First Read PA – Oct. 11, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: sunny, high of 70; Harrisburg: sunny, high of 68; Pittsburgh: sunny, high of 66.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* One week after the House Appropriations Committee held votes on election legislation after 11 p.m, O’Neal is seeking to change the rules of the House to prevent similar votes from happening in the future.

* From our partners at Route Fifty: To help policymakers understand what services, programs and policies are needed to improve equity and accessibility within the city, Amy Nieves and her team within the City of Philadelphia turned to one of its interactive maps that details disability rates and updated it to include new features so individuals with impairments can better access the data.

* From our partners at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star – with an update from City & State: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild joined United Auto Workers on the picket line outside of Mack Truck yesterday.

NEW THIS MORNING:

* Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald unveiled his 12th and final budget proposal to members of Allegheny County Council yesterday, outlining a $3.4 billion spending plan with no property tax increases, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

* U.S. Sen. John Fetterman will headline the Iowa Democratic Party’s yearly Liberty & Justice dinner next month, where he plans to appeal to rural Democrats and stump for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

* A new housing assessment conducted by the city of Pittsburgh suggests that while the number of households in the city is increasing, the city is also losing Black and low-income households, WESA reports.

* The commonwealth’s four state-related universities – the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State University, Temple University and Lincoln University – are still waiting for hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding, The Associated Press reports. 

* Democrats in Delaware County are encouraging voters to remove three GOP judges from the county’s Court of Common Pleas – an uncommon move that some insiders say represents a change in judicial politics, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. 

* Janelle Stelson is hoping that her time on voters' TV screens will help propel her to the Democratic nomination as she seeks to take on U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the state’s 10th Congressional District next year, ABC 27 reports.

* Philadelphia’s newest Vision Zero report suggests that road diets and other traffic calming measures have been successful in reducing vehicular accidents, WHYY reports. 

* Tensions between Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. are intensifying after Gainey pushed back against Zappala, accusing him of not being present enough in the community, the Tribune-Review reports.

* After spending the last 44 years in an office building on Market Street in Harrisburg, workers at the state Department of Education will be moving to the Forum Building – which department workers previously occupied from 1931 to 1979, PennLive reports.

 * With two seats on the state Superior Court up for grabs in this year’s judicial elections, voters will choose between four candidates for the open seats, Politics PA reports.

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer has a new column from Trudy Rubin, who answers reader questions about Israel’s war with Hamas.

* The Tribune-Review editorial board writes in support of a bill before Pittsburgh City Council that would require landlords to allow domestic abuse victims to end their leases early without facing a penalty.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Republicans in the U.S. House are expected to meet privately to begin internal voting on a new House speaker, though it could take days for the party to unite behind a pick after Kevin McCarthy was removed from the role, the AP reports. 

* Prosecutors announced 10 new federal charges against embattled GOP U.S. Rep. George Santos yesterday, accusing Santos of stealing people's identities and making charges on donors' credit cards without their consent, Politico reports.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To Jimmy Dintino, vice chair, Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes … to Paul Costa, associate at One+ Strategies and former state representative … and to Loraine Ballard Morrill, director of news and community affairs, iHeartMedia Philadelphia … Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

TODAY’S SKED:

9:30 a.m. – The Pittsburgh City Council Standing Committee meets, Council Chambers, City-County Building, Pittsburgh.

10 a.m. – The Basic Education Funding Commission meets, Westinghouse Academy, CTE Suite, 1101 N. Murtland St., Pittsburgh. Watch here.

10 a.m. – The House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee meets for an informational meeting on veterinary services in the state, New Bolton Center 382 W. Street Road, Kennett Square. Watch here. 

12 p.m. – Harrisburg Area Community College faculty union rally, Front Capitol Steps, state Capitol, Harrisburg.

1 p.m. – PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center releases a new report on the state's renewable energy growth, Main Rotunda, state Capitol, Harrisburg.

1 p.m. – The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities meets, remotely. Watch here.

5 p.m. – Gov. Josh Shapiro throws the ceremonial first pitch at game three of the National League Division Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia.

KICKER: 

“Having a healthy rainy day fund has allowed us to continue serving the public when we hit fiscal storms, when the rain came down pretty hard.” – Fitzgerald, via the Tribune-Review