| | | | |  | | By Jonathan Custodio | Several Assembly Democrats have introduced legislation that would set a minimum requirement for police department staffing based on populations and crime rates of municipalities, reports POLITICO's Daniel O'Connor. Under the bill, sponsored by Assemblymembers Cleopatra Tucker (D-Essex), Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), Shavonda Sumter (D-Passaic), and Annette Chaparro (D-Hoboken), cities with populations of more than 60,000 paired with a high crime rate would be required to staff four officers per 1,000 residents. "We need protection from our police departments to deal with the crime issues that we have in our different towns," Tucker, the bill's lead sponsor, told POLITICO in an interview. "And it's worth the money and the staffing of our police office." Recent spikes in violent crime have spurred a renewed focus on pro-policing measures that have stalled in past legislatures. Police staffing in approximately 23 municipalities, encompassing nearly a quarter of the state's population, could be affected. The proposal marks another shift by many state Democrats away from progressive ideas like defunding the police, which usually involved reapportioning funds slated for police departments towards social services, and reflects recent funding increases by another progressive Democrat in Gov. Phil Murphy. The bill now heads to Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee without a scheduled hearing, and a spokesperson said Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is still reviewing the legislation. HAPPY MONDAY AFTERNOON — Hi there, I'm Jonathan Custodio, your Playbook PM author. We're adding New Jersey political trivia to this newsletter and will shout out one person who correctly answers the question in the following day's edition. Shout out to Danielle Jones for correctly answering that Frank Lautenberg was succeeded by Jon Corzine in the 2000 election for the U.S. Senate seat. Today's question: What year was the New Jersey state constitution adopted? Send answers and tips to jcustodio@politico.com. We're here with the latest from Trenton and elsewhere as New Jersey moves ahead in the budget process and the Legislature conducts hearings on Murphy's spending plan. |  | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY | |
THIS TIME PACMAN GETS EATEN — A moribund PAC formed by allies of former Republican State Chair Doug Steinhardt to boost his short-lived gubernatorial candidacy is being shut down by the Federal Election Commission. After the PAC, Lead Right New Jersey, failed to file two required reports last year, the FEC sent a letter in March to the group's treasurer, Lori Ciesla, informing her that it plans to administratively terminate the PAC.
The PAC, which is organized under Section 527 of the federal tax code, did file reports with the Internal Revenue Service stating it raised and spent no money during 2021. Although political committees can request administrative terminations, a spokesperson for the FEC said he has not seen that happen and that, if it did, the request would likely have been available on the FEC's website. — Matt Friedman COVID NUMBERS — New Jersey reported 2,402 confirmed positive Covid-19 tests and four deaths from the virus today. The state's seven-day case average was largely unchanged from a week ago and up 120 percent from a month ago. POLITICO Q & A As the budget process unfolds, POLITICO will be speaking with lawmakers about noteworthy items they are pushing or particularly interesting bills. Today we present a conversation with Assemblymember John McKeon (D-Essex) on bill NJ A3165 (22R), which would raise the statutory retirement age for Supreme Court justices, Superior Court judges, Tax Court judges, Administrative Law judges, Workers' Compensation judges and county prosecutors from 70 to 72. The Q&A has been edited and condensed for clarity. Why 72 years old? You know, my preference is 75. I had tried to move on these a couple of years back and there was some pushback in the Senate. So, I thought compromising would would be a way to at least move the needle. Would this bill influence large number of judicial vacancies right now? It honestly wouldn't. I think everybody keeps conflating that this was a reaction to the current set of vacancies. It's not at all. It's a reaction to when we set the date [in]1947 when the average male — because it was almost all men back then — lived to the age of 64. We now have a joint life expectancy [for] men and women in this area [of] 83 or 84. For somebody to retire at 70 just seems to be counterproductive, particularly because we're not talking about professional athletes [who] are going to lose something off their curveball when it comes to the aging process. Some pitchers' curveballs get better with age. There you go, like Nestor Cortes, man. How confident are you that this bill pushes forward and why? I don't want to say I'm not. I'm always confident and trying to build a consensus. | | ON THE BEATS | |
HIGHER EDUCATION — Murphy joined U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal and Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Rich Cordray at The College of New Jersey today to talk up recent efforts to expand eligibility for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. According to a statement from the front office, there are some 30,700 borrowers in New Jersey who participate in the program, around 57 percent of whom are government employees. The statement said thus far 3,000 New Jersey borrowers have been approved for loan forgiveness through PSLF because of last year's changes, which expanded eligibility.
Murphy said he's "not satisfied" with the number of New Jerseyans participating in the program. "We wouldn't be here today if we were satisfied," he told POLITICO following the roundtable event in Ewing. "In the past [the PSLF] has been gummed up. It's a hard process. We haven't done what we need to do in New Jersey to amplify it," Murphy said. Murphy also spoke favorably of Assemblymember Bill Moen's (D-Camden) measure NJ A3689 (22R) that would require colleges and government employers to provide students and employees with information about the PSLF program. "It seems like common sense," that as students are graduating "there needs to be a commitment by the institution that this program has been communicated," Murphy said. — Carly Sitrin HEALTH CARE — About 350 nurses and technologists at Saint Michael's Medical Center went on strike today in search of a better contract with the hospital that operates in Newark's Central Ward. JNESO District Council 1, which represents some workers at the 358-bed hospital, said its contract expired May 4 and that a deal could not be reached with the hospital's management. Negotiations for a three-year contract began March 28 and the union gave a 10-day strike notice on May 11, according to a release. JNESO officials said the hospital requested too many give backs from the previous contract and that agreements could not be reached on staffing and health care benefits. In a statement, hospital spokesperson Bruno Tedeschi said Saint Michael's was "confident" it could reach an agreement "amenable to both sides. ... We are negotiating in good faith with JNESO, and in the meantime, we remain open and fully operational," Tedeschi said. — Daniel Han | | Around New Jersey | |
PATERSON COUNCIL MEMBER TURNS DOWN PLEA BARGAIN OFFER — Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "In the ongoing Paterson election fraud case , Councilman Michael Jackson has rejected a plea offer from the state Attorney General that would have removed him from public office without requiring him to spend time in jail.
Jackson's decision was made public Monday during a virtual court session in which New Jersey Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed set Jackson's trial date for Oct. 17. 'I did not commit any crime,' Jackson said in a subsequent interview when asked why he turned down the state's offer." REPORT DETAILS SCHOOL SEGREGATION IN NEWARK REGION — Chalkbeat Newark's Patrick Wall: "The schools in Newark and nearby communities are among the most severely segregated in the nation, according to a new nationwide analysis. The Newark area ranks first in economic segregation and second in Black-white segregation, according to the analysis of public and private schools in all 403 metropolitan areas in the United States. The rate of segregation between Black and white students in Newark's region is nearly three times the national average. The Newark metropolitan area includes 118 school districts spread across six counties in northern New Jersey and one county in Pennsylvania." CHRISTIE, CHIESA JOIN DUHAIME'S NEW FIRM — New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Former Gov. Chris Christie and former U.S. Senator Jeff Chiesa are joining Mike DuHaime's new public affairs firm, MAD Global, as members of their advisory board. Former Attorney General Christopher Porrino is also taking an advisory board position at the DuHaime firm, in addition to holding a similar post at Mercury. 'This is a great opportunity for me to work again with Mike DuHaime, a person I have known and trusted for 25 years,' said Christie. 'Chris, Jeff and I have seen the value of his strategic thinking and ability to execute firsthand. We look forward to working with MAD Global to get results.'" | | Odds and ends | |
— State Sen. Robert Singer (R-Ocean) wants the state to combat what he calls "orchestrated criminal acts."
— Monroe Township swore in its first police officer of Asian-Indian descent. — The Census Bureau has confirmed its finding that New Jersey saw a larger-than-expected population gain from 2010 to 2020. — Graves of veterans are being restored in North Bergen. | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | California Playbook PM | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | New York Playbook PM View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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