Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Maria Ordoñez for NY Assembly District 70
Candidate Name: Maria Ordoñez
Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 70
Campaign Website: https://www.mariaordonezny.com/
With the possibility of Donald J. Trump winning (stealing) the next Presidential election and ending democracy and civil rights in the United States, it is more important than ever that we elect progressive, dynamic leaders to the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly.
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments why should we believe you would be a dynamic, progressive leader who would stand up for Civil Rights and Democracy?
I know what it is to be marginalized. My family came to the United States from Ecuador and I worked hard as I pursued an education. People told me I’d never be accepted to somewhere like Columbia. I got in and I got my degree in Political Science and knew I needed to take my education and my privilege and put it back into my community. I became an elected Bernie delegate in 2020. I ran for City
Council in 2021 when people told me it wasn’t my turn. In 2022, I took on a longtime Harlem establishment and was elected a Democratic State Committee member in Assembly District 70. I am not afraid to stand up to the establishment and to fight for Civil Rights and Democracy.
2. What is your involvement in the LGBTQ Civil Rights movement? What candidates have you or are you supporting who are openly LGBTQ? What legislation have you/do you support to further LGBTQ rights? Do you /will you have an LGBTQ liaison in your office? What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis?
In 2021, when I ran for City Council I crossed-endorsed with Marti Cummings. Later in 2022, when I ran for State Committee I crossed-endorsed with Ana Maria Archila who was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Yes, I look forward to having a LGBTQ liaison in my office. As an Assemblymember I will fight to:
- Codify LGBTQ+ rights through the Equality Rights Amendment.
- Ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV status in long-term care facilities by passing the LGBT Long-term Care Residents Bill of Rights.
- Support the creation of a LGBTQ+ Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force and the passage of the Student Suicide Prevention Act, to ensure teachers have adequate training.
- Ensure everyone, from any state, can access gender affirming or reproductive healthcare in New York State.
- Support Andre’s Law to End Electric Shock Treatment in New York
- Raise the maximum age from 21 to 24, so that homeless youth can continue to receive shelter services.
3. What demonstrations, rallies, and protests have you participated in support of LGBTQ issues, African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American Civil Rights, pro-choice legislation, criminal justice issues, and Resist Trump?
I have attended pride marches, Black Lives Matter rallies/marches so we end police brutality, and Women’s marches in the past years.
4. Do you support reparations to compensate African Americans for the history of slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism in this country?
Yes! I also support investing $5 million in the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies.
5. What are your concrete proposals to address current systemic racism in terms of employment, housing, voting rights, and the criminal justice system in the U.S.?
We need to end systemic racism and its negative consequences on Black and Brown people. Housing is a human right! As an Assemblymember, I will fight for truly affordable housing, tenant protections, social housing, and statewide right to counsel. Every worker deserves access to a union and the protection it can provide. This is why I will fight to expand access to unions and good union contracts, ensure tipped workers earn a minimum wage, invest in apprenticeship and job training programs, and raise the minimum wage. We need to protect and expand our voting rights. To ensure this, I will make sure we expand language access at pollsites, support non-citizen voting for local elections, and advocate for same day voter registration. Furthermore, we must end the criminalization of our communities, end mass incarceration, demand police accountability and invest in our communities.
6. Will you advocate for elder parole where incarcerated individuals aged 55 and older who have serviced in excess of 15 years obtain parole hearings? Are you a sponsor of the Elder Parole Bill, Senate 2423?
Yes, I support this bill and will definitely sponsor it as an Assemblymember.
7. Do you sponsor the Earned Time Act, Senate S774, which strengthens and expands “good time” and “earned time” to support rehabilitation efforts?
Yes, I support this bill.
8. Do you sponsor Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Bill Act, S6471 which reduces excessive sentences and enables judges to look at individual factors and mitigating circumstances?
Yes, I support this bill.
9. Do you sponsor the Second Look Act, S7872, which allows for reconsideration of prison sentences based on changes in law and circumstances?
Yes, I support this bill.
10. Have you participated, and will you participate in demonstrations and protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?
I commit to participating in future demonstrations and protests in relation to issues of clemency and parole.
11. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
I will not let whether or not someone was formerly incarcerated determine anything in my hiring process.
12. Have you and will you visit incarcerated constituents to learn of their conditions? I have not, but I commit to visiting incarcerated constituents to learn of their conditions.
13. What are your proposals to have prisons focus more on rehabilitation and less on punishment?
I support the Treatment Not Jail Act so people with disabilities can access the treatment and support they need. I also support the Earned Time Act and greater access to courts so we can focus on rehabilitation instead of incarceration.
14. Do you support ending the cruel punishment of solitary confinement, such as was recently mandated by the New York City Council?
Yes. It is inhumane and it can permanently change and damage people for the rest of their lives.
15. What are your proposals to facilitate individuals who have recently entered the
U.S. to be able to live decently with employment and housing?
Immigrants are an integral part of our community, so we need to ensure they are able to live safely without fear of deportation and can access needed resources. As a Assemblymember I will fight to ensure worker protections for immigrant workers, facilitate work permits so immigrants can access jobs, expand language access in our city & state agencies, and create more truly affordable housing that’s accessible to our immigrant communities.
16. What proposals do you advocate to combat the cruel and inhumane immigration policies that the Trump Administration commenced and which, to some degree, are still in effect?
As an Assemblymember, I will fight to pass the New York for All and Dignity Not Detention Acts to limit collaboration with federal immigration enforcement, protect undocumented immigrants’ privacy, and keep families together. I will also advocate for the Access to Representation Act to guarantee access to legal representation for all immigrants facing deportation. Most importantly, I know the greatest change can happen at the federal government so I will advocate and pressure federal elected officials to pass true immigration reform that will create a pathway towards citizenship for thousands of immigrants in the United States.
17. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work?
Yes, sex work is work!
18. Do you oppose legislation that promotes the Nordic model?
Yes.
19. What concrete proposals do you support to lift up women after four years of Trump being President?
I support enshrining reproductive and abortion rights, investing in universal maternal care, continuing to fight for equal pay, investing in domesting and gender-based violence support programs, and gender affirming care.
20. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate. Yes, healthcare should be a human right not a privilege. I have been advocating for the New York Health Act, through my organizing with the NYPAN, for years because our communities need it now!
21. What have you done to facilitate reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services?
I have attended rallies where we protested the overturn of Roe v. Wade and advocate for the need to expand access to contraceptives and abortion services.
22. Will you refuse contributions from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the Real Estate industry, from police or correction communities?
Yes.
23. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives or corporations complicit in the Trump anti-American agenda?
Yes.
24. How do you propose that we address the current surge of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism?
Hate or discrimination of any kind has no place in our country or in our state. We need to educate people about the nuances of different cultures and beliefs and we need to condemn acts of violence and hate speech. We must also protect the right to protest and we must not conflate support for Palestine with Anti-Semitism.
25. Did you or would you have voted for the censure of U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib?
I would have not voted to censure Congressmember Rashida Tlaib.
26. Do you support an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East?
Yes.
27. Should we condition further aid to Israel? What conditions should we stress that Israel abides by?
If they continue to engage in violence, no. They are not to commit mass murder of civilians, mostly women and children. They must not block humanitarian aid. They must negotiate with Palestine in good faith.
28. Will you refuse funds from Trump-supporting AIPAC?
Yes.
29. What are your concrete proposals to prevent Trump and his cult from taking over this country and ending democracy?
We need to focus on our community and tell them the facts. Trump doesn’t care about them and he never will. We need to register as many people to vote as possible and we need to tell a story that highlights the Democrats’ very tangible achievements. We’re the ones boosting the economy and jobs, not Republicans.
30. How can we combat the movement in this country to ban books, prevent colleges from discussing issues and demonizing intelligence as “woke”?
Education is the silver bullet and the Republicans know it. That’s why they want to limit people’s access to it. Education must be comprehensive, even if the subject matter is difficult. We must do all that we can to protect schools and teachers so that our students get a full and well-rounded education.
31. As Christopher Columbus caused the death/slavery of thousands, should we replace the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle, and if so, what should replace it? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose?
I support taking down and replacing the statue. We should use this space to pay tribute to the people of San Juan Hill who were displaced for the creation of what is now Lincoln Center. Also, I would authorize the use of my name for this.
32. As Edward I Koch caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS and was blatantly racist, should we rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose?
Yes, we should rename the former Queensboro Bridge. Also, I would authorize the use of my name for this.
33. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State? Do you commit to speaking with liquor license applicants and restaurant/nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on policies affecting their businesses?
As an Assemblymember, I will advocate for investing in small businesses in the nightlife industry, involve the community so we make the best of nightlife, and support and uplift local artists so they can access nightlife events. Yes, I commit to speaking with liquor license applicants and restaurant/nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on policies affecting their businesses.
34. What is your opinion of Eric Adams as New York City Mayor? Are you involved in finding someone to run for Mayor of New York City?
I think Eric Adams is an ineffective mayor that is failing NYC. I’m not involved in finding someone to run for Mayor, but will definitely support a progressive running against Eric Adams.
35. How can we mandate that every community do its share to have affordable housing and care for the recently arrived people?
As a state, we need to invest in creating more affordable housing and greater access to the resources immigrants need. We also need greater support from the federal government.
36. Are you a sponsor of Good Cause Eviction S305 legislation?
As an Assemblymember, I will support, sponsor, and advocate for Good Cause Eviction.
37. Do you support allowing legal Immigrants to vote in local elections?
Yes.