>> Tonight on "NJ Spotlight" news -- picking a new lieutenant governor.

Who can fill Sheila Oliver's shoes?

New Jersey residents weigh in.

Plus, grand opening.

A new cannabis dispensary in Atlantic City.

The division of making the city and marijuana destination continues even after city leaders put a pause on new applications.

>> I think it is great that anyone coming down here for vacation, a show, whatever, can walk into our space for a great experience and by some marijuana.

>> Also, homelessness on the rise.

A new report shows skyrocketing rent and the lack of affordable housing is taking its toll across the state.

>> The biggest increase is absolutely those who are struggling to pay their own rent facing eviction, especially after COVID.

>> And look out if you live in Atlantic City.

The air show is back, leaving thousands on the beach and boardwalk with aerial wonders.

"NJ Spotlight news" begins now.

>> Funding for "NJ and Spotlight news is sponsored by njn, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

New Jersey realtors -- the voice for real estate in New Jersey.

More information is online at NJrealtor.com.

From NJ PBS, this is "NJ Spotlight News."

>> Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Wednesday night.

The state is waiting to see who Governor Murphy selects as the successor to the late Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver.

New Jersey's Constitution gives the administration 45 days to appoint someone to fill the remainder of the term.

According to a new Monmouth University poll out today, the majority of residents don't think race and gender should be a factor in Murphy's decision.

Oliver was the first black woman elected to statewide office in New Jersey history, but about 83% of those polled say that should not come into consideration when the governor names a replacement while 15% think he should appoint another person of color.

For more on that and a temperature check on if the public thinks the governor is doing a good job in office, I'm joined by Monmouth University poster Patrick Murray.

Welcome.

Good to see you.

Interesting findings.

Let's talk first about how people dealt when considering these two -- I'll say really major factors.

>> I was surprised by these numbers because of how much emphasis the governor has put on diversity.

I did not expect the numbers to be hugely in a majority saying the opposite, 80% saying race should be important, but among his key constituent groups, which have been talking about -- the Democratic Party has been talking about representation and the importance of that all along -- even if we look among Democrats, we look among female Democrats -- 34% of female Democrats say gender, he should appoint another woman, but that means twice as many say that should not be a factor.

Among Democrats, it is the same.

I think it is kind of interesting because what Sheila Oliver proved is that these appointments are a token.

You have plenty of folks across all genders, all races who are qualified to hold these jobs, but still, I think the kind of old American idea of we should be race blind, we should be gender-blind when making these appointments still comes to when people talk about these issues, even though many within the party itself say that just a factor of representation is so important.

>> That's interesting.

Yesterday, I got a chance to speak with the former lieutenant governor, the only other person who has held the office, and she made what I think is a striking point, which is she does not want to see their role become a pigeon hole where it is the spot for women, and particularly women of color, that we don't aspire to put a woman or woman of color in a higher office, and I wonder if any of that mindset is going into this or if it is prickly, as you mentioned, this, you know, idea of being colorblind, gender blind.

>> Because people do not understand that it is not just going around and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, that Lieutenant Governor's in New Jersey have jobs to do, they might not realize that is also a factor in this, that it is not just window dressing.

>> Sure.

Let me shift gears.

Talk to me about how the public's feeling about Governor Murphy.

What are his approval ratings?

>> right now, his approval rating stands at the percent, disapproval at 40%, so it is positive but not quite as positive as it has been.

We saw the huge jump in his numbers when COVID hit, and that was true of almost any office holder the country, but, you know, he had a tighter than expected reelection race, and his job approval numbers were then down around where they are right now, close to 50%, but the question even among Democrats is -- what is the major accomplishment?

What is the thing we can point to for Governor Murphy that says this is what his term in office was all about, the stamp he left on the state of New Jersey?

I think you still have quite a few people, including Democrats, who are not sure what that particular hallmark issue is for the Murphy administration.

>> Patrick, good to see you, as always.

>> Same here.

>> Tenants at an apartment building in East Orange are going public with their complaints of deplorable conditions filing lawsuits today against the property owners and landlord in an attempt to get urgently needed repairs after what they say have been years of mismanagement.

>> This is almost six months.

>> Abraham -- ibrahim has a lot of problems in his apartment from holes in one bathroom ceiling to mold in another.

>> this one, I needed it for six months.

The other is with mold.

Windows are shaking.

>> Ahmed and others say they have complained about issues small and large for years, logging more than 500 complaints.

As for the hole in the ceiling -- >> they told me, we are not going to fix it.

>> many areas are in need of repair due to continuous neglect by the owners and managers of the building, but rather than make those repairs, they would prefer to throw us all out on the street so they can double the apartments and line their own pockets.

>> 22 families who live here are bringing two lawsuits against their landlords and Fannie Mae, one for damages and one to appoint a receiver that would receive rent and make fixes, like making sure one of the building's elevators is not out of order for two months like residents allege.

>> As you can see, I have mobility issues.

There were two choices that I could make because I live on the ninth floor.

I could either go up and down 18 flights of stairs or, the other option was to go up four flights of steps and to walk across the roof of the building.

>> All of 2020 -- fall of 2020, my son became a quadriplegic.

When it was time for him to get released from the hospital, he was unable to come home because of all the repairs that need to be made.

The black mold in the house.

A four-year-old going to the same thing my quadriplegic is going through.

They cannot breathe in the house.

Why do we have to go through this?

>> The defendant in the case is a Connecticut-based company.

Records show the company owner's Prospect Castle LLC, which elicits property address as the same as one well communities, but one will communities deny they own and manage the building .

>> We not only look forward to, but we need the support of the city of East Orange as well as the current mortgage lender Fannie Mae.

>> I stand with the tenants because I do believe that everybody should be living in conditions like I live in, right?

They should be able to come in their home and not have these violations, so I agree with them in terms of making sure receivership, getting new management here may help.

>> Residents say the building does not need to be condemned, but they want a new landlord to come in and listen to their concerns about the castle and make the repairs they are asking for.

>> President Biden today celebrated the first anniversary of signing his administration's signature clean energy legislation, the inflation reduction act.

The climate-focused bill provides billions of dollars in tax credits to help reduce renewable energy and the jobs that go with it, but it also put caps on prescription drugs like insulin and lowered the cost of monthly health insurance premiums.

The administration is still trying to get the word out to Americans about exactly how the legislation affect them -- affects them.

In New Jersey Congressman among those who supported the bill joins me now.

Talk to me first about what you think people still don't know about the crux of this legislation.

Here we are one year later.

You stood next to the president when he signed it.

>> I think people do not necessarily pay attention, right?

They go about their daily lives and maybe listen to the news at night.

Also a lot of times, they do not necessarily think Congress is really doing anything, which is unfortunate because we actually did a lot with the inflation reduction act, but they certainly care about the issues.

Obviously, they care a lot about affordability and prescription drugs going sky high, which is why we need to lower prices and make them more affordable, and they clearly care about the weather, what is happening.

I mean, it is the hottest year on record.

Lay witness what happened in Maui with the wildfires.

I think we just have to keep pointing out that these are real problems that we as Democrats in the inflation reduction act have tried to correct.

Even the name of the inflation reduction act does not seem to have anything much to do with climate -- >> Right.

Perhaps that is where there is some missed connection within the public.

>> may be.

Although inflation has gone down, too, so the name is certainly apt in terms of its impact.

>> But in terms of how it has helped the economy, we talk about prescription drug prices.

That is something you have been looking at.

In fact, you are going to be at an event tomorrow at Rutgers looking at the way that impacts daily lives.

How has this legislation changed that and affected the economy as well?

>> With regard to seniors and Medicare, right, the inflation reduction act for the first time has the federal government limit or negotiate prices.

It starts with 10 drugs beginning this September and then goes to 20, and I have legislation that would increase it to 50.

Basically, that means the federal government uses the power because we have so many seniors under Medicare, to negotiate lower prices.

As you know, sometimes prices in other countries are 3, 4, 5 times as much because they do negotiate with the companies, and it also has a $35 cap on insulin for seniors.

That's where you have the impact not only for seniors but a lot of the companies that make insulin now have established a $35 cap for everyone.

Then we also have an inflation rebate where drug companies cannot raise prices more than inflation.

That has kicked in and saved millions of dollars.

Some of that money goes back in rebates to reduce prices at the drug counter, and then in 2025, there is going to be a $2000 cap on how much seniors can spend out of pocket for prescription drugs annually, so there are a lot of things happening.

>> Thank you so much for your time.

We appreciate it.

>> Thanks again.

Take care.

>> In our spotlight on business report tonight, New Jersey is also moving toward its clean energy goals.

The State Board of Public utilities today voted to launch a permanent community solar program.

Most community solar projects are built on top of large buildings and parking lots or contaminated sites in their.

It aims to bring clean energy to people who may not be able to put up solar panels on their homes.

The state's program will allow residents to subscribe to a nearby community solar side, so people who are low income or live in apartments can be part of the transition to clean energy.

The move builds off of a two-year pilot program that launched in 2020.

So far, more than two dozen community solar projects have come online in the state, reaching about 6000 households.

Advocates say the program is a big help as New Jersey works on larger utility projects that have hit roadblocks.

In Atlantic City, the lucky number is 38.

The resort town this week open the state's 38th recreational cannabis dispensary and just the second legal weed store to open its doors in the city overall.

It is part of a push for more investments in so-called green tourism, but as Raven Santana reports, it will take a lot more than good luck to get there.

>> I don't drink, so we'd replaced alcohol for me.

>> He traveled about 40 minutes to Atlantic City for medical marijuana to help with his neurological condition.

>> Still, It is recreational.

That's why they call it recreational.

It is for fun.

>> The owner of design 710 dispensary says the process to get her business up and running has been anything but fun.

>> I think it was 1200 block to six days from the day we applied to the day we opened.

It has been long run.

>> Tuesday, the dispensary became the second recreational dispensary open in Atlantic City, helping to jumpstart the town's sought out reputation as a cannabis destination.

>> I got some pre-rolled, some edible, and a vape.

I'm very excited to try the stuff out.

I want more people to get involved, and I want the stigma to go away.

I do feel there are so many benefits to it.

>> They announced that all new license grants would be put on hold in late July.

In an interview last month on "NJ Spotlight News," the Atlantic City Mayor explained the future of cannabis in the city.

>> our plan is still to be the East Coast hub when it comes to cannabis.

We don't want to over saturate the market here in the city of Atlantic City, so we are taking a pause to make sure that we roll this thing out right.

>> It might be contemporary because there are so many licenses handed out -- it might be just temporary because there are so many licenses handed out.

My sense is let these people catch up and find funding.

You get conditional licenses and you have to find property and funding.

Today, It is almost nearly impossible in some scenarios.

>> I feel like there is still a stigma when it comes to cannabis .

I think it is kind of dissipating is more stores like this come Online.

Again, It is not some CD store that most think It is going to be, and they walk into here, and they are like It is just a regular store.

It is a retail store.

We have merchandise and product and great people, and they just feel comfortable.

We have our flip boards that pay homage to old-time Atlantic City.

We can throw up someone's birthday, anniversary.

We welcome visitors here, just to get a personalized experience.

>> Personalizing the experience could be how some ca nnibusinesses thrive and others do not.

>> What's happening now and what you will see for the next 6, 12, 18 months is the dispensary's starting to build out, and some of them will be successful, so they will open and will be thriving businesses.

Unfortunately, some of them will never make it to the starting line, so there's a number of pretty big obstacles to start a cannabis business, and unfortunately, It is estimated probably only about 20% of those businesses will ever get off the ground.

>> He says they are doing their part to help Atlantic City become a cannabis destination by offering classes in cultivation, processing, and retail licensing, and come September, new classes in distribution, warehousing will be offered to help others get into the state's growing cannabis industry.

>> On Wall Street, markets reacted today to updates released from the Federal Reserve's July meeting.

Here is how trading numbers closed.

>> Support for the business report provided by Junior achievement of New Jersey, providing students with skills and knowledge to explore, choose, and advance career paths for a brighter future.

Online at janj.org.

>> the state's latest point in time count recording the number of people experiencing homelessness statewide shows the real consequences of inflation and rent increases.

There is a significant uptick in residents who are bouncing between shelters, the streets, and for those who are able, a few couches.

As a Senior correspondent Brenda, data out this week puts New Jersey homelessness at a near-decade high.

>> It is hard.

It is really hard.

>> Bill Thomas is homeless.

He volunteers at the St. John kitchen in Newark after a couple of rounds of rehab.

Like many folks with no permanent housing, Thomas says a sudden crisis -- his wife's death -- started his sudden spiral.

>> I fell apart.

I went into deep depression, got angry, started doing drugs.

After three years, I come to St. John, and that became my safe haven.

>> He has several applications out for subsidized housing.

So do many online here for lunch.

Staff are not surprised a recent count shows New Jersey's homeless population spiking to more than 10,000 people according to the latest annual study from Monarch housing.

Essex County has the largest share.

>> Numbers are growing slowly because the cost of living got so expensive anywhere in the Newark region.

Food cost, housing cost, everything is climbing rapidly.

>> Almost 10,300 people were found in January.

Compare that to about 8000 in 2021, right before New Jersey's eviction moratorium ended.

The count hit about 8800 right before COVID.

People's lives can quickly become unstable.

>> The person that you are living with can wake up and say, you drank all of my milk, now get out, right?

Then there's the homeless where you have been evicted and you are on the street for a week.

>> the executive director says the Fulton Street shelter is expanding its cap to 86 beds and today took delivery of 20 more, which will go on a fourth floor expansion.

>> the biggest increase is absolutely those who are struggling to pay their own rent facing eviction, especially after COVID.

>> 80% of the folks staying here have permanent jobs.

Most state about a month and a half.

When they leave, some reconnect with family.

Lucky ones find permanent housing.

>> New Jersey, for every 100 households looking for a place to call home, there's only 31 units.

>> The survey points out hurdles like Jersey's low 3.7% rental vacancy rate.

Available units are harder to find and cost more, up more than 8% last December.

Affordable housing, Jersey is short for the lowest income families.

Even folks who get their hands on government vouchers find they are not enough.

>> We are seeing people sick with vouchers in homeless situations, if it's in shelters or unsheltered locations and they just don't have the apartment to physically move into.

>> The survey found other disparities.

Black folks comprise 12% of New Jersey's overall population, but 47% of its homeless.

Hispanics, 21% of the population, over 24% of the homeless.

White people, more than half of the overall population, about a quarter of homeless folks, and more families are showing up, kids in tow, says homefront's Sarah Stewart.

>> For families in Mercer County that are facing housing instability, living in a motel, facing eviction, last month over 450 unique families called that hotline.

>> She thinks the Monarch survey probably under cap the problem.

They try to ease stress over money with food and diaper pantries to free up funds for meant.

Bill Thomas keeps waiting for a place to open up.

>> I'm not looking for promises.

I'm just looking for hope.

>> We leave you tonight with the sights and sounds of the Atlantic City airshow.

A perfect day for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Army's Golden Knights to dazzle the crowd along the Jersey shore.

This year's event was titled "a salute to those who serve" and Mark the 20th year for the performance, which is known to draw up to 500,000 spectators with be 25's and fighter Falcons, they were all showing off their skills and passion.

These pilots have years of training, and with hundreds of kids in the crowd, who knows?

Maybe a future aviator will be inspired today.

That's going to do it for us tonight, but a reminder to download the "NJ Spotlight News" podcasts so you can listen any time.

Thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

>> The members of the New Jersey education Association, making public schools great for every child.

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>> if it's helping a family find their perfect home for securing space for small business owners, New Jersey realtors have been helping clients achieve their dreams for more than a century.

No matter what your unique needs are, there is a New Jersey realtor for you.

>> Life is unpredictable.

Health insurance shouldn't be.

Over 90 years, horizons across Blue Shield of New Jersey has provided quality affordable health plans to New Jersey residents.

We have served generations have New Jersey families and businesses and are committed to driving innovations that put you at the heart of everything we do.

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We are here when you need us most.

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