The Issues
Retail Business
There are far too many vacant storefronts in the 73rd District along major thoroughfares like Lexington and Madison Avenues. Every day when I leave my apartment, there is another vacant storefront in our neighborhood: small businesses and local stores are disappearing. The Upper East Side is known and valued for its character. We should be growing, not shrinking. At last count, the Upper East Side retail vacancy is 1 in every 8 storefronts. These vacancies leave our district's retail character, the driver of so much energy and life, in decay. We need policies that aid entrepreneurs in filling vacant storefronts, guided by leaders with first-hand knowledge of the effect of suffocation of retail business and unchecked overdevelopment. I plan to ensure more robust enforcement of an online retailers sales tax, reform the State Liquor Authority to rely more on community input while allowing a more standardized application process to make it easier to obtain permits, and incentivizing via tax credit for landlords to fill vacant storefronts. The Upper East Side is full of New Yorkers who take pride in their neighborhood and deserve to have a say in its future; as our sidewalks empty and the health of our community suffers, the need for immediate action only grows.
Congestion Pricing
Fixing Congestion Pricing is a crucial policy priority for me. The bill that the NYS Assembly passed last year is opaque and pushes the burden on Manhattanites instead of those in the suburbs who choose to drive into the city. The majority of New York City residents oppose this policy, set to go into effect one week after the general election in 2020. It will restrict our freedom of movement, and increase our cost-of-living. Congestion pricing will create a massive gridlock zone right above 60th street in the heart of District 73. With hundreds of new cars looking for parking every morning to avoid paying the proposed $11.52 fee, public space surrounding 60th street will only become more cluttered with motor vehicles. Furthermore, the congestion pricing plan would impact the 5 million delivery trucks that serve Manhattan south of 61st street and force businesses to raise prices on their goods. These trucks, which help deliver NYC residents one and a half million packages every day, would be hit with a flat fee of $25. Additionally, the lack of exemptions means that people within the zone or near it will bear the entire burden for a project to raise revenue that will benefit the entire city, region, and state. Meanwhile, I understand that the MTA needs additional funding and thus support alternative mechanisms, such as reinstating the commuter tax, which would protect the residents of our district.
Health Care
Every New Yorker deserves quality and comprehensive healthcare. That is why I am a strong advocate for lowering prescription drug prices by requiring insurance companies to pass along rebates they receive from drug companies directly to consumers. With at least one in five New Yorkers suffering from mental illness, it is critical that our public mental health programs and services under ThriveNYC reach all residents of New York, particularly within our district which is suffering from record high rates of homelessness. I support the city’s plan to end street homelessness within 5 years, using proven solutions such as permanent housing, low-threshold shelters and mental health and community services. However, I oppose the ineffective proposal to use policing and involuntary mental health treatment for those living on the streets, which often lead to unnecessary and costly incarceration and hospitalization. Moreover, it is important to address the state’s opioid crisis. In recent years, New York exceeded the average rate of opioid overdose deaths in the country. I support the series of measures the state has taken to combat this issue which has led to the first decrease in opioid overdose deaths in over ten years. I strongly oppose the growing restrictions on women’s reproductive rights in our country, and believe that New York must continue to protect them by further expanding legislation like the Reproductive Health Act. I also believe we must increase our affordable reproductive and sexual health public programs, such as the Comprehensive Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care Services Program, to ensure that all women in the state of New York have access to them. I support a public option so that all New Yorkers maintain their ability to choose the best healthcare plan for them.
Climate Change
New York is suffering from degrading air quality, rising sea levels and heat waves due to climate change. I am among a generation of people whose future is at grave risk as these conditions are expected to worsen. I stand in solidarity with the thousands of New Yorkers that speak up for urgent and bold action on climate change. New York State recently took its first bold step to protecting its people from climate change by passing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), one of the most ambitious climate bills in the country. I strongly support its aim to reach net-zero carbon emissions with targets to reduce 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and generate 70 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. As the New York State Climate Action Council develops its plan to meet the aim of the CLCPA I believe it should invest in disadvantaged communities, provide tax incentives for wind power, allow solar panels on the roofs of buildings, invest in hydroelectric, and push for 100 percent clean energy in electricity, new cars, and in all new construction. I stand with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s Climate Mission Agenda, but believe that my home of New York State should lead the nation in climate policy.
Education
As the largest school district in the country, the New York City Department of Education is a diverse, complex system. I believe that creating inclusive schools does not mean sacrificing the quality of our schools or lowering admissions standards. I support State Senator Leroy Comrie’s comprehensive bill to improve and diversify our Specialized High Schools. This bill calls for increasing the number of specialized high schools, requiring all eighth grade students to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), providing access to free, high quality test prep for all students, and improving the quality of elementary and middle schools so that students are prepared for the rigor and standards at specialized high schools. In addition, I oppose recent measures to increase private school oversight as this stymies the localized innovation we need in our education system. Instead, we should use this money to invest in our public school systems. Overall, I support measures to reduce student loan debt for students at all SUNY and CUNY institutions. I also believe that our education system needs to include robust adult education, from programs at senior centers to increased preservation of our public libraries and museums.
Overdevelopment
Our city is under threat from tall buildings which overcrowd our neighborhoods, lower our air quality, and reduce natural light. I will endorse proposed height limits on 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and York Avenues. The sheer size of the planned towers goes against the architectural history and aesthetic nature of the Upper East Side. I will also oppose Northwell’s plans for redevelopment of the Lenox Hill Hospital, which includes 10 years of construction, a 490-foot-tall new condominium on Park Avenue, and a 510 ft. building on Lexington. The 10-year construction period will only create an influx of environmental hazards in an already densely-populated area, thus putting our elders and children at a higher risk. I am against the redevelopment plan, which excludes affordable housing in our district. I plan to support amendments to the recently passed rent law to ensure tenants remain protected, but that landlords continue to have incentives to invest in capital improvements for their housing stock.
Parks
New York’s parks and urban spaces are some of the city’s largest attractions, and New Yorkers take these spaces seriously. From Riverside Park to Brooklyn Bridge Park, our escape from the concrete jungle we live in is serious business. These spaces are the backdrop for movies, songs, and our own memories. A park is a place for a community to come together in celebration, in sadness, and to meet new and old friends. When I walk around our district, it pains me to see empty lots or neglected playgrounds, but then I stop, close my eyes and envision what WE can build together. One of the key issues I plan to support in Albany will be to work with our community, along with city and state officials, to turn empty lots into community gardens and new park space where we can all come together.
Bus Transportation
Assembly District 73 is served by many important bus routes including some of the busiest in the entire City like the M15 and the M101. Currently, many of these bus routes rank among the slowest in the city. This is absolutely unacceptable, especially when one considers that there are more than 20,000 residents in the districts over the age of 70, many of whom depend on the busses as their primary mode of transportation. Furthermore, working class people disproportionately use NYC’s public transportation network. With thousands of people reliant upon busses to get to work in the District each day, I realize that for many people, a high quality bus system is of the absolute highest importance. As your Assembly Member, I will advocate tirelessly to ensure that our community gets the improved bus services that it deserves. I will support attempts to add Select Bus Service to slower routes in the District including the M101 and M57 and attempts to put a Select Bus Stop for the M15 at 72nd Street. Not only will I fight for increased MTA funding, but I will also pursue data-driven policies to ensure that all available funds are used in the most efficient manner possible. Additionally, I will work with the MTA to expand their electric bus initiatives so that we can protect our city’s air quality, which is of paramount importance for improving health outcomes among both the young and elderly. Improving our neighborhood’s busses is not simply about giving people the transportation services they need and deserve-it’s part of a larger responsibility of government to help those who need it most.
Baby Bonds
I would introduce legislation in the New York State Assembly to offer baby bonds to every child in order to secure our state’s economic future and give every child a fighting chance to succeed. Modeled after Cory Booker’s plan, New York should offer each child at birth $1,000 in state savings bonds at a 3% interest rate so that every child would have at least $15,000 saved up by age 18. We would finance this program via a stock transfer tax, which would also allow New York to invest in important infrastructure upgrades using the funds from these bonds. This proposal would also help to reduce the wealth gap in this country by ensuring that children from all backgrounds have funds upon adulthood to help pay for college, start a business or otherwise pursue their dreams. With this program, New York would lead the way in creating equality of opportunity for all children.
Bail Reform
The recent Bail Reform law passed in New York State unequivocally moves us in the direction of a fairer criminal justice system. There are too many New Yorkers, predominately people of color, sitting in pretrial detention facilities because they are unable to post cash bail. We cannot allow criminal justice outcomes to be determined by wealth, race or zip-code. Experts estimate that the new Bail Reform law will reduce cash bail in up to 90% of arrests statewide and lower New York’s pretrial jail population by 40%. I support comprehensive bail reform - we need it now and we need it to be effective. Pretrial detention is not the way out of the incarceration cycle. We need to continue to lower recidivism rates, improve rehabilitation programs and job training, and provide support for convicted individuals after their release from jail. Every New Yorker should have equal access to safety and security—in their neighborhoods, schools and workplaces. To help us get there, we can democratize the ways we keep our communities safe, and promote access to learning, work, recreation and healthy public spaces.
Gun Control
In an average year, there are an estimated 850 deaths caused by gun violence in New York. New York City alone accounts for half of these gun deaths. Far too often, New Yorkers open the newspaper or turn on the television to learn of yet another shooting. While New York has been a leader among states on this issue, there is still much work to be done. Ending gun violence in our state requires a comprehensive, vigorous approach that uses data-driven research to create policies that will keep all of us safer. As your Assembly Member, I will fight each and every day for common sense gun safety laws. In Albany, I will work to improve background checks, to ensure that guns are stored safely for those who choose to own them, and to increase funding for community violence intervention programs. Furthermore, unlike our current Assemblymember, I support legislation that would authorize law enforcement to remove firearms found on the premises where there has been a report of domestic violence. We need to focus on prevention, which includes disarming individuals who are legally prohibited from owning a gun. Gun violence is a national epidemic, and each day that our politicians do not treat it like a crisis is another day of preventable deaths.