N.Y.C. Mayor vs. N.J. Governor; Eviction Notices in Polygamous Ariz. Town
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Mykwain Gainey / New Jersey Governor's Office
Also in our State & Local roundup: Iowa’s governor criticizes California egg regulations.
Here is our State & Local roundup for Tuesday, October 7, 2014 …
DES MOINES, Iowa: Gov. Terry Branstad slammed California’s egg law that was the subject of a multi-state lawsuit that was recently dismissed on grounds of legal standing. “We don’t want a trade war in America, but we think that California is dead wrong on this,” Branstad said, according to Rod Boshart of The Gazette. California law bans the sale of eggs from producers who keep their chickens in small pens that limit movements.
SEATTLE, Washington: The Seattle City Council on Monday OK’d legislation that places new restrictions on where micro-apartments, which have popped up in many neighborhoods in recent years, can be built in the city. Daniel Beekman of The Seattle Times reports that supporters of the new rules think that they’re a good compromise and should please local residents but developers contend that they’ll restrict future development and strain the already tight local housing market.
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio called out New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during a news conference in Flushing, Queens, on Tuesday for his 2010 decision to cancel a project that would have constructed new rail tunnels between Manhattan and New Jersey. "It should have been begun years ago, with all due respect to Governor Christie," de Blasio said, according to Dana Rubenstein of Capital New York. The existing tunnels owned by Amtrak sustained major damage during Superstorm Sandy and need considerable rehabilitation, but that would require a significant reduction in rail capacity in and out of Penn Station.
COLORADO CITY, Arizona: Eviction notices were served to a handful of businesses and the local fire department in this polygamous town on the Arizona-Utah border. As Nate Carlisle reports for The Salt Lake Tribune’s Polygamy blog, the United Effort Plan, a trust formerly controlled by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that was seized by the state of Utah in 2005, served the eviction notices. A court-appointed fiduciary “has asked tenants to sign occupancy agreements and pay $100 a month to live or operate businesses on UEP property,” but FLDS President Warren Jeffs has told residents not to comply.
VALDOSTA, Georgia: City crews are inspecting the grease traps of several restaurants to determine the source of a massive sewer blockage discovered late last week, according to the Valdosta Daily-Times. Although the grease obstruction was flushed out, roughly 300 gallons of wastewater overflowed into a local stream as a result. Local ordinances prohibit residents and businesses from disposing of grease in the sewage system.
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