Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Zohran Mamdani for NY Assembly District 36
Candidate Name: Zohran Mamdani
Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 79
Website: https://www.zohranforassembly.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 in Kampala, Uganda, and grew up in New York City after my family moved here when I was seven years old. I graduated from Bronx Science and, prior to becoming an elected official, worked as a foreclosure prevention housing counselor - helping immigrant families facing eviction stay in the homes they worked their whole lives to earn. These experiences crystalized my belief that Astoria needed someone in Albany who not only knew first-hand the kind of pain and desperation that our families were experiencing, but knew what was causing it as well. It’s that belief that propelled my last campaign, put me in office, and led me to lead the fights to win real debt relief for thousands of our working-class taxi drivers, stop a fracked gas power plant from being built in Astoria, raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers, and hold our previous Governor accountable. There is still much more to be done – Good Cause Eviction first and foremost – but my past 14 months in office have shown my qualifications in representing my district and I believe that I can continue to secure similarly transformative results in the fights that are yet to come.
2. Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidates for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?
The first vote I ever cast after I became a citizen in 2018 was for Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary for New York Governor. In 2019, I was proud to serve as one of DSA’s principal organizers for Tiffany Cabán’s campaign for Queens District Attorney. Jim Owles was one of the few LGBT organizations in the city that had the courage to take a stand for gay insurgent candidates and true progressives running against the Democratic establishment. I was proud to then endorse Tiffany’s successful run to become Astoria’ city councilwoman.
Additionally, one of my DSA slate-mates, Jabari Brisport, is a gay man, and I’m proud to have
endorsed and campaigned with him in the last cycle and this present one.
3. If applicable what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored?
I voted for and cosponsored the repeal of the Walking While Trans ban and am also a cosponsor of A07933, a bill that would allow non-binary individuals to participate in the political process in a way that they are legally barred from doing right now.
4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis?
N/A
5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to?
The Ali Forney Center.
6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
No.
7. Have you marched in any Pride parades? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
No, but I can’t wait to!
8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
Yes. On my first campaign, my communications director, my webmaster, my transit policy advisor, and my data manager were all members of the LGBT community. In my office, my communications director and my administrative assistant are members of the LGBTQ community.
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?
Yes.
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 many protests that fit the above criteria, some that come to mind are: a demonstration outside of Melinda Katz’s inauguration with comrades from Court Watch NYC and Vocal NY to protest her failure to live up to her promise to end cash bail in Queens, numerous protests outside the Governor’s office in midtown around issues of clemency and elder parole, a rally through the streets of downtown Manhattan for Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole, a press conference I helped organize outside Rikers Island for the need for immediate decarceration measures, among others.
11. Have you ever been arrested in pursuit of legislation or for protesting an injustice? Please elaborate.
Yes, I have been arrested twice in such protests. First for the extension of the eviction moratorium in August of last year and second in October in support of real debt relief for our taxi drivers.
12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term?
Four key things: leading the successful fight for the erasure of hundreds of millions of dollars of debts for thousands of working class taxi drivers across NYC, stopping the construction of a new fracked gas power plant in Astoria, raising taxes on the wealthy, and holding Cuomo accountable.
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.
Yes, I am a cosponsor.
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 am a cosponsor.
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
Yes.
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, I have done so three times as an elected official. Last, was in September at Rikers Island.
17. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all prisons statewide including city jails?
Yes.
18. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility.
September.
19. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes.
20. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year?
The creation and sustaining of mass political pressure on the governor to do so.
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 have in the past many a time and will continue to do so.
22. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests concerning clemency and parole?
Yes.
23. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes.
24. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing and employment?
Yes.
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
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 strive to listen to and center the needs and values of impacted communities in the development of all of our campaign’s policies and the sex work community has been very clear: the Nordic model reinforces all the systems oppress sex workers, makes them less safe, and worsens their material conditions. Criminalizing clients, friends, family, and allies of sex workers makes it extraordinarily difficult for them to meaningfully participate in public life, including paying rent, earning a living, or even walking down the street. I will work to educate the public about this issue and oppose Nordic model legislation.
27. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes, I am a cosponsor and have attended press conferences on the issue.
28. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary State”?
We need to actively resist the persecution of our immigrant communities by federal authorities. We should expand funding of the Liberty Defense Project so make sure New Yorkers have access to high-quality legal representation in immigration proceedings. We should pass the Protect Our Courts Act to prohibit ICE from making immigration-related arrests in any New York state court. We should also pass legislation to limit local police cooperation and information sharing with federal immigration authorities, and prohibiting local police from assisting in deportation enforcement.
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?
Yes, I am a cosponsor.
29. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes.
30. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates
No, I did not.
31. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBTQ representation among your staff?
Yes, I am proud of the representation we have now and will continue to commit to that.
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?
1. I did not endorse a mayoral candidate in 2021.
2. I supported Bernie Sanders in both his 2016 and 2020 runs for President
3. I supported Cynthia Nixon and Zephyr Teachout in 2018.
33. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so, who?
No.
34. Do you support term limits for statewide office holders? For State Legislators?
Yes, for both.
35. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination.
New York State continues to uphold policies that perpetuate educational and residential segregation, mass incarceration, and economic disenfranchisement. As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high schools. I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT.
I will also work to dismantle mass incarceration in New York by opposing the construction of new state prisons and jails, divesting from our $3 billion/year carceral system, and investing in jobs, services, and restorative justice approaches that are proven to actually reduce crime, promote community stability and improve public safety. I also support the abolition of felony disenfranchisement, including for incarcerated New Yorkers, as we work toward full decarceration of our state.
I will also advocate for New York state to not to do business with countries, companies, or other actors that enforce, promote, or profit from colonial practices. This includes divestment from financial institutions that profit from usurious sovereign debt, as has happened in Puerto Rico, and fossil fuel companies that profit from ecological devastation and environmental racism that primarily impacts the global south and marginalized communities here at home.
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?
The SUNY and CUNY systems, and CUNY in particular, are some of the crown jewels of American public higher education. Two of the top five and eight of the top ten universities in the country that propel students from the bottom quintile of the income distribution to the top quintile are CUNY schools. The system is an engine of economic mobility that sustains New York City’s middle class, its public bureaucracy, and its broader economy. The fact that it continues to provide such incredible personal and social value despite being chronically underfunded and increasingly expensive is a testament to the system’s resilience and quality.
Although New York State made an important step toward expanding access to public higher education through the Excelsior program, there’s still more to be done. Excelsior doesn’t cover non-tuition expenses like books and housing, which are prohibitive to many low-income students. It also requires students to maintain a full course load, which is not feasible for students that need to work to support themselves and in many cases, their families. We need to move away from means-tested solutions and return these systems to their tuition-free roots. We must pass New Deal for CUNY and increase the allocation of state expenditure to the SUNY system by $250 million in this upcoming budget.
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.
Yes, I am a cosponsor. Our for-profit insurance system generates hundreds of billions of dollars in waste every year, including profits paid out to shareholders and executives, money spent on marketing, advertising and lobbying, and duplicative and inefficient labor in the patchwork of hundreds of different insurance systems in this country. A single-payer system is the only solution that can save this money and use it to expand coverage and redirect resources toward patient care, not goosing corporate bottom lines.
For this reason, I support federal Medicare-for-All legislation and the enactment of nationwide single-payer. However, New York can move us closer toward that goal by passing the New York Health Act and establishing a single-payer system right here in our state. Eliminating the private insurance industry in the second-largest state in the country will not only provide savings and improved coverage for New Yorkers, it will ease barriers to a federal single-payer system.
38. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
Abortion should be safe, legal, and free. In New York, we need to pass the New York Health Act and ensure that it fully covers all reproductive health services, including birth control and abortion. Federally, we need to repeal the Hyde Amendment and pass national Medicare-for-All legislation that ensures access to these services free of charge throughout the country.
New York City made an important step forward last year when it became the first city in the country to allocate funds to pay for abortion services for women traveling to New York for the procedure from out-of-state. New York State should replicate this model, and subsidize abortion services for New York residents as well, alongside movement toward statewide single-payer.
39. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
Yes.
40. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda? What does this mean?
Yes.
41. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause (S.3082 / A.5573)?
Yes, I am a cosponsor and am a proud champion of the bill.
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, and while I am not currently a co-sponsor, I will take a look at that legislation first thing Monday morning.
43. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it?
I would end it .
44. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units?
Yes.
45. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much?
Yes,
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 am a cosponsor.
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 a cosponsor.
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 am a cosponsor.
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 and yes.
50. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?‘
Yes to removing it, I don’t have a firm belief on who should replace it but at the very least it should be someone who wasn’t an architect of genocide.
51. Do you support reducing the budget of law enforcement throughout the state, and if so, by how much?
Yes, at least half and use that funding to fund programs that actually create safety like jobs, mental health services, and additional social services programs.
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.
Yes, all.
53. Should law enforcements "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
Yes.
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?
They should be fined.
55. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?
I would support any and all efforts to give the organization real disciplinary power, making determinations binding being a start.
56. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State?
Support efforts for more state support of nightlife spaces and also make test strips and “Nalox boxes” widely available so there can be on-site testing of any drugs for fentanyl, thereby preventing overdoses.
57. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes.
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.
59. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively?
Passing Good Cause Eviction, the Build Public Renewables Act, and a New Deal for CUNY. These would have massive impacts both within the district and across NY state.
60. How much money do you presently have in your campaign account?
$15,000.
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 think the above covers everything that I would like to convey, thank you for your consideration.