Marijuana legalization isn't happening in New York anytime soon, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's open to a tax on something else to help fund repairs to the MTA.

Here's what else you may have missed in New York politics this week:

CUOMO SAYS HE'S OPEN TO A PIED-À-TERRE TAX TO HELP FUND TRANSIT REPAIRS

(There's a deep divide over how to fund longterm New York City transit repairs, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he's open to a new tax to help, in addition to congestion pricing).

Admitting congestion pricing wouldn't raise enough money for the full breadth of MTA repairs, Cuomo this week said he was open to a pied-a-terre tax, which would charge mostly foreign investors who own Manhattan apartments but don't use them as their primary residence.

There are ideas for funding streams, but…

Even that wouldn't be quite enough money. The governor estimated a pied-a-terre tax, congestion pricing, and an internet sales would raise $29 billion, still $11 billion off the approximate need for the MTA to fund its Capital Plan to repair its aging infrastructure.

Cuomo on Monday said a tax on recreational marijuana was likely off the table with state lawmakers because he and the legislature were unlikely to reach an agreement on legalization in the state budget. The annual revenue from taxing recreational weed was expected to be less than $1 billion.

REP. GREGORY MEEKS VOTED THE NEW BOSS OF THE QUEENS DEMOCRATIC PARTY

(Rep. Greg Meeks on Monday was voted to become the new leader of Queens Democrats).

Rep. Gregory Meeks was unanimously elected Monday the new chair of the Queens County Democratic Party.

What's the significance of his election?

The Queens Democratic Party boss helps mold New York City politics. As county leader, Meeks will have a role in picking some judges and political candidates and shaping the agenda for the Democratic Party in Queens.

New York City elected officials also often have to work with the Queens Democratic leader. Candidates for city council speaker saw that last year, for example, were vying for the support of former boss Rep. Joe Crowley.

MANHATTAN PROSECUTORS INDICT PAUL MANAFORT ON STATE CHARGES

(In this May 23, 2018, file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the Federal District Court after a hearing in Washington. Jose Luis Magana/AP).

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced to a total of seven and a half years in prison on federal charges Wednesday, then was hit almost immediately with fresh state charges in New York that could put him outside the president's power to pardon.

Why New York prosecutors think their case is safe from a Trump pardon:

The new case appeared designed at least in part to protect against the possibility that Trump could pardon Manafort, who led the celebrity businessman's 2016 White House bid for months. The president can pardon federal crimes but not state offenses.

New York's attorney general's office had looked into whether it could bring state-level crimes against Manafort but faced a possible roadblock because of the state's double jeopardy law. That statute goes beyond most other states by preventing state-level charges that mirror federal counts that have been resolved — and also prevents prosecutors from pursuing state-level charges when a person has been pardoned for the same federal crimes.

Still, Manhattan prosecutors, who brought the new indictment, contend their case is safe because mortgage fraud and falsifying business records are state but not federal crimes.

DE BLASIO LAYS OUT $10B PROPOSAL TO EXTEND SHORELINE TO PROTECT NYC FROM STORMS

(In this October 19, 2017 file photo, a boat crosses New York Harbor in front of the Manhattan skyline. Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a plan to protect lower Manhattan from rising sea levels by surrounding it with earthen berms and extending its shoreline by as much as 500 feet. Mark Lennihan/AP).

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $10 billion plan Thursday to meet the "existential threat" of global warming by extending a section of the lower Manhattan coastline as much as 500 feet into the East River.

What would that look like?


 

ONE OF NY'S TOP LEGISLATIVE LEADERS DOES AN ABOUT-FACE ON THE AMAZON HQ2 DEAL

(One month after Amazon abruptly cancelled its plan to build a new campus in Long Island City, one of the deal's skeptics is asking the retail giant to reconsider).

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who was one of the people Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed for Amazon cancelling its HQ2 deal last month, is now asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to come back.

"Please reconsider what you've decided. New York is absolutely the best place for Amazon to grow," Stewart-Cousins said in an interview on The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.

Why the 180?

Last month, Stewart-Cousins and the state Senate recommended Queens Sen. Michael Gianaris to an obscure Albany control board that could have caused trouble for the deal, a sign that she and her fellow lawmakers were taking aim at the plan that would have allowed Amazon to build a major campus in Long Island City.

It's not exactly clear why she's changing her mind now, but Stewart-Cousins's public plea to Amazon came one day after Cuomo and the majority leader had a heart-to-heart phone call, after Cuomo was accused of racism and sexism over his constant criticism of Stewart-Cousins and the state Senate.

"The governor and I have spoken and we are planning on moving forward, quite frankly, in positive ways," Stewart-Cousins said.

 

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

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