What everyone's talking about in Louisiana politics
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Politicians in Louisiana have been busy. Here's the latest from New Orleans, Jefferson Parish and Baton Rouge.
♻️ Recycling: New Orleans asked for an extension to an EPA grant meant to expand residential recycling, but Mayor Helena Moreno says the city needs to scale back the plan due to the city's dire financial situation.
- Currently, residents pay for curbside recycling but have to request a bin to use the service.
- The new program would have automatically given all residents a bin unless they opted out. Sidney Torres of IV Waste, which services parts of the city, opposed the move, Katie Jane Fernelius of Verite writes.
- Moreno says she wants to use some of the funding to develop a solid waste plan instead. Verite has a deep dive.
🗑️ Sanitation: Moreno paused her request to increase the residential sanitation fee for the first time in more than a decade.
- She says the city needs to do an audit first.
🚰 Water pipes: State and local leaders are trying to accelerate long-delayed infrastructure fixes.
- The Sewerage & Water Board is moving forward — again — with CDM Smith to oversee the utility's delayed effort to replace lead water pipes.
- State Sen. Royce Duplessis says he filed a bill that would help cover costs.
- Meanwhile, Moreno and City Council members support Rep. Stephanie Hilferty's proposed bill to increase city oversight of SWBNO.
- ICYMI: Hilferty is now running for the Public Service Commission.
📋 Safety & permits: Moreno hired Susannah Kirby as the director of the city's troubled safety and permits department.
Jefferson Parish
🔮 Jennifer Van Vrancken says she's "strongly considering" a run for parish president now that Scott Walker dropped out.
🍻 Port Orleans Brewing Co. is suing Jefferson Parish over delays in the Gretna brewpub project.
👨🚒 The firefighters union has been picketing to get support for raising starting pay from $10.50 an hour.
👀 Jefferson Parish leaders have failed to make meaningful reforms to fix waste, fraud and abuse, the parish inspector general says in a new report, per The Times-Picayune.
State news
🗣️ Republican Rep. Julia Letlow is challenging Sen. Bill Cassidy. President Trump endorsed her, but she faces conservative blowback over past DEI remarks. (NY Times gift link)
- The Republican primary is May 16.
Go deeper: State legislation moving forward