News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Weed deal is so close you can smell it

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Weed deal is so close you can smell it

Jan 05, 2021

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By Matt Friedman

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Tuesday morning!

It looks like this won't be the week New Jersey finally has legislation in place to legalize weed.

Gov. Murphy and legislative leadership are close to a final final (yes, two finals) deal days after Murphy raised concerns over whether underage users should be punished while the weed legalization and decriminalization bills were already on his desk.

Legislative sessions have been scheduled for Monday, Jan. 11 . So that's another week to wait for weed to be formally legalized in New Jersey, 11 days after a constitutional amendment to do so went into effect and more than two months after two-thirds of New Jersey voters cast their ballots for the amendment.

It will be interesting to see whether police in New Jersey continue to arrest people for possession in small amounts as the final deal is hammered out, and how fast those defendants' cases will be tossed out. Read more here.

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Iselin for a NJ Transit engineer graduation ceremony at 11 a.m., followed by Mount Laurel at 6 p.m. for a swearing-in ceremony and Lumberton at 7 p.m. for another swearing-in ceremony.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: 2,292 newly-reported cases for a total of 494,317. 38 more deaths for a total of 17,233 (and 2,021 probable deaths). 3,633 in the hospital, 664 in intensive care.

101,417 vaccines administered out of 332,845 distributed to NJ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Assemblymembers Vince Mazzeo and Anthony Verrelli.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If that's the legacy Jeff wants, then I guess it is what it is." — Gov. Phil Murphy on U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew's (R-2nd Dist.) plan to help seek to overturn a free and fair election.

A message from Pre-K Our Way:

NJ's pre-k is now in 150+ school districts, with more beginning in early 2021! Despite this remarkable four-year record of achievement, there are 110+ eligible school districts that still wait. Let's reach a total of 200+ districts with NJ's pre-k in 2021. Fund substantial pre-k expansion THIS YEAR! Visit prekourway.org for more info

WHAT TRENTON MADE

LTCS — "Grand jury investigating NJ veterans homes where 200 died from COVID-19," by The Record's Scott Fallon and Lindy Washburn: "The state Attorney General's Office has convened a grand jury that is investigating the state-run veterans homes — where 200 people have died from COVID-19 — for possible criminal charges, according to documents obtained by The Record and NorthJersey.com. A subpoena and letter dated Oct. 23 from the office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit demand that a records custodian from the New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus supply a litany of documents to investigators and possibly appear before a state grand jury to give testimony. It is not known whether the grand jury is focusing exclusively on the veterans homes in Paramus, Menlo Park and Vineland or is also looking at other nursing homes statewide with high numbers of deaths, as Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced he would do last spring."

—Carino: "She lost both parents to COVID-19 in nursing homes; then came the salt in the wound"

MURPHY GOES FOR THE TOUGH INTERVIEWS— " Inside New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's intense 2020: How COVID-19 sidelined his cancer recovery," by PEOPLE's Sean Neumann: " The diagnosis came 'out of left field,' New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy remembers thinking. Just weeks before the world turned its attention on the all-encompassing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the East Coast governor sat face-to-face with his own startling medical discovery: cancer on his left kidney. 'I was suspecting something completely unrelated,' Murphy, 63, tells PEOPLE, sounding shocked at the news even nine months later, after the three-centimeter tumor was successfully removed. Murphy had no family history of cancer, he doesn't smoke, and had only visited his doctor to check-up on a gastrointestinal issue 'completely unrelated to what they found.' 'I had no pain,' Murphy says. 'Then, the results came back and low and behold, there's a tumor.' The accidental discovery was a 'fortuitous' one, the lawmaker now says, after doctors found the growth was malignant. But the hours-long surgery, on March 4, also marked the beginning of an unprecedented, dueling health crisis for the Democratic state leader — a personal triumph soon drowned out by a pandemic."

PRIMARY SPENDING CAPPED AT 0.81 MASTROS — Murphy campaign already done raising money for primary, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Gov. Phil Murphy has already raised the maximum allowed for the gubernatorial primary through the state's public financing program, his campaign announced Monday. The campaign has raised $3.5 million since Murphy launched his reelection effort on Oct. 1. If approved by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, that will qualify him for an additional $4.6 million in matching funds. The campaign's finance chair is First Lady Tammy Murphy.

13.8 MASTROS — "N.J. put up $125M to help renters and landlords during pandemic. But too many have been left out, advocates say," by NJ Advance Media's Sophie Nieto-Munoz : "New Jersey's tenants are protected by one of the strongest eviction moratoriums in the country. And the state has set aside at least $125 million in programs for renters and landlords to curb what advocates expect to be a 'tsunami of evictions' when the moratorium lifts. But for many, the programs have failed to deliver — one with only enough money to help a sliver of renters in need, and another that had 80% of its funding slashed after just a few thousand landlords applied. The highly-anticipated $100 million rental fund, created to help low- and moderate-income renters who lost wages due to the pandemic, was quickly overwhelmed with more than 60,000 applications, causing the website to crash the day it opened."

GOOD BOYS GOOD BOYS. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO? — "N.J.'s new rules for when cops can use force leave 1 big unanswered question: What about police dogs?" by NJ Advance Media's Blake Nelson: "New Jersey just announced new limits on when cops can shoot, hit or chase suspects. But officials are still grappling with how police dogs should be used. Some law enforcement and civil rights organizations want K-9s banned entirely when it comes to arrests, and the state attorney general said he would make a final decision in the coming months. The 'use of dogs against people of color has a long and horrific history,' Gurbir Grewal recently wrote to law enforcement leaders, citing the German Shepherds used against peaceful civil rights protesters in the 1960s. However, some officers have argued that K-9s are a helpful tool to protect cops and the public, he said. Grewal directed staff to research how many police dogs are in the state, how they are trained and when they've bitten residents, among other information, and submit recommendations by the end of March."

—NJ has used one in four COVID vaccine doses received so far, lags behind national average

—" Murphy administration needs to stop warehousing people with disabilities | Opinion"

—"Another busy election year for Gov. Murphy and the rest in the State House"

—" Sweeney: No agreement on early voting"

— PennEast filing on shipping agreement sows confusion over 2-phase plan

—" Second doses of COVID vaccine administered in New Jersey for first time"

GET THE BIG PRE-INAUGURATION SCOOPS IN TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: Inauguration Day is quickly approaching. Is the Biden administration ready? Transition Playbook brings you inside the transition and newly forming administration, tracking the latest from Biden world and the transition of power. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people and emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

TRUMP ERA

VAN DREW'S POLITICS ALMOST AS CRAZY AS HIS WARDROBE — New Jersey's Murphy singles out Van Drew for 'siding with conspiracy theorists', by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday launched a verbal attack against a group of congressional Republicans, including Rep. Jeff Van Drew, for their "shameful" and "dangerous" plan to challenge the presidential election results based on unsupported allegations of voter fraud. "I have to address, in the words I will use, the shameful, dangerous, undemocratic and unpatriotic display of a number of congressional Republicans who are openly and unabashedly working to undermine our constitutional norms … and to overthrow a free and fair election decided by the American people," Murphy said during his regular briefing in Trenton. Congress on Wednesday is set to certify the Electoral College votes, confirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory, but at least 12 incoming and current Republican senators, along with well over 100 GOP House members — including Van Drew — have said they are going to challenge the results based on unfounded false claims of voter fraud.

—"N.J. Dems had some choice words for Trump after he asked Georgia official to overturn election"

—Golden: "Trump just made the NJGOP's 2021 tough job even tougher"

—"Opinion: Rethinking NJ's congressional map for the 2020s"

LOCAL

YOU'RE SO VAINIERI — "Vainieri elected as county chair for 5th year in a row as feud over ICE contract wages on," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "In the first official meeting of the Hudson County Board of Commissioners, formerly known as freeholders, Anthony Vainieri (D-8) was named board chair for the 5th year in a row, as the feud over the county's deal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) waging on. The reorganization meeting, which has historically never had a public portion, lasted for just under a half an hour and went off without a hitch. Vainieri, the board chair since 2016, retained his post by a tally of 8-0-(1), the same vote total that named Commissioner Anthony Romano (D-5) vice chair – with Commissioner Bill O'Dea (D-2) abstaining in both instances. O'Dea was the vice chair in 2020 and did not receive a leadership post this time around, with Commissioner Jerry Walker (D-3) being named chair pro tempore by a unanimous vote (9-0)."

—"County Executive DeGise says he received suspicious confetti-filled package while commissioners attribute threats to ICE contract"

WITHERSPOON IN COURT, BUT NOT ELLE WOODS — " New election ordered for District 3 Atlantic County Commissioner," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "A Superior Court judge on Monday revoked the election of Democrat Thelma Witherspoon as District 3 Atlantic County Commissioner, and ordered a new election be held to fill the position, because the county clerk sent 554 voters the wrong vote-by-mail ballots — affecting only the District 3 race. Superior Court Judge Joseph Marczyk held a hearing Monday morning and issued the decision about 5 p.m. It was important to the judge make a decision quickly, as the Atlantic County Board of Commissioners holds it reorganization meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Now there will be an empty seat on the commission until after the new election."

WHO PUT GEORGE GILMORE IN CHARGE OF THIS? — "'Hoarding' issues force Morris County to cut at-home COVID test delivery," by The Daily Record's William Westhoven: "Morris County is scaling back its free at-home COVID testing program announced just last month because residents and workers who have requested the preferred saliva-test kits are hoarding them, officials said. 'More than 50% of the people who have ordered the at-home Vault tests have hoarded them, forcing authorities to focus Morris County's limited COVID-19 testing resources on programs that are not as easily abused,' county spokesman Brian Murray said, referring to the preferred Vault saliva-test kits that do not require nasal swabbing. County officials will instead direct more funding and resources to the in-person COVID testing program they launched last month at County College of Morris."

—"Citing lack of funding, Paterson reduces COVID testing to two days per week"

WAIT UNTIL THIS HAPPENS — " 'Not everyone is Christian': Experts say prayer at NJ town meetings must walk a fine line," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "Council meetings in Elmwood Park begin with a prayer. That's the way it's been for years, says Mayor Robert Colletti, and it's the same in many places in North Jersey. 'We want to uphold these practices that we have held for a long time,' Colletti said. 'So we start the meeting asking for guidance from God, but it's not a special god,' specific to one religion. Prayer has had a place in government since the Founding Fathers put pen to paper and drafted the Constitution. As the makeup of the American citizenry has become more diverse, so has the religious landscape of the nation. And traditions like Elmwood Park's, though often seen as a way to unify people, can sometimes ostracize if not handled correctly. The inclusion of some phrases, such as 'our Father' or referring to Jesus can risk isolating community members not of Christian faith … Selaedin Maksut, executive director of Islamic group CAIR New Jersey, said prayers that use Christian-leaning phrases are alienating to non-Christians and make them feel uncomfortable."

THE CLOSEST SMALL BERGEN TOWNS COME TO SHARED SERVICES — " Maywood mayor sues Elmwood Park, says he was fired for refusing to overlook code violations," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "Maywood Mayor Richard Bolan has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Elmwood Park, alleging he was removed from his job in Elmwood Park's building department because he refused to overlook violations. Bolan alleges that he was fired at the end of 2019 in retaliation for refusing to follow orders from his superiors and 'turn a blind eye' to administrative code violations while serving as zoning officer, construction official and building subcode official … Bolan alleges he was ignored when he told Foligno and "the mayor" that the borough needed permits for various construction projects. It is unclear based on the complaint if Bolan is referring to former Mayor Frank Caramagna, who resigned from the post in April 2019 after being arrested for voter fraud, or Golabek, who was appointed mayor in May 2019 and served until the end of that year."

ONE PERSON STILL HAS A JOB AND THE OTHER DOESN'T. GUESS WHICH? — "Sexual harassment suit against Stafford schools superintendent settled for $425,000," by The Asbury Park Press' Kathleen Hopkins: "The Stafford Board of Education's insurance carrier paid more than $400,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a high-ranking educator who accused the district's schools superintendent of retaliating against her after she rebuffed his repeated requests for a rendezvous in the wee hours of the morning. Jenny Graf dropped her lawsuit against the school board and Schools Superintendent George Chidiac in July after the board agreed to pay her and her attorneys a total of $425,000, according to court records and documents obtained from the school board through a public records request. In exchange, Graf agreed to resign from her position as the district's supervisor of curriculum and instruction as of June 22, according to a settlement agreement obtained from the board."

IF ONLY VAN DREW HAD OBJECTED TO THE RESULTS — "With Hightstown officials sworn in, Republicans no longer hold office in Mercer," by New Jersey Globe's NIkita Biryukov: "Hightstown Councilwoman Cristina Fowler was sworn in Saturday, officially ousting the last Republican official in Mercer County. 'I just wanted to say it's an honor to serve Hightstown and I wanted to thank all the residents who've placed their trust in me, and I look forward to working with an incredible council and the administration,' she said at Monday's reorganization meeting."

—"McKoy files petition contesting results of Paterson 3rd Ward election"

—"Wyckoff's new mayor is only the second woman in township history to hold the post"

—"Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office to take over supervision of the Linwood Police Department"

—"Police chief in [Glen Ridge] faces 3rd harassment lawsuit in 4 years"

—"Jersey City Council caps fees that 3rd party food delivery apps charge restaurants"

A NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW HUDDLE IS HERE: Huddle, our daily congressional must-read, has a new author! Olivia Beavers took the reins this week, and she has the latest news and whispers from the Speakers' Lobby. Don't miss out, subscribe to our Huddle newsletter, the essential guide to all things Capitol Hill. Subscribe today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

—"New York homebuyers flock to Jersey Shore to escape COVID. Will they stay?"

—" Almost 1,200 complaints filed in NJ about COVID workplace violations"

A message from Pre-K Our Way:

In four years, there has been statewide, bipartisan support for funding pre-k expansion. NJ's pre-k is now in 150+ school districts, with more beginning in early 2021! Despite this remarkable record of achievement, there are 110+ eligible school districts that still wait.

There are eligible districts in every county. They're in rural, suburban and urban communities, and they're located across New Jersey, from east to west – and north to south. You either live in an eligible school district or you live near at least one. There are 3- and 4-year-olds still waiting for NJ's pre-k in each of these 110+ communities.

Substantial funding for NJ's pre-k will provide a strong start to a lifetime of learning for more of our children – and immediate support for their working families.

Let's reach a total of 200+ districts with NJ's pre-k – there are 110+ communities waiting. Fund substantial pre-k expansion THIS YEAR!

Visit prekourway.org for more info