Hochul Talks Congestion Pricing, Housing, Cell Phone Ban in Schools and her City Apt

Governor Kathy Hochul took part in a one-on-one live Q&A at Hearst Towers July 18 in which she gave some new insight on her about face on congestion pricing last month, discussed loosening housing rules, new rules on cell phones in schools.

She was apparently not among the Democratic party leaders who were pushing Joe Biden to drop out of the race. Three days before Biden did just that, she reiterated her support for him, but said at the time she would support whoever was the Democratic party nominee for President in the even he dropped out.

The Buffalo native, who took an apartment in Manhattan six months ago, said she has managed to find a nearby Buffalo Bills bar and revealed that she sometimes dons a baseball cap and sunglasses and travels the NYC subway–without anyone recognizing her.

She made her remarks in a Q&A interview with Dan Clark, who covers state government for the Albany Times Union, a daily owned by Hearst Corp.

It didn’t take long for topic to turn to the ever changing world of national politics.

In her remarks, which came only days before the stunning announcement from President Joe Biden that he was dropping out of the race, Hochul reiterated her support for Joe Biden so long as he remains in the race because she said he has delivered for NYS and she supports his overall agenda. She noted he was in New York City for the dedication of the Stonewall National Landmark the day after what she called his “debate debacle.”

“I have spent an enormous amount of time with President Biden [...] He’s delivered for New York. He’s delivered for our country. I believe in his vision,” she said. “Joe Biden’s our nominee, he’s our candidate, and I’m with him [...] I believe he’s going to stay,” she said at the time.

But even then she was leaving the door open to a change at the top of the ticket. “If he changes his mind–which I don’t have any insights if that is going to happen–then I stand with our nominee.”

She said she strongly opposes the Project 2025 agenda that is being pushed by many Republican leaders who are allies of Donald Trump. She urged people to read the full 900-page document but joked that she did not recommend doing it before turning in for the night because it is “frightening, nightmarish.”

She said the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, PA which left one person dead, and two others critically injured in addition to the right ear wound suffered by the former president was “obviously an horrific event.” And as far as toning down rhetoric after the attempted assassination of former president Trump, she said, “I didn’t see a whole lot of evidence of that” at the Republican National Convention. Hochul began her political career as an aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and recalled that political foes Ronald Reagan and Congressman Tip O’Neal disagreed on many policies but would watch football games together.

She also said she felt the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the youth more than older adults. “Young people are held captive by social media,” she said and noted that it worsened during the pandemic when they also were forced to communicate with friends remotely and go to remote learning. She supports a ban on cell phones in schools, saying it is a way to get kids “talking to one another” rather than being absorbed by digital diversions and social media on phones.

Congestion pricing was a key topic in which she offered new insights into her sudden about face to “postpone indefinitely” the start of the $15 toll, only weeks before its scheduled start on June 30. One objection she said was the $15 toll on cars may have been too high, noting that in London the toll was initially only £5–equivalent to about $6.48 in USD. “I’m not saying that is the path to go, but it may be. I don’t know,” she said. “I want to reserve all my options.”

She may have to move quickly to implement it, because if Trump wins the election, he is dead set against it, labeling it “a disaster.”

“As it got closer, people started getting more anxious,” she noted, especially from workers who would be paying the toll if they drove to their jobs in Manhattan. Hochul said occupations such as teachers, hospital, and hotel workers were at risk of being hit with an estimated cost of $3,800 per year just to commute to work five days a week. Hochul recalled a memory of a standing ovation she received from hotel workers once she postponed the fees, citing that she was shocked to hear such applause.

She also said she would not abandon the MTA but did not say where it would get the additional funds it needs now that it will not receive $1 billion from the congestion pricing tolls. “The MTA is the lifeblood of this region,” she said. “It must be invested in.” Before the tolls were halted, the MTA said it planned to use the $1 billion in annual toll fees as a springboard to borrow more than $15 billion to fund capital improvements and infrastructure projects. She added, “We just need to pause to assess the situation.”

She’s also pushing new housing agendas a year after her first foray into the controversial area met with pushback from suburban lawmakers who objected to multi-family housing in their communities.

Hochul shared that “supply” is the root cause of the housing shortage. She urged the relaxing of regulations to allow office spaces in New York City to be more easily converted to housing. She noted that the shortage is particularly discouraging to young people. “The cost of home ownership is so prohibitive for young people. It really is.”

Hochul also discussed more light hearted topics, such as what it’s been like being a Buffalo native living in a New York City apartment, which she said she moved into about six months ago after spending her earliest months after she became governor renting a downstate hotel room. She shared an anecdote of finding a bar that supports her local NFL team. “Don’t laugh but I found a Buffalo Bills sports bar that’s walking distance from my apartment. That’s me sitting (there) in the fall.” The Governor said she enjoys her time in NYC and can sometimes ride the subway or walk around without beng noticed. She spoke about how she can “put on a baseball cap, ponytail, and a pair of glasses. Nobody knows who I am.”