Dozens of Portside Towers tenants, tenant advocates and legal counsel urged the Jersey City council to compel enforcement after the state Department of Community Affairs found dozens to hundreds of building code violations at the large Portside apartment complex. Speakers said the city’s municipal prosecutor had pursued only a handful of citations despite what tenant groups say are many thousands of daily violations.

What tenants said: Multiple tenants and advocates said the building’s owner, Equity Residential, has repeatedly failed to meet city ordinances requiring a full‑time, on‑site superintendent for buildings with six or more units and 24‑hour uniform security for buildings with 100 or more units. Tenant organizer Daniel Feldman said residents had tracked “71,000 documented violations” across dozens of days and noted that the city had levied fines on only a small fraction of those infractions. “These ordinances remove that choice, and they replace selective enforcement with systematic accountability,” Feldman said in promoting recent ordinance proposals.

State findings and prosecutor response: Tenant speakers said the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) recorded more than 500 violations at Portside; one tenant speaker cited the figure 515 from the DCA report. Several speakers, including tenant advocate Shannon Ray, told the council the building’s management concealed DCA notices from residents for more than 200 days and that missing carbon monoxide detectors and nonworking bathroom vents persisted in many units. The municipal prosecutor’s approach was sharply criticized; several speakers said the prosecutor ultimately sought fines for “3 vents and a mattress,” a characterization they used to argue the city has failed to pursue the larger record of violations. Tenant speaker Bridal Coughlin directly addressed the prosecutor: “3 vents and a mattress, mister Hunton. That's your legacy unless you want to choose differently starting tomorrow.”

Council response and investigatory committee: In response to widespread public testimony, the council voted unanimously in a prior step to form a special investigative committee with subpoena power to compel testimony and documents from landlords and city officials. Committee members named in the hearing included council members Yousef Soleil, Frank Gilmore and Amy DeGees; the committee’s jurisdiction and subpoena authority were presented as tools to review rent rolls, documentation of superintendent employment, maintenance logs, municipal prosecutor records and contractor agreements that could show systemwide enforcement gaps.

Proposed ordinances and legal context: Councilmember Solomon introduced a set of enforcement ordinances (previously read as part of the council agenda) intended to make certain fines non‑waivable and to trigger daily penalties for prolonged violations. Tenants and advocates said the changes are necessary because existing enforcement practices have not compelled compliance for large corporate landlords.

Tenants’ requests: Speakers urged the committee to subpoena the complete DCA report, Equity Residential’s internal communications about DCA findings, rent rolls and lease records, and municipal‑prosecutor files explaining why some citations were not pursued. They also called for the city to begin daily fines where ordinances provide such penalties, to require the landlord to provide a full‑time superintendent and to implement 24/7 uniform security in the buildings.

Why it matters: Tenants said the issue is a test case for the city’s ability to enforce housing and safety ordinances against large corporate landlords. Advocates argued the result will set a precedent for tenants citywide.

Next steps: The investigative committee has subpoena power; tenants and advocates said they expect the committee to request documents and compel testimony promptly. Councilmembers said they will press for enforcement of existing codes while ordinances that strengthen penalties proceed through the legislative process.