By flcikr user geolive
ACTION CENTER
Citizen Action: Tell Cuomo to Call the Legislature Back, Tell Legislators to Pass a Robust Minimum Wage Package!
ALIGN: Join the 11/15 Thunderclap for #weRecycle – Recycling is good for the environment & creates jobs!
New Yorkers Against Fracking: Save the date – rally to ban fracking at Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State (1/7)
ISSUES
Legislator pay raise for minimum wage raise? Rick Karlin suggests three compromise options for a legislative pay raise: 1) making the property tax cap permanent, 2) raising the minimum wage, and 3) closing the LLC loophole. Times Union
What are the chances of a legislator pay hike? Jimmy Vielkind says they’re dwindling. He also mentions Citizen Action’s email action yesterday. Capital New York
“If Governor Cuomo wants to show that he’s a strong, effective leader and wants to make government work for working people, then this is a great opportunity,” said Michael Kink. Associated Press
In Buffalo, Paladino’s charter school profits points to school board conflict. “He’s looking to expand charter schools, and he’s using his vote in ways that promote his own self interest,” said Billy Easton, executive director for the New York Alliance for Quality Education. “I think there’s a lot of resentment that the community has been totally shut out of this process so far.” Buffalo News
Utica schools shortchanged. Assemblymember Brindisi and AQE pointed out that Utica schools are owed $75M from the past four years. WKTV
NY’s health exchange is ready. With open enrollment set to begin on Saturday, NY State of Health is prepping for it’s second major wave of enrollments. Times Union
Schools in Hempstead failed to assess past schooling of immigrant children. “Lucas Sánchez, director of the Nassau County office of the nonprofit New York Communities for Change, said the report confirms what he has been hearing from parents and students for weeks.” Newsday
ELECTIONS
Rep. Slaughter is finally declared the winner. By 869 votes. Democrat and Chronicle
Corporations are routinely violating campaign finance laws in NY. “Between 2011 and 2013, the board made 164 such referrals to district attorneys across the state. Not a single prosecution resulted, however, prompting the board to stop sending referrals. Meanwhile, corporations continue to regularly make contributions in excess of the $5,000 annual limit.” The New York World
De Blasio tells Dems to be Dems. In an extensive “blueprint to revitalize the Democratic Party,” Mayor de Blasio makes the case for Democrats across the country to embrace progressive policies and to talk about them. Huffington Post
Republicans set up to fail next time. For you numbers junkies, this post details why Republicans are set to lose big in two years. Great lede: “Few things are as dangerous to a long term strategy as a short-term victory.” Houston Chronicle
OTHER NEWS
New York State has a new website. The State launched a new redesign yesterday. It looks pretty nice, and works great on cell phones. NY.gov
Public meeting for Albany oil facility expansion. Global Partners will host a public meeting tonight from 6 to 8 pm. Times Union
OPINION PAGES
Times Union Op-Ed by Heather Leibowitz – “Viewed in their totality, the numbers on fracking add up to an environmental nightmare… At the end of the day, protecting our environment and public health will require a ban on fracking.”
Buffalo News Editorial – “The Amherst Town Board wants more transparency from the Amherst Industrial Development Agency. While the IDA is an independent organization, it should comply.”
Journal News Editorial – Teacher evaluations emphasize testing over learning. “Cuomo’s recent characterization of New York’s education system as a “public monopoly” has rattled many educators. Wool said all the rhetoric just creates division, and important issues such as the struggles children in poverty face and the problems of high-needs districts are just ignored. Public education, he said, is “what a thriving democracy needs.”
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