Meet Carmen De La Rosa
Candidate for Council - District 10
The next 10 years will be definitive for our community. This moment demands bold leadership that will take action, stand with the community and deliver for you. We must elevate leadership that is inclusive and prioritizes the experiences of our constituents. This is what Carmen has done her entire career and will continue to do in the City Council.
Carmen immigrated from the Dominican Republic as a child and grew up in Inwood where she has lived her entire life. Her advocacy and passion for justice are deeply influenced by her roots. She has listened and advocated for the most vulnerable, even before she started her career in government.
In November 2016, Trump was elected to the presidency. Simultaneously and thankfully Carmen De La Rosa was elected to represent us in the New York State Assembly. Since her first day in office, Carmen has fought against racism, xenophobia and economic injustice and her commitment to the community she loves continues.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the systemic issues that have historically existed in our community including racism, the looming economic crisis and housing instability. These issues are intersectional and MUST be addressed. Carmen will fight to make sure that the needs of our community are at the forefront, to protect our community from over development, create initiatives that promote public safety without sacrificing the freedoms of black and brown people and ensure that our social safety nets, education, jobs, and small businesses are fortified through an equitable city budget process.
As an Assembly Member, she is driven by the needs of our people. She led the passage of the NYS Dream Act to provide access to education to all students regardless of immigration status, and worked with organizers and advocates to reshape the lives of tenants, delivering real rent reform. She has fought against mass incarceration in our state prisons and championed police accountability measures as a fierce proponent of reform. Securing access to quality services has been a cornerstone of all of her legislative initiatives and she has made it a priority to fight for guaranteed access to healthcare and mental health services. Carmen will bring this same energy to the city council and continue to plant the seeds of change.
On the Issues
Carmen De La Rosa has used her voice & platform to demand criminal justice reform, the strengthening of rent stabilization laws that protect and prioritize low-income tenants, stood firmly for women’s rights and equality, and has been a leading voice in the development of policies around Mental Health services for minority communities and suicide prevention. Carmen is passionate about using government as a tool for social change and a vehicle to empower and support communities.
Housing
As a community advocate, Carmen fought alongside tenants and community members, pushing forward historical tenant protections. She has listened to the community's concerns and will work to preserve affordable housing for residents of Northern Manhattan and expand legal services to eliminate the threat of displacement. To respond to the housing crisis that exist in our district we must encourage responsible development of truly affordable housing units and fight for dignified housing to prevent homelessness.
Education
Schools in our district have been historically underfunded with many families living below the poverty line. Carmen will prioritize the needs of multi Language learners and students with disabilities, the transformation of schools into hubs of empowerment for families in our district, improving access to technology, and expanding emotional learning and mental health services in our schools. Regarding Higher Education, she will prioritize diversity and affordability of public education by working to fully fund CUNY and invest in students as well as faculty.
Reproductive Rights & Equality
Carmen will continue to be a fierce champion of reproductive rights for all. She will fight to expand reproductive health services to address maternal mortality which disproportionately impacts women of color. She will standing up for the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community and work to expand workplace protections and fair compensation.
Criminal Justice Reform
Building upon the work Carmen began in the state legislature, she will prioritize criminal justice reform by being laser focused on decarceration and the facilitation of re-entry. She will stand firmly against the construction of additional jails in New York City and move towards restorative justice, strengthening re-entry services including, housing and support therapy of formerly incarcerated. She will also fight to ensure policing is centered around mutual and community respect. Police officers should be held criminally and civilly responsible when found guilty of deadly force or reckless neglect.
