News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy's anchor

Friday, March 4, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy's anchor

Mar 04, 2022

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By Matt Friedman

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Friday morning!

Gov. Phil Murphy is out with a plan to reduce property taxes. Kind of.

It's a rebate . The "ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program" would replace and expand the longstanding Homestead Benefit program, would give an average $700 rebate next fiscal year to homeowners earning up to $250,000. The plan is to increase those rebates to an average of $1,150 by fiscal year 2025.

This is a relatively easy thing to do when state revenues are coming in at a fast-clip, as they have been — unexpectedly — during the coronavirus pandemic. But are we going to see those projections for expansion fulfilled if the economy changes? If history is any guide…

I'm no expert on finance, but I think actually reducing New Jersey's property taxes would mean either making drastic cutbacks in local government — something most are loath to do — or restructuring our tax system to pay for schools and other local government functions through other types of taxes. That's also not a politically attractive option. More from Katherine Landergan here.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 18

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Trenton for his final coronavirus press conference

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Putin, you're a bastard. May you rot in hell." — State Sen. Dick Codey during yesterday's vote to bar New Jersey public entities from doing business with companies linked to the Russian regime

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — My wife Emily, Rep. Chris Smith, Assemblymember Clinton Calabrese. Sunday for Assemblymember Ellen Park

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

A message from AARP New Jersey:

New Jersey residents are concerned they won't be able to afford the medicines they need in the future; yet, prescription drug prices continue to rise faster than inflation. It's time to act and pass S329/A1747, which establishes a Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This board is 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

THEY'RE GOING TO SET UP A CALL CENTER TO CALL THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE — Senate to Murphy: Address backlog of unemployment claims, reopen offices now, by POLITICO's Daniel Han and Katherine Landergan: New Jersey lawmakers are sending a scathing and bipartisan message to Gov. Phil Murphy: Reopen the state's unemployment offices and address the problems out-of-work residents are having receiving benefits. The Democratic-controlled state Senate on Thursday passed a resolution, NJ SR66, demanding that Murphy, a fellow Democrat, address the backlog of jobless claims and reopen state offices for in-person access. The vote was 39-0. Democrats have not been overly critical of the governor's handling of the pandemic, but on Thursday vented openly and loudly on the Senate floor about inaction by the administration to reopen the state offices, which have been closed since the early days of the pandemic. The time to reopen the offices is now, they said, particularly as the governor is ending his regular Covid-19 briefings and lifting the mask mandate in schools.

COINCIDENTAL TIMING — "Need NJ unemployment help? You can soon get in-person assistance with unresolved claims," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "Residents facing issues with their unemployment claims will soon be able to get help in person, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced Thursday. The agency will begin offering limited, in-person unemployment assistance on March 28 at a dozen designated One-Stop Career Centers."

COSMETOLOGY BOARD WILL OFFER DO COURSE — Judge hears arguments in New Jersey school segregation lawsuit, will issue ruling 'in due course', by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: The New Jersey attorney general's office argued Thursday that school segregation is hard to define and hard to fix, so the state should not be forced to increase the number of white, Black and Latino students who share classrooms. The argument came as the state is defending a law that forces most students to attend schools in the neighborhoods where they live. In 2018, a group of students and civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it has perpetuated school segregation for decades. The case has been touted as the "civil rights struggle of our time. The lawsuit relies on state data showing a quarter-million Black and Latino students — nearly half of all Black and Latino students in the state — attend schools that are more than 90 percent non-white. The case has been delayed by legal wrangling and the pandemic. Now, state Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy, sitting in Mercer County, is considering what to do with the lawsuit. After hearing nearly three hours of oral arguments on Thursday, Lougy said he would issue a written decision "in due course" and acknowledged that no matter what he rules, either side is likely to appeal.

EMERGENCY EXIT — Scutari questions whether public health emergency is still needed, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: Senate President Nick Scutari is questioning whether Gov. Phil Murphy should renew the state's public health emergency that's slated to expire next week. What he said: "I see everyone standing here, we have no masks on. It doesn't seem to be [a public health emergency]," Scutari (D-Union) told reporters after Thursday's voting session. "But there are certain aspects of those powers that might be helpful in things regarding medical health care workers. But in other ways, I don't know if it's necessary anymore."

NURSING HOMES — " Living with COVID: Swift action for only some nursing home reforms," by NJ Spotlight News' Lilo H. Stainton: "Two years after the first COVID-19 case was identified in New Jersey on March 4, 2020, the state's 370 nursing homes are the focus of unprecedented reform designed to address urgent needs and long-standing problems, both of which were laid bare by the pandemic … How that reform process is going depends on whom you ask. Some elder advocates are buoyed by the progress to date and stakeholders' commitment, while others are lukewarm. Nursing home operators support some of the changes, but believe others have only worsened staffing problems and other concerns. And the governor has promised to review the situation, something that has yet to happen nearly two years later."

DORITOS. HOW IS THIS A DEBATE? — "N.J. cannabis panel mulls how to spend proceeds from recreational weed," by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DiFilippo: "Expungement clinics. School buses. Wheelchair ramps. Cannabis community centers. Training for rookie entrepreneurs. Grants and no-interest loans. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission heard all sorts of ideas Wednesday night from 15 people during an hourlong virtual public hearing held to solicit input for how the state should spend tax revenue from the new recreational marijuana market when sales eventually begin. The commission also heard plenty of ideas on how they should not spend the money."

—" Are N.J. police reforms working? State watchdog launches probe"

—"Vaccination rate for prison workers jumps to 51% as Murphy postpones mandate deadline"

—"Vote canceled on bill approving same-day voter registration"

— Murphy orders state agencies to identify ways to cut ties with Moscow

—Senate restarts efforts to allow early ballot counting, increase pay for poll workers

—" 'Serious' spike in NJ auto thefts prompts AG to add detectives, prosecutors to task force"

—"Lawmakers eye declaring an official state mineral, again "

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BIDEN TIME

2024 DREAM TEAM — From POLITICO New York's Anna Gronewold and Fernando Rodas: Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie dined together Thursday afternoon at Fresco by Scotto in Midtown Manhattan, according to two other restaurant patrons. Cuomo's spokesperson did not immediately respond to inquiries about the topic of conversation. Cuomo, who has left the Hamptons recently for several high-profile meals in the city and is dropping TV ads without clear intentions about their purpose, was also spotted at Casa Cipriani a few nights ago.

LOCAL

NOBODY WILL NOTICE. HE JUST SAID IT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES — In Newark, aid groups feeding the homeless ask, Permits? What permits?, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's administration made headlines late last year when it said it would require charities that feed the homeless to apply for permits or face fines. "The ordinance the city is working on will prohibit agencies and individuals without a permit from feeding residents without addresses," a spokesperson for Baraka told The New York Times in December. "All violators will be ticketed and fined." Two-and-a-half months later, it does not appear the City Council has approved or even considered such an ordinance. Some groups that have been feeding homeless people in public spaces in New Jersey's largest city have continued to act as if nothing has changed. And they don't plan to comply even if an ordinance does pass. "Still doing it. Still no resistance," Anthony Diaz, co-founder of the Newark Water Coalition, said in a phone interview. Dante Laughlin, founder of the group For Struggling Creatives, has also continued with his organization's efforts to feed and clothe the homeless — most recently on Feb. 19 at Peter Francisco Park, just outside Newark Penn Station. Laughlin said his group encountered no resistance from city officials. "Somebody's really going to have the heart to tell me not to give somebody who's freezing cold and homeless a meal? If somebody wants to do that, they'll just have to try and stop me," Laughlin said.

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE — "Paterson councilman calls for new investigation of city fire chief and repairs of truck," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "The City Council held a two-hour, closed-door discussion late Tuesday night about a private lawyer's probe into allegations that a municipal mechanic fixed a pickup truck belonging to the fire Chief Brian McDermott's father at a Paterson garage. Afterward, Councilman Michael Jackson, who first brought the allegations to light, called the private law firm's report on the matter 'a sham' and urged his colleagues to conduct their own public probe of the situation. Jackson asserted that the report compiled by the Florio Kenny Raval law firm, was flawed and contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies. 'There's a need for transparency,' Jackson said. Mayor Andre Sayegh's administration has refused to make the report public, saying it should be kept private because of attorney-client privilege. Sayegh last month issued a statement that said the investigation found no wrongdoing."

PATERSON FAILS — "Paterson shooting victim says Passaic sheriff covered up captain's negligence ," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "A city woman who was shot five times by her ex-boyfriend in 2018 accused the Passaic County Sheriff's Office of covering up the alleged negligence of a captain who she says watched the incident without intervening. The woman, Tishell Jackson, said Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik conducted a 'fake investigation' of the captain, Edward Akins. Jackson made those assertions in a letter sent on Monday to New Jersey attorney general's Office of Public Integrity & Accountability in which she asked the state agency to investigate the situation. Jackson, who has a pending lawsuit against Akins and the Sheriff's Office, also suggested in her letter to the attorney general that Berdnik interfered with the judicial process when he 'discovered that his coverup was being uncovered.'"

SALEM COUNTY — "N.J. county considers unifying schools into a single, regional district," by NJ Advance Media's Brianna Kudisch: " Officials in Salem County are considering a proposal to merge the existing districts in the county — 13 school districts and a charter school — into either one or two regional districts. Salem Community College coordinated a feasibility study on regionalizing the schools in the county, which was presented to the public in January and February. 'This was a challenging experience because we were given the opportunity to study something that, in state history, has never been done,' said Vito Gagliardi, president of Porzio, Bromberg, & Newman, the law firm that conducted the study."

MORRIS COUNTY — "Too late? Morris County's delay in buying new voting machines may affect primary election," by The Daily Record's William Westhoven: "Three Morris County commissioners who held up a vote to authorize the purchase of new voting machines last week said they are now prepared to vote in favor of the bond ordinance and in time for a safe and secure primary election in June. But they are still being blamed by three colleagues who say their actions may result in 'long lines at the polls on primary election day for this midterm election.' 'We are disappointed and truly mystified at the position and votes of commissioners (Tom) Mastrangelo, (Doug) Cabana, and (Kathy) DeFillippo at our Feb. 23 meeting,' commissioners John Krickus, Deborah Smith and Stephen Shaw wrote in a statement released Tuesday. 'There were six months to research and ask questions.'"

STEVE SWEENEY DOES NOT LIVE IN SOUTH JERSEY — "Ron Jaworski moving celebrity golf tournament out of South Jersey," by The Press of Atlantic City's John Russo: "Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski's fundraising golf tournament is leaving Atlantic County. The Ron Jaworski Celebrity Golf Challenge will be played at RiverWinds Golf & Tennis Center in West Deptford, Gloucester County. It had previously been held at Blue Heron Pine Golf Club in Galloway Township, leaving the area for the first time in 37 years, according to a news release."

—" Bergenfield council says yes to marijuana-growing facility. Here's what happens next"

—"Masks will stay on in [Paterson] school district after board delays vote "

—"Consumer protections among Bergen County government priorities for 2022"

—" Malave enters race for Trenton council seat"

—"Jersey City mayor invites residents to create proposals to fund projects for their ward "

—"LLC settles on purchase of Beesleys Point power plant"

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EVERYTHING ELSE

THE KIDS ARE NOT ALRIGHT — "COVID pandemic, 2 years in, has spurred 'epidemic' of anxiety, depression among NJ kids," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "Hospitals in New Jersey and elsewhere have seen a rise in the number of adolescents and young adults in crisis, who are experiencing everything from panic attacks to suspected suicide attempts, especially among teenage girls. 'We're calling it an epidemic within a pandemic,' said Dr. Shannon Bennett, director of the Youth Anxiety Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian. 'Depression and anxiety has increased so much so that we're seeing more and more teenagers brought to the emergency room. This is happening at hospitals across the country.' … [T]herapists and other clinicians who have treated young people during the pandemic say they have often seen a feeling of hopelessness manifest itself from isolation, familial stress, disruption in activities, fear of getting the virus, and fear of transmitting the virus, as well as from mixed messages, misinformation and arguments on masks, vaccines and other public health measures."

WHEN YOU TAKE DAFT PUNK LITERALLY — "N.J. man is coming home after walking around the world for 7 years ," by NJ Advance Media's Rob Jennings: "Tom Turcich … began his journey on April 2, 2015, the day before his 26th birthday, by walking out the front door of the Haddon Township home where he lived with his parents and sister. That was about 25,000 miles ago, in a trek interrupted by three visits back home. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted shutdowns and border crossings that forced him to modify his route and he never made it to Australia. In August, Turcich flew from Kyrgyzstan to Seattle. He has spent the past six months slowly making his way back to New Jersey. His remarkable and at times perilous journey, which he has documented on social media with videos and blog posts, is about 1,500 miles from the finish line."

SHE'S BEEN BRIBED — "Taylor Ham vs. pork roll: NJ distributor says one name is 'correct'," by NJ 101.5's Patrick Lavery: "For almost two decades of that time, one business has been shipping the various brands of the Garden State's signature processed meat product to senior citizens, members of the military, and others to whom it's not readily available. And as much as it pains Kate Kelly, owner of Jersey Pork Roll and a North Jersey native, to say it, only one term is correct 'The proper answer is, the legal name is pork roll,' she said. 'Whether it's Case or Taylor or Trenton, it is called pork roll.' … Jersey Pork Roll has offered Trenton Pork Roll since launching in 2004, and added Case's in 2016. In fact, Case's answering machine gives out Jersey Pork Roll's phone number for people who want to order direct from their facility, instead of getting it in the supermarket."

—"Bergen-based Unilever, Ben & Jerry's sued over move to end ice cream sales in West Bank"

—"What will life look like after the pandemic? Here's what could be in store for N.J."

—" COVID disruptions have intensified stress for NJ high school coaches, and some quit"

—"2 more N.J. colleges announce plans to drop mask mandates"

A message from AARP New Jersey:

More than two out of three New Jersey voters 50 and older are concerned they won't be able to afford the medicines they need in the future; yet, prescription drug prices continue to rise faster than inflation. In just the first month of 2022, Pharma raised prices on 554 drugs, and 183 drugs were hiked by over $100! Now is the time to act and pass S329/A1747 to establish a New Jersey Prescription Drug Affordability Board. This board would be responsible for investigating high drug prices and recommending action to lower costs for consumers. Eighty-two percent 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 prescriptions they need. Tell NJ lawmakers: lower prescription drug prices now!