Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Carlina Rivera for City Council District 2
Candidate Name: Carlina Rivera
Office Seeking Election for: New York City Council District 2
Campaign Website: https://www.carlinarivera.nyc
Campaign Social Media Handles: twitter @carlinarivera ; IG @carlinalrivera
1. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community? No, but I consider myself an ally.
2. If you answered “yes” to the first question, do you believe members of hate groups should be permitted to join the City Council LGBTQIA+ caucus? Do you believe the Republican party is a hate group? If you answered yes to both questions, do you support ejecting Republicans from the caucus? N/A
3. What work have you done on behalf of the LGBTQ community? This can include endorsing LGBTQ candidates, drafting or advocating for legislation directly benefiting the LGBTQ community, working with LGBTQ organizations, allocating funds to LGBTQ organizations, marching in Pride parades, attending rallies/protests/press conferences in support of LGBTQ issues, and/or employing openly LGBTQ individuals. As a community activist and as Council Member, I fought for the New York State Legislature to pass the Gender Expression
Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or expression, while providing protections for those who identify as gender
non-conforming/non-binary and transgender. In 2020, I also passed Resolution 0923, which called upon the NYS Senate to pass the archaic criminal statute - widely known as the “Walking While Trans Ban” - that for decades had been used by law enforcement to target trans women of color. I also passed Resolution 1444, which calls for records to be sealed for anyone convicted under the Walking While Trans statute. I was successful in baselining trans health navigators during my time as Hospitals Chair in my first term, helped elevate the Pride at Work initiative in the Council’s budget, and held DOC accountable for their lack of commitment to those who identify as LGBTQ and are incarcerated. I have supported LGBTQ candidates, joined the community in rallies and commentary on LGBTQ issues, and have joined numerous Pride marches.
4. Has Mayor Eric Adams met the needs of the LGBTQ community? Please include “yes” or “no” in your answer, and explain your answer. With hate crimes against the community on the rise, the Mayor should more publicly embrace LGBTQ issues as central to New York City's agenda in order for members of the community to feel seen and supported.
5. Would you demand that the Mayor re-institute its office of LGBTQ affairs, with its leader being a member of the LGBTQ community chosen in consultation with the City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus? Yes.
6. Have you made requests to the Office of the Mayor to demand inclusion of LGBTQ community in city administration and on city boards? Can you give examples? Yes, and I stood with LGBTQ leaders to denounce appointees to the administration who have had a history of publicly disparaging the LGBTQ community.
7. Do you support reparations for slavery? Yes.
8. Do you oppose all efforts to weaken bail reform? Bail reform has been revised several times since introduced. Despite much misinformation, we must let reforms play out and monitor their progress.
9. Do you support closing Rikers Island? Do you support the administration’s plan to open borough-based jails? Yes and yes. I chair the Criminal Justice Committee and can attest that Rikers is a calamity, only solved by replacing it with humane facilities that center justice.
10. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all jails and prisons, including city jails, and do you support Intro 549 (regarding solitary confinement)? Yes. I’m the prime Council sponsor of the bill.
11. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power for the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will you tweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you be willing to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power to grant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way? I have called publicly for clemency in the past and look forward to joining advocates in elevating more examples of people for whom the Governor should exercise this power.
12. If elected, will you include in your office’s newsletter instructions for your constituents on how their loved ones can apply for clemency? Yes.
13. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? When did you do so last? Yes. I have visited Rikers multiple times throughout my terms to see conditions and talk to those detained and incarcerated to better execute my charter-mandated responsibility of oversight and investigation and hold DOC accountable for their mismanagement and deep culture of dysfunction.
14. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? If so, do you support full decriminalization, including decriminalizing purchase and facilitation? Will you commit to opposing the Nordic model, which continues criminalizing purchase and facilitation while decriminalizing sale? Yes, and I'm opposed to the Nordic model.
15. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary City”? The timely example is ensuring we are providing for migrants that are coming to New York City with the tools they need to succeed here or wherever they ultimately wish to call home. We need programs that focus on immigrant re-housing and expand on healthcare programs like NYC Care, which provide services through our public hospitals to all who need them, regardless of status. We should also ensure local law enforcement refrains from regular coordination with ICE.
16. Did you support legislation, which passed, to allow non-citizen New Yorkers to vote? Do you support the appeal of the case in which the law was held unconstitutional? Yes and yes, I was a major advocate and champion of this bill.
17. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces in your district? Yes.
18. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes.
19. Are you in favor of removing police from any of the following? a) Schools; b) Mental health response calls; c) Homeless outreach and social services; or d) Traffic enforcement. a) yes; b) yes
- I support a better B-HEARD program; c) yes, unless there is true danger as detected by social service and mental health experts on the scene; and d) we have to seriously discuss where enforcement would live. DOT is falling behind on many of its mandates, and giving it more enforcement powers may not be appropriate.
20. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated? Yes.
21. Should the Gangs Database be abolished and do you / will you co-sponsor Intro 360 on the subject? Yes, I’m the prime sponsor of the bill.
22. Do you support the Progressive Caucus’s requirement that members support cutting funding to NYPD in favor of alternative safety infrastructure? The NYPD should not be immune from budgetary constraints if we are asked to slash other agencies and their housing, healthcare and education programs.
23. What concretely have you done to improve access to reproductive healthcare? If elected, what more will you do? Be specific. I passed multiple pieces of legislation to secure free abortion medication and contraception in New York City, and bring awareness to the fake clinics called crisis pregnancy centers. I also helped establish the nation's first municipal abortion access fund through the city budget. I will continue to ensure NYC is a leader for reproductive justice and access to quality care.
24. Do you approve of Mayor Adams’ approach to sweeping homeless encampments? No.
25. Do you commit to speaking with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses? Yes.
26. Do you commit to speaking personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support? Yes.
27. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS, and was blatantly racist, would you support a city bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose? Yes, with the buy-in of neighboring communities in both boroughs during the renaming process.
28. Do you commit to removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle? I have always stated that these decisions should be up to community members, just as I have encouraged conversations between neighbors and local agencies on other sites.
29. Who did you support for Mayor in the 2021 Democratic primary? Did you make an endorsement in the general election? No in the primary. Democratic nominee in the general.
30. Are you currently a member of the Progressive Caucus? If you are not currently an incumbent, will you join if elected? Yes.
31. Do you believe the Progressive Caucus should have qualifications to ensure that its members are actually progressive? Please explain. You have to look at a person's overall progressive record vs singling out a handful of issues.
32. If you are a sitting Councilmember, name three votes you took in the City Council that differed from the position of the Speaker. The budget vote in 2020, the weakening of Local Law 97 provisions in 2019, and multiple policy positions.
33. The rules of the City Council often make it difficult to get a hearing and/or vote on bills of which the Speaker does not approve. Would you support, and introduce if necessary, legislation that could force the City Council to print, introduce, hold hearings on, and hold votes on legislation. There are many rules that require transparency on bills, but would certainly like to see hearings occur more quickly, especially when sponsorship thresholds are established.
34. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations? I have not yet determined if I will be taking any pledges in this race, but have never accepted law enforcement contributions.
35. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations who donated funds to any of Donald Trump’s campaigns? Yes.
36. With the continued boycott of Equinox fitness on the basis of owner Steve Ross’ support of Donald Trump and institution of “Don’t Say Gay” policies in his residential buildings, do you commit to opposing his application for a casino? In fairness to my colleague, I would first have to confer with the council member that covers this bid's site.
37. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements? Yes. Always have, always will.