Carlina Rivera (photograph: John McCarten/Metropolis Council)
Max Politics Podcast: Carlina Rivera Runs for Congress within the New NY-10
Recorded June 1, 2022
Listen to the audio here, or at Max Politics wherever you get podcasts.
Democratic major day: August 23, 2022
District: Decrease Manhattan & components of Brooklyn (see map here)
Transcript:
Ben Max: [Longer intro…] So we have now Carlina Rivera with us as we speak. Welcome.
Carlina Rivera: Thanks a lot for having me. What an awesome form of rundown of what is been occurring in New York Metropolis politics.
Ben Max: Thanks. You recognize, it’s exhausting to maintain it concise. I did not there, however I attempted to maintain it as slender as potential. You might be within the Metropolis Council now. You’ve got been on the present prior to now. You symbolize the 2nd Metropolis Council district, together with the East Village, Decrease East Facet, and different components of Manhattan. You chair the felony justice committee within the Metropolis Council. Final time period, you chaired the committee on hospitals, a number of work there that we’ll get to, however you are right here in a brand new and totally different capability, and you are making an announcement.
Carlina Rivera: Sure, I’m operating for Congress in NY-10, which is a implausible district that features neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn, together with the place I used to be born and raised within the Decrease East Facet. And I am right here to let folks know, I’m very, very enthusiastic about this. I’m somebody who actually believes deeply in public service. I really care about doing this work. I feel I’ve a document of outcomes, and I’m somebody who desires to make New York a metropolis everybody can see themselves in. I get the job accomplished. That is my dwelling, and the group is behind me. So I am actually excited to maneuver ahead and to, as you talked about, interact in what is going on to be a extremely popular and busy summer season. And I am excited to do this with all of my neighbors, my mates, my household from Brooklyn to Manhattan, those that I do know that I’ve a neighborhood perspective that NY-10 I feel actually desires from their consultant, and I need to be the member of Congress that does each — that basically understands how common points have an effect on folks throughout the nation, however that has a really, very nuanced and native understanding as to find out how to get issues accomplished. And naturally, find out how to construct coalitions to ensure that we have now a very, actually balanced strategy to how we’re taking good care of households.
Ben Max: So many of those congressional districts are very huge, clearly, and I ran by way of somewhat little bit of what this new NY-10 appears to be like like with some huge chunks of downtown Manhattan. A few of these have some similarities. There’s after all totally different neighborhoods, totally different demographics. You have already got that even in a Metropolis Council district, which is smaller. After which we get into Brooklyn, and there is varied and numerous communities in Brooklyn. While you’re taking a look at this new congressional district and also you’re looking for voters’ approval within the Democratic major developing in August now, and also you need to symbolize this congressional district. How do you describe this district? What are among the methods you are excited about the folks and the neighborhoods and the communities that you just’re looking for to symbolize right here?
Carlina Rivera: This was a really extremely engaged district. These are folks and households that take voting very, very severely. I additionally suppose that they have a look at their congressional members, their representatives, as very native positions. They need somebody who’s going to grasp what is going on on like of their streets and on their block. And understanding that housing, jobs, reproductive rights, appearing on local weather change, public security, these are among the prime points that we talk about each single day within the council, however after all, once I’m at group conferences, once I’m checking in with of us. So I feel there may be simply an understanding that proper now, the way forward for New York is up for grabs.
I feel I am the candidate to guide us there. I am a homegrown candidate of fierce dedication to my group to combating, to deliver assets into our neighborhoods, particularly for individuals who are struggling, and that I’ve stood as much as highly effective pursuits prior to now. This can be a place the place I’ve quite a lot of reminiscences too. I’ve reminiscences of going to the matinees on Sundays at Cobble Hill Theater the place my mother and household got here from Puerto Rico, they landed in Brooklyn. Going to Fulton Avenue, procuring at A&S, it is now a Macy’s, visiting my household and mates, and Sundown Park, and naturally all the reminiscences I’ve enjoying basketball on the west facet, visiting small companies and eating places in Chinatown. My total life has taken place in these superb neighborhoods, and now to have this uncommon alternative to have the ability to be their consultant in Washington is one thing that I am actually enthusiastic about. I feel New York is at a crossroads, and I am operating for Congress to show my love for New York right into a imaginative and prescient for the town that everybody can see themselves in. I feel even earlier than the pandemic, folks have been questioning, they felt very, very transient of their jobs and of their properties. Is there going to be a future for me right here in New York Metropolis? I’ve these lived experiences dwelling paycheck to paycheck, having pupil debt, on the lookout for a job, submitting for unemployment throughout financial disaster and instability, and I will be a tireless advocate for New Yorkers. I will drive new and artistic options as the town rebounds from the pandemic and rebuilds for the long run. And I perceive the town’s most urgent issues, but additionally our limitless potential.
There’s a lot expertise right here in New York Metropolis. There’s actually a time proper now to, after all, ship a simply restoration, however to additionally take into consideration, alright, how can we take a few of these options and among the issues and the accomplishments that I’ve had on the native degree, and it could actually actually translate to options for communities and folks throughout the nation. A few of my housing work and actually altering the entire dialog round constructing reasonably priced housing by bringing deeply reasonably priced mixed-income housing to 2 of the very best alternative neighborhoods within the nation for gratis to taxpayers. I feel quite a lot of the work that I’ve accomplished round healthcare and particularly reproductive rights, main the change to create the primary municipal program within the nation to immediately fund abortion care. And when it comes to public security, which I do know is on the prime of the agenda for a lot of of us, rising investments in a few of these methods to legislation enforcement that embrace community-level applications and violence interrupters. I’ve visited the stand as much as violence program at Jacobi Hospital the place they’re treating gun violence as a public well being concern. So these are applications which might be working that I’ve actually been advocating for and need to take a few of these abilities and naturally, my lived expertise and my absolute love for the town, and I like to do this because the Congressmember for NY-10.
Ben Max: There’s somewhat little bit of an fascinating dynamic growing on this race. Your self, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, Mondaire Jones, who as I mentioned within the introduction is a member of Congress now however from fairly far-off now coming into run on this district, that there is kind of this youthful era of elected officers right here. After which there’s the previous mayor, perhaps the previous Congressmember Elizabeth Holtzman. However no matter your competitors on this race per se, how a lot are you excited about, much more broadly, for the Democratic Get together for the federal authorities kind of needing a brand new era of management? And what does that imply in concrete phrases when it comes to like insurance policies that you just’d combat for? Folks typically will run on the thought of kind of generational change, however their insurance policies will not be actually that totally different from the older era that is at present in workplace, they simply need to kind of take out an incumbent. You are not operating it in opposition to the incumbent right here, however how do you consider kind of the necessity, should you suppose there may be one, of kind of generational change inside the Democratic Get together, inside the federal authorities? And if that is one thing you are excited about, how does it manifest on the coverage degree?
Carlina Rivera: I feel lots about how a few of my coverage work has been capable of tackle a few of our largest points. One factor that is actually vital that is lastly on the forefront of the nationwide dialog is local weather change. I fought for and handed the East Facet Coastal Resiliency Challenge, which is a $1.45 billion plan to guard the east facet from future disasters and storm surges, and that was such an emotional, intense time after the hurricane, and our group actually got here collectively to determine ‘OK, how can we finest shield ourselves?’ And I feel points like this affect nationwide and even worldwide coverage, and I feel these are among the points that we’re actually making an attempt to determine how can we work on a neighborhood degree. I imply that even within the federal method. At the same time as a congress member, you’ve a neighborhood accountability to your of us.
Many people are going to say, after all, we need to codify Roe. In New York Metropolis, I led the change to create the primary municipal program within the nation for abortion entry. That’s one thing that needs to be replicated throughout cities, and positively should, particularly in these sorts of instances when reproductive rights are underneath assault. Once I take into consideration our imaginative and prescient as a metropolis, revitalizing our metropolis is my prime precedence in our pandemic restoration and past. I feel for what I deliver that is actually distinctive to the position is that I am the one candidate with a robust current constituency within the district, and I’ve, I feel, the clearest path to constructing a district-wide coalition. The help for my run from a really numerous NY-10 and the town leaders is a transparent signal that we have now momentum and I feel that they are excited that I am somebody who’s simply very energized by the potential of our metropolis and of our communities.
There are nice candidates operating all around the state and throughout this nation, and we actually have lots in widespread when it comes to our nationwide agenda on gun management, on codifying Roe, on getting huge cash out of politics and enabling somebody with very, very humble beginnings like myself to run. What I come to is the problems New Yorkers face proceed to develop and my document proves that I am nicely outfitted to assist ship options as a member of Congress, identical to I’ve as a member of the Metropolis Council, however that New Yorkers are actually very hungry for management and imaginative and prescient that is as daring as it’s pragmatic in taking over these fights. And so, I feel I’ve used my platform, form of my very own identification, to attempt to speak about these points which might be actually affecting us in a really, very deep method. I feel what’s thrilling and what I feel folks have actually form of responded to once I’m speaking to them about my run is that I simply have a love for my metropolis and I am deeply grateful for all of the help that I’ve already seen. To run for Council and now for Congress and what an honor it will be. I am a homegrown candidate, I am from the neighborhood. I feel folks need to see somebody who does have daring concepts, however who additionally has a really nuanced understanding of the native points.
Ben Max: Let’s come again to native points in a second. By way of going huge, going daring on the nationwide degree. When you’re elected to Congress, if Democrats preserve management of the Home, clearly, these are our important ifs that can play out over the course of this election. You are one in every of lots of within the majority. If that occurs, within the minority, it is even more durable to get your priorities accomplished. However to illustrate you’re a member of the Home within the Democratic majority. What are the one or two issues on the prime of the checklist the place you’d need to go huge and daring with Democratic management, let’s simply say within the Home, within the Senate, within the presidency, the place these points the place you’d actually need to use your voice, no matter it could actually it could actually assist a crew when it comes to political momentum to essentially have the nation go huge and go daring?
Carlina Rivera: I do not need to identify an entire bunch as a result of I’m positive you’ve different questions for me and we have now restricted time. I discussed the reproductive rights motion, the combat for abortion entry. I feel what we have been capable of do in New York Metropolis with the primary municipal abortion entry fund, and it is since been replicated in different cities like Austin. We’re studying from Austin too, proper, they went forward they usually included one thing like transportation bills. I feel these are issues that we will kind of affect in a nationwide method that can hopefully result in in the end codifying Roe. I feel that’s such an vital concern, and sure, it reverberates. It has penalties for different points, I feel that embrace simply civil rights usually and treating folks as full folks, as actual residents.
Cities will not be buildings, cities are the those that lead them need to heart our humanity before everything, so I feel reproductive rights is actually an enormous concern and that simply is healthcare usually. As you talked about, I used to be chair of the committee on hospitals, and the work that we did when it comes to addressing among the systemic inequities that quite a lot of us knew was already there, and the way the cash flows into our hospital methods in a really disproportionate method, and the most important municipal healthcare system within the nation is Well being + Hospitals. And so who they serve and the way they’re supported by the federal authorities is extremely vital. Well being care and reproductive rights are essential. I discussed local weather change. I feel among the work that I’ve accomplished not simply on one thing just like the East Facet Coastal Resiliency Challenge, however within the Council, we handed the Local weather Mobilization Act. Lots of people name that the Soiled Buildings Invoice, which was to handle the emissions from our very inefficient buildings right here in New York Metropolis. I feel it additionally goes to how we’re prioritizing mass transit, inexperienced infrastructure, so actually first prioritizing our cyclists and our pedestrians and investing in mass transit. I do know the place these transit {dollars} ought to go right here in New York Metropolis, whether or not we’re extending the Second Avenue subway, taking a look at find out how to ensure that Brooklyn, Queens, a few of our different boroughs have the identical kind of focus and focus when it comes to infrastructure cash, and ensuring that we’re designing cities for folks. I launched and handed Open Streets. That is been a nationwide mannequin when it comes to how we reclaim our open house and redesign it.
After which in the end, housing, I am unable to inform you how, I assume inspired that I’m that housing is admittedly lastly form of going to the highest of the nationwide agenda of how individuals are struggling when it comes to entry to housing and general affordability. Whether or not it is ensuring that our communities are literally contributing reasonably priced housing to the general inventory, particularly in cities which might be in disaster like New York Metropolis, however that is being felt throughout the nation. So how can we amp up mass manufacturing? How can we be certain that folks with vouchers aren’t being discriminated in opposition to? We actually have to speak about treating public housing as a part of our basic infrastructure, so the way in which that we talked about hospitals and transit or just like the MTA, that is how we should always speak about public housing. There are lots of and lots of of hundreds of households, folks which might be dwelling in public housing right here and throughout the nation, and their flats are in disrepair they usually’re dwelling in such horrible circumstances. It is simply not the New York method, and we have now to take care of these households and I feel that that’s actually among the finest examples of reasonably priced housing, and we have now to go additional. And we have now to ensure that we’re preserving, and naturally, actually stepping up the availability and that manufacturing.
Ben Max: Apart from an enormous quantity of federal funding for NYCHA repairs, which clearly loads of individuals are advocating for and is one thing that there is clearly an enormous refrain pushing for, however hasn’t occurred. However aside from that, is there one lever on NYCHA that you just actually need to see pulled or pulled additional than it has been pulled? Is there one thing associated to public housing that you’d actually attempt to transfer forward on, or perhaps there’s one thing that is already shifting forward, however you need to speed up past simply an enormous huge previous allocation in the direction of NYCHA.
Carlina Rivera: That is I feel the query that quite a lot of us battle with, as a result of sure, we will all agree we want an enormous inflow of money. I imply, New York Metropolis alone wants $40 billion, and I believed what a chance there would have been to fund it as we have been discussing form of the American Rescue Plan and hopefully Construct Again Higher and people infrastructure payments that may deliver this massive inflow of money. I hope that folks can admit to really strolling public housing. I’ve walked all the developments within the Decrease East Facet, in Brooklyn, in Pink Hook. I really feel like till folks really see and perceive what these households are going by way of, they need to do all the pieces of their energy, of their capability to ensure that these households are supported to make their very own selections, no matter that could be when it comes to their growth. These tenant affiliation leaders and public housing, particularly in NYCHA, they’re normally ladies, ladies of colour, they usually do that day in and day trip, numerous hours, they don’t receives a commission. And all of that is to handle the households there who’ve been actually uncared for for a very long time.
So what are a few of our options? I do know there have been some legislative options being explored. I’ve actually tried to do what I can as a councilwoman, funding the renovation of parks, ensuring that their {dollars} are entering into for issues like ensuring the compactor is shifting as a result of there is a huge trash and rat downside in our metropolis. So I feel folks actually need to stroll public housing and perceive what’s going on, after which additional transfer to empower these tenant associations and these leaders to make the choices for his or her developments that take advantage of sense.
Ben Max: Fast query that connects your present work chairing the Metropolis Council felony justice committee and a possible federal position. Do you imagine that it is time for a federal receivership of the town’s jails, particularly these on Rikers Island? Do you suppose that it is time to do this? I noticed your colleague Keith Powers within the Metropolis Council says it is time for that, there’s some others I feel that imagine that. Do you suppose there needs to be a federal takeover of the town’s jails?
Carlina Rivera: There’s a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Rikers Island, interval. I feel it’s receiving nationwide consideration and the circumstances there for the incarcerated and officers alike are utterly unacceptable, and it is harmful. I don’t see a plan from the town to sort out these points within the subsequent few months, and I really feel that the receivership is imminent. If, and once more, we have requested in a number of hearings, I encourage folks in case you have the time, check out the hearings that we have had within the Council in making an attempt to carry the Division of Corrections and naturally this mayoral administration accountable for the shortage of reform, and hopefully extra transparency as time goes on. And lately, they introduced an interagency job power, which seems like a plan to make a plan, and that’s simply not the spot that we’re in.
So until they’ll actually flip it round and are available ahead with precise reform and a plan to which I hope in the end shut Rikers Island, however to at the least get circumstances as much as the purpose the place we don’t have, we aren’t at vigils or studying information about individuals who have died inside the services themselves, then this administration ought to get on board in selecting a receiver and getting on board with federal intervention that they themselves might take part when it comes to the dialogue. There are solely two choices and I don’t see the plan coming collectively, and it appears to be like like federal intervention is on its method. So we have now a number of conversations forward of us when it comes to what to anticipate from management, however we’re simply not seeing it proper now and we simply had one other particular person go away. It’s simply in a really, very harmful, dangerous place, and we have now to do one thing.
Ben Max: We’re in our previous couple of minutes right here with Metropolis Council Member Carlina Rivera, who’s now a candidate for Congress within the new New York tenth congressional district, which incorporates components of downtown Manhattan, components of downtown Brooklyn, and an entire bunch of different neighborhoods in Brooklyn that I will not checklist off proper now as a result of a few of them are a part of one in every of my final couple questions right here. Coming again to the race right here, you mentioned one thing earlier about being the cannon within the race with the true kind of constituency and base. I feel Assemblymember Niou would most likely take some concern with that. I feel former Mayor de Blasio would most likely take some concern with that, though he is clearly obtained a number of challenges in his previous yard the place there’s quite a lot of disillusionment together with his management, however he is hoping to win folks again, and perhaps others within the race as nicely. However as you have a look at this new district, there is a actually fascinating kind of demographics right here. Very clearly, simply by the voting age inhabitants, the entire inhabitants within the district. White voters are more likely to be a large majority of the voters right here. They’re very a lot going to be largely liberal to fairly darn progressive in a few of these neighborhoods in each Manhattan and Brooklyn. Then you definately’ve obtained closely Latino neighborhoods and communities in each Manhattan and Brooklyn components, closely Asian communities in each Manhattan and Brooklyn components of the district, after which you’ve extra conservative white communities in components of the district like out in Borough Park. While you’re excited about these three to 4 huge teams there, and once more, these are broad brushes, however congressional districts are large. Are there any ways in which you are excited about kind of points that matter essentially the most to sure constituencies and sure communities that you’d virtually be capable to say, ‘I do know that the Latino communities, a few of which you at present symbolize in Manhattan, and people in Brooklyn which might be a part of this district, the Asian communities, once more predominantly Asian communities care about sure points on the prime of the checklist, et cetera, et cetera?’ Do you’ve ideas on kind of that strategy to the teams inside this bigger group and the way you are going to kind of discuss to those totally different constituencies?
Carlina Rivera: Yeah, after all. Typically folks ask me, what are Latino points? What are ladies’s points? Now we have the identical points as everybody else, and that’s that folks need a extra reasonably priced, livable metropolis. I’ve very deep roots on this group. I’ve labored with all different types of stakeholders, even individuals who could be on form of the opposing finish of a difficulty. It is so vital to have that dialog to grasp and broaden your perspective. And I have been navigating these dynamics for years and all through my profession.
I am about outcomes that raise everybody and I’ve a document of doing that even earlier than I grew to become a Metropolis Council girl. I labored on a challenge known as the Seward Park City Renewal Space, that is Essex Crossing now, and that was a really huge concern for the Decrease East Facet. That was 40 years of historical past, almost 2,000 households displaced, a lot of them Puerto Rican. And eventually, there was a dialog that was going available about what to do, which was just about largely simply parking tons. And that dialog of like, nicely what do we wish? The those that have lived right here, the those that lived by way of this displacement. What do we wish? Properly, we needed reasonably priced housing as a result of that was the suitable factor and the justice a part of it was so vital. Open house, ensuring that there was native hiring, having a seamless transition for the Essex Avenue Market distributors to go from one market to a different with the identical rents, however extra facilities, as a result of that market was so vital, symbolic of the group’s historical past, and since there’s such a range in among the kiosks and and the store homeowners in there. After which after all, ensuring there was a proper to return for these households that have been displaced many, a few years in the past, which was in and of itself one other problem, and the way do a few of these households show that they really reside there? They need to go discover baptism information and previous report playing cards, and there have been some nice organizations on the bottom that helped folks try this. And you recognize, these points unite all of us. I deliver up Essex Crossing as a result of it is an instance of a number of folks wanting a number of various things, and the group coming collectively to say, ‘This is what we will conform to, and this is how we have now to maneuver ahead.’ And once I take into consideration simply form of like my previous and why I feel I perceive the problems, simply so acutely and so personally, I do know what it is prefer to reside on this metropolis day in and day trip, and I feel what what offers me quite a lot of pleasure are the issues that we have now all been by way of collectively and the way we have recovered as a group and as a metropolis, whether or not it is 9/11 restoration and taking good care of these staff, whether or not it’s the Essex Crossing challenge, whether or not it is Hurricane Sandy reduction.
Once I first ran, it was a crowded major too and that is the council race. It was an thrilling time for me as a first-time candidate. I gained a crowded six-week major with over 60% of the vote. Once I first ran, I delivered for the group, I gained my second time period with 74% of the vote. And that’s as a result of I am on the market, I am within the streets, I am speaking to of us, folks know me, I went to highschool right here, I performed basketball right here, I’ve gained a pair softball championships right here. Each milestone in my life is right here and I do know the struggles that on a regular basis New Yorkers face as a result of I lived them myself. That is a lot greater than only a job to me. It is about taking good care of the communities that raised me, and that is what we do for one another as New Yorkers.
Ben Max: [Longer outro…] Carlina Rivera, thanks for taking the time and be nicely.
Carlina Rivera: Thanks. Thanks, discuss quickly.