'Jake For JC' Will Run For City Council Representing Jersey City Heights

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jake Ephros, who co-chaired the "Right to Counsel" movement to offer free help for Jersey City residents facing eviction last year, kicked off his City Council campaign this month, even though the election is a year and a half away.

Ephros is facing an uphill battle as a Democratic Socialist, but he thinks starting early will help.

The candidate, who lives in Jersey City Heights, is running for the Ward D council spot currently held by Yousef J. Saleh.

"Ephros is beginning a campaign not only to get elected, but to organize tenants and working families in the Heights and beyond," said campaign organizers.

Rents in nearby Jersey City and Hoboken have become among the highest in the country. And some of those rents have been found to run afoul of local laws.

“Jersey City should work for working people," Ephros said. “Our city has failed to support tenants fighting illegal rent hikes, stand up to corporate developers, fully fund and resource our schools, and—despite the cost of property taxes—deliver the public services we deserve like affordable transit and mental health crisis response. It’s time we stand up and take on the big business interests that bank on dividing us.”

Ephros works as a labor union organizer, organizing healthcare workers throughout New Jersey and New York.

He's endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in North New Jersey and Hudson County.

The Jersey City Right to Counsel Coalition, founded by DSA organizers and led by Ephros, was successful in expanding tenants' rights last year, noted Ephros' campaign.

“As a Democratic socialist, I believe housing is a human right, not some commodity for profit,” said Ephros, who is himself a renter. “Our campaign got legislation passed in City Hall, making sure renters can receive free legal services and defense in housing court to fight unfair evictions. We organized tenants across the city so that developers will be the first to pay up, bringing in millions to our city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund every year."

He added, "Now we need to set up Right to Counsel with full funding, enforce and expand rent control, and build dignified social housing.”

Find out more about Ephros here.