Mayor Michael Bloomberg has staff working overtime on the effort to veto at least one half of this week's vaunted Community Safety Act, according to a report in the New York Times.
During a late-night legislative session Tuesday, the City Council passed two bills — one establishing an NYPD inspector general, the other making race-based police stops illegal — by a veto-proof majority.
The bill's sponsors, council members Brad Lander and Jumaane Williams, proudly hailed their easy passage. But by Friday morning, the Times reported, the mayor's office was already working feverishly to try and stop one if not both pieces of legislation.
The second bill, which makes racial profiling illegal, only had 34 votes, which is one more than the veto limit — meaning Bloomberg only has to peel off one council member to veto the bill in a way that sticks.
"This is a fight to defend your life and your kids’ lives," Bloomberg was quoted in the paper. "You can rest assured that I will not give up for one minute."
Already, several high profile backers of the legislation, including Rev. Al Sharpton, have asked council members to stand fast behind the bills.
It remains to be seen if Bloomberg is able to convince any of the council's 34 yes votes to switch sides after his inevitable veto.
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