Andrew Yang
Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire
Rebuilding New York City
Question 1
Please describe what steps you will take to rebuild the economy.
Through the pandemic, women and women of color in particular have had to bear the brunt of the crisis. From serving as the majority of our essential workers, to experiencing all of the net job loss through the employment crisis, to disproportionately bearing the burden of childcare and remote learning for children, to caring for loved ones who have fallen sick by COVID, women shouldered the pandemic and must be at the center of our recovery.
On day one of my campaign, I made a pledge to reopen 15,000 small businesses during my first year as mayor. Beyond this, we must reduce fines levied against such businesses. For instance, DCA already identifies some fines that can be curable. We will build on this by creating a multi-agency organization to support businesses and conduct educational inspections (including, but not limited to: DOB, FDNY, DCA, MOME, DOHMH, DEP) and shift from a focus on Multi-Agency (MARCH) Raids to a focus on CURE (Collaborative Uniform Repair Enforcement). A single stop will create much more ease for small businesses, especially women and minority-owned small businesses. This will be done in several languages so as to assist every entrepreneur and worker in the city.
In addition, NYC should have a consolidated app for many reasons, but one is to allow for crowdsourcing for NYC small businesses with matching donations. This could focus on co-ops, bars and restaurants, allowing them to keep themselves afloat until they’re free to fully open again. Londoners, for example, raised £1.5 million to support hundreds of businesses through a similar program, and there’s no reason NYC can’t do the same.
I am also committed to accelerating New York’s transformation into a green energy hub, which will produce thousands of good-paying jobs for New Yorkers. Already, I’ve supported the development of a geothermal power plant in Long Island City and a battery storage facility in Williamsburg, both of which would create jobs in neighborhoods devastated by the pandemic and move New York towards a clean energy economy.
Perhaps even more importantly, my public bank initiative – a People’s Bank – will be primed to give low-interest loans to small businesses that are often overlooked by international banks located in the City. The bank will be developed in a way that considers the neighborhood context so a good business idea is considered on merit, rather than on conventional assumptions.
Along with creating new jobs, reducing red tape for small businesses, stimulating the economy with my guaranteed income program and the People’s Bank of New York, I will also revive the City with the largest marketing campaign NYC has ever seen. Understanding that much of the vibrancy of NYC will come back once office spaces, theatres, restaurants and all small businesses reopen, I will be a partner in sustaining this vibrancy. We cannot divorce our economic rebound from other social issues, such as housing scarcity, poverty and homelessness. In order to facilitate this, I will increase public safety, reduce quality of life complaints, effectively pick up the garbage, and address the street homelessness crisis. As quality of life improves for everyone, New Yorkers and tourists alike will return to the city in droves, seeking the art, culture and energy that they have been missing for over a year and bolstering our small businesses and the economy at large.
Question 2
There has been a seismic shift in female representation in the workforce due to COVID-19. Particularly, women of color have lost jobs or have been left to care for their families. What is your plan to spur job growth and small business ownership for women?
Prior to the pandemic, New York City benefited from over 350,000 women-owned businesses and the roughly 190,000 jobs they provided. However, only 8% of these businesses had employees other than the owner. My administration will help support the foundation of businesses owned by women and persons of color, and help existing businesses scale to reach their full potential.
Women receive a smaller percentage of small businesses loans than men. A Yang administration will use the People’s Bank to extend loans to women-owned nascent small businesses and will ensure that women-owned businesses are recipients of City contracts. My administration will also work with major NYC employers to ensure that they honor diverse hiring commitments, such as the New York Jobs CEO Council’s goal of hiring 100,000 underserved New Yorkers by 2030. In combination with these efforts, my administration will vigorously enforce workplace rights, anti-discrimination, and sexual harassment laws to ensure that our City provides an equitable and safe job landscape.
Question 3
How would you have handled the Amazon deal differently? Please describe your approach to recruiting companies to NYC.
While the Amazon deal certainly wasn’t perfect, New York should never be driving away companies offering to bring jobs, much less 25,000 jobs. After the devastation of the pandemic and the loss of over 600,000 jobs, it is even more important to signal to companies that we are open for business. I want to make it easier for businesses to come here, and will be a willing partner to the private sector to keep New York at the center of global industry.
Question 4
Municipalities across the country have had systems and data held hostage for ransom, do you think NYC is sufficiently protected? If not, what is your plan and what is your position on paying ransom?
Cybercrime against municipalities is a serious problem that our City must be prepared for. A Yang administration will prioritize cybersecurity in City computer systems, including dissemination of top-of-the-line preventive software, software update requirements, enhanced City employee cybersecurity training, and secure storage of back-up data. While payment of ransoms is necessarily a case-by-case determination, the best solution is investing in cyber protection before an attack, leveraging the significant technology resources in our City.
Question 5
How do you plan to address the issue of affordable housing when nearly 30 percent of people are spending half their income on rent? How do you define affordable housing?
Due to the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have a once in a generation opportunity to transform large swaths of New York City into affordable housing. My comprehensive affordable housing platform aims to capitalize on this opportunity to address New York City’s need for permanently
affordable housing for New Yorkers, particularly those at 0-60% AMI. One of my administration’s first affordable housing initiatives would be to offer forgivable grants and regulatory relief to owners of Class B residential buildings and obsolete commercial office buildings who convert their properties to
affordable housing and/or supportive housing. I estimate that we can create about 25,000 new units of affordable housing from this program by 2025.
In addition, I would use New York’s existing housing stock more creatively to expand supply. I would reform arcane laws that place arbitrary caps on the number of unrelated individuals who can share dwelling units in multi-family buildings and relax prohibitions on separate and independent living in dwelling units in multi-family builds. I would also ease the restrictions on the creation of rooming units. Reforming these parts of the City code will allow for the creation of more SRO-type residencies and legalize coliving, create thousands of new housing opportunities, much of it affordable. I’m also going to encourage the creation of microunits (also known as tiny homes and Small Efficiency Dwelling Units) by decreasing the Dwelling Unit Factor (the number of dwellings permitted on a lot depending on the allowable FAR) so that buildings with micro-units are permitted additional density and legalize accessory dwelling units (“ADUs”) so that basement occupancies, and additional dwellings built in the backyards of single family homes, are legal.
Finally, I support upzoning dense and transit rich communities and, through a Reformed MIH program in those upzoned areas, I’m going to give additional FAR bonus and density bonus to developers who commit to deep affordability (20% of units affordable to households earning less than 40% of AMI). Buildings using Reformed MIH would be allowed to contain micro-units and would be required to contain 25% three bedroom units, creating deeply affordable housing for New York’s lowest income working families. Expanding access to affordable housing for low income New Yorkers also requires revamping the way the City connects low income New Yorkers to suitable housing. That starts with rethinking “Housing Connect” (the website where income restricted units are marketed) as a mobile first platform accessible through a NYCApp, especially because the only internet connectivity low income New Yorkers often have is through their phones.
Question 6
How will you reinvest in and expand public housing, ensuring that all have a decent home? What are your specific plans to expand and revitalize public housing in NYC?
Revitalizing public housing in NYC is a priority for a Yang administration. I will fight for $48 billion for NYCHA for capital repairs from the federal government. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has struggled through decades of disinvestment. Expected repair costs now total $32 billion over five years and $46 billion over 20 years. A Yang administration would use its deep relationships in Washington, D.C., to fight for funding to cover NYCHA’s full capital need and set NYCHA back on track while also investing in local solutions to make repairs and improve standards of care for public housing tenants.
We know that any chance we have to make significant upgrades to NYCHA’s buildings will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity, so we must capitalize on these investments by ensuring all capital improvements are aligned with our sustainability and climate goals. I have a bold plan to take advantage of this opportunity. We will usher in not just upgrades to NYCHA buildings, but also, a new era of racial, economic, and environmental justice. New York City recently passed bold legislation, the Climate Mobilization Act, which requires most big buildings to reduce their emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. Although NYCHA does not face the same penalties as other landlords if it does not comply with the law, NYCHA can still lead on progressive decarbonization efforts. This includes passive house standards, energy and water efficiency, electrification of fossilfuel based heating systems and investments in renewable energy and clean jobs.
Question 7
With the cost of living rising at nearly three times the rate of wages, 2.5 million working-age New Yorkers are struggling to provide food, housing, and other basic necessities for their families. What specific plans do you have to address poverty and the vulnerability of the working poor in NYC?
My administration will launch the largest basic income program in the country. Through this program, 500,000 New Yorkers with the greatest need will receive a basic income that will help give them a path forward. Our goal is to end extreme poverty in New York City by putting cash relief directly into the hands of those who desperately need help right now, ensuring that every household has an annual income that is at least above extreme poverty, taking into account the true cost of living in New York City. Any New Yorker, regardless of their immigration status or life experience (ie. past experience with incarceration or the criminal justice system, experience of homelessness), will be eligible to receive cash relief.
My administration will also launch the People’s Bank of New York City. The People’s Bank has two objectives: (1) ensure every New Yorker can access basic financial products and services, like checking accounts, and has the opportunity to save money affordably, build credit, and secure small business loans; and (2) Support small business lending in underserved communities by guaranteeing loans and loan portfolios. This will help New Yorkers in need avoid predatory businesses such as check cashing and increase their financial security. It will also allow entrepreneurs who would normally struggle to be approved for a reasonable loan to access capital.
Public Health & Safety
Question 8
How do you plan to address the rise of hate crime incidents in NYC? How will your office engage with communities to promote hate crime reporting and prevention? Do you consider gender-based violence a hate crime? If so, how will you reduce and prevent it?
As an Asian American I am appalled by the surge in hate crimes stemming from Covid-19 and I have been quite vocal since the beginning of the outbreak about the need to reverse this sentiment. This is just one recent example of the legion of hate crimes diverse New Yorkers experience daily. I unequivocally consider gender-based violence a hate crime. A Yang administration will partner with community organizations and community representatives to eliminate hate crimes from our City.
I have called for the NYPD to focus on hate crimes rather than on criminalized behaviors that don’t pose a public safety risk, such as marijuana use. I will ensure that the NYPD, law enforcement agencies and community leaders collaborate to identify solutions that both protect the community and target drivers of hate crime and violent crime. I have also called on increased accountability of the NYPD to actually solve crimes. The rate of violent crimes solved has dropped and that is problematic. In addition, we need our clergy, schools and community groups to foster more discussion and empathy between neighborhoods so that New Yorkers have a more inclusive mindset and aren’t so quick to blame those who don’t look like them.
Question 9
What is your vision for preventing and reducing the crimes of sexual assault and rape? Other than improving the transparency and effectiveness of the criminal justice system, what multidimensional and innovative plans of action will you specifically implement?
My administration is committed to preventing and prosecuting sexual crimes, whether they are committed within government or across NYC. The city is the largest employer in NYC and should set the highest standard for what a model employer looks like. Under my leadership, I will ensure that NYC sets the best example for how to create a safe work environment where people feel comfortable coming forward and every allegation is taken seriously. Every city employee will be part of mandatory anti-bias and anti harassment training that will be interactive and ongoing. Open dialogue and available resources for all employees who are victims, supporting victims, or trying to educate themselves on how to create a better and safer work environment will be key.
By modeling the best example of a safe workplace, New York businesses, and cities around the country, will hopefully start to reflect those changes in their own workspaces. Also, by introducing mandatory sexual education classes in all NYC schools, we will educate and embolden the next generation of New Yorkers. Consent will be a key focus for young students, empowering all students by giving them the language and tools to speak up against harassment and assault for themselves and the people around them.
Question 10
Violent crime has risen to alarming levels, and home burglaries are up. What is your plan for reducing gun violence, sex crimes, and assaults/muggings that instill fear in the public and harm quality of life for city residents?
New York City can no longer take a passive and outdated approach to addressing the gun violence epidemic across the five boroughs, and the growing incidence of crime. Gun violence is the leading cause of death of young people and disproportionately impacts communities of color across the five
boroughs. There have been far too many casualties of this crisis, and we must build an ecosystem of harm reduction to end this epidemic, once and for all.
Crime was at an all-time low before the pandemic. We know we can get back here. But it will not happen just by vaccinating New Yorkers and reaching herd immunity. As a city, we must address the unrest, loss and lack of opportunity that has been exacerbated by COVID, take gun violence with the utmost seriousness, and continue to institute reforms while elevating and investing in the solutions of frontline organizations with proven efficacy.
Gun violence causes significant harm to women, who bear the brunt of gun-related domestic violence crimes. Women are at disproportionate risk of sex crimes and assaults/muggings – and must be taken with the utmost seriousness by the NYPD.
A Yang administration will focus on ending the iron pipeline of illegal guns flowing into New York City, adding capacity to the Gun Violence Suppression Division and Violence Reduction Task Forces of the NYPD to address mounting toll that gun violence is taking on communities across the five boroughs, immediately reopen courts to address illegal gun possession and gun crimes, invest in early intervention, expanded youth referrals and a citywide scaling of Cure Violence, expanding the Brownsville pilot, and work with New York State to ensure that funds from the Community Violence Intervention Act reach New York City.
Question 11
How will you work to rebuild trust between the community and law enforcement, while also ensuring accountability for police misconduct, police brutality and sexual assault?
We need a New York Police Department (NYPD) that is focused on protecting New Yorkers. A high-functioning police force that serves racial justice goals is the aim. That requires top-down and bottom-up reform.
A Yang administration will seek to reorganize the NYPD to rebuild trust between officers and New Yorkers, particularly communities of color, to refocus the NYPD on crimes that matter, and to ensure New York recovers not as it was, but how it deserves to be – a safe city firmly grounded in equality and respect. It is absolutely unjust that those who are supposed to be keeping us safe are often instead violating our civil rights and treating communities of color with unnecessary violence. I will appoint a civilian NYPD Commissioner whose background is not one primarily in law enforcement so that we can integrate the NYPD into a more just criminal justice system that is far less punitive in how it is structured, and ensure serious accountability for officers who violate the rights of New Yorkers. We will also work to decriminalize certain crimes, so that the police focus on neighborhood policing and not on criminalizing nonviolent actions.
Finally, I will pursue a residency requirement for new officers in Albany. A majority of NYPD officers live outside NYC. NYPD officers are exempted from residency requirements and are allowed to live in nearby suburban counties, such as Suffolk County, even though NYC municipal workers are required to live in the five boroughs, including civilian workers in the NYPD. A Yang administration will seek state approval to repeal this carveout so that all new officers are required to live in New York City. If we are committed to the ideals of neighborhood policing, we should have our police live in our neighborhoods. They should be a part of the civic fabric and understand the communities they protect and serve.
Question 12
In 2019 alone there was a 52% increase in DV homicides and 911 received upwards of 800 DV calls a day. What is your plan to prevent, identify and keep women safe from abusive intimate partners?
Screening for domestic violence and sexual assault requires a trusting relationship. My administration will expand primary care and women’s healthcare in NYC, in part via a transformative expansion of NYC Care, to ensure that women – and immigrant women in particular – have unfettered access to healthcare and associated social services. A Yang administration will invest in women’s shelters and safe havens and expand programs for victims of domestic violence available at NY Health+Hospitals, including interdisciplinary interpersonal violence teams and investment in child services and financial support. I will also work with community organizations and healthcare professionals to de-emphasize police involvement in domestic violence disputes where appropriate, to ensure the safety of victims and provide them with agency and social support.
I will continue to invest in New York City’s Family Justice Centers, ensuring that coordinated responses to domestic violence and sexual assault that centers trauma-informed care is available to all survivors, regardless of when and how they report violence
Question 13
Opioid deaths have ravished communities throughout NYC. In the first two months of 2020, 440 people died. How will you tackle this continuing public health crisis? What will you do differently than the outgoing administration to save lives?
I support the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of some low-level drug possession. My administration will change how the city handles drug policy by placing an emphasis on public health. Drug addiction is a public health crisis and must be treated as such – I support safe injection sites and the funding and implementation of Overdose Prevention Centers. Criminalizing low-level drug possession can do the opposite of what we want by pushing people away from using city resources and public health institutions out of fear of retribution. Our policies should help people find help, not push them away from it.
Question 14
NYPD and EMT responded to all 154,000 mental health calls in 2020, how will you expand and strengthen Mayor de Blasio’s test programs to keep NYC police out of mental health crisis calls?
I know that every problem in our City does not require a response from a police officer. However, in situations where someone poses an immediate physical danger to themselves and others, the safety of first responders and New York citizens is paramount. As much as possible, I would shift responsibility for responding to homelessness, drug use, and mental health issues to non-law enforcement agencies and professionals, particularly when evidence shows that those professionals would be more effective in doing so.
My administration will be committed to expanding mental health co-response teams, which allow social and other public workers to respond to non-violent 911 calls. We are encouraged to see the recent announcement by the City that for the first time, mental health professionals and crisis workers will be dispatched through 911 to respond to mental health emergencies. A Yang administration would scale this pilot program up so that it expands beyond the current two high-need communities in which it is set to begin operating February 2021. As we expand the pilot we should continue to model
our system off the CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping out On The Streets) program in Eugene, Oregon, which has diverted 5-8% of calls from the police.
Question 15
According to the Coalition for the Homeless, “In January 2021, there were 55,915 homeless people, including 17,645 homeless children, sleeping each night in the New York City municipal shelter system”. What do you plan to do differently than the current administration to combat the issue of homelessness, particularly houselessness among women and households headed by single women with children in NYC?
Housing is a human right and everyone in New York City deserves a safe and affordable place to live. While New Yorkers have a right to shelter, we must create a clear and explicit pathway to permanent housing. I will target financial assistance to tenants in need, expand the right to counsel in housing court with a goal of dramatically reducing evictions, prevent displacement, and increasing housing stability for millions of New Yorkers. I will also ensure that there is a clear pathway to permanent affordable housing for New Yorkers who are currently living in shelter, with the access to the services that residents need within reach and will make the expansion of our affordable housing stock a priority. My administration will achieve greater coordination through requiring homelessness agencies, such as DHS to report to the same Deputy Mayor as housing agencies, such as HPD to ensure that these vital agencies are working in coordination toward mutual goals. We must also bring a suite of city services to New Yorkers; wherever they are. Therefore all of our field offices will have services available to connect New Yorkers to jobs, housing vouchers, childcare and more. While my focus will be creating pathways to permanent housing, we must also ensure that New Yorkers in shelters are living in humane conditions, prioritizing health and safety, but also expanding broadband and other services that will help people get back on their feet.
The most impactful assistance for single parents and households headed by single women is to improve access to the city’s rental assistance program, City Family Homeless and Eviction Prevention Supplement (“CityFHEPS”), and ensuring a more humane experience in the family shelter system. Right now, the City will only pay approximately $1,600 a month for a family of four while Federal Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers pays $2,000 a month. This difference results in landlords refusing to accept CityFHEPS vouchers while they wait for a section 8 Voucher. It is unacceptable that due to a gap of a few hundred dollars a month, families are remaining in shelters. A Yang administration will immediately move to make the city’s rental assistance program equivalent to the section 8 standards.
Education & Childcare
Question 16
In NYC, less than half of 3rd to 8th grade students are meeting proficiency standards on ELA or Math state exams. Rates are far lower for Black and Hispanic students. What is your plan for achieving an educational system where all public school students are meeting or exceeding basic standards, regardless of race, income or zip code?
While proficiency standards have long plagued NYC schools, the pandemic has exasperated the problem. High dosage tutoring has proven to be one of the most effective ways to help students catch up and achieve proficiency. President Biden’s stimulus package included $1 billion in new funding for
AmeriCorps. As Mayor, I will capitalize on this funding by mobilizing 10,000 new tutors as part of a new initiative coordinated by the City and supported by business & philanthropy: The Big Apple Corps. Each tutor serving as part of the Big Apple Corps will work with 10 students, thereby reaching 100,000 of the most vulnerable children in the 5 boroughs starting with Title I schools through coordination with local non-profits who already serve our hardest-hit communities. My administration will tap proven providers of tutoring such as the Great Oaks Foundation, City Year and SAGA Education to provide high-quality tutoring to children in Math and English Language Arts.
Question 17
Five years after graduates filed a complaint that their Yeshivas didn’t provide a basic education as required by law, the city produced a report that found 26 of 28 Yeshivas investigated still did not meet Substantial Equivalency standards. Beyond “working with Yeshiva leaders” what will you do differently than Mayor De Blasio to get compliance?
There has been a complete lack of trust recently between the ultra-Orthodox community and City and State government. We need to revamp this relationship and acknowledge that educators at Yeshivas and City education officials are all working towards the same goal – to ensure NYC students receive high-quality education. As mayor, I will always respect religious freedom including the freedom of parents to do what’s best for their kids educationally. Thus, we shouldn’t interfere with their religious and parental choice as long as the outcomes are good.
Question 18
Teen pregnancy, dating violence, prostitution and online sex harassment continue to derail students’ abilities to learn and live free of violence and abuse. What is your plan to ensure age-appropriate sex education and a healthy relationships curriculum is mandated and delivered to every NYC child?
I intend to implement universal sex education. Currently, sex education is only taught for one semester in junior high school and one semester in high school. In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio established the Sexual Health Education Task Force, which later recommended that the New York City Department of Education “prioritize a culture of sexual wellness and inclusivity in all NYC schools, implement additional professional development opportunities for health education instructors, improve the content, substance, and methods of sexual health education, and strengthen accountability and reporting of sexual health education implementation.” These recommendations have yet to be implemented. My administration will fully adopt the recommendations of the Sexual Health Education Task Force, and require full implementation of comprehensive, medically accurate, age appropriate, LGBTQ+ affirming sexual and reproductive health education, every grade, every year. My administration will also ensure that the statemandated HIV/AIDS curriculum, and full implementation of the newly-passed Erin’s Law, to prevent, educate and encourage reporting on child sexual abuse.
Question 19
What will you do to address the child care crisis that hinders women’s workforce participation, economic stability for families, and access to quality and affordable early education for children?
I believe affordable and accessible childcare should be a right and I understand that the most affordable and enriching childcare of all –the public school system– can have a major role to play in stepping in to fill this gap. That is why I support expanding the widely successful universal pre-k program to universal 3-K as the city and its finances recover. Over time, there is no reason this cannot be pushed even further so that all three year olds have a safe and free space to learn and interact with other children. Parents shouldn’t be stuck in a cycle of poverty because they are paying too much for childcare while trying to earn a living to provide for their child.
New York City also has some of the most stringent regulations in the country for opening a new day care center, meaning all-in costs to create a new daycare center can run over a million dollars. And, while those rules might be well intended, their impact is to restrict supply and force families and caregivers to improvise their own solutions. To the extent possible, where state law does not preempt action, I will work to reduce these regulatory burdens and make it easier to increase the supply of affordable, quality childcare options.
I also support opening day care facilities in NYCHA buildings. Many parents who need daycare live in NYCHA facilities and many providers of daycare services live in NYCHA facilities. It makes no sense to take these properties offline as potential daycare sites. Instead, I will liaise with NYCHA communities to facilitate the opening of a daycare center in at least 5 NYCHA buildings per borough and work with these entrepreneurs to access zero and low-interest loans through the People’s Bank, which will support start-up costs and reduce barriers to opening.
I will also overhaul the voucher system for childcare. Current vouchers are of such low value that they are often not accepted by private providers and go unused. Between December 2019 and December 2020, the number of vouchers dropped 25% and lost tens of millions of dollars in funding. I will restore the budget for vouchers and increase the value so they are more widely accepted.
Question 20
Please describe what steps you will take to address the disproportionate amount of Black and Brown girls who are pushed out of school and into the juvenile detention system. What do you intend to do to stop the school to prison pipeline?
I will commit to a fully funded Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), expanding to the current demand of 175,000 participants. SYEP has been a key, transformative presence in young New Yorkers’ lives, serving as a great introduction for young people into the workplace, as well as a valuable source of supplemental income – 85% of participants live in households earning $31,000 or less. The program is an opportunity for youth to engage in their communities, find mentors, learn marketable skills and build professional experience during summer months. And, SYEP creates a natural moment for participants to start building financial literacy as well, with many receiving their first paychecks. New York City’s youth population is diverse on every possible dimension. We have English language learners; we have youth with physical and learning disabilities; we have youth who live in our homeless shelters; we have youth at-risk of dropping out of school and falling into the criminal justice system; and more. And, the city is just as diverse in its employer base. A year-round program also means greater time and opportunity to properly match students with employers in situations that will best position them for success. We must do so in an inclusive and supportive manner by conducting outreach to all students, no matter their life or academic circumstances. This will hopefully be the first step toward a universal program, offering critical experiences and mentors to young people, diverting them from the criminal justice system.
Question 21
Do you support decriminalizing sex buying and promoting prostitution, and why? If decriminalized, would you designate a sex trade zone? Would you license brothels and collect taxes? What would be the process to decide which neighborhoods would be deemed commercial sex districts?
I support decriminalizing sex work. Through our expansion of NYC Care and investment in NYC Health+Hospitals’ community programs, my administration will ensure that sex workers are connected with necessary social services, healthcare screening, and medical treatment as appropriate. I also support robust enforcement of state and federal anti-trafficking laws, and will ensure that the city deploys its full set of resources to help those experiencing harm.
Question 22
Please describe what makes you uniquely qualified to lead New York City at this time.
I moved to NYC 25 years ago. It was here I met my wife, Evelyn, and raised our two amazing sons. Over these two and a half decades, I have started businesses, run one of the leading education companies, founded a non-profit, and launched a presidential campaign that grew into a full-fledged anti-poverty movement. All of this was possible because New York City gave me tremendous opportunity. I owe this City everything.
I am running because now more than ever, New York City needs an anti-poverty mayor who will address the root causes that have led to severe economic inequality in New York City. During my presidential campaign, we built a movement of millions of Americans hoping to transform our economic system – a system with too many jobs that didn’t meet the changing needs of our 21st century economy.
Throughout this mayoral campaign, I intend on fostering a broad-based movement across all five boroughs. New Yorkers want a robust and fair COVID-19 recovery and I believe our cash relief plan to help the most impacted New Yorkers, along with our commitment to growing small businesses, establishing a People’s Bank, building more affordable housing driven by community needs, and reforming our criminal justice system will lead to the rebuilding of a stronger New York City.