1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. 2 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 2: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Odd Lots podcast. 3 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 2: I'm Joe Wisenthal and. 4 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 3: I'm Tracy Alloway. 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: Tracy, we might get a socialist mayor here in New 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: York City. Can I tell you something please? 7 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 3: It's slightly weird. Last night, the night before we're recording 8 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 3: this episode, I had a dream that I was in 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 3: a shared uber with Adrian Adams and she was the driver. 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 3: So she's another mayoral candidate. She was driving and I 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 3: told her we were going to interview this particular candidate. 12 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:48,840 Speaker 2: And I was amazing. 13 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 3: I was asking her for good questions. 14 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 2: This is an amazing dream. 15 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 3: You're not, maybe, Lissa, No, My dreams are very literal. 16 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 3: And everyone in the uber was giving me ideas for 17 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 3: questions and had opinions and stuff like that. But now 18 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 3: I can't remember any of it. 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 2: Oh, that's really disappointing. Anyway. You know, we don't really 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 2: cover a lot of New York City politics. We don't 21 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 2: cover a lot of politics in general. We hardly ever 22 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 2: talked about New York City politics. Who really cares about 23 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: New York and the broad audience. We don't like to 24 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 2: be too navel gazing. But you know, this is a 25 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 2: city with a lot of people who, needless to say, 26 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 2: work in finance. Potentially, if they're major changes to tax 27 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 2: rates here, etc. Then that could have an impact on 28 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 2: the industry that we cover a lot. There are a 29 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 2: lot of economics stories that are sort of New York centric, 30 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 2: particularly relating to housing, that are very universal, etc. So 31 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 2: it's not a crime to every once in a while 32 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: do a New York City focused episode. 33 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 3: No, and this also relates directly to a previous All 34 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: Balts episode we did all about how New York gets 35 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 3: its groceries. 36 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 2: That's right, that's the connection. Let's jump right into it. 37 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: I'm very excited to say we have a state assemblyman 38 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: and candidate for the Democratic nomination for mayor, Zoron, Mumdanie 39 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 2: coming on the show. Zoron, thank you so much for 40 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: coming on. 41 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 4: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure. 42 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 2: I mentioned your socialist. What specific strand of socialism are 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 2: you and are the other socialists revisionists and deviationists of 44 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 2: various flavor. We need to know your exact the exact 45 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 2: category here. 46 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 4: I will leave that to the internet. Will I will 47 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 4: tell you that I am a Democratic socialist, yes, And 48 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,119 Speaker 4: I started to call myself that after Bernie Sanders' twenty 49 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:34,200 Speaker 4: sixteen run for president, when I finally had a language 50 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 4: described the way that I saw the world and the 51 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:38,240 Speaker 4: way that I believe the world should be, which is 52 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 4: one where every person has the dignity they need to 53 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 4: live a decent life. 54 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 2: By the way, you know, now that I am a 55 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: journalist at a mainstream news organization, I do not personally 56 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:49,919 Speaker 2: have political opinions, but I can say that I didn't 57 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 2: wasn't always the case. And I went to high school 58 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,239 Speaker 2: in Vermont, and I was a volunteer on Bernie's nineteen 59 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 2: ninety six house campaign, and want was a picture of 60 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 2: me with Bernie. So I was a very early you too. 61 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 2: I was a Bernard Brother before it became cool. 62 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 4: Yes, you got in early. 63 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right. 64 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 3: So how would you describe your platform? Is it the 65 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 3: New York version of Sanders. 66 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 4: It's heavily inspired by that same focus on income inequality 67 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 4: and a recognition of the fact that one in four 68 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 4: New Yorkers are currently living in poverty in what has 69 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 4: now been described as the most expensive city in the country. 70 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 4: And it is a platform at its core to make 71 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 4: this city affordable and to use every tool at city 72 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 4: government's disposal to do so, because for too long we've 73 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 4: had politicians pretend that we are just bystanders to a 74 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 4: suffocating cost of living crisis, when in fact, we have 75 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 4: two choices, whether to exacerbate it or put an end 76 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 4: to it. And we've seen Eric Adams do the former. 77 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 4: We're running to do the latter. 78 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 2: What did Eric Adams do when you said he did 79 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 2: the former, what did he do in your view to 80 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 2: exacerbate it? 81 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 4: You know, the first issue that you hear from most 82 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 4: New Yorkers when it comes to cost of living is housing, 83 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 4: and the mayor sets the rent increases for more than 84 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 4: two million New Yorkers who live in rent stabilized housing. 85 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 4: And he came in as a self described real estate 86 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 4: That's how he described himself coming into the office. And 87 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 4: he's raised rents accordingly. He's raised them more than nine percent. 88 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 4: And this year when the Rent Guidelines Board, which is 89 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 4: entirely composed of his appointees, found that the landlords of 90 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 4: those million or so units that have close to two 91 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 4: and a half million tenants had seen a increase in 92 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 4: their revenues by twelve percent. He wanted to raise the 93 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 4: rent once again to close to eight percent. And that 94 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 4: is one example. Another I would say is his relationship 95 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 4: to con Edison. Connetison can only raise the rates of 96 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 4: gas and electric with the permission of the state, and 97 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 4: they do so through something called a rate case. The 98 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 4: City of New York under Eric Adams administration sided with 99 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 4: Walmart in support of Connettison's requests to raise those rates 100 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 4: by sixty five dollars a month on average. And I 101 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 4: know that because I was also a part of that 102 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 4: rate case, one of the few elected officials who signed 103 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:54,600 Speaker 4: an opposition to it. And I think that you can 104 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 4: see this again and again and again in the way 105 00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 4: that he has intervened in the major costs that are 106 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:00,359 Speaker 4: driving New Yorkers out of the city. 107 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 3: So, since you mentioned housing and the rent freeze, you 108 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 3: support rent freeze, lower rents? And what do you say 109 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 3: to people who think that you need to incentivize landlords 110 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 3: to maintain their buildings to build new ones. There are 111 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 3: also people out there who think that regulatory reform is 112 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 3: the key to the supply problem in New York. Why 113 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 3: rent freezes particularly versus you know, maybe loosening some of 114 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 3: the regulations. 115 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 4: I think that many of these things can actually be 116 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 4: achieved in tandem. I am both a candidate who believes 117 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:34,840 Speaker 4: we need to freeze the rent for rent stabilized tenants, 118 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 4: and one who believes that we need to end the 119 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 4: requirement to build parking lots when reconstruct housing, who believes 120 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,600 Speaker 4: we need to increase density around mass transit hubs, that 121 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 4: we need to upzone wealthier neighborhoods that have historically not 122 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,560 Speaker 4: contributed to affordable housing production, and we need to interrogate 123 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,559 Speaker 4: why Tokyo is building ten homes for every thousand people, 124 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 4: Jersey cities at seven and New York is barely at four. 125 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 4: And some of that also has to do with what 126 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 4: is often described as the mundane details of houses law, 127 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 4: but can have massive impacts on whether or not it's 128 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 4: affordable or expensive to construct that housing, be it single 129 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 4: staircase versus dual staircase, or the regulations that have effectively 130 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 4: made it illegal to build SROs in this city, and 131 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 4: the need for us to have a true diversity of 132 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 4: housing stock. And I think the reason for the focus 133 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 4: on our rent freeze is that is the clearest and 134 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 4: most direct way that you start your housing platform as 135 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 4: the mayor of the city, given your appointing of all 136 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 4: nine members of that Rent Guidelines Board. But it cannot 137 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,960 Speaker 4: be the extent of it, because a city of eight 138 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 4: point four eight million people deserves a mayor with a 139 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 4: housing platform for eight point four eight million people, not 140 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 4: just the closes two and a half million that live 141 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 4: in those units. And the other point I would make 142 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 4: is that I have served in Albany. I'm now in 143 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 4: my third term, and I've seen in Albany, while I 144 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 4: have opposed it, we have passed legislation that allowed landlords 145 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 4: to double the amount of money they can receive for iais, 146 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 4: which are otherwise known as individual apartment improvements. So to 147 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 4: your concern around incentive devising, repairs and things of that nature, 148 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 4: landlords have already just won the right to double the 149 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 4: amount of money they can receive for those improvements. And 150 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 4: I was in opposition to that doubling because of the 151 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 4: immense amount of fraud that we've seen in that kind 152 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 4: of program, where expenses are not actually what they are 153 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 4: represented to be. And the final thing I would say is, 154 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 4: you know, the Rent Guidelines had that findings of the 155 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 4: twelve percent increase in revenue for those landlords. If there 156 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,320 Speaker 4: are landlords for whom that picture is not an accurate representation, 157 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 4: there is a program where they can apply a hardship 158 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 4: program for relief when they show that their income from 159 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,000 Speaker 4: rents is not matching up to their costs at a 160 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 4: ratio that is allowing them to continue to operate that building. 161 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 4: And that is a program that I will intend to 162 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 4: continue to support because I believe it is important to 163 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 4: ensure that we can keep all of these buildings in operation. 164 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 2: I've heard that about Jersey City, that they've actually done 165 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 2: a fairly good job of expanding housing supply. What is 166 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 2: the role in your vision for more affordable housing for 167 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 2: the price it developers and the for profit developers and 168 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 2: so forth, and you know, in your view, how can 169 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 2: we actually move the dial in terms of housing production 170 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 2: of we'll get into some of the stuff about I 171 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 2: want to talk about the public housing too, or quote 172 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 2: affordable housing. But for the private landlords, what can actually 173 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 2: in your view move the dial on that. 174 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 4: I think some of it has to do with the regulations. 175 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 4: I was speaking of the fact that we continue to 176 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 4: have this requirement to build parking when you build housing. 177 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 4: That's not a requirement we should have any longer. The 178 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,680 Speaker 4: need for us to take advantage of our unique place 179 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 4: in this country, and that we have mass transit hubs 180 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 4: across the city and that should be a site of 181 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 4: more housing density, and the fact that housing production has 182 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 4: not been evenly distributed across this city, especially in wealthier neighborhoods. 183 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 4: But I think even beyond that question of zoning, which 184 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 4: is what a lot of this comes back to, there's 185 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 4: also the question of process. We need to make it 186 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 4: faster to build this housing yeah, and ensure that we 187 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 4: don't see delay after delay after delay. And so one 188 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 4: of the points of our housing plan is also to 189 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 4: move away from the piecemeal process that is the one 190 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 4: you can describe today as being where you have something 191 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 4: known as member deference, where every city council member has 192 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 4: the ultimate vote on whether or not a development goes 193 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 4: up or down. We need to have a citywide approach, 194 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,959 Speaker 4: one that also fast tracks developments that are in line 195 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 4: with the very priorities we've laid out with regards to 196 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 4: housing production, labor standards, affordability. Because it's been too long 197 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 4: where we've seen proposals to build affordable housing for low 198 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:37,319 Speaker 4: income seniors languish for years in delays, and those delays 199 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 4: all cost money, and that's also what drives up the 200 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 4: cost of this production, and I think we need to 201 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 4: streamline those processes. 202 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 2: Actually, let's talk about that a little bit further. Because 203 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 2: public housing, which you want to expand significantly, is very 204 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 2: costly to build. And you know, there are certain standards 205 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 2: of public housing. We expect it to last a very 206 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 2: long time. There's priorities that it be carbon friendly, et cetera. 207 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 2: But like public housing production in New York City has 208 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,199 Speaker 2: been on parer cost wise with even some very high 209 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 2: end private construction, Hudson Yards on a per unit basis 210 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:18,200 Speaker 2: came in pretty similarly, this would be important regardless of 211 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 2: how it's financed. How do you actually get the costs 212 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 2: down in your view of public housing production. 213 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 4: So the first thing I would do is just distinguish 214 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 4: between what kind of housing we're speaking of when we 215 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 4: say public housing, A lot of times we're referring to 216 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 4: Nischa developments. Yeah, across the fire. 217 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,239 Speaker 2: That's when I said it. I was thinking, nice, okay. 218 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 4: Just to be clear, and I think that you know, 219 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 4: what we've seen in Nischa is in many ways emblematic 220 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 4: of a larger betrayal of working class New Yorkers. Nischa 221 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,560 Speaker 4: is technically underneath the auspices of the federal government, but 222 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 4: the city and the state have an immense role to play, 223 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 4: and we've seen over time, while the federal government has 224 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,440 Speaker 4: refused to fund the plan to put at least forty 225 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 4: billion dollars towards Nischa to deal with an ever expanding 226 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 4: amount of capital needs, the city since the time of 227 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 4: Bloomberg has started to narrow the amount of funding that 228 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 4: it provides, and the state is not stepping up in 229 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 4: the way that it should. Now in our housing plan, 230 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 4: we propose doubling the amount of money we spend on 231 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:21,880 Speaker 4: preserving Nischa housing because what we've seen is that oftentimes 232 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 4: it's easy to describe this housing crisis in New York 233 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,960 Speaker 4: City is solely one of affordability, it's also a crisis 234 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 4: of having a safe and habitable place to call your home. 235 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,240 Speaker 4: And as someone who represents the largest public housing development 236 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 4: in North America, Queensbridge Houses, as well as the story 237 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 4: of Houses Ravenswood Houses, I have seen so many of 238 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 4: my constituents, seniors who are forced to walk up many 239 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 4: flights of stairs because their elevator isn't working. Who are 240 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,719 Speaker 4: waiting for months to have repairs be conducted, and who 241 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 4: in a moment of housing crisis. Under Eric Adams, we've 242 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 4: actually seen the time it takes to fill a vacant 243 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,839 Speaker 4: unit in Nischa now exceed more than a year, which 244 00:11:57,840 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 4: should be the easiest thing for city government. 245 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:18,199 Speaker 3: Today, I want to talk about another plank of your 246 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 3: platform that is of particular interest to us, and that 247 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 3: is groceries. Of course, so a while ago, Joe and 248 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 3: I recorded an episode on how New York actually gets 249 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 3: its produce and we learned about the importance of the 250 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 3: Hunt's distribution terminal and all of that. Why grocery stores. 251 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 4: You know, we are focused on the cost of living crisis, 252 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 4: and when you ask New Yorkers whether they're making forty 253 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 4: thousand dollars a year or two hundred thousand dollars a year, 254 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 4: you will inevitably hear them speak about groceries and the 255 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 4: sticker shock they feel in going back to the grocery 256 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 4: store and their sense that that which they could afford 257 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 4: years ago is now out of reach for them. And ultimately, 258 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 4: groceries and food are a non negotiable art of being 259 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 4: a New Yorker and living in any city in the world, 260 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 4: you need to be able to afford it to build 261 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 4: any kind of a life. And yet what we're seeing 262 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 4: is that people are being priced out of produce. And 263 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 4: when something is critically important to that dignity, I believe 264 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 4: that there should be a public option for it. And 265 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 4: what we have proposed is a reasonable policy experimentation in 266 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 4: our city of a pilot program of a network of 267 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 4: five municipal owned grocery stores, one in each borough, that 268 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,319 Speaker 4: would respond to twin crises, one of affordability and two 269 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 4: of food deserts. Because, as I was saying earlier, as 270 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,240 Speaker 4: the representative of Queensbridge Houses, I will speak to constituents 271 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 4: who live in the largest public housing development in North America, 272 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 4: and they will ask me questions for which I don't 273 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,199 Speaker 4: have the answer, Questions like why are there five fast 274 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 4: food restaurants in a five block radius, but I cannot 275 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,439 Speaker 4: find a place where I can get fresh produce that 276 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 4: I can afford. And I hear that time and time again. 277 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 4: And so what this proposal does is it not only 278 00:13:56,720 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 4: guarantees cheaper groceries, but it also guarantees that those groceries 279 00:13:59,840 --> 00:14:02,079 Speaker 4: can be in the very neighborhoods of New Yorkers that 280 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 4: are being denied that service today. 281 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,599 Speaker 3: So some commentators have described this proposal as somewhat unusual 282 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 3: in America. I actually don't think it's that unusual. I'm 283 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 3: a former military brat and I vividly remember commissaries and 284 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 3: bx's on military bases and those were subsidized. Anyway, how 285 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 3: do you, I guess, address the fears of critics who 286 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 3: worry that this is going to devolve into some sort 287 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 3: of Soviet style market where you know, maybe I can 288 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 3: only buy one specific brand of tuna fish versus like 289 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 3: the five that are currently on offer. 290 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 4: Well, the beauty of a pilot program is that it 291 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 4: only expands if it's successful. Now, I'm confident that it 292 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 4: will be successful, and yet we will have to see 293 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 4: those results themselves. And the reason we even came up 294 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 4: with this is because of the successes of this model 295 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 4: in Kansas, as well as what you said in the 296 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 4: context of military bases across the country. And what we've 297 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 4: also found is there was a feasibility study done in 298 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 4: Chicago to see the applicability of this kind of a 299 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 4: model in an urban setting, and it found it not 300 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 4: only possible, but urgent and necessary. And that is the 301 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 4: exact kind of approach we have to take here. And 302 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 4: I think what's been quite interesting to me is state government, 303 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 4: in the time that I've been there, has had a 304 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 4: similar recognition, but on a different topic, where it's said 305 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 4: that gas prices are something that we can only allow 306 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 4: to get up to a certain point, and when they 307 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,160 Speaker 4: go beyond that, we need to subsidize it to ensure 308 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 4: that it's affordable. In twenty twenty two, the state spent 309 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 4: more than six hundred million dollars to suspend portions of 310 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 4: the gas tax. And yet we are watching as New 311 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 4: Yorkers are being priced out of bread and milk and eggs, 312 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 4: and we are saying that this is beyond our control. 313 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 4: And I think the last point I would make here 314 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 4: is that our proposal is one that would cost sixty 315 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 4: million dollars for all of those five together. That is 316 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 4: less than half of the money the city is already 317 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 4: spending on a program called City the Fresh, which will 318 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 4: subsidize corporate supermarkets in the hopes that they provide affordable groceries, 319 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 4: but with no guarantee to that, and with no requirement 320 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 4: for them to accept snap or WICK, or to engage 321 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 4: in collective bargaining, or to actually guarantee those cheaper groceries. 322 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 4: So this is going to save the city money while 323 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,640 Speaker 4: piloting a program that we are confident will actually deliver 324 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 4: the results that we have been denied in that existing 325 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 4: program today. 326 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:26,840 Speaker 2: All right, I have two specific questions on this. One 327 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 2: is I understand and I find intuitively logical the idea 328 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 2: that people should be able to afford produce and it's 329 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 2: food has gotten very expensive at the grocery store. But 330 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 2: grocery store margins themselves are pretty thin. So yeah, So 331 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 2: in terms of like actually using the grocery store channel 332 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 2: to deliver these cost savings, given that the retail storage 333 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 2: margins are so thin, just three percent, why is that 334 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 2: the dial rather than I don't know, give people a 335 00:16:57,640 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 2: voucher so that they can order fresh direct or something 336 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 2: like that. 337 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 4: You know, I am someone who has been skeptical of 338 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 4: the efficacy of a voucher based model, And what I 339 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 4: am proposing with this idea of a network of municipal 340 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 4: ow and grocery stores is not a means by which 341 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 4: the city would make money and be able to increase 342 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 4: that profit market is like. 343 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,679 Speaker 2: The grocery level margins seem very thin. Now, I know 344 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 2: you're not trying to make money. I'm just saying the 345 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,439 Speaker 2: margin seemed thinned. So if I think, like what moves 346 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 2: the dial significantly on affordability, the actual retail level grocery 347 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 2: does not strike me as where the big optional opportunity is. 348 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:34,920 Speaker 4: I think the opportunity we have with a city run 349 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 4: model is that we can actually guarantee those cost savings. Right. 350 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 4: We have heard national chains and executives speak on earning 351 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 4: calls about how they've been able to blame covid era 352 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 4: supply chain costs to increase profit margins even further. And 353 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 4: what this would be as a clear mandate from the 354 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 4: city that every single dollar we save we pass on. 355 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 4: But beyond that, given that the mandate is not a 356 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 4: profit based one, that we can also pass on further 357 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 4: savings to ensure that things like milk and eggs and 358 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 4: bread are actually affordable. 359 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 2: So the other thing, and you sort of anticipated this question, 360 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,959 Speaker 2: which is you mentioned, for example, that in existing Nightscha 361 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 2: housing people are waiting for a long time to get 362 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,879 Speaker 2: an elevator repaired and so forth. How do you ensure 363 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,040 Speaker 2: operational success because I think people would say, oh, I've 364 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 2: seen how Nightcha housing works. I guess I'm going to 365 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 2: know how a city, a New York City run grocery 366 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,280 Speaker 2: store is going to work. And who knows if it's 367 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 2: going to be open, and who knows if they're going to, 368 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 2: you know, keep the refrigerators repaired, or if they're going 369 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:40,199 Speaker 2: to have tomatoes one day. I'm just saying, like, you 370 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 2: have already confirmed the idea that certain city run things 371 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,920 Speaker 2: are not run particularly well. So why should we Why 372 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,439 Speaker 2: should the public have confidence that, even setting aside price, 373 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 2: that these would be like run well, run efficiently. 374 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 4: I have to earn the public's trust and I will 375 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 4: do that every single day as the mayor of the city. 376 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 4: And if if you believe in public goods in public service, 377 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:04,919 Speaker 4: as I do, it behooves you to believe in just 378 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,919 Speaker 4: as much in public excellence. And the first charges that 379 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 4: you must have is to tackle that which has not 380 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 4: displayed that excellence. I think Nischa is an example of that. 381 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 4: I also think one of the reasons why I focus 382 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 4: so much on the MTA in my time in the 383 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 4: State Assembly has been because that's another example of that 384 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 4: where we have a world class city and we do 385 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 4: not have world class public transit. I love our public transit, 386 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 4: I love our trains, our buses, I love riding a 387 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:31,760 Speaker 4: city bike, and yet I know that the way in 388 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 4: which we are running it could be so much better. 389 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 4: And what has excited me is that we've seen glimpses 390 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:40,199 Speaker 4: of what that excellence could look like. I mean, I 391 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 4: remember when I went in to get my vaccine for COVID. 392 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 4: I was in and out of that facility in fifteen minutes, 393 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,719 Speaker 4: and that, to me was an example of the public 394 00:19:49,760 --> 00:19:52,199 Speaker 4: sector being able to match the efficiencies we often hear 395 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,240 Speaker 4: about when we describe the private sector. I think about Nischa, 396 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:59,199 Speaker 4: which today is a story of disinvestment and of so 397 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 4: many New Yorkers being left behind, could also be a 398 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 4: story closer to the one of how they developed the 399 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 4: minifridge in this country because it was a direct result 400 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 4: of an RFP that was put out or a story. Yeah, 401 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:13,679 Speaker 4: And I think there's also a story today to be 402 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 4: told about woodside houses, which is a niche development that 403 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 4: is piloting a large scale installation of heat pumps that 404 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 4: has been shown to both increase the quality of life 405 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 4: but also decrease the carbon emissions and the cost, and 406 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 4: ultimately that is what we need to show New Yorkers. 407 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 4: We have to earn their trust, and the best way 408 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 4: to earn their trust is to deliver the results that 409 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 4: we're confident we can with these ideas. 410 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 3: Just one more question on the grocery stores. So I 411 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 3: take the point about their purpose is not to make 412 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 3: money for the government, obviously, but how would you actually 413 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:45,120 Speaker 3: judge the success of them. 414 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 4: I would judge the success in their provision of affordable groceries. 415 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 4: I would judge their success in them meeting a need 416 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 4: that is currently being left unmet. And I think that 417 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 4: also means in the location of those stores, that they 418 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 4: actually provide a grosser restore in a place where currently 419 00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 4: it is too difficult to find any of that produce, 420 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,640 Speaker 4: and that their prices are as we are discussing them, 421 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 4: significantly more affordable and more in line with where New 422 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 4: Yorkers are actually able to spend. 423 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,199 Speaker 2: I want to talk more about public excellence in the 424 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 2: provision of public goods. 425 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 4: My Bernard brother, let's do it. 426 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 2: I am an avid utilizer of many of the public 427 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 2: goods that New York City provides. My kids are in 428 00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:29,359 Speaker 2: public school. They go to the park almost every day. 429 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:32,399 Speaker 2: We ride the bus together, we ride the subway together. 430 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:36,120 Speaker 2: I don't think the subway and the bus are as 431 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:38,440 Speaker 2: bad as some people say. It's certainly not as bad 432 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,120 Speaker 2: as the impression I would get if I didn't live 433 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 2: here and now were watching Fox News about New York City. Nonetheless, 434 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 2: there has been an increase in crime over the last 435 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 2: several years. I think it's come down recently, but there 436 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 2: is a fair amount of disrepair. My impression is when 437 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,720 Speaker 2: I think about public goods in general, which is that 438 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 2: people on the left really like to talk about them 439 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 2: and how important they are, and then generally do not 440 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 2: seem as committed to sort of like product excellence as 441 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 2: I would expect for them to say, be politically sustainable. 442 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,200 Speaker 2: Like I said, I feel very safe. I live in 443 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 2: the East Village, I commute up here. I generally feel 444 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,200 Speaker 2: very safe. But you know, like I see needles on 445 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:21,919 Speaker 2: the playground at Tompkins Square Park. There are bathrooms that 446 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 2: are almost never open or functional. They're smoking on the 447 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,440 Speaker 2: subway from time to time. It's not the end of 448 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 2: the world, but it's not very pleasant, especially when you 449 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 2: have kids. And I'm curious like what your view is about, 450 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,680 Speaker 2: like what seems to be a sort of tension between 451 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 2: excellent provision of public goods and some of the law 452 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 2: and order, as people would call it, requirements for them 453 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 2: to be clean, friendly, excellent places. 454 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 4: You know, I think we on the left have to 455 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 4: make it clear that quality of life is of immense 456 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:57,919 Speaker 4: concern to us, because when we are fighting for public goods, 457 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 4: for public service, for public excellence, at the core of 458 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 4: it is that belief that everyone should have an excellent 459 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 4: quality of life. And yet what has happened in the 460 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 4: last few years is that this term has almost been 461 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 4: made to be understood as if it is solely a 462 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 4: conservative concern, when in fact, this is at the heart 463 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 4: of what we're fighting. 464 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 2: It feels to me, like, to be honest, that the 465 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 2: left has conceded that that actually the part of the 466 00:23:21,119 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 2: reason it's become a sort of conservative coded term is 467 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 2: because I perceive, and tell me if I'm wrong, it's fine, 468 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 2: but I perceive a certain discomfort about some of the 469 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 2: hard choices or some of the you know more, maybe 470 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 2: carcerole is the right word, law and order whatever that 471 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 2: would contribute to making some of these public goods safer 472 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 2: and clean. 473 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 4: Well, I think what we have to make clear is 474 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 4: that those are not the only choices on offer, and 475 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 4: yet we do have to still respond to that same crisis. 476 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 4: And so often, as you were describing living in New 477 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 4: York City, you have a different understanding than if you 478 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 4: were to view it through the prism of social media 479 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 4: or TV. And yet we can say two things at once, 480 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:02,920 Speaker 4: which is that there is an immense amount of fear 481 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 4: mongering and that we still have to deliver world class goods, 482 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 4: which we are far from doing today. And I say 483 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,080 Speaker 4: that as someone who loves our subway system and who 484 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 4: knows that when you ask New Yorkers where they feel 485 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 4: least safe in the city, you oftentimes hear those same words, 486 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:21,360 Speaker 4: It's the subway system. And that's why at the heart 487 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 4: of our campaign is a proposal to deliver that same 488 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 4: public safety that New Yorkers have been denied under Eric Adams, 489 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 4: a mayor who ran in twenty twenty one, telling those 490 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 4: same New Yorkers they need not choose between safety and justice. 491 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,800 Speaker 4: He's shown himself unable to deliver the former, uninterested in 492 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 4: delivering the latter. And what we've said is that we 493 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,240 Speaker 4: will create a Department of Community Safety, the DCS, which 494 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 4: understands that police have a critical role to play in 495 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,359 Speaker 4: public safety, and we are currently relying on them to 496 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 4: respond to almost every single failure of the social safety net, 497 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 4: asking them to do the work of social workers and 498 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 4: mental health professionals, a reliance that has made it nearly 499 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 4: impossible for them to actually do their jobs. And we 500 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 4: can see that in their inability to raise their clearance 501 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 4: rates of the major seven categories of crime. And so 502 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 4: what our DCS will do is tackle five key issues homelessness, 503 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 4: mental health crisis, gun violence, hate crimes, and victim services 504 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 4: and will learn from the evidence proven models that have 505 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,880 Speaker 4: been successful elsewhere in the country in responding to these 506 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 4: very issues and doing so in America that provides public 507 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 4: safety and frees up the police. 508 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 3: So another part of your platform is raising the corporate 509 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 3: tax rate, raising income tax for millionaires. And I think 510 00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,239 Speaker 3: one of the things we are all perhaps internalizing this 511 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 3: week as we watch Washington, DC and the big beautiful 512 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 3: bill currently going through its process, is that raising taxes 513 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 3: on the rich seems to be really, really difficult in America. 514 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 3: Maybe New York is different, Maybe New Yorkers feel differently 515 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,560 Speaker 3: about it. But I guess my question is a why 516 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,399 Speaker 3: do you think it seems so difficult? And then be 517 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 3: how can you actually overcome that particular hurdle. 518 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 2: Just to take on You actually need state permission to 519 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 2: do that, right, Yeah. 520 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 4: You do. You need to work with the state, and ultimately, 521 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,240 Speaker 4: the city is a creature of the state, and any 522 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 4: agenda you have as a mayor that seeks to match 523 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:37,960 Speaker 4: the scale of the crisis New Yorkers are living through 524 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:44,479 Speaker 4: will require Albany. When we wanted to create universal pre k, 525 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:49,199 Speaker 4: we required Albany. When we wanted congestion pricing, we required Albany. 526 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 4: And I think again, and again and again you will 527 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 4: look at any of the most ambitious parts of any 528 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 4: candidate's plans and it will require Albany. When I came 529 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 4: into office in twenty twenty, one of the first battles 530 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 4: that I helped to lead was to raise taxes on 531 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 4: the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers so 532 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 4: that we could fully fund our public schools. And we 533 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:12,520 Speaker 4: eventually did so over the objections of then Governor Cuomo, 534 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:16,359 Speaker 4: raising about four billion dollars, and that allowed us to 535 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 4: fulfill the legal requirement of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, 536 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,280 Speaker 4: a landmark case with regards to fully funding public schools. 537 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 4: And I think it's difficult in Washington, and it's difficult 538 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 4: for a number of politicians to raise taxes on the 539 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 4: rich when those politicians are also funded by the rich, 540 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,200 Speaker 4: because ultimately that clash between the interests of their donors 541 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 4: and the interest of their constituents is one that they 542 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 4: will oftentimes pick their donors. And we've seen that with 543 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 4: Andrew Cuomo. He speaks a big game about fighting for 544 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:47,160 Speaker 4: working people, but he is funded by the same billionaires 545 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 4: that fund Donald Trump. We've just seen Bill Ackman give 546 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 4: his super pack two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and 547 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 4: we continue to see that even with him receiving a 548 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,440 Speaker 4: million dollar donation from DoorDash looking to very clearly purchase 549 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 4: influencer around labor and street safety regulations. And I think 550 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:06,439 Speaker 4: there is a real possibility of doing so, not only 551 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:08,439 Speaker 4: because it's one of the most popular things when you 552 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 4: pull it amongst New Yorkers and amongst Americans, but because 553 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 4: it's needed to pay for an agenda that will transform 554 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,680 Speaker 4: the quality of life not only for working class New Yorkers, 555 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:19,439 Speaker 4: not only for middle class New Yorkers, but even for 556 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:23,119 Speaker 4: the wealthy. You hear this concern about the degradation of 557 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 4: city services, and our proposal is one that meets the 558 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 4: earlier conversation we were having about the necessity for a 559 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 4: public good to be so excellent that even the wealthy 560 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 4: use it and delivers that with regards to buses, with 561 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 4: regards to childcare, and with so many of the city 562 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,719 Speaker 4: services that will keep this city running. 563 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,440 Speaker 3: If you're unable to raise the tax rate for whatever reason, 564 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,000 Speaker 3: how much of your policy proposal is not viable any longer, 565 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,959 Speaker 3: And how do you actually prioritize the different things that 566 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 3: you are proposing. 567 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 4: So I'm confident in our ability to raise it because 568 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 4: I've seen in every year that I've been in Albany 569 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:03,240 Speaker 4: twenty one that the legislature has in its own budget 570 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 4: proposals proposed, those increases on income taxes for the wealthiest 571 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 4: New Yorkers and on raising the top corporate tax rate. 572 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 4: And just for one moment, if I can explain what 573 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 4: those proposals are. Our proposal is to raise the top 574 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 4: state corporate tax rate to match that of the radical 575 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,840 Speaker 4: socialist utopia of New Jersey. Is seven point twenty five 576 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,040 Speaker 4: percent here in New York to match theirs of eleven 577 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 4: point five percent. That's a tax that applies to the 578 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 4: topmost level of profitable corporations. We're talking about their profits 579 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 4: millions of dollars, and it would raise five billion dollars 580 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 4: just in doing so. The second part of the tax plan, 581 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 4: which would raise four billion dollars, would be to increase 582 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,800 Speaker 4: New York City's income tax rate on the top one 583 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 4: percent of income owners. We're talking about people who make 584 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:50,760 Speaker 4: a million dollars or more a year by a flat 585 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 4: two percent increase, so a twenty thousand dollars increase, which 586 00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 4: is what I would argue a rounding error when you're 587 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:58,640 Speaker 4: looking at it within that larger context. Those two things 588 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:00,720 Speaker 4: together raise nine billion dollars, and then we raise an 589 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 4: additional billion through good government reforms, whether we're talking about 590 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 4: procurement or hiring fiscal auditors, or actually collecting the fines 591 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:09,720 Speaker 4: and fees that New York City is owed. So that's 592 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:12,360 Speaker 4: our fiscal policy of how we raised ten billion. Now, 593 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 4: you always have to prepare for every eventuality. The city 594 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 4: also has about three billion dollars in its rainy day 595 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 4: fund and its reserves combined. It also, in times of 596 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 4: economic growth, as we've generally seen in the last few years, 597 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 4: sees its budget increase by two to three billion dollars. 598 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:30,640 Speaker 4: So there are a lot of different opportunities. And the 599 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 4: final thing I will say is, we have a city 600 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 4: budget of one hundred and fifteen billion dollars. I am 601 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 4: not confident that Eric Adams has been spending every one 602 00:30:39,640 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 4: of those dollars in the most productive way. And one 603 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 4: of the first things that I will do when I 604 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:48,640 Speaker 4: get into city Hall JOJ but no, I mean to 605 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 4: be honest with you. It is a regret of mine 606 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 4: that we have allowed someone like Elon Musk to use 607 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,480 Speaker 4: the language of fraud and inefficiency and waste for his 608 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 4: own end of personal benefit, when really, if we care 609 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,960 Speaker 4: about public goods and public service, we should be ensuring 610 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,600 Speaker 4: that it is the most efficient spending of those dollars. 611 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 4: And I think when we look, especially at the way 612 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 4: in which we've hollowed out public capacity to instead replace 613 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 4: it with private consultants, there's an immense amount of money 614 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 4: to be saved, especially if we're looking specifically at the 615 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 4: DOE and how much of our reliance on curricula procurement 616 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,800 Speaker 4: has to do more with who we've already been procuring 617 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 4: with and not having any standardized approach when it should 618 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,480 Speaker 4: also be a universal approach across the department that ensures 619 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 4: we both save money and deliver excellence. 620 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 2: I want to ask another politics question. I don't really 621 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 2: like to talk policy, but I think this is actually 622 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 2: an important to mention. After the recent general election twenty 623 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,040 Speaker 2: twenty four, and with clear that Democrats performed worse than 624 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:51,200 Speaker 2: they historically have among non white voters all around the country, 625 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,080 Speaker 2: there's this big debate about why, and the left says, 626 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:57,080 Speaker 2: are the centrist you failed to talk to the working 627 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 2: class and the centris It's like, no, it's because you've 628 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 2: made us talk about pronow and that repelled people, et cetera. 629 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,200 Speaker 2: I'm actually not that interested in that question right now. 630 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:09,040 Speaker 2: I'm interested that intra left left candidates actually have not 631 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 2: done particularly well, mentioned Bernie among poorer voters, among non 632 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 2: white voters, among polling. I'm not going to ask you 633 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 2: about your own polling per se, but I saw a 634 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 2: poll that said you were pulling at eight percent among 635 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 2: black voters, with Andrew Cuomo having done a lot better. 636 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 2: It seems like left politics in this country. It appeals 637 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:32,360 Speaker 2: to educated white people, many of them who probably work 638 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 2: in newsrooms. I haven't pulled the Bloomberg newsroom, but you know, 639 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 2: stuff like that. Why do you think that is why 640 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 2: have general Left candidates, whether it's the primary level, et cetera, 641 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,480 Speaker 2: or even just looking at you know, New York City 642 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 2: mayoral polling, not had more progress among what is arguably 643 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 2: the core base of the Democratic Party. 644 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 4: You know, I think these polls that we're speaking about 645 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 4: right now with regards to New York City continue to 646 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 4: be polls that are more reflective of name recognition than 647 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:04,280 Speaker 4: they are of support. And what I mean by that 648 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 4: is Andrew Cuomo is a former governor who is the 649 00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,480 Speaker 4: son of a former governor, and when I speak to 650 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 4: many New Yorkers who support him, I almost always hear 651 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 4: the word Mario in their answer. And what I'm proud 652 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 4: of is that we are the only campaign other than 653 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 4: Cuomo to have broken double digits with every single ethnic 654 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:22,600 Speaker 4: group across the city. 655 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,080 Speaker 2: But you know, like even like on say like unionization, 656 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 2: there's a lot of excitement among unionization of Grand students, 657 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 2: for example, but you know that's not what we think 658 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 2: of as like, you know, the sort of like industrial 659 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 2: beating heart of the labor movement, et cetera. It does 660 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 2: seem to be a phenomenon. There's sort of more left 661 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 2: culture or sort of left economic policies have taken hold 662 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 2: more among educated whites. 663 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:48,040 Speaker 4: Well, look, I think you can look at DC thirty 664 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,880 Speaker 4: seven for an example. This is the largest municipal union 665 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 4: in our city, and they represent the workers who actually 666 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,240 Speaker 4: keep this city moving. They are by and large black 667 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 4: and brown New Yorkers, and they explicitly chose not to 668 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 4: endorse Andrew Cuomo because he created Tier six, a new 669 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:06,640 Speaker 4: category in the pension program that took more than one 670 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,160 Speaker 4: hundred thousand dollars out from working class New Yorkers' pockets 671 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 4: and made them retire later after having served this city 672 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 4: in state for decades. And I was proud to receive 673 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:19,839 Speaker 4: their endorsement, and I think that it shows me the 674 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 4: path here is one where every single day over these 675 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 4: next thirty four days, we are going to continue to 676 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 4: increase our support where we have seen ourselves, for example, 677 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,239 Speaker 4: just break twenty percent in support with Latino voters. And 678 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:35,799 Speaker 4: that is indicative of the fact that the very New 679 00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 4: Yorkers who know Cuomo the most are the ones who've 680 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 4: been failed by his policies the most as well. And 681 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,280 Speaker 4: that is a responsibility for my campaign and every campaign 682 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:48,439 Speaker 4: to showcase his actual record of cutting medicaid, stealing money 683 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,719 Speaker 4: from the MTA to fund upstate ski resorts, hounding the 684 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 4: more than ten women who courageously stepped forward to accuse 685 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:57,319 Speaker 4: him of sexual harassment, and in many ways echoing a 686 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:00,320 Speaker 4: Donald Trump style record. And that's what we will seek 687 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 4: to do, both at the doors the more than five 688 00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 4: hundred and fifty thousand we've knocked so far, and on 689 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 4: cable and broadcasts and mailers, because we have now raised 690 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:11,040 Speaker 4: eight million dollars, the most amount of money we can 691 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 4: legally spend in this race, faster than any campaign in history, 692 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 4: and podcasts, I guess, yes, this this is actually our 693 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:20,400 Speaker 4: master plan. Yeah, it all comes down to odd lots, 694 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 4: thank you. 695 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:23,800 Speaker 2: So I'm going to cook that. 696 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 3: So I just remembered something from my dream. Actually, So 697 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 3: one of the passengers said that what he wanted was 698 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 3: basically this is not a real passenger, but I think 699 00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 3: it's reflective of some things that you actually do here 700 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 3: in New York. But he said what he wants is 701 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:45,320 Speaker 3: basically boring, old competency in a mayor so an administrator 702 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 3: that has lots of policy experience as opposed to someone who's, 703 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 3: you know, maybe relatively new and trying to do some 704 00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 3: new things. And I think that is important. You know, 705 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,480 Speaker 3: there's a big difference between coming up with policy ideas 706 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:02,759 Speaker 3: and actually executing them and executing them, well, how are 707 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:04,839 Speaker 3: you going to get things done? And what do you 708 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 3: say to the people who just want, you know, like 709 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 3: a boring continuation not necessarily of Eric Adams, but you know, 710 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,320 Speaker 3: maybe going back a little bit further. 711 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 4: I understand that desire. It's a desire for normalcy in 712 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,600 Speaker 4: a time when politics has become about cronyism and corruption. 713 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 4: And as much as Andrew Cuomo markets himself as a 714 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 4: candidate and a campaign of competence, this is a man 715 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:31,560 Speaker 4: who couldn't even follow basic paperwork requirements to receive millions 716 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 4: of dollars in public matching funds, someone who couldn't write 717 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:37,719 Speaker 4: a housing policy without the assistance of chat GBT, or 718 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 4: even spell the names of his endorsers correctly in his 719 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 4: own press releases. And as much as a phrenetic public 720 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 4: facing schedule as I've been keeping over the last seven months, 721 00:36:47,080 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 4: I've also been keeping a private schedule where I've been 722 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:53,640 Speaker 4: meeting with deputy mayors and commissioners from a wide variety 723 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:58,000 Speaker 4: of mayoral administrations to speak about the how of it all, 724 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 4: Because an idea is only as good as its implement 725 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:04,080 Speaker 4: and ultimately, it comes back from a desire to build 726 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:06,880 Speaker 4: a team of the best and the brightest, one where 727 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:09,880 Speaker 4: we have a common threat of excellence, of fluency, and 728 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:12,520 Speaker 4: a track record that binds all of those appointments and 729 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 4: those hires, not a common thread of having served together 730 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 4: for twenty years, which is what it seems to have 731 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,960 Speaker 4: been with Mayor Adams today. And one additional point I'll 732 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:25,359 Speaker 4: say is that too often the style of leadership we've seen, 733 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,839 Speaker 4: whether it's from Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams, has been 734 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,719 Speaker 4: to hire replicas of yourself, to hire people who with 735 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:34,160 Speaker 4: whom you have one hundred percent agreement and who are 736 00:37:34,200 --> 00:37:36,360 Speaker 4: the quickest to say yes to any one of your ideas, 737 00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:38,560 Speaker 4: be they good or bad. I am not interested in 738 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 4: that style of leadership. I'm interested in a style of 739 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 4: leadership that understands that ultimately the buck stops with me, 740 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,160 Speaker 4: and that I have to build a team that speaks 741 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:49,319 Speaker 4: to a wide breath of opinion, of ideology and of 742 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,319 Speaker 4: track record, that not everyone is going to look and 743 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 4: sound and be just like me, and that if I 744 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,080 Speaker 4: want a DOT commissioner, all I need to agree with 745 00:37:57,120 --> 00:38:00,200 Speaker 4: them on is the vision for DOT, not HPD. And 746 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:03,480 Speaker 4: if I want to hire a deputy mayor, they need 747 00:38:03,520 --> 00:38:05,920 Speaker 4: not agree with me on my thoughts on foreign policy. 748 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:08,440 Speaker 4: They need only agree with their purview that they're being 749 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 4: hired for. Because it comes back to this notion that 750 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 4: I think Mayor Koch put it best, which is, if 751 00:38:14,120 --> 00:38:15,840 Speaker 4: you agree with me on nine out of twelve issues, 752 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:17,680 Speaker 4: vote for me. If you agree with me on twelve 753 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 4: out of twelve, see a psychiatrist. And that speaks to 754 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 4: the need to have room for that disagreement and ultimately 755 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,000 Speaker 4: be bound by that pursuit of excellence. 756 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,440 Speaker 2: During the twenty sixteen presidential campaign, it was a Trump 757 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 2: supporter I'm looking up it was actually the founder of 758 00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 2: Latinos for Trump who said that if Trump didn't win, 759 00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,600 Speaker 2: there would be taco trucks on every corner, which sounds 760 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 2: really good to me. You have also proposed neoliberalism for 761 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:44,600 Speaker 2: halal cards, which I really like chicken over rice, so 762 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:46,640 Speaker 2: I'd be very happy to see more of them and 763 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 2: be cheaper. But I'm curious how far you'd extend. So 764 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:51,840 Speaker 2: reduce the permits make it easier to open up. 765 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:53,080 Speaker 4: Increase the permits. 766 00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:56,080 Speaker 2: Oh, increase the number of permits, make it easier, therefore 767 00:38:56,280 --> 00:38:56,800 Speaker 2: to get. 768 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:01,040 Speaker 3: It is true that the Hellal guys in Midtown, I 769 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:03,440 Speaker 3: think the original one. You go by there in the 770 00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:06,719 Speaker 3: afternoon and the line stretches around the block. It's kind 771 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:07,320 Speaker 3: of insane. 772 00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 4: They used to say a chicken in every pot. I'm 773 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,399 Speaker 4: saying a halal in every hand. 774 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:15,120 Speaker 2: Okay, what about hotels. Their hotel prices are insanely expensive. 775 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:18,120 Speaker 2: Airbnb is no longer legal. I know someone visiting the 776 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 2: city right now who had to get a place in 777 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:23,719 Speaker 2: Jersey City because it's just too crazy. In New York, 778 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 2: it's insanely difficult to build a new hotel, apparently due 779 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:31,520 Speaker 2: to opposition both from existing hotel owners to new hotels 780 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:35,120 Speaker 2: for all reasons and the hotel worker unions. Do you 781 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 2: support liberalized in the same way that we need more 782 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 2: wolog cards? Would you support liberalization of hotel development in 783 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:41,759 Speaker 2: New York City? 784 00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 4: You know I am not as interested in the concerns 785 00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 4: of existing hotel owners but I am very interested in 786 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:51,759 Speaker 4: the concerns of hotel workers, and I think that that 787 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,279 Speaker 4: is something that I would love to explore. Is there 788 00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:57,880 Speaker 4: a way to expand the number of hotels while ensuring 789 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 4: that we also retain the protections for those workers, because 790 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 4: so often we've seen this very fight, and it's going 791 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,839 Speaker 4: to be one that will intensify in the next year. 792 00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 4: There's contract renegotiations coming to a head during the World Cup, 793 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:13,360 Speaker 4: where hotel owners have put hotel workers on the front 794 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 4: lines of so much of the work without giving them 795 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,839 Speaker 4: the pay that is requisite for that. With Airbnb, one 796 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:21,960 Speaker 4: of my concerns has been the transformation of what would 797 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:27,000 Speaker 4: be housing into effectively small scale hotels and the proposal 798 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:30,360 Speaker 4: that they're pushing I think they've currently they're putting I 799 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,280 Speaker 4: think more than a million dollars into spending on local races. 800 00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:36,840 Speaker 4: Has the prospect of turning a double digit number of 801 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:39,279 Speaker 4: one and two family homes, taking them off of the 802 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,080 Speaker 4: market and making them these vacant units. 803 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 2: I'd just say Tracy, as someone who has lived in 804 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:46,760 Speaker 2: multi family housing my entire life in New York City, 805 00:40:47,200 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 2: I'm not thrilled with Airbnb because I like to know 806 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:51,960 Speaker 2: who the neighbors are in my building and sometimes you 807 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,239 Speaker 2: get loud, noisy, crazy people. Anyway, keep going here. 808 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,520 Speaker 3: I think that's a concern that a lot of people 809 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,440 Speaker 3: will share. I have just one more question. It's the 810 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:02,640 Speaker 3: most important and one. But you have a little experience 811 00:41:02,800 --> 00:41:07,440 Speaker 3: in Bollywood. I suppose I'm a big Bollywood fan. Everything 812 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:10,320 Speaker 3: I look I know about cricket I learned from Lagan, 813 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 3: which is great film. Yeah, great film. Okay, So here's 814 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:17,360 Speaker 3: my question, Amir Khan or Shower Khan. Cho's one. 815 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:23,360 Speaker 4: Wow, Why why would you do this to me? Amir 816 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 4: Khan for my head? Chau Khan for my heart? 817 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:27,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense to me. 818 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:29,399 Speaker 3: I think I would say a similar thing. 819 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 4: Well, you know, why didn't we spend the interview on 820 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:31,800 Speaker 4: these questions? 821 00:41:32,880 --> 00:41:33,880 Speaker 3: Do a Bollywood episode. 822 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:35,400 Speaker 4: I would love to do a Bollywood episode. 823 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 2: Wait for those who don't know what is the Bollywood. 824 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 4: So the bar's connection is that my mother, her name 825 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:41,880 Speaker 4: is Mirra, and I are She is a filmmaker. She 826 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:45,360 Speaker 4: is an Indian filmmaker who's made a number of films, 827 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:47,799 Speaker 4: my favorite of which is Mississippi Masala and it's not 828 00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:48,680 Speaker 4: I actually. 829 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 3: Haven't seen that one. I saw Monsoon Wedding and that 830 00:41:50,719 --> 00:41:51,280 Speaker 3: was great. 831 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:53,560 Speaker 4: Great film, great film. You have to see missip Massala 832 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,480 Speaker 4: because it's also the reason that I'm alive. She met 833 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 4: my father while researching for that film. 834 00:41:57,280 --> 00:41:59,719 Speaker 2: Huh soar and Mom, Donnie, thank you so much for 835 00:41:59,719 --> 00:42:02,120 Speaker 2: coming on the thrilled that we could make it happen. 836 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:03,279 Speaker 4: Thank you so much, the pleasure to be. 837 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:18,200 Speaker 2: Here, Tracy. If he wins, maybe he'll come back on. 838 00:42:18,239 --> 00:42:20,640 Speaker 2: We can do a Bollywood well we have, we'd have 839 00:42:20,640 --> 00:42:23,040 Speaker 2: a lots of other stuff to talk about, but I 840 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:25,560 Speaker 2: would definitely, I would definitely. I don't know much about it. 841 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:28,920 Speaker 2: I love Legon, so we should talk more about that. Sometimes. 842 00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:32,280 Speaker 3: I really love Bollywood movies. I need to catch Mississippi Massala. 843 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:33,839 Speaker 2: I guess, yeah, I mean his mom. 844 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:37,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, that was obviously a very interesting conversation. I 845 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:40,120 Speaker 3: do think, you know, there's this sort of knee jerk 846 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:47,440 Speaker 3: reaction against socialism in America for you know, reasons or reasons. Yeah, 847 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 3: but you know, examples of some of the stuff do exist, 848 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:55,120 Speaker 3: and I think the b x's and the military commissaries 849 00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:57,960 Speaker 3: are a really good example of you know, we do 850 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:01,960 Speaker 3: have subsidized groceries that exist in America, and why not 851 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:03,160 Speaker 3: have them in New York. 852 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,640 Speaker 2: I think a really key thing, which is there's this 853 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:09,920 Speaker 2: bad cycle with the public provision of goods in the US, 854 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 2: which is just that people look at them and don't 855 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,719 Speaker 2: think they're particularly well run, and then it's like now 856 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:17,719 Speaker 2: you want to have more, and so it's like, you know, 857 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,160 Speaker 2: like I said, I love the New York City Subway. 858 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,759 Speaker 2: I take it every day. What I want a grocery 859 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:26,040 Speaker 2: store that sort of resembles the New York City Subway. 860 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:28,919 Speaker 2: Probably not. I'm not saying it would, but I'm saying 861 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:32,280 Speaker 2: this is my experience interfacing with New York City public 862 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:34,840 Speaker 2: goods when I want a grocery store that like resembles 863 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:38,560 Speaker 2: the bathrooms at Tompkins Square Park or has similar No, 864 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:41,719 Speaker 2: not at all. I mean, so I just feel like, 865 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:43,799 Speaker 2: like it's fine. I love living in New York City. 866 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:46,000 Speaker 2: I think these public provisions are great, and some of 867 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:50,080 Speaker 2: them are absolutely incredible, like the libraries. But by and large, 868 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:54,719 Speaker 2: I think that the tenders of public goods, for various reasons, 869 00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:56,960 Speaker 2: have not done a great job of like, no, these 870 00:43:56,960 --> 00:43:58,520 Speaker 2: are actually really good services. 871 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:02,360 Speaker 3: That's fair, and obviously the government's core competency is probably 872 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 3: not running grocery stores right, Like they wouldn't have to. 873 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:07,160 Speaker 2: I wouldn't think. Yeah, they would have to. 874 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:09,120 Speaker 3: Learn a lot in order to get up to speed. 875 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:12,760 Speaker 3: But my point is, you know, the commissaries at military bases, 876 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:16,360 Speaker 3: they're pretty good, like you can buy everything and service 877 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:18,920 Speaker 3: is great. They still bag your groceries at least the 878 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:24,200 Speaker 3: last time I was there, So examples do exist. All 879 00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:26,920 Speaker 3: I'm saying is it's possible for sure. 880 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:29,560 Speaker 2: You know the other thing and obviously we only had 881 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:33,799 Speaker 2: so much time. Is I'm really interested further in this 882 00:44:34,080 --> 00:44:39,520 Speaker 2: tension between Deregulation is good when it's small things like 883 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:43,520 Speaker 2: a log card or a zorn recently didn't add, which 884 00:44:43,520 --> 00:44:45,600 Speaker 2: we didn't get around to talking about, how like, you know, 885 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,600 Speaker 2: there should be make it easier for bodega owners and 886 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,920 Speaker 2: you know, less regulations for them, which sounds great. I like, 887 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:56,080 Speaker 2: I like all of my like the three local bodegas 888 00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,840 Speaker 2: within a forty five second walk from my apartment. It's great. 889 00:44:59,000 --> 00:45:03,040 Speaker 2: But why do those sort of basic principles of sort 890 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:06,680 Speaker 2: of liberalizing the rules around X not then applied to 891 00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:10,160 Speaker 2: some of the bigger things such as hotels, which are 892 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:14,240 Speaker 2: insanely expensive in New York or other areas like real estate, 893 00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:18,080 Speaker 2: et cetera. He did mention allowing more single family stairs, 894 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,879 Speaker 2: so they're all the single family stare nerds on Twitter. Well, 895 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:24,920 Speaker 2: I'm sure be very excited about that also, which we 896 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:26,239 Speaker 2: talked about on episode once. 897 00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:28,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, oh yeah we did. Yeah, all right, so this 898 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:29,759 Speaker 3: is actually a. 899 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:31,800 Speaker 2: Core It is a core Odd Lots episode. 900 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:32,920 Speaker 3: Okay, shall we leave it there. 901 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:33,680 Speaker 2: Let's leave it there. 902 00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:36,240 Speaker 3: This has been another episode of the Odd Loots podcast. 903 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:39,520 Speaker 3: I'm Tracy Alloway. You can follow me at Tracy Alloway. 904 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:42,320 Speaker 2: And I'm Joe Wisenthal. You can follow me at the Stalwart. 905 00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:46,320 Speaker 2: Follow our guests zoron Mmdannie He's at zoron k Mamdanie. 906 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:50,040 Speaker 2: Follow our producers Carmen Rodriguez at Carmen Arman, dash Ol 907 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:53,239 Speaker 2: Bennett at Dashbot at Calee Brooks at Cale Brooks. For 908 00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:55,800 Speaker 2: more Odd Laws content, go to Bloomberg dot com slash 909 00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:58,920 Speaker 2: odd Lots, where we have a daily newsletter and all 910 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 2: of our episodes and you can chat about all of 911 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:04,040 Speaker 2: these topics twenty four to seven in our discord Discord 912 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:06,160 Speaker 2: dot gg slash odlines. 913 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:08,040 Speaker 3: And if you enjoy odd Lots, if you like it, 914 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:10,919 Speaker 3: when we talk to New York City mayoral candidates. Then 915 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:14,320 Speaker 3: please leave us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform. 916 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:17,319 Speaker 3: And remember, if you are a Bloomberg subscriber, you can 917 00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:20,640 Speaker 3: listen to all of our episodes absolutely ad free. All 918 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:22,600 Speaker 3: you need to do is find the Bloomberg channel on 919 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:26,440 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts and follow the instructions there. Thanks for listening.