Candidates and Causes that Better Blocks is proud to endorse:
What to help us support candidates for office?
Mayor – Bill O’Dea
Better Blocks New Jersey is proud to endorse Bill O’Dea for mayor of Jersey City.
Bill O’Dea is the mayoral candidate we would like to see as Jersey City’s next mayor. On the issues Better Blocks New Jersey focuses on, especially housing, he is the least likely to implement harmful policies that would drive up rents and property taxes citywide. He is also among the most likely to expand housing options — both affordable and market-rate — and support the construction of new schools in Jersey City’s transit-rich and opportunity-rich downtown. O’Dea’s housing plan is more practical and he understands the intricacies of housing policy better than all the other candidates.
Read more here.
Jersey City Council
Better Blocks New Jersey is proud to endorse Denise Ridley (Ward A), Tom Zuppa (Ward C), Patrick Ambrossi (Ward D), Eleana Little (Ward E), and Kristen Zadroga-Hart and Daniel Rivera (At-large) due to their broad support for more housing. While note all candidates were perfectly aligned on what we would hope to see for safe streets initiatives — notably Councilman Rivera — they were all directionally supportive of Vision Zero. We hope to work with them on these issues if they’re elected to office.
Read more here.
All across New Jersey, housing prices have been skyrocketing, as there is a critical shortage of new homes to keep up with job and population growth. We need more housing to keep residents in our state and keep housing costs affordable to regular New Jerseyans. While many factors are to blame, single-stair reform is one proven remedy that lowers the cost of constructing new housing and advances more affordable and diverse housing options.
A2792/S2347 – Accessory Dwelling Units (a/k/a the “Granny Flat”)
New Jersey is facing a housing affordability crisis that can no longer be ignored. Skyrocketing rents, a shortage of options for seniors and young adults, and restrictive zoning laws have created a perfect storm of stagnation, exclusion, displacement. But the Legislature now has a real opportunity to move the state forward. The bill – currently pending before the state Assembly as A2792 and already been passed as S2347 in the Senate – would legalize accessory dwelling units (ADUs) statewide, giving homeowners more flexibility, renters more choices, and communities a much-needed boost in housing diversity. A2792 is co-sponsored by Hudson County Assemblyman John Allen (LD-32) and Assemblywoman Jessica Ramirez (LD-32), among others.