Indoor dining falls off the table – Politico
Good Tuesday morning!
Gov. Phil Murphy yesterday did his first official pandemic rollback: He took back allowing indoor restaurants to open on July 2.
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This is, no doubt, a horrible setback to the restaurant industry. There could be restaurants for which this will be the death blow.
But Murphy justified his decision based on the huge spike in cases we’re seeing in the Sunbelt states, which opened their economies earlier, as well as some instances of non-social distancing compliance in New Jersey
This has already drawn outrage from Republicans like Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who said it’s “no longer about safety” and that Murphy is “forcing businesses to die.” But when you look at the numbers in some other states, I’m not sure how you can earnestly make Van Drew’s argument that it’s not about safety.
You can make this an argument about whether the economic damage outweighs the health risks. But the numbers line up: Many of the states that allowed indoor dining are now seeing huge spikes. And not just red states like Texas, Florida and Arizona. California allowed indoor dining in mid-May in some counties and has also seen a huge spike. .
But amid overwhelming evidence that transmission occurs most easily in indoor environments, the governor is still allowing casinos to reopen this week.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Frankly, I never thought I’d say these words: If I could build a wall around us or around our region, I would.” — Gov. Phil Murphy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, state Sen. Troy Singleton, former Assembly candidate Gina LaPlaca
WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Trenton for his daily press conference at 1 p.m. Media: The Today Show at 8:10 a.m., “Ask Governor Murphy’ on News 12 New Jersey at 5:30 p.m.
CORONAVIRUS TRACKER — 156 newly-diagnosed cases for a total of 171,272. 18 more deaths for a total of 13,138 (not counting 1,854 probable deaths)
SWEENEY — Maybe he just needed to breathe the Trenton air again, but state Senate President Steve Sweeney’s criticism of Gov. Murphy appears to have returned to pre-pandemic levels. In a virtual press conference with reporters yesterday after the Senate’s first in-person voting session since March, Sweeney went off on the state’s mail-in primary election preparation, saying he’s heard complaints from county clerks about the preparations and about sending mail-in ballots to inactive voters. He said “it’s unfortunate and unfair that these elections are going to have an asterisk next to them.” Sweeney pledged a “real thorough review” and said he thought the state should have an election as normal. Of the governor’s plan, he said “if you’re going to do that, you’ve got to make sure the system works, and obviously the system didn’t work very well.”
Sweeney also went off on Murphy for endorsing Amy Kennedy in the 2nd District, accusing the governor of “breaking his word.” “One of his coronavirus updates, he said ‘we’re staying out of it.’ I thought he had a mouse in his pocket when he said ‘we’,” Sweeney said. Stuart Little notwithstanding, Murphy didn’t pledge to stay out of the contest. When asked on June 9th, he said he hadn’t made an endorsement but “if we have any news there, I promise you we’ll let you know.” Two weeks later, he let us know in the form of an exclusive to the Press of Atlantic City.
This brings me to the committee Sweeney and Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean said they would start to examine the Murphy administration’s pandemic response. They made the announcement May 22. Last week, I reported that some Democrats balked at serving on the committee. At the time, a Sweeney source told me he planned to put the resolution creating the committee up for a vote Monday. But it didn’t happen. So stay tuned.
855.5 SUPPLEMENTAL MASTROS — Lawmakers send $7.7B budget bill to Murphy’s desk, by POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan: The state Legislature on Monday passed and sent to Gov. Phil Murphy a $7.7 billion spending plan for the next three months, after state officials moved the budget deadline from June 30 to Sept. 30. The budget bill, NJ A3 (20R), is a spending plan that would cover New Jersey’s finances through the end of September. It would largely preserve what the governor’s office initially proposed in May, while also boosting the state’s surplus and increasing funding for some priorities, including higher education. That’s because the proposal has a more optimistic revenue forecast than what was initially forecast.
—“Here’s what’s in and what’s out of NJ $7.7B spending plan reflecting ‘crisis conditions’”
PHILLY DA VETO — From POLITICO’s Carly Sitrin: Gov. Phil Murphy late Monday night vetoed and sent back several bills to the Legislature, citing an inability to afford some of the funding attached. Among his conditional vetoes were a measure that would revise requirements for cash assistance benefits under the Work First New Jersey program and a measure that would create a job-sharing furlough program. In a statement on the furlough bill, Murphy noted his office already negotiated an agreement with the largest state workers union. Murphy’s two vetoes include a bill that would have set up a “2020 New Jersey Emergency Rental Assistance Program” and a measure that would have developed a Hospitality Emergency Loan Program in EDA to provide no-interest loans to qualified small hospitality businesses. Both measures carried a $100 million appropriation that Murphy said would not be possible for the state during this current economic crisis.
ABSOLUTELY FABIANA — “New Jersey’s Supreme Court nominee credits her success to humble roots as a first-generation Haitian American,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Melanie Burney: “The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Pierre-Louis credits her humble roots for her success and work ethic. The family of seven lived in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn when she was a child. Her grandmother lived with them and prepared Haitian meals daily. Her father, Joseph, a taxi driver who owned his cab, worked extra hours to pay tuition for the children to attend parochial school. Her mother, Claire, worked as a hospital patient transport aide. They stressed the importance of education and all their children earned advanced degrees. ‘I know how hard my parents worked,’ Pierre-Louis said. ‘They made sacrifices in the hopes of forging a path for our futures.’ The family later moved to Irvington, in Essex County, where several family members lived amid a large Haitian population. Creole was her first language, which she is teaching to her sons, Robbie and Marc.”
TWEET FIRST ASK QUESTIONS LATER — “No, Murphy wasn’t ‘caught’ eating inside restaurant, manager says,” by NJ 101.5’s Dan Alexander: “Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife didn’t eat inside Martell’s Waters Edge Saturday, despite social media posts and pictures purporting to show the governor doing just that, according to the manager of the restaurant. Throughout the weekend, several people posted pictures of the governor at Martell’s, seen in an area with a ceiling overhead. The website More Monmouth Musings ran a post based on the pictures, headlined ‘Murphy dines indoors in violation of his COVID orders.’ State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon tweeted a screenshot of a Facebook post… with the message ‘Wow. The hypocrisy is astounding.’ … Rich Sorge, the manager of the restaurant, located on Barnegat Bay in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, told New Jersey 101.5 Martell’s has a very large outdoor tiki deck for both dining and a bar. He said the photos on social media show Murphy there.”
COPS INSPIRED BY APP TO CHANGE PAT-DOWNS TO PATTING-OURSELVES-ON-THE-BACK-DOWNS — “NJ lawmakers pass bill inspired by APP to stop bad cops sneaking between jobs,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Andrew Ford: “The New Jersey Legislature moved to stop bad cops from hopping between departments without the knowledge of police chiefs, a reform inspired by Asbury Park Press reporting on police accountability gaps. The state Senate and Assembly voted unanimously to pass a bill Monday requiring the transfer of a police officer’s ordinarily secret internal files to a prospective employer when the officer seeks to work at another New Jersey police department. The file would remain confidential at the new police department and would not be released to the public. Gov. Phil Murphy now has the opportunity to sign the bill into law.”
— “What could ‘defunding the police’ look like in New Jersey?
CUSTOMERS WILLING TO PAY 0.20% MORE IN TAX JUST LAUGHS — “Your NJ medical marijuana is about to get cheaper. Here’s why,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Mike Davis: “The New Jersey sales tax on medical marijuana will be cut to 4% on July 1, down from 6.625%, the first step in a three-year plan to phase out state taxes on medicinal cannabis purchases. On July 1, 2021, the state sales tax will be reduced even more — to 2%. In 2022, it will be completely erased. That doesn’t mean medical weed will be completely tax-free: Municipalities are still permitted to levy a 2% ‘transfer tax’ on purchases within their borders, though no town has instituted such a tax yet.”
AND HERE I THOUGHT MAYBE HE’D GO AGAINST NJEA’S WISHES — Murphy pledges to sign bill overhauling health benefits for school employees, by POLITICO’s Sam Sutton: Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he plans to sign legislation passed by the Legislature to overhaul health benefits for New Jersey’s school employees, potentially generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings for the state’s strained balance sheet. The legislation, the product of months of negotiations between Senate President Steve Sweeney, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, Murphy’s office and the New Jersey Education Association, creates two new health plans for teachers.
THE LINE THAT WORKS EVERY TIME — Advocates say New Jersey is only state with ‘gerrymandering of the ballot,’ by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: New Jersey is the only state in which party organization-backed primary candidates have a ballot line while other candidates are often shunted to the side of the ballot, according to an analysis released Monday by the liberal think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective.
LONG READ — Sass Robin: “Can progressives change New Jersey?”
GIVE US THE MONEY OR YOU’LL BE TRAPPED IN ONE OF OUR AIRPORTS — Hemorrhaging cash, Port Authority also pressing Washington for a bailout, by POLITICO’s Danielle Muoio: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority isn’t the only regional transit agency raising alarms about its fiscal straits from the coronavirus pandemic — the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is continuing to push Congress for bailout money. The authority is warning that it will soon have to make cuts to planned capital projects if it doesn’t get a $3 billion influx of federal cash, with plans for a new Newark AirTrain and upgrades to the bus terminal potentially on the chopping block.
MR. DARCY — The New Jersey League of Municipalities announced Michael Darcy is stepping down as League Executive Director today to retire. Darcy has been with the League for 30 years and has held positions in every program, service, and management area including: Advertising Manager of New Jersey Municipalities magazine; Program Specialist in charge of producing seminars; Exhibit Manager for the Annual League Conference — the largest municipal conference in the United States; assistant executive director, and, since July 1, 2015, executive director.
—“Backlog of complaints raises questions about NJ’s ability to inspect long-term care facilities”
—CWA deal will yield more than $100M in savings for state
— “State Sen. Mike Doherty opposes bill requiring ‘inclusive material’ in textbooks”
—“Will riders who opt to work from home and non-mask wearers derail NJ Transit?”
—“Murphy gives up Woodrow Wilson’s desk”
PIPELINES — U.S. Supreme Court asks solicitor general to weigh in on PennEast case, by POLITICO’s Samantha Maldonado: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered the solicitor general to file a brief with the federal government’s perspective on whether the nation’s highest court should take up a case involving the proposed PennEast pipeline’s route in New Jersey. The justices issued the order after an internal conference on Thursday. The central question of the case is whether, under the Natural Gas Act, the PennEast Pipeline Company should be able to seize state-owned land for construction of its nearly 120-mile proposed natural gas pipeline.
NJ GOP IS GREAT AT RECRUITING DIVERSE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICES THEY HAVE ALMOST NO CHANCE OF WINNING — “The mad GOP scramble to unseat Spartacus,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Does anyone really care who wins the right to advocate sending “Spartacus” packing? Actually, a number of Republicans do, which explains why the GOP Senate primary on July 7 has become fun to watch. The three main candidates to take on Cory Booker this fall include two Indian-Americans and a woman. They are Rik Mehta, Hirsh Singh and Tricia Flanagan. For a party that often is demeaned as an organization of ‘old white guys,’ this type of diversity is a very good thing for New Jersey Republicans.”
BECAUSE OF COURSE — “‘Incredible stupidity’: Trump blasts Princeton’s decision to strip Woodrow Wilson’s name from school, by POLITICO’s Max Cohen: President Donald Trump on Monday said Princeton University’s decision to remove former President Woodrow Wilson’s name from buildings on its campus was “incredible stupidity,” the latest instance of the president wading into the debate over how the United States reckons with historical figures tied to racism.
—“Trump supporters gather on lake after boat parade postponed”
—”Jersey City Councilman Solomon endorses Oseguera for Congress, 2 off the line freeholder hopefuls“
—“Can Sires be unseated? ‘The odds are really, really long, but they aren’t zero,’ professor says“
TWEET OF THE DAY #1 — @RealDonaldTrump: “Absentee Ballots are fine. A person has to go through a process to get and use them. Mail-In Voting, on the other hand, will lead to the most corrupt Election is USA history. Bad things happen with Mail-Ins. Just look at Special Election in Patterson, N.J. 19% of Ballots a FRAUD!”
TWEET OF THE DAY #2 — @ColleenOdea: ”No no no!!! 19% were rejected. Unclear how many were fraud. News reports say 800. That gets you to 4.8%. Rest were rejected for other reasons, such as USPS delays and signature matching. As to latter, NJ has settled federal suit to improve signature matching.”
THEY KILLED THE CHICKEN MARSALA LAST NIGHT — “No Borgata, no alcohol, no indoor dining when Atlantic City casinos resume business,” by The Press of Atlantic City’s David Danzis: “Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will not reopen when gaming is allowed to resume Thursday as a result of Gov. Phil Murphy’s surprise announcement Monday that indoor dining would be indefinitely suspended. Casinos were also informed Monday that beverage service of any kind, including alcohol, would not permitted on gaming floors or at indoor bars. As of Monday evening, only Borgata announced plans to not reopen. “Our guests expect a special experience when they come to our property, and if we cannot provide that level of hospitality, we feel it best that we remain closed until such time that the governor lets us know it is safe to offer food and beverage,” a statement from Borgata’s parent company, MGM Resorts International, read Monday. Borgata had initially planned to welcome back invited guests July 2 for a ‘friends and family’ soft opening before the general public would be permitted back July 6.”
THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA — “Northern Valley official apologizes for wearing Blackface after photos emerge,” by The Record’s Stephanie Noda: “A school board member for the Northern Valley Regional High School District has issued an apology for using Blackface during a Halloween party as a teenager. Dan Eller, 30, a 2008 graduate of Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, sent out the apology email in response to an anonymous email was sent to the media and officials containing photos of Eller wearing Blackface and a wig. ‘I am profoundly sorry for that misjudgment,’ Eller said in the statement. ‘At the time, I lacked the perspective and maturity to know better.’”
WHERE’S CAREN TURNER WHEN YOU NEED HER? — “How did a Red Bank official wind up in handcuffs? Police videos show what happened,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Alex N. Gecan: “Recently released dash camera videos and police reports provide more details about an altercation that Rosemarie Sestito, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, and her husband, Borough Council President Michael Ballard, had with police officers June 3 outside the couple’s E. Bergen Place home. Sestito, 59, an appointed borough official, was handcuffed briefly but not arrested after she got into a heated argument with officers who had detained and handcuffed Sestito’s 18-year-old niece, Carmen Rivera, for possibly stealing her mother’s car, the records show. No charges were filed against either woman … . Just prior to Sestito being placed in handcuffs, an officer can be heard on video saying, ‘Before you guys start coming out and running your mouths —’ ‘Excuse me,’ Sestito interjects. ‘I am so tired of these Red Bank cops being rude! … I am tired of these police officers being rude to the residents!’ ‘Step back. I’m not going to ask you guys again. Step back,’ an officer shouts. ‘I’m a councilman…’ Ballard can be heard saying. ‘I don’t care. I don’t care,’ an officer says.
THE WAY OF THE CALLA — “Election officials find two ballots signed by Callaway,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Two ballots for the July 7 Democratic primary, both signed by former Atlantic City Council President Craig Callaway, are now the subject of an investigation for possible ballot tampering, the New Jersey Globe has learned. The Atlantic County Board of Elections noticed identical ballots for two different voters both had Callaway’s signature. If true, that means Callaway was in possession of a ballot that did not belong to him.”
—“Perth Amboy mayoral candidates lining up”
—“Atlantic City mayoral challengers see Murphy’s endorsement of Small as opportunity, not setback”
—“Menendez endorses Small In Atlantic City”
—“‘We will be shutting the city down:’ July 4 protest planned for A.C.”
R.I.P. — “Longtime South Jersey radio host Barbara Altman dies at 78”
—“Bear sightings in NJ have doubled in the past year. Here’s what officials think is the cause“
—“Enthusiasm in N.J. and Pa. as malls open after a long coronavirus shutdown”
—“Book recounts history of Action Park, ‘America’s most dangerous amusement park’”
