HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT
RENT IS TOO DAMN HIGH
Jersey City must aggressively enforce rent control, and expand it to universal coverage for every rental unit in the city. Illegal rent hikes hand corporate landlords huge profits, while leaving working people on the street. Meanwhile, landlords exploit legal loopholes by dividing up buildings which ought to be subject to rent control into separate condominiums, and leasing them out beyond the limits that rent control would provide. Universal rent control will make sure every tenant has the protections they deserve, and will simplify Code 260 enforcement, which our city has failed to do.
FULLY FUND RIGHT TO COUNSEL
We need to fully fund JC’s new Office of the Right to Counsel, which was recently won by a DSA-led campaign to make sure that every renter has access to legal defense in housing court against unfair evictions. Jake helped lead that campaign, making developers pay tens of millions into our city’s affordable housing fund every year.
BUILD SOCIAL HOUSING
When people think of social housing, we should think of quality, dignified homes that are owned and operated for the public good, not private profits. If we are serious that housing is a human right, then Jersey City must administer and build our own social housing: high quality, permanently affordable, and community-controlled housing for all.
STRENGTHEN GOOD CAUSE EVICTIONS
Strengthening our Good Cause Evictions law will help change the power imbalance between the vast majority of renters in Jersey City, and the corporate landlords who profit from our rent. Tenants should feel safe and secure in staying home, not threatened with eviction by landlords who "construct" evictions through neglect, harassment, unconscionable rent hikes, or other forms of abuse.
VACANCY TAX
Instead of landlords writing off vacant units for tax breaks, they should be paying into our city budget. A vacancy tax would not only raise funds for city programs, but would push landlords to rent out their units at lower rates and house more tenants sooner.
NO BROKER FEES FOR TENANTS
If a landlord chooses to hire a certain broker service to facilitate a new rental agreement, renters should never be required to pay that cost. Let's ban the required broker fee for tenants, and save renters thousands of dollars when moving.
FULLY FUND OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
MORE STATE FUNDING
Organizing for more state funding is necessary to ensure Jersey City gets the resources we need to provide quality education for all of our students. As a city councilor, Jake will not only fight to have big corporations pay their fair share and fund the BOE budget, he will also organize residents to win changes in Trenton - funding schools based on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, as opposed to tax brackets, could bring in the money we need and our kids deserve.
EDUCATION FOR THE PEOPLE
Charter schools, while public in name, are run by independent groups without the same democratic, public oversight as elected school boards provide. Taxpayers foot the bill for limited-space charter school administrators who rake in high salaries. Jersey City should not be spending more on charters than is allotted to us from the state government, and we should question why so many state tax dollars are going to schools outside the jurisdiction of democratically elected education boards. Jersey City families deserve high-quality public schools that don't turn down a single student.
SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS
Our union educators work hard to provide the education that our students deserve. As a labor organizer, Jake stands with JCEA teachers and staff. The working class that makes our public schools run deserves power on the job, fair contracts, and the opportunity to help students learn and grow.
FUND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
After school programs are key to helping working parents and their children. Providing engaging recreational and educational opportunities beyond the normal school day gives students a good place to be and community to grow in.
PUBLIC SERVICES THAT MEET OUR NEEDS
OUR CITY BUDGET
If you want to know a city's priorities, look at its budget. Residents in Ward D and across Jersey City deserve power over our budget, which means transparency and being involved in decision-making. Jake will fight to bring working people into the process through participatory budgeting, and will organize the community's active involvement through mass meetings. Our city council should not just get elected and then tell the people what they did. Our elected officials should organize ordinary people to help shape city priorities directly.
MUNICIPAL GROCERY STORE
Our closest supermarkets are across the boundaries in Ward C, in Union City, or in Hoboken. That means the Heights and Slopes have no true supermarkets of our own. While we love our bodegas, residents of Ward D deserve another full, accessible supermarket. Opening a municipal grocery store will provide more affordable options for residents from North St. to Pierce Ave.
MUNICIPAL SERVICES FOR US, NOT FOR PROFIT
We walk around sidewalks and streets full of trash, with open construction on lead pipes, and then get hit with surprise sewer and water rate hikes. The Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority should be run municipally, not contracted out to private companies profiting off of residents' basic necessities. Jake will fight for a plan to phase out private contracts from our municipal utilities like Veolia, and from trash pick-up, and to bring utilities decisions to transparent, public participation.
STAND WITH WORKERS, NOT BIG BOSSES
PROTECT OUR WORKERS
The law seems to be enforced to punish working people more than bosses and developers. Jake will fight for pro-worker city through enforced labor laws, with increased fines on employers that break laws designed to protect workers.
PASS JUST CAUSE TERMINATION
No worker should get fired just because their boss feels like it. As we grow a stronger labor movement, our city must take care of the majority of "at will" employees. Passing just cause termination legislation will protect workers and require that employers provide a fair process and demonstrate good reason for firing any employee.
FIGHT FOR GIG WORKERS
With the high cost of living, many Jersey City residents cobble together income through multiple jobs and "gig work." Jake wants to empower and protect gig workers with legislation that protects them against sudden deactivation from work, ensuring rights to use restrooms at restaurants and shops, and more.
ELIMINATE TIPPED MINIMUM WAGE
The minimum wage should be the minimum, period. Workers currently relying on tips should be guaranteed fair pay for their work, before whatever tips they earn. It's time to eliminate the tipped minimum wage for Jersey City's hard-working bartenders, servers, cooks, and more. Instead of shuttering businesses, this change will put more money in more workers' pockets and help our local economy thrive.
UNION POWER
Jake will fight alongside Jersey City's crossing guards and emergency services operators for fair union contracts with the raises and benefits they deserve.
EMPOWER OUR IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORS
VOTES FOR ALL
Jersey City is one of the most diverse communities in the nation, with 40% of residents being born outside the U.S. Many of our neighbors hold green cards and other residency documentation, and none should be barred from voting in local elections just because of their citizenship status. Jake is proud to organize with the Votes For All campaign to enfranchise non-citizen residents to participate in municipal-level elections, along with 16 and 17 year-olds; young people directly affected by our city and school board decisions should be entrusted with a voice in our democracy.
SAY NO TO ICE
Jake will not stand for any attacks on our immigrant community from Trump, ICE, or other agencies that tear apart families. Let's require that employers deny ICE access to workplaces without a warrant or subpoena, create immigration-safe confidential reporting for labor or housing violations, and guarantee universal representation for affirmative and defensive immigration proceedings.
KEEP OUR CITY HEALTHY AND SAFE
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE
Since the killing of Andrew Washington by police in 2023, Jersey City has still struggled to achieve real mental health crisis response. Plans to expand New Jersey's ARRIVE program are finally taking shape in our city, which will provide for some cooperation between law enforcement and medical care workers responding to mental health crisis episodes. It's crucial that we expedite the implementation of the ARRIVE program and expand it, urgently, from a proposed 2-3 day/week program to a 24/7 service. Jake will work closely will Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition leaders to not just respond to crises, but organize for a city where potentially violent and deadly police interactions do not happen in the first place. To this end, establishing a municipal, and organizing for a statewide, Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) with subpoena, disciplinary, and investigatory powers over law enforcement officials will contribute to JCPD accountability and safety for all.
HEALTHCARE THAT WORKS FOR US
Let’s make healthcare in Jersey City ours. In the face of corporate healthcare mergers, pro-business politicians, and anti-union attacks, we need a plan to bring Christ Hospital under public control. Bold actions to take community ownership over the facility would benefit hospital staff and our community’s wellness. Let’s map out a timeline for buying shares of the new Hudson Health System—the product of the HRH and CarePoint merger—using tax dollars brought in by these corporate players. Federal or state dollars could support an eventual municipal buyout of Christ Hospital, where Jersey City co-owns a majority share along with New Jersey. Having visionary plans for the next five, ten, twenty years, and beyond is paramount. It’s time we invest long-term in a Jersey City that works for working people who want to grow up here, raise a family here, and retire here.
WELL-LIT STREETS
Just across Washington Park, our same streets are brighter and cleaner in Union City. Getting well-lit streets is a crucial improvement for residents to walk confidently through the neighborhood--especially around major bus stops, the 100 steps, the 9th Street light rail stop, but also throughout our side streets.
MOBILITY FOR ALL
MUNICIPAL TRANSIT COUNCIL
Working people rely on mass transit every day, yet our city is plagued with infrequent bus times and no-show buses, on top of limited routes, light rail service, and PATH infrastructure stops. As we face more fare hikes, we need to build local power to make NJ Transit listen to working people. Let's form a Municipal Transit Council made up of riders and residents that works with our Transportation Planning Division, organizes the community around transit needs, and fights for the statewide changes necessary to win mobility for all.
BETTER LOCAL TRANSIT
Lots can be done locally to improve our public transit and mobility. Ward D lacks the kinds of bus shelters that should be a basic feature of any city. Jake will fight for comfortable shelters across the Heights and the Slopes that include wait time displays. We should also have both the 9th Street and 2nd Street light rail stops connect to the Heights with well-lit steps and elevators. Residents should be able to easily walk or take an elevator at both locations with confidence at any time of day or night.
SAFER STREETS
Our streets should prioritize the safety and ease of kids walking to and from school, families carrying home groceries, and working people stepping outside for a breath of fresh air. Safer streets designed for mass transit, walkability, and bikes are a must. Jake knows what it's like to walk to work, bus to work, bike to work, and drive to work; every commute needs to be accounted for in planning our road use. Taking available grant money for the Manhattan Ave-Franklin Ave bike lane is an example of a community benefit not only for cyclists, but pedestrians and drivers, too. Lanes like these help reduce traffic deaths, and the more opportunities we create for folks to get around without single-passenger vehicles, the less traffic there is and fewer occupied parking spots there are for folks who rely on their cars. Working with local advocacy groups is key to creating safe and complete streets.
WIN A GREEN NEW DEAL FOR JERSEY CITY
BUILD GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
The climate crisis impacts the health and safety of everyone in Jersey City. Across Ward D, increasingly hot summers means we need to expand our tree coverage more than ever. The lack of shade is a direct health risk, especially for seniors. And with exceptionally dry periods like the autumn 2024 drought, fires can be more likely in a neighborhood that's seen more than its fair share of burning homes. Increased fire code inspections need to be done to ensure everyone's home is safe. While much of the Heights is less prone to flooding, other areas on the Slopes and by the river are susceptible to flash floods and rising water levels. Infrastructure that helps us adapt to these risks is crucial, alongside reducing our city's carbon footprint through seriously investing in mass transit.
GREEN MUNICIPAL SERVICES
Companies like Veolia literally make a profit on residents' basic necessities like water, and their environmental impacts are harder to identify and rectify because they are private entities. The Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority should be run municipally, not contracted out to private companies profiting off of residents' basic necessities. Jake will fight for a plan to phase out private contracts from our municipal utilities like Veolia, and from trash pick-up, and to bring utilities decisions to transparent, public participation. Only through public power over public utilities can we guarantee a transition to truly renewable and dependable services.