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Non-profit

Citizen Action of New Jersey

Parent Organization: People’s Action
Website:

njcitizenaction.org
Location:

NEWARK, NJ
Tax ID:

22-2395222
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Budget (2017):

Revenue: $745,092
Expenses: $611,601
Assets: $545,371
Formation:

1985
Type:

Non-profit
Executive Director:

Phyliss Salowe-Kaye
Executive Director's Salary:

$129,010

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) is a state affiliate of the now defunct Citizen Action, a national left-of-center voter mobilization and community organizing group. Citizen Action of New Jersey works in tandem with its sister 501(c)(3) group, New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund to conduct left-progressive advocacy and social service organization that is involved with issues like healthcare, housing, the environment, and increasing the minimum wage, among others. 1 Through its political action committee, NJCA is able to endorse and support candidates that can further its progressive policy agenda.

NJCA supports a number of progressive and left-of-center policies, which include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare),2 a $15 minimum wage,3 and automatic voter registration. 4 NJCA supports an aggressive environmentalist climate change policy and criticized former Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) for taking NJ out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). 5

Activities

NJCA focuses its left-progressive advocacy on issues like health care, housing, environmentalism, and increasing the minimum wage. 6 NJCA is a supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,7 advocates for a $15 minimum wage throughout New Jersey along with paid sick day and secure choice retirement mandates,8 and is actively campaigning to overturn the Citizens United decision of 2010 that recognized the rights of people to form advocacy groups to make public, un-coordinated messages supporting or opposing political candidates. 9 NJCA also supports the New Jersey Democracy Act, which would implement automatic voter registration and allow for early voting. 10

NJCA supports environmentalist climate change policy and wants New Jersey to eliminate conventional fuels in favor of renewable energies. NJCA criticized former Governor Chris Christie for taking NJ out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and claims that Christie defunded renewable energy development and did not properly implement the 2007 Global Warming Response Act. 11

NJCA provides assistance to low-income residents with free tax preparation, mortgage and financial advice, healthcare sign-up, and other educational outreach programs. 12 In conjunction with these services, NJCA supports policies like the Community Reinvestment Act13 and the Preserving American Homeownership Act. 14

People

Phyllis Salowe-Kaye

Executive director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye formerly served as a trustee of the NJ Teacher’s Pension and Annuity Fund, on the Federal Reserve Community Advisory Council (CAC), the NJ Department of Banking urban task force, the NJ Housing Tasking Force, and on the tenant/landlord division of the NJ Superior Court. 15 Salowe-Kaye is also the executive director of the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund. 16

Board of Directors

The board is co-chaired by Paulette Eberle and David Weiner,17 the president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 108118

Secretary Richard Smith is the president of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference. 19

Bruce Davis serves as Smith’s alternate. Davis is the executive director of the New Jersey Foundation for Non Profits, serves as the chair of the Economic Development Committee of the NJ NAACP, and is the former executive director of New Jersey Prepared to Vote. 20

Treasurer Marcia Marley is the founder and executive director of BlueWave NJ and the chair of the board of trustees of New Jersey Policy Perspective,21 a left-of-center policy organization that is a member of the union-aligned Economic Analysis and Research Network. 22

Milly Silva is the executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (UHE). 23

Rex Reid is the political and legislative representative of AFSCME NJ Council 63. 24

Vic De Luca is a founding board member of NJCA, the president of Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, and serves on the Committee on Family Philanthropy at the Council on Foundations. De Luca has formerly served on the boards of Philanthropy New York, Funders for Reproductive Equity, and the Diversity in Philanthropy Project. De Luca is the former mayor of Maplewood, New Jersey. 25

Hetty Rosenstein is an organizing director at Communications Workers of America (CWA) District 1. 26 Rosenstein’s alternate, Seth Hahn, was the NJ legislative and political director for Communications Workers of America (CWA) and treasurer of the CWA PAC before joining NJ United. Hahn serves on the board of the Working Families Alliance, is a former national field director for the National Association of Letter Carriers, and served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention pledged to Bernie Sanders in 2016. 27

Staci Berger is the president and CEO of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, a former political and legislative director for NJCA, a former associate trainer for the Midwest Academy, and a former labor organizer with both the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute (OI) and Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE). 28 Berger’s alternate, Arnold Cohen, is a senior policy advisor for the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey and serves on the board of the Anti-Poverty Network (APN). 29

Raymond Ocasio is the executive director of La Casa de Don Pedro and serves on the board of the Newark Trust for Education. 30

Marie Blistan is the president of the New Jersey Education Association. Blistan serves on the finance committee of the Work Environment Council and on the boards of EMERGE NJ and the Women’s Political Caucus of NJ, and was a founding member of the New Jersey Labor Management Collaborative. 31 Blistan’s alternate, Fran Pfeffer, is the associate director of government relations at the New Jersey Education Association.

Mitch Kahn is the president of City Green, the vice president and an organizer with the New Jersey Tenants Organization, and the former chair of Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) at the National Association of Social Workers. 32 Kahn’s alternate, Matt Shapiro, is the President of the New Jersey Tenants Organization. 33

Board of Trustees

Kevin Brown is the New Jersey state director of 32BJ SEIU and vice president of its executive board. Brown sits on the boards of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice and BlueWave NJ and as the co-chair of the Working Families Alliance PAC. 34

Donna Chiera is the president of the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey. Chiera serves on the board of Working Families United for New Jersey and on the executive board of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. 35

Wayne Smith is the chair of the Black Urban Alliance, the African American Chamber of Commerce of NY/NJ, and the Minority Business Brain Trust’s Legislative Task Force. Smith formerly served on the board of the Center for Urban Education. 36

Margot Riphagen is the executive director of the Committee of Interns and Residents at SEIU Healthcare. Riphagen is a former field director for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), a former field coordinator for AFSCME, and a former organizing coordinator for SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana (SEIU HCII). 37

Tim Haresign is president of the Council of New Jersey State College Locals and a higher education vice president with the American Federation of Teachers New Jersey. 38 Haresign’s alternate, Bennett Muraskin, is a staff representative for the Council of New Jersey State College Locals. 39

Ken McNamara is the president of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1037. 40

Christian Fuscarino is the executive director of Garden State Equality, the founder and former chair of the Pride Network, a former communications director for Education Alliance, a former digital strategist for Bend the Arc, and a communications apprentice for GLSEN. 41

Luther Flurry formerly served in executive positions with Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS), the Heron Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the Citizens Committee for New York City. 42

Ann Twomey is the vice president of the American Federation of Teachers, former president of Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), and former vice president of the New Jersey AFL-CIO. 43 Twomey’s alternate, Bridget Devane, is the director of public policy for HPAE. 44

Kevin McCarthy is the maintenance chair of the board of IFPTE Local 194. 45

Joseph Della Fave is the executive director of the Ironbound Community Corporation and serves on the board of the Newark Trust for Education. 46

Christian Estevez is the executive vice president of Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 1037 and former education training coordinator for the New Jersey State AFL-CIO. Estevez is the president of the Latino Action Network and former executive vice president of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey. 47 Estevez’s alternate, Daniel Santo Pietro, serves on the board of the Latino Action Network (LAN) and formerly served as LAN’s public policy chair. 48

Gordon MacInnes is a senior distinguished fellow and the former president of New Jersey Policy Perspective. MacInnes formerly served as a Democrat in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature; former worked for the New Jersey Network, the Fund for New Jersey, and Citizens for Better Schools; and was formerly a fellow at the Century Foundation. 49

John Abeigon is the president of the Newark Teachers Union. 50

Lewis Hurd is the director of development for the Housing Authority of Plainfield, New Jersey and a former housing and banking organizer for NJCA. 51

Christine Sadovy is the chief of staff of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. Sadovy is a former legislative and political director for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, a former advocacy director for Planned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern New Jersey, and a former organizing representative for the Sierra Club. 52

Patrick Nowlan is the executive director of Rutgers AAUP-AFT, a former organizer for the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, and the founder of the Rutgers University Progressive Alumni Network. Nowlan serves on the American Federation of Teachers committee of the national Fund Our Future campaign. 53

Funding

NJCA received $65,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2017. 54

References

  1. “About NJCA.” New Jersey Citizen Action, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=43.
  2. “Health Care.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=139.
  3. “Good Jobs.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=141.
  4. “Voting Rights.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020.  https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=697.
  5. “Climate and Clean Energy.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=718.
  6. “About NJCA.” New Jersey Citizen Action, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=43.
  7. “Health Care.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=139.
  8. “Good Jobs.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=141.
  9. “Money in Politics.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=145.
  10. “Voting Rights.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020.  https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=697.
  11. “Climate and Clean Energy.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=718.
  12. “Services.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=55.
  13. “Community Reinvestment (CRA).” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=196.
  14. “Fighting for Foreclosure Prevention.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=675.
  15. Rinde, Meir. “Profile: She’s Working for Progressive Change at the Grassroots Level.” NJ Spotlight, March 17, 2016. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.njspotlight.com/2016/03/16-03-15-profile-she-works-for-progressive-change-at-the-grassroots-level/.
  16. “Staff and Offices.” New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcaef.org/?page_id=176.
  17. “NJCA Boards.” New Jersey Citizen Action, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://njcitizenaction.org/?page_id=554.
  18. “David Weiner.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-weiner-81a2b06/.
  19. “Leadership.” NAACP NJ State Conference. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://www.njscnaacp.org/leadership/.
  20. “Bruce Davis.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-davis-397a2b21/.
  21. “Who We Are.” New Jersey Policy Perspective, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.njpp.org/about/who-we-are.
  22. Watson, Michael. “State Policy with the Union Label: The Economic Analysis and Research Network,” November 5, 2018. https://capitalresearch.org/article/state-policy-with-the-union-label-the-economic-analysis-and-research-network/.
  23. “Leadership.” 1199SEIU, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.1199seiu.org/leadership.
  24. “Your AFSCME NJ Team.” AFSCME New Jersey Council 63. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.afscmenj.org/about-us/your-afscme-nj-team.
  25. “Vic De Luca.” National Center for Family Philanthropy.” Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.ncfp.org/people/vic-de-luca/.
  26. “Hetty Rosenstein.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/hetty-rosenstein-99395819/.
  27. Wildstein, David. “Seth Hahn departing CWA for Coughlin-aligned group.” New Jersey Globe, September 27, 2019. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://newjerseyglobe.com/fr/seth-hahn-departing-cwa-for-coughlin-aligned-group/.
  28. “Network Staff.” Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.hcdnnj.org/staff.
  29. “Network Staff.” Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.hcdnnj.org/staff.
  30. “Board.” The Newark Trust for Education. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://www.newarktrust.org/board_members_newark_trust.
  31. “President.” New Jersey Education Association, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.njea.org/about/leadership/president/.
  32. “Mitchell Kahn.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchell-kahn-0b120b6/.
  33. “Legislative.” New Jersey Tenants Organization.” Accessed July 24, 2020. http://njtenantsorg.homestead.com/LEGISLATIVE.html.
  34. “Kevin Brown.” 32BJ SEIU. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.seiu32bj.org/kevin-brown/.
  35. “Donna M. Chiera.”  American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, AFL-CIO, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://aftnj.org/about-aftnj/leadership/executive-officers/donna-m-chiera/.
  36. “Biography.” Wayne Smith, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://waynesmith1.com/about/.
  37. “Margot R.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/riphagen/.
  38. “Tim Haresign.”  American Federation of Teachers New Jersey, AFL-CIO, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://aftnj.org/about-aftnj/leadership/vice-presidents-higher-education/tim-haresign/.
  39. “Council Staff.” Council of New Jersey State College Locals. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://www.cnjscl.org/Staff.html.
  40. “CWA Local 1037 Staff.” CWA Local 1037. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.cwa1037.org/about-us/cwa-local-1037-staff/.
  41. “Christian Fuscarino.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fuscarino/.
  42. “Luther Flurry.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lutherflurry/.
  43. “Ann Twomey.” American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.aft.org/about/leadership/ann-twomey.
  44. “Staff Directory.” Health Professionals and Allied Employees. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.hpae.org/our-union/state-officers-and-staff-directory/.
  45. “Contact Us.” IFPTE Local 194, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://local194.org/contact.html.
  46. “Board.” The Newark Trust for Education. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://www.newarktrust.org/board_members_newark_trust.
  47. “Christian Estevez.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-estevez-3409a229/.
  48. “Daniel Santo Pietro Refers to the ‘Destructive Dozen’ in His Testimony on Behalf of LAN to the New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.” Latino Action Network, March 20, 2013. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://latinoaction.blogspot.com/2013/03/daniel-santo-pietro-refers-to.html.
  49. “Gordon MacInnes.” New Jersey Policy Perspective, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.njpp.org/author/gordon.
  50. “Leadership.” Newark Teachers Union. Accessed July 24, 2020. http://newark.nj.aft.org/leadership.
  51. “Lewis Hurd.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-hurd-41a0b855/.
  52. “Christine Sadovy.” LinkedIn, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-sadovy-formerly-guhl-72531727/.
  53. “Patrick Nowlan.” The Forge, 2020. Accessed July 24, 2020. https://forgeorganizing.org/author/patrick-nowlan.
  54. Sixteen Thirty Fund, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: February 1, 1985

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2017 Dec Form 990 $745,092 $611,601 $545,371 $259,952 N $130,121 $609,562 $0 $129,010 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $527,342 $513,573 $417,826 $265,898 N $141,214 $380,205 $0 $150,055
    2015 Dec Form 990 $492,994 $453,051 $333,852 $195,693 N $102,811 $388,559 $0 $79,781 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $686,503 $760,357 $317,913 $219,697 N $99,464 $580,108 $0 $240,995 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $706,459 $662,165 $359,269 $187,199 N $83,616 $588,511 $0 $68,023 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $744,728 $712,929 $358,965 $231,189 N $52,226 $584,716 $0 $105,265 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $835,545 $868,352 $370,528 $274,551 N $207,947 $560,116 $0 $64,635 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    Citizen Action of New Jersey

    625 BROAD ST STE 270
    NEWARK, NJ 07102-4418