Governor Kathy Hochul appeared on NY1’s “Inside City Hall” with Errol Louis to discuss a range of issues including the recent mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan, gun safety laws, Medicaid cuts, redistricting, and cannabis dispensary regulations.
During the interview, Governor Hochul addressed the response to Monday night’s shooting. She said, “We always offer our assistance. We call immediately and certainly NYPD had it under control. But we are there on the periphery.” She noted that while she feels safe in her office near 345 Park Ave., the event has unsettled many New Yorkers. “I feel safe where I am. I mean, this is an event the likes of which we’ve never seen here. The last mass shooting in New York City was 25 years ago… but it does shake that sense of security that everybody should have getting off the subway, walking into their office building,” she said.
On gun legislation, Governor Hochul reiterated her support for stricter measures nationally. “We have the toughest gun laws in the nation. I have added to them… We now have 4,300 guns that have been taken out of the hands of people who could have used them to harm themselves or others — that’s how you prevent these tragedies,” she said. She advocated for a national assault weapons ban: “Now, every state could manage the way we have, but also with respect to the assault weapons, there needs to be a national ban.”
The discussion turned to redistricting after news that Texas lawmakers proposed mid-decade changes that could shift several seats from Democratic to Republican control. Governor Hochul commented: “What they’re doing is outlandish. They’re not playing by the rules, but a state like New York who has played by the rules should not be at disadvantage when another state and Donald Trump… is basically disenfranchising communities of color represented by Democrats and putting them under Republican control…” She added that New York is exploring its options and will announce plans soon.
When asked about aligning municipal elections with presidential elections in New York City, Hochul expressed support for increasing voter participation: “It is so important to me that we get more people participating in this process, and I do believe that if all the elections were shifted to the presidential year, there would be a lot of interest.”
Addressing concerns over local issues being overlooked during major election cycles, she responded: “One of the reasons I think that there’s not the voter participation that we should have in a country like the United States of America — it is a privilege to vote… What happens is in a non-presidential election… there’s not as much attention.”
The conversation moved to federal Medicaid cuts resulting from recent legislation signed by President Trump. Hochul outlined how these changes will impact hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers beginning January 1 and cost the state nearly $3 billion when they take effect closer to 2027. She explained: “No urgency right now… because these cuts are not going to take place until later.”
Governor Hochul also addressed compliance problems at over 150 cannabis dispensaries across New York State due to incorrect distance calculations from schools and churches—a result of differences between legislative intent and implementation practices by previous officials at the Office of Cannabis Management. She stated: “We went in and did an audit… this was uncovered that they had applied the law incorrectly.” Hochul pledged support for impacted businesses: “We’ll make them whole, and I have got to go back to the Legislature and get them persuaded to change the law…” She indicated willingness for grandfathering existing locations.
Asked about supporting mayoral candidates following primaries, Hochul emphasized her commitment to strong working relationships regardless of outcome: “It’s important to me to have a working relationship, whomever the Mayor is… I’ve always been a strong partner.”
The full audio interview is available online.
