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Presented by Alibaba: Matt Friedman's must-read briefing on the Garden State's important news of the day | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | | | Good Tuesday morning! You’d be hard-pressed to find committee meetings on major legislation as lopsided as the two held yesterday on the Open Public Records Act bill. Dozens of people testified against it in Assembly and Senate committee hearings, for hours and hours. Opponents literally lined up outside the Statehouse annex. A few from the League of Municipalities, Association of Counties and School Boards Association testified in favor of it. But dozens and dozens of others testified against it. It was a lot of interest, considering the bill was introduced just a week ago. Several witnesses compared the bill and the process to pass it with last year’s Elections Transparency Act, which I think we can all agree did a lot, but little to further transparency. The opponents ran the gamut, which is a term I understand the meaning of but have no idea how it originated and don’t feel like Googling it. Lawmakers heard from union officials, journalists, the Public Defender’s Office, the comptroller, progressives, conservatives, and just regular citizens who like to keep track of how tax dollars are spent. This at most changed one or two minds. After listening to hours of testimony and asking few questions of the witnesses, the committees voted mostly along party lines to approve the bill. The only Democrat to vote no was state Sen. Andrew Zwicker. It’s clear this bill is on the fast track to passage. But the sponsors said there will be amendments when it goes through the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Thursday, and some of the Democrats who voted for it in committee said they will vote no on the floor if it doesn’t change. Is there hope that some of the more controversial provisions, like removing the fee shifting part, will be taken out? Maybe. But based on the history with this kind of legislation, I doubt it. TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I will tell you that in a city like Newark, for so many years up through 2007 and 2008 when suburban towns were writing their checks over to Trenton and Camden and Newark to meet their obligations so that they can have their invisible walls because they didn’t want people like me moving into those municipalities, that when we talk about affordable housing measures … even these units are still not reachable and affordable for individuals who are in crisis.” — Senate Minority Leader Teresa Ruiz in Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, just before voting yes on the affordable housing bill. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Jay Springer, John Bartlett, Scott Shields, Jim Jefferson WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Secaucus at 10 a.m. for a pre-K funding event | | A message from Alibaba: U.S. companies sold $66 billion worth of goods through Alibaba in one year, supporting American jobs and wages. Phyto-C, a small business based in New Jersey, grew revenue 600% after launching on Alibaba. Now, the company is expanding locally. In New Jersey alone, U.S. sales on Alibaba added $1.3B to the state's GDP while supporting over 10 thousand full-time jobs. Learn more about Alibaba’s impact. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
MAYBE ‘POST-MORTEM’ ISN’T THE BEST TERM FOR THIS — New Jersey not prepared for next emergency, Murphy's Covid-19 independent review says, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: The federal government’s lack of knowledge in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic was like a 9/11-level failure of intelligence and New Jersey is not prepared for another one, according to lawyers hired by Gov. Phil Murphy's administration. New Jersey was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with about 33,000 residents dying of Covid-19 since its first case in March 2020. The 910-page report released Monday fulfills Murphy's long-promised "post-mortem" into his administration's handling of the crisis. … "There was an intelligence failure. It primarily was on the federal level," said Paul Zoubek, an attorney at the firm Murphy hired, Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads. "We failed to detect and understand it early enough. The federal failure was not only a health risk, it was a major national security risk.”
—“N.J. could have reopened schools and businesses earlier during pandemic, COVID report says” —“NJ COVID report: Could we get caught short on PPE again? State isn't managing supply” OUT OF LINE — “The time has come to abolish the line,” by Steve Fulop, Raj Mukherji and Angela McKngiht: “Maybe we have a chip on our shoulders because of all the colorful stories of corruption emanating from Hudson County over the decades. But any unbiased observer can see that the way in which primary candidates are bracketed on a party-column ballot … confers a ludicrous advantage to the privileged recipients awarded favorable ballot positions by our county political parties. It’s unfair, it’s probably unconstitutional, and it’s time to abolish ‘the line.’ … Make no mistake, two of the three of us (Raj and Angela) may owe our elected careers to political party support and the seemingly insurmountable advantage of getting the “line” in primary elections. On the flipside, those two of us – as candidates of color – are among the rare lucky ones, as women and minorities have been among the candidates (or would-be candidates) most historically disadvantaged by the line. So, for the sake of democracy, we’ll happily forego this advantage in future elections and run on our respective records if New Jersey charts a new course.” GAS-X — “Republicans try to slam brakes on proposed N.J. gas tax increase,” by NJ Advance Media’s Larry Higgs: “Drivers could be spared from a proposed automatic 1.9 cent increase in the states’ gas tax over a five-year period under legislation filed Monday by Republican lawmakers. Republicans fired back at a Democratic proposal to renew the state fund that finances major highway, bridge and transit construction by proposing their own legislation. Their plan drops a proposed 1.9 cent annual gas tax increase over five years. A trio of Republican bills addressing Transportation Trust Fund financing were filed with the state Office of Legislative Services Monday afternoon. ‘We think this can be done without putting an added burden on our residents and put additional money into projects to keep roads and bridges safe and puts more people to work,’ said State Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, who is co-sponsoring the bills with state Sen. Lathem Tiver, R-Burlington.”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR SKINNER —“Platkin goes outside OPIA to pick Eicher replacement,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Attorney General Matt Platkin has named his senior counsel, Drew Skinner, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as director of the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability. He will replace Thomas Eicher, who formed the office in 2018 and announced his retirement today. ‘I can think of no one better suited to continue that work than Drew Skinner, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in complicated criminal matters on the federal level to this critical role,’ Platkin said.” POLL POSITION — Monmouth University Polling Institute: Gov. Murphy’s rating is 50% approve and 42 percent disapprove, little changed from Monmouth’s last poll in August but with independents becoming significantly more negative on the governor. A 40 percent plurality backs Murphy’s plan to increase the tax rate for companies with profits of at least $10 million to fund NJ Transit,while 28 percent disapprove and 32 percent are unsure. But 56 percent are not confident the funding will actually lead to a significant service improvement. Methodology: 801 New Jersey adults questioned by landline, cell phone and online survey. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Read the full poll here. —Opinion: “Trenton Lawmakers are about to make New Jersey’s public records even worse. They must not”
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THEY’RE MAKING THINGS MORE DEMOCRATIC, JUST WITH A LARGE D — “What's the ethos of the NJ Democratic Party? Power at all costs,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “In Bergen County last week, the Democratic Party herded delegates into the county convention with Hudson County-style efficiency to deliver first lady Tammy Murphy a crucial endorsement for her bid to win the party’s nod for the U.S. Senate in June. Here was a county organization built on patronage, rounding up extra ‘bonus’ delegates and last-minute replacement voters to ensure that Murphy went back home to Middletown with a key prize in her pocket: a coveted position on the June 4 ballot that brackets her in a column with other county-blessed candidates. … Two days later, in Trenton, Democratic leaders fast-tracked a sweeping ‘overhaul’ of the Open Public Records Act. … The dual anti-democracy actions — one in the closed confines of the Statehouse, the other inside the party clubhouse — illustrate the New Jersey ethos of political power. Power in New Jersey is not primarily an instrument to be used to bring change. It’s an instrument to deliver the spoils and grease the transaction and to protect incumbents fortunate to rise to the top of the political food chain.”
BOBBING FOR INDICTMENTS — “Sen. Bob Menendez enters not guilty plea to latest criminal indictment,” by The AP’s Larry Neumeister: “U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife pleaded not guilty on Monday to new obstruction of justice charges recently added to a broad corruption indictment threatening the Democrat’s re-election chances. ‘Once again, not guilty your honor,’ Menendez responded after Judge Sidney H. Stein asked him to enter a plea at a 20-minute hearing at a federal court in Manhattan. Menendez had previously pleaded not guilty to other charges in October. Menendez and his wife, Nadine, left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. Menendez ignored a shouted question about whether he intends to run for re-election.” MERCER COUNTY — “Andy Kim wins Mercer Democratic convention outright with 63%,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown) has won the Mercer County Democratic convention over First Lady Tammy Murphy, his seventh county convention victory in the race for U.S. Senate. Kim got 236 votes to Murphy’s 108, a margin of 63% to 29%. That’s enough to give him the official Mercer Democratic organizational line. … Mercer Democrats have a rule that gives shared line access to any candidate who exceeds 40% of the convention vote, but Murphy didn’t reach that threshold. … Kim went into the convention as a favorite, thanks in no small part to the fact that he already represents a large swath of Mercer County in Congress.” —“Cape May opts out of choosing between Kim, Murphy In U.S. Senate race” | | A message from Alibaba: New Jersey businesses such as Phyto-C are among the thousands of American brands with access to over one billion global consumers on Alibaba’s online marketplace — generating $66 billion in sales in 2022.
Phyto-C grew revenue 600% after launching on Alibaba. “Partnering with Alibaba was an important business strategy for our family-owned business,” said Dr. Eddie Omar, CEO of Phyto-C. “They opened the door to the world’s largest and fastest growing skincare market.” Now, the company is expanding production in Hawthorne and hiring more employees.
The result: American brands selling on Alibaba benefits communities across the U.S. In New Jersey, sales on Alibaba added $1.3B to the state GDP and supported over 10 thousand full-time jobs in one year.
Explore Alibaba’s local impact. | | | | | LOCAL | |
SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD — “N.J. high school principal arrested for alleged assault,” by NJ Advance Media’s Tina Kelley: “A principal in the South Orange-Maplewood School District was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault for an incident that occurred last year, authorities said. Frank Sanchez, principal of Columbia High School in Maplewood, surrendered to detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Monday morning. … [T]he Black Parents Workshop, a South Orange-Maplewood advocacy group, said the charges stem from an incident involving Sanchez and a female student at Columbia High School last year. … Sanchez has been on administrative leave since early January, though school district officials have not said why or if his leave is linked to the alleged assault.”
LOCALS SAY IT’S EXPENSIVE BUT… NICE — “With NJ attorney general running Paterson police, overtime soared to $5M in 2023,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Total overtime payments for city police jumped by 69% — from almost $3 million in 2022 to more than $5 million in 2023 — after the New Jersey attorney general took control of the department. Community leaders say those numbers are not surprising considering the pervasive police presence they have seen on Paterson’s streets since the state takeover, a saturation that officials have credited for a substantial reduction in violent crime last year. ‘These dollars aren’t for guys just standing at stop signs. It’s paying for police officers on our main corridors; it’s high visibility,’ said Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly of Paterson.”
| | | | JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | WHEN THE LEVINSON BREAKS — “Atlantic City is one of the most flood-vulnerable coastal cities, report finds,” by WHYY’s Zoë Read: “Atlantic City is one of the most flood-vulnerable coastal cities in the U.S., according to a new study in Nature that aims to more accurately predict flooding impacts. … The study finds that when using land data, about 9,700 Atlantic City homes are predicted to be exposed to flooding by 2050. That’s 2,700 more homes than what’s estimated with standard sea-level rise projections.” —“Wayne loves its schools. Will that translate into approval of a $170M bond proposal?” —“A showcase for Israeli property creates rancor in a diverse town [Teaneck]” —“Cherry Hill set to name longtime administrator Kwame Morton as its new school superintendent” —“Woodbridge police captain alleges age discrimination after being bypassed for promotion” R.I.P. — “'Trailblazing' Belleville councilwoman dies after 20 years on governing body” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | | " BUT I WAS TOLD WEED WAS A GATEWAY DRUG – “NJ drug deaths appear on decline, but ‘still staggeringly high’,” by NJ Spotlight News’ Lilo H. Stainton: “While drug addiction continues to haunt New Jersey, fatalities related to substance use appeared to decline in 2023 for the second year in row. That follows a decade where more than 24,600 people died from drug-related causes. Some 2,564 people died of suspected drug overdoses last year, according to preliminary figures from the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, which are expected to change as fatalities are reviewed in the months to come. That’s down from 2,892 suspected drug-related deaths the office reported in 2021. But experts with the Department of Health cautioned that while the apparent trend is encouraging, the data from the medical examiner is not final and may not account for all drug-related deaths. That 2023 figure ‘is still a staggeringly high number of deaths,’ said Michele Calvo, the department’s director of Opioid Response and Policy.” —“Huge N.J. cockfighting operation leads to 52 arrests, cops say” —“Hackensack Meridian bringing $200M health care facility, 1K jobs to Metropark station” —“Short-term rental demand rose in New Jersey after Airbnb restrictions in New York City” —“‘They’re trying to hurt me’ Deadly poison, greed and betrayal. A sinister tale of death and deceit in N.J.” —“Women in New Jersey’s cannabis industry opening the doors for others to succeed” —“Thousands lose power in North Jersey and road closures reported amid strong winds” —“Lawsuit over flesh-eating bacteria ends with millions and grief for Sicklerville family” CORRECTION — Yesterday I wrote that the governor would be in Trenton for the COVID report unveiling. I misinterpreted the press release because it was a release from his office headlined “Governor Murphy - Public Schedule,” but the governor wasn’t scheduled to be there. My apologies if you showed up just to see him.
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