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4 Myths About Covid-19 Driving NJ to Bankruptcy

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By Charles Stampul

Ridgewood NJ, This is a crystallization of points made by front-line medical professionals critical of media coverage of and government response to Covid 19 including Dr. Dan Erickson, Dr. Artin Massih, Dr. Simone Gold and Dr. Drew Pinsky.

Continue reading 4 Myths About Covid-19 Driving NJ to Bankruptcy

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NJ Supreme Court Order Resumes Some Court Operations, Extends Suspension of Others

new york city parking ticket

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, The New Jersey Supreme Court on Friday issued an omnibus order resuming the operations of some courts and extending the deadline for other court sessions and activities.

The order extends to May 31 the suspension of jury trials, landlord/tenant trials and grand jury proceedings.

Continue reading NJ Supreme Court Order Resumes Some Court Operations, Extends Suspension of Others

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Chief Justice Rabner Continues Push to Reform Municipal Court System

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Jacqueline Laurita in court April 12 testifying about the March 30 brawl.

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, While New Jersey’s municipal court system has made important strides in the fair administration of justice, the effort to reform the Judiciary’s local courts continues, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said Friday.

Delivering his annual State of the Judiciary address before the New Jersey State Bar Association in Atlantic City, Chief Justice Rabner said a forthcoming report from a 38-member Supreme Court committee will propose recommendations to assure that municipal courts serve as a fair and neutral forum for resolving
disputes.

Continue reading Chief Justice Rabner Continues Push to Reform Municipal Court System
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Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Continues to Push for A Sensible Housing Policy for Bergen County

CBD high density housing

May 7,2017
by Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi

Rivervale NJ, I have been on the front lines fighting for the legislature to do its job and provide a legislative solution to recent Court opinions on affordable housing in the State. Even the NJ Supreme Court agrees that the legislature should do something, anything, on this issue.

As a result of recent court opinions, I drafted bills to stop the costly litigations currently taking place in every municipality so that all interested parties, including the NJ League of Municipalities, the Executive Director of the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of Fair Share Housing, professional planners and members of the legislature can sit together and develop a better way to ensure affordability in this State for all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. The current plan to have over 280,000 new affordable units or 1.5 million additional total units in a state that is already the most densely populated with a population growth rate of less than 0.3 percent, along with being one of the States that most people are fleeing, is irrational at best.

My bills have received support from Democratic mayors and councils, Republican mayors and councils and communities that are split between political parties. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is one of the most important issues affecting every community in the State and if we, as legislators refuse to address it, we do not deserve to be legislators.

Unfortunately, many times elected officials are unwilling to step up to the plate to address the more difficult issues for fear of the backlash. It is exceptionally unfortunate that in today’s political climate, the immediate “go to” for those who disagree on an issue is to insinuate the other person is a racist or a bigot or a whole host of other items. Today I found myself just in that place. As a result of my trying to bring all parties to the table to properly address an incredibly complicated and difficult topic, the head of the Bergen County NAACP, provided a letter to the Bergen Record today accusing me of “fear mongering”, “trying to advance my political profile” and alleging that I am affirmatively trying to keep minorities out of our communities. Anyone who knows me knows how totally off base his letter is with respect to how I operate or what I believe. I have reached out to the State NAACP President to request a sit down to openly discuss this issue. If we want our State to succeed we better start having the tough conversations now, while we still can. Wanting to figure out a better way to govern this State is a quality we want in everyone who represents us.

Please call your Mayors and your legislators and ask them to protect our State from ridiculous affordable housing court mandates (which may result in over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ) by supporting A-4666 and A-4667 to stop the Court actions and study the issue while we still can. If you don’t see your town below ask your elected officials why they aren’t fighting for your community.

Here is a current list of towns that have passed resolutions in support of my legislation to provide relief to our communities in the fight against the threat of over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ. If you don’t see your town on here ASK WHY. Many of our NJ residents are unaware that their communities will be forced to DOUBLE their housing population in just the next 9 years, destroying all existing housing prices.

Closter
Demarest
Dumont
Emerson
Franklin Lakes
Harrington Park
Haworth
Hillsdale
Mahwah
Montvale
Norwood
Old Tappan
Park Ridge
River Vale
Upper Saddle River
Westwood
Woodcliff Lake
Bloomingdale
Wanaque
Wayne
Saddle Brook
Fair Lawn
Oradell
Rochelle Park
Hackensack
Lincoln Park

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Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi NJ Supreme Court is forcing our communities to build up to ONE MILLION new units of unneeded housing

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March 25,2017
Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

Under recent affordable housing rulings by the NJ Supreme Court, our communities are being forced to permit construction of up to ONE MILLION new units of unneeded housing in order to satisfy a fictitious population increase of 30 percent in the next 9 years. Today’s Bergen Record reports that NOBODY COMES HERE. IT’S TOO CROWDED (the story is below). So why is all this housing being forced on New Jersey? Help me stop this while we still can. Please write Assembly Speaker Prieto asmprieto@njleg.org and ask him to post A-4666 which imposes a moratorium on affordable housing settlements and litigation and A-4667 which creates a commission to study the actual need and obligations.

– “New Jersey population continues growing by slim margins,” by The Record’s Dave Sheingold: “New Jersey’s population inched up by the barest of margins last year, continuing a nearly three-decade trend that has seen the state grow at one of the slowest rates in the country, according to data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Lodged firmly in a pattern seen across most of the northeast and parts of the Midwest since before the turn of the century, the number of New Jerseyans increased by a mere 9,000, or 0.1 percent, in 2016. That left the nation’s most densely populated state with 8.94 million residents, a figure that is up 1.7 percent since 2010 and 6.3 percent since 2000. New Jersey’s growth rate this decade is the 14th smallest in the country, far behind increases of 6 to 12 percent seen in the southeast, southwest, west and northern Great Plains.”

https://www.northjersey.com/…/new-jersey-populatio…/99531254/

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NJ Supreme Court Hands Teachers Union Huge Victory Denies Christie Request on Abbott Schools Ruling

Ridgewood EA teachers protest

February 1,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Newark NJ, in a statement from the Partnership for Educational Justice comments on the New Jersey Supreme Court’s denial of State motion to re-open Abbott v. Burke.

The New Jersey Supreme Court today denied the State’s September 2016 motion to re-open the decades-old school funding lawsuit, Abbott v. Burke. As part of their broad motion, the State had asked the court to grant the State Commissioner of Education – a political appointee – the authority to waive enforcement of the State’s “last in, first out” (LIFO) teacher layoff law, among other education laws and negotiated policies.

In response to the State’s motion, six Newark parents also filed a motion with the Supreme Court against the State’s legal tactics to address LIFO. These same parents instead are fighting the LIFO statute on its own in the trial court. Their case, HG v. Harrington, asserts that New Jersey’s quality-blind LIFO law violates students’ constitutional right to a “thorough and efficient” education by allowing ineffective teachers to remain in classrooms while effective teachers are let go. The plaintiff families have asked the court to declare LIFO unconstitutional and render it unenforceable in Newark and similar districts.

The Supreme Court’s denial of the State’s motion today means that the lawsuit filed in November by six Newark parents is the only case pending to address New Jersey’s outdated LIFO statute.

The following is a statement by Ralia Polechronis, Executive Director of Partnership for Educational Justice:

“This ruling is a big win for New Jersey parents and schoolchildren. The Supreme Court has echoed the position of a group of Newark parents, who argued to this court that the state’s unjust quality-blind teacher layoff law must be evaluated on its own, and not in connection with a decades-old school funding lawsuit. Concerned about looming school budget cuts, these same parents – the plaintiffs in HG v. Harrington – will continue their fight in the state’s trial court to invalidate the “last in, first out” law that prevents the retention of Newark’s best teachers during funding crises. These brave parents are leading the charge for students’ rights in New Jersey, and they will not back down until the harmful impact of this law is revealed and deemed unconstitutional.”
To learn more about HG v. Harrington, the parent-led lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s “last in, first out” teacher layoff law, please go to edjustice.org/nj. To read all legal filings related to HG v. Harrington, click here.

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Reader says developers should be targeted for negative aspects of Build and Run

Projects_theridgewoodblog

Excellent but what is the next set of actions to ensure some real actions
Are taken before events and the Developers decend on Ridgewood ,Ho HoKus Glen Rock and other Bergen county communities.?

The developers should be targeted for negative aspects of Build and Run with the Cash tactics..what banks are financing these ruinous Multi family Neighborhood and School taxes blockbusters.Banks they to project community good citizens profiles but they are awash with cheap money for the Fed and lack of interest payments to the savers for a Decade now

“I implore our Senate President and Assembly Speaker to do everything in their power to move forward with bi-partisan legislation addressing this issue. The court rules on what is constitutional, not aggressively ruling what it thinks is best for the state. We cannot let the court legislate what is best for individual communities.”

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Readers say NJ Supreme court shows without any doubt that the judiciary in New Jersey has arrogated to itself governmental powers that should have been committed exclusively to the legislative branch

Projects_theridgewoodblog

The recent NJ Supreme court case pinning untold thousands of units of affordable housing obligations on “recalcitrant” municipalities who fought against them in court shows without any doubt that the judiciary in New Jersey has arrogated to itself governmental powers that, if they could be legitimately be exercised at all, should have been committed exclusively to the legislative branch. Heaven help us, because whatever real differences that exist between New Jersey and the average banana republic state are becoming very difficult to find. The unfortunate exodus of decent citizens from New Jersey can only increase from here on out.

These judges are like gods. They can take decisions without much worry about people’s lives in the name of “common good”. How is it possible to not take residents’ concerns into consideration but just shove it to them?!?! HoHoKus may be asked to build close to 300 affordable units. How crazy is this? A tiny , nice place right next door to Ridgewood. How can 300 units fit in there. If HHK is asked for 300 how many will Ridgewood be asked for? It has to be over 1000. There are plans to build where Granny’s attic is and also to take away the lower parking lot by the train station. Add to this the looming Valley building by N Maple and you don’t have a village anymore. In a few years if nobody does something about this (residents are all asleep or occupied with Trump’s upcoming “disasters”) we won’t have a village anymore but a city called Ridgehokus.

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Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi calls for legislative fix to Supreme Court rules on affordable housing

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

January 21,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Westwood NJ,  Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi released the following statement on the state Supreme Court decision requiring municipalities to provide affordable housing for the “gap period:”

“I am deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision to enforce a gap-period. This ruling will devastate all 23 municipalities I represent and suburban municipalities throughout the state. The failure of the legislature to address the social engineering of the court should not result in changing communities forever.”

“I implore our Senate President and Assembly Speaker to do everything in their power to move forward with bi-partisan legislation addressing this issue. The court rules on what is constitutional, not aggressively ruling what it thinks is best for the state. We cannot let the court legislate what is best for individual communities.”

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi goes on, “While ideologically I think our communities want to welcome all regardless of income levels the mandates of COAH have implications far beyond that. Many of our communities with populations under 10,000 people are facing the threat of population increases of 10 percent or more without the infrastructure, schools or services to support massive population increases. We currently receive virtually no money from the state to support our schools, our Municipalities, our infrastructure. Mandating massive building in our communities (many of which are done with PILOT agreements) without any financial help to do so will cause a significant financial burden on all. As an example the new 150 unit apartment complex with commercial components will be paying less than $1,750 per average unit per year (in property taxes and payments in lieu of taxes combined) for 30 years with slight increases based upon rental incomes received by the developers. Meanwhile every other home in the Borough is paying an average of about $12,000 per year in property taxes . That $12,000 figure is guaranteed to rise in order to make up for the shortfalls. Further, people have chosen to live in the suburbs for a reason. Prior to moving back to Bergen County I lived many years in cities including Washington, New York and London. I choose where we live today because of the open space, the small class sizes, the fact that there weren’t five or six story buildings around me. Why should the Courts be able to change the entire character of the community I live in?”

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NJ Supreme Court: Build more affordable housing

Projects theridgewoodblog.net

Ghetto Building?

Jean Mikle and Russ Zimmer , Asbury Park PressPublished 11:10 a.m. ET Jan. 18, 2017 | Updated 13 hours ago

A housing advocacy group says “tens of thousands” of new units of affordable housing could be built in New Jersey as a result of a state Supreme Court decision Wednesday.

In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that municipalities must meet affordable housing needs that accumulated during the so-called “gap period” between 1999 and 2015, when the state’s Council on Affordable Housing failed to produce housing quotas for towns.

The ruling could have a dramatic impact on Monmouth County, where several affluent towns have fought increased affordable housing obligations. By contrast, most of Ocean County’s most populous towns won’t be affected because they have already agreed to court settlements providing thousands of affordable homes.

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/2017/01/18/affordable-housing-nj-supreme-court-decision/96677848/

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Supreme Court: Bloomfield cameras exempt from OPRA

village council meeting assult

file photo Village Council Meeting altercation

 

Erin M Roll , NorthJersey5:27 p.m. EST November 29, 2016

A Bloomfield resident’s search for township security camera footage has encountered a roadblock at the state Supreme Court.

The court overturned a prior Appellate Division ruling that said that Patricia Gilleran had the right, under the state’s Open Public Records Act, to view footage taken by the security cameras on the exterior of the Municipal Building.

The court’s Nov. 22 decision ruled that the security footage was not open to general public access under the state’s public records laws.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/essex/bloomfield/2016/11/29/supreme-court-bloomfield-cameras-exempt-opra/94611110/?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Public Funding for Religious Education Likely headed to the NJ Supreme Court

school-choice-student_0

 

A New Jersey appeals court recently ruled that Gov. Chris Christie’s administration violated the state constitution when it awarded more than $11 million in funding to two religious schools. The Department of Higher Education awarded $10.6 million to Beth Medrash Govoha, a Jewish Yeshiva, and $645,323 to the Princeton Theological Seminary pursuant to the Building Our Future Bond Act Donald Scarinci, PolitickerNJRead more

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NJ Supreme Court : No cost-of-living payments not required for Pensioners

diana-ross-supremes_theridgwoodnlog

June 9.2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , The New Jersey Supreme Court has delivered a victory to Gov. Chris Christie and has ruled the state does not owe public pensioners cost-of-living payments suspended under a 2011 law.

In a 6-1 ruling and a major legal victory for Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, which warned that restoring the annual increases would hurl a pension system already underfunded by $59 billion closer to insolvency.

The state Supreme Court upheld a landmark 2011 law freezing cost-of-living adjustments for retired government workers, a decision effecting pensions paid to 800,000 current and former public employees.

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CHRISTIE’S QUID PRO QUO: WILL IT CHANGE DIRECTION OF TOP COURT?

New-Jersey-State-Capitol

CHRISTIE’S QUID PRO QUO: WILL IT CHANGE DIRECTION OF TOP COURT?

t’s unclear whether the renomination of state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner will change the direction of the New Jersey’s highest court.

But Gov. Chris Christie’s action yesterday, taken as part of a deal to add a Republican to the bench, resolves a question that had concerned the state’s legal community. Some, however, say it does not negate the need for a constitutional amendment essentially giving judges lifetime tenure to ensure the continued independence of the state’s judiciary. (O’Dea/NJSpotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/05/22/christie-s-quid-pro-quo-will-it-change-direction-of-top-court/