News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Malinowski supporters flood the zone in redistricting

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Malinowski supporters flood the zone in redistricting

Dec 08, 2021

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Wednesday morning!

If you watched one of the numerous congressional redistricting hearings over the past couple months, there's a good chance you witnessed a bunch of Tom Malinowski supporters express the need to keep his district largely intact while adding a couple Union County towns.

There have been so many, in fact, that it's annoyed some Democrats on the commission. But the reason is obvious: Democrats, facing an unfriendly political environment, could easily see Malinowski — who barely won reelection in 2020 even before facing a stock trading ethics inquiry — as a sacrifice. It might be tempting to put some of his district's more blue areas into Mikie Sherrill's district while giving Malinowski the western red turn of Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer. Something that looks like this hypothetical map by David Wasserman, a redistricting expert and native of the district.

So dozens of Malinowski supporters have shown up to redistricting meetings to plead his case. His office downplays their coordination of this, saying it's the media speculation that got the same grassroots activists who helped flip the district four years ago riled up. But many of these people are clearly armed with talking points, which they're making over and over again.

Whether or not you blame media speculation, it's clear that Malinowski — or, uhh, his supporters — are concerned.

Read more about it here

WHERE'S MURPHY ? In Trenton for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I was a little worried that Donald would be upset when he read [my new book]. But then I remembered: It's a book; no chance." — Chris Christie at The Gridiron Club

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Former Assemblymembers Mary Pat Angelini and Christopher J. Brown, BMS' Ethan Hasbrouck

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Today, one in four NJ voters 50-plus reported not filling a prescription, many due to cost. Meanwhile Pharma raised the prices of over 1,000 drugs last year – during a pandemic. It's time to act and pass S1066/A2418, establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board responsible for investigating high drug prices and recommending action to lower costs for consumers. No one should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for their prescriptions. Take action now.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

UPROOTED — "Pinelands Commission nominee pulled by Murphy after environmentalist complaints," by The Asbury Park Press' Amanda Oglesby: "Gov. Phil Murphy has removed one of his three nominees to serve on the 15-member Pinelands Commission after environmental groups complained that his choices represented industry interests, not environmental objectives. Dropped from the list of nominees going forward was Elvin Montero, the deputy executive director of the Chemistry Council of New Jersey. 'After collaborative talks this (Monday) afternoon with Pinelands advocates, we are moving forward with two nominees to the Pinelands Commission,' Michael Zhadanovsky, a spokesman for Murphy, said … Potosnak said he was pleased by the results of Monday's discussion with Murphy and the governor's willingness to agree to Montero's removal from the nominee list. The change enables 'longstanding Columbia University environmental attorney Ed Lloyd to remain on the commission,' he said."

MURPHY WON'T DO IT TO SPITE JAMES O'KEEFE — "Will NJ follow NYC with COVID vaccine mandates for businesses? 'They're just not budging'," by The Asbury Park Press' Michael L. Diamond: "With winter on the way and a new COVID variant emerging, Gov. Phil Murphy faces a decision of whether to follow New York City and make vaccines mandatory for employees at private companies. A new mandate would face no shortage of legal, political and logistical challenges, experts said. But it also would help expand vaccinations to New Jerseyans who have refused to get inoculated, and, health officials say, save lives. 'They're just not budging,' John Sarno, president of the Employers Association of New Jersey, a trade group, said of vaccine holdouts. 'It could be that we'll never get back to anything that looks like normal. So I think at some point when you ask, 'Should we have a mandate,' the answer is, 'It's got to be on the table.' Murphy wouldn't have to look far to see how such a mandate plays out. New York City became the first local government to take that step when Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced plans to impose a vaccine mandate for most private businesses beginning Dec. 27."

—Moran: "As Jersey dawdles, New York City lures customers with COVID safety "

THE NEW GREEN ENERGY IS SATIVA — "Lawmakers brush back green-energy push," by NJ Spotlight News' Tom Johnson: "In a pushback against the Murphy administration's energy policies, lawmakers approved bills that might undermine the state's goal to transition away from fossil fuels. The pair of bills, easily approved by separate committees in the Assembly and Senate on Monday, enjoyed broad support from business, labor and utility interests, but just as vigorous opposition from the state's usually divided environmental organizations. The debate reflects the deep divisions over how quickly to phase out the state's reliance on fossil fuels … In the morning session, the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee unanimously released a bill (S-4133) that would prohibit state agencies from enacting policies that mandate electric heating systems or electric water heating systems to replace natural gas systems … Later in the day, the Assembly Telecommunications and Utility Committee released a bill (A-5655) that would require the state Board of Public Utilities to establish a program to promote renewable natural gas."

THE PORK ROLL MOBILE — "Murphy wants all-electric, self-driving transit system in N.J.'s capital city," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "Trenton could get the state's first all-electric powered, micro-transit system with self-driving mini buses under a request from interested companies to build and run it, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. The governor's office put out a call for a 'Request for Expressions of Interest,' or RFEI, for companies to submit informative proposals to the state Department of Transportation for the design, build-out and operation of the future system. The state is asking for a system that would be similar to Jersey City's 'Via' program that transports residents by mini van within the city, except this will lack chatty drivers and air pollution from internal combustion engines. That service has expanded since its Feb. 2020 launch. Called, 'Trenton Mobility & Opportunity: Vehicles Equity System (MOVES),' the micro-transit system would use a fleet of 100 all electric powered, self-driving vehicles. They would transport people on demand, who call for a ride with a smartphone app or from onem of 60 kiosks to be built in Trenton and on the outskirts, according to the RFEI."

KNOCK KNOCK THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE POLICE — " NJ puts tighter limits on use of no-knock warrants by police," by NJ 101.5's Michael Symons : "The directive regulating no-knock warrants generally prohibits them, except for times when knocking and announcing will create a reasonable and particularized concern for officer safety or the safety of another person and it's executed by a trained tactical team. A county prosecutor or the director of the state Division of Criminal Justice or their senior legal staff designee must approve any requests to the court for a no-knock warrant. Prosecutors must later review the warrant execution, including body-worn camera footage, and they must collect data about them. The directive also says that for safety purposes, search warrants in general should be executed between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., not in the middle of the night, unless approved by a court. And it says 'flash bang' explosive devices should be used sparingly and only with state or county prosecutor approval."

COUNTERPOINT: LET THE ULTRA-RICH TAKE OVER PART OF THE PARK SO THEY CAN HAVE A PRETTY BACKDROP FOR THEIR GOLF GAMES — "Protect Liberty State Park so we all can enjoy this gem," by Christine Todd Whitman for The Star-Ledger : "As a former governor of this great state, I urge you to take a public stand in support of the Liberty State Park Protection Act and I urge bipartisan legislative support to pass the act, long overdue to protect our local, state, and national treasure behind Lady Liberty and Ellis Island. Your championing the act would send a powerful message about our state's and nation's true values — that we will protect this public land for all people to enjoy behind these national shrines to democracy. During the pandemic, Liberty State Park has further shown its pricelessness as a quality of life mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual public health resource. This waterfront park, which contains scarce urban open space and nature, must be protected in perpetuity and once and for all be taken off the chopping block after decades of overwhelmingly unpopular exclusionary privatization threats."

GOTTA GET THOSE ALLIES ON THE PAYROLL — Congressional, legislative redistricting commissions seeking more money, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : The two commissions charged with redrawing New Jersey's congressional and state legislative district boundaries are asking for more money, according to a lawmaker. Assemblymember John McKeon introduced legislation this month that would appropriate another $1 million to redistricting — $500,000 for congressional and $500,000 for state legislative. "I got a note from [legislative] leadership that the commission needed it," McKeon (D-Essex) said in a phone interview. "Representatives of the commissions indicated they needed more resources to complete their jobs."

REDISTRICTING — The Princeton Gerrymandering Project will advise state legislative redistricting tiebreaker Philip Carchman and congressional redistricting tiebreaker John Wallace Jr. "by providing technical support and data analysis," according to a Twitter thread by the group. The group is led by Princeton neuroscience professor Sam Wang, who's well-respected and has a deep history in electoral analysis . I heard some disapproval by Republicans over his small donation history that's mostly, but not entirely, to Democrats, and a Twitter thread in which he said: "It seems likely that between one-third and one-half of current Trump supporters meet a reasonable definition of racist. We could look into the data. The rest are okay with racists in their coalition, which says something about what is acceptable in the service of political ends." My take: It's difficult to fault someone for acknowledging the reality of the former president's appeal to racists, of which there was much evidence. "My team at Princeton, which is committed to nonpartisan analysis (see link ), uses objective, data-based standards," Wang said in an email. "They are therefore capable of identifying gerrymanders by both parties, including by Democrats in Illinois and Maryland." Worth noting Wang's daughter, at the time a fifth-grader, was a leading advocate for making the bog turtle New Jersey's official state reptile, calling it "adorably cute."

THE BEGINNING OF THE HAHN DYNASTY — Speaker Coughlin yesterday named Assembly Majority Deputy Executive Director Seth Hahn, a CWA veteran, as the successor to the retiring executive director, Skip Cimino. Hahn statement: "I have worked closely with Speaker Coughlin and the members of the Assembly over the past year and have gained a profound respect for the institution and the work done by the members and staff. I look forward to working with our caucus and staff to make New Jersey a better and more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family.

—" State Police reassigns troopers from statehouse after Republican rebellion"

—"A.C. Expressway follows Turnpike, Parkway with a toll increase"

—" Lawmakers look to reign in NJ clean energy goals on electric heating"

—"Students push for bills to expand transparency on school security, discipline"

—" Here are the housing bills moving through committees in the NJ Legislature"

BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we've got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don't miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.

BIDEN TIME

OH GREAT, MORE PHILS IN POWER — "Senate confirms Biden's pick as U.S. attorney for N.J.," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed veteran New Jersey lawyer Philip R. Sellinger as the next U.S. attorney for the state. Sellinger sailed through on a voice vote. The Senate Judiciary Committee, without discussion and with little dissent, approved his nomination last week. Nominated by President Joe Biden in October, Sellinger is a co-managing partner in the New Jersey office of Greenberg Traurig LLP and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the New Jersey district office from 1981-1984."

— Gottheimer pushing legislation to tackle supply chain crisis

—Mulshine: "Trump's chief of staff covered up COVID risks for Christie and others"

—" Move to let legal cannabis businesses open bank accounts stalled again in U.S. Senate"

A message from AARP New Jersey:

LOCAL

THAT'S SOME BULL NO. 2 PENCIL — "Newark teachers were already overwhelmed. A $1,000 grant made them angry," by Chalkbeat's Patrick Wall: "Since schools reopened this fall, worker shortages have forced teachers to take on extra students and classes while also helping clean classrooms, supervise cafeterias, and monitor hallways. Inside their classrooms, teachers face pressure to accelerate learning even as they confront a spike in student conflicts, outbursts, and meltdowns. Meanwhile, many teachers had to toss out their usual lesson plans after the district rolled out new curriculum materials this fall. And some didn't feel safe in their own schools while the district delayed COVID testing for months … But the last straw for many educators, the moment when exhaustion hardened into anger, was when officials made clear they aren't giving 'thank you' bonuses to employees for working throughout the pandemic, as school districts nationwide have done. Instead, the superintendent of the Newark school system, which is getting well over $280 million in pandemic aid, told teachers they could complete a lengthy application for a $1,000 grant that can only be spent on classroom supplies."

THIS BUD'S FOR YOU — "There's a new kind of bar in Atlantic City. Could your NJ hometown be seeing one too? " by The Press of Atlantic City's Selena Vazquez: "There's a new type of bar in town called the Rekt Cafe, but it's not one of those flashy casino bars or dive bars people are used to seeing in the city. At the Rekt Cafe, you can 'bring your own booze,' sit in an outdoor seating area and order 'specially' made coffees and beverages — all while smoking a joint. The Rekt Cafe, located on the crossroads of Pacific and Bellevue Avenue, is the city's first recreational marijuana café where patrons can obtain, smoke or consume THC products on site … The cafe owners offers free tours of the facility, entertainment for patrons, and a look at their menu of complimentary THC products people could receive after purchasing one of their 'snack packs.'"

PARKING WARS — "Boggiano makes it 3-0 in December runoffs, crushes Bing in Jersey City Ward C council race," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "Jersey City Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano made it 3-0 in December runoffs this evening, crushing challenger Kevin Bing to get re-elected for a third term. Boggiano won by about 16 points in a race that saw turnout take a nosedive compared to November 2nd, with just under 5,000 ballots cast then and only around 3,000 cast today. Preliminary tallies show Boggiano with just over 1,700 votes cast, while Bing had just under 1,200. Boggiano secured 606 vote-by-mail ballots, while Bing had 303 … The incumbent, who ran on Mayor Steven Fulop's ticket, had boldly called the runoff "a referendum on … more bike lanes or more parking spots" and had the full support of the Jersey City Democratic Organization."

—"Vertreese team wins three Hillside council seats In runoff"

—"Atlantic County may expand jail to take in Cumberland inmates"

—"COVID cases rising rapidly in N.J. schools, leading to mandatory 14-day quarantines for some kids"

—"Wall Intermediate goes virtual after 27 cases of COVID-19 reported over 3 days"

—"[Essex County] jail under review by task force after alleged prisoner beatings"

—"Cresskill parents will trek to Trenton to plead for Murphy's help with flood repairs"

—"Board of Elections to redraw wards in Atlantic City, Absecon, Brigantine and Mullica'"

—"Thirteen months after 2020 election, judges order special election in South Toms River"

—"Sussex County expected to vote on national opioid settlement"

—"Lyndhurst cops shared body cam footage of medical emergency, lawsuit says"

R.I.P. — " South Brunswick mourns 'community caretaker' Manny Mulero"

—"Camden is — what? City residents tell their stories for a photo project displayed on abandoned buildings"

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.

EVERYTHING ELSE

THE CALI MACK WILL MAKE A JUMP — "Mack-Cali sells office parks, turns to residential market under new name," by The Daily Record's William Westhoven : "Mack-Cali, the real estate investment trust known for its massive holdings of office properties in Parsippany and North Jersey, has rebranded to reflect its new strategic direction into the residential market. The Jersey City-based corporation announced Tuesday it will move forward as Veris Residential. The company will continue to be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol, VRE, effective Dec. 10. The announcement follows recent divestitures of office and retail properties in Morris County. In July, Mack-Cali announced the $46 million sale of the 133,276-square-foot Wegmans Retail Center. In September 2020, Mack-Cali sold 10 office buildings from its commercial property portfolio for $158 million. Nine of those buildings are in Parsippany. The 10th is in Madison."

—"They bought their ancestral Red Bank home and learned a forgotten family secret: Murder"

—" The Popeyes meme kid is now a NJ high school football champion"

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Today, one in four NJ voters 50-plus report not filling a prescription, many due to cost. Seniors, and all Americans, pay three times more than other countries for the same prescription drugs. Meanwhile Pharma raised the prices of over 1,000 drugs last year – during a pandemic. And 78% of New Jersey voters, across party lines, feel elected officials are not doing enough to address the high price of prescription drugs. Now is the time to act and pass S1066/A2418, establishing a NJ Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This Board will be responsible for investigating high drug prices and recommending action to lower costs for all New Jersey healthcare consumers. 82% of older NJ voters support the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. They know that no one should have to choose between paying for groceries and paying for the prescription drugs they need. Learn more and take action now.