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Compiled by Sahalie Donaldson

Monday, March 16, 2026

Weather

Showers and fog in New York City, rain in Albany and rain likely then rain/snow likely in Buffalo. New York City, high 60; Albany, high 60; Buffalo, high 58.

Amazon creates affordable lives for employees and customers. Our $1 billion investment in employee compensation lowers the cost of employee health plans, which now start at just$5 per week and $5 for doctor's visits. It also raises average pay to $23/hour for employees. And we are leading the industry in lower prices. A new Profitero analysis of 10,000 identical products found Amazon prices are an average of 14% less expensive than all major U.S. retailers.

From City & State

* Linda Lee is not like other finance chairs. The former social worker isn’t a politico by nature, but the New York City Council member is ready for the Mamdani era. 

Heard around town

By Jeff Coltin

Congratulations, New Yorkers. You helped subsidize an Oscar winner.

Amy Madigan took home the Academy Award for best supporting actress last night for “Weapons” – a film that also received a New York State Film Tax Credit for doing its post-production work in the Empire State.

It was the only winner out of the four Oscar-nominated films to take part in New York’s tax credit program. Others were “The Smashing Machine,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and, probably the most New York film of the year, “Marty Supreme.”

New York’s film tax credit program has been scrutinized as bad policy, but defenders like Gov. Kathy Hochul say it’s necessary to keep the industry from entirely relocating to Georgia.

Empire State Development spokesperson Emily Mijatovic said those four Oscar-nominated movies all together anticipated spending over $95 million and making 2,900 hires in New York over the course of their productions. Data on whether they fulfilled those estimates wasn’t immediately available.

Got tips? Email editor@cityandstateny.com.

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New this morning

* New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to meet with some Jewish leaders today amid concerns he and his wife have been hostile to concerns about anti-Israel rhetoric, the New York Post reports.

* More than a quarter of New Yorkers lived in poverty in 2024, and more than 50% said high costs prevented them at least once that year from doing things like buying food, paying their utility bills or seeing a doctor, according to a new report, The New York Times reports.

* With less than three weeks to go before the state’s April 1 deadline to pass a budget, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins have shown no consensus as to what specific reforms they have agreed to pass regarding the Tier 6 pension plan, The Buffalo News reports.

* Mamdani, while charming in public, has thrown sharp elbows in private as he pushes his political brand and agenda among fellow Democrats, the Times reports.

* New York City health officials have confirmed the city’s first case of a more severe strain of the mpox virus than the one that drove a global outbreak in 2022, Gothamist reports.

* More news below …

The child care workforce is overwhelmingly women for whom poverty wages remain the norm. When educators can’t afford to stay, programs close and families struggle to find care. Universal child care is an exciting part of today’s public conversation, but New York will remain far from it without real investment in the workforce. Join AQE in urging state leaders to tax the rich and fund a permanent child care workforce compensation fund.

* Online retail giant Amazon owes New York City more than $9.8 million in fines and penalties related to illegal idling across the five boroughs – more than any other company, according to data crunched by local anti-idling activists, Streetsblog reports.

* Fears of immigration enforcement have made some New Yorkers more hesitant to access health services under President Donald Trump, but the Greater New York Hospital Association said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in hospitals has not increased during Trump’s second term, Gothamist reports.

* Common Cause New York, Free Speech for People and the League of Women Voters of Rensselaer County sent a letter to state Attorney General Letitia James, calling on her office to investigate last year's elections in Rensselaer County, NY1 reports.

* As New York plans to pay for induction stoves to be installed in 10,000 apartments across New York City, a Bronx walk-up provides an early look at what’s to come, Inside Climate News reports.

* Newly elected New York City Council Member Harvey Epstein recently introduced a bill to outlaw the sale of glue traps aimed at mice and rats, The City reports.

Editorial pages

* We in the Mamdani administration will work with the New York City Council to rekindle the spark of outdoor dining – restoring year-round roadway dining and cutting red tape, New York City Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn writes for the Daily News.

* March means budget season in Albany, and this year the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hitting the road in support of legislation that would reinforce ongoing efforts to crack down on toll evasion, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber writes for amNewYork.

National politics

* Democratic lawmakers pushed the Trump administration to more clearly lay out its goals in Iran as war continues to rage on in the Middle East, Politico reports.

* An Iranian drone attack ignited a fuel tank at Dubai International Airport early today, authorities said, setting off a massive fire and forcing the suspension of flights at what is normally among the busiest hubs in the world, The Washington Post reports.

* American oil executives delivered a bleak message to Trump administration officials in recent days: The energy crisis the Iran war has unleashed is likely to get worse, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Healthy NY Summit Bridges the Gap Between Policy and Practice — Will You Be There?

On April 23, City & State’s Healthy New York Summit returns to build and reinforce relationships between preeminent elected officials, agency heads and industry leaders in NY’s health ecosystem. Our keynote speakers are Dr. James V. McDonald, Commissioner of the NYS Department of Health, and Dr. Alister Martin, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene! Register NOW and contact us about sponsorship opportunities.

Sponsored by: Anthem; EmblemHealth; Eve & Co; T-Mobile; AHRC NYC; Brown & Weinraub; Hinman Straub; The New York Foundling; Ostroff Associates, Inc.; Public Health Solutions; Urban Health Plan; NYSTEC; Public Partnerships LLC

Announcements

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Brian M. Rosenthal, investigative reporter at The New York Times … to former New York City Fire Department Commissioner Robert S. Tucker … to Michelle A. Adams, senior managing director, global external relations and business development, Tishman Speyer … to Earl Simons, vice president for philanthropy and external relations at Medgar Evers College … to former Rep. Joe Crowley … to former New York City Council Member Daniel Halloran III … to Joshua Bocian, associate director of government affairs, Northeast at Grubhub … to Steve Behar, former New York City Council candidate … to New York City Council photographer William Alatriste … to Lizzie Kirshenbaum, chief of staff, operations manager and special projects, Beam Living … to Darren Martin, former senior policy adviser and deputy director of New York City Asylum Application Help Center, New York City Mayor's Office … to Celeste Frye, founder and CEO of Public Works Partners … to Marco Cruz, Director of Constituent Services, Office of Assembly Member Sam Berger … and to Brad Weekes, assistant commissioner of public information at the New York City Police Department.

MOVING ON: Reuben Torres, former deputy communications director and press secretary for then-Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, is now director of communications at the Center for Community Alternatives.

Have a birthday, career change, birth, death or life event to announce? Email us: editor@cityandstateny.com.

City & State NY Jobs

To advertise your 2026 employment opportunities here with City & State, email jobs@cityandstateny.com or call (212) 894-5417 ext. 520. To view more jobs, please visit jobs.cityandstateny.com.

Communications Associate - United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Inc. - New York City

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Editor, Policy Journal (Part-Time Contract) - Citizens Union Foundation Inc. of the City of New York – New York City
Citizens Union is launching a new policy journal focused on the ideas, debates, and solutions shaping the future of New York City. We are seeking an Editor, Policy Journal to serve as the founding editorial lead for this new platform. The Editor will play a central role in shaping the journal’s identity and establishing it as a trusted forum for thoughtful debate about the city’s most pressing challenges.

Director of Digital & Communications - Citizens Union Foundation Inc. and Citizens Union – New York City
Citizens Union seeks a creative, strategic, and hands-on Director of Digital & Communications to lead the organization’s public voice across digital platforms. This is a key role responsible for translating policy research, public statements, and civic initiatives into compelling content that drives engagement and expands our reach. The person in this role will shape how Citizens Union shows up online. 

Help us Celebrate NYC’s Power Players in April

City & State’s must-read list of the most powerful people in NYC — The New York City Power 100 — has long been a prestigious institution, shining a spotlight on the individuals who shape the fabric of this vibrant metropolis. Help us recognize exceptional citizens from every borough whose contributions deserve recognition at our exclusive evening reception on April 28. Join the festivities by placing a congratulatory ad in City & State Magazine and contacting us about event sponsorship.

Today's sked

The state Legislature is in session.

9:30 a.m. – The New York City Council Committee on Children and Youth holds a preliminary budget hearing, Council chamber, City Hall, Manhattan.

10 a.m. – Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella holds a press conference to call on the city to increase its allocation of paving resources to Staten Island in the upcoming budget, intersection of Thornycroft Avenue and King Street, Staten Island.

10 a.m. – The Rev. Al Sharpton, elected members of Congress and City Council members ask the city to halt a planned commercial development next door to Merchant’s House Museum, Merchant’s House Museum, 29 E. Fourth St., Manhattan.

10:25 a.m. – New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin participates in the Robin Hood Annual Poverty Tracker Panel, ninth floor, 826 Broadway, Manhattan.

10:30 a.m. – The New York City Council Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management holds a preliminary budget hearing, Hearing Room 2, eighth floor, 250 Broadway, Manhattan.

10:30 a.m. – Gov. Kathy Hochul makes an economic development announcement, Erie County.

11:30 a.m. – Hochul visits a local business to talk about rising gas prices and energy affordability, Erie County.

11:30 a.m. – The New York City Council Committee on Hospitals holds a preliminary budget hearing, Hearing Room 1, eighth floor, 250 Broadway, Manhattan.

12 p.m. – Lawmakers, crime survivors and formerly incarcerated people rally to call for fair pathways home from prison, The Well, Legislative Office Building, Albany.

12:15 p.m. – State Attorney General Letitia James, together with state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, state Sen. Rachel May, Assembly Member Emérita Torres, Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, unions and advocates, call for the passage of the One Fair Price Package, Million Dollar Staircase, second floor, state Capitol, Albany.

12:30 p.m. – Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra and the Assembly Minority Conference hold a press conference to announce legislation aimed at improving safety and staffing at state correctional facilities, Million Dollar Staircase, second floor, state Capitol, Albany.

12:45 p.m. – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference to make an announcement with city Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn, Flushing International High School, 144-80 Barclay Ave., Queens.

3 p.m. – The state Senate is in session, Senate chamber, state Capitol, Albany.

3:15 p.m. – Menin hosts an education roundtable with nonprofit leaders, City Hall, Manhattan.

4:30 p.m. – The state Senate and Assembly announce General Conference Committee appointments, Hearing Room B, Legislative Office Building, Albany.

5:30 p.m. – Menin hosts a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration with Council colleagues, Council chamber, City Hall, Manhattan.

6:15 p.m. – Mamdani tours Rikers Island with city Department of Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards and attends Iftar with members of the facility’s Muslim community, Rikers Island. 

6:30 p.m. – Menin delivers remarks at Council Member Farah Louis’ State of the District and swearing-in ceremony, I.S. 285 Meyer Levin, 5909 Beverley Road, Brooklyn.

Kicker

“Every successful political person has to either come to the table with the ability to be a little bit ruthless from time to time, or they have to pick it up quickly.” – state Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs on how politicians, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, must wield power, via The New York Times

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