Still no budget in Albany. Bail reform is still an obstacle.

0:00 Speaker 1 What is today is Zach Williams, and he has an update of what the heck is going on in Albany. He is the Star Aubani reporter for the New York Post, the fourth largest newspaper in America. Now, Zach, what the heck is going on?

0:16 Speaker 2 Well, slowly, but surely, it looks like we’re going to be getting a state budget. You know. Governor Kathy Hockel has held up a final spending plan three weeks, hoping for concessions on cash bail, housing, a whole bunch of other issues from the Democratic supermajority from the State Centering Assembly.

0:33 And this week it looks like we’ve finally got a deal on changing cash bail, while the governor seemingly surrendered her on her housing plan. So you might say that the score right now is kind of one to three.

0:47 And here’s why. There were two parts to bail that I think are really worth, really worth mentioning Governor dot one. She didn’t get neither of the two points that you might say she could have gone to the housing plan.

0:58 So she’s down one to three, you might say, But there’s still a lot more budget to go, but there are hopes there might be a deal sometime next week.

1:06 Speaker 1 Now. Well, like I’ve told everybody, and I’ve told the Governor that the New York State is on the edge. I mean, we’re either going to fall off the cliff or or we’re gonna make a comeback. And historically New York has always made a comeback. But this time, for some reason, I worry. And you’ve been around for a while,

1:27 how do you feel?

1:28 Speaker 2 Well to the farwork phrase from Mario Cuoma, I believe you know, you know, campaign and poetry and government crows and politics as the art of the possible right, and what seems possible is on bail at least was you know, there’s a lot of perception that crime is going up, and it has gone up a bit, and you know,

1:48 the Governor made the case that judges need clarity that on this little part of state law that was really important to bail reform, call it, that they have to impose the least restrictive conditions to ensure somebody goes back to court. Now, you’ve probably seen a lot of stories about repeat offenders in the New York Post, of course,

2:05 and the Governor says, you know, by eliminating that restriction for bail eligible offenses. You know, judges don’t have to look at a case to say, hmm, well I can I can impose bail on this person and try to you know maybe uh, you know, I’m not sure what they might do if you release them, maybe in danger,

2:20 public safety, whatnot. You know, but bail is just to ensure someone’s back to court. So sometimes judges would say, oh, I don’t think I can impose it because that’s still not the least restrictive condition, or I got to said bail really low that would be eliminated for baiological senses.

2:38 The governor did not secure a second change that opponents that argued would effectively undo decades of state law that says bail is only to ensure you go to court. You know, it’s so called dangerousness standard if you will.

2:51 And in terms of possible housing, you know, everybody knows that New York, especially the city, needs more housing. The question is how do you overcome kind of the nimbiism that we’ve seen, especially in the suburbs. The governor said, Okay, let’s make everybody downstate increase housing by three percent of state one percent. But if they don’t, will allow a

3:12 state board to approve the projects anyways. Perhaps so the suburbs were pretty much an open rebellion on this one. And in the end, nothing on housing is going to get done because the governor said, well, if you’re not going to do some of my plan, we’re not going to do any of my plans. No incentives to encourage

3:32 more housing, no extension of four twenty one A. That’s the biggie in the city, and of course not the mandates. So you know, at least for now, New Yorkers are not going to not going to get more clarity on how state government is trying is going to try to boost housing, even though we all know New York desperately

3:53 needs more units.

3:54 Speaker 1 Well, the real estate industries up and arms and those of people, and I already said, don’t know. The real estate industry does so well that they’re going to be spending all their money someplace else instead of New York.

4:12 And that’s what it comes down to. If New York loses business and it lose people that are living here four hundred and eighty four thousand and moved already, who’s gonna pay these budget numbers?

4:25 Speaker 2 Well, I gotta say I saw that statements from James Whalen, the head of the Real Estate Board of New York, powerful group representing the real estate industry, and he was lamenting that the legislative leaders had given up on the Governor’s Housing Compact, and I was just you know, where was redne this whole time? Now, you got to say

4:41 a lot of people had concerns about this Christian and the political left about good cause eviction kind of effectively expanding rink control to the entirety of the state. A little bit different than but similar. And you know, the Real Estate Board was missing in action. You know, they were so busy finding good cause that they they really

5:00 did nothing to boost the Housing Compact or even really for twenty one a extension, which was you know, kind of their baby. You know, real estate developers in the city want to be able to continue current or you know, for twenty one projects that were already underway that when it expired last year, and you know, the Real Estate

5:18 Board just seems a little bit kind of like a sleep at the switch. You know.

5:21 Speaker 2 And it wasn’t just them, It’s not like they had to get the Housing Compact or all done by themselves. But you know, I think there was just a lot of complacency all around from everybody, the left, the right, the center, up and down that you know, everyone knows how’s you know, housing is needed in New York State,

5:39 and now everyone’s just kind of throwing up their hands, pointing fingers and saying, darn it, we couldn’t get it done. It’s you know, it’s kind of a shame because I think at least in principle, everyone was in agreement that something had to happen.

5:50 Speaker 1 And it’s pretty stupid, especially when you have such high interest rates. Who should invest if you don’t have some insenships?

6:00 Speaker 2 Yeah, well, you know there who wants to jump on a boat that isn’t moving forward? Right? I mean, I mean sometimes you know, or get in the car that won’t you know, reach its destination. You know, people know we need more house People are still in New York.

6:14 People love New York. It’s the most one of the most important cities in the world. Yes, the state and the centirety is facing the problem with losing, you know, losing people to other states. But you know, in the end, you know, I think if you’re thinking about investors, don’t they want a state where there’s gonna be enough housing

6:31 for everybody to live in the place that you know, homelessness isn’t going to be by default, So it’s gonna have to wait till after the budget process, that’s for sure.

6:40 Speaker 1 Zach Williams, thank you, and we’ll go day by day and we’ll see how far we progress. Thank you for your update for all w ABC listeners, and we’ll talk again.

6:50 Speaker 2 Always a pleasure, John, thank you.