News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Weed clean-up bill to get a clean-up

Monday, March 8, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Weed clean-up bill to get a clean-up

Mar 08, 2021

Presented by Anbaric Development Partners

Good Monday morning!

It appears that Democrats realize that not allowing police to give written notice to parents the first time they catch their kids smoking weed or drinking alcohol is a potent issue Republicans could use against them this fall.

A Democratic-backed bill to clarify that cops can inform parents was introduced last week and appears to be on the fast track. It's a clean-up bill of the last marijuana clean-up bill.

The first clean up bill was a way to get Gov. Phil Murphy to sign weed legalization while assuaging concerns from the Legislative Black Caucus. But now the leader of that caucus, Sen. Ron Rice, is OK with allowing parental notification. So how did the original clean-up bill end up including language that barred parental notification? I don't know.

Republicans were going to have a field day with this . But I've got to wonder: If they and Democrats had worked together on the first clean-up legislation, knowing that legalizing marijuana was the undisputed will of New Jerseyans, would a few GOP votes have made it easier to pass a clean-up bill clearly allowing parental notification?

WHERE'S MURPHY — In Trenton for a 2 p.m. coronavirus press conference.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER : 2,077 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 720,939. 17 more deaths for a total of 21,177 (and 2,397 probable deaths). 1,792 hospitalized, 376 in intensive care. 833,532 have had both vaccine doses, or about 9.4 percent of the population.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "In politics, the only thing you really have is your word. Yesterday morning we had confirmed with multiple people that he was going to run for re-election for Assembly and support me for State Senate ... I personally reached out to him yesterday morning and sent him a text message to confirm everything. I said we should pick a day to get a drink and start afresh. I spoke to his chief of staff who said congratulations and said this was in the best interests of everybody, we're all happy it's been resolved. I spoke to others who confirmed the same thing." — Assemblymember Holly Schepisi on running mate Bob Auth's in-then-out-then-in-again campaign against her for the vacant seat of the late state Sen. Gerald Cardinale.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Assemblymember Erik Peterson, former state Sen. Diane Allen, former Dumont mayor Matt McHale, Linden Councilmember John Francis Roman, NY1 reporter Zachary Fink.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

BEALE WITH IT — "Top official ousted over covid-19 deaths at veterans nursing homes remained on N.J. payroll for months," by The Wall Street Journal's Christopher Weaver: "New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ousted a top state official in mid-October as part of a reckoning over the Covid-19 crisis at the state's nursing homes for veterans, but the official was never fired, state records show. Rather, Maj. Gen. Jemal Beale, the former commissioner of the state's military and veterans agency, was allowed to resign on Jan. 1 of this year despite Mr. Murphy announcing on Oct. 16 that Gen. Beale was being replaced 'effective immediately,' according to personnel records and state officials. In addition to saving face, Gen. Beale's arrangement allowed him to fully cash in on his unused vacation days. Meanwhile, the state fired two lower-ranking veterans home managers at the time Mr. Murphy announced the shake-up, but allowed a second more-senior manager to retire."

DID THEY MENTION HCQ? — Republicans attack nursing home directives, veterans home management at Covid-19 hearing, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton : Republican lawmakers on Friday launched their first formal attack on Gov. Phil Murphy's handling of Covid-19 outbreaks in the state's long-term care facilities, taking more than four hours of testimony from family members and advocates who largely blame the administration for policies they say contributed to the deaths of roughly 8,000 people. While the hearing did little to unearth new information about the administration's response — the lead witness, infectious disease expert Dr. Stephen Smith, told lawmakers he had limited knowledge of the timeline, specifics or on-the-ground consequences of the governor's nursing home policies — it did provide a rare legislative arena for Republicans to uncork their dissatisfaction with the Democratic governor's management of the pandemic. More than 23,500 New Jersey residents have died of Covid-19 over the last year. "Nobody gives a damn about this loss of life and it's shameful," Sen. Declan O'Scanlon (R-Monmouth), said, noting that representatives from the Murphy administration, the state Department of Health and Department of Military and Veterans Affairs all declined to participate in the hearing. "The Murphy administration is to transparency as a block of cement is to a ray of sunshine."

CLEAN UP ON AISLE 420 — New Jersey Democrats working on another cannabis cleanup bill, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton : New Jersey's cannabis legalization cleanup bill now has a cleanup bill. Democratic state Sen. Vin Gopal and his Monmouth County district mates are introducing legislation to allow police officers to notify parents if they catch a minor with cannabis or alcohol. The bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy last week — the linchpin to his signing two other bills that legalized cannabis for adults and decriminalized possession of up to six ounces of the drug — states police officers cannot notify the parents or legal guardians of underage offenders until there was a second offense.

GROSS MAN — "Seth Grossman will run in the Republican primary for NJ Senate," by WPG's Harry Hurley: "I have learned and confirmed that local Attorney Seth Grossman will challenge former New Jersey Assemblyman Vince Polistina for the New Jersey State Senate in District 2. Grossman has decided to bypass the fast-approaching Atlantic County Republican Convention and he will instead go right to the June, Republican Primary election ballot … Polistina enters the upcoming Republican Primary as a prohibitive favorite. However, Polistina can't and won't take the Grossman challenge lightly. This will force Polistina to use resources that he would much rather have been able to conserve for the General Election versus Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo."

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT — In his post, Hurley says this: "Grossman was brutally pounded by shill national pro-Democrat media, who falsely called him a racist." But Grossman's social media speaks for itself and includes racist content. Take for instance this one example in which Grossman shared an article about two Black teens charged with beating an old man, with Grossman writing: "Young black men usually murder other young black men, so it is easy to move to the suburbs and ignore them. But unless we act quickly to change things, more children like these will be murdering more of our children." And that's just one of many examples . Grossman was formally disavowed by the NRCC — but never by local Republicans — after approvingly sharing an article from an overtly white supremacist website that called Black people "a threat to all who cross their paths." Even if Grossman didn't know that the website was white supremacist, does it matter? He clearly agreed with its content. Seth Grossman has a right to run for office. He doesn't have a right to have his reputation whitewashed. And those of us in the press should not be afraid to call things what they are.

FORT LEE RESIDENTS LOOK FORWARD TO VOTING FOR GOP TICKET WITH BRIDGET KELLY ON IT — "Ciattarelli shows murphy how to eat pizza (and yogurt)," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: "In a state where registered Democrats exceed Republicans by more than a million, he needs a slew of cross-over voters. And he thinks he can get them in Bergen. At Dong Bang, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Fort Lee, Ciattarelli was joined by about two dozen local Bergen Republicans. He told them that he considers Bergen a 'swing' county. He said that Chris Christie carried the county, but that Kim Guadagno lost it in 2017. Clearly, Ciattarelli hopes it will swing back to Republicans this year."

—"The unraveling of N.J. N.J.'s pandemic response started strong. Why has so much gone wrong since?"

—"Opinion: Learning about party bosses, the hard way"

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BIDEN TIME

211,111 MASTROS — Senate approves Biden's $1.9T pandemic relief plan, by POLITICO's Marianne LeVine: The Senate passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday after a marathon session and last-minute arm twisting over one of the biggest provisions in the package. Not a single Republican voted in support of the bill, which passed, 50-49, after an hours-long impasse over competing partisan proposals for the massive bill's boost to weekly unemployment benefits for those affected by the pandemic. After lengthy talks with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) over the bill's extra unemployment benefits, Democrats were able to break the logjam with a deal that would provide $300 a week in unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 and up to $10,200 in tax relief for unemployed workers. A progressive bid to raise the minimum wage to $15 hourly fell short during the chamber's brutal series of amendment votes before the Senate passed the package.

ARC TUNNEL KILLED 10.5 YEARS AGO — "Gateway commissioners are 'extremely optimistic' about future of long-stalled tunnel plan," by The Record's Colleen Wilson: "The commissioners of the newly formed Gateway Development Commission, which held i ts first meeting Friday, struck an optimistic tone about the future of the Hudson River rail tunnels after the projects to repair and build new ones have faced more than a decade of challenges. 'We have been waiting, almost in suspended animation now for a number of years, so from that perspective we're ready to go,' said Steve Cohen, who was named a co-chair of the commission Friday and is one of three New York representatives on the bi-state agency board. Frank Sacr, interim executive director of the Commission, said, 'The engagement that we're seeing from the DOT [U.S. Department of Transportation] and its agencies on the Hudson tunnel project are very encouraging for us.'"

—"Delays by feds added $300M to new Hudson River tunnel costs, official says"

—Moran: "Pallone's career moment on climate change"

—"NJ Sen. Bob Menendez has spent almost $300K at Morton's Steakhouse"

—"NJ lawmakers question BOP about lack of FCI Fort Dix funding"

—" Protesters in Newark demand the immediate release of undocumented immigrants"

—Court rejects New Jersey's challenge to Bush-era NSR rule

LOCAL

OPEN AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESS TO FOLLOW — "Camden mayor Frank Moran is resigning," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Allison Steele : "Camden mayor Frank Moran is planning to resign, and is expected to announce he will leave the job at the end of next month instead of seeking reelection. Moran, 52, will cite health reasons in stepping down, according to three sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter. It's unclear if he will cite a specific health matter. Moran and a spokesperson didn't immediately respond to requests for comment … Shortly after news of the pending announcement became public, council member Angel Fuentes and Camden County Sheriff Gilbert 'Whip' Wilson threw their support behind council member and former Camden High basketball star Vic Carstarphen … As council president, Moran was groomed for the mayor's office by Redd, and he also had the backing of South Jersey Democratic leaders"."

—"Moran: 'I have done and witnessed amazing things' in Camden as he steps down as mayor"

—" Law extends state's fiscal supervision of Camden's government"

TAKE ME DOWN TO THE PARADISE CITY WHERE THE SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED BUT THE BUILDINGS GLINTING — Camden school district gets state approval to close 3 buildings, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin : The Camden City School District has received state approval to move ahead with three school closures after months of community debate. Superintendent Katrina McCombs said in a statement that the district, "in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education," is moving forward with plans to shutter Sharp Elementary, Wiggins College Preparatory Lab School and Cramer Elementary at the end of the 2021 school year. "With the support of state and local officials, and with input gathered over the course of six months, Camden City School District is now poised to implement a plan that will improve the quality of education offered by our District and place the District on solid financial footing," McCombs stated. McCombs' statement did not indicate how many students and staff will be affected by the closings.

BAD APPLES — "Essex corrections officers beat a detainee and filed false reports to cover it up, feds say," by The Record's Steve Janoski : "Three corrections officers and a sergeant beat a federal detainee held at the Essex County Correctional Facility last August and tried to cover it up by filing false reports, the U.S. Attorney's Office alleged Friday. Federal authorities have charged the guards — Angel Chaparro, 38; Damion James, 40; Luis Ortiz, 29; and Sgt. Herman Pride, 51 — with conspiracy to violate the detainee's civil rights, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said in a statement. The officers allegedly assaulted the detainee, who was awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin, on Aug. 17 after he squirted a mixture of urine, yogurt and milk on an unnamed guard, Honig said."

LASAGNA WILL TASTE EVEN BETTER — "Garfield, in an about-face, says marijuana dispensaries could be good for city," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "City officials have taken the first step toward possibly allowing marijuana sales by calling for a study of exactly where zoning would allow a dispensary. This week, the council voted to authorize the city manager to look into what areas in the city would abide by the state's guidelines regarding dispensary locations. Councilman Joseph Delaney said council members felt it was important to look into the possibility, because the tax incentives would benefit the city. 'We have to look into if this is doable in the city, which is what the city manager is doing now,' he said. 'If it is something we can do, we'd like it.'"

R.I.P. — "James Stevenson, Hamilton's first Black elected official, dies at 83"

—"Paterson voter fraud charges expand in new indictments from NJ attorney general"

—"How NJ towns, school districts are helping teachers and staff get the COVID vaccine"

—"Mayor Andre Sayegh vetoes Paterson City Council repeal of sewer fee plan"

—" Blackface in Lakewood: Next Purim will be different, leaders pledge"

—"Camden County needs a backup plan for future storms. Clean energy can be the solution, developer says"

Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

NOT-SO-EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS — "Chocolate poop, a glitter bomb and worse: Bergen man sues over anonymous pranks," by The Record's Kaitlyn Kanzler: "Someone doesn't like Nicholas Carretta. Or, at least, they've got a wicked sense of humor. That was clear when a chocolate sculpture in the shape of a penis showed up unsolicited at his Fair Lawn office in May 2019. Last November came another nasty surprise: a spring-loaded glitter bomb that exploded confetti in Carretta's face and across his home in Oakland. Two weeks later, another chocolate confection arrived at the home, this time shaped like a lump of poop. Carretta has no idea who sent the packages, according to a lawsuit he filed last week. But he knows who arranged them – a pair of websites that advertise their services to send obnoxious, anonymous gifts by mail – and the Bergen man is out for legal revenge. Carretta sued the two businesses, R&D Promos LLC and Rain Parade LLC in state Superior Court last week, demanding damages of more than $75,000 for the 'fear, apprehension, harm and emotional distress' caused by the pranks."

—"The Pagans leader is behind bars in N.J. Now the notorious biker gang faces a crossroads"

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Acknowledging the considerable benefits of a planned transmission approach, the BPU announced late last year that the state, alongside PJM, will issue a first-in-the-nation transmission-only solicitation in early 2021. Now, New Jersey will need a partner that can deliver on this transformative opportunity.

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