News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Why the weed deal collapsed

Monday, January 11, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Why the weed deal collapsed — again

Jan 11, 2021

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Monday morning!

I should have known not to write Friday's top to New Jersey Playbook. Why, after everything we've seen so far in the mess that is weed legalization, would I assume the deal wouldn't collapse at the last minute?

It was state Sen. Ronald Rice (D-Essex), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus who has long opposed weed legalization, and state Sen. Nia Gill (D-Essex), who had reluctantly voted for it, who tanked the latest deal on penalties for underage users. Rice said that the "stationhouse adjustments" would essentially be a stop-and-frisk policy that would target minority youth at higher rates.

What's remarkable to me isn't that Rice raised these objections. It's how little was done to salvage the deal after he did. But this isn't just a problem in the Legislature. It was the Murphy administration that raised objections to the bill as it was on his desk. This is a governor who ran four years ago with a promise to legalize weed. And now the people stalling it are his own legislative allies.

If Murphy and the Legislature aren't able to resolve this soon , I wouldn't be surprised to see more and more people doing what NJ Weedman has been doing at his restaurant next to the federal courthouse: Openly selling weed, future state regulations be damned, after 67 percent of New Jerseyans voted to legalize it.

Read about it here.

WHERE'S MURPHY ? At Rowan College for a 9:30 a.m. vaccine "mega site" visit. Then in Trenton for a noon coronavirus press conference.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: 5,032 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 528,054. 32 more deaths or a total of 17,827. 3,589 hospitalized, 625 in intensive care. 200,204 of 572,250 vaccines administered, or 35 percent.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Attorney Francisco Maldonado-Ramirez, former Caldwell councilman Jeff Curley

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Chris Christie: "What we had was an incitement to riot at the United States Capitol. We had people killed and to me it there's not a whole lot of question here."

George Stephanopoulos: "So you think it was an impeachable offense?"

Christie: "Oh sure, yeah…. I think if inciting to insurrection isn't, then I don't know what is." — ABC News

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

HIPPO CRITICAL — "Are N.J. hospitals turning away patients? The state no longer publishes that information," by NJ Advance Media's Riley Yates: "In the midst of a pandemic, New Jersey has taken down an online portal that allowed the public to track whether specific hospitals have become overcrowded. The state's so-called Hippocrates website showed in real time when individual hospitals placed themselves on 'divert' status, meaning they temporarily could not accept new patients. That has been a closely watched metric during the coronavirus outbreak, because it helped show instances in which the flood of incoming patients threatened to overwhelm the health care system … But on Dec. 31, the state decommissioned the website, with an error message now appearing in its place. The Department of Health said hospital diversions have been moved onto a new platform called Corvena, which for now remains outside of the public eye. A publicly accessible dashboard with the information may be ready to launch in February, said Nancy Kearney, a spokeswoman for the Health Department."

VACCINES — New Jersey opens first Covid-19 vaccine 'mega-site,' but doses remain limited, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: New Jersey loves its shopping malls. The first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine available at one of six planned vaccination "mega-sites" were administered Friday morning in the bowels of what was once a Sears department store at the Rockaway Townsquare shopping mall in Morris County. … A second vaccination mega-site opened Friday at Rowan College of South Jersey in Gloucester County. The others — in Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, and Middlesex — are scheduled to open soon. The Morris County site, which is being staffed by Atlantic Health System, has the capacity to deliver around 2,400 to 2,500 doses of the vaccine each day. However, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Friday the initial allocation will be around 1,000 per week.

—"N.J. courts trying out virtual trials in civil cases starting in February"

—New bill would encourage the use of concrete with less carbon in construction projects

—"Many N.J. districts are supposed to resume in-person learning next week. Will they?"

—"Stanley, Coyle face off for vacant Middlesex Assembly seat"

A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONGRESS, A NEW HUDDLE: It was an ugly and heartbreaking week inside the Capitol, particularly for all of those who work on the Hill. How are lawmakers planning to move forward? How will security change? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with help from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. It has never been more important. SUBSCRIBE NOW.

TRUMP ERA

R.I.P. — U.S. Capitol police officer who died after attack on Congress had New Jersey roots, by POLITICO's Marianne LeVine, Sarah Ferris and Katherine Landergan: The U.S. Capitol Police officer who died after engaging with rioters in Wednesday's violent insurrection of a Trump supporting mob had New Jersey roots. Brian D. Sicknick, 42, was a native of South River, Middlesex County, who graduated from Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools. Before joining the Capitol Police, he served as a staff sergeant with the New Jersey Air National Guard. "Officer Sicknick gave his life protecting the United States Capitol, and by extension, our very democracy, from violent insurrection," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement Friday. "His needless murder at the hands of a mob bent on overthrowing the Constitution he had dedicated his life to upholding is shocking. It is my fervent hope that the rioters whose actions directly contributed to his death are quickly identified and brought to justice." U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement late Thursday that Sicknick had died "due to injuries sustained while on-duty. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries."

—Gov. Phil Murphy ordered flags at half staff in his honor on Saturday morning. The White House eventually did, late Sunday afternoon.

—"Gov. Murphy: Fallen Capitol officer 'embodied the selfless spirit' of New Jersey"

JEFFERSON VAN DREW HISTORICALLY ALIGNED WITH A MUCH MORE FAMOUS JEFFERSON, AND I DON'T MEAN THOMAS — "Protesters seek Van Drew's removal from office in Mays Landing," by The Press of Atlantic City's Ahmad Austin: "Saturday's protest in front of Van Drew's office lasted about an hour and a half with little incident. The demonstration, titled 'Peaceful Protest Against American Traitor Jeff Van Drew,' was organized on Facebook by Owen O'Brien. 'Our congressman was a willing participant in these efforts (to overturn the election),' O'Brien, 19, of Lower Township, said during the protest. 'Even after these lies incited a terrorist attack that left five dead, mere hours after the attack, he objected to the election results in key swing states' … In a Wednesday interview with The Associated Press, [Van Drew] maintained his defense that he was not seeking to overturn the election but to further examine issues he felt compromised the legitimacy of the final results … The protest page said organizers were calling for the removal of Van Drew, 'for his cowardly acts of sedition and betrayal towards the people of the United States.'

—Brigid Callahan Harrison: "Van Drew should be shamed for supporting this week's insurgency at the Capitol"

WHY NOT CHRIS CHRISTIE? — "Menendez, Booker eyeing seven candidates for U.S. Attorney," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "A serious short list of seven current and former prosecutors has emerged to become the next U.S. Attorney from New Jersey after Joe Biden takes office on January 20, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The seven – Henry Klingeman, Jenny Kramer, Phil Sellinger, Jamel Semper, Ricardo Solano, Jr., Esther Suarez and Lee Vartan – are under active consideration for the state's top federal law enforcement job, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The federal prosecutor post is traditionally filled by the senior United States Senator from the state, if that senator's party occupies the White House. That role now falls to Bob Menendez, who would presumably make the recommendation to Biden after consultation with New Jersey's other senator, Cory Booker."

YOUR TURN, JUNIOR — From News 12's Alex Zdan: "NEW: Fmr NJ GOP Gov. Tom Kean Sr. calls on @realDonaldTrump to resign after #CapitolRiots: 'This was stoked by the President of the United States, which makes it even more appalling...He's at fault, he ought to resign…'"

—"For NJ Black Lives Matter activists, the Capitol siege illuminated a double standard"

EVEN SINATRA HAD A FEW — "Chris Christie has no regrets," by The New Yorker's Isaac Chortiner: "(Q): Lots of people in 2016 were saying that Trump was stoking white supremacy and was undemocratic. I am curious whether you think the events of this week were inevitable in some sense, and when you think about your early endorsement of him whether you think you should have realized it all along, or whether you think things could have taken a different path. (A:) No, I think they always could have taken a different path. My endorsement was based on two things. I was absolutely convinced that there was no one left on that stage in the Republican primary who was going to beat Donald Trump. He was going to be our nominee. And, secondly, I was absolutely committed to Hillary Clinton not being President of the United States. So, given my relationship with Donald Trump over all those years, I felt like if I got in early and helped him I could have influence in making him a better candidate and, ultimately, a better President … (Q:) I'm asking because you know the way Republicans dealt with Trump, and it doesn't seem quite fair to say Democrats just wanted to go after him and Republicans had no choices. (A:) You said that—I didn't say that. Isaac, listen, I don't know what this is going to be. But, if what you are going to do is put words in my mouth, what I will do is just discontinue this, and I will say I am not participating. This is ridiculous. You are putting words in my mouth. I thought this was supposed to be a Q. & A.—you give questions, I give answers. It seems like what you want to do is the Q and the A. If you want to do both, I will get off the phone and you can talk to yourself."

—"With Trump out of the picture will it be a Christie-Pence grudge match in 2024?"

—" Rep. Mikie Sherrill was reticent about impeaching Trump the first time, but this time she says she's sure"

—"Norcross: Capitol takeover 'will go down in history - and how sad'"

LOCAL

NOBODY WATERSHED A TEAR — "Ex-Newark cop is final person sentenced in watershed scheme, one of city's 'biggest and widest-ranging scandals'," by NJ Advance Media's Joe Atomonavage: "Nearly a decade after details began trickling out highlighting widespread, multi-million dollar corruption at the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation, the final defendant in the conspiracy was sentenced to federal prison Thursday. Janell Robinson, a former Newark police officer, was sentenced to nine years after being found guilty last year on charges of conspiracy to defraud the watershed corporation, two counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion affecting interstate commerce. U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton also sentenced Robinson to three years supervised release and ordered her to pay restitution of $288,950 to the watershed corporation."

NJ AND THE D.R.: FROM MENENDEZ TO MENDEZ — "Paterson mayor blasts councilman for not entering quarantine after Dominican Republic trip," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico : "Mayor Andre Sayegh criticized Councilman Alex Mendez for not placing himself in quarantine after returning from a 12-day trip to the Dominican Republic on Monday. Sayegh noted that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated the Dominican Republic as a source of 'very high' risk and recommends that people returning from the country stay home for seven days. Mendez went to City Hall on Tuesday evening and earlier in the day recorded a social media video outside Paterson's vaccination program at International High School. 'He should not be putting people in harm's way,' Sayegh asserted."

NICE PROTECTING AND SERVING, OFFICER — "Paterson police officer under investigation after calling complaining citizens 'crybabies'," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "The city's police Internal Affairs division is investigating an incident in which a front desk officer at headquarters engaged in an acrimonious exchange with two people who said they wanted to file a domestic violence complaint, officials said. The exchange was captured on a cellphone video by a man who accompanied a woman seeking a restraining order, a recording that numerous Paterson community activists have circulated on social media. The video — which runs a little more than six minutes — showed the officer watching a television in the police headquarters front desk area during the encounter. When the woman in the video complained about waiting two hours, the officer said, 'Whatever.' The woman responded by saying, 'You're in the wrong field.' When the woman talked about the danger of being attacked by the father of her baby, the officer said, 'Watch your relationships.' In one sequence, the officer called the two people 'crybabies,' called the man a 'clown' and said 'ghetto' in response to their retorts."

SHOTS NOT FIRED — "Newark cops, with reform, didn't fire a single shot in 2020," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "Newark Police officers did not fire a single shot during the calendar year 2020, and the city didn't pay a single dime to settle police brutality cases. That's never happened, at least in the city's modern history. At the same time, crime is dropping, and police recovered almost 500 illegal guns from the street during the year. 'This is significant,' says Aqeela Sherills, head of the Newark Community Street Team, a group of mostly former offenders who work to defuse violence in the city's most violent wards. 'It speaks to how reform has really taken hold in the city.'"

DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RENAME YOUR SCHOOL SPORTS TEAMS 'THE ISOTOPES' — "Haddon Township High School evacuated after student brings uranium-glazed plate," by The Courier-Post's Phaedra Trethan and George Woolston: "Haddon Township High School was evacuated Friday after a student brought in an antique plate that the youth's mother said was glazed with radioactive uranium. Students and staffers left the building after officials learned around 11:15 a.m. that a student 'had brought into the school a potentially dangerous substance,' said Robert J. Fisicaro, the district's superintendent."

—"Former Ocean County assistant prosecutor to seek GOP nomination for commissioner"

—"Job growth and development will guide Atlantic City's economic recovery from COVID-19, Mazzeo and Small say"

—"Jersey Shore town's season passes are already sold out, and out-of-towners are not happy"

—"9 ways a Biden presidency with Democrats in charge of Congress will have a big impact on N.J."

KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: It was a dark week in American history, and a new administration will have to pick up the pieces. Transition Playbook brings you inside the last days of this crucial transfer of power, tracking the latest from President-elect Biden and his growing administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

PROFILES IN COURAGE — "As Donald Trump is driven from the White House, he should find no safe harbor in golf," by Golfweek's Eamon Lynch: "The odds that '22's PGA Championship will happen as scheduled in New Jersey are about as good as the chances of you or I winning it. Seth Waugh, the PGA of America's CEO, was a banker and has an alert eye for high-risk exposure. He knows that Trumpism is likely to be an equally incendiary force in the '22 midterm elections and that any affiliation is poisonous. Waugh will be forced to move the event and face down a small but vocal faction of his membership who remain true believers. Moving its major from Trump National has been debated internally at the PGA for more than two years, but executives have been reluctant to antagonize a famously vindictive man who controls the Internal Revenue Service. Such concerns melt away in 10 days, if not sooner."

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