Extender 5: Endgame or Infinity War?

Presented by NY Renews, a project of Tides Advocacy

New York lawmakers have given themselves until Friday to pass a state budget, and it seems this time they might be taking it seriously rather than dragging it out through multiple timelines, universes and dimensions. Could that have anything to do with the fact that their paychecks — with a the big raise Gov. Kathy Hochul approved last year — are on hold until a budget is in place?

One promising sign is a tentative deal to bring the minimum wage up to $17 per hour with small increases over the next couple of years. Future increases would then be tied to inflation, which Hochul had championed in her executive budget. It’s a good step for progressive labor advocates, but, like any budget compromise, doesn’t go as far as they like. They wanted to get New York past $20 an hour in the next couple of years, particularly to stay on pace with increases in other major cities.

“This puts New York behind Flagstaff, Arizona,” Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos tweeted Monday night in response to reports of the deal. “No disrespect to Flagstaff, Arizona.”

Another good signal toward an expedient finale is that the Senate and Assembly both had multi-hour conferences on Monday, meaning there was finally enough substance ready for members to chew on.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — the only one of the three leaders to offer an update on Monday — gave an optimistic “hopefully the end is near” to reporters in the Capitol.

The current outstanding issues aren’t necessarily easy, but they are being worked out, he said. Those include “the environment, charter schools,” and a newly prominent item — how to curb illegal cannabis sales.

It’s very likely that the final budget will include $1 billion to help New York City with the roughly 50,000 migrants who have come to the five boroughs since last year, Heastie said.

It’s also looking like the proposal will include an expansion of funding for universal school meals to fill in holes left by now-absent federal money. Hochul’s executive proposal had not included additional state dollars to help families pay for school breakfasts and lunches, but both Senate and Assembly did, and that would be a difficult refusal to explain.

IT IS ONLY TUESDAY. Got tips, suggestions or thoughts? Let us know ... By email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @annagronewold

WHERE’S KATHY? In Albany with no announced public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City highlighting the public safety technology used to respond to a building collapse last week with Fire Department of the City of New York Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. Then, the mayor will deliver remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for PIX11 and News Nation’s new studio.

ABOVE THE FOLD — President Joe Biden has formally launched his campaign for a second term in 2024, asking voters to keep him in office and “finish the job” of an historic American recovery that started after he vanquished Donald Trump in 2020. Biden’s long-awaited announcement allows him to begin fundraising 18 months out from the November general election. In a video, the president echoed several familiar themes he outlined when he first took charge of the country during the spiraling Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic turmoil, taking office days after insurrectionists seized the U.S. Capitol.

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

“Governors Island to Be Site of $700 Million Climate Campus,” by The New York Times’ Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Dana Rubinstein: “The city chose a consortium led by Stony Brook University to transform one of the island’s last big chunks of developable land into a 400,000-square-foot hub called the ‘New York Climate Exchange.’ The campus, which will focus on researching climate solutions and training for green jobs, is expected to open in 2028.”

“Subway Collisions With People Are Up Nearly 25% Since 2018. Operator: ‘It Breaks You Down,’” by THE CITY’s Jose Martinez: “MTA numbers provided to THE CITY show 234 reported incidents in 2022 of people coming into contact with trains — up from 200 one year earlier — and a nearly 25% increase from 2018, when there were 189. In all, there were 88 fatalities and 1,364 instances of track trespassing last year.”

“NYC jails monitor faults DOC commish for delayed response to disciplinary process concerns,” by Daily News’ Graham Rayman: “Correction Commissioner Louis Molina ignored concerns raised by the federal monitor overseeing city jails about disciplinary investigations for two months before producing a half-hearted response, according to a new report. Monitors Steve Martin and Anna Friedberg wrote in a report issued Monday afternoon that they first shared concerns by phone and in writing on Dec. 21 with Molina about ‘deterioration’ in use of force investigations.”

“NYC Council Member James Gennaro is endorsing RFK Jr. for president,” by City & State’s Jeff Coltin: “‘He has done more for the environment than anyone I know,’ Gennaro wrote, ‘including me, and that’s saying something, if I may be so bold.’”

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

“State budget agreement close on allowing 22 more charter schools in New York City: sources,” by New York Post’s Zach Williams: “Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state Senate, and Assembly are closing in on a deal to allow nearly two dozen more charter schools in New York City, sources said Monday. The pending compromise would keep a regional cap of 275 charters in place within the five boroughs while allowing 22 so-called ‘zombie’ licenses to get reissued. But a final agreement hinges on who would provide the space and funding to accommodate future charters, sources familiar with negotiations said.”

”‘Clean Slate’ bill part of budget talks, but faces an uncertain future,” by Times Union’s Raga Justin: “Legislation seeking to automatically seal criminal records of New Yorkers failed to overcome objections at the 11th hour during last year’s session – but those pushing it have said the measure may fare better among current protracted budget discussions, many of which have centered on public safety and criminal justice proposals.”

“Hochul’s housing push appears dead. Can suburbs solve affordability crisis on their own?” by USA Today Network’s Chris McKenna: “‘Sometimes in life the moment comes to do a reset — simple as that sometimes,’ Rockland County Executive Ed Day told a crowd of nearly 200 at the Rockland County Fire Training Center at the outset of the forum. ‘That’s kind of what we’re doing today.’ The county organized talks on what Day called one of Rockland’s ‘most pressing challenges’ before the impasse in Albany over Hochul’s housing plans. But its timing was striking: the demise of her proposals last week left the quest for solutions in local hands, in places like Rockland.”

“NY Assembly Map: Meet your new district. Same as the old district,” by WNYC’s Giulia Heyward and Jon Campbell: “Your new New York State Assembly district is pretty much the same as your old district. The state Legislature on Monday approved new Assembly district lines that will take effect for the 2024 elections, replacing a nearly identical set of districts that were just put into place for last year’s races before a court threw them out.”

#UpstateAmerica: Now it’s state vehicles that are hitting troublesome bridges. Someone fix this.

TRUMP'S NEW YORK

FORMER GOP REP. LEE ZELDIN thinks the Republican Party is “filled with amazing talent to save our country from the failed policies of the Biden Admin,” he tweeted Monday. But only one member is amazing enough to earn his endorsement for president: Donald Trump. In the same tweet, he said the former president has his “full support.” Zeldin, whose better-than-expected performance in the last gubernatorial race scored him a treasure chest of political capital, recently introduced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at an event in Long Island. DeSantis was angling for Zeldin’s support in the primary, according to our Sally Goldenberg. — Zachary Schermele

“Amid Legal Onslaught, Trump Faces Writer’s Suit Accusing Him of Rape,” by The New York Times’ Benjamin Weiser: “On Tuesday, that case is scheduled for trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan, where, after years of accusations and angry denials traded in articles, interviews and social media, a jury will be charged with determining the truth. The proceeding will take place amid a barrage of legal cases aimed at Mr. Trump, who is running to regain the presidency, and arguing that the suits and investigations are meant to drag him down.”

AROUND NEW YORK

— PROPUBLICA: “Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes?”

— State officials have launched a new secure facility to collect and store untested sexual assault kits from across New York.

— Very little progress has been made to end cellphone dead zones upstate even after a state-commissioned report.

— Jury selection kicked off in Manhattan federal court for a lawsuit accusing singer Ed Sheeran of lifting parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” for his own music.

— The latest round of layoffs at Meta affected 343 New York City employees.

— Actress Emma Stone will be in Albany on Tuesday to support a state bill to criminalize the harassment of children.

SOCIAL DATA BY DANIEL LIPPMAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: James Simons … PBS NewsHour’s Geoff Bennett … Patrick Mellody … Jaclyn Rothenberg … Teddy Goff of Precision Strategies … Mike Doran of the Hudson Institute … Julie Roginsky … Alex Brown … Emily Singer … Rabbi Mordechai Willig … Meredith Dragon … Adam Silver ... Adam Neumann ... Adina Konikoff ... Jessica S. Lappin

MEDIAWATCH — “What Tucker Carlson Leaves Behind as He Is Shown the Door: The host’s abrupt dismissal upends Fox News’s prime-time lineup — and the carefully honed impression that the ratings star was all but untouchable,” by NYT’s Nick Confessore

— Playbook PM: “Fox nips Tuck, CNN squeezes Lemon out” … Newsmax’s Carl Higbie: “Fox News just cut down the money tree”

MAKING MOVES — Joe Guy is now chief of staff for Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.). Guy, a Syracuse native, most recently was the director of programs at the Club for Growth Foundation and is a Trump USAID alum. … Steven L. Chanenson is joining NYC litigation boutique firm Levine Lee LLP as of counsel. He is a professor of law at the Charles Widger School of Law at Villanova University. … Bernadette Carrillo is joining Tusk Strategies as a managing director. She most recently was director of intergovernmental affairs in the office of the secretary at the Commerce Department and is also a Biden White House alum.

ENGAGED — Jonathan Guyer, senior foreign policy writer at Vox, on April 1 proposed to Hannah Dreier, investigative reporter with The New York Times. The couple got engaged on the banks of Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. “There was a necklace and a shaken cocktail by the water, followed by dinner at Runner Up in nearby Park Slope. They met for a date at Bar Pilar in Washington in 2019, and they moved in fall 2022 to New York. She’s already worn the necklace on MSNBC — twice.” Pic