This post got your attention, so yes, the press that results from the City Council meetings is one example of why constituent advocacy is important. Unless you attend the meetings you might not yet be aware of the following:

• Portside tenants are bringing awareness about Jersey City's rent control law, Chapter 260, to fellow JC tenants. The amount of misinformation about rent control exemptions, even here on Reddit, is astounding. Even city agencies may not be giving tenants correct, lawful information.
• Portside tenants are striving to teach other tenants how to organize their own tenant associations. Forming a tenant association is an added layer of protection while tenants fight for their rights (see NJSA 2A:42-10.10).
• Portside tenants are teaching other tenants how to determine whether a mutli-family building within JC has a proper exemption, no matter what a building's owners may say on tenant leases. Behaving 'as if' one is exempt from rent control is not uncommon. Tenants should know that it is illegal and there is a process to defend themselves.

City Council members and even Hudson County officials/candidates are paying attention. The consistent, growing number of tenants who have been showing up at City Council meetings is bringing awareness for increased transparency related to lawful exemptions from rent control. No one tenant needs to feel alone anymore. And where there's increased transparency, we can expect a decrease in nefarious actions against tenants by bad actor landlords. It's been less than five months since Portside tenants went public with their fight for tenant rights...there's so much more organizing in the works.

If you are interested in learning more about what has been accomplished, you can DM me. You can also follow Portside tenants on Twitter (@RentControlJC).

Disclaimer: I am not an attorney