The rent is too damn high. Most New Yorkers spend more on rent than anything else. I’ve experienced that struggle — time after time I had to move around the LES just to be able to afford to stay in the community I love.

Affordable housing is essential to the safety and dignity of all people. As the Chair of Community Board 3, I’ve advocated for increasing the supply of affordable housing, protecting existing affordable housing like HDFCs and rent stabilized units, and I’ve successfully worked to expand the number of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) in District 2, which has seen the most growth of CLTs compared to any other area in New York City. Working in a coalition with community groups and elected officials, I’ve helped secure hundreds of affordable and supportive housing units, and I won’t stop there.

We need comprehensive solutions that make our housing stock affordable, accessible, sustainable, and secure.

I am the only candidate in this race who has committed to hiring a full time housing organizer in my office who will work with residents to expand tenant power, ensure your home is livable, and that your repairs are completed.

Further, If elected as your next Councilmember, I will also work to:

Preserve and Expand Affordable and Public Housing: Whether it’s nonprofit housing providers, NYCHA, Community Land Trusts (CLT’s), Housing Development Fund Cooperations (HDFC), or limited equity cooperatives, I’ll work to build resident power by expanding funding and legislation for programs that keep housing permanently affordable and off the speculative market.

Develop Local Green Affordable Housing Projects: Council District 2 is a waterfront community that has faced more than its fair share of pollution and environmental problems over the years. As your Councilmember, I am committed to building at least 400 units of green and affordable housing on our local public land that not only addresses our housing shortage but also fights climate change and creates good union jobs. I will champion these local green affordable housing projects that put community voices at the forefront and ensure long-term affordability, climate resilience, and economic security for all residents.

Homeownership Opportunities: I will work to increase Housing Preservation and Development programs to help low- and moderate-income families purchase homes, including expanding down payment assistance and homebuyer education programs. As Councilmember, I will work toward expanding the Mitchell-Llama program and other programs so that middle-income families can afford to live in our city.

Tenant Protections: I will work to strengthen tenant protections against eviction, harassment, and displacement, including the expansion of the Right to Counsel. I will work to reform and remove barriers to housing vouchers, making it easier for property owners and tenants to rent homes. 

Expanding Senior Housing: Our seniors laid the foundation of the beautiful city we know today, but many struggle to afford to stay here. I will work to ensure seniors can stay in their communities under safe, accessible, and livable conditions, by expanding our senior affordable housing programs. I’ll work to double the baseline of accessible units for people with mobility, visual, and hearing disabilities throughout all new developments.

Fight for a Rent Freeze: More than two million New Yorkers live in a rent-stabilized unit, but under the current mayor, their rent has increased by 9%. Our city is becoming more and more expensive and the drastic rise in costs calls for necessary measures to ensure New Yorkers can afford to live here. As Councilmember, I’ll push the mayor and their appointees to the Rent Guidelines Board to freeze the rent for all rent-stabilized tenants.

Create a Registry of Vacant Units: There are thousands of vacant units in New York City yet we currently do not maintain a comprehensive public registry of these vacant residential units. A registry will empower the City Council to hold landlords accountable to rent out their apartments to New Yorkers. I will work to create incentives for landlords to maintain affordable rents and will work to impose escalating fines on landlords who warehouse these units. We must create pathways for low and extremely low income households to receive these units and I will work to do that.

By implementing these policies, we can ensure that New York City remains an affordable and inclusive place for all residents, regardless of income.

As a resident of the waterfront and member of LES Ready, our local disaster preparedness group, I understand the need for climate justice. I am the candidate in this race most committed to climate justice and resilience — that’s why I’m the only person endorsed by the Sierra Club.

As Councilmember, I’ll work to ensure effective solutions to combating, adapting, and mitigating the climate crisis for all residents of District 2, especially communities who have experienced environmental racism by:

Advocating for a Green New Deal for New York City: Our city is expected to lose over 80,000 homes by 2040 due to climate change. We need a Green New Deal now and I’ll work with all levels of government to make this a reality, from investing in green, union jobs to improving resilient infrastructure.

Updating Systems and Expanding Dignified Cooling Center: I’ll work with LES ready, to expand dignified cooling centers during extreme heat emergencies, and assure that all seniors have access. I’ll also work to improve HVAC systems in schoolswhich will improve air quality for our community’s children while lowering the energy costs of running our schools.

Implementing Green Infrastructure Projects: The LES is extremely vulnerable to flooding. As part of the long term and adaptive Resilient Neighborhoods program, I’ll work to double down on flood mitigation strategies like installing bioswales, green channels which slow and absorb waterflow, at every bus stop. I will also audit the use of impenetrable surfaces and will promote the use of permeable pavement, which will help our streets absorb flooding, in new and existing developments.

Transitioning from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy: I’ll work to improve indoor air quality, reduce city transportation emissions, improve electric vehicle infrastructure, and continue implementing building emission reductions through sustainable and cost effective improvements by supporting subsidies and incentives to transition our buildings to full green energy use.

Promoting Green Spaces: Our community has a long history of grassroots-led greenspaces that provide valuable services to people of all ages. I will work with organizations that support urban greenspaces such as the Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens, so as to ensure their future presence and growth in our community. I will also ensure that our neighborhood’s green spaces, parks, community gardens, and open spaces are well maintained to address and provide reprieve from the increasing frequency and severity of heat waves.

Strengthening NYC as a Hub for Research on Climate Science, Justice, and Resilience: As a coastal urban center, NYC faces threats from rising sea levels and increasing flooding – District 2 has some of the most flood-prone areas in Manhattan. While NYC has global leaders in climate science, urban science, and policy, many often work separately. I will leverage our existing expertise and build on recent collaborations, such as the New York Climate Exchange, to develop the city as a global model for coastal urban resilience.  

Lowering the environmental impact of the food system: Each year, about 20,000 pounds of unrecyclable plastic foodware is discarded in NYC. With the advent of city-wide municipal composting, I will work to ensure that city entities can easily replace plastic trash with compostable alternatives. 

We all deserve to feel safe, whether in our homes, on our streets, on the subway, or while enjoying our public spaces. Right now, too many New Yorkers don’t feel that way. 

Our system isn’t working, but together we can fix it. We need to reject the idea that we can either work on immediate solutions or address the underlying issues. Instead, we must take a holistic approach that does both, because when we invest in real community support and solutions that work, we build a safer, stronger, more compassionate and more livable New York — for all of us. 

If elected, I will prioritize:

Homelessness: We need real support and real options for those facing homelessness. That means investing in housing with wrap-around services and single-occupancy shelter spaces. We must also work overtime to keep people in their homes in the first place by addressing our affordability crisis and expanding the Right-to-Counsel program. Through these initiatives, we can work to compassionately eliminate homelessness.

Mental Health: I will treat public health as a foundation of public safety — because a safer, more livable New York starts with real investment in care, prevention, and belonging at the neighborhood level — not just short-term fixes. We see the acute mental health crisis in our public spaces like our subway system, and I’m committed to expanding emergency mental health crisis response teams to prevent tragedies from happening. When we invest in programs to treat mental health and addiction issues, we aren’t just creating a healthier New York, we’re creating a safer one. 

Hate Violence Prevention and Victim Support Services: We must increase funding for hate violence prevention programs, and aim to proactively address and reduce instances of hate crimes through education and community engagement. We must enhance victim services to provide comprehensive support for individuals affected by crimes, focusing on healing and restoration. 

Community Based Strategies: We need to ensure our law enforcement officers have the resources to reduce crime, but we also need to recognize that not every emergency is best handled by police. We need to invest in social workers who can work with the police to help de-escalate situations and keep everyone safer. 

Additionally, I will work to implement increased community-based policing strategies that are proven to build trust between law enforcement and the neighborhoods they’re serving, with a focus on transparency, accountability, and non-discriminatory practices. From reallocating the number of officers on foot and bike patrols to help ensure they’re forming real relationships within the community to ensuring accountability, we can follow the data to a safer New York.

E-bike and Pedestrian Safety: We need to ensure that bikes and e-bikes are following the rules to promote safe streets for all of us. By increasing education around traffic rules, enforcing existing regulations fairly, and building infrastructure to support the increasing number of businesses and families relying on e-bikes, we will ensure the safety of everyone on our streets.

New York’s soul is at stake. As the cost of living skyrockets, the very people who make this city vibrant — artists, cultural workers, educators, and everyday families — are being priced out. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy or lucky to live here, let alone create here. And when access to the arts becomes a luxury, we all lose.

Art isn’t a frill — it shapes our neighborhoods, our classrooms, our safety, and our economy. The data proves it: in NYC, access to arts and culture is linked to an 18% drop in serious crime. In District 2 alone, over 145 cultural organizations offer more than 22,000 programs annually — most of them free. And arts and culture generate $22 billion a year for our city, employing over 10,000 people in our district in real, often unionized, working-class jobs.

I’ve worked to defend the culture of our neighborhoods for over a decade. As a leader and advocate, I’ve fought to expand access to public funding, stood with freelancers demanding enforcement of the Freelance Isn’t Free Act, and partnered with grassroots organizations to secure resources for artists, mutual aid groups, and community educators. I have collaborated with visionary artists and leaders who weave together our cultural legacies with grassroots organizing, lifting up the working class, our seniors, individuals with disabilities, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

In City Hall, I’ll continue fighting for a city where cultural vitality is not just preserved — but expanded. If elected, I’ll champion:

Support for Freelancers and Independent Workers: Roughly 30% of NYC’s small business workforce are freelancers — including many artists, writers, and educators. I’ll advocate for timely pay, access to healthcare, legal protections, and prompt payment policies across city agencies. These workers don’t just deserve fairness — they power our cultural and creative economy.

Portable Benefits: Freelancers deserve stability. I’ll push to implement portable benefits for independent workers — including healthcare and unemployment insurance — and collaborate with the Freelancers Union, labor allies, and experts to build an actionable rollout plan that works for our city.

Universal Access to Arts Education: Every child deserves access to arts and culture. I’ll invest in school partnerships with community-based arts institutions, particularly in underserved areas, to restore robust arts education and open doors to creative careers for young New Yorkers.

Equitable Career Pathways in the Arts: Cultural jobs should be accessible to all — not just the privileged few. I’ll fight to expand workforce pipelines that connect young people, immigrants, and marginalized New Yorkers with real opportunities in the arts and culture sector, from backstage to boardroom.

Supporting our artistic and cultural sector means protecting the workers who power New York’s cultural vibrancy, innovation economy, and care networks. Culture policy is affordability policy. It is economic policy. It is public health and safety. And if elected, I will govern like it.

I want families to be able to raise their children in our city. To do that, we need quality, affordable, and accessible childcare.

As a Councilmember, I will work to:

Close the Gaps in Access to Family Support Programs: Childcare is astronomically unaffordable for families across income levels. I will push for updated eligibility standards that reflect the real cost of living in our city, so every family has access to affordable childcare. 

Expand Extracurricular Opportunities: After school and summer programs help keep our kids engaged, safe, and growing. Every child, regardless of their family’s income, deserves access to these opportunities. I will champion the creation and expansion of free, accessible after-school programs that provide academic support and creative outlets. I am also dedicated to expanding the Summer Youth Employment Program, which gives teens the chance to gain first-hand experience in the workforce and explore their career options.

Our parks are essential public spaces that support health, safety, and community, but too many neighborhoods still lack access to high-quality green space. 

As your next Councilmember, I will work to:

Reclaim and Reinvest in Community Resources: I will champion investment in better maintenance, lighting, and public restrooms, while addressing urgent safety and rat control issues. In addition, Parks Department buildings should be renovated for public benefit. I’ll fight to turn these spaces into active community hubs with programming for children, seniors, and families. 

Support Urban Nature: In high-density areas, it’s important to be creative with how we incorporate nature into public spaces. I will help to integrate nature into our existing environment so that all people can have access to greenery.

Center the Community: Parks, sports fields, and public art should serve and reflect our community’s unique needs. I will champion local nonprofits’ access to park space and athletic fields, and solicit community input on public art installations.

Great schools build strong communities. Every child deserves a great education in a well-resourced, supportive, and inspiring environment. As your next Councilmember, I will fight to make sure every school is equipped to meet the needs of every student.

I will do this by working to:

Fully Funded Schools: Our students must be prepared to fully engage with a changing world, no matter their background or upbringing. We must ensure all our schools are fully funded with updated infrastructure and extensive resources. I am committed to working to bridge the gaps that hinder the success of all our students.

Close the Opportunity Gaps: Students need more than just textbooks. I’ll fight for increased funding for Universal Pre-K, after-school programs, and classroom technology, to ensure that students receive the academic experience that they deserve.

Ensure Schools are Not Overenrolled City Wide: When schools are overenrolled, students have less access to individual help and resources, and staff are stretched too thin. I will work towards addressing this issue and ensuring our teachers and our students can thrive in their classrooms.

Quality Education: I’ll advocate for full staffing in every school, with a particular focus on hiring bilingual educators and male teachers to better reflect and support our student populations. I will also fight to expand professional development and special education training. Our teachers prepare our youth for the future and we must fully support them.

Our City’s seniors deserve more than just respect – they deserve real investment in the programs and services that support healthy, independent aging. Too many older New Yorkers are facing isolation, inaccessible housing, and shrinking resources.

As your next Councilmember, I will:

Expand Senior Services: We must ensure that every senior has access to the care and community they need. I will push for an increased investment in the Department for the Aging, and expanded hospice, home care, and legal services.

Support Aging-in-Place: As the city grows more expensive, long-time New Yorkers – especially seniors – are finding it harder to remain in their homes. I will fight to ensure that older residents can age safely and comfortably in their homes by supporting permits for renovations in rent-regulated walk-up apartments and protecting seniors from landlords looking to displace them.

Every New Yorker deserves access to affordable, high quality, easily accessible healthcare. 

As the Chair of Community Board 3, I know how deeply our community was impacted by Albany’s failure to save Mount Sinai Beth Israel.  This moment demands new leaders who are ready to make the swift, comprehensive changes that address our urgent issues.
As a City Councilmember, I will work to:

Restore Healthcare Access: The closing of Beth Israel left a massive gap in our local health system. I will work to restore access to healthcare in our district by working with the city and local organizations to reinstate vital services to our district, and expand the number of hospice and emergency unit beds. 

Fully Funded Public Hospitals: Our public health systems are the bedrock of our city. I will fight to ensure we are addressing our staff shortages and that we are fully funding our healthcare centers and systems.

By implementing these efforts, we can work towards a future where every New Yorker, regardless of income, has access to high quality healthcare.

Reliable, safe, and accessible public transit is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. But for many New Yorkers, our transit system falls short. Stations are too far, buses are unreliable, and streets are increasingly unsafe. We need bold, local solutions that make our streets safer and our commutes smoother.

As your next Councilmember, I will:

Modernize Public Transit: New Yorkers deserve both quality and quantity. I will push for cleaner, better maintained trains, buses, and stations. I will fight so that no one in our community is left without a viable public transport option.

Prioritize Transit Accessibility: In order to be truly public, public transit must be accessible. I’ll advocate for stronger parking enforcement at bus stops so that riders with wheelchairs and walkers can safely board. I will also continue to fight for elevators at each of our subway stations.

Reimagine Our Streets: Our streets must work for everyone. I support a comprehensive analysis of the streets in our district, so that we can redesign our community in a way that truly meets all our needs by expanding pedestrian space, clearer signage, smarter parking, dedicated bike lanes, and secure bike storage.

New York City has always been a city of immigrants. I stand with our immigrant communities, especially against the hostile attacks from our federal administration. Especially in this moment, we must lead with compassion, clarity, and action.

As your next Councilmember, I will work to: 

Fight to Expedite Local Workforce Authorizations: The city has wasted millions on irresponsible and expensive vendors, and immigrant families and children have been subject to instability and homelessness, causing lower quality of life for all people. Newly arrived immigrants want to work, and our city has floundered in facilitating and expediting that process. As your Councilmember, I will work with the Mayor and the Government to authorize local work authorizations. More jobs and workforce = lower costs of goods.

Foster Clearer Communication and Stronger Partnerships: The city must communicate clearly and consistently with the public, while taking advantage of all of the resources at its disposal. As an experienced community leader, I will champion stronger partnerships between the city and trusted local non-profit organizations.

Help Immigrants Find Stability: Immigrants deserve a chance to build a stable future. I will also work with my future colleagues to identify and survey areas in the city that need city workers and identify longer term housing opportunities, and not shelters, so that immigrants can settle into our city as they have for generations. I will also work with regional governments and localities to coordinate resettlement more effectively. I will also push for school support services, to help newly arrived children succeed in the classroom.

Women’s rights are under attack across the country. As a City Councilmember, I will work to ensure that women in New York are safe, respected, and have access to equal opportunities.

As your next Councilmember, I will: 

Protect Reproductive Rights: Reproductive freedom is non-negotiable. In order to protect New Yorkers against the federal attacks on abortion, I will work to increase funding for the City’s Abortion Access Hub, which provides free information about how women can safely and affordably access reproductive health services across New York City. I will also champion protections for reproductive healthcare providers, such as bolstering clinic protections and establishing a legal defense fund, to ensure that New York remains a safe haven for bodily autonomy. 

Fight for Families: Early childhood education makes it easier to raise a family, and it returns billions of dollars to the economy. As Councilmember, I will strengthen our early childcare system by making it available from birth to age five, streamlining the application process, and identifying high need areas for new care centers. 

Address Gender-Based Violence: Gender-based violence is a crisis that threatens women’s safety, dignity, and full participation in society—especially for working-class women and women of color. The NYC Commission on Human Rights plays a vital role in combating this injustice. As a Councilmember, I will advocate for increased funding to support thorough investigations of discrimination complaints and ensure strong enforcement of penalties. I will also work to expand access to essential resources, including shelters, legal aid, financial assistance, and mental health services.

Champion Working Women: As a Councilmember, I will level the playing field by working to close the wage gap for women of color, encouraging wage transparency, and fighting for flexible work policies. 

Uplift Female Leaders: District 2 has a proud legacy of strong Latin female leadership. I’ve collaborated with community organizations across our district to champion programs that develop young women’s leadership skills and equip them to advocate for their communities. As a City Councilmember, I will expand access to these programs citywide. I am also committed to advancing gender equity by recruiting and appointing women to leadership roles on community boards and in public institutions like the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

I have been commitedly fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights for years — from building partnerships with the Audre Lorde Project and Visual AIDS to being the only candidate who protested alongside activists against NYU Langone’s attempts to stop gender-based care. That’s why I’m the only candidate endorsed by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club.

We need bold voices to counter Trump’s attacks on trans people — and if elected, I am ready to fight against him and work to ensure LGBTQIA+ folks are protected.

As a City Councilmember, I will work to:

Protect Access to LGBTQIA+ Healthcare: As the federal government attacks queer people, I will champion their physical wellbeing by supporting accessible, citywide access to gender reaffirming healthcare and expansive sexual education. 

Preserve LGBTQIA+ History and Culture: District 2 includes critical sites of LGBTQIA+ cultural history. From the East Village’s drag and punk movements, to community spaces such as the Bureau of General Services - Queer Division, to housing co-ops and performance venues where queer and trans artists built power. I will fight to landmark these spaces, protect them from displacement, and fund new generations of queer cultural expression.

Support Queer Arts, Small Businesses, and Community Spaces: From nightlife to neighborhood bookstores, LGBTQIA+ cultural institutions are critical to the vitality of our community. I will work to expand arts funding for queer artists and organizations, and advocate for zoning and small business support that ensures our community spaces continue to thrive.

Expand Safety and Wellness for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers: Our LGBTQIA+ neighbors deserve to feel safe, affirmed, and supported on the street, at school, at home, and in every other aspect of our city. I will push for targeted investments in LGBTQIA+ youth programming, trans-inclusive public services, and stronger anti-hate crime response efforts, centered on culturally competent training and community-led safety initiatives.

These efforts are about more than protection; they’re about building a city where LGBTQIA+ communities are celebrated, supported, and given the resources necessary to thrive.

Third spaces — libraries, cultural centers, gardens, and community hubs — are where people gather, organize, create, and belong. They’re the heartbeat of any neighborhood. But as our city becomes more unaffordable, we’re losing more and more of these vital spaces to speculation and neglect. We need to protect what’s left — and rebuild what’s been lost.

Fighting to Restore CHARAS/El Bohio: The loss of CHARAS/El Bohio was a deep wound to our community. It wasn’t just a building — it was a home for arts, organizing, culture, and care. In a moment when public and community spaces are under threat across the city, we must fight to reclaim them.

I’ve spent over a decade working to expand access to community programming, and many years stewarding a building and community center created by the same architect, CBJ Snyder. I will champion the full return of CHARAS to community control, and support youth development programming that is sorely needed since the 2020 loss of the Boys’ Club. 

Restoring and Protecting Library Funding: Libraries are among our last truly public spaces — places where anyone can learn, gather, access services, or simply find a moment of peace. The recent cuts to library funding and reduced hours are unacceptable. I will fight to restore full funding for our libraries and protect them from future austerity measures. These are not luxuries — they are lifelines.

Everything – from transit to housing – should be equitably accessible to everyone no matter their ability. To achieve this, disability justice must be integrated into all of our policy and our solutions. As Councilmember, I will treat disability rights as an integral aspect of all policymaking – not an afterthought.

Accessible Transit Now: Only 3 in 10 subway stations in New York City are accessible — and that’s unacceptable. This not only limits mobility, it pushes disabled New Yorkers further from affordable housing and community. I will fight for full accessibility, including elevators, ramps, and platform upgrades, and demand timelines that meet the urgency of our people's needs.

Emergency Preparedness for All: No one should be left behind during a crisis. I’ll push for legislation that requires residential and commercial buildings to have clear, inclusive emergency plans that center disabled residents — because safety must be universal.

Dignity in Work: We must go beyond quotas. I’ll fight for hiring practices that not only include disabled workers, but ensure fair wages, accommodations, and real opportunities for advancement across both public and private sectors.

Accessible Affordable Housing: Housing is a human right — and that includes accessible housing. I’ll work to expand affordable, accessible units citywide and ensure disabled New Yorkers can live independently, safely, and with dignity in every neighborhood.

With the cost of living on the rise, more and more New Yorkers are struggling to put food on the table. As the Chair of Manhattan Community Board 3, I’ve been proud to work with a variety of organizations that provide essential meals to those in need. I will continue to champion this cause as a City Councilmember by expanding access to food benefits and supporting the local charities that keep our communities fed.

Our city is under attack — and we’re one of Trump’s major targets. We need strong leaders who have the political will to go head to head with Trump and his cronies. I am that fighter.

I have been on the ground, attending protests, pushing back against Trump’s authoritarian attempts and if elected to the City Council, I will continue being a bold voice protecting our district and our communities.