Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Kristen Gonzalez for NY Senate District 17
Candidate Name: Kristen Gonzalez
Office Seeking Election for: New York State Senate District 17
Website: https://www.gonzalezforny.com/
1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district.
I was born and raised by my mom in Elmhurst. After my father from Colombia passed away, I watched her struggle to provide a better life for me as a single parent. My mother and her family were forced off their farm in Puerto Rico, and moved to New York City in the early 1960s. She always emphasized that education was the path to a better life. When she got me a scholarship to attend an Upper East Side private school, I had my first look at the two New Yorks: the New York of the wealthy, and my New York, where even if you worked seven days a week, you were still one disaster — health, climate or otherwise — away from losing everything.
That set me on a path to public service, from working in the Obama Whitehouse to Sen. Schumer’s office on the hill. What working in government taught me is that the injustice and inequality we experience is by design, and that the people who designed them are determined to keep them that way.
That’s why I’m running for State Senate, because the key to changing the system isn’t in City Hall or Washington DC or Morningside Heights. It’s in the working-class communities of the Queens that raised me.
Since then, I reinvested myself in grassroots organizing. I joined my Community Board, I helped found the Western Queens Community Land Trust, I organized with DSA Tech Action, and helped launch an Internet For All campaign. Over the pandemic, I led efforts with Mutual Aid NYC to create the first community-led and owned resource library in the city.
I’m the right candidate for this district because of my lived experience and my political experience. I’m excited to have a kitchen cabinet of over 20 alums from the AOC, Jaslin, Tiffany, Shahana, and Zohran campaigns. Our path to victory is simple and we’re ready to win. Our win number is 12,000 but with our average of 1500 volunteers on DSA campaigns and over $27000 raised already, I’m excited to build a progressive coalition of community organizations to fight for a better Queens. I am accountable to the working many, not the private interests of the wealthy few. I will build a New York for all by prioritizing what creates real dignity: housing, healthcare, education and more.
2. Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidates for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?
I haven’t endorsed an openly LGBTQC candidate, but I was an active volunteer in Tiffany Caban’s campaign for District Attorney in 2019 and her race for City Council in 2021.
3. If applicable what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored?
I am not a legislator, so the question is not applicable to me. But I would gladly work with my fellow Senators to introduce and pass legislation that protects and expands the rights of the LGBTQ community.
4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis?
Through organizing efforts, I have worked on initiatives and events that have been in partnership or in community with LGBTQ organizations. For example, working on the Young Women’s Initiative for NY City Council, I was appointed to the Young Women’s Advisory Council which worked to write policy recommendations in partnership with the Young Trans Women Advisory Council to advocate for young women across the city. Another example would be working on mutual aid efforts, through this work I was able to donate PPE to the Love Wins Food Pantry in Jackson Heights. I was also able to co-found The Node Project, a mutual aid group that provided stipends for organizers and marginalized people to
access the technology they needed during the pandemic, and prioritized stipends for LGBTQ and gender nonconforming individuals of color.
5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to?
N/A
6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
I do not consider myself a member of the LGBTQ communty. I consider myself an ally.
7. Have you marched in any Pride parades? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
As someone who grew up between Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, I have attended the yearly pride parade for most of my life. However, I have only marched in the parade in 2019. In addition, I have marched in the Queer Liberation March.
8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
I have never been an employer, only an employee, but I would absolutely employ openly LGBTQIA+ individuals. As a candidate, my kitchen cabinet does include multiple members who identify as queer.
9. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Absolutely! I will proudly identify the club on all my campaign’s literature and electronic material where endorsements are listed.
10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice reform issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended and/or participated in?
I have participated in dozens of conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests over the years in support of all of the above! I spent election night in 2016 at The White House, when I was doing Latino engagement in the Office of Public Engagement, that was a pivotal moment for me and motivated me to be an active part of the Resist Trump Movement. In the final months of the Obama administration I attended many rallies in DC, while also working to organize immigrant rights groups to prepare for the Trump administration (such as helping to plan round tables). Finally, I was part of the volunteer support staff for the very first drag show that was ever performed in the White House, which was an incredible moment and celebration of the LGBTQ community before the end of the administration. When Trump
took office, I attended the Women’s March and attended rallies in DC, and returned to New York to organize locally because the best way to resist Trumpism and dismantle systems of oppression in this country is to organize and build a movement of multiracial working class communities. In the years since, I’ve attended many pride events in support of LGBT issues, as well as local press conferences condemning hate crimes against the queer community that happened in Jackson Heights in 2019. I have also attended many BLM protests advocating for criminal justice reform over the years.
11. Have you ever been arrested in pursuit of legislation or for protesting an injustice? Please elaborate.
No, I have not.
12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term?
N/A
13. For the following pieces of legislation, please answer if you are currently a sponsor or
co-sponsor (if you are an incumbent), or if you will co-sponsor (if you are not an incumbent):
A. Fair and Timely Parole (S.1415A / A.4231A): A bill pending in Albany that would ensure access to the parole release process for incarcerated people in New York State. This bill insures that decisions on parole are not solely based on the nature of the original crimes but includes incarcerated peoples’ record of rehabilitation and assessment of current risk to public safety.
I would proudly co-sponsor or sponsor S.1415A when I arrive in Albany. I believe that we must move away from our current retributive, cruel justice toward a restorative justice system that allows rehabilitated persons to easily re-enter society. The NYS parole board now routinely denies parole hearings, or makes them pro forma events. It often ignores the educational, job and mental health programs they have completed, other behavior in prison and testimonies to their personal growth and change.
B. Elder Parole (S.15A / A.3475A): A bill pending in Albany that would allow elderly incarcerated people who have served at least 15 years in prison an opportunity to appear before the Parole Board for a chance at release.
Yes! I would gladly sponsor or co-sponsor legislative bill S.15A. Our overzealous criminal justice system destroys the lives of individuals and tears apart families. We must allow those who have served
outsized sentences the opportunity to rejoin their families and society. There is abundant evidence that people who have been incarcerated for more than 15 years, or are over 55, seldom recidivate when returned to society. It is cruel and serves no public safety purpose to keep them in prison. It is also very expensive. The money saved could be used to provide services to returnees and to fund effective crime prevention services for the community, including youth employment and recreation programs, mental health and substance abuse services, violence interruption programs, and the like.
14. If you will not co-sponsor any of the above legislation, why not?
N/A
15. Do you oppose the efforts to weaken bail reform as written
I absolutely oppose efforts coming from those who use “law and order” as an excuse to not only weaken bail reform, but to strip any reforms to law enforcement and/or our prison system. These efforts almost as soon as bail reform was passed. There is no evidence that bail reform is related to the recent increase in crime, which is national in scope.
16. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? If incumbent, when did you do so last?
Yes! As a proponent of criminal justice reform, I believe that we need to listen to and absorb the experiences of those who have been victims of our overzealous, retribution-oriented criminal justice system.
17. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all prisons statewide including city jails?
Yes, absolutely!
18. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility.
I have not been inside a correctional facility, but as an elected I would prioritize visiting correctional facilities to engage with incarcerated individuals and organize to end the carceral state.
19. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes, sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole.
20. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year?
When in Albany, I will work with criminal justice reform oriented legislators to pressure the governor to grant more clemencies every single year.
21. 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?
Yes, I will publicly call for the governor to use her clemency power. I will use social media platforms, letters and personal meetings to urge her to release all incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home. I have no problem being critical of the governor, if she does not grant clemency to those who are “worthy of release”.
22. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests concerning clemency and parole?
I participated in protests in the summer of 2020, many of which included rallies on criminal justice reform issues such as clemency and parole.
23. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes. I believe that penalizing formerly incarcerated individuals further is cruel and unnecessary. My office will not discriminate in hiring persons based on whether or not they were formerly incarcerated.
24. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing and employment?
Yes. Making it more difficult for formerly incarcerated persons to access housing and employment, education and healthcare is cruel, reactionary and counter-productive. We must eliminate such barriers to full assimilation into society for formerly incarcerated persons.
25. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? Are you or will you co-sponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar (S.6419 / A. 8230), which fully decriminalizes sex work?
Yes, I am a firm believer in the decriminalization of sex work. I would proudly co-sponsor legislative bill S.6419, and any other bills seeking to support and protect sex workers.
26. Will you actively oppose legislation (S.6040 / A.7069) that would implement the dangerous Nordic model instead of the decriminalization of prostitution? Explain in detail your views on full decriminalization, the Nordic model, legalization, and the existing criminalization approach.
Yes, I would oppose legislative bill S.6040, and instead support a full decriminalization of sex work, such as S.6419. The Nordic Model is a step in the right direction, but falls short of the main goal of decriminalization: protecting sex workers from abuse and exploitation. Because it criminalizes buying sex, the Nordic model harms sex workers’ ability to earn a living. Though it makes their work legal, it drives it underground, leaving them still vulnerable to abuse by pimps and customers..
27. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes, I believe we must end qualified immunity for police officers. We must hold officers who commit crimes accountable every single time.
28. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary State”?
Yes! New York is a state built by immigrants, for immigrants. We must do everything possible to protect our immigrant communities from federal immigration authorities.
I support the Dignity, not Detention, Act, which would end the practice of jailing New York immigrants facing deportation, reunite families and communities, and enable them to fight deportation more effectively.
29. Are you a sponsor of New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.4321a/S.6471)? If not, will you add your name and sponsor?
I am not a sponsor as I am not yet in office, but I do support this bill. It’s important to give autonomy to those suffering from a terminal illness. I do not believe we should force anyone to suffer, but offer support in ending suffering in situations where it is possible.
29. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes, I support supervised drug consumption spaces being established. These programs have been grossly mischaracterized by conservative pundits and other political actors. In fact, these spaces reduce the risk of infections and overdoses, and offer addicts assistance, healthcare, and a chance of recovery from addiction, which is an illness.
30. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates
No, I have not publicly endorsed, but I voted for State Senator Jessica Ramos.
31. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBTQ representation among your staff?
Yes, I will commit to ensuring that there is diverse LGBTQ representation amongst my staff.
32. Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2021 B) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018?
A: I supported Dianne Morales and Maya Wiley. B: Bernie Sanders, in 2016 and 2020.
C: Cynthia Nixon, and I did not support an AG candidate in 2018.
33. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so, who?
I have not made a formal endorsement. I support Jumaane Williams.
34. Do you support term limits for statewide office holders? For State Legislators?
Yes I support term limits. I believe elected leaders should continually be representative of their constituents, and should always be accountable to those constituents. Term limits give constituents another way to hold representatives accountable by allowing them to vote the representatives out if they are not in line with the constituents values.
35. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination.
I firmly believe that mass incarceration has become a form of modern slavery and exacerbates the effects of racism, colonialism and discrimination. Prisoners are forced to provide labor for little to no wages. Formerly incarcerated persons, disproportionately those of color, face discrimination when seeking employment and housuing when they reenter society. We must pass legislation that bans prison labor, prohibits discrimination of formerly incarcerated individuals when accessing employment or any other essential service, and increase resources available for incarcerated individuals with aims of true rehabilitation. While these steps are essential to address the effects of slavery, racism, colonialism and discrimination, the ultimate goal should be ending the carceral state.
I also support voting rights for currently and formerly incarcerated people, and robust efforts to protect voting rights for all people by passing a state version of the John L. Lewis Voting Rights Act.
36. What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
I support all legislation aiming to make public universities tuition-free, such as the New Deal for CUNY. I firmly believe that state-owned and funded services should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status.
37. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Do you or will you co-sponsor the New York Health Act? Please elaborate.
Absolutely! I believe that the single-payer system that the New York Health Act would create would improve life for New Yorkers and create momentum for establishing a national single-payer system. For too long, the hopes and dreams of working class people have been crushed by medical debt and bills. We must put an end to this cruel system, and give healthcare to all, not just a fortunate few.
38. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
I am wholeheartly in support of all reproductive rights, including access to abortion and contraceptives. I also support reproductive justice measures that would give women of color equal access to high quality obstetric care, so that Black women and other women of color would no longer suffer from higher rates of complications and death in pregnancy and childbirth, and their babies would be born as healthy as white babies.
39. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
Absolutely, I refuse to take any money from any individual, firm or PAC representing real estate and/or law enforcement, along with any other corporate interest. I firmly believe that money corrupts. The only obligation I want to feel is to the working class people I represent.
40. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
Yes. I will gladly refund and/or refuse contribution from executives of corporations and/or any individuals complicit in the Trump agenda.
41. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause (S.3082 / A.5573)?
Yes, I would proudly champion the Good Cause bill (S.3082) in the state legislature that would protect tenants from unjust and unexplained evictions, and from big rent hikes. These protections would also make it safe for tenants to organize for repairs and services, and stabilize the housing market in New York.
42. Will you push for the passage of Home Stability Support (HSS) to bridge the difference between the public assistance shelter allowance and fair market rents for NY's 95,000 homeless? Will you co-sponsor S.856 / A.6032, which amends the Social Services Law to create a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits and who face eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions?
Yes, I support this legislation!
43. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it?
I support the end of 421-a. It is a giveaway to developers of market rate housing in the name of affordability. It does not provide the affordable housing that New York City needs.
44. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units?
Yes, I support legalizing accessory dwelling units. Legalizing these units is the simplest and most cost effective way to increase the housing supply across the state, and would not create the burdens on communities that large new developers sometimes create. Legalization would bring with it badly needed
safety standards. We don’t want more low-income families to die, like the victims of Hurricane Ida, trapped in flooded basement apartments that weren’t up to code,
45. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much?
Yes! After decades of disinvestment, NYCHA needs $32 billion of repairs. While the federal government should provide most of the needed funds, I believe the state should also contribute to repairing existing NYCHA projects, and building more, without privatizing it.
46. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the Climate and Community Investment Act? (S.4264A / A.6967) If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes I will co-sponsor the Climate and Community Investment Act.
47. Do you support the New York Public Banking Act (S.1762A / A. 8290? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes, I am an enthusiastic supporter of Public Banking. It would allow local governments to use their significant financial power to invest in our communities, based on the public interest. It would decrease our reliance on the extractive financial industry and allow us to fund projects that make New York better.
48. Do you support the New Deal for CUNY (S.4461 / A.5843)? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes! I enthusiastically support a New Deal for CUNY. I support fully funding CUNY and SUNY, making both systems accessible to students of all incomes, and paying faculty and staff a living wage.
49. 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. I would support a city bill to rename the bridge. I believe we should rename it after someone who has been a leader in fighting for the rights of New Yorkers. I would authorize the use of my name, although I think there are others that deserve it more than me!
50. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?
I support removing the Christopher Columbus statue. We should listen to the indigenous people whose ancestors were taken advantage of and murdered by Columbus. I would support replacing it with an
indigenous hero and believe we should work with activists to determine who that would be. As a Latina with indigenous ancestors, this is personal to me!.
51. Do you support reducing the budget of law enforcement throughout the state, and if so, by how much?
I support reallocating significant funds from law enforcement to agencies and programs that truly keep our community safe, such as housing, healthcare, mental healthcare and substance-abuse programs, after school programs and childcare, youth employment programs, and increased availability of EBT. Violence interruption programs have also been shown to reduce violence by engaging community leaders.
52. 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.
All of the above. None of these situations require armed police, and the use of NYPD officers in these roles often leads to further injustices and unnecessary escalations. The solution to social issues is further investment in our communities, not expansion of police power.
53. Should law enforcements "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
Yes, I support eliminating NYPD’s Vice Squads. They have a history of corruption and lack of accountability.
54. How would you recommend law enforcement officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, in defiance of city and state rules?
We have asked everyone to wear masks in the interest of public health, and law enforcement officers will not and should not be exempted from this obligation. They should be required to follow the laws like everyone else. State and local police departments have discipline procedures. They should be used fairly and be binding.
55. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?
The Civilian Complaint Review Board should be reformed, so its disciplinary determinations are legally binding. The NYPD top brass should not be allowed to overrule it. Law enforcement should be accountable to the people of New York, not to their own self-policing agencies, which often tolerates egregious behavior.
56. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State?
COVID-19 has created a massive strain on the nightlife of New York State. With vaccination rates increasing, and cases of COVID-19 slowly decreasing, our nightlife must be helped. In Albany, I would support granting subsidies for struggling small businesses tied to nightlife, with particular interest placed on protecting those small businesses close to bankruptcy.
57. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes. It’s important to support the needs of the people these policies would affect.
58. Do you commit to speak personally with liquor license applicants and license holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support?
Yes. Having a liquor license brings in a lot of money to restaurants, clubs, and lounges. I want to support their economic prosperity..
59. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively?
My top 3 issues are climate, healthcare, and housing. If elected I will work to implement these by supporting bills such as the Build Public Renewables Act, Good Cause Eviction, and the New York Health Act. I believe it’s important to organize within the legislature to get support from other electeds–and to organize with constituents by holding rallies, tabling in busy public sites, knocking doors, and phone banking. I want to draw public attention to these bills and give my constituents the knowledge they need to fight for a better New York.
60. How much money do you presently have in your campaign account?
We have currently raised upwards of $27,500.
61. What additional information would you like members The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision concerning your candidacy?
I would like to highlight that as a young woman of color in politics, I would like to use my campaign, and if elected, public office to organize more young people from marginalized backgrounds in becoming civically engaged.