Abortion on the 2023 ballot?

From: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook - Wednesday Nov 16,2022 11:56 am

Nov 16, 2022

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Wednesday morning!

There’s close to zero chance abortion rights are going to be curtailed in New Jersey any time soon. That would take a flip of the Legislature, a Republican governor and a completely revamped state Supreme Court. It’s not happening.

But Democrats are pressing ahead on enshrining the right to an abortion into the state Constitution anyway.

Why? Well, Senate President Nick Scutari was already floating the idea in early October. And then look what happened a week ago. Abortion was clearly a salient issue in the midterms, despite a lot of pundits, Democrat and Republicans pooh-poohing its effectiveness in motivating voters.

So it would almost be political malpractice for Democrats not to do it when all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for reelection, and under a map that gives Republicans a real chance at further cutting into Democrats’ majority.

Still, not every Democrat and abortion rights supporter is on board. Assemblymember Mila Jasey (D-Essex), who’s working on passing legislation, would rather focus on expanding abortion access via the stalled “Reproductive Equity Act.” So do advocates like the ACLU.

Read more about it here .

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE’S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 283

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Tony Ciavolella, Shai Goldstein, Ilene Lampitt

WHERE’S MURPHY? — No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I hope that the Russians apologize quickly for the loss of life and express that it wasn’t intentional. Obviously, if it was intentional, that has all kinds of consequences to it … It’s definitely an enlargement of the conflict and of course it brings into question Article 5.” — U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez on a Russian missile that reportedly struck Poland

POLL OF THE DAY — FDU : “New Jersey is the only state in the country where county political parties can officially endorse candidates in primary elections and give those candidates preferential placement on the ballot, helping them win. What do you think? Should county parties be allowed to favor some candidates in primary elections?” Parties should have control: 19 percent. Parties shouldn’t have control: 65 percent.

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist older loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. That’s a huge burden. But NJ lawmakers can give family caregivers the relief they need by supporting the Caregiver’s Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

WHAT TRENTON MADE

ACTIVISTS CALL IT A BERENSTAIN ON MURPHY’S RECORD — “ New Jersey Fish and Game Council unanimously votes to reinstate black bear hunt ,” by CBS New York’s Kevin Rincon: “The hunt will soon be back on in the Garden State. On Tuesday, the Fish and Game Council unanimously reinstated the New Jersey's controversial black bear hunt, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported. Black bear sightings have been on the rise. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates their population could grow to more than 4,000 within the next two years. Fish and Game has tried to reverse that trend. ‘We invested in response, research, outreach, ways controls and enforcement, enforcement of some of our regulations,’ Assistant Commissioner Dave Golden said. But that hasn't been enough. so, on Tuesday the Fish and Game Council unanimously approved Gov. Phil Murphy's plan to reinstate a bear hunt starting in December, with some rules. ‘No cubs under 75 pounds. No mothers with cubs traveling 75 pounds or under. No baiting. So, we're trying to do this in as responsible way as possible,’ Murphy said.”

—Tittel: “ Bear hunt rubber stamp disgraceful ”

—“ NJ officials investigate the death of four bears in Ringwood as state reinstates hunt ”

VETERANS HOMES — “ Could the N.J. veteran’s home in Menlo Park be shut down? Feds threaten to cut funding ,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman and Susan K.Livio: “Federal authorities are threatening to cut off payment for all new admissions to New Jersey’s Veteran’s Memorial Home at Menlo Park as soon as next week, in the wake of a new report that graphically detailed medical errors and improper infection controls at a facility that reported some of the highest COVID-related death tolls in the nation. U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the state-run nursing home could also be terminated from all Medicare and Medicaid programs, absent major changes there within the next six months. The drastic sanctions — coming after inspectors cited Menlo Park in Edison earlier this month for putting some of its residents in ‘immediate jeopardy’ following charges of improper care and abuse — could force a shutdown of a 312-bed nursing home that cares for military veterans and their spouses.”

BLUE CLUES — “ N.J. police departments ordered to publicly report on more types of misconduct ,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “Responding to a state Supreme Court decision finding authorities too often withhold police misconduct records, New Jersey’s attorney general on Tuesday ordered departments to produce public reports when officers are found to use excessive force, lie on the job or engage in other misconduct. The directive, issued by Attorney General Matthew Platkin, ‘is fundamental to ensuring confidence in the work of law enforcement,’ Platkin said, adding that it would not affect most police officers … New Jersey is one of just a handful of states with laws on the books that shield police misconduct records from public view. But in 2020, then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal ordered every department in the state to produce an annual report of each police internal affairs inquiry resulting in ‘major discipline’ … But some of the results were lacking, with departments producing vague descriptions like ‘misconduct on duty.’”

THE TERMINALTOR — “ Curtain raised on Newark Airport's new $2.7B Terminal A , by POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, elected officials and county leaders celebrated the ribbon cutting of Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A on Tuesday. The 1 million-square-foot, $2.7 billion terminal is the largest design build project in state history and is expected to open to the public before the end of the year. “We are here today to bury the old Terminal A, not to praise it,” Murphy said. “This will literally … transform what people think and how people think about New Jersey. It’s a game changer” When fully operational, the terminal is expected to accommodate 13 million annual visitors, generate more than $4.6 billion for the regional economy and provide more than $1.9 billion in wages to airport employees, Murphy said.

— Murphy to continue funding for school-based mental health services

—“ NJ's controversial bear hunt is back after state approval, drawing backlash from critics ”

—“ Gov. Murphy issues order to create a task force to address teacher shortage ”

—“ NJ concealed-carry gun bill rewritten to gain key endorsements ”

—“ N.J. requires large places of worship, movie theaters to submit emergency plans for active shooters ”

— Astounding results from NJ’s plastic bag ban, 6 months in

—Mehrotra: “ ‘Remember the ladies’ – Put abortion on the ballot in 2023 ”

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BIDEN TIME

IS THIS THE SAME CHRISTIE WHO WAS THE FIRST MAINSTREAM REPUBLICAN TO ENDORSE TRUMP IN 2016? — “ Christie applauded after bashing Trump at GOP governor meeting ,” by Axios’ Jonathan Swan and Zachary Basu: “Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received huge applause at an annual meeting of Republican governors Tuesday morning after blaming former President Trump for GOP failures in the last three elections, according to three sources in the room and a fourth person familiar with the speech. … Christie, a former Trump ally who is now considering his own 2024 presidential campaign, said voters ‘rejected crazy’ in the 2022 midterms and that Republicans lost because of bad candidates. But he didn't just harp on last week's disappointing results: Republicans lost in 2018, 2020 and 2022, Christie said, with Trump the one constant who has weighed the party down across all three election cycles.”

LUCKY FOR NJ REPUBLICANS, TRUMP PLANS TO QUIETLY FADE INTO THE BACKGROUND — “ 'MAGA paid a penalty': After 2 years of the Big Lie, New Jersey voters had enough ,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “The lost art of conceding a loss made a comeback in this year's midterms. Republican Frank Pallotta took to his Facebook page to acknowledge his second defeat by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the Democrat in the 5th Congressional District, which spans parts of Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties. ‘I spoke with Representative Josh Gottheimer today to wish him well and to offer my assistance and support,’ Pallotta wrote … [L]ast Tuesday's results suggest that a wider swath of the electorate are exhausted, even repulsed, by the Trumpian fiction … ‘I think there are plenty of voters out there who are upset about high gas and grocery prices but who also didn't want to lose their rights and were turned off by Jan. 6, that extremism and violence,’ [U.S. Rep. Tom] Malinowski said in an interview last week. Or as Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, put it, ‘MAGA paid a penalty.’”

A message from AARP New Jersey:

LOCAL

FRIDAY NIGHT BLIGHTS — “ Camden basketball, No. 1 recruit D.J. Wagner could face serious penalties for possible recruiting violations ,” by NJ Advance Media’s Kevin Armstrong and Matthew Stanmyre: “The powerhouse Camden High School boys basketball team, led by No. 1-ranked national recruit D.J. Wagner, could face serious and wide-ranging penalties when it appears before an investigative committee from the state’s governing body for high school sports next month, NJ Advance Media has learned. The public school stands accused of loading its basketball roster with star players and top recruits from across New Jersey who did not reside in Camden. If found guilty of wrongdoing, the state could take the unusual and severe step of stripping the team of its 2022 state championship and banning Camden from the 2023 postseason …

"During the 2021-22 season, Camden boasted a roster in which five of the team’s top six scorers did not reside in the city of 73,000 people, according to an NJ Advance Media investigation. The players, including Wagner and Bradshaw, were enrolled through a magnet school loophole. Basketball players were the only out-of-district students in the schools, and they were charged $1,500 for tuition despite the fact that it cost the magnet schools $22,348 to educate each student.”

SPARTA WAS HOME TO THE ORIGINAL ‘GROOMERS’ — “ No clear trend in school board wins: Culture wars drove voters to polls, but results mixed ,” by The Record’s Mary Ann Koruth: “Eight months after changes to the state’s K-12 sex education standards became the latest issue to spark shouting matches at New Jersey's school board meetings, voters finally had their say on Tuesday. And the results are mixed. Which side prevailed in the polarized school board races — was it the anti-woke, parental rights candidates, or the moderates and progressives? There's no clear answer, as many candidates running on opposite platforms won seats on the same board, and only in a few cases did an entire slate rout another.

"Some of the most heated races were in the tiniest suburban districts with mostly white voters — a trend absent from the state’s large urban districts, such as Paterson, where the mostly Black and Latino voters did not clash on campaigns divided by sex education and race issues. In Tenafly, a 3,500-student district, a group of three incumbents won by a wide margin against a trio that rejected the state’s latest sex education mandate and falsely alleged that Tenafly schools were teaching critical race theory. However, in Sparta, a 3,100-student district, the winning slate of six candidates, Sparta Students First, ran together as conservatives.”

—“ Rainbow wave overtakes red ripple | Opinion ”

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC — “ N.J. principal suspended over video he showed to staff ordered reinstated ,” by NJ Advance Media’s Anthony G. Attrino: “A middle school principal in the Montclair School District in Essex County can return to his job after he was placed on administrative leave in 2020 for showing a video showing a skit comedian yelling about virtual learning during a Zoom meeting to welcome staff back to school, a state arbitrator has ruled. Joseph Putrino was suspended from his job as principal of Renaissance Middle School after the Sept. 2, 2020, virtual convocation that included ‘a completely inappropriate and unacceptable video,’ Montclair Superintendent Jonathan Ponds said at the time. Putrino was ordered reinstated after hearing before an arbitrator appointed by the state Department of Education’s office of the commissioner … The YouTube video showed skit comedian Josh Pray making light of the stresses of managing children at home during the pandemic.”

THAT’S THE SPIRIG — “ Democrat ahead by one vote for committee seat in christie’s hometown of Mendham ,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “A Democratic candidate for township committee in Mendham Township has a one-vote lead over an incumbent Republican committeeman, meaning that Democrats may soon be one seat away from a majority in the once-solidly Republican hometown of former Gov. Chris Christie. According to unofficial results from Morris County, Democrat Lauren Spirig has 1,471 votes to Republican Committeeman Thomas Baio’s 1,470. Republican Tracey Moreen is in first place with 1,530 votes, while Spirig’s running mate Martin Slayne is in last at 1,395.”

SAD SACK — “ Hackensack to turn down $2.4M grant to bolster fire department ,” by PIX11’s Jim Vasil: “Some lawmakers are fired up over a grant to help Hackensack bolster its fire department, one that they learned City Council is turning down. ‘It’s very hard to win these competitive grants to hire firefighters,’ said Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, ‘and now they’re deciding they actually want to turn it down.’ … PIX11 News reached out to the City of Hackensack for comment. Spokesman Nick Bond said in part: ‘The Hackensack City Council is committed to keeping residents safe while protecting taxpayers from unnecessary costs, and unfortunately in this case a federal grant application was submitted that erroneously included funding for 12 firefighters rather than the five positions that were authorized by the Council. The City intends to submit a revised grant application for five firefighters, and with all due respect to Congressman Gottheimer, the City Council is acting in the best interests of Hackensack taxpayers by ensuring that its Fire Department continues to be appropriately staffed without adding unnecessary new hires that taxpayers cannot afford.’”

—“ Developer sues Saddle River over affordable housing denial ”

—“ After nearly year-long debate, Marlboro police dispatchers' fates finally decided ”

—L.A. Parker: ” Expect strange bed partners as Dems jockey for county exec post ”

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EVERYTHING ELSE

R.I.P. — “ 'Didn’t get what he needed': Years after viral video attack, homeless Belmar man dies ”

—“ N.J. ranks high in lung cancer survival. But it ranks near the bottom in key category ”

—“ Could Ocean City's Cris Pannullo be back on 'Jeopardy!' this week? ”

—“ How Rutgers crashed the Big Ten: The untold story behind the Scarlet Knights’ secret mission to join the richest and most powerful conference in college athletics ”

—“ NJCU slashes $750K from payroll in re-organization plan, but admits there’s more work to do ”

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. Many take on debt or tap into savings to make sure their loved ones get the care they need. That’s a huge burden. And their sacrifices save the state and taxpayers money by keeping their loved ones out of costly nursing home facilities. New Jersey family caregivers provide more than $13 billion a year in unpaid care. It’s past time to give them some financial relief. NJ lawmakers can take action by supporting the Caregiver’s Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). This bill would provide a modest tax credit for family caregivers who pay for expensive care out of their own pockets. Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

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