Assemblyman Vito Lopez will resign in June, according to news reports.

But his promise to step down at the end of the session only ignited more calls for him to leave  – immediately.

In a statement today, he said he would resign June 20.

According to The New York Times, Lopez suggested he would finish this session in office then run for the City Council.

The move comes after Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said he would recommend expelling Lopez from the legislature.

Lopez was censured last year after sexual harassment allegations surfaced. This week, a new report detailed his alleged behavior, including accounts of incidents with multiple women who worked for him. The report detailed asking staffers to give him massages and wear revealing clothing, among other requests.

Many have criticized Lopez as well as other lawmakers’ actions regarding him, including reported secret settlements after the allegations.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that the situation required “a zero tolerance policy.”

“We must now send a clear message that this behavior is not tolerated,” Cuomo said. “Vito Lopez should not spend another day in office, let alone a whole month. He should resign effective immediately and if he does not, he must be expelled.”

The National Organization for Women released a statement saying he should be expelled immediately “to ensure a sexual predator is removed from office.”

“Sexual predators should not be casting votes on legislation that impacts women’s lives,” the group said.

And city officials said he will not have an easy time running for City Council. The Speaker, Christine Quinn, told the Times his candidacy was “one of the most offensive things I have ever seen happen in New York City politics.”

His rival Council candidate,  Antonio Reynoso, added,  ”Vito Lopez clearly does not deserve to hold public office.”

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Service on the Rockaways line of the A train will finally resume at the end of this month, MTA officials announced Thursday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that after Sandy hit, the MTA had to rebuild 1,500 feet of washed-out tracks, replace signals and wires, and rehabilitate two stations that had been flooded during the storm.

“The MTA did a remarkable job of restoring service following the storm and, at the end of this month, the A line in the Rockaways will be up and running,” he said.

Workers also installed a steel wall along two miles of Jamaica Bay to protect against future washouts, Cuomo said.

The MTA also announced they will solicit engineers and project managers to join a new division to plan for protecting stations against future floods.

The toll of the hurricane on the MTA was about $4.8 billion in damage, officials said.

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From the governor to New Yorkers visiting an ATM, this week’s cybercrime arrests are amping up cybersecurity efforts.

After several were charged in a $45 million ATM heist, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer released a report today about cybercrime, cautioning New Yorkers to be more careful, even during routine ATM withdrawals.

The report offers consumer tips on avoiding identity theft as well as suggestions on how to toughen laws.

“The stunning scope of this crime is a sobering wake-up call for New Yorkers, from the highest levels of the financial community to millions of citizens who need to feel secure when they use ATM machines,” Stringer said.

Today, Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced a new Cyber Security Advisory Board, which will advise state officials on how to protect state infrastructure and information systems.

Cuomo also noted this week’s arrests.

“The need to increase cyber security to guard against these threats is urgent,” he said. “In the 21st century, almost all of our daily activities are linked to the internet – from banking to shopping to using our telecommunications networks and physical infrastructure systems.”

How to protect yourself against cybercrime:

• Always use your other hand to shield your hand typing in your PIN at an ATM.
• When you can’t see your credit card, for example at a hotel or restaurant, always use a credit card instead of a debit card. Credit card companies have stronger protections against fraud, Stringer said.
• Keep a firewall on your home computer to protect from hackers.
• Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know or even forwarded attachments from people you do know.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo wrote a letter this week to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, asking her to help save four Brooklyn hospitals.

In his letter, Cuomo asked for permission to use $10 billion of the $17.5 billion that the state anticipates from Medicaid reorganization, according to the Daily News.

In the last few months threats of merger and bankruptcy have faced the four hospitals, which Cuomo aides told the Daily News are Long Island College Hospital, SUNY Downstate Brooklyn, Interfaith Medical Center and Brookdale Medical Center.

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In another effort to boost tourism and the state’s economy, Governor Andrew Cuomo released Thursday a plan for resort gaming centers in upstate New York.

Only one casino, chosen through a bidding process, would operate in each of six designated regions, the state said.

Three regions already have casinos run by Indian nations, which the state said might qualify as the regional casino.

“Our state has a unique opportunity to revitalize the local economies of communities in Upstate New York and create thousands of new jobs where they are needed most,” the governor said.

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Award-winning country singer Luke Bryan will perform along with other stars at the New York State Fair this August, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.

Bryan won the Academy of Country Music’s Entertainer of the Year award in April.

Other performers include country singer Toby Keith, pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen of last year’s summer hit “Call Me Maybe” and comedian Jeff Dunham.

Held since 1841, the annual state fair takes place in Syracuse, N.Y.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on Thursday and Friday after two New York service members were killed in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Eric D. Christian, 39, of Warwick, N.Y., died during “combat operations” in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

“I join with all New Yorkers in mourning the loss of Staff Sgt. Christian,” Cuomo said in a statement. “I extend my deepest sympathy to his family, his friends and his fellow Marines. We will honor his service and sacrifice and his dedication to our nation.”

Cpl. Davisd M. Sonka, 23, of Parker, Colo, was also killed. The two were deployed with the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, based in Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The deaths are being investigated, but the military did not provide any further information.

Today, Cuomo announced that Army Staff Sgt. Francis G. Phillips IV, 28, died after his vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device in Maiwand, Afghanistan.

Phillips was from Meridian, N.Y., according to the governor’s office.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that he will hold a state tourism summit with industry leaders and business owners on May 8 to discuss ways to keep the industry growing.

The summit will consider ideas for increasing jobs and revenue from tourism.

A record 202 million visitors from around the world came to New York in 2011, which the state said created 694,000 jobs and brought $53.9 billion in revenue.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday the addition of millions of government records to the state’s data transparency website open.ny.gov.

The added information to the website, which launched in March, include campaign contributions and expenditures since 1999, lists of lobbyists and their expenditures, and a downloadable directory of state government employees with office telephone numbers.

The website also allows users to download the data, create analysis graphs, search by keyword and compare with other public data.

The post Cuomo increases government transparency, again appeared first on Metro.us.

HarperCollins has retreated from publishing an anticipated biography of Governor Andrew Cuomo by Fred Dicker, opting instead to go for a memoir by the governor himself.

Cuomo had agreed to cooperate with the biography originally, but the New York Times reports the governor’s relationship with the The Post’s Dicker has soured of late.

A Times source reportedly revealed that the publishing house felt publishing both books would be a conflict of interest.

A HarperCollins spokeswoman reportedly said that the company still has a contract with Dicker, but the Times notes there is no book projected on the 2013 publishing schedule.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo has called for an investigation into the hefty bonuses that a group of Con Ed executives collected for their work during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

He ordered Con Ed to freeze the bonuses this morning, according to a statement from his office.

The governor sent a letter to Con Ed’s CEO on Monday demanding that Public Service Commission review the bonuses and ensure that the cost of paying out the bonuses is not passed onto customers.

Cuomo also noted the poor performance of utility companies after the storm, saying it was a “complete failure.”

Four Con Ed executives split $614,400 in bonus pay last year for the challenges they handled following the storm. After the letter was sent, Con Ed CEO Kevin Burke announced that he would return his $315,400 bonus, the New York Post reported. Burke stood by his company, however, and said he continues to commend the work of all his employees.

The three other executives did not say if they would return their bonuses as of Monday night.

More than a million customers lost power due to the storm, and many city residents did not have power restored for several days. Some customers in other areas of the state did not have power return for more than a week.

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This year will be a record-breaking year for New York on television, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

Shows like “The Good Wife,” “Smash,” and “Boardwalk Empire” already use the city as their show’s setting.

According to his office, 19 television pilots and five shows that became series have already filmed here this season.

Two more plan to film here, which would break the record for the number of television pilots filming in New York in a year.

So far, the record 20 pilots were shot during the fall of 2010 to spring 2011.

“New York is now the place to go for the film and television industry,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo lauded the state’s tax credit, which he said has made New York more attractive.

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Orient Beach in Long Island will reopen this weekend after Hurricane Sandy damage, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

Sandy wrecked the beach, on the north fork of Long Island, ruining the entrance road and eroding the shoreline. All of the park’s building were flooded with water, which also destroyed dozens of trees and a lifeguard shack.

The state park will reopen Saturday.

Cuomo said the region will reopen more than 30 state parks by Memorial Day weekend.

“We continue to make tremendous progress in repairing damage to the parks’ roads, landscaping, infrastructure and beaches caused by Superstorm Sandy,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo also announced federal approval of $1.7 billion today to help housing recovery in the state.

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More than 80 percent of New York voters expect more arrests among state lawmakers, a new poll showed.

The Siena College poll also revealed that nine of 10 voters believe corruption in the state legislature is a serious problem. Forty-one percent believe it’s a “very serious” problem.

The results came the same month that state Sen. Malcolm Smith was arrested for attempting to bribe his way onto the Republican mayoral ballot. Just days later, Assemblyman Eric Stevenson of the Bronx was arrested in a separate bribery scandal.

According to the poll, voters overwhelmingly support legislative term limits 82-17 percent. They also favor limiting candidates to one party line 55-40 percent, and they support having full-time state lawmakers with no outside jobs 54-42 percent.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s favorability rating dipped slightly to 62 percent this month, down from 64 percent in March.

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For over four years, New Yorkers have been fighting to keep the state safe from fracking, a dangerous method of drilling for natural gas that involves injecting millions of gallons of water mixed with toxic chemicals and sand underground to break open shale rock formations that contain the gas.

The cause of groundwater contamination, air pollution and even earthquakes, fracking is also disastrous for the climate because it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.

As the gas and oil industry have pushed to begin fracking in upstate New York, concerned citizens have assembled in town halls, rallied in the Capitol, petitioned door-to-door, lobbied their legislators and called Gov. Andrew Cuomo. While the most powerful corporations in the world have spent millions to convince the public that fracking is safe, this growing grassroots movement has kept them at bay, thereby protecting the public health and environment of New York.

Cuomo has repeatedly said that science will determine whether or not to allow fracking in New York, but that must mean listening to the countless medical experts, scientists and health organizations all calling for outside comprehensive health studies and a New York-specific health impact assessment.

Although the current delays are promising, the truth is that drilling permits could still be issued any day. In this David and Goliath story we’re winning, but we have not yet won.

False promises of “energy independence” and job creation continue to be promulgated in the media and by national political leaders. In reality, much of the natural gas extracted from New York would end up exported. And in a boom-and-bust economy, the jobs that fracking would bring to New York are temporary and often done by transient, out-of-state workers.

Instead of sacrificing our precious clean water, air and land for short-term gains, there is another way. Fracking is a problem that has led to a solution.

Thanks to Stanford researcher Mark Z. Jacobsen, economists and scientists at Cornell University and the University of California-Davis, we have a road map to wean New York off fossil fuels by 2030 through large-scale development of water, wind and solar power. If Cuomo adopted this plan, New York could become the national leader in renewable energy, creating thousands of permanent jobs that build healthy, thriving communities.

We can create a sustainable future for New York. Please call Cuomo today at 866-584-6799 and urge him to protect our health and the environment. Don’t frack New York.

Mark Ruffalo is an actor and Advisory Committee member of New Yorkers Against Fracking.

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As the next hurricane season approaches, East Coast officials are learning to protect themselves from nature’s wrath.

Hurricane Sandy pummeled the East Coast last October, destroying houses and shutting down power and transit systems.

In response, local officials began brainstorming how to better protect East Coast cities.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed using $171 million of federal Sandy aid to buy properties at risk for repeated flooding. He would keep that waterfront land uninhabited.

With fewer people in vulnerable areas, saving lives would be easier, said David Abramson, deputy director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. “We didn’t evacuate enough people,” he told Metro. “Obviously people still stayed in harm’s way.”

In another effort, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer reaffirmed his East River Blueways project to curb flooding on the island.

The $3.5 million project would extend wetlands along the southeastern shore to provide recreational areas and a buffer to floodwaters, especially for the coastal 14th Street Con Edison power plant, which exploded during Sandy and left lower Manhattan in the dark for days.

Scientists suggest that power loss and fuel shortage could be mitigated through microgrids and alternative energy sources.

“Solar [energy] itself pays itself off in eight to 10 years,” said Mark Jacobson, director of Stanford University’s Atmosphere and Energy department. “At least with the solar, you can generate some energy, and especially with wind you can generate energy at night.”

Although cars faced long gas lines and fuel rationing in New York, buses ran within 24 hours after the storm.

“What Sandy showed us is that part of the reason New York did so well afterwards was that we had so many modes of transportation,” said Sarah Kaufman, research associate at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation.

But in face of the unknown, Kaufman said cooperation and sharing ideas are key to preparedness.

“[Boston was] the head of the inspiration for shutting down their transit systems before a storm,” she said. “The MTA learned from Boston after 2010.”

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday his pick for the new leader of the city’s transit agency.

Cuomo nominated Tom Prendergast for the role. He has been president of New York City Transit for three years.

Prendergast replaces Joe Lhota, who resigned to run for mayor. 

“I can’t imagine anyone having a better understanding of how the region’s vast system operates and the challenges that it faces,” Cuomo said.

Prendergast promised to improve riders’ experience and operate the system more efficiently. He also vowed to “rebuild smarter and better in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.”

The Senate must approve the confirmation.

Cuomo also announced a deal that secures $111 million for the MTA. An agreement between state transit agencies will save taxpayers and straphangers millions as the agency continues to recover from Sandy, he said.

State officials estimate that Sandy caused about $4.8 billion in damage to the MTA system, from saltwater corrosion to flooded tunnels.

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The Cuomo administration is going over the $135.1 billion state budget with a fine-toothed comb, scrutinizing the almost 1,900 appropriations legislators tried to renew.

They have so far vetoed 202 items for a variety of reasons, from one “duplicate item” to 102 deemed “fully cashed out.”

Vetoed items vary from funds requested for “services and expenses of the federal internet crimes against children program” to money for “security measures implemented to prevent, deter or respond to acts of domestic terrorism,” both of which Governor Andrew Cuomo apparently disapproved of on the grounds that the item had already been fully expended.

Reappropriations over seven years old appear to have been dismissed out of hand, on the grounds that “in general, seven years is more than enough time to fund and implement services.”

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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About 360 electric car chargers will soon be installed in New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that the hybrid charging stations will be part of 3,000 stations he hopes to install within five years.

The chargers will be in 36 parking lots and other transportation hubs, including many in New York City.

Cuomo said he hopes the chargers will inspire New Yorkers to use electric vehicles.

“New York is leading the way toward an electric vehicle future,” he said.

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After a week where a slew of state politicians were charged in two separate corruption crimes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced tougher penalties for corruption today.

The governor announced a legislation package, which he calls the Public Trust Act, while joined by state district attorneys who say they need help holding corrupt politicians accountable.

“It is time to put an end to the dirty dealers among our elected officials,” Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson said.

Last week, State Sen. Malcolm Smith and Queens Councilman Dan Halloran were among those arrested in a plot, prosecutors say, to rig the 2013 mayoral race.

Days later, Bronx Assemblyman Eric Stevenson was charged with corruption in a separate case.

Laws already on the books are not effective enough to prosecute these politicians, Cuomo said.

He announced a new class of crimes that would include bribing a public servant, corrupting the government and failing to report a bribe or bribe attempt.

Under the state bribery laws right now, a prosecutor has to prove an understanding between the person paying the bribe and the person receiving it. But under Cuomo’s legislation, prosecutors would only have to prove the person “intended” to influence through a bribe.

“Crimes of public corruption should be treated more seriously than other white-collar crimes because when they break the law, they also break the public trust that the people have placed in government,” Cuomo said.

The legislation would also bar those convicted from holding office, lobbying, contracting or doing business with the state.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised Monday that all Long Island state parks and beaches are on track to open by Memorial Day weekend, despite the ravaging effects of superstorm Sandy in October.

Construction has been underway for the last six months, repairing roads, landscaping and infrastructure, and trying to remedy the effect of drastic dune and beach erosion. More than 20 emergency contracts are in progress across Long Island.

“Our parks and beaches are not only popular destinations for vacationers, but they are also important economic drivers for our communities,” Cuomo said.

The latest study by the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts found that visitors to state parks pay for as much as $1.9 billion in output and sales annually. Last year, four of Long Island’s state parks ranked in the Top 10 most visited in the entire 179-park system in New York state.

“When you have more people visit just one of our attractions such as Jones Beach State Park every year than they do the Grand Canyon, it helps many to identify with just how important how facilities are in people’s lives,” said State Park Comissioner Rose Harvey.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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The city has completed repairs on more than 20,000 homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy, officials announced today.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Rapid Repairs program finished repairing nearly 100 percent of homes, six months after the storm.

At times, he said, 2,300 workers were fixing more than 200 homes per day.

The homes fixed reflect 20,000 families and about 54,000 people, Bloomberg said.

NYC Rapid Repairs provides free repairs to homeowners who sign up for the program, through city-funded contractors and construction workers.

Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu lauded the program, saying that her state learned “the hard way” how “ineffective trailers are as a one-size-fits-all solution.”

Bloomberg also elaborated about how the city will use $1.77 billion in federal aid that began trickling into the city last month. He said $10 billion will be donated to one- and two-family homes in need of moderate repairs. 

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us to help the families and businesses impacted by Sandy to make a full recovery,” Bloomberg said.

Since Sandy, thousands of people have been unable to return to their homes, with some living in hotels where they say conditions are awful.

And some homes might not be salvageable. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has offered to buy waterfront land from homeowners at pre-Sandy prices, to make sure no one builds homes on the land again.

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Gov. Andrew Cuomo and top lawmakers outlined Thursday an agreement for the state budget that closes a $1.3 billion gap with no new taxes or fees.

This budget, if it passes by the April 1 deadline, will be the third consecutive on-time or early budget under the Cuomo administration.

New York has not had a budget on track this far in advance of the deadline since 1976. The last time there were three consecutive on-time budgets was in 1984.

The budget affords $1.125 billion in new tax cuts to middle class families over three years, as well as a new child tax credit of $350 per year for three years for families earning between $40,000 and $300,000.

It also includes nearly $800 million over three years in tax breaks for businesses, a move the lawmakers hope will “help reverse New York’s longstanding reputation as the tax capital of the nation.”

Just as the New York City Council recently approved a measure to help veterans get licensed for employment when they return home, the state budget adds additional incentive for hiring those just home from serving: a permanent tax credit for hiring veterans.

Lawmakers have also allocated $181 million in tax credits over three years for businesses hiring young people, and the minimum wage is set to increase to $8 per hour by the end of this year, and ultimately to $9 by the end of 2015.

Some more experimental education initiatives are receiving a support from the Capitol, including $4 million for early college high school programs, like Bard High School Early College on the Lower East Side in Manhattan, once of the first such programs established in partnership with Bard College and the Department of Education in 2001.

Another $15 million is going to “an innovative program designed to transform schools into community hubs that integrate social, health and other services, as well as after-school programming to support students and their families,” a seemingly salient allocation in light of the calls for more community programs for young people in areas like East Flatbush, where violence broke out last week following the shooting of allegedly armed 16-year-old Kimani Gray by plainclothes NYPD officers.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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State lawmakers reportedly reached a tentative deal on Monday to raise the minimum wage in New York state over the next three years, according to the NY Times.

The state minimum wage is current $7.25, which Governor Andrew Cuomo and Democratic members of the legislature have argued has not kept up with the rising cost of living.

The new plan would result in an eventual raise of $9 by the start of 2016.

The minimum wage would increase to $8 per house next year.

Republicans, reportedly concerned that raising the minimum wage would hurt businesses in a fragile economy, apparently agreed to the increase in exchange for tax breaks, according to the NY Times.

But Mike Durant, New York State director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said the tax breaks are not enough.

“Does it help?” he asked. “Sure. Does it mitigate the damage completely? Absolutely not.”

Conversely, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union President Stuart Appelbaum said the increase is not enough.

“People in New York are struggling to survive, with 21 percent of all people in New York City, a city of extraordinary wealth, living below the federal poverty line,” Appelbaum said. “$8 per hour is still better than $7.25 per hour, although New York’s working poor need and deserve more.”

Appelbaum wanted an immediate $9 per hour increase.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos said that the plan negotiated on Monday would include $700 million in new tax cuts for businesses and families.

The negotiations are part of an overall state spending plan that must be finalized by April 1.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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A motion for a preliminary injustice of the controversial Cuomo gun law was denied by a state Supreme Court judge on Wednesday, reported the Democrat and Chronicle.

The plaintiffs, numbering over 1,200, sued the state over Governor Andrew Cuomo’s use of a “message of necessity,” alleging that passage of the law on the first day of session was unconstitional.

Supreme Court Justice Thomas McNamara shot down the motion because he “constrained” by previous decisions of the state’s highest court, he said.

He said that the courts are not allowed to intervene with a message of necessity, as decided by previous Court of Appeals rulings.

The plaintiffs plan to appeal, and said they expect the lawsuit to go before the Court of Appeals.

The governor’s office reportedly declined to comment.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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Peter Parker will spin a web of jobs and cash when he films in New York.

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” will be the largest movie production ever to be filmed in New York.

The production will bring 3,500 jobs and cast 11,000 extras, Cuomo said Wednesday.

And for the first time, it will be shot completely in New York – before, cameras traveled cross-country between New York and Los Angeles.

“There is no better place to film the next adventure of Peter Parker than right here in the Empire State,” Cuomo said.

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  PHOTOS: Emma Stone, Shailene Woodley shoot ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2′ in Brooklyn

“Spider-Man” joins a string of big-budget superhero movies that not only film scenes of saving civilians but also rescue the city’s economy, according to the mayor’s office.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has welcomed the film industry with open arms with his “Made in NY” initiative, and he lauds a 30 percent tax credit the state provides.

The production industry generates $7 billion for the local economy, according to the mayor’s office, with about 4,000 businesses benefiting from people ordering catering or car services to film sets.

In recent years, blockbusters like “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises “ and the first “Spider-Man” used New York City as their background.

“Dark Knight” alone hired 8,600 locals for cast and crew and spent more than $14 million, according to the city.

And superhero storylines mean more jobs and cash flow, according to the mayor’s office.

“Productions vary in size and budget, but larger films tend to hire more individuals,” said Marybeth Ihle, spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

Gotham, the backdrop for “The Dark Knight,” starred as itself, adding fake cop cars and giant tank replicas for a mob scene in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street.

And “The Avengers,” starring celebrities like Scarlett Johannson and Robert Downey, Jr., shot in spots like Central Park.

For “Spider-Man,” movie sets are under construction at Grumman Studios and Gold Coast Studios in Long Island as well as Brooklyn’s Marcy Armory Brooklyn, Cuomo said. The film, which is scheduled to open in 2014, stars Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield.

Gary Martin, president of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, said staying in New York streamlined the shoot – and the tax credit didn’t hurt.

“Plain and simple, this is a win-win for the state and our production,” he said.

New Yorkers may not always welcome the disruption, grumbling about stepping around shoots and blocked-off streets. In Brooklyn Heights, Councilman Stephen Levin asked the mayor’s office to stop allowing filming after 14 productions in two months.

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter: @reporteralison

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Governor Andrew Cuomo’s favorability rating has been on a steady decline in the past few months and hit an all-time low in the most recent poll by Siena College. Despite the slip, however, the poll shows he is still popular.

The governor’s favorable rating stands at 64-30 this month, compared to 72-21 in December, 71-24 in January and 67-29 in February. Cuomo hit his all-time high in February 2011 with a favorability of 77 percent.

The poll showed voters support the state’s new gun law, increasing the minimum wage, creating a system of public campaign financing for the state, enacting the governor’s reproductive health act and decriminalizing public possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana.

But when it came to legalizing casinos, support slipped from 48-22 to 46-23. Voters also slightly oppose fracking now 43-39.

Fifty-four percent of voters said they would re-elect the governor next year and 37 percent said they would prefer someone else.

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UPDATE: The station opening for 1 train service will be an old station at the South Ferry location.

Service for the train line will begin in the old station in the first week of April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

The station was flooded 80 feet deep with about 15 million gallons of water, the governor added.

“The MTA has a long, tough job ahead as it tackles the immense job of virtually rebuilding the new South Ferry terminal station,” he said.

More work will still face the MTA at the station, including refurbishing platform edges and replacing pistons.

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Governor Cuomo announced a mediation service for homeowners whose Sandy insurance claims have been denied, offered through the Department of Financial Services.

The program was established by an emergency amendment to Regulation 64, to be administrated by AAA. The amendment obligates insurers to notify homeowners of their right to mediate eligible claims.

Insurers will have to participate in mediations in good faith and foot the bill for the AAA’s costs.

After Hurricane Andrew, a Florida Department of Insurance program mediated 2,400 claims with a 92 percent settlement rate.

After Katrina, a similar program in Lousiana processed 15,000 cases, successfully settling 74 percent of them. Mississippi saw 5,000 cases, 82 percent of which were settled.

The mediation can be face-to-face or via video conference or over the phone, by agreement between the insurer and homeowner.

The governor’s office noted that homeowners are not bound by the results of the mediation: they can still request an appraisal or file a civil suit, or exercise other legal rights.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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A state supreme court judge ruled this week that the state cannot withhold $260 million in aid from the city’s Department of Education as punishment for the city’s failure to finalize a teacher evaluation plan, the New York Times reported.

The preliminary injunction comes after city school parents filed a lawsuit this month arguing that the loss of funds would only hurt students.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would withhold the money after the Bloomberg administration and the teachers’ union failed to reach an agreement on a teacher evaluation system by Jan. 17. Though the governor’s decision was made to motivate the city and the union to meet the deadline, Judge Manuel Mendez agreed with the parents, saying innocent children who need the money could be hurt by the cuts.

The city and the union have blamed each other for the delay to reach agreement.

Cuomo said earlier this week that the state Education Department would impose an evaluation system on city schools if the two sides cannot reach a deal by June 1.

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