At the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, New York will have a new governor. Kathy Hochul will make history as the state’s first female to hold the office, but she will come in with a lot on her plate. 

COVID, of course, will be the priority, but mask mandates, the looming end of the eviction moratorium, a gun violence health emergency, unemployment, affordable housing are all issues that will need her, and the legislature’s, attention. 

State Senator Michael Gianaris is a progressive member of that legislature. He had an adversarial relationship with Governor Cuomo, and he joined In Focus to talk about his hopes for a more cooperative relationship with Hochul. 

Gianaris addressed all the hot topics facing the new governor, and says the Senate and the assembly stand ready to work with her. 

As a longtime advocate for immigrant rights, Gianaris speaks to the possible influx of thousands of Afghan refugees rumored to be heading for Queens, already home to the city’s largest Afghan population, and says there’s no other city more prepared to accept them.