| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Friday morning! South Jersey is fighting back. With the help of ever-present South Jersey Democratic attorney Bill Tambussi, former Senate President Steve Sweeney yesterday sued for his place back on the state legislative redistricting commission. He asked for a temporary injunction to place him back on the commission in the mean time, but Judge Robert Lougy didn't immediately grant that. A court date is set for Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the arguments about geographic representation . In part of his lawsuit, Sweeney points out that he was the only Democratic redistricting commissioner from one of the state's eight southern counties. The state Constitution requires geographic considerations when the state Democratic and Republican chairs appoint members. Sweeney's replacement, Laura Matos, was born in Burlington County , the Democratic State Committee pointed out in the press release announcing the ouster. What it didn't mention is that she lives in Belmar, Monmouth County. No, not Bellmawr, Camden County. (The similarity of those town names is yet another reflection of the ridiculous number of municipalities in New Jersey). There are apparently some people in North Jersey who consider Belmar to be South Jersey, even though they're wrong. Read more about it here and here. QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I don't want to place a lot of detail on this record … I will simply leave it at this: As recently as today, he has been working, collaborating, with the FBI in developing an important investigation." — Edwin J. Jacobs, attorney for Sean Caddle, during his guilty plea Tuesday HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Former Christie spox Clear's Maria Comella, former Assemblymember Amy Handlin. Saturday for CNN's Lauren Dezenski, former Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore. Sunday for Assemblymember Herb Conaway. WHERE'S MURPHY? In Woodbridge for an 11:30 a.m. winter weather briefing. It's brine time. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
MORE AID — @Karen_Yi : @GovMurphy making some news on @WNYC tonight. Says he's "highly optimistic" he can find more money to restore $40M Excluded NJ Fund that only distributed $6M after $34M in CARES Act $$ expired. Funds likely replaced w/ American Rescue Plan $$ that offers more flexibility.
SWEENEY — " New laws set to aid people with developmental disabilities," by NJ Spotlight News' Katie Crist: "Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed a series of bills intended to help individuals with developmental disabilities, measures pushed by lawmakers in the last days of the lame-duck voting sessions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 20% of the U.S. population is considered disabled, but only 20% of disabled people participate in the workforce. 'Employment is so important for these individuals,' said Sweeney, the former Senate president, in an interview with NJ Spotlight News after leaving office. 'It is the only way to alleviate the economic inequity they face.' Sweeney, who has an adult child with a developmental disability, shepherded the bills through the legislative session's final days as part of a package meant to boost education and workforce training for those with disabilities. ... One of the new laws (S-4211/A-6228) will create county college-based adult centers to help people with developmental disabilities up to 24 years old transition out of other programs. The law also requires an annual appropriation of $4.5 million to jump-start these initiatives." THEY'RE MISSING GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON AGAIN — " N.J. legal weed sales won't start in February; state to miss key deadline," by NJ Advance Media's Suzette Parmley: "While promising to open New Jersey's legal cannabis consumer market, the state won't meet a self-imposed deadline originally set for late February. Jeff Brown, the executive director of the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, said a number of factors are still in the way before the doors can open, including lack of municipal buy-in. 'There's still a lot to be done,' Brown told NJ Cannabis Insider ahead of today's CRC meeting, scheduled to start at 1 p.m. 'Feb. 22 is not a concrete date to open. There is no firm commitment on timing of when recreational sales will begin.' State legislation, S-21, directed the CRC to begin allowing sales on that date — six months after rules and regulations were established by the commission. However, there are few, if any ways of enforcing the deadline, according to one legal expert." BILLS LIKE THIS COME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SESSION. SWEETHEART PENSION BILLS COME AT THE END — Senate committee advances affordability bills on NJ taxes. Here's what they would do, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan : A Senate committee on Thursday approved several bills that would work to reduce New Jersey's notoriously high tax burden. The bills are sponsored by both state Sen. Troy Singleton and Senate President Nick Scutari and were all unanimously approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee. Democrats say their top priority this legislative session is affordability, and they have pledged to focus more on "kitchen table" issues like taxes following the November election, in which Republicans made unexpectedly large gains. —Edlestein: " Yeah, you might say there's been a 'shifting landscape' when it comes to marijuana" —Mulshine: " Will Gov. Murphy's marijuana legalization plans go to pot? " CAPE MAYBE NOT — " Court again upholds directive that limits info sharing with ICE," by New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto-Munoz: "A Superior Court appellate panel Wednesday upheld the Immigrant Trust Directive, a 2018 order limiting local police from sharing information with federal immigration authorities that was challenged by Cape May County Sheriff Robert Nolan. The 35-page decision is the second time in recent months the law has been upheld. Nolan challenged the directive in federal court, too, and lost an appeals court ruling there in August, a decision he called 'shameful.' The directive was issued by then-state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal during Gov. Phil Murphy's first term as part of the Murphy administration's pledge to assist the state's undocumented immigrant community. Nolan, a Republican, claims Grewal violated the federal government's superseding authority on immigration matters … Nolan and the Ocean County Board of Commissioners argued the directive equates to an administrative rule that should have been created in accordance with rule-making procedures. The court said in Wednesday's decision that because the order was issued to all agencies, it falls under intra-agency communication and is thus exempt from the typically required rule-making process." WHEN YOU WRITE THE LAW YOU DON'T NEED TO BREAK IT — " After task force investigation, companies tied to George Norcross on track for tax breaks," by The Record's Dustin Racioppi: "When Phil Murphy hired a team of high-powered lawyers to investigate how the state doled out tax breaks, the move was viewed as a declaration of war on the powerful South Jersey political machine led by George E. Norcross III and his longtime friend Senate President Stephen Sweeney. The lawyers' hearings, conducted in public with the feel of a courtroom trial, revealed allegations of political favoritism and, perhaps, even criminal behavior. Their first report zeroed in on Camden companies tied to Norcross, who's wielded tremendous political influence for decades but faced the prospect of diminished power if Murphy's attorneys uncovered wrongdoing. But three years and nearly $14 million later, no criminal charge has been made public against any of the five companies tied to Norcross." —" Who is Sean Caddle, the operative at center of murder-for-hire plot?" —" NJ judge wins disclosure of internal memos in pension suit" — Murphy announces investment in police technology, community programs —" George Norcross just bought an iconic Atlantic City bread bakery. Here's why" —Snowflack: " Redistricting in the post-Sweeney era" —" Relief fund for immigrants 'falls far short of need.' Try again, advocates tell governor, lawmakers" —" On COVID learning loss, the state has been largely absent. What can parents do? | A Q&A" | | | | JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
PURPLE MIST, PURPLE MIST — "Environmental justice groups sue over incinerator pollution," by The AP's Wayne Parry: " Community groups in New Jersey and California are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, seeking to force trash incinerators across the country — many of them in predominantly minority communities — to emit less pollution into the air. One of the incinerators covered by those standards has on occasion emitted pink or purple mist into the air over Newark, New Jersey. The groups are asking a court to order the agency to update its standards for large incinerators, saying the EPA was supposed to do so at least 10 years ago."
A NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO LEARN TO SPELL HIS NAME — " Biden names Van Drew ally who flirted with backing Trump to top Agriculture post," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "President Joe Biden has appointed Bob Andrzejczak (D-Middle), a former Democratic state senator who said during his 2019 campaign that he had not ruled out supporting Donald Trump's re-election, as the state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. A onetime ally of Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), the right-of-center Andrzejczak told the New Jersey Globe in October 2019 that he might vote for Trump the following year. That was two months before Van Drew switched parties." —" NJEA backs U.S. Rep. Payne for re-election in 10th District congressional race" | | LOCAL | |
LAKEWOOD DISTRICT RETHINKING HIRING DEMOLITION DERBY CONTESTANTS AS BUS DRIVERS — " Lakewood bus driver cited for careless driving in crash with three students on board," by The ASbury Park Press' Ken Serrano: "A school bus driver in Lakewood carrying three students drew a careless driving ticket following a crash in the township Wednesday evening, police said. No one on the bus was reported to have been injured. The driver of the car involved and his passenger were taken to a hospital."
THE EQUIVALENT OF 1,000 ANONYMOUS DONATIONS TO FULOP'S SUPER PAC — Jersey City sewer upgrades to take 10 years longer, cost $1B more, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard : Jersey City, which has been ordered to reduce the amount of pollution its sewer system sends into nearby rivers and bays, has agreed to spend more than $1 billion on upgrades to its stormwater, wastewater and drinking water systems. The deal, announced Thursday, is a modification of a 2011 consent decree with the EPA, which cracked down on the city for sending untreated sewage into the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers, Newark Bay and Penhorn Creek. The city also volunteered to replace 12,000 lead drinking water lines, making the new decree an unusual one by including drinking water provisions in a Clean Water Act-related proceeding. YOU DON'T NEED A PERMIT TO GIVE IT TO THE HOMELESS — " Newark mayor and spoken word artist Ras Baraka's next project? An audio memoir," by NJ Advance Media's Steve Strunsky: "Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a native son of Brick City, published poet and poet's son, has authored and narrated an audible memoir to be released next month by Audible Inc, one of the city's best known businesses. The Book of Baraka, available Feb. 24, will chronicle the 51-year life of the spoken-word recording artist, former high school principal, and, since 2014, mayor of New Jersey's largest city, his publisher announced on Thursday. Baraka said in the announcement he was, 'both humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to share my stories of growing up in Newark, being shaped by art and politics in a family that constantly challenged tradition, the world, and itself.'" MASKNESS — " School board shuts down meeting when audience members defy mask rules," by The Record's Marsha A. Stoltz: "The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education adjourned its meeting Monday after 20 of its 32 minutes were spent debating whether audience members should wear masks. The issue was first raised by board President John Carolan in the opening moments of the meeting, when he asked audience members to put on masks. 'This is a state mandate,' Carolan said. 'This is not our policy. We are not taking a stance on either side of this debate.' After waiting a minute in silence, Carolan called for a 10-minute recess to gain cooperation from audience members … King then made a motion to adjourn the meeting 'unless we get full compliance from everyone here.'" —" Commission to redraw Atlantic County districts hits immediate impasse" —" Redistricting commission showed shameful racism in new Jersey City ward map | Opinion" —" Bloomfield, which saw population spike in 2020 census, responds by redistricting" —" The 25 N.J. departments where cops added the most to their paychecks" —"Morristown sets up board to oversee marijuana businesses" —" East Brunswick Democrats nominate three for vacant township council seat" —" [Millville] district to dismiss secondary students early for a month as staffing shortage persists" —" Morristown elementary student 'harassed' over perceived sexual orientation, lawsuit claims"
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HEALTHCARE FOR PROFIT — "A failure of care: He ran a nursing home empire that now faces a barrage of lawsuits and criminal charges. Was anyone watching?" by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman : "Skyline Healthcare, the company started by [Joseph] Schwartz after he acquired his first nursing home in East Orange in 2005, once operated nearly 100 health care and rehabilitation facilities across the country. In court depositions, he bragged about being 'the largest nursing home chain operator in the country,' with a presence in 11 states. Then it all came crashing down, leaving in its wake a string of lawsuits claiming massive fraud, wage theft, mismanagement and most significantly, allegations that some residents suffered needlessly from neglect, improper care, malnourishment — and in the case of Rack and others, allegedly left to die a premature, painful death … But a look at the troubled history of Skyline, which now stands of accused of massive mismanagement and widespread federal tax fraud spanning several years, shows how one nursing home chain was allowed to continue to operate and expand with barely any oversight, foreshadowing tragic consequences as COVID descended … in a highly contentious sworn video deposition in the case in August, Schwartz calmly smoked a cigar and answered most questions with 'I don't remember,' 'I don't recall,' or 'I don't know.' He did respond, however, when asked what he did every day at Skyline Healthcare. 'I ate lunch,' he said flatly."
—"Permanent cashless tolls are coming to N.J. starting with [The Atlantic City Expressway]"
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