Hochul's policies are popular, even though she is not

Plus, changes to the NYC Board of Elections. [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] [New Yorkers like Kathy Hochul’s policies — but not the governor herself]( Many New York voters like Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to pause a [planned toll on certain Manhattan drivers]( according to public polling. They like her new law [cracking down on social media platforms](. And they like her push to [ban cell phones in schools](. They’re far less enthusiastic about the governor herself. Hochul, a Democrat, saw her poll numbers drop last week to their lowest point since she took office in 2021, accelerating what had been a steady decline since January. A Siena College poll showed just 34% of likely New York voters view her favorably — making her less popular among New Yorkers than Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who managed 39% favorability in the deep-blue state. [Read more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- More politics stories to know this week What else is happening around New York City New York City’s Board of Elections is more often criticized for its mistakes than praised for its successes. In an effort to change that, the board on Tuesday certified 15 of its senior managers as professional elections administrators. [Read more.]( NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan is planning to step down by early next year as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration faces multiple federal investigations involving top officials. [Read more.]( Mayor Adams made clearing homeless encampments a top priority when he first took office, but his administration has blown a deadline to disclose how many of those sweeps officials are conducting. [Read more.]( Jaywalking laws in the city may seem obsolete, but the NYPD still tickets hundreds of people a year for the violation, and people of color make up the overwhelming majority of those who are ticketed for it. [Read more.]( Thomas Donlon — who just two weeks ago assumed command of the NYPD after Commissioner Edward Caban's resignation amid a federal probe — is now the subject of a federal probe himself. [Read more.]( Federal law enforcement officials served a subpoena to the director of the NYC’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations on Friday, adding yet another twist to the ongoing investigations into the Adams administration. [Read more.]( But what is the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations, anyway? [Read more.]( NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services withdrew a contract from a vendor with ties to high-ranking City Hall officials after city Comptroller Brad Lander raised numerous red flags about the potentially favorable deal. [Read more.]( New sanitation department rules could mean big fines for nonprofit groups that clean up numerous New York City blocks, city councilmembers write in a new letter. [Read more.]( Elected officials are pushing to curb the antics of some New Yorkers accustomed to making a quick buck from filing complaints against others who violate the city’s noise and air codes. [Read more.]( Black voters have long been Adams' strongest source of political support, but interviews at the African American Day Parade suggest some voters' patience with him may be wearing thin. [Read more.]( Most people detained on Rikers Island are eligible to vote. But under New York City’s current system, thousands of them may not get a chance. [Read more.]( Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced a new bill that could supercharge the federal government’s role in developing affordable housing as millions of Americans struggle to find a place to rent, let alone buy. [Read more.]( Opponents of a sweeping blueprint to fuel housing development across the city are seizing on the political turmoil surrounding Mayor Adams in hopes of tanking the policy proposal as it approaches a full City Council vote later this year. [Read more.]( The New York City Council’s standards and ethics committee has initiated proceedings against Councilmember Susan Zhuang, who is facing separate criminal charges for allegedly biting a police officer during a protest over the summer. [Read more.]( What’s going on around New York state Former President Donald Trump promised to restore a major tax credit for property owners just before he held a rally with thousands of his supporters in suburban Nassau County on Wednesday. [Read more.]( Albany will take up two new bills related to gun violence when it begins a new session next year – propelled by the deadly shooting on the West Indian Day Parade route earlier this month. [Read more.]( For more than a century, state officials have struggled to control generations of invasive pigeons that roost in the state Capitol’s huge central courtyard, an otherwise ornate, open-air space. [Read more.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🗳️ --------------------------------------------------------------- [the logo for the Brian Lehrer daily politics podcast]( [Are Today’s Education Culture Wars Worse Than The Scopes Monkey Trial?]( The book Whose America? Culture Wars in the Public Schools (University of Chicago Press, September 2022), traces the history of the so-called "culture wars" in public education. [LISTEN]( Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential political coverage and more. 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