| | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Gov. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli are "strongly recommending" that New Jerseyans wear masks indoors. In other words, they're not mandating it. Yes, this is a thorny issue for Murphy, as it goes against CDC guidance for some counties. It also goes against Republican expectations. "The Murphy administration continues to engage in a massive display of fear-mongering over the Delta variant," state Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren) said in a July 19 press release that got some media pickup. "Nobody should be shocked if the Murphy administration uses it as an excuse to lockdown New Jersey again and reimpose all of the COVID restrictions and mask mandates we fought to have lifted." I don't think Murphy has a political motivation at this time to reimpose restrictions or mask mandates. He's up for reelection in a few months, so it's hard to believe that he'd want to tell mask-wary New Jerseyans just beginning to get used to normal life that it's time to go back to what feels like the dark old days of 2020. But you can't help but get the sense that some of Murphy's critics would like him to do it because it would motivate their base. WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Newark at 11 a.m. to sign "Statewide Universal Home Nurse Visitation Program for Newborns and their Families" legislation. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It used to be that they would put them in jail and they would work it off. But bail reform came in 2017 and our municipal judge had that tool taken away from him." — Freehold Police Chief Craig DiSpenza on intoxicated homeless people who are upsetting town residents who have homes. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Teaneck's Michael Pagan, Willingboro's Martin Nock, Catholic Business Network of South Jersey's Jeff Morris, Treasury's Jo Ann Povia | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | |
|  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | VOTE FOR ME, I'LL STOP SENDING YOU MONEY — Ciattarelli: To get people back to work, state should end $300 federal jobless benefit, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli says that in order to spur people to get back to work, New Jersey needs to stop accepting the federal $300 supplemental unemployment benefit. Standing in front of a small business in Raritan Borough, his hometown, Ciattarelli said New Jersey should join other states that have ended the weekly federal supplement and should otherwise stop extending jobless benefits. "We are a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, and yet there's help wanted signs everywhere. The two don't go together. The reason is because Phil Murphy won't turn off the unemployment spigot," Ciattarelli said, pointing to a help wanted sign in the business' window. "Now I'm not saying there aren't hardship cases, we are our brother's and sister's keeper. We've got to make sure that people who desperately need their benefits get them. At the same time, we've made things too easy for people." — "Ciattarelli's choice of running mate close, and closely held" SMALL PORTION OF UNION'S SUPER PAC DONATIONS COULD BUY MASKS FOR ALL TEACHERS — "N.J.'s largest teachers union backs masks for all students, staff in schools after CDC guidance update," by NJ Advance Media's Rob Jennings: "The New Jersey Education Association is throwing its support behind requiring masks in schools for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status a day after federal guidelines were changed to reflect rising concerns about COVID-19 transmission. 'This is a fast developing situation, obviously. But if the CDC guidance says that masking in schools will keep students and staff safer, then schools should follow that guidance,' said Steven Baker, spokesperson for the NJEA, the state's largest teacher's union." WORKIN' 6 TO 8 — Elections officials worried about staffing without a permanent pay bump for poll workers, by Matt: Elections officials and lawmakers are worried there'll be a shortage of poll workers for the Nov. 2 general election if the state doesn't double their pay, as it did for the June primary. But with the Legislature out of session and with no plans to return ahead of the election, the prospects of the pay bump happening are slim at best. "There are people who are calling now who say, 'I'm not going to do it for only $200,'" Beth Thompson, administrator for the Hunterdon County Board of Elections, said in an interview. THE LEGISLATURE IS VERY DIVERSE IN TERMS OF TYPES OF LAWYERS — N.J. lawmakers brag of leading a diverse state. But legislature is overwhelmingly white," by New Jersey Minotir's Sophie Nieto Munoz: "New Jersey officials boast that they lead one of the most diverse states in the nation, but white men are still making most of the decisions in Trenton. And while the diversity of the chamber's members has risen over the last 10 years, most communities still aren't accurately reflected in the state Legislature … In New Jersey, 54% of residents identify as white. In the Legislature, the figure is 76%. The 20 Black lawmakers account for 16% of the legislature, while Black residents make up about 15% of the population. The numbers for Latinos and Asians are abysmal: They make up 21% and 11% of the population, but hold just 8% and 2% of legislative seats, respectively. And despite the state population being roughly 51% female and 49% male, the Legislature is 68% male." NEW JERSEY DRIVE — "Law allows undocumented to get licenses and NJ sees boom in permits," by NJ Spotlight News' Monsy Alvarado: "New Jersey has issued roughly 100,000 new permits since the state allowed residents regardless of immigration status to apply for driver's licenses nearly three months ago, a jump of more than 65% from same period in previous years. The agency issued 60,000 new permits during that same period in past years, said William Connolly, a spokesman for the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. 'We do not track immigration status of our license holders, so we cannot verify if the difference is entirely due to newly eligible New Jerseyans,'' Connolly said in an email." — LaVecchia agrees to delay retirement from state Supreme Court for 'a few months — "Steinhardt blast Democrats for maneuvers surrounding congressional redistricting tiebreaker" — "Fraction of N.J.'s rental assistance fund has been distributed, state says" — "N.J. is trying to end the discrimination homeless LGBTQI+ face in shelters" — New Jersey sets fixed prices on solar projects in effort to rein in cost — "N.J.'s part-time legislature exposes state to abuse. It's not likely to change" | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | BIDEN TIME | | THE REAL CHINESE SPIES OF NEW JERSEY — "Operation Fox Hunt: How China exports repression using a network of spies hidden in plain sight," by ProPublica's Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg: "On the hunt again, the cop from Wuhan rolled into New Jersey on a secret reconnaissance mission .... Hu Ji's driver took an exit into a wooded subdivision, cruising by big homes set back from the two-lane road that wound through one of the country's wealthiest enclaves. The driver was a new recruit, a boyish-looking Chinese immigrant in his late 20s who lived in Queens and called himself Johnny. Johnny's uncle in Houston had been a target of Hu's covert team. Two months earlier, they had 'persuaded' the uncle, a former chief accountant for a provincial aviation agency, to return to China to stand trial for alleged crimes. Hu had essentially offered a brutal deal to Johnny and his relatives: If you want to help your family, help us destroy someone else's. "So in September 2016, Johnny became an indentured spy. He'd already done surveillance to prepare for this visit. Stopping the car, Johnny pointed out the location. The cop surveyed the large lawn, the trees flanking a brick path, the two-story house behind bushes … Locked onto his new target, Hu mobilized his team. It grew to at least 19 American and Chinese operatives: hired muscle, private detectives (including a former New York Police Department sergeant), and undercover repatriation specialists who slipped in and out of U.S. airports with ease ... When the stage was set, they brought their target's frail and elderly father from China to New Jersey as human bait — a high-stakes gambit known as an 'emotional bomb.' This time, it blew up in their faces." — "'Counting moments until they die.' From Afghanistan to NJ, former U.S. allies fear revenge" — " Menendez takes on Zuckerberg over Facebook spreading vaccine misinformation" | | LOCAL | | RAD — "After viral video of arrest, Perth Amboy says bikes no longer need to be registered," by MyCentralJersey's Julia Duggan : "You no longer have to pay 50 cents to register your bicycle in the city. However, it's still against the law to perform wheelies and other bicycle tricks on Perth Amboy streets, or 'practice any trick or fancy riding.' Prompted by a controversy in the spring that garnered national media attention over an incident involving the bike registrations, the City Council voted July 14 to change the 80-year-old ordinance to no longer require bikes be registered, making it optional." CANCEL CULTURE — " Black Lives Matter mural with raised fist on N.J. underpass repainted after town official objects," by NJ Advance Media's Anthony G. Attrino: "A group of young people who painted a Black Lives Matter mural on a Garden State Parkway underpass in Passaic County last week were told to repaint their artwork after a town official felt it was inappropriate. The artists led by a recent high school graduate from Clifton had obtained permission from city officials to paint the mural — complete with BLM fists in the air — before they went to work on it last week under the bridge at Allwood Road. But when one of the fists was painted on the structure, City Manager Dominick Villano had some reservations. 'When we start making political statements, we're opening up a can of worms,' Villano told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday. 'This is public property. We have to tread lightly.' Villano said he objected mostly to the raised fist, which he felt divided members of the public. City workers painted over the fist with a rectangular-shaped white box.'" FREEHOLD STRESSES IT'S NOT A FREE HOME — "'It is a disgrace': Freehold Borough meeting on homelessness struggles for solutions," by The Asbury Park Press' Joe Strupp: "A special borough council meeting Tuesday night with borough officials and police about bad-behaving people, believed to be homeless, was long on complaints from local residents — public drunkenness, people passed out on lawns, empty cans and bottles left at the curb, and at least one offender using the street as his toilet. 'We moved to Monmouth County because this is supposed to be a good county, but we have homeless,' Steve Pellis, a recent Barkalow Avenue newcomer, told the council, which convened the meeting with residents Tuesday. 'I'm considering moving out of town and I have been here for four months. It is a disgrace, I am livid.' Where the gathering fell short, by the participants' own admission: finding solutions for quelling the bad behavior or, for that matter, actually doing something to reduce the number of homeless, in a town where, not incidentally, there is no homeless shelter." DECISION DRAWS OUTRAGE FROM PEOPLE WHO MOVED OUT OF PATERSON 60 YEARS AGO — "Paterson schools replace Columbus Day with Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People's Day," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "The city school board became the latest government entity to stop celebrating Columbus Day as a holiday and instead designated the second Monday in October as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People's Day. In a resolution unanimously approved last week, the Paterson Board of Education said: 'Columbus' arrival in the Americas caused harm to the territory's indigenous populations, making the annual celebration of this event controversial.' Board members said they included 'Italian Heritage Day' as part of the new holiday name to avoid offending people. 'The Board also recognizes that Columbus' Italian heritage has great meaning to many Italian Americans," reads the resolution." —"Public speaks out about 'Brave' mascot at Newton school board meeting" 16.1 MASTRO PROJECT — "Work can continue on controversial $145M Union County project, judge rules," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that Union County can continue working on a proposed multi-million dollar administration building even as the court battle continues over whether the county's improvement authority skirted public bidding requirements. The developer who went to court to stop the $145 million government project said it would file an immediate appeal. The legal battle was just the latest skirmish in a fight by Dobco Group, a Wayne-based construction company that had sought contracts for separate redevelopment projects in Union and Bergen counties." BLORRIS — "Opportunistic Chairman Jones zeroes in on Morris County," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: "Chip Robinson, the Morris Democratic chair, is aware voters don't know the names of the party's three county commission candidates. But he's not worried. He says most have no idea who the three Republican incumbents are either … But Robinson is thinking about 2021. 'It's pretty obvious, we're going to be the next county to go blue,' he said with a good bit of presumption … The GOP incumbents seeking reelection are John Krickus, Stephen Shaw and Deborah Smith. The Democrats are T.C. McCourt, A.J. Oliver and Dina Mikulka. This is likely to be a party election, meaning voters go with the party they like more than the individuals. So Democrats need Phil Murphy to do well in Morris to have any chance of scoring an upset. In winning statewide in 2017, Murphy lost the county by about 12,000 votes to Kim Guadagno. "Since then, however, Dems have cut the GOP's registration advantage to about 19,000; it was 36,000 four years ago. In short speeches, the candidates faulted what was then the freeholder board for opposing some state pandemic regulations meant to save lives. Expect this to be a theme … The guest of honor was Leroy Jones, the state Democratic chair. Just last week, his Republican counterpart, Bob Hugin, attended a party fundraiser in Parsippany. So, I guess Morris is important." — "Closing the drug program in Atlantic City means people will die | Opinion" — "[Millville] paid $200K to settle harassment suit by police chief's former secretary" — "Neptune OK with 3 marijuana businesses, but forget about smoking lounges" — "Red Bank's proposed tax rate would stay flat. So why could residents still pay more?" — "Running for Jersey City council-at-large, Gadsden calls for independent leadership at fundraiser" | | EVERYTHING ELSE | | DRINK EVERY TIME YOU SEE A NJ POLITICIAN IN THE BACKGROUND — "Let's get real: Docuseries being filmed at Mastoris, iconic New Jersey diner," by The Burlington County Times' Celete E. Whitaker: "Mastoris, one of the most iconic diners in New Jersey for more than 50 years, will be the site of a reality series, technically a local documentary-style series, called 'The American Restaurant, Then & Now.' Located in Bordentown Township, Mastoris has been around for decades. Among other things, the diner sells cinnamon and cheese breads people travel from all around the state to get. Natalie Venezia, writer and creator, is also the director of marketing for Mastoris. She says she will take a 'fly on the wall' approach to filming the series." — "These 8 N.J. counties should again wear masks indoors, CDC says" — "North Jersey businesses plan to leave mask decisions to their customers" — " Mask up or vax up? Hudson businesses and pols struggle with losing ground in fight against COVID-19" — "Ex-national president of Pagan's motorcycle club pleads guilty to gun charge in N.J."
| | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment