Ramos Challenges Sectoral Bargaining Deal for Gig Workers + More Endorsements

Local News

• Centrist Democrats, labor unions, and gig economy companies are working out a compromise bill that would allow gig workers to “unionize” but still not be able to strike or be considered employees. State Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos (District 13 - Queens) made a statement that appeared to challenge the current plan.
• New York State Attorney General Letitia James proposed new legislation that would impose stricter use-of-force guidelines on police throughout the state. The AG’s office has had jurisdiction over police killings since Governor Cuomo issued an executive order in 2015, but has secured no convictions in that time.
• The Department of Homeless Services will hire 112 new temporary workers to track homelessness on the subways as the MTA resumes 24-hour service, alarming some advocates who worry that the move portends homeless sweeps.
• Five of the top eight leading mayoral candidates have pledged to veto any legislation that would repeal the City’s term limits for local elected officials.
• Subway ridership continues to rise as 24/7 subway service resumed last week after its suspension during the pandemic.
• A Staten Island landlord lawyer who altered eviction notices to include the phrase “Chinese Wuhan virus emergency” had nearly 40 of her eviction cases dismissed in bulk.
• Governor Cuomo will earn over $5 million for his book about New York’s response to Covid-19, despite almost nobody buying the book.

Elections

• New numbers released by the City’s Campaign Finance Board on the mayoral race show that Wall Street executive Ray McGuire, who has received huge contributions from rich donors and is not participating in the City’s matching funds program, has spent over 70% of what he’s raised, leaving him with less cash on hand in the final month of the campaign than Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who has spent just over half of his total raised.
• Mayoral candidates and government ethics groups have called out Eric Adams’ fundraising practices. They noted that Adams has held big money fundraisers with real estate developers whose projects were being reviewed by his office, as well as groups who received grants his office dispersed. They also noted that Adams has failed to report donations throughout his career, and has close ties to several lobbyists, two of whom are on the board of his nonprofit.
• Maya Wiley, whose mayoral campaign is low on cash heading into the final month, will now be getting financial support from a PAC funded by George Soros. (Wiley previously worked at Soros’ Open Society Foundation.) Wiley was also endorsed by Representative Hakeem Jeffries (District 8 - Bed Stuy).
• Congressman Adriano Espaillat (District 13 - Upper Manhattan) endorsed Brooklyn BP Eric Adams for Mayor. In his endorsement speech, Espaillat declared he is “probably to the left of AOC” and has read “both” volumes of Das Kapital.
• City & State evaluated the chances that the winner of next month’s mayoral primary could “come from behind” with the new ranked choice voting system.
• Dianne Morales responded to reports of a bribe she paid a corrupt water inspector in 2004. The bribe may have foiled Mayor Bill De Blasio’s plans to appoint her to the City’s Equal Employment Practices Commission in 2019.
• The NYC Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers endorsed NYC-DSA candidates Alexa Avilés (District 38, Sunset Park) and Jaslin Kaur (District 23, Eastern Queens) for City Council.
• StreetsPAC endorsed NYC-DSA candidate Jaslin Kaur (District 23, Eastern Queens) in its first round of endorsements for City Council.
• In Queens, Bob Holden (D-Middle Village), one of the most conservative members of the City Council who was first elected in 2017 as a Republican, faces a progressive primary challenger in next month’s Democratic primary. He will likely run again as a Republican if he loses.