| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | Presented by SimpliSafe | SQUAD GOALS — A new progressive coalition is launching Saturday with the goal of getting a diverse slate of progressive representatives elected to the state House next year. Or, as Incorruptible Mass director Anna Callahan envisions it, a local version of Rep. Ayanna Pressley's “Squad” — a group of people “committed to fighting the anti-democratic centralization of power and passing bold legislation that uplifts working people.” Incorruptible Mass is partly a vehicle to get more progressives elected and more liberal policies passed in a Democratic supermajority legislature that’s not as lefty as activists would like. And it’s partly a response to years of frustration about the lack of transparency on Beacon Hill — particularly in the House — that’s reaching a boiling point among activists. The coalition already has several activist groups on board, including Progressive Mass, Our Revolution Massachusetts and Massachusetts Peace Action. The next steps include putting together a slate of candidates who will not only support each other’s campaigns, but who will then work together on policy once they’re inside the State House. This year’s redistricting process presents an opportunity, because more lawmakers tend to retire in redistricting years to avoid potentially challenging reelection fights in redrawn districts. But it also leaves candidate recruitment somewhat in limbo until maps are finalized and openings become more clear. One thing is for sure, Callahan said the group wants to target those in House leadership “because the speaker and the leadership team really have way too much control over what policies are allowed to pass in the State House.” GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. A battle is already brewing over whether to bring back happy hour. But a bill from Cambridge Rep. Mike Connolly that would call a commission to revisit the decades-old ban isn’t yet on the table. Language for that legislation, which also includes other forms of restaurant relief, is expected in coming days. But a new MassINC Polling Group survey that showed 70% of residents support the return of discounted drinks is bringing the issue to the forefront now. Here’s where folks stand: - Connolly told me “it makes sense to have this conversation now, because ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft now offer new ways for restaurant and bar patrons to get home safely” and cheaper after-work drinks could help lure the work-from-home crowd back to their old haunts. - House Speaker Ronald Mariano said on Bloomberg Radio he’s “committed to taking a look” but stopped short of picking a side. - Gov. Charlie Baker said he’s skeptical even if it makes him a “stick in the mud." At a press conference yesterday he recounted “terrible experiences” in the pre-prohibition days, like the drunken-driving incident that led to the happy-hour ban in the first place. - Mothers Against Drunk Driving said it doesn’t take a position on alcohol sales to the 21+ crowd, but expressed concern that “people who do consume make the safe and correct choice before the first drink to always designate a non-drinking, unimpaired driver.” - Restaurateurs appear split. Bob Luz, president of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, told me “restaurants’ business models have changed dramatically over the past 16 months, they don’t need another change right now.” TODAY — Sen. Ed Markey promotes the jobs and justice potential of a Civilian Climate Corps in an 11 a.m. livestream. Boston's election department holds its ballot position drawing at noon in City Hall. Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey speaks at an event announcing the purchase of a new building for CommonWealth Kitchen at 1 p.m. in Dorchester. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone join MIRA to celebrate immigrant contributions and call for pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants at 4 p.m., East Somerville Community School. ORS Somerville hosts a mayoral candidate forum at 7 p.m. THIS WEEKEND — Incorruptible Mass launches with a “State House Call Out” at 11 a.m. Saturday. Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell opens her mayoral campaign office at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 1532B Dorchester Ave. Boston mayoral candidate John Barros hosts a fundraiser at 3 p.m. Saturday at Savin Bar & Kitchen. Northeastern journalism professor Dan Kennedy discusses his annual New England Muzzle Awards on Keller at Large, 8:30 a.m. Sunday, WBZ. GOP gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl is on WCVB’s “On the Record,” 11 a.m. Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com. | |
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| – “Cambridge urges all residents to mask up after breakthrough infections reported, Massachusetts reports jump of 477 new cases,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Cambridge health officials are urging all residents, whether vaccinated or not, to mask up after the city reported more than 30 coronavirus breakthrough infections this month, as Massachusetts officials on Thursday reported a spike of 477 new cases. … Thursday was the second straight day of more than 400 cases. Before Wednesday, the last time the state had reported more than 400 cases was May 22.” – “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe. | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “House again votes to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “House lawmakers played a hand of deja vu on Beacon Hill as they voted to legalize sports betting for the second time in so many years. … Last session, the bill died in the Senate. The chamber’s appetite for the measure appears lukewarm with Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, saying the Senate would review the sports betting proposal ‘as it continues its work to address the many important issues facing the Commonwealth, including COVID-19 recovery, mental health reform, and meaningful voting reforms.’” – More from MassLive.com’s Steph Solis: “College sports betting, esports, diversity mandate: Here’s what’s in the Massachusetts House’s sports betting bill.” – "Massachusetts lawmakers are eyeing a repeal of the state’s happy hour ban. Charlie Baker isn’t so sure," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa: "Call him a 'stick in the mud,' but Gov. Charlie Baker says he’s not on board with the sudden energy around repealing the ban on happy hours in Massachusetts." – "Boston Council Demands 'Information Justice' From Beacon Hill," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service (paywall): "The Boston City Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the state Legislature 'to reconsider efforts to expand transparency and information justice through its decision-making,' citing recent House rules votes and saying that an 'inaccessible process that keeps the people out' is a large part of the reason popular legislation stalls on Beacon Hill." – “Mass. Bill Would Boost Pensions For Pandemic Government Workers. Critics Say It Would Cost Billions,” by Todd Wallack, WBUR: “Critics say a measure to reward government workers in Massachusetts for their service during the pandemic could wind up costing billions of dollars and drain state and local pension funds. The bill, which has drawn broad support in the state Legislature, would credit workers with three extra years of service for their pensions when they retire if they worked outside their home sometime between March 10 and Dec. 31 of last year.” – “Still no answer for Massachusetts businesses forced to should $7 billion in pandemic unemployment costs,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Business groups are accusing lawmakers of turning a blind eye to the festering insolvency of the state’s unemployment trust fund and saddling the debt on businesses rather than paying it down with the billions in federal aid and excess tax dollars at the state’s disposal.” – “Funds for forests: Campaign ramps up to improve state's rural lands payments,” by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: “In December, Auditor Suzanne Bump issued a 70-page analysis of how Massachusetts goes about compensating communities in which the state owns land exempt from property taxes. Bump’s critique was clear: The system is increasingly unfair, especially to smaller towns in Western Massachusetts, and needs to be reformed to prevent an already weak financial support from faltering. On Friday, Bump will join with local lawmakers in Deerfield and Hawley in a bid to build awareness of the problem and to push for change.” | | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| – “Janey says BPS students must wear masks as Baker says he plans no changes to COVID-19 policies,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Emma Platoff and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “In one of the first signs the resurgence of COVID infections is causing concern among officials, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday said all public school students in the city will be required to wear face masks when they return to classes in September. … On Thursday, Governor Charlie Baker, said he has no plans to reimpose statewide restrictions, but left the door open for local officials to set limits in their communities.” – “Amid COVID-19 surge, calls mount for mandatory Cape nursing home staff vaccinations,” by Cynthia McCormick, Cape Cod Times: “With an 88-year-old husband living at a Harwich nursing home, Katie O’Connor of Orleans said she welcomes the news that state public health officials are now requiring all long-term care facilities on Cape Cod to test unvaccinated employees daily for COVID-19. She just wishes RegalCare in Harwich would make the vaccinations mandatory.” – “Equity gaps in vaccine rates narrowing,” by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: “About two-dozen low-income communities with large minority populations — including Lawrence, Haverhill, Methuen, Revere and Lynn -- still lag other cities and towns in getting shots into peoples' arms, according to the state Department of Public Health. The vaccination rate among whites still outstrips those of Hispanics and Blacks, though the gap is narrowing, the state’s data show.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Janey Names Two Latina Activists To The Boston School Committee,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Acting Mayor Kim Janey named two veteran Latina activists to the Boston School Committee Thursday, replacing two Latina members who resigned after sharing inappropriate text messages during a highly charged meeting focused on exam school admission policies. Rafaela Polanco Garcia, director of parent engagement and organizing at the South End non-profit St. Stephen's Youth Programs, and Lorena Lopera, New England executive director of Latinos for Education, were sworn in Thursday as part of a press conference.” – “Boston City Council backs vote-by-mail, same-day registration for city elections,” by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: “Boston city councilors on Wednesday approved two home rule petitions that, if supported by state lawmakers, will allow eligible voters to register on Election Day and continue early voting and vote-by-mail options for city elections. Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who sponsored both proposals, has said the measures would help remove barriers for residents who have been historically disenfranchised.” | | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| – With 53 days left until Bostonians head to the polls, mayoral hopeful Michelle Wu sits down with my colleagues over at The Recast to discuss Boston’s stigma of racism, how she was encouraged to be a figure skater like Olympian Michelle Kwan and the prospects of being the first female and first non-white mayor elected to the city’s top job. “I’m proud to be an Asian American woman. I carry with me the perspective and the lived experience of growing up in an immigrant family, and I believe fiercely that we need to expand the definitions, the perceptions of what leadership looks like,” Wu, a city councilor, said. “But … there's not a first, until there is one.” Subscribe to The Recast for the full interview this afternoon. – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Horace Small, former Union of Minority Neighborhoods executive director, is endorsing Wu, per her campaign. “No one will work harder for true racial and economic equity than Michelle, and her administration will reflect the true diversity of Boston,” Small said in a statement. Small and state Rep. Tommy Vitolo, who endorsed Wu yesterday, both previously supported state Rep. Jon Santiago. – “Kim Janey won’t be ‘incumbent’ on Boston ballot,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s benefitted from her big new office to help propel her toward the front of the mayoral-race pack — but she’s not going to have any assistance on the actual ballot, which won’t identify her as the city’s chief executive. Janey’s ballot line won’t include the word ‘incumbent,’ and she’ll just be identified as ‘Present District City Councilor,’ per the city, which is having a drawing for ballot position Friday.” | |
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| | | | | THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
| – “Boston community college, jobs and recovery programs may see $2.3M boost after push from Rep. Ayanna Pressley,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “The proposed $2.3 million in federal funding for the city, if approved as part of the fiscal year 2022 federal budget, would expand Boston’s tuition-free community college program, bolster the Dimock Center’s substance use treatment and programming, and help the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology launch a green jobs Building Automation System associates degree program.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “New proposed MBTA board still doesn’t have a Boston seat,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “MBTA boards may come and go, but one thing appears to be forever: the lack of a Boston-specific seat on the influential body, as has long chagrined Hub residents and officials.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Satanic Temple suit against Boston moves forward,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs allowed several of the complaints from the Salem Satanists to move forward — while sticking a fork in some other ones — as The Satanic Temple, or TST, takes issue with it not being allowed to give the opening prayer for a City Council meeting.” | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| – “What, exactly, is going on with the Transportation and Climate Initiative?” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “The hallmark, interstate compact — named the Transportation and Climate Initiative — originally included a dozen states … However, a year passed, a pandemic hit, and by last December, the number of states actually committed to the program had dwindled to three: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, along with D.C. … while the Baker administration remains committed to it, officials say Massachusetts will only take the jump if other states do, too.” | | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| – “Marijuana company tried to bust union forming at Hanover dispensary,” by Wheeler Cowperthwaite, Patriot Ledger: “A national marijuana company with a medical dispensary in Hanover broke the law when three of its top executives tried to hamper unionization efforts at the local dispensary, authorities say. Curaleaf violated labor laws when its employees began to successfully unionize its Hanover medical marijuana dispensary, Administrative Law Judge Ira Sandron said in a decision issued earlier this month.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Western Massachusetts Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo Jr. asks Gov. Charlie Baker to declare a state of emergency after summer flooding,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “In the first two weeks of July, traditionally Western Massachusetts receives 1.98 inches of rainfall. This year that increased to almost five times the amount at just over 9 inches of rainfall.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Jugs of urine with racial slur, political messages poured in Brockton candidate's driveway,” by Mina Corpuz, Brockton Enterprise: “Gallon-sized jugs containing urine with handwritten racial and political messages on them were poured out on the driveway of homeowner Marlon Green Tuesday, which he sees as an extreme response to his candidacy for Ward 1 city councilor.” – SHOT: “Hill says sparklers should be legalized,” by Dustin Luca, Salem News: “Every summer, state Rep. Brad Hill sees a problem play out on every beach around the region. His solution involves legalization, but fire chiefs seem steadfast in disagreement. Hill, alongside state Sen. Michael Moore, has filed a pair of bills to exclude novelty sparklers from the list of fireworks banned under state law. … ‘It's insane to me to walk to any beach in the summer and see people with sparklers they've gotten from other states.’" – CHASER: “‘Constant barrage’: Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno urges state Legislature to crackdown on fireworks,” by Peter Goonan, MassLive.com: “Mayor Domenic Sarno submitted written testimony to a state legislative committee this week, urging passage of a bill intended to help crack down on the ‘constant barrage of fireworks across our city.’ Sarno submitted the two-page letter to the chairmen of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of the bill that would increase the fines for the sale and use of fireworks.” – “Hard-hit cities seek long-term changes with federal recovery money,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “As the pandemic ebbs, large municipalities like Revere are preparing for an influx of money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. For communities hard-hit by the pandemic, the money provides more than immediate relief, but the opportunity to address some of the societal ills uncovered during the public health crisis.” – "As Supreme Court Weighs Harvard Admissions Case, Two Asian Americans Speak Out And Allege Bias," by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: "Harrison Chen doesn't like to brag, but the 21-year-old son of Chinese immigrants graduated at the top of his high school class and logged almost perfect scores on the SAT. Still, Harvard rejected his application. The reason, he alleges, was discrimination." – “U.S. Jobless Claims Rise From A Pandemic Low, As State Sees Slight Drop,” by WBUR: “The data show that just over 8,300 state residents applied for first-time benefits last week, a drop of about 400 claims compared to the week before.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to former state Sen. Kathleen O’Connor-Ives, Meg Montgomery, comms advisor for Wu’s campaign; Vasundhra Sangar, Jeremy D. Goodwin, Mariane Pearl and your Massachusetts Playbook scribe. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Stacey Monahan, who celebrates Saturday; and to Shrewsbury state Rep. Hannah Kane, Boston Herald reporter Sean Cotter, Boston Globe reporter Milton Valencia, former World Bank president Robert Zoellick, Amanda McGowan and David Marx, who celebrate Sunday. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | |
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