no sense’ cops aren’t required to live in NYC,” by New York Post’s Craig McCarthy: “Mayor Eric Adams said Monday that it ‘makes no sense’ that the nearly 35,000 uniformed police officers aren’t required to live in the Big Apple. ‘I want you here in this city,’ Adams said after a press conference unveiling his new gun prevention plan. ‘I want you to go to the cleaners. I want you to go to the churches to the supermarket, your children should be in our schools. We shouldn’t have 30 something percent of officers residing [out of New York City].’”

“One Of NYC’s First Substations Will Be Demolished Soon,” by Gothamist’s Jen Carlsen: “A once-striking architectural example of form and function, the circa-1904 substation on West 96th Street, also known as Substation No. 14, will soon be demolished. This long-abandoned limestone structure was one of eight original substations that helped power the city’s first subway line (the IRT Broadway line) and itself was powered by the coal-burning IRT powerhouse on 59th Street, which was designed by McKim Mead & White (best known for the old Pennsylvania Station, and some of its surrounding structures). Both buildings still stand today, but only the latter is landmarked. ‘Substations are part of the power supply network for the subway, and this network was built before the modern power grid was developed,’ Jodi Shapiro, curator at the New York Transit Museum, told WNYC/Gothamist. And almost all of these substations were phased out around three decades ago — Substation No. 14 (located at 264-266 West 96th Street between Broadway and West End Avenue) has been offline since 1990. At that time, the MTA transferred the station to the City of New York, and it’s currently administered by NYC Housing Preservation & Development (HPD).”

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

“State court strikes down Hochul’s mask mandate,” by Buffalo News’ Dale Anderson: “New York State’s mask mandate has been stricken down by a State Supreme Court justice in Nassau County. Justice Thomas Rademacher ruled Monday that the order last month by State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett requiring face coverings in public places violated State Administrative Procedure Act and is null and void. The State Legislature passed the law in March in response to the measures taken by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he declared a disaster emergency in the early days of the pandemic in 2020. ‘While the intentions of Commissioner Bassett and Gov. (Kathy) Hochul appear to be well aimed squarely at doing what they believe is right to protect the citizens of New York State, they must take their case to the State Legislature,’ Rademacher wrote.

“In a statement Monday night, Gov. Hochul expressed her displeasure with the decision. ‘My responsibility as governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and save lives,’ her statement said. ‘We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately.’”

“New York’s redistricting commission fails to agree on new map,” by The Associated Press’ Bobby Caina Calvan: “Democrats on New York’s redistricting commission threw up their hands Monday, a day before a bipartisan panel – apparently in name only – was to submit redrawn congressional boundaries to state lawmakers. That means the Legislature, which is overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats, can now seize control over a reapportionment process voters hoped would minimize gerrymandering. ‘We have negotiated with our Republican colleagues in good faith for two years to achieve a single consensus plan. At every step, they have refused to agree to a compromise,’ the commission’s Democratic members said in a statement they released Monday morning…‘This commission has been a sham since day one when Democrats totally co-opted the process. They made clear they had no interest in working in a bipartisan manner to draw lines that were in the best interest of New Yorkers,’ said Nick Langworthy, the state Republican Party chairman.”

“NYRA says Baffert has taken a ‘wrecking ball’ to horse racing in disciplinary hearing,” by Times Union’s Emilie Munson: “ Seven months after his Kentucky Derby drug violation, a hearing to suspend horse trainer Bob Baffert from racing at New York Racing Association tracks began Monday with fiery opening statements in which each party alleged the other was seeking to destroy its business. The high-profile disciplinary hearing represents a rare instance of New York’s top tracks taking action to ban one of the nation’s most successful thoroughbred trainers as a result of doping violations in other states. On Monday, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) said Baffert had taken a ‘wrecking ball’ to the sport of horse racing with his history of repeated drug violations. NYRA Attorney Henry Greenberg alleged Baffert’s actions have also threatened the continuation of horse racing and NYRA’s business.”

“Kathy Hochul pushed for $75M sale of pot retailer to help campaign donor: lawsuit,” New York Post’s Ariel Zilber and Josh Kosman: “Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office pushed to force the bargain-priced buyout of a well-positioned cannabis retailer just days before it was set to wriggle out of the deal — and just days after the lucky acquirer attended a fundraiser for Hochul, according to an explosive lawsuit. Gov. Hochul’s administration used improper influence late last month to help recreational pot seller Ascend Wellness seal its $75 million deal to buy the MedMen marijuana dispensary chain, the suit filed on Monday claims. Specifically, MedMen’s lawsuit alleges that Hochul’s office pushed regulators to OK the controversial deal after dragging their feet for nearly a year — and just days after one of Ascend’s executives attended a fundraiser for Hochul’s reelection campaign.”

“New York officials urged to tackle gun violence, bail,” by Spectrum News’ Nick Reisman: “New York officials, from lawmakers in the state Legislature to Gov. Kathy Hochul and her five-month-old administration, are being urged to tackle rising concerns over street violence and crime. Prescriptions of how to do so in a deeply polarizing time have varied after years of criminal justice law changes advocates have shown little desire to roll back or alter. Into the debate entered New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who released a package of provisions on Monday to combat crime, a move that comes in the wake of the shooting of two NYPD officers last week, one fatally.”

#UpstateAmerica: Saugerties, “The Muppets”, circular whimsy? Hot real estate alert.

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

“Michael Avenatti Trial Begins, Unearthing Artifacts of the Trump Era,” by The New York Times’ Colin Moynihan: “For much of 2018, the California-based lawyer Michael Avenatti and his client Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress, were key figures in the fervent political opposition to President Donald J. Trump. They became stars of what was often called ‘the resistance’ — and were seen by some as potential agents of Mr. Trump’s undoing. For a time, the brash Mr. Avenatti even flirted with a run to replace Mr. Trump. But the partnership between Ms. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, and the lawyer crumbled long before the 2020 election. And even as he was championing Ms. Daniels in public, Mr. Avenatti was secretly stealing from her, according to federal prosecutors in Manhattan.”

AROUND NEW YORK

— The gunman accused of shooting two NYPD officers has died after being shot by a third officer.

— Good news: The city of Hudson finally has the money to stop dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river.

— Covid-19 border restrictions are still making life difficult for families in Ontario and Western New York.

— The car used by Police Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch has racked up 29 school-zone speeding violations since 2016.

— Two pedestrians were killed in crosswalks in Manhattan.

— MTA overtime spending increased last year amid Covid-driven crew shortages.

— The death of four dogs has sparked concern among pet owners who believe they may have contracted a fatal bacterial infection at Brooklyn’s McCarren Park.

— The MTA’s new OMNY fare payment system is millions of dollars over budget and more than a year behind schedule.

— A team of military doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and medics began working at Coney Island Hospital, which is hard hit by the Omicron surge.

— Residents fight to keep a longtime printing shop on the Lower East Side’s Essex Street in business.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Joe Conason of The National Memo … NYT’s Jeremy Peters …Brunswick Group’s Kevin Helliker ... NBC’s Emily Passer … Evan Lukaske of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) office … Iva Benson of Rubenstein … Heather Marrison … Jim Axelrod ... ICM Partners’ Michael Glantz … Nancy Gibbs … Dae Lim ... Mark Bottini ... Christine Gianakis

MEDIAWATCH — “Sarah Palin’s defamation trial against New York Times delayed by positive coronavirus test,” by Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison. (PSA: If you ate at Elio’s on Saturday night, you might want to get tested.)

MAKING MOVES — Zephyr Teachout will become a special adviser and senior counsel for economic justice to state Attorney General Tish James. The former candidate for AG and governor will take a leave of absence from Fordham Law School. … Andrew Nicholson is now an associate director of government relations at Imperium Global Advisors. He previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.). (h/t POLITICO Playbook)

Real Estate

“New York’s Beleaguered Hotel Industry Braces for Even More Hotels,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Kate King: “New York City hotels are still suffering from the effects of the pandemic, but that hasn’t slowed the flow of new properties expected to open this year and in the years to come. Fifty-three hotels are scheduled to add an estimated 9,000 rooms to the New York City market in 2022, according to September figures from research firm Lodging Econometrics. That puts the city on track for the nation’s second-highest growth rate, just behind Austin, Texas, for hotel rooms added among the 50 biggest markets.”

“Tombs Teardown Threatens Lower Manhattan Art Installations,” by The City’s Clifford Michel: “The tug of war over a piece of public art in Chinatown is the latest flashpoint in the fight against bringing a new jail to the neighborhood. Last April, the city’s Departments of Design and Construction and Cultural Affairs asked sculptor Kit-Yin Snyder for as many details as possible regarding her piece, ‘Judgment,’ (also called ‘Justice’) just outside the Manhattan Detention Complex, including instructions on how to disassemble the multi-faceted structure so it could be reinstalled elsewhere.”