News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Ciattarelli wants to expand vaccine exemptions

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Ciattarelli wants to expand vaccine exemptions

Jul 27, 2021

Good Tuesday morning! And happy National New Jersey Day!

Republicans nationally are reckoning with the anti-vaccine rhetoric some have either encouraged or allowed to fester. As anyone could have predicted, many of their own constituents are bearing the brunt of the latest coronavirus wave.

Here in New Jersey, Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli seems to be taking the opposite route. While he promoted his own vaccination back in April, Ciattarelli late last week gave an interview with an anti-vaccine group where he floated creating a new "philosophical exemption" to school vaccine mandates in addition to the often-misused religious exemption, as well as a new ombudsman in the Department of Health to deal with "parental rights."

The group — a new PAC founded in December — tends to wrap its rhetoric up so as not to sound obviously "anti-vax," focusing more on being anti-mandate. But if you look at where they've put their resources, who they promote and what kind of conferences its leaders speak at, you'll see what they're really about.

Ciattarelli has confounded expectations that he would run as a moderate once he got through the Republican primary. And perhaps he has a strategy. But even on this one, he seems to be going the opposite direction his party's leaders are. Read more about it here.

WHERE'S MURPHY? — No public schedule. Media: "Yahoo Finance Live" at 11 a.m., Wharton Business Daily" on SiriusXM at 11:30 a.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: " It's going to come right down to: Do you want to keep the process going, or do you just want to have nothing?' … So we'll have to make the decision as to what's more beneficial for the state and what's more beneficial for the party. We understand the position that we're in.'" — U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-9th Dist) on Jersey priorities bumping up against Democrats' national priorities.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — CCDC's Mike Porch

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

ELECTION DATES DETERMINE DATA — Murphy declines to rule out masking, vaccine requirements amid Delta surge, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he's standing pat — at least for now — on new policies or restrictions that might slow the spread of the virus. Asked during his regular press briefing if he would follow New York City's lead and require state employees get vaccinated or undergo regular testing for Covid-19, Murphy said his administration would "have to have all options available.". … The governor also stopped short of saying whether he'd reimpose rules requiring face coverings at public indoor settings — a possibility Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser, floated over the weekend — if the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates its guidance.

NOTHING SAYS RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM LIKE BASING YOUR MOVES ON THE WHIMS OF ONE MAN — "Republican moderates, nearly extinct, must now seek permission to veer from Trumpist orthodoxy," by The Record's Charles Stile: "Call them the Ask for Permission Moderates. In a string of candid video clips in recent weeks, the Republican nominees for governor in New Jersey and Virginia made pitches to pro-Trump activists, explaining why they can't win without broadening their appeal beyond the Kool-Aid-besotted base that has hijacked the Republican Party. New Jersey's Jack Ciattarelli asked a crowd at a Hunterdon County gun range for a little more understanding, and a little less orthodoxy, as he hits the hustings. 'Give me a little wiggle room to spend time going to places Republicans typically don't go,' he told his audience, according to Politico New Jersey. 'And give me a little wiggle room on how to talk about issues. Because the goal is to win.' In Virginia, Glenn Youngkin also made a plea for strategic sympathy at a recent campaign event. Asked if he would defend Planned Parenthood or 'take it to the abortionists' if elected, Youngkin said, 'I'm going to be really honest with you. The short answer is in this campaign, I can't.' … They have to verbally justify their instincts and their Big Tent strategy — which has catapulted winning Republicans to statewide office in the past — to a base that gets its talking points from Fox News and the fever-swamp fringe. They now need a waiver from Trumpists, who don't believe in compromise or moderation."

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE IS A CRITICAL RACE THAT MUST BE TAUGHT — Educator: Some New Jersey parents feel 'distrust, anger' over 'mythical' critical race theory, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: The contentious debate around critical race theory — education's latest political bogeyman — has reached New Jersey and, according to at least one educator, it's being driven by parents armed with conspiracy theories about what is being taught in the state's public schools. "It's staggering the misinformation that Americans are wrestling with right now. To see the level of anxiety and distrust and anger that these mythical stories are creating — it's ripping communities apart," Joseph Ricca, a member of the New Jersey State Board of Education, said in an interview. On Saturday, Ricca, a former school superintendent in East Hanover and a current member of the Morris Township Republican Committee, participated in a nearly two-hour virtual meeting hosted by conservative Christian group Working Together for NJ. … During the meeting, some parents, local school board members and religious activists expressed misguided views about what is being taught in New Jersey schools.

—Ciattarelli: "Take sex out of NJ classrooms: It's time to get schools back to basics"

BREAKDANCING NOW TOP CAUSE OF GEN X HIP PAIN — "Breakdowns now the top cause for canceled NJ Transit trains. Neglect and underfunding to blame," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "NJ Transit all but eliminated a major reason for canceling trains when it graduated the latest class of new locomotive engineers that brought the roster to enough to cover people who are out sick and on vacation for the first time in years. The agency has a new top cause for canceled trains – mechanical breakdowns. The root cause? A fleet of trains that is getting older and less reliable and a 2014 plan to replace them that the prior administrations didn't invest in, officials and experts said. Of the 177 trains that were canceled in June, 112 or 63% of the trains were canceled were due to mechanical reasons, according to NJ Transit performance statistics. That number has slowly crept up. NJ Transit started 2021 with 121 trains canceled for mechanical issues, which dipped to 90 canceled trains in February. Since then, NJ Transit had 82 in March, 92 in April, and 96 trains canceled in May due to mechanical reasons."

SATURDAY NIGHT WEEDER — "Smoking weed on Saturday night shouldn't get you in trouble at work Monday morning," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "So, what can be done? Many employers are doing what Amazon did, and quitting the pot tests altogether. Michele Siekerka, CEO of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, said employers realize that a test might only indicate off-duty use of marijuana, and that many are eager to find workers. 'It's not like people are showing up high to work,' she told NJ Advance Media. 'With more and more states legalizing, knowing that New Jersey has been toying with this for year, I think that's what's driving this.' Time will help, too. The state is still drafting regulations to implement the marijuana law, including the training people to spot those who are under the influence of marijuana, known as Workplace Impairment Recognition Experts. In theory, they will offer employers a more effective means to determine whether employees are working under the influence."

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—" New Jersey officials, US leaders aim to increase vaccine numbers as COVID-19 cases spike"

—"GOP redistricting commissions set deadline for answers on prisoner allocations"

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BIDEN TIME

NJ VS. EVERYONE — "New Jersey Democrats want 'fairness' in Biden's trillion-dollar agenda. They're in for a fight," by The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis: "The state's parochial concerns — which include restoring a major tax break used by about 40 percent of the state's filers and protecting its powerful drug industry — are starting to conflict with the larger Democratic agenda of overhauling climate policy, reshaping the tax code and delivering new assistance to American families through a sweeping expansion of social programs. Every dollar used to preserve a tax break mainly enjoyed by the wealthy or preserve pharmaceutical company profits, other Democrats say, is a dollar that can't be used on more urgent priorities. New Jersey Democrats need to 'realize they're part of a team,' said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus … The state's influential congressional delegation has not been deterred, however, and the intraparty conflict — amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars — has put the Garden State at the center of the action as Democrats try to maneuver the biggest social agenda in a generation through the smallest congressional majorities in decades. Some New Jerseyans say they recognize that if the party is to pass anything over the unified Republican opposition, they — and other states looking for post-Trump payback — might have to sacrifice some of their goals, though not without a battle."

LOCAL

IF ONLY THEY HAD BEEN ABLE TO REVIEW THE BODY CAM FOOTAGE FIRST — "New video shows Ewing cops stomp Black teen's head, kick snow in face during 2018 arrest," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "Two white township cops stomped the head of a handcuffed Black teenager while he lay prone on his stomach during an arrest in 2018, newly obtained footage shows. The never-before-seen body camera videos also depict at least two officers kicking snow into the 16-year-old's face while calling him a 'p**sy' and mocking him when they find condoms in his pocket after pulling him from a shed in the backyard of a township home. The arrest occurred Jan. 5, 2018, when police began pursuing the 16-year-old for stealing a vehicle left that morning warming up in a driveway, according to sources and footage. The officers' actions are being investigated by the FBI, according to multiple sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, as the teenager was subdued on the ground when the head-stomping and snow-kicking occurred."

VACCINES — "In towns with lowest rates, work to spread vaccines is personal," by NJ Spotlight News' Lilo Stainton: "Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles wants people to know government officials and community leaders are working very hard to increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the Ocean County township. And, slowly but surely, it is working. 'It's not a public-relations campaign anymore, it's not television ads, or newspaper ads. It really comes down to personal relationships,' Coles said. In addition to overseeing various public-private partnerships designed to boost vaccine rates in the community, Coles said he has also been counseling friends and neighbors on the benefits of immunization. Several have since received shots, although the decision created a rift for at least one family. 'I guess my nagging finally got to them,' Coles joked. Nearly half of Lakewood's adult residents have received at least one shot, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health, but the township still has the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate among New Jersey communities of 10,000 or more. While Lakewood is somewhat unique — it has a large Orthodox Jewish population, many of whom claim to have immunity after contracting COVID-19 — it is certainly not alone. Some 5.2 million New Jerseyans have now been fully inoculated against COVID-19 — accounting for more than 70% of the state's total population — but not all communities are equally protected. In Essex County, just 53% of those 18 and older in East Orange and Irvington have had at least one shot, according to the state data, along with 55% of the adults in Camden and 57% of those in Wallington Borough, in Bergen County."

NEWARK — "Newark is installing gunshot detectors on mostly Black schools as city shootings rise," by Chalkbeat's Patrick Wall: "As Newark confronts a surge in shootings and homicides, the city is outfitting more than 30 school buildings in mostly Black neighborhoods with controversial devices that can report nearby gunfire. The devices are components of a system that uses audio sensors to detect outdoor gunshots and notify the police. The manufacturer, ShotSpotter, says the system provides police with faster alerts and better gunshot data than 911 calls do. But some critics question the technology's usefulness, citing studies that find the devices drive up gunfire notifications but rarely lead to arrests."

—"Paterson Board of Education rejects plan to search for new superintendent"

—"Jersey City BOE race will feature 'Education Matters' vs. 'Change for Children' vying for 3 open seats"

—"Milltown bans marijuana businesses but residents will have the final say"

—"DeVlieger to step down as Ocean City Council member"

EVERYTHING ELSE

RED FLAGS MINOR MISADVENTURE — "Despite ride malfunctions and injuries, Six Flags Great Adventure officials mostly mum," by The Asbury Par Press' Mike Davis and Alex N. Gecan: "In the last six weeks, Six Flags Great Adventure, one of New Jersey's leading attractions, has seen four major attractions shut down after safety incidents. They led to three hospital visits for park guests. Whether the incidents, coming in such quick succession, speak to any wider concerns about safety or worker training is unclear. Six Flags issued written assurances that its rides were safe but declined to make officials available to answer questions. Likewise, the state office in charge of inspecting Six Flags rides — the main attraction for over 3 million annual visitors — has failed to respond to repeated requests to make officials available to discuss the incidents or what steps are being taken to keep visitors safe. The internet has been filling the communications void, in sometimes unflattering — if not informed — ways. After the fourth incident, social media users began comparing the 47-year-old theme park to Action Park, the infamous, injury-riddled theme park in North Jersey popularized in an HBO Max documentary released last year."

APPARENTLY JAMEL HOLLEY HAS ALREADY FOUND HIS NEXT JOB — " Massage therapist says she is not vaccinated. Customers seek refund but she refuses," by NJ Advance Media's Karin Price Mueller: "Before the coronavirus pandemic, Bill and Ellen Gottdenker found a good massage therapist, recommended by their daughter, who was also a customer. Ellen, 70, had a massage on Jan. 27, but was diagnosed with cancer a few days later, Bill Gottdenker said. Radiation treatments ended in the middle of April … After a May 26 massage, the therapist offered a discount: four massages for $480, paid in advance. They took up the offer, as did their daughter and son-in-law. But then their daughter learned the therapist was not vaccinated … But when they asked for their money back, the therapist refused, saying that 'packages' were not refundable, he said ... " The issue raises the question of what rights service providers and clients have at a time when vaccines are available but some people have decided not to get vaccinated."

—"Central Jersey community colleges are suggesting, but not requiring, COVID shots"

—" How did PATCO worker die in South Jersey rail yard? NTSB report probes cause"

—"Hard Rock Atlantic City taps Ray Stefanelli as Vice President of Online Gaming"

—" Could a Surfside building disaster happen on the NY Or NJ coast?"

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