VOTE411 Voter Guide

I’m a former tenant rights lawyer and current City Council member running for reelection to keep fighting for the place where I grew up and where I’m now raising my own family. My family was evicted from our home in Washington Heights when I was young, and we moved to the Upper West Side after my mom got a job at Zabar’s, where she still works today. Our experience has driven me to focus on several key issues: affordable housing, safer, cleaner streets, and health and mental health. I’ve secured funding for affordable housing, expanded access to free legal services, and fought bad landlords. As Chair of the Sanitation Committee, I’ve led efforts to containerize trash, restore composting, and cut rat sightings in half. And I’ve passed major laws to fight height and weight discrimination, make it easier to access mental health services, and help seniors age in place. I’m proud of what we’ve done—but there’s more work ahead.

Across all of our priority areas, I’m building on the progress we’ve made and pushing creative reforms. On housing, we need to build more affordable units, preserve existing homes, and expand paths to homeownership. I’ve approved new housing across the city, expanded access to rental vouchers, banned unfair broker fees, and stood up for HDFCs as a vital source of community stability. For cleaner streets, I led the city’s first residential trash containerization pilot, which we are spreading across the district and city. I restored composting programs and increased trash pickups near schools and parks–next, we have to support New Yorkers to pick up the composting habit. On health, I’ve led efforts to require hospital price transparency, expanded access to mental health care, hosted free mammogram events, and launched free sleep apnea screenings—an often overlooked condition that impacts thousands. The successful implementation of these laws and programs in the coming year will be key.

Next year, our city government will look different, with new agency leaders and likely a new mayor. In my first 100 days, I will prioritize the City Council’s oversight responsibilities and set expectations for our new partners in government. First, I’ll work with the next mayor to secure the long-promised affordable housing units at 100th Street and Amsterdam and identify underused sites for new development. Second, I’ll meet with the Sanitation Commissioner to identify opportunities to expand trash containerization, reduce street litter, and improve composting education. Third, I will coordinate with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to launch our sleep apnea screening and treatment program, secure more psychiatric beds, and support community-based mental health providers. Food access and nutrition education will also be a focus as we work to address health inequities at the root.

I want every single New Yorker to feel comfortable in our neighborhoods. That means that they have a stable, permanent home. When they walk outside, their street is clean. When they go to work, they are paid fairly and treated with dignity. When the school day ends, their child has an afterschool program to attend, and then they can come home to a healthy, affordable dinner. These should be the baseline quality of life in our city. But the absence of this basic level of comfort is fueling a mental health crisis and driving families to move out of our city.

Fear of change and bureaucratic inertia are our biggest enemies. Cities all over the world have containerized their trash successfully, but still people worry whether we can do it in New York. Shelters are much more expensive than permanent housing, yet we don’t build enough permanent housing for all of our families that need it. After school programs are much more effective at reducing juvenile crime than almost any other tool, yet we make it hard for parents to find them. We can’t be afraid to make changes to our neighborhoods, and we can’t accept leaders who won’t invest in the practices that make our city truly safer and more successful.

Fight Big Money in Politics End Homelessness with Housing Immigrant Rights & Support

Affordable Housing: We must invest in social housing programs, protect tenants, and ensure NYCHA receives more funding for repairs. I will make sure that new developments are truly affordable, and I’ll fight to strengthen rent control laws to keep our communities intact.

Immigration: New York thrives because of immigrants, and I understand the immigrant experience firsthand. I will increase funding for legal aid, support stable housing for migrants, and fight against policies that criminalize immigration status.

Homelessness: Too many people in crisis don’t get the care they need. Supportive housing is a proven solution. I will increase funding for permanent housing programs, expand mental health services like IMTs, and prevent evictions before they happen.

When I made the decision to run for City Council, I did it with one clear goal: to serve the people of District 7 with urgency, integrity, and courage. I know what it means to arrive in this city seeking a better life, and I know what it means to struggle to find stability. In my first 100 days, I will focus on three priorities that go directly to the heart of the challenges our neighbors face: housing, mental health and safety, and support for working families and immigrants.

To make New York City the first major city in America where no one is left without a home, access to healthcare, or quality education—proving that a city can work for working families, immigrants, and the middle class, not just the wealthy

City Hall and the Council are often gridlocked. Even good ideas can get buried under endless hearings, slow-moving committees, or opposition from leaders protecting the status quo. New York’s budget is already stretched, and every dollar is contested. Expanding supportive housing, mental health services, or small business relief requires serious investment.

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