UNION ENDORSEMENT: Health care labor giant 1199 SEIU is backing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for reelection, Politico reports. Though the union has endorsed Bragg – who is running unopposed – it has yet to signal who it will endorse in the upcoming mayoral race amid internal turmoil over its next leader. 1199 will start its mayoral endorsement process in February, months before the union’s first competitive presidential election in years. The union backed former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2013 and Maya Wiley in 2021.
RECOVERY RESIDENCES: The state is launching a new certification program for a rehabilitation model known as recovery residences, which offer non-clinical peer support to people with addiction. The program is administered through the state Office of Addition Services and Supports, which provides up to $5 million to operators using the state’s opioid settlement fund. Certified providers can apply to receive $75,000 per residence on a first come, first served basis.
