| | | | |  | | By Jason Beeferman | | Presented by |  | | |
PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Dec. 2.
|  Gov. Kathy Hochul touted her work to combat retail theft one week after a stabbing spree left three dead in New York City. | Don Pollard/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul | FIGHTING CRIME: Gov. Kathy Hochul, increasingly facing heat from opponents and critics, is zeroing in on one of voters’ top concerns: crime. “We've had enough with criminals preying on our citizens,” Hochul said at a press conference today with Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, announcing the bust of a $2 million organized retail theft ring. “We are sick and tired of our citizens feeling they're vulnerable to random crimes on the streets or these sophisticated organized crime rings. And we are coming after you.” The governor spent this afternoon touting her work to pursue tough-on-crime policies in New York, including showing how measures to fight retail theft in this year’s state budget are working. The decision to highlight her crime-fighting bonafides comes just one week after a chronically mentally ill homeless man used two long kitchen knives to go on a crosstown stabbing spree that left three people dead — an incident Hochul’s detractors say shows she’s soft on crime. Hochul addressed those critics, like Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres and GOP lawmakers, who say the attack represents failures from Hochul and other Democrats. “I'm not politicizing that tragedy,” she said, when asked about Torres' comments. (More on Hochul’s response to Torres, or lack thereof, below). “I refuse to politicize what was a horrific attack destroying families just before the holidays.” Today’s tough-on-crime message also reflects an increased focus on public safety for the governor two years after she was narrowly reelected to her seat. In 2022, Hochul’s Republican opponent Lee Zeldin sought to tie her to cashless bail and crime, despite Hochul’s work to pare back the bail reform laws passed under her predecessor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Hochul spent much of that race absorbing Zeldin’s attacks on crime, and only shifted her focus to emphasize her work on public safety during the final stretch of the campaign. Since her surprisingly close six-point win over Zeldin, she’s passed additional public safety measures, like the $40 million retail-theft task force included in this year’s budget — the results of which were on display today, Hochul said. “Today is a testament to what happens when you have leadership in government that sees a problem, says we must solve it, pull together the Legislature, work closely with them, and deliver the resources here on the ground,” she said. That push also included increased penalties for assaults on retail workers, something that drew kudos from the retail workers’ union today. “This will be the last Black Friday that retail workers will have to work in New York without these vital retail safety protections, and that is something to celebrate,” Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and a Hochul supporter, told Playbook in a statement. — Jason Beeferman
| | | | 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. | | | |  | FROM THE CAPITOL | | | 
Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres has levied an onslaught of attacks at Gov. Kathy Hochul, but the governor opted not to respond when asked about them today. | Courtesy of the Congressional Office of Rep. Ritchie Torres | STICKS AND STONES: Her favorability is near a record-low, her No. 2 is publicly bashing Democratic leadership in general — without applauding Hochul for her House seat victories — and she’s facing challengers in both parties. Ask Gov. Kathy Hochul about all this, and she’ll hardly bat an eye. “So [if] I'm going to get out there and swat back every little comment that's made about me in the next two years, I'm not using my time effectively,” Hochul said at a public safety press conference today. “For people who are in campaign mode — I’m in governing mode and that’s where I’m going to stay.” Meanwhile, Torres — who announced a “listening tour” across the state and considering his own gubernatorial run — held his own press conference at City Hall park where he highlighted his vision for protecting New Yorkers. Torres has been taking shots at the governor’s record, calling her “well-intentioned, but ineffective” and comparing her to President Joe Biden, whose refusal to step aside is widely considered part of why Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris. “I don’t think they’re valid,” Hochul told reporters when asked about Torres’ critiques. She would not acknowledge the Biden comparison, only responding that, “I'm running for election, but not now. I'm governing. I'm doing my job." Prior to election night, Rep. Mike Lawler was understood as the favorite to dethrone Hochul, but the Republican Party won enough Empire State voters last month to make Hochul’s own colleagues consider a challenge to her. In September, a Siena college poll found that just 34 percent of New Yorkers viewed her favorably. “I’m not poll-driven,” Hochul said. “I’m driven by results.” — Timmy Facciola | | | | 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. | | | | |
CANDIDATE CASE DROPPED: Former Assembly candidate Jonathan Rinaldi, who was arrested on Election Day for harassing Working Families Party canvassers outside a poll site, had his case dismissed.
WFP volunteers said Rinaldi screamed and yelled in their faces, after calling them “baby killers” for supporting a ballot measure meant to enshrine abortion protections. A Queens judge dismissed the charge Monday as “legally insufficient,” per a document Rinaldi shared with POLITICO. Rinaldi has a long history of complaints against him for harassing politicians. He’s also known for promoting his anti-vaccination views as a prolific sperm donor. In this case, he intends to sue. “The administrative process is my only weapon so I will be filing all paperwork that I can,” he said. The Republican Rinaldi lost 42-58 to Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi this year. — Jeff Coltin | | | | 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. | | | | | ANOTHER HOMECARE LAWSUIT: A fiscal intermediary for the state’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP, filed a suit against the state Department of Health and Public Partnerships LLC on Monday. Freedom Care is accusing the state of rigging the bidding process used to name Public Partnerships as the main fiscal intermediary to run the state’s $9 billion Medicaid program. The lawsuit is the latest attempt to roll back the state’s transition from more than 600 fiscal intermediaries to a single one with subcontractors across the state. The group claims the bidding process intentionally prevented fiscal intermediaries already doing the work in New York from running the program. — Katelyn Cordero
| | From City Hall | | | | 
Mayor Eric Adams hosts an African Heritage reception at Gracie Mansion in 2022. The mayor announced today he will tour the continent. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office | ADAMS THE DIPLOMAT: Mayor Eric Adams is planning a seven-country tour of Africa. Adams announced the international trip during his weekly off-topic presser. It would add several countries to the roster of places the mayor has visited during his tenure. Adams often casts his jaunts abroad as ways to build transnational business ties, and today was no different. “I’ve been in Africa six or seven times, and I just want to start to build that bridge, to just really establish a relationship, trade, culture and education,” Adams said. “That is my focus and goals.” Adams’ international travel — and the perks he received from the Turkish government in particular — has attracted the attention of law enforcement investigators. His criminal case and other probes swirling around City Hall, however, does not seem to have stunted his desire to take to the skies once again. — Joe Anuta
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | IN OTHER NEWS | | DEMS VS. RFK JR.: New York Democratic elected officials and public health advocates are reviving a coalition established ahead of Trump’s first presidency to warn anew that his policies would erase gains the country has made on eradicating disease. And they’re sounding the alarm now about the likely confirmation of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary. “What would happen if the federal government, under Trump, under a secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that there would be no federal funding for schools that mandate childhood vaccinations?” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine asked in a call today with reporters. “This is not far-fetched. This is not hypothetical.” Rep. Dan Goldman made an appeal to Senate Republicans to block the confirmation, worried that Kennedy would get a pass because the bar is so low for Trump administration nominees. If every Senate Democrat votes against Kennedy, the party needs three Republicans to keep him from getting the HHS post. “We in this country have always been the leader in science and growth and development in terms of pharmaceuticals and other methods of care, and he will significantly hamper that,” the Manhattan Democrat said. Kennedy is advocating for a “Make America Healthy Again” platform, portions of which do appeal to progressives and other Democrats. But Goldman, Levine and others have said he can’t be trusted to act in good faith and the very bad outweighs any good. The environmental attorney and former presidential candidate, who dropped out and endorsed Trump, on X cited a “generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic.” — Emily Ngo
— CUOMO TO RUN FOR MAYOR?: Cuomo is “now preparing to launch a mayoral bid soon,” three people with knowledge of the matter say. (Jewish Insider)
— ADAMS-ALLIED PAC SUBPOENAED: Striving for a Better New York, the political action committee connected to an Adams ally and the mayor’s former top fundraiser, received a federal subpoena. (New York Post) — AUDITING THE AUDITOR: New Yorkers whose family members died of Covid-19 in nursing homes during the pandemic are demanding a meeting with the firm that audited the state’s response to the disease. (Times Union) — PAYDAY DELAY: Nonprofits with city contracts say they continue to face serious delays in receiving payments from the city. (THE CITY) Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here. | | | | 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. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
