With help from Shawn Ness
Governor Kathy Hochul eliminated congestion pricing.
On a video message This morning, the governor told New Yorkers that she has made the “difficult decision” to “pause the program indefinitely.”
The move shocked politicians across the state and angered politicians and advocacy organizations who had spent more than a decade of political capital to promote the controversial plan.
Today’s announcement, first reported by POLITICO, also speaks to Hochul’s approach to governance. At other points in her career, she has abruptly rejected policies inherited by former governor Andrew Cuomo, which she once championed.
Remember cap and invest? Hochul’s administration proposed changing the Cuomo-era climate law to make the program less costly during the final days of budget negotiations last year. But it backed down after environmental groups and lawmakers rebelled, and his administration is now considering a price cap for capping and investing that—in the absence of other meaningful policies—will result in the state failing to achieve its goals.
What about bail reform? She was dogged by Cuomo-era policies during her re-election run against former Rep. Lee Zeldin and came uncomfortably close to losing because of it. Only in the final days of her campaign did she make a last-minute shift to focus on crime.
Today’s announcement is similar. Lawmakers and state officials are already packing their bags to leave Albany and return to their districts for the last time this year. Dozens of congestion pricing cameras has already been installed in Manhattan, and the program was just weeks away from becoming a reality after first being proposed in 2007.
“This is all a new development that came on very suddenly, so I’m not sure what the governor has in mind,” said Deputy Majority Leader Sen. Mike Gianaris when asked how the state will offset the planned congestion pricing. revenue.
The Legislature will now have to figure out how to account for the estimated billion dollars budgeted in congestion pricing revenue. Lawmakers believe there are two options: take money from the state’s “rainy day fund” or generate MTA revenue through a business or payroll tax.
Even as congestion pricing was set to be implemented, lawsuits were being brought to overturn it. On a legal filing today obtained by POLITICO, the MTA told the court such fights will no longer be necessary.
Hochul attributed her reversal to fiscal concerns, saying today: “A $15 charge may not mean much to someone who has the means, but it could break the budget of a working or middle-class family,” she said.
She also said, “For the cynics who question my motivation, I approach every decision through one lens: What is best for New Yorkers?”
POLITICO previously reported a different motivation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was among those who reportedly feared that congestion pricing could hurt Democrats’ chances of winning swing seats in New York, where his party’s losses helped tip the balance of power toward the Republican Party two years ago. (Hochul’s announcement came just 12 hours after the story was published on Tuesday night.)
Remember, Hochul he spoke with grandiosity about congestion pricing just before the start of this year’s legislative session: “From time to time, leaders are called to imagine a better future, to be bold in implementation and execution,” she said at a pro-conference meeting. -congestion pricing in December. race. – Jason Beeferman
THE SLOW RHYTHM OF THE ASSEMBLY: Advocates on a wide range of issues expressed a similar concern this week: There may not be enough time for the Assembly to vote on its bills before it leaves town this week. There are 150 members who might want to debate bills in that chamber, compared to 61 currently in the Senate, and the technical means of voting take longer than in the Upper Chamber.
The numbers confirm the slow pace. Although the Assembly only adjourned for the day at 11:37 pm on Monday and 10:49 pm on Tuesday, members approved just 137 bills – a rate of nine per hour spent in session. The Senate ended both days at dinner time, but managed to pass 295 bills – a rate of 59 per hour. -Bill Mahoney
BREAKING THE LAW: Before toppling a motorcycle and signaling bulldozers to crush rows of others at a now-closed Staten Island landfill today, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would double down on punitive measures against the illegal use of electric bicycles and motorcycles.
This week, the NYPD launched an enforcement campaign against unregistered vehicles, which city officials said are increasingly being used to commit robberies and other crimes across the city.
“These mopeds and scooters are being used… in the commission of crimes,” Adams said. “We have also seen criminals using them to ride around and steal property such as cell phones, jewelry and wallets from New Yorkers.”
E-bike-assisted crimes have increased over the past two years.
In the first five months of this year, for example, the number of theft patterns increased almost eightfold compared to the same period in 2022, while the number of complaints increased tenfold.
Two days ago in Corona, Queens, two police officers were shot during a crackdown on an individual riding an unregistered scooter with a loaded gun, according to NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell.
“In just a few hours, we seized 74 bicycles, countless arrests, countless summonses.” he said during Wednesday’s announcement.
The enforcement strategy, which will include checkpoints along tunnels and bridges and the deployment of community response teams, is not intended to ensnare delivery service workers who frequently operate these bikes.
“The biggest culprits are not honest delivery drivers,” Adams said, hoping to engage with companies that authorize the sale of unregistered vehicles in the first place. “Use it legally and the police department will be your friend.” Adams said. – Jillian Peprah-Frimpong
– ALBANY CHOOSES IN: Albany County opted into the for-cause eviction program. But Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan has not yet signed the bill. The law would restrict tenants from raising rent more than 10 percent and would guarantee lease renewals for non-problem tenants. (State of Politics)
– PAID PARENTAL LEAVE: Hochul’s administration reached an agreement with the Police Benevolent Association to provide its members with 12 weeks of paid parental leave and annual pay raises. The agreed contract will last for three years. (Union of Times)
– BRAGG SAYS NO TO THE END OF GAG’S ORDER: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg doesn’t think it’s time to lift the gag order imposed on Donald Trump during his criminal trial to silence the money. His team wrote a letter to Judge Juan Merchan opposing Trump’s wishes to lift the order. (News day )
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This story originally appeared on Politico.com read the full story
