New Jersey
Casino workers seethe as smoking ban bill is delayed yet again in New Jersey Legislature
A bill to end smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos that appeared headed for its first vote Thursday was delayed yet again when Democratic lawmakers said they did not have enough votes to advance it.
They also said they would listen to alternatives proposed by the casino industry, including enclosed smoking rooms in which no employee would be forced to work.
That infuriated over 100 casino workers who packed a hearing room in the state Capitol, convinced that after nearly three years, their state representatives were ready to start the smoking ban on its way to approval.
“It’s incredible that we’re here begging again to have the same thing everyone else has,” said Lamont White, a dealer at the Borgata and a leader of the drive to end smoking in Atlantic City’s nine casinos.
“We have to endure hours on the job with secondhand smoke in our faces without the ability to turn away,” added Nicole Vitola, another Borgata dealer active in the anti-smoking effort.
New Jersey’s law banning smoking in public businesses specifically exempts Atlantic City’s casinos.
Sen. Richard Codey, a Democrat who previously served as governor, said the compromise was enacted under his tenure as the state’s top elected official as the price for getting a smoking ban for the rest of the state through the Legislature.
“It never should have happened that way,” he said Thursday. “It’s time.”
But Sen. Joseph Vitale, chairman of the Senate health committee, said the measure was one vote short of the number required to move it forward Thursday. He apologized to workers who made the 180-mile (290-kilometer) round trip from Atlantic City, promising a vote on the bill “sooner rather than later.”
Vitale said he favors a vote on the bill as originally written, which would ban smoking in the casinos, which is currently allowed on 25% of the casino floor.
But others, including Sen. Fred Madden, said some lawmakers want to hear more from the casino industry, which he said has suggested an 18-month phase-in of a smoking ban to enable them to set up enclosed smoking rooms and additional air treatment processes.
“There could be a compromise put on the table that could bring the votes … that will ensure it passes,” he said. “I feel extremely confident that people will lose their jobs” under a total smoking ban.
“I didn’t sign up to this to start taking people’s livelihoods away,” Madden said. “But it’s extremely important to put health first and that’s what I’m trying to do here.”
The Casino Association of New Jersey did not respond to a request for details on its proposals to lawmakers. But its president, Mark Giannantonio, said Thursday’s delay proves that “for the first time, people are beginning to realize that the bill, as drafted, will have a significant adverse effect on Atlantic City’s economy.”
A group representing dealers called the smoking rooms proposal “an absurd idea” that every legislator should reject.
Support for a casino smoking ban is widespread among New Jersey lawmakers, with a bipartisan majority in both chambers, and Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has repeatedly said he will sign it if passed.
It’s a hot issue in other states as well. Chris Moyer, a spokesperson for the Atlantic City casino workers who want a smoking ban, said similar movements are under way in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Kansas, Michigan and Nevada, and noted Connecticut’s casinos are already smoke-free. Shreveport, Louisiana ended a smoking ban in its casinos in June.
The bill would close a loophole in the state’s 2006 indoor smoking law. That measure was written specifically to exempt casinos from bans on smoking indoors. Currently, smoking is permitted on 25% of a casino floor in Atlantic City.
The casino industry opposes a smoking ban, saying it would lose customers and revenue if smoking were banned while still being allowed in casinos in nearby states.
“We’re not here to debate whether cigarettes are healthy,” said Christina Renna, president of the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey. “We know they are not. We are here to debate whether casinos will have to lay off individuals or shutter altogether if a smoking ban goes into place.”
But Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming says many casinos elsewhere that have banned smoking are thriving financially, including casinos near Washington, D.C., and Boston, and in Maryland.
The issue is among the most divisive in Atlantic City, where even though casino revenue matched its all time high of $5.2 billion last year, only half that amount was won from in-person gamblers. The other half was won online and must be shared with third parties including tech platforms and sports books.
Just three of the nine casinos — Borgata, Ocean, and Resorts — surpassed their pre-pandemic revenue levels in terms of money won from in-person gamblers last year.
Gov. Phil Murphy is wading further into the war among Hudson County Democrats, endorsing a pair of county party-backed Assembly candidates in one of the state’s premier legislative primaries.
Murphy endorsed Assemblyman William Sampson (D-Bayonne) and Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker in the 31st legislative district primary on Monday morning.
“William has been a strong voice for the people of Bayonne, Kearny, and Jersey City — providing tax relief for homeowners and renters, funding our public schools, reducing crime, and supporting small businesses,” Murphy said in a release. “And, throughout it all, he has never forgotten his roots as a son of Bayonne. We need fighters like William in office to keep building a stronger and fairer New Jersey for every family.”
Sampson’s assemblymate, Barbara McCann Stamato (D-Jersey City), is also seeking re-election, but on a slate with Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Assembly candidate/Bayonne Councilwoman Jackie Weimmer.
Jersey City just barely makes up a majority of the district’s votes, with Bayonne and Kearny making up the rest of the district.
“I’m excited to endorse my friend and Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker for election to the New Jersey Assembly,” Murphy said in the release. “From his time at St. Anthony High School to his leadership of the non-profit organization Team Walker, Jerry has a long track record of serving his community, including establishing a brand new vocational school in Jersey City.”
Murphy has backed the Hudson County Democratic Organization thus far. Last week, the governor endorsed Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis for sheriff over five-term incumbent Frank S. Schillari, who is aligned with Fulop’s slate.
The governor has also endorsed Assemblyman Gabe Rodriguez (D-West New York) and Larry Wainstein, who are backed by Union City Mayor/state Sen. Brian Stack.
The fire on Carmen Street. (Photo: CFD Local 788 on Facebook)
According to CFD Local 788, Camden firefighters are actively operating at the scene of a 2-alarm fire involving a building with extension to nearby structures. Battalion Chief 2 reported fire spreading to exposures as of early Sunday afternoon.
Cherry Hill Fire Department confirmed that Ladder 1324 is currently assisting in the firefighting efforts at the scene.
This is a breaking news.
New Jersey
New Jersey community mourning death of Justin Rivera, Hudson County sheriff’s officer who fell from building
The Bayonne, New Jersey, community is devastated over the loss of one their own – Hudson County sheriff’s officer Justin Rivera, who fell nine stories to his death Friday morning.
The 29-year-old was on duty when he fell from a window at the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Officials said the building was closed to the public due to an unrelated power outage at the time, and the fatal fall appears to be accidental in nature.
Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari, in a statement, described Rivera’s death as “one of the saddest and most horrific days that the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office has ever experienced,” calling Rivera an “excellent officer and outstanding young man.”
The Hudson County prosecutor’s office has no new details on the investigation surrounding his death at this time.
“It doesn’t even feel real”
Rivera ran Bayonne Boxing along with his father. A sign on the door says the gym is closed due to a family emergency.
A memorial was growing outside the front door of the beloved business Saturday as passersby offered prayers and dropped off flowers in Rivera’s memory.
CBS News New York
“It’s unbelievable, honestly, like how this could just happen out of nowhere. So it was like, it was honestly like it doesn’t even feel real,” said Jayden Morales, who has been training at the gym for the past year.
Morales said Rivera and his father were both great coaches.
“You could tell they loved each other,” Morales said. “He was funny, too, always cracking jokes.”
A neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous, lived near Rivera’s childhood home, where he lived with his daughter. The neighbor describes the Riveras as a beautiful, hardworking family she’s come to know for the past 20-plus years.
“He would meet my daughter at the gym and say, ‘I love your mom. I’m here for her if she ever needs anything.’ And I knew that … ’cause that’s the kind of kid he was,” the neighbor said. “They kissed goodbye in the morning, and he got in his car and he went to work and that was it. We never know.”
“He loved to box, police officer, being a family man. That was him as a person,” Morales said.
“We’ll miss that wave, that smile. We’ll miss it,” the neighbor said.
Rivera’s father told CBS News New York his son is now with God and that there’s nothing he can say that will bring him back.
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