Layoffs at New York Daily News + NYC DSA Endorses Nixon, Williams

Local News:

• A round of layoffs at the New York Daily News, which was sold to Tronc last September for $1, led to 93 employees losing their jobs, which was about half of the paper’s staff. Governor Andrew Cuomo responded by offering Tronc, who just paid $15 million to its ex-CEO who resigned in the wake of sexual harassment allegations, aid from New York State.
• In the wake of the Daily News layoffs, State Attorney General candidate Znephyr Teachout offered a plan to use antitrust laws against tech companies that exert monopolistic power in the news business.
• Pablo Villavicencio, the delivery driver who was detained in June by ICE after delivering food to an army base in Brooklyn, was finally released after a judged stayed the order for his removal.
• The City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced a pilot program aimed at curbing landlord harassment and displacement. The program is a result of advocates pushing for increased tenant protections in the Mayor’s “Housing 2.0” initiative.
• The City announced its intention to open four safe injection sites in a one-year pilot program, but await approval from state-level counterparts.
• City Council Members are reintroducing a “Uber cap” bill that would limit any new for-hire-vehicle licenses for a year.
• State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli criticized the State’s budget for having too few savings and too much debt, and warned it may be unprepared for a recession or further federal budget cuts.

Elections:

• New York City DSA endorsed Cynthia Nixon for Governor, and Jumaane Williams for Lieutenant Governor. The first joint canvass with the Julia Salazar for State Senate campaign will be Tuesday, July 31 at 6pm.
• State Senator Martin Dilan (District 18, Bushwick) is claiming that DSA-endorsed candidate Julia Salazar does not fulfill New York State’s residency requirements to run for office, and is suing to have her removed from the ballot.
• The state’s top election enforcement body has ruled a campaign finance agreement between the Independence Party and now-former members of New York’s IDC to be improper, and demanded that former IDC members return the funds rather than use them in this year’s elections.
• City Limits has a breakdown of Zellnor Myrie’s bid to replace ex-IDC member Jesse Hamilton (District 20, Crown Heights) in the State Senate.
• State Senator Simcha Felder (District 17, Borough Park) is mounting a legal challenge to have his opponent in the Democratic primary, Blake Morris, removed from the ballot for using his middle rather than his first name on nominating petitions. Despite being elected as a Democrat in 2012, Felcher has caucused with Republicans and in 2016 ran on all three of the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative ballot lines.
• Candidate for State Senate Ross Barkan criticized his opponent in the District 22 (Bay Ridge, Marine Park) Democratic primary Andrew Gounardes for accepting the endorsement of the Brooklyn Reform Party.
• Congressmember Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18, Hudson Valley), who is one of four Democrats running in the primary for the open State AG position, is facing legal challenges over trying to retain his seat in Congress while pursuing the AG slot.
• Governor Cuomo told the Stonewall Democratic Club that he never “endorsed or financially supported” any IDC members, despite definitely doing that. The Stonewall Club endorsed him anyway.
• The NYC Thorn is hosting a canvass for DSA-endorsed Julia Salazar Sunday, August 5th from 3-7 PM. Readers are welcome!