Latest news with #AssemblyDemocrats
Politico
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Drug tests, denials and videotape
Presented by Our Sun. Our Power. RELEASE THE TAPE: The plot twists continue in the ongoing saga of Sabrina Cervantes' DUI case. Sacramento police said last night the Democratic state senator from Riverside — who has denied wrongdoing and mounted a forceful defense — was driving under the influence on Monday afternoon when she was involved in a two-car collision not far from the Capitol, as Melanie Mason and your two newsletter writers scooped last night. Officer Allison Smith, a Sacramento police spokesperson, confirmed today that officers cited Cervantes because they believed she was under the influence of drugs based on 'physical signs they observed' during a DUI investigation, though she declined to share specifics. Prosecutors will wait for lab results before they decide whether to charge Cervantes with a DUI, as we reported this morning. Police are also pushing back on Cervantes' contention that officers 'accosted' her at the hospital after the incident, saying they have body camera footage that disproves the senator's accusations. Smith said that after reviewing the video, she 'didn't see any indication Senator Cervantes was accosted by officers.' 'Officers conducted a thorough investigation and remained professional and respectful throughout it,' Smith wrote. Cervantes this afternoon released a revised statement saying, 'The lab results I sought in the hospital show conclusively I had no alcohol or drugs in my system,' after initially mentioning only alcohol in her denial. All of this comes just as Cervantes' sister, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes, launches her second Assembly campaign after losing to a GOP opponent last fall. A post on her Cervantes for Assembly Instagram page advertises a 'backyard BBQ campaign kick-off' tomorrow near Riverside. 'Every day, I witness our movement to take back AD-58 growing stronger!' the post said. Lest we forget, Clarissa Cervantes has previously been charged with two DUIs of her own. That may have factored into her failed bid to secure her sister's Assembly seat after Sabrina Cervantes opted to succeed state Sen. Richard Roth last year. Republican Leticia Castillo turned the district red, one of two embarrassing Southern California seat flips for Assembly Democrats in November. To no one's surprise, Republicans immediately pounced on the scandal, dubbing the senator 'swervin' Cervantes.' 'The Cervantes family tradition: hold public office, rack up DUIs, then play the victim,' the Riverside County Republican Party wrote in an X post. 'Sabrina's latest citation is just the latest chapter in a story of zero accountability. #SwervinCervantes' IT'S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY BUDGET BLUES: California's economic power players are treading water through a sea of bad budget news and federal uncertainty. They came together today in Sacramento to discuss those challenges during a panel hosted by our own Blake Jones at UCLA Anderson's 2nd Annual California Economic Futures Forum. CalChamber CEO Jennifer Barrera, Senate budget director Chris Woods and former GoBiz head Lenny Mendonca all discussed how they're struggling with the ripple effects of California's $12 billion spending gap, its housing crisis and President Donald Trump's ever-changing tariff policies. 'All of us up here, and folks all across the state and the country, are concurrently dealing with 'what's our future?' and trying to figure out how we navigate through uncertainty and chaos,' said Graham Knaus, CEO of the California State Association of Counties. 'At the same time, there's stuff right in front of us today that we still have to solve.' IN OTHER NEWS WHAT'S HHAPPENING?: Members of the Big City Mayors traveled to Sacramento today to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom and urge him to authorize more rounds of homelessness funding grants after the money was not included in this year's budget proposal. The mayoral delegation included Patricia Lock Dawson of Riverside, Todd Gloria of San Diego, Daniel Lurie of San Francisco, Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, Rex Richardson of Long Beach, Karen Goh of Bakersfield and Larry Argan of Irvine. At a news conference today, the group touted programs that relied on the grant funding known as HHAP and stressed the importance of continued state dollars. McCarty, who said he had been up late the night before working on Sacramento's budget, said about half of his city's homeless programs depend on the grant money. Without it, he said, 'we would shut down our shelter facilities.' NOT SO FAST: Turns out, California journalists won't be getting a sizable chunk of promised funding from Google and the state after the tech company and Newsom downsized a landmark deal to funnel millions of dollars to newsrooms, our Tyler Katzenberger and Christine Mui report. Google, for now, will drop its 2025 contribution to the program to $10 million from $15 million. The move matches California's pledge, with Newsom slashing state funding for the deal to $10 million from $30 million last week in his plan to close a $12 billion budget deficit. However, Google could still increase its contribution, pledging to match up to $5 million in any donations made to the newsroom fund, meaning its final 2025 contribution may meet the initial $15 million figure if public, private or philanthropic groups donate enough money. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — California public school enrollment dropped .54% from last year, marking seven straight years of a steady downfall. (Los Angeles Times) — Funding for the FUEL Network, which gives legal aid to immigrants in Sacramento, is at risk amid the city's $44 million structural budget deficit. (Sacramento Bee) — The Oakland neighborhood San Antonio Park has the most equal distribution of racial identities of any place in the Bay Area, as the city faces a rise in gentrification. (San Francisco Chronicle) AROUND THE STATE — San Diego County leaders say that the region's homelessness population dropped by several hundred people since last year. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — An assault ship in San Diego, the USS America, will get a $200 million repair and upgrade through a grant from the U.S. Defense Department. (San Diego Union Tribune) — The Santa Ana Unified School District board approved layoffs for 262 employees. (Orange County Register) — compiled by Nicole Norman
San Francisco Chronicle
10-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
California Dems keep using the same plan for political failure. Are they done being embarrassed?
Over the past several years, Democrats in the California Legislature seem to have developed a bizarre, five-point political playbook that goes something like this: Take a highly unpopular stance that's almost impossible to defend or coherently explain to average voters and residents. Face severe public pushback. Double down on that stance. Face even more severe public pushback. Battered and humiliated, reverse course and adopt the very same policy they'd argued so fiercely against. The latest about-face happened Tuesday, when Democratic leaders of the California Assembly backtracked on their opposition to a proposal to strengthen penalties for offenders who purchase 16- and 17-year-olds for sex. Last week, Assembly Democrats overwhelmingly voted to strip AB379, by Assembly Member Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento, of its key provision: strengthening punishments to match those for offenders convicted of purchasing kids 15 and younger for sex. Democrats then inserted amendments that vaguely promised to 'adopt the strongest laws to protect 16- and 17-year-old victims.' Of course, the strongest law would have been passing Krell's original bill. Legislative leaders not only didn't do that, but they also ignored strong pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom to do so. Predictably, severe public backlash ensued. Also predictably, Democrats backed down. They now plan to amend AB379 to impose felony penalties for adult offenders convicted of soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds — as long as they're at least three years older than the minor, according to an outline of the deal Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas' office shared with me. (If the adult offender is less than three years older than the minor, the crime would still be classified as a misdemeanor.) The bill also creates a state grant program to help district attorneys streamline the prosecution of human trafficking. Krell is also being reinstated as a bill co-author after Assembly Democrats stripped her name from its original version. This bill recognizes what should long have been obvious: that buying minors for sex is an egregious and horrific crime, regardless of whether the kids are 15 or 17. And it takes a far more common-sense approach to resolving some Democrats' concerns that young adults in romantic relationships with minors (i.e., in a high-school relationship) could inadvertently be targeted. So why did legislators expend so much political capital dying on a hill they couldn't defend for more than a week — when a far more rational alternative was readily available? That remains to be seen. It's also unclear if they've learned anything. The state Senate still has to sign off on the bill if it clears the Assembly, where it's scheduled for a hearing Wednesday. Are Democrats ready to get to the serious business of improving outcomes in California? Or will they continue to give Republicans and other critics easy political ammunition to portray them as out-of-touch ideologues? After all, Democrats have been here before. In 2023, the Assembly Public Safety Committee killed a bill authored by state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, to classify human trafficking of minors as a 'serious' felony. The committee's reasoning? Such crimes could already be considered 'serious' if additional offenses had been committed — such as inflicting great bodily injury on the child victim. That absurd rationale sparked immediate backlash and left Democrats in damage control mode. Newsom and Rivas raced to intervene, and Grove's bill was revived and signed into law. Then, in 2024, Democrats embarked on a series of convoluted maneuvers — each more nonsensical than the last — in a failed attempt to head off a proposed November ballot measure to overhaul portions of Proposition 47, the controversial 2014 measure that lightened penalties for some drug and theft crimes. First, Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, floated a mob-like proposal to kill their own public-safety legislative package if voters approved the proposed ballot measure, later dubbed Prop 36. But their nakedly transparent effort to force the measure's proponents to withdraw it from the ballot alienated both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and Rivas and McGuire ultimately sacked the plan. This prompted Newsom to introduce his own last-ditch proposal for a competing ballot measure to reform Prop 47, even though Newsom, Rivas and McGuire had repeatedly said Prop 47 didn't need any changes. Knowing the proposal faced an uphill battle in the Legislature, Newsom proposed manipulating an arcane election procedure to circumvent the two-thirds super majority required to place it on the ballot and instead allow it to be passed with a simple majority. Less than 48 hours later, however, Newsom scrapped the proposal, stating that lawmakers couldn't reach a consensus on proposed amendments by the ballot deadline. To the surprise of absolutely no one who had set foot in California in recent years and had sensed voters' mounting frustrations with crime, Prop 36 passed with more than 68% of the vote. In all of these examples, Democrats have spent significant time, energy and resources fighting against what most Californians clearly view as common sense. In all of these cases, they've been forced to retreat with their tail between their legs. Does anyone know what kind of political strategy this is? Because it sure doesn't make any sense to me. Emily Hoeven is a columnist and editorial writer for the Opinion section.
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
California Assembly committee kills 2 bills restricting trans athletes' participation in girls sports
SACRAMENTO — A California State Assembly committee killed two bills on Tuesday that would have restricted transgender athletes from playing on girls' sports teams. One bill, introduced by Assemblymember Bill Essayli (R-Riverside), would have prevented transgender students from participating in sports teams and using bathrooms and locker rooms that don't align with their gender assigned at birth. The other bill, introduced by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita), would have restricted transgender athletes from playing girls' and women's sports from elementary school through the college level. "CA Dems just killed my bill to protect girls' sports. They DO NOT CARE that girls no longer have a level playing field and it's absolutely ridiculous," Sanzhez said on social media in response to her bill being rejected. Essayli also issued a response to his bill being rejected on social media, saying, "Assembly Democrats doubled-down on their war against women and parental rights." "The vast majority of Californians and Americans agree: keep boys out of girls sports," Essayli continued. "Assembly Democrats are radically out of touch with commonsense Californians and the voters will hold them accountable to restore justice and fairness in girls sports." Tuesday evening, in a story first reported by Politico , CBS Sacramento confirmed that Essayli would resign from his role in the California Assembly to become the new U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, effective as of Wednesday. California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas voted no on Sanchez's bill. "I'm not going to support a bill that takes rights away from a protected class of people," Rives said. "Gender identity is a protected class here in California." After his vote, Rivas would not stop to speak to the press, leading reporters to chase him up a capitol stairway where he eventually made his way into his office and away from cameras. Tuesday's vote comes after Governor Gavin Newsom announced his opposition to trans athletes in women's sports on the debut episode of his new podcast , where he sat down with Republican political activist Charlie Kirk. "We are fighting a battle against people who want to squash our ability to express ourselves," transgender advocate Katherine Darrow said. The hearing on transgender rights, which occurred a day after Transgender Day of Visibility, took center stage at the California State Capitol, leading to overflowing crowds and people lining up in hallways to testify on both sides of the bills. "Opportunities I and so many other female athletes have worked so hard for now feel out of reach," said a female high school athlete who identified herself only as Jaden.
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Gov. Gavin Newsom seeks $3.4B loan to help shortfall in California's Medi-Cal program
SACRAMENTO – California Gov. Gavin Newsom is seeking a $3.4 billion loan from the general fund to help a shortfall in the state Medi-Cal healthcare program. It comes a year after the governor expanded Medi-Cal to undocumented immigrants. A spokesperson for the governor's office said the money was needed for several reasons, including rising costs of health care in general. It's the state medical coverage of undocumented immigrants now creating political pushback. "More mismanagement by this governor," Republican Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher said. Gallager was quick to pounce on the problem of the state health insurance program for low-income people. "What has been the biggest driver of cost to the medical system," Gallagher said. "It's been adding illegal immigrants to those rolls." The estimated cost for Medi-Cal ballooned from a projected $6.4 billion in July, to $9.5 billion now. "There are tough choices ahead, and Assembly Democrats will closely examine any proposal from the governor. But let's be clear: We will not roll over and leave our immigrants behind." Jose Rodriguez is the president of El Concilio California, an immigrant rights organization that receives California funding to help sign people up for Medi-Cal. "It just seems unfortunate that we're short on funding as a government we always want to scapegoat the immigrant community," Rodriguez said. "These are some of the hardest working people in our country and doing the job that no one else wants to do." "I'm sure there will be an effort to roll back some of the access because the federal government is threatening to cut Medicaid," Rodriguez said. Newsom rolled out the state's full-scope Medi-Cal expansion to undocumented immigrants in 2019 and expanded the program to all ages in 2024. Now there is new scrutiny over California healthcare costs that could lead to cuts. So far the governor's finance department has not released a detailed breakdown what caused the increase in healthcare costs or if there will be more money needed from the general fund on top of this loan.
Politico
03-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Energy master plans on the move
Good morning and welcome to the weekly Monday edition of the New York & New Jersey Energy newsletter. We'll take a look at the week ahead and look back on what you may have missed last week. Quick Fix BPU GETS READY FOR EMP — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is preparing to release a draft of the Murphy administration's much-anticipated energy master plan, the key document meant to guide Gov. Phil Murphy's energy policies. The plan update has been repeatedly delayed: The first hearings on what was being called the 2022 energy master plan were expected to begin in 2023, then the plan was rebranded as the 2024 master plan and, of course, it's now March 2025. But the BPU put out a notice on Friday that it would hold a public meeting about the draft plan on March 13. 'The 2024 EMP will serve as a whole-of-government progress report on the goals and strategies in the 2019 EMP, outline the changing landscape of State and federal support for climate action, and determine the basis for the development of actionable next steps to reduce GHG emissions and maximize clean energy uptake economy-wide,' the BPU notice said. 'The 2024 EMP will be a public-facing document that incorporates progress information acquired through inter-agency collaboration and stakeholder feedback to build upon the 2019 EMP and will help New Jersey reach its goal of 100% clean energy by 2035, amongst other key clean energy and climate goals and benchmarks including health impact analyses and data center growth assessments.' In January, BPU Commissioner Zenon Christodoulou publicly worried about a consultant hired to do the state's energy master plan. — Ry Rivard GAS BAN IN NEW BUILDINGS ADVANCES — POLITICO's Marie J. French: A state council forged ahead Friday with a new building and energy code proposal that includes a ban on fossil fuel equipment in most new buildings. The state Fire Prevention and Building Code Council approved releasing the draft codes for public comment at its meeting Friday morning. The proposal includes provisions requiring that, starting next year, most smaller new buildings forgo fossil fuel appliances in favor of electric heat pumps, hot water heaters and stoves. Gov. Kathy Hochul heralded the new requirements when they were passed by lawmakers in 2023 as part of the budget. The law bans fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings under seven stories starting in 2026, with larger buildings covered starting in 2029. Environmental advocates had raised concerns the building code council was slow-walking the requirements after a canceled meeting last year. The proposed new codes do not delay the ban on fossil fuels, but they don't include requirements supported by environmentalists to require EV charging infrastructure, energy storage and solar at new buildings. — The Department of Public Service staff filed a white paper the day before the council's meeting on how to implement an exemption included at the behest of Assembly Democrats for buildings if the electric utility says there isn't enough capacity to support all-electric new construction. 'A secretary's notice will be sent out shortly and the SAPA comment period will start soon,' DPS spokesperson Jim Denn said in a statement. HAPPY MONDAY MORNING: Let us know if you have tips, story ideas or life advice. We're always here at mfrench@ and rrivard@ And if you like this letter, please tell a friend and/or loved one to sign up. What we're watching this week: MONDAY — The New Jersey Senate Legislative Oversight Committee will receive testimony from invited guests 'to discuss preparing New Jersey for the increasing energy demands of artificial intelligence,' 10 a.m. — The New York State Energy Planning Board meets to finalize the scope for the upcoming and long overdue state energy plan, 2 p.m., NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Public Assembly Room 129 A & B, Albany. TUESDAY — The Department of Public Service holds a technical and procedural conference on Con Ed's proposed gas rate hike, 10:30 a.m., virtual. — The Department of Public Service holds more hearings on the transmission siting regulations under the RAPID Act, 1 and 5 p.m. in Buffalo and 6 p.m. in Watertown. WEDNESDAY — The Department of Public Service holds more hearings on the transmission siting regulations under the RAPID Act, 1 and 5 p.m. in Rochester and 5 p.m. in Plattsburgh. Around New York — STORAGE ON ICE: The town of Brookhaven won't advance permitting for any additional battery storage until the state releases new fire safety rules, the town's supervisor told Newsday. Two have already entered construction and will adhere to the new codes. The town of Hempstead approved a moratorium, which the town's attorney said would likely face a legal challenge. — Hochul hasn't put forward any plan to deal with title insurance issues for state land acquisition, despite a vague promise in her State of the State policy agenda. — Deal reached with auto dealer who cut down vegetation on property bordering creek feeding Onondaga Lake without required permits. — Despite a complete lack of any plans or proposals to build them, the Buffalo Common Council is considering a resolution against wind turbines in Lake Erie. — New York City eyes warehouse regulations. Around New Jersey — A dispute over a trash transfer station and pickup delays in Lakewood. — Fire risks examined. What you may have missed CONGRESSMEMBERS CHALLENGE CLEAN CAR RULES: A bipartisan group of New York's federal delegation is pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul to reconsider the state's implementation of rules aimed at boosting EV sales. They warn that the rules — which New York lawmakers passed into law and are aligned with California's clean car regulations that have an imperiled federal waiver — threaten consumers and auto dealers. 'Many New Yorkers, especially those in rural and underserved areas, will be left without affordable options if the supply of internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles diminishes as the mandate progresses,' warns the letter signed by Republican Reps. Nick Langworthy, Claudia Tenney, Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota, and Democratic Reps. Tim Kennedy, John Mannion and Joe Morelle. They want Hochul to slow down implementation of the EV sales requirements. The letter contains claims that the Department of Environmental Conservation has declared 'misleading,' including that dealers will be required to sell one EV for every two gas cars. New York's rules (and California's) place a requirement on manufacturers, not dealerships, to sell increasing amounts of electric vehicles — starting with 35 percent of sales for model year 2026 and up to 100 percent by 2035. Manufacturers can purchase credits from other carmakers that sold more EVs to comply with the requirements, according to DEC. But dealers have raised concerns that manufacturers will stop sending them gas cars unless they sell enough EVs to meet the mandates, even if consumers aren't interested. DEC sent a letter to car manufacturers earlier this month seeking to reassure them, citing federal uncertainty. The department emphasized that automakers would have three years before the agency would require companies to make up any deficits from model year 2026. 'A manufacturer will not need to resolve a 2026 MY deficit until the conclusion of the 2029 MY,' wrote Tom Berkman, DEC's deputy commissioner and general counsel. Berkman said the agency is committed to work with carmakers to 'ease any compliance burdens' including exercising enforcement discretion and working with California and other states 'to counter any harmful impacts of the current federal administration on New York state.' Berkman indicates dealers have raised concerns about Trump's policies including tariffs making it more difficult to meet the EV requirements. Interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar assured lawmakers last month that the department would be flexible on the California-aligned rules for trucks and heavy-duty vehicles as well. — Marie J. French NYISO: NOT IT! — The independent operator of New York's electric grid is preparing contingency plans if tariffs on imports from Canada go into effect and impact its operations. But the official stance of the organization responsible for keeping the lights on is that the tariffs don't apply to electricity — and if they do, it's not their problem. 'The duties do not appear to apply to Canadian electricity and, if they are, the [New York Independent System Operator] is not the responsible party to implement the tariffs or to remit payments to the U.S. government,' the NYISO said in a statement on its website earlier this week. Nevertheless, the NYISO plans to file plans today for how to implement and collect a tariff on electricity imports with federal regulators as they continue to seek clarity. President Donald Trump has delayed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports — 10 percent on energy — until at least March 4, but he's caused some confusion and signaled another potential delay. 'NYISO will not implement its proposed tariff revisions unless relevant federal authorities decide that the NYISO must pay duties on Canadian electricity,' the grid operator stated. (NYISO's tariff governs its operation of the grid and energy markets. Changes need approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Confusing, we know.) Energy experts expect tariffs will have an upward pressure on utility bills due to rising material costs on the distribution side. Tariffs on electricity imports would also impact New Yorkers' bills, as the state imports from Canada and relies on the neighboring grids to ensure reliability. — Marie J. French MUSK FACTOR LOOMS IN DIRECT SALES FIGHTS — POLITICO's Marie J. French: Elon Musk is taking Washington by storm, but in statehouses controlled by Democrats on both coasts, his lobbyists are facing a frigid welcome. Tesla's ability to sell electric vehicles directly to consumers remains restricted in several states where the deeply entrenched franchise dealership model prevails. Musk's company has lobbied to be allowed to set up its own sales locations in those states over the last few years — with only limited success. WHERE DOES THE WIND BLOW? HOCHUL ADMIN DEMANDS PROOF: Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration wants the owner of the largest fossil fuel plant in New York City to justify an offshore wind transmission line the company says is key to transitioning to renewables. The Department of Public Service filed a 'motion to compel' in the permitting process for the Queensboro Renewable Express project on Wednesday. The motion seeks to force Queensboro Development to provide information about what offshore wind projects the transmission project would deliver energy from. 'When an applicant for a certificate proposes to transmit power from a specific source, the applicant provides the locations and details of interconnecting generators,' the motion states. The Public Service Commission must have this information to make a finding of need and other determinations required to issue a permit under Article 7, the department argues. It's admittedly an obscure filing. But it sets the stage for Hochul's utility regulator to move to dismiss or delay the permitting process for the Queensboro project, which doesn't have a deal with an offshore wind project to supply power. Queensboro Development is a subsidiary of Ravenswood owner Rise Light and Power. The transmission line to deliver offshore wind is one piece of a sweeping, multi-phase plan to transition New York City's largest fossil fuel power plant as New York seeks to achieve its climate goals. The company sought approval for the project in 2022, when they filed an Article 7 application for 18.5 miles of transmission in New York waters to an interconnection point at the power plant in Queens. The project could bring 2.6 gigawatts of offshore wind into New York City. The transmission line proposal and shutting down some fossil fuel turbines at the Ravenswood site were part of an offshore wind project that almost secured a NYSERDA contract before three large tentative contracts were canceled in April 2024. Rise owns a stake in Attentive Energy One, an offshore wind project also backed by Total Energies and Corio Generation. The project withdrew from the latest NYSERDA offshore wind solicitation before finalizing a bid and its future is uncertain. Queensboro argued information about where the energy for the line would come from was not relevant. 'There will be commercial agreements in place prior to the commencement of construction,' the company wrote in response to the department's questions. The company pointed to the PSC approval for the Champlain Hudson Power Express before it had a state contract, but DPS staff shot back that Canadian hydropower was always the expected source of energy on the line. The project lacked an offtake agreement to finance the line for years, however, until it secured a NYSERDA contract under Hochul. But the prospect of substantial amounts of new offshore wind coming online in the next several years, beyond projects that already have their own plans for hooking into the grid, are dimming by the day. Trump has expressed open hostility to offshore wind and ordered a review of permitting that may even ensnare an onshore transmission project aimed at allowing more offshore wind on Long Island. Still, project backers say the PSC should still review the transmission line's plan. 'We urge the Commission to continue its crucial work reviewing projects like this one and — when the merits of the project justify it — issue permits so that they can proceed,' wrote Robert Fruedenberg, vice president of the Regional Plan Association's energy and environmental programs, in a comment submitted Wednesday to the department. 'Any delay could signal an erosion of the State's support for renewable energy, indicate an abandonment of its leadership role, and threaten its ability to meet climate targets.' Another backer of the project, former New York City Council member Costa Constantinides, told POLITICO he hopes Hochul sees the benefit of the transmission line. 'I think this governor is the climate governor,' he said. 'The governor herself believes that New York State needs to do its part so I have faith in her that she wants to move forward.' A spokesperson for Rise declined to comment. — Marie J. French ICYMI: CONGESTION TROLLING — POLITICO's Ry Rivard: Call it congestion trolling. Gov. Kathy Hochul flew down from Albany on Wednesday for an MTA board meeting to continue her attack on President Donald Trump's move to kill the Manhattan toll program. During her noon appearance in Midtown, the governor held up and flipped through a presentation her staff made for Trump as if she were at the head of an elementary school classroom instead of the MTA board table. ILA DEAL: Dockworkers ratified a contract with the shipping industry, said the union that represents tens of thousands of East and Gulf coast longshore workers. The approval, which was expected, came after a brief pre-election strike that won the union huge wage increases and weeks after reaching a deal about the use of technology at ports. Harold Daggett, the head of the International Longshoremen's Association, continued to praise President Donald Trump's role in resolving the disputes that threatened to upend the economy. In a social media post, Trump congratulated the union and thanked them for their 'overwhelming support in the Presidential Election.' He added, 'Slowing down automation, just a little bit, is an OK thing to do!!!' The shipping industry had already ratified the contract and it's expected that the new agreement will be signed the week of March 10 and go into effect after that. — Ry Rivard NJ TRANSIT GETS MONEY BUT SO DOES SURPLUS — The largest new spending in Gov. Phil Murphy's budget proposal, unveiled on Tuesday, is $815 million to fill the long-anticipated hole at NJ Transit. In the current budget year, which began last summer, the governor levied a 'corporate transit fee' on the state's largest businesses to raise money for the transit agency, but the governor is planning to use the $1 billion being collected this year to pad the surplus. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association, which represents businesses who pay the tax, praised the proposed budget (for FY '26) for planning to spend the money collected for transit on transit, but questioned the use of the $1 billion being collected in the current budget year (FY '25). In a statement, industry association CEO Michele Siekerka said: '$1 billion collected from our largest job creators last year still remains in surplus and therefore open for purposes other than NJ Transit. Our business community deserves clarity on the use of that money as it was intended for NJ Transit.' On X, Colleen Wilson wonders what happened to Senate budget committee chair Paul Sarlo's pledge last year that 'every dollar' from the fee would go to NJ Transit. State lawmakers, who are already questioning some of the $1.2 billion in tax and fee increases Murphy proposed, might see the transit revenue as a tempting pot of money to tap for their own priorities, but a senior Murphy administration official said that corporate transit funds would go to NJ Transit and would not be considered negotiable with the Legislature. Alex Ambrose, a policy analyst at New Jersey Policy Perspective, said the language dedicating money from the corporate fee to transit 'needs to be stronger' to avoid 'raids,' but her group does not have a problem with the way the money is being spent now. Murphy also mentioned clean energy — but not offshore wind, which was a prominent feature of previous major speeches but is now in a stupor, with every wind project approved by the state dead or delayed in some way. Instead, he singled out growth in the state's solar industry and also highlighted hundreds of millions of dollars raised by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. — Ry Rivard ICYMI: NEW DEC CHIEF NOMINATED: Hochul has officially nominated Amanda Lefton as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Lefton works for an offshore wind developer and has a long history in Albany. She was also with the Biden administration as the head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore wind permitting among other duties. Lefton's expected nomination was first reported by POLITICO last month. If confirmed by the Senate, she'll replace interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar, who took the helm after Basil Seggos departed last year. Hochul's choice drew praise from environmental groups, including the New York League of Conservation Voters and Environmental Advocates NY. 'Governor Hochul made an excellent choice in nominating my friend,' said Julie Tighe, president of NYLCV. 'Amanda's time as director of BOEM — during which she helped usher in a new era for offshore wind energy — combined with her prior work in the state government, private and non-profit sectors makes her well suited to help New York take bold climate action and protect our air, water and open space.' State Sen. Pete Harckham, who chairs the Environmental Conservation Committee, said he looked forward to the vetting process. The Senate has not yet set a timeline to consider Lefton's nomination. Hochul on Monday also announced the nomination of two acting agency heads to permanent posts. She put forward Denise Miranda as the commissioner of the State Division of Human Rights and Willow Baer as commissioner of the State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. — Marie J. French BUDGET DECARBONIZATION PUSH: A coalition backed by environmental groups, labor unions and industry stakeholders is pushing for Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers to fund $200 million in decarbonization projects on college campuses and in an upstate city. The Upgrade NY campaign, which includes the New York League of Conservation Voters, the Building Decarbonization Coalition and the New York State AFL-CIO, sent a letter to Hochul last week laying out its request. The groups have a specific list of 'thermal energy network' projects they want the state to fund. 'These emissions-free infrastructure projects connect multiple buildings using an underground network of water-filled pipes and can scale up to serve entire neighborhoods and multi-building campuses,' the letter says. The money could come from Hochul's proposed $1 billion for climate mitigation projects, although the governor's budget plans indicate that money could take five years to spend. The Upgrade NY campaign wants $68 million to support the University at Buffalo campus in decarbonizing by building an emissions-free heating and cooling network on the university's South campus. The SUNY school was recently awarded $12 million in environmental bond act funding. Those funds are earmarked for a geothermal well field under a parking lot and heat pump equipment at a building slated to undergo a gut renovation. Eventually, with more funding, other buildings would be connected to the system as they're renovated. 'We have to bring those on as money becomes available, and in a phased-in way that limits disruption,' said Ryan McPherson, the university's chief sustainability officer. McPherson said the university is exploring all its options for fully funding its long-term decarbonization plan. He said it's a positive sign that Hochul allocated $100 million for SUNY and $50 million for CUNY from the bond act to fund campus decarbonization. 'This is the first time that I have seen designated funding for decarbonization work across the SUNY campuses, and I think that's the really hopeful thing, because you can't just cannibalize the deferred maintenance money,' McPherson said. The Upgrade NY coalition's other funding asks are $50 million for a thermal network at SUNY Purchase, $55 million for a geothermal system at University at Albany on its downtown campus, $19 million for Jamestown's Board of Public Utilities for a thermal loop utilizing heat from waste water, $5 million for geothermal energy at Stony Brook University's campus libraries and $3 million for the SUNY headquarters. Even with the governor's proposed $1 billion, the investment needed to reduce building emissions is enormous, said Lisa Dix, New York director for the Building Decarbonization Coalition. 'We need a lot more, which is why we need cap and invest,' Dix said. Hochul punted on regulations to implement the economy-wide cap-and-trade program she previously endorsed, delaying their release and any potential revenues and costs. 'It is a delay, and I hope that she continues to stay on track, that the regulations get completed and that we look at first thing, first stop next year, program funding,' Dix said. — Marie J. French CALIFORNIA FOLLOWS — POLITICO's Blanca Begert: A bill that would require major oil companies to pay fees to cover climate damages based on their past emissions was reintroduced in California on Friday. California Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Assemblymember Dawn Addis introduced the Make Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act in both houses of the Legislature.
